1yr, 3mt: Sept4-Oct3, 2010

You call out 'mama' and 'dada' 200+ times a day!!! But what is hilarious is the pattern that you do it 'every day'. When you wake up, you come and hit my face to wake me saying' mama mama mama'. When I wake up, you look at the our bed wall photographs and say in sequence of the 3 frames 'mama dada' 'dada mama' & 'mama dada' :)). Next you ask for 'Dada'. I say to that 'Dada is gone to office with his car' and to that you replay 'dada..broom broom' :). This happens every day. You sometimes shout out aloud 'dada' to check if he is in the other rooms, on weekends you get a response :D and you fed to your dada's arms. To express yourself your word is 'Mama'. Till we acknowledge it, you keep saying 'Mama Mama Mama'. You know Mummy's routine for you and if it does not go as always, you remind me, it needs to be done.

You refer to Noorjan 'Nooda' and Devraj 'Deeda'. After they leave, you go to the shoe rack and pull out shoes, even if its daddies sneakers, it will do!!! But you goto to get out of the house for an outing :)

We took you to the Sharjah Aquarium and you loved the fish. You also love the disco ball Johann (Elaine's bro) gifted you.

1yr, 2mt: Aug4-Sept3, 2010

Daddy really missed you, especially witnessing your milestones, but now we are back in Dubai. Avozinia and your cousin Chloe miss you the most! U. Pet gave us company on our way home and he got the taste of his naughty nephew ;) and some lessons of handling toddlers ;). Yesssssssssss! You will have a cute lil cousin soon. A. Martina is expecting J, yupppieeeeeeeeeeeeee!

You have started walking fast! You identify our clothing. You started off with Nana's grey night PJ's. You would grab and run away with it shouting 'Nana, Nana, Nana'. The day nana left for Goa, she left behind that for you to remember her. I used to make it as a cape for you :). Sometimes you put on our clothes :), everything on your head!!!We took you to see dolphins and you now say 'fissssssssss' :) with a big hissss! Your favorite word is 'that'. Everything you want is 'That, that, that'. You have invented your own teaser games. You run away with other people's stuff and say 'Gimmme, Gimme, gimme' :). Your favorite word is 'STAR' and 'Broooooom'. Oh Jesus!! And the moment you are dressed us, you stick to the door and just want to get out...even if we are not ready!! So we changed the strategy, we dress up first and just before we are about to leave, we dress you up :)).You did your first paintings 3 canvas paintings and 2 bottle paintings. We gifted them on daddy's and A. Serena's bday. When we told your pediatrician, she asked us for one of your paintings, so we gifted her one :).

1yr, 1mt: July4-Aug3 2010

You have started walking the day after your birthday!! Your birthday gift for us Muuuahhh xoxoxox . You refer to us ‘Mammaae’ and ‘Dada’. But yeah, I goto admit you referred to daddy as ‘Dada’ couple of months earlier, It's really cute and unfair ;)

My love, suddenly you want loads of cuddles et all from mommy. You ONLY want to see me the first thing after you wake up. Daddy just does not understand this sudden attack. You are addicted to your fridge magnets. Daddy kept complaining some days back that the fridge magnets are everywhere on the floor....I later followed you and wondered what you were doing with them. Guess what??? You wanted to stick them on doors, cabinets, washing machine, your swing, buggie!!!

One evening you noticed fluffy clouds while we were at the play park, you admired them, said 'ahhhhhhhhh'many time. So I recited the poetry I had made up for you at 2 moths (the blue cloth book we picked from IKEA.) ‘Fluffy clouds fluffy clouds, pitter patter rain, peek-a-boo the sun is out on a rainbow day’ (pg 1). You repeated 'clouds'. While walking home from the play park you kept looking up and saying 'ahhhh' 'ahhhh' so I sat on the entrance steps, lay on my lap so that your neck would not get strained watching clouds :).

