My Baby's Growing Up While It's Christmas in Goa

Yes, I know. The title of the post is very intriguing, but read on and all shall be clear...

It started on a Monday morning, on the 9th of March, to be precise. The YO's school called up asking me to be at his school around noon with a certain amount of cash ready.

At the scheduled time, I was ushered into a room where other moms whose kids studied in the various pre-nursery sections, were assembling. I chatted with the few I knew and then the administrator walked in. She told us that our not-yet-two-and-a-half-feet-tall babies would be putting up a concert for us in school. There was a collected gasp of delight as we pictured our babies on stage. Just how adorable would they be? The concert was scheduled for the following week, on the 19th, Thursday, at 6 p.m. We had to send our kiddies an hour earlier so that they cold get into costume and make-up. The heme of the concert was "Celebrating India".

This was the first time the school was organising a concert where the pre-nursery children would be performing. The EO and the Nephew never had a concert, but they did in Nursery, and the Nephew was scheduled for his final concert in this school on the 24th (he starts the new school too with the EO). The Niece also starts a new school from the coming academic year, so it was going to be fun seeing her and my YO on stage.

We were then asked to go to our childrens' classrooms where we handed over the money for costumes etc. to the class teacher and she told us what songs our kiddies would be dancing to. My EO was going to be in a Goan Carnival Dance and a Christmas Dance. Aaaahhh! That explained why the little one had been singing Jingle Bells all through March! I thought it was rather late for Christmas hang-over to strike!

Well, 19th dawned soon enough. The babies didn't have school in the morning. We dropped them off at 5 p.m. Then, at 5.40, my parents, the EO, MIM, Mum-in-law, SIL and BIL-ly Boy went to school and took our places. The EO was greeted with lots of hugs from his once-upon-a-time teachers and he shyly lapped it up.

A make-shift stage had been made. There were chairs for the parents and low benches for elder brothers and sisters. The SIL and I managed to find two seats in the front which we swooped down upon, 'cause come on, we wanted a good look at our babies, even if it meant sitting away from the rest of the family. Selfish? Yes, maybe, but I don't care. Where my babies are concerned, I want to be able to drink up their sight as much as possible...without resorting to violence, of course! ;p I got a corner seat, but it was better than where we were originally sitting, so I can't complain too much.

The EO sat in front with a friend whose sister studies in one of the pre-nursery sections. The students of the Sr. KG (the Nephew's class) were also going to perform, to lengthen the program a bit. So, we had a lot of personal interest at stake!

And then, the show started! What can I say except that it was cuteness overload all the way! The Nephew was in one of the very first items. He was doing the bhangra and it was so much fun! It reminded me of the Bro; he was in a bhangra dance too, for his school concert when he was in the 1st Std.

Soon, the Niece came on and she was looking gorgeous in a colourful ghagra. The moment she stepped on stage, she froze and the SIL and I looked at each other. But, after about 30 seconds or so, she snapped out of it and did her thing! Well done, little one!

And then, the narrator took us to Goa. I could feel my heart pounding...my baby's stage debut! I could hardly believe it. And when he walked on, leading the line, wearing a silky white chirt and bright red pants, clutching onto sticks with colourful streamers, I got all teary-eyed and nearly forgot to breathe. My heart was pounding, but throughout the entire day at home, he had been threatening me that he wouldn't go to school, wouldn't go to aunty, wouldn't dance on stage. But when the music started, my little boy started doing the moves that they'd been rehearsing for a month. He had a shy smile on his lips and I noticed that his eyes were fixed on something, or rather someone. Following his gaze, I realised that he had locked eyes with his big brother, who in turn, was looking at him, all smiles and with loads of love, encouragement and pride shining in his eyes and wrapping it around his younger brother. That got me even more teary-eyed, witnessing, from the fringes, the silent brotherly bonding and love-fest that was going on in front of so many, many people who didn't have a clue while I was the only one who could see it, feel it, understand it and greedily soak up the memory of it to warm the depths of my soul.

After a few more dances, the Niece came on again, this time for a Diwali dance and no, she didn't freeze. She had a blast playing with the flower petals and scattering them all around her. That was just part of the dance, but she was having so much fun with that, she decided to dispense with the other steps and concentrate on the feel of the petals in her soft, fair hands. Two or three other girls had the same idea as well.

Soon enough, t was time for the YO's second dance, "Jingle Bells". This time, in addition to his earlier costume, he was sporting a red vest, a Santa cap and he was holding a tambourine-like instrument in each of his hands. Again, he came out, kept his eyes glued on his brother and he danced to the hilt! The lump in my throat magically came back again and it seemed bigger than last time! I couldn't get enough of the sight of him seriously and studiously recreating the steps that he'd been taught. He did the whole thing from start to finish, without faltering and by the end of it, I was ready to stand on top of my chair and scream myself hoarse, "Bravo, bravo!" I didn't, of course, but I did clap until my hands were sore.

The program ended with the Sr. KG kids singing "Vande Mataram" and the audience joined in as well. We gave all the kids and their hard-working, patient, loving teachers a well-deserved standing ovation. Their sincere dedication had made this colourful celebration of the best things about our country, a memorable experience.

The MIM had to go rush back to work, so I didn't get a chance to see him. But while waiting to pick up the kids, BIL-ly Boy sheepishly admitted to me that he thought another child was the EO and he misled everyone into believing the same. My parents, my Mum-in-law and gasp! horror of horrors, my MIM!!! I was flabbergasted! Hmph! He actually dared call himself the father! It was only when the YO came out leading the pack for the Goan Dance that MIM dear jumped out of his skin and yelled to the family, "No, no! That wasn't him, THAT'S him! That's YO! That's my son! That's my baby! My baby boy!" Yeah, well, he may have redeemed himself as a father in his own eyes, but I'm still in two minds about disowning him from that position!

While I was waiting to be called to stage to pick up my little star, my other love, my EO came up to me, his eyes aglow with love for his baby brother and he said to me, "Mamma, I want to go to stage and pick up YO, ok". In other words, he wanted to be the big brother that he is!

When the YO was finally brought to the stage to be handed over to us, the EO quickly ran up, grabbed his little brother by the hand and proudly told him, "YO, tumi khub bhaalo korechcho!" (YO, you did very well!) The YO looked up at his dada and excitedly exclaimed, "Aami Santa Koz koyechchi!" (I was Santa Koz {Clause!}) When his eyes caught mine, his smile grew bigger and his eyes shone more and he repeated what he had just told his dada, "Mamma, mamma, aami Santa Koz koyechchi!"

Yes my baby, I saw! I saw! And you know what? I'll never forget it!