Aftershocks

The autodriver gave me the first big shock, post-vacation. He has jacked up the fare by another Rs.10 because petrol prices are going up tonight.
The weather continues to be as bad as it was when I left hot and sweaty. Chennai reportedly got a couple of rains while I was away.
As for Kerala, thundershowers continue. I did not get to see the southwest monsoons though it was expected to set in by Thursday.
The kids enjoyed watching the rains and playing in the puddles in our frontyard. Ash, the nature-lover, accompanied me on one of my morning walks in the fields and was enraptured by the butterflies and cranes and cows grazing. But then he began to insist on going there so often that I had to dissuade him with tales of snakes in there. And I wasnt lying when I said that. Our manservant's son was bitten by a watersnake which luckily wasnt too poisonous. The fields and the backyards have been left uncultivated and untended. Daily labourers are an expensive proposition in Kerala. The only person I saw working in the fields was a retired schoolteacher who has always beleived in doing his own field chores.

Bidding goodbye to Chandanapally and home was a doubly sad affair this time as I was leaving Ash behind. Everyone wanted that, and we parents thought it was best too, as he is on Ayurvedic treatment now and needs better monitoring and care than we can afford here. I have been making frequent calls ever since but Ash doesnt seem to be missing us at all. But Mira is beginning to miss her brother, now that she is alone with the maid in our little flat.

Bye bye Bluebirds

I am off to Kerala on a 15-day vacation tonight. Right now I feel I will miss the cyberworld terribly but once I am there, I know I wont have time to think much about it. It will temporarily cure my Internet addiction.
Attending a wedding, a trip to Poovar near Trivandrum (I will try to look at it as a belated wedding anniversary treat from V) and checking out Ayurveda treatment for Ash in Trivandrum is on the cards during the one week that V will be there. He returns to Chennai on 25th.
The maid will go to her mother's home ( I dont think she wants to go to her drunkard husband's place) and promises to come back on 30th, when we have to pack up our bags too. I hope this maid wont give us any shocking surprises in the last minute. She does seem keen on returning. I understand our house, despite the din created by the two little ones, is heaven for her compared to her Gulf stint. Apparently she didnt get 4 months' pay for working in an Arab household; they also didnt give her a moment to breathe.
But I dont expect a Malloo maid to be grateful. How much ever we do for them, they go back and bitch...
Almost through with packing the bags between sleepless nights (thanks to an itchy Ash) and flaring tempers. Most of the luggage are the kids's clothes and stuff. In spite of it, when I am there I will find that I didnt take enough along. Worse, if the rains are on and clothes cant be dried fast enough.
Cancelled Ash's appointment with Vijaya today. We have to see how to work out his sessions once school starts, since Vijaya is available from 10 am-1 pm only. Or I will have to change the therapist. But Ash likes her though she is stern. "Let's take an auto and go to Vijaya aunty," he tells me sometimes.
And today morning, he was so upset with us parents (for shouting at him for giving us sleepless nights) that he told me: "Amma, I want to go to sister's school. I want to go to Appacha and Ammachi and Bruno and the hens."

See ya.

The jugglers

Vijaya tells me that she admires us for being able to juggle Ash's various hospital appointments and our individual jobs (which luckily for both of us allows a lot of flexibility, not to mention understanding bosses). Yesterday morning I took Ash to the opthalmologist about a stye in his eye before meetingVijaya for the speech therapy. Since his session started 15 minutes late, it turned upside down my plans of reaching office before a certain respected time. To make matters worse, Ash kicked up a tantrum for getting him a Nestle UltraPerk instead of a Cadburys Gems from the hospital lobby shop and howled all the way home.

The lobby shop is an unavoidable nuisance for all parents coming in with their wards. As I rush in dragging Ash to meet the appointment deadline, he tells me: "Amma, I dont want juice. I dont want chocolate." He only wants to stop a while to see the fish in the aquarium. But the moment he steps out of the Audiology dept after his class, he tells me: "I want Munch/ I want Gems". He knows I have the time then to buy him a chocolate.

