Ganesha Chaturthi in Mangalore

Although I reached Mangalore on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, I know I did not miss much, because that is only the beginning for us Mangaloreans. The first day of the Chaturthi only signifies bringing or welcoming of the Lord Ganesha to our homes. The festival only starts after that and it generally lasts for around 10 days or so. Some people have a send-off party for our dear Ganesha on the same day (thats how it is at my dad's ancestral house - where my parents attend the festival), whereas some of them send him away on the day of Nopi (10 days from the day of festival) - that is how it is done in Mumbai. Some others keep the lord in their houses for a month and then send him off.

Here, at Mangalore, different temples follow different traditions and so I got to see atleast 5 different Ganeshas being sent off :) I could not attend our ancestral fest (maternal side). However, I got to see other community fests happening and ending. One of them is our very own Venkataramana Temple Ganesha idol. A very beautiful one I must say. I regret to say that I did not bring my camera along for my Mangalore visit this time. So I do not have many pics with me to put up.

The 2nd Ganesha that I saw was the Sanganiketan community Ganesha. Huge in stature and very commanding looking, but very beautiful and so different to look at than the other idols you might see around the city. The last but not the least was the procession I went to see - for the Nehru Maidan Ganesha. This idol is also very huge and the entire city comes together to watch this procession, which includes around 15 tableaux marking the start of the procession, and then comes our lord Ganesha at the very end of the line. The only difference with this Ganesha - even though being very large - is that the face of the Ganesha looks like a small kid - so its very very beautiful to look at and a very enjoyable sight.

During this procession, I walked for around an hour rushing through the various tableaux. Main attractions were the Mahishasura Mardini, Krishna Leela, Bala Ganesha Leela - where he stops Shiva from entering Parvathi's quarters - hence leading to birth of the elephant face lord, Lord Hanuman's story and many more. So by the time we saw the Ganesha towards the end of the procession, it was raining torrentially as is the usual Mangalore climate. We had to then rush back to our house lest we get stuck in the rain - we had gone on foot. So we rushed quickly back home and meanwhile got drenched in the rain a bit :) I was a bit scared that I would catch a cold - but thankfully I didn't.

However, by the time we got back, I had a bad-ass pain in my back which was not allowing me to put one step ahead of the other by the time we reached close to home. Somehow I managed to get back home, climb upstairs, freshen up and fall into bed, dreaming about the next Ganesha Chaturthi - hoping to take my baby to see its first Ganesha festivities at my dad's ancestral house. Lets see what next year has in store for me. Until then....

- So

BABY KICK ALERT !!!

Dear Baby Beanie...

I must say the last visit to your doc was quite a fruitful one. Remember how she asked me if I felt your movements and I was not too sure. Well !! I am pretty sure now and I can feel you very prominently inside of me.

When I got back from the doctor's consultation visit, I kept thinking - the doc said I should feel you within a week - but then have I been feeling you and I don't know yet ? So I lay down for a while wanting to see if what I felt is real. They say in THE book that babies are most active when mom is lying down or resting. And yes indeed, I did feel something different and concluded it has to be you.

Then we got busy with your elder cousin's birthday celebrations and me with my work and stuff and I only got time to really feel you at night everyday. Sorry I could not spend much time with you. Also, I had to get some last minute stuff done - we are finally leaving for Mangalore - to your maternal grandmother's place. I was so excited that I went on a last minute spree on Saturday. We are leaving on Sunday (8th Sept) on the day of Gowri pooja. I went to my dentist, got my fillings redone - went for a grooming session - oh and also went to the hospital again to get your delivery package.

It  will be close to the end of 6th month (mid 6th month atleast) when I get back from Mangalore and then it would be too late to book your delivery package at Cloud Nine. The package includes a lot of freebies - a free antenatal workshop for me and DD, a free pre-natal workout session for me, a free baby shower for us and then there is also other stuff like a lucky draw and then they gave me some printouts about what I should get at the time of admission for YOU (baby) and ME (mom). There was also a insurance form that I need to fill in and keep ready for admission procedures to go smoothly.

Anyways, this post was about your movements - so I left on Sunday night to Mangalore. I was so excited and maybe so were you. After I came to Mangalore, I guess you grew a tough pair of arms and legs. I feel you kick so hard every day when I sit down to relax and every night when I lie down to sleep. You have become super active here - not sure whats the difference. Maybe you know that you are in a different environment or are excited to meet your grandparents but you sure are not quiet :)

DD is hoping to get to feel you better when we get back since we have been away from him for around 9 days now. We will be going back to Bangalore tonite (Sep 17th). DD will be waiting to receive us in the morning :)

- So

It sure is Baby Season !!!

Wow !! I know so many people close to me who are currently pregnant.

I, for one am expecting and 22 weeks pregnant. There is my cousin who is sharing almost the same due date with me. Then there is my sister who is 1 month + 1 week ahead of both of us. My friend's sister is also pregnant.

And today I find out that one of my other friends is also pregnant and due 2 months later than me.... Wow !! Overwhelming piece of information and a lot to take :) Gonna be difficult to keep track of due dates now.

Also, I need to start some serious knitting / crochet now if I wanna make enough gifts for all my close friends' / relatives' babies. When I do, I will put up pics on my other blog.

- So

General Checkup at 22 weeks

Dear baby beanie,

We had our monthly checkup today. I am on 22 weeks now. More than half-way thru. Just 18 more weeks to go before I can see you. Finally got to hear your heartbeat over the hand-held doppler and we were overjoyed to hear it. It was super audible at the first try itself.

Doc asked if I could feel movements - she described them "butterfly-like". I said that I could feel something but I was not sure. Your dad joked "butterfly-nu illa yaava fly-nu illa" (roughly translating to  not just butterfly, there is not even a fly). However, doc said that I should start feeling movements in another week's time.

Some other updates are that I need to get my 2nd OGCT (Oral Glucose Challenge Test) and HIV test done before my next checkup. Other than that, doc said everything seems fine otherwise. Next checkup is on Oct 2nd.

Signing off until then,
- So