Spelling Bee: On to the Nationals now...

We are absolutely thrilled and proud!

Why shouldn't we be? Just got the news that Anirud has made it to the Nationals of 'Spelling Bee' contest, which means he is one among the 600 left in the fray nationally. To think that we didn't pay much attention to this competition due to summer holidays and other factors, the entire credit for this goes to the brat. 

National Level Championship will happen around mid-September and we are so pleased for him. Wish him luck for the next round folks.

Wednesday Baby

Allow me the pleasure of inviting you to visit the new blog of our little one - Wednesday Baby. Much like Anirud's blog, this new blog is an attempt to capture the younger one's progress. Some day, when the Daddy finds time, he will integrate both the blog at some common location and try to look cool!

Spelling Bee - State Level Championship

Apart from getting excited about his bro, Anirud was also taking part in the Spelling Bee - State Level Championship at Bangalore, as he got through the Inter School rounds. He worked really hard, especially on the pronunciation keys that were hard for us to master. The fact that around he was one among the 1900 chaps that got qualified from the initial 23000+ was enough to prove how hard he worked.

When he got out of the competition, I asked him how it went. They had asked him to spell the word 'mucus' - which he had not heard before. He has asked for the meaning of the word, which was 'the liquid that comes out of your nose'. He still wasn't sure about the spelling and replied 'mucos'. He was a bit irritated and said, 'Sali pa... that sali. I didn't know what it is'.

The results will be out in the last week of July and let us see if he gets to the National round.

The Big Brother

Ever since Anirud learnt that there is going to be another baby at home, he was super excited. Since that day, he wished / assumed that the baby is going to be a girl, as he wanted a "baby sister". He accompanied his mom to every scan and observed every tiny detail with intent. During the second trimester, they did a 4-dimensional scan which was as good as a video clearly showing the baby's face - Anirud's excitement levels shot up to the sky and beyond. He was pestering us to get gifts, toys and what not for the baby even when the D-day was a good few months away. Whenever he saw any other baby anywhere, he smiled and sometimes he said to us "Our baby will be tiny like this, but will be very pretty as well amma". He felt sorry for the baby that it hasn't seen United Kingdom, Switzerland or Holland as he has seen. He was even saying that there are good nurseries nearby where the baby could be admitted and the list went on. Simply put, for the last few months Anirud put the baby in every thought that crossed his mind. He left us with no doubt that he would make the best elder brother in the world.

At a point in time, we told him that it might be a brother (may not be a sister), so that he is mentally prepared. "I would like it to be a sister. If it is a brother, it is okay. I will get to play with him a lot" was his answer.

On the day of the delivery, while the baby and the mom was wheeled back to the hospital room, the nurse asked Anirud to stretch his hands and placed the baby on his hand. One saw a 1000 watt glow on his face. Spontaneously he said, "Welcome baby brother! Welcome to your new world". A little over two days later, he still counts himself as the luckiest as he is the first in the family to hold the little one. Praying the almighty for this love to be reciprocated. Praying Him for the bonding to grow stronger in the years to come. Praying for a fulfilled life for both the brothers.