Happy 2nd birthday – The party that was!

October was a difficult month for us. With Anuj’s surgery lined up, I was very skeptical how would I pull off your birthday party? Had to plan for your grandparents’ visit and align all things for papa’s big difficult day. Your first birthday was so well managed by your grandparents and this would have been my first attempt at throwing a birthday party for you here in Mumbai.

We started your day by Dadu doing a photo shoot of his Princess. Which came out just awesome.

The day kicked off with a big bucket full of excitement and wishes pouring in from all corners. SMSs, calls, people coming over to wish you, watsapp messages and audios, wishes on facebook and gmail..it just didn’t stop. Here is the FB message that Mumma wrote for you on the eve of your birthday:

“There is no chore that has kept me off your duty. There is no person that has kept me away from you. There is no thought that has overpowered your thoughts that roam around in my mind all the time. There is simply nothing in this world that keeps me away from you. These last two years have been overwhelming, in all senses possible, the 5 basic ones, the 6th one and the advent of the 7th sense where I have been able to think beyond possibilities…what can be, what could be, and when it would be. What you will say now…or how you will react now. What will be your next move, or what should be my next move. The Two’s have been terrible and not so terrible too. The year has been great and difficult too. It’s got me backaches and headaches and sleepless days and endless running around. But it has also given me love and smiles and hugs and laughter and surprises and your language’s beautiful sound. As you complete 2 years today, I look back at all that has happened with you being around us and all I can think of is JUST THANK MY STARS…FOR BLESSING YOU UPON US. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE, MY BABY, MY KUHU, MY VRINDA!”

Anyways, I must not boast but thankfully your Mumma is a planner. As I had pre-planned your 1^st birthday decorations, so did I for your 2^nd one. I had the final look of the decorations in my mind. This time I wanted colors, lots of them. So I chose ‘Neon colors’ to be the main element in the line of my craftworks for your party. I had worked out the following for your birthday beforehand:

1.     Invitations, Thank you cards and Favors

2.     Guest list

3.     Decorations

4.     Food spread and supplies

5.     List of things to buy for the D day

About two months before your birthday, I got down to work, considering I would hardly get any time post  Anuj’s surgery. I drafted a layout of the décor for Neon themed birthday party.  Then, I worked on invitations, decorations, food supplies, their decorations & favors. Everything either hand-made from scratch or revamped as per the neon theme.

I am 2 Banner

Flowers & your favorite Birds

Birthday Bunting, rain drops, birdies and Baloons

Favours/Return gifts

Food Supplies

 

I hoped and in my mind had a big day planned for your birthday! You woke up seeing all decorations in place in the living room. I was up early to finish it all, before the day's chores began, leaving only the balloon decoration for later evening. All day long you kept saying “Happy birthday too…Viddaaa…Happy too bodday Viddaa”…since you can’t pronounce Vrinda properly till now.

Below is a link which has a video of the complete decoration. It has been captured by 'Dadu dear'.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZZeekA9mhg&feature=youtu.be

 
In the spare moments throughout the day, I ran around capturing as many small details as I could to remember the celebration that was going to rock on that evening. I missed some moments on film, and some details though planned but were never executed, but accomplishing that much at a time when papa could not be of help and we had both your grand parents’ with us, I guess I faired well. Dadu had been a great support on the décor front and no one could have done it any better than him, behind the camera. His camera lense rolled and rolled as you kept changing from one new frock to another gifted by grandparents, aunts and friends.
 

Around 6 pm, the party started. Your friends started pouring in one after another. Every time the bell rang, your eyes lit up like candles on a cake.

Leisure, love, laughter. Fun, frolic and favorite food. Chocolates, Cakes and games. The Neon hair bands that I had got for girls, jut rocked it all.
 
Even all Mumma’s accompanying their kids, seem to have enjoyed your evening. I really hope so.

Then came your CAKE. A cake with a picture of your favorite movie characters “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” wishing you "Happy Birthday". Cake picture was beautifully edited by your Dadu. And I must say, the cake was not only beautiful, it was the yummiest cake that I had eaten in years.

And, just as we knew it would – you had an AMAZING time, and Anuj, I and your grandparents could not have been more thrilled celebrating TWO with you! The terrible and Terrific TWO!

We love you to the moon and back…flying there on neon stars, of course.

Love you Forever

-Mumma

At two years old here are some stats I would like to pen down for your future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

1. You have been sleeping mostly through the night. I am thankful!
2. OMG, you have been talking up a storm! You are such a good talker and mostly a mess creator! (Will soon do a post about what all you say and have been learning)
3. You know most of your vegetables, numbers and animals
4. You are good at number and ABC puzzles
5. You have been mastering the ABC song and its tune. All your talk is based on the ABC song tune.
6. You love your bath. You can stay in water all day long.
7. Love playing with all things dicey and dangerous for you.
8. We are learning the art of sharing J You also say “Thank You” to people around you.
9. Love to be sung to. Your favorite songs are “tu tu meri from Bang Bang”, “Do naina from Masoom (mostly your night time song)”, “Zindagi gulzar hai” from ZGH.
10. Using pens and pencils of any kind is one of your favorites too. The moment you get a pen in your hand, you shout aloud “paper de do…!”
11. You are not a good eater... You need to get better at that.
12. You are pretty independent and love "doing it all by myself!" I can't even count how many times I hear this a day! “mana mana mana”. Read “I will”,"I want to".
13. You have still not got over your birthday. The song keeps echoing in our house all day long-"happy bodayy kuhu", "happy boday vidda", "happy boday tumtum", happy boday bunny", etc. etc.