RianaBihari.com » Geeta http://rianabihari.com ..sweet like candy Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:15:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Back to ‘New School’ http://rianabihari.com/2009/09/04/125/ http://rianabihari.com/2009/09/04/125/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:12:42 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=125 [...]]]> Riana joined the Sterling Nursery School this week and the change has been difficult for her to absorb. We had to change her daycare four months back and the transition was an easy one. Riana immediately bonded with all of the teachers and made many friends at the new place. It was a small facility and she felt very welcomed and comfortable. Unfortunately, the owner decided to shutdown the operations of the Sterling facility and we were once again faced with re-situating Riana at a different school.

Riana is extremely social and transitions like these have never been a problem. This time however, she is battling with the large school setting. Every morning she cries when I drop her off. She tells me that she doesn’t want to attend the school. She wants me to stay there with her. Albeit unwilling to attend school in the mornings, she does seem to enjoy herself a lot during the course of the day. She especially likes the big playground that enables her to explore several activities.

I am glad that the school has been around for 42 years and is unlikely to shutdown in the near future. I really like this school as most of the teachers have either bachelor’s or master’s degree in teaching. Riana is in the younger preschool classroom and can continue at this school until Kindergarten. It is not fun when a two year old is constantly subjected to major changes like this. I hope this phase will pass as Riana develops new friendships and gets comfortable with the new environment.

Good luck my baby! (Hugs & Kisses)

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2009/09/04/125/feed/ 0 Preschool thus far… http://rianabihari.com/2009/07/03/preschool-thus-far/ http://rianabihari.com/2009/07/03/preschool-thus-far/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:03:27 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=117 [...]]]> Riana started preschool two months ago and she absolutely loves the activities involved in her class as they are a lot more interesting than the ones in Toddler classroom. She likes arts and crafts very much. From Lions and Elephants to Jelly Fishes and Sharks, she has brought them all into the house. Oh, and snakes too!

One of my favorites is a lantern she made using color paper, thread, crayons, stickers and party decorations. It was beautiful. The loveliest of all were the gifts she made for Ashwin and I for Father’s day and Mother’s Day using her thumb and finger prints.

Arts and crafts sure sound like fun but all her clothes are nicely stained yellow, blue, green and red! I am glad she is having fun but there is one thing I wish she didn’t do and that is play in the sand box until she is covered from head to toe.

She participated in the annual Sports day at her preschool and won a ‘fake’ gold medal for the egg relay competition. Apparently she had very good control! Shocking… Good control from a kid who is otherwise very clumsy.

Yesterday the school had their end of the year celebration and all the kids put out a very good show. They sang some wonderful songs. Riana was very shy and didn’t know why her mummy and other parents were sitting, watching them sing and taking pictures and videos. It was hilarious to see her expression when her turn to sing came. It was almost like we caught her doing something naughty!

They concluded the show with an award ceremony and every child got a certificate for successfully completing the year. Lunch was served at Noon and Riana devoured the hot dogs and Chips!

All in all, it’s been a wonderful experience to see her learn and grow. I would call this a successful transition to preschool…

Good job Riana. Mummy and Daddy are very proud of you! Cheers…

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2009/07/03/preschool-thus-far/feed/ 0 Speaker of the House http://rianabihari.com/2008/12/08/speaker-of-the-house/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/12/08/speaker-of-the-house/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:07:23 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=67 [...]]]> Riana not only understands a lot of what we say but she also tries to communicate using words. She knows a lot of words, some Hindi but mostly English, that compliment her wonderful gestures. She nods and says ‘Ya’ or points her finger and says ‘Over there’. Her enunciation is getting better too. Lately, she has been making attempts to form simple sentences such as ‘I want Cookie’ or ‘I want Duddu’. I am trying to get her to say ‘Love you mummy’. That’s a big expectation:)

Clearly, this communication is making things easier for us. She can ask for water when she is thirsty. She also tells us when she has ‘pooped’ and when she needs her diaper changed. Does this mean she is ready for potty training?! Now, THAT is something I am NOT looking forward to!!!

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/12/08/speaker-of-the-house/feed/ 1 Up Above… Da Dy… http://rianabihari.com/2008/10/16/up-above-sky/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/10/16/up-above-sky/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:37:01 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=47 [...]]]> It’s amazing how toddlers pick up language so fast. In the last few weeks, Riana’s ability to form words has increased dramatically. Her vocabulary is growing exponentially and according to her pediatrician, that is to be expected. She likes to point our body parts such as nose and eyes. She has fun counting 1,2 and 3! She likes to interact with people. I am amazed to see that she even tries to make up short sentences such as “My duddu”, “Bye Bye Dadda”, “No Touch”, “Hi Baby”, “Over There”. This morning, I was reciting nursery rhymes to her. I was surprised when she sang along…

Me:     Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I wonder what you are…
Riana: Up Above da… Dy…

Me:     Baba Black Sheep, Have you any wool…
Riana: Yes sa… Yes sa… tul…

How sweet. I believe she learnt this at her daycare.