Late in the evening, V takes Ash to his peadiatrician for a 2nd opinion on the oral steroid Depotex that the allergist has prescribed again and also about the immunisation shots for allergy. The paed says the allergy report is bullshit - since it is means that Ash cant eat anything that Indians survive on - and that it would mean that Ash would have to live on water alone. Ash has tested positive to wheat, rice, milk, fish, chicken, gluten, shrimp and dust allergents. He directs them to the SMF dermatologist, who changes his lotions and ointments - Cetaphil cleansing lotion, a non-soap lotion for his bath, and Sarna, an emollient for itchy skins.

Two hours go in that, so V returns to work and reaches home at 10 p.m. That is Indian Working Time. Most people in the private sector have 10-12 hour jobs. I am glad I am working or else I'd have gone mad Waiting for Hubby at the doorstep. Godot would be put to shame by the IT-corporate guys of India today.

Comedy of Terrors, Act II, Sc. 1

(The boy is on a provision shopping expedition with his dad.)
Boy: Appa, I dont want ice cream. It will itch.
Appa: Good.
Boy: Appa, I dont want chocolate either.
Appa: Very good.
Boy: But Appa, please get an ice cream for Vaava. Chocolate too.
(The dad delves into the freezer box for an icecream.)
Boy: Appa, take one for me too.

***

(The boy sights a Play Dough pack next. He picks it up unheeding his dad's no-no and proceeds with it under the arm to the lady at the billing counter.)
Lady Cashier: Hey, wasnt it just last week that you bought one and went home?
Boy: That one? Appa broke it!

(Note: "it" refers to the dough-kneading instrument. And no, the Boy wasnt lying. His dad broke it while trying to squeeze out some hardened dough.)

Mommies of the cyber world

... celebrate!

The future belongs to mom bloggers, says a Telegraph article.

And congrats to Elsie Button for becoming a celebrity blogger!

Diet dilemma

Ash had his follow-up appointment with the allergy specialist at Child Trust today. It was my first visit to the hospital, so I bungled up a bit and forgot to report at the Medical Records Room so that they would send the file to the doctor's room. With the result that we had to wait over an hour.
Ash's allergy test shows 2-10 allergy for wheat, rice, milk, fish, chicken, gluten (for shrimp it is 55) when the values should be less than 0.35 whatever. The doctor was horrifed to see that Ash showed a high allergy to house dust mites (over 100) and suggested a skin testing before going for an immunisation programme at his home clinic. He tells us that the medicines are imported, hence it is an expensive treatment.
At this rate Ash cant eat anything. The dr said we avoid wheat and milk and continue to give rice, our staple food.He has asked us to continue the oral steroids for him. We need to consult Ash's peadiatrician before we embark on anything, since he had been skeptical of the allergy tests in the first place.

The itch continues

Our 9th wedding anniversary today.
Forget dinner, I will be lucky if he decides to take me (and the kids) out tonight. He tells me that he is in no mood for hotel food after an office party yesterday night and an office training program (lunch included) today.
Ash's allergy test report shows positive to most allergents. V tells me the allergy towards many stuff tested (house dust, milk, chicken etc )are v. high. I need to go home and see the report.
Right now Ash keeps telling me often: "Amma, it is an allergy." He has heard us use that word often in the past two weeks.

The curious questioner

Yesterday I read an article in our company hospital bulletin, which really touched me. About an 80-year-old man asking his 45-yr-old son a question four times. "What is that?" he asked looking at a crow. The son replies, "A crow". When the father repeats the same question over and over, the son is irritated and impatient. The father then brings a diary in which he has recorded something his son had asked him when he was just 3 years old. Looking at a crow, the son had asked him 23 times what it was and each time the father had gladly and patiently told him that it was a crow.

The message is that one should show patience and kindness to elders, however unreasonable the may sound. We dont show the same patience we show to children to our elders, entering their second childhood.

The story reminded me of my kids' repeated queries about things around them. Though I dont think I will have the patience to answer the same thing 23 times. Maybe 4-5 times. I dont have much patience with children, you know.