You are an ACE imitator, you imitate sneezing, coughing, funny sounds and you stick the phone to your ear and it falls behind you after a while :))).

You had a wonderful time with Avozinha on her super short visit for your birthday and U. Petvin's wedding that took place on 15th July.

You lucky fella! The amount of toys you have now are amazing! (Thank you everyone gifted Gareth such lovely gifts.)

We made a trip down home i.e. Goa to visit A. Nela, U. Mike and your cousins for the very first time. It was lovely! Your cousins totally adore you, especially Chloe. You gave Avo a tough time every morning with your outburst of energy to climb stairs and run outside :). You tried really hard to climb steps, with a lot of help from cousins :). Your U. Jason would come home everyday to take you for bike rides, you would wait for the brooooooooommm moments. A. Wendy and Pritam too made loads of time for you. You had so much fun with everyone.

Your favorite word is 'give me' it goes as 'gimmmm gimmmm gimmmmmmm'

Petvin and Martina's Church wedding

You visited the tallest structure in the world - Burj Kalifa, Dubai.

Visiting your 2nd cousin Kainan (Son Bijoy & Rima )for the first time, almost a month after his birth

A weekend get away at the Emirates Twin Towers 18th floor. You loved the view :)

Vacation to Goa to visit A. Nela, U. Michael, Cousins Hannah & Chloe for the first time

Enjoying outdoors with Cousins

A. Lorraine got you a raincoat and you enjoyed the rains and Togo of course!

Your Birthday - 3 July2010

3rdJuly2010

Mommy and daddy had been up late night packing the books that had just arrived for the special people in your life, blowing tons of balloons for you and filling up our home with them, keeping your gifts that had arrived from goa and from friends who could not make it for your party and a lill cake with candles. Everything was ready daddy and I gifted each other, that was special. I got my dream apple iphone and more gifts from daddy. That morning you woke up really early and we made the morning really special for you by filling your cot with balloons, singing and dancing with you, cutting your birthday cake, blowing candles, opening gifts and giving Nana her well deserved memoire year book with pictures and quotes of the time both of you had spent together. We than captured your milestones your height, weight etc, we took prints of your pal and foot on clay. We introduced you to fridge magnets of your favorite animals lion, elephant, zebra and giraffe. Your A. Lorraine was the first to call you and sing for you.

We threw a birthday party for you on the dhow and invited friends ad family. Jorann and Jadon played a key role in organising the party with rigorous practices. Jadon was the pirate and Jorann took over playing the instrumentals, background music for the lil stars performing. Your cousins Kenisha and Kiana sang songs for you (do a deer) and Kiana sang I have a dream. Roxanne sang waving flag, Arantxa danced barath nythyam superbly, she stole hearts :). Jadon played some instrumentals and later the two J+J did a couple of duets. Your dad's 2nd cousin's gals Pearl sang waka waka and her sister zara danced to many hindi songs. They were totally adorable too. Their dad voluntarily played DJ for you. They all did it for you and they were wonderful. We had a nice 3 hour ride with dance, games, performances and yum food. When it was time to disembark we gave return gifts to all your guests and a big thank-thank you gift for Jadon and Jorann. We also gifted Aviozin, Serena, Petvin and Helga their Memoire book of time they spent with you. I could see that your Nana, Avozin, A. Leta, A. Lorraine and A. Serena were really touched after seeing them. Sadly the printers did not print U. Jason and A. Judith's books, hence they did not get their books on your birthday :(.

Later that evening, we went to the church and you were so done for the day that you fell asleep. Our friend Nikhil could not make it for the dhow ride so he visited you later that evening. You got loads of cards, phone calls from family and well wishers and loads of wishes from all our friends on facebook (social networking website) and emails. You were in your elements when A. Nela, Chloe, Euan, Laxmi, and U. Jason sang for you over the phone.

Woooh!! You had was one helluva birthday and loads of gifts that we could open the whole month through :D.