Life is fun with Riana around… I am looking forward to having real conversations with her although I don’t think I am quite prepared for the “whys and hows”… Not just yet!

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/10/16/up-above-sky/feed/ 0 Giving away ‘Million Dollar Hugs’ for Free… http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/30/giving-away-million-dollar-hugs-for-free/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/30/giving-away-million-dollar-hugs-for-free/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:43:56 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=22 [...]]]> My biggest fear is that Riana will disappear in thin air if I lose sight of her even for a moment. My baby is very social and loves to interact with every person, even strangers! When we go out, she loves to greet people with her favorite word, ‘Hi’. She tilts her head to one side with her naughty side look and her lovely smile… There is no escape… She wants everyone’s attention and she gets it… and the more attention she gets, the more she wants to play with the person!

Last weekend, we were at a restaurant for dinner. She made friends with all the waiters and waitresses at the restaurant. By the time we ate our meals, she was already running behind them trying to get them to play hide and seek with her. She loves to chase and likes being chased! Shortly after, she ran to one of the waitresses and gave her a BIG hug… how lovely. The woman picked Riana up and pretended to walk away. Riana immediately waved at us and said “Bye-Bye”! I found that moment of ‘awww’ very sweet but soon realized that this could mean a potential danger. What if my baby walks away with a stranger? As the lady walked away from us, Riana quickly realized that something is not right. She reached forward and leaned over. She got down and came running to us.

Restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, malls… It doesn’t matter where we go, she loves it all. She especially likes children. She wants to play with every kid. If she sees one, she follows him/her around. Every morning she greets the daycare teachers with hugs. If you throw a flying kiss at her, she even returns the favor! So sweet… She is my cherry pie!

Love you sweetheart…

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/30/giving-away-million-dollar-hugs-for-free/feed/ 0 Learning Curve http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/10/learning-curve/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/10/learning-curve/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:52:12 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=20 [...]]]> Riana is learning a lot of new things at the daycare. After spending just two weeks in the toddler section, Riana learnt how to scream and throw temper tantrums! She fake-cries just to get attention… Phew… While she is learning a lot of things from observing other kids and some of them are not very pleasant, there are also things that I adore.

She is very independent now. They do not feed children in the toddler classroom. She is learning how to spoon feed herself. She tries to comb her hair and wear her socks. She does not mind sharing her toys with others. If you ask for a toy, she will bring it to you and happily hand it to you. Once of the best things about daycare is that the kids learn to share their personal belongings.

She can communicate better now with words as well as gestures. If she doesn’t want milk, she says “no” and shakes her head off. When she is finished eating, she says “aa-don” meaning “all done”. If we ask her to sit down, she sits down. She even puts her toys in the toy box when asked. She puts the diapers and burp cloths into the appropriate baskets. Isn’t that adorable? She’ll come to you if you ask her to. When you want to change her, she walks up to you and sits in front you facing her back to you. She likes to greet people with “hi” and “ello”. She also loves to wave good bye and says “ba-bye”!

My little baby grew so fast into a toddler. Now, she is becoming a person with her own personality. A sweet one…

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/07/10/learning-curve/feed/ 0 Braveheart http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/08/braveheart/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/08/braveheart/#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:18:36 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=14 [...]]]> No, I am not talking about Mel Gibson. I am referring to Riana who makes some bold moves, often making me worry. Last weekend at our friends’ house, Riana went chasing after the dogs, a German Shepherd and a Labrador. The dogs are BIG. While most children are afraid of big moving objects such as animals, my little monster loves them. In fact, she may have even scared the dogs. They were running away from her as she chased them to give a hug. She thought it was a fun game. She was all over them.

The other thing that makes me nervous is that Riana has figured out that she can reach higher if she climbs on to things. So, she dares to climb on to everything, the stairs, her crib, the baseboard, safety gate, furniture, people etc. Just the other day, I had a dream that she managed to get out of the crib and walk into our bedroom. I am sure, it isn’t long before my dream becomes a reality.

While it is good to be brave, just how brave do I want her to be is a different story. I hope she doesn’t try to play games with a Rottweiler or a Pit Bull. She’s not ready for it yet.