"Amma, ithenna vangichiya?" my son asks me when I give him a candy. My daughter asks the same too. I dont exactly understand the question in his baby language - it could mean when I bought it or where I bought it or who bought it. So I vary my answers too - I bought it yesterday or I bought it from the shop or Appa bought it. Whatever, my child is happy and keeps repeating the question until he starts savouring the candy. For him the question is just a preface to eating the candy.

Train to Kerala

My inlaws left yesterday night. It had been a great help having them around since m-i-l especially saw to it that the kids were fed and taken care of well. They left worried about how the maid would take care in our absence. The maid does other household chores - cooking and cleaning and stuff - well but she doesnt show much interest in babysitting. She utilises her spare time to read the Malayalam newspaper (I think she is a very slow reader going by the amount of time she spends on it, as if she were preparing for an exam), afternoon siesta, bath, TV and so on.

Mil had given her a tution about how to take care of the kids and keep them out of trouble (their inummerable fights and dangerous play, such as suffocating each other with a pillow) plus a generous tip (hopefully the latter will make her more enthu and sincere about her job).

Ash quickly bid his grandma goodbye at the railway station and clung to his dad for dear life. It was a good thing hence that we didnt try to send him away to Kerala with them or he would have created a big racket. It would have been easier if I had gone along to leave him in Kerala. Anyway the allergy tests and a couple more tests coming up made us decide against sending him in the first place. His face has cleared but I wonder if stopping the oral steroids will make things worse again. The lost hair and weight need to come back too. The itching hasnt stopped - the eyes still itch (he is on FML and Olopat drops for that) and so does some parts of his body.

On the eye doctor's instruction, we had taken him to the dermatologist at SMF before meeting his regular paediatrician last Saturday. She said she will coordinate with the pead and her professor, Dr. Patrick, and do the needful. She also advised light therapy for his skin - since Chennai is so dusty, the sun's ultraviolet rays cannot penetrate the atmosphere and do the needful for people's skin.

Coming back... when Ash saw two nuns in the train he pointed them out to V: "Look Appa, sister!" Then he added in fear: "Appa, sitter cool venda (no sister's school for me)." During his last stay with my parents, he was attending a convent school nearby and his playschool teacher was a pleasant-faced young nun.

The Chandanapally perunnal (our church festival) is on. Mom tells me that the raasa (procession) came towards our area first and so they got to see a really grand procession at 9.30 pm. Usually it come last to our area past midnight and by then most procesionists would have taken the shortcut to reach church and grab a good seat for the drama/musical concert afterwards.

Once upon a time, people from other parts of the district and elsewhere, descended on the homes of their Chandanapallian cousins to take part in the festivities. But now, most churches celebrate St. George's day in May, and people dont need to make the journey to Chandanapally. Still, a few faithful continue to make the journey every year.

A man of the world

Once upon a time, my brother would sit on a cane chair next to my ailing granpa in the parlour and pretend to be flying an aeroplane. "I am going to Persia to get you medicines," he'd tell him and it made my granpa so proud and happy that tears welled up in his eyes.
And today, my son did something like that with his granny as she was trying to get a couple of idiappams into his tummy by hook or crook. He 'started' his tricycle and told her, "I am going to get you medicines." He collected the money she 'gave' her and put in his pocket. Unfortunately, his vehicle met with an 'accident' as he went round the house. He turned it on its side and sat on its wheel and told her, "Vandi crashed!" He then got a spoon from the kitchen drawer to function as a spanner and spent some time repairing the cycle.
By then his granny had managed to get the idiappams down his throat and it was time for the next game.
p.s. It amazes me how much kids try to imitate adult life.

Sunday trip

At Basera, a barbeque restaurant on ECR. This was our second trip there. V wanted the kids to have fun since the place has a good play area. The grandparents and the maid enjoyed too.

We had dinner in a hut propped up on stilts. Food is pretty good there. The place has tree-top tables too.

Revelations, Chapter 2

Thanks Lijy for tagging me again, and giving me something to blog about on a day I have nothing to write about. But I am worried I am revealing too much about myself, boring others with too much details about myself and getting repetitive (hence I will delete a few questions I have answered in earlier tags)

What Book Are You Reading?

Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. (It is a gripping and powerful account of life in Bombay, but I dont get to read more than 2 pages a day since blog-writing and blog-reading eats up most of my free time at work. At this rate, I will take two years to finish it.)

Favorite Board Game?

Snakes and Ladders/Ludo, once upon a time.

Favorite Magazine?

India Today, even now - though people say the content quality has gone down.

Favorite Smells?

I have answered this earlier but there are so many to choose from, so I wont delete this question. The other fav. smells are of roses and chips fried in coconut oil.

Favorite Sound?

Of waterfalls. Cant think of anything else right now.

Worst Feeling In The World?

"I wish hadnt done anything sooo stupid" feeling.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?

"Oh! 8 a.m. again! Tomorrow I will get up at 6 a.m. and go for a walk!" (But as Tara says, Tomorrow is another day)

Favorite Fast Food Place?

Tic Tac (here in Chennai) for the kebabs, but I wont call it a favorite.

Future Child's Name?

We go by the "We two, Ours two" policy, so no future child. But both of us sometime toy with the idea of adopting a kid when the duo are a lil older. For all you know, it might never come to pass - for one, it is just an old romantic desire of mine and secondly, adoption is a very difficult process in India especially since we have a male and female child already.

Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot of Money I'd..."

Spend the Chennai summers in Switzerland or any hill station in India for that matter.

Do You Drive Fast?

No, I only drive mad - my husband, that is.

What Was Your First Car?

Maruti 800

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?

Yes.

Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In.

Chennai, Delhi, Dar-es-salaam, Changanassery.

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?

No. I want to be a red-tailed dragonfly or a fish in the deepseas :)

Morning Person or Night Owl?

Night owl. I can stay up till 3 am in the morning, but I cant wake up at that time however early I go to sleep.

Favourite place to relax?

A room in a five-star hotel overlooking the beach, such as a suite/chalet in GRT Temple Bay in Mahabalipuram (where I had the fortune to stay once). And provided it is on the house!

Yours severely

Today morning we had a heated debate on the best way to treat Ash's skin ailment. It has meant untold suffering for the poor child (an adult would have hit the roof if so afflicted) inspite of our applying oils all the time, bathing him in neem water and shikakai powder (which he hates as it burns his bruised skin) and giving medication thrice a day. But so far there has been no respite and the child continues to be a ghost of his former self - scales peeling off on his face everyday, hair falling and the eyebrows almost disappearing.

I and mil strongly suspected that it was some allergy - medication or food - that was the root cause. V said it was the Enterogermina acting on his body and making all the bacteria come out. I said we go to the allergy clinic of Dr. Nagaraju in Child Trust Hospital here but V didnt sound keen on allopathy again. His parents too supported an indigenous cure though mil thought allopathy would be wise for external application. In two hours, V made various suggestions:

• that I call up the Siddha doctor (since my Tamil is better than his) and ask her what to do now,
• that we call up the Ayurveda dr and ask for an oil to apply,
• that he fly him to Trivandrum to an Ayurveda skin clinic next Friday,
• that we visit a Kottackal doctor living nearby, who was out of station the last time we went to him
• that we take him to the allergy clinic.

But I was skeptical of

• calling the Siddha lady because she would say that we persist with the oil she has given
• Dr. Shaji wouldnt give any oil
• next Friday was a long way off
• why visit too many doctors and subject Ash for experimentation.

He finally left for work in a huff but cooled down in an hour's time to call me and say that he wanted to take Ash to the allergy clinic.

The doctor, when he saw Ash, was shocked beyond words as he said he hadnt seen such a severe case. He took a photograph for records. He said the allergy could be because of cow's milk and prescribed some tests, the results of which are not ready yet. For now, he prescribed a steroid tablet among some other regular syrups to bring down the inflammation. He advised against Siddha, same as our regular paediatrician Dr. Thomas when V met him in the evening for a 2nd opinion on the tablets.

We need to bring his skin to its former state before resorting to possibly Ayurveda, which most Keralites swear by.