You Only Live Twice: December 2012

To my darling daughter, on her ...th Birthday (No- I won't even SAY the T-word)

3 decades (I DIDN'T say the T-word!). . Has it really been that much?

Flashback: A pleasant December began. A strange feeling- growing so huge, carrying that gossamer soft little life inside of me. Days and nights spent dreaming of what it would feel like to hold that tiny being in my arms. What he/she would look like..

I enjoyed every moment of those magical weeks. Being pampered at work by my colleagues(I was doing my internship at Pune Cantonment Hospital) and at home by your dad-to-be and all of his squadron mates, attending numerous parties and going off on long bike rides ("Lets go- this might be the last drive for the next few months") ...When both of your grand-moms-to-be turned up at our doorstep with packed bags and blissfully expectant expressions, discussing avidly the hows/whos/whys/wheres/ifs/buts/whethers of you and me:-) And aghast at our carefree and "careless" lifestyle:-))

I remember how they would both wake up every morning in the guestroom of our makeshift temporary accommodation at the Air Force Station, hoping to hear that I was in labour:-) And the disappointment on their faces when they saw me all robust and jumpy as always! (I remember we had attended a dance party the previous evening..and you had wriggled and squirmed inside of me, protesting against the loud music)

And then came D-Day.

Exact to the day calculated by my gynaecologist, Dr. Banu Coyajee at the KEM Hospital.

Your dad drove me on his bike- I remember three of us on that Yezdi- don't remember if it was naani or daadi on the bike that day) ... and then the pains! Ohhh..the pains..searing my body and tearing me apart..hours and hours .. both grandmoms alternately wiping tears from their eyes and helping me walk in the corridors..until finally i was inside the labour room. Your dad's hand clenched in mine.. the pain in his eyes reflecting the torture inside my body.. and then..your first cry! It was the most amazing, the most indescribable moment of my life!

Some hours ..and a dozen boiled sweets (which your dad had thoughtfully tucked under my pillow) later..I held you in my arms for the first time. Saw that tiny cherubic plump, wrinkled, dumpling face.. And I still remember the tremor of delight that shook my body and soul:-)

The rest was a journey of discovery and love, happiness and torment, delight and worry..and just about every emotion rolled into one big smug happy mother!

I watched you grow and become the very person I had left behind somewhere in the shadows of my childhood. I relived my childhood and my youth through you, beta. And the strange wonder of it all was- you understood. And in your childish loving way, walked hand-in-hand with me through those pathways of the journey of my life. You helped me find that precious part of me and made me a complete person.

I know, and I hope and pray, that somewhere in your own tomorrows- you find what I did. But until then, my baby, here are some words of wisdom on this special day for you:-)

REMEMBER-

1. You are not thirty. You are only 29.95 plus shipping and handling.

2. Thirty isn't old at all..if you are a tree:-))

Here are some lines for you-

Please believe me and hear,

What you deserve to hear,

Your birthday as my own to me, is dear.

For Yours gives most.. as mine did lend

Just Me-to the world;

Yours gave me a Friend:-)

A birthday is just the first day of another 365 day round trip around the sun. So enjoy the ride:-)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart. I love you with every sinew and fibre of my being:-)