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/08/braveheart/feed/ 0 Smarty Pants http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/smarty-pants/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/smarty-pants/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:38:21 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=12 [...]]]> Learning from observation is what babies do the best. Riana is 13 months old and likes to imitate everything we do. She likes to feed her mommy and daddy but little does she know that our taste buds are spoiled. Nonetheless, we’ll eat some puffs and cheerios with her. Sure enough, her touch does make it a little sweeter!

She’s seen mommy put toys in the toy box. She now likes to collect all her toys and put them in her toy box. It’s almost like a game for her. She also puts the lid back on :) While it’s a good thing that she likes putting things away, sometimes it can be really funny. Yesterday I took some clothes out of the basket in her closet to decide what to put on her. I had it nicely spread on the carpet. Without missing an opportunity, she quickly comes by and collects the clothes and puts them back in the basket. I couldn’t stop laughing at my funny little monster! :)

As much as it is fun to see her learn new things, sometimes it can be challenging. She likes to open every cabinet and every drawer in the house. Dear daddy put the safety locks in place. However, they didn’t last more than a few hours. Those locks were too secure for me to open the cabinets! No kidding.

Riana loves to walk and run around the house. She wants to climb over the safety gates and the crib. She likes to play hide and seek with her ma but sometimes she hides in very tight and confined spaces! It is time that I go and buy a first aid kit.

It is great to see her grow and learn new gestures. She waves good bye to me every morning on her way out to the daycare. What a great start to my day! She’ll give me a high five if I ask for one… Life is good… very good… Incredible…

My little menace… I love you darling… Hugs and Kisses…

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/smarty-pants/feed/ 0 The Truth About Tooth… http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/the-truth-about-tooth/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/the-truth-about-tooth/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:35:07 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/?p=11 [...]]]> Finally, at 13 months, Riana is teething. Riana has always showed signs of teething ever since she was 5 months old. She’s had several cheek rashes. She drooled a lot. All these months, Ashwin and I have been speculating that her first tooth might pop up any day. This time we are certain that she is indeed teething. We can finally see the top of her bottom two teeth and feel the sharp edges! She’s drooling buckets and doesn’t seem to get tired of chewing! She enjoys her crackers and fig bars! :) Yummm…

Despite being reassured by all the people around me, the doctors and the dentists, part of me always wondered if my dear daughter will ever get her first tooth. I was beginning to worry. I am sure there are several parents like me who wonder if their child will ever get their first tooth. The truth is “yes”. As long as the child is otherwise hitting all physical and mental developmental milestones, there is nothing to worry about. Doctors say that children can begin teething as late as 18 months of age. Riana is 13 months old today and she is doing well. I am very glad that so far, teething hasn’t been a painful experience for her. Knock on wood…

Cheers

]]> http://rianabihari.com/2008/04/04/the-truth-about-tooth/feed/ 0 Last year… Today… In Retrospect… http://rianabihari.com/2008/03/06/last-year-today-in-retrospect/ http://rianabihari.com/2008/03/06/last-year-today-in-retrospect/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:56:15 +0000 Geeta http://rianabihari.com/2008/03/06/last-year-today-in-retrospect/ [...]]]> Last year, today, March 6 2007, we brought you home from the hospital. It was a day filled with overwhelming emotions. The plan was to leave the hospital at 11:00 AM and be home for lunch as your Naana and Naani anxiously awaited your home coming. As we got you ready and bundled up for a brutally cold day, the doctor walks in to the room and says, “We are afraid but it might take a little longer since we have to run some more exams to check for Jaundice”. From there on, things did not progress very fast at the hospital. Thankfully, you only had a mild case of jaundice and they were ready to discharge you by 5:30 PM. It wasn’t until after 7 PM that we actually left. Your father had to go pack everything and lug it to the car and drive up to the front of the hospital entrance as the nurse wheeled me out of the hospital with you on my lap in your car seat. You were such a tiny baby. You got lost in the car seat. It was -18 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill and we were atop a hill. We found out that the base of the car seat wasn’t installed correctly. Poor daddy had to spend so much time out in the cold to ensure the car seat would be secure for the ride home.

All set… Ready to leave… But are were really prepared for what’s coming?! As we drove down I-190, there is only one thing on our minds. Are you going to be okay? Are we going to be able to feed you? The nurse is no longer going to be available at the push of a button. Thankfully your Naana and Naani were home. I can’t imagine having to go through those first few weeks without having the added help. Your Naani was more than a nurse at that point. I can not thank them enough for their love and care. Barring the lack of sleep, everything worked out well.

Now, 365 days later, I still distinctly remember the day. It has been a wonderful experience and when I look at you today, it still makes me proud to have given birth to such a beautiful person.

Love,

Ma…

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