2017 has been the year of Aadya for us. Watching her open her eyes, beat her legs furiously, turn around in bed, crawl, scream and to standing up with the support of tables etc. has been an unbelievably divine experience. I am so grateful to god to have given me the amazing experience of watching her grow. It's been just 8 months since I first took her in my arms, but it already feels like 8 years.It has been a remarkable journey and I saw Aadya breaking every cliche I have heard thus far while growing up. Below are a few I observed, I am sure as she grows bigger she will crush more.
1. All that glitters ARE gold - To Aadya it doesn't matter what the shiny object is. (in fact it doesn't even have to be shiny, it just needs to fit in her hand) to her anything and everything is worth playing with. Be it a golden ring or a metal scrap. She will crawl fast, pick it up, look at it carefully and then pop it into her mouth. Its fun watching her learn, the curiosity and the interest she shows in picking up objects, is simply remarkable.
2. Don't Look, just Leap - It doesn't matter if she is on the cradle or her rocking chair or the cot, if she is on the floor, she has to get on them. If she is on them, she has to get down :) She is constantly moving towards the edge and gives us mini heart-attacks at least 10 times a day. I have come to realize how distracted we are with the advent of gadgets and how tiny our attention span is. We are unable to sit idle and focus only on Aadya all the time. But luckily our munchkin is a very active one and she is helping us unlearn and relearn every day!
3. A bird in hand is NOT better than two in a bush - This is perhaps the top factor in Aadya's growth. She picks up and plays with a toy, a spoon, a doll or whatever is available. But the moment she sees something else a little away has to run to it. She is even ready to drop whatever she is holding and go in search of the new objects.And mid-way in her journey if she realizes she cannot reach her fantasy and she has lost what she had too, it doesn't really disturb her. She is immediately off on a new quest to get newer experiences :) I do not know about the former behaviour, but if she retains her response to a loss this way, I would be a proud dad forever.
4.Never Rein in your emotions - Whether it is pain or happiness or joy or anger, she knows only one response - Expression! If she is angry with her mom or me, she shouts angrily. If she is in pain or hunger her cries come out with different facial expressions which are clear as day. She doesn't really care about who is in front of her, how old they are or what they have done in life. It doesn't matter :) Personally I hope she retains this for life. She doesn't need to look too far for validation, her father does it day in and day out (Yes it gets him into strife sometimes, but he sleeps peacefully at night)
5. Old is NOT gold - Every toy has an expiry date. If the time for something is over, its over. No attachments, no sentiments. She moves on fast. She doesn't even look back for old times sake! :D The breakup is thorough and complete. Once she is done with it, she is done with it ;)
She is growing up every day and gives us a lot of happiness and laughs :) 2018 is going to be an incredibly happy year (touch-wood). I will keep writing and recording everything she is going through. It's going to be fun :)
PS - If you are reading this, I hope you can hear Aadya wishing you a Happy New Year :) Do murmur a wish back to her or post a wish below, someday soon she will see it and will type a response back!
