Thursday, October 30, 2008

This is HER time

One other thing I completely forgot to mention in my post yesterday was something that has NEVER come to my mind before last night. Barack Obama had his 30 minute ad on many channels last night and I was sure to watch it. Afterwards, I updated my status on Facebook to the following:
Jigar is so glad he watched Obama's ad..... it brought chills to my spine.... THIS is our time.... THIS is MY PRESIDENT.


Well, I kept it simple in my status, but there was a much bigger reason I just HAD to post on facebook about that...

In addition to bringing chills to my spine, last night Obama brought mist to my eyes. Not because of what he means to me, but because of what he means to Sophia. There are, of course, many inspirational leaders, none more inspiring than Gandhi. And I appreciate what they have to say about improving the future. But last night was the first time that upon hearing such a leader, I looked the future in the eyes....

And she smiled back at me.


:)

The last time I felt anything like this kind of inspiration from a leader was when Bill Clinton stood for the future. At the time, as a college student, it was obvious to me that the guy was exactly what we needed. It was a very personal thing and it brought about a huge sense of pride.

Well, Obama has provided much of the same type of pride & inspiration and I just can't tell you how much this man needs to be our president. However, while watching his ad, in all its sappiness, I just couldn't help looking down at Sophia in her swing.

And for the absolute first time in my life, I connected the dots between the hazy idea of "THE FUTURE" and the clear brown eyes of my daughter. The future, in my mind, has always been about improving my life or our lives.

But never has it been about HER life.

I realized that this moment is not mine. It's not our's. It's HER'S.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

6 months

Wow...it's my sweetheart's half-birthday today and what a half-year it has been. I've actually been thinking about this post for a few days now...not so much about the exact words which I would write, but more thinking about all the wonderful things we've seen in her short life.

I still remember the tears that came to my eyes as the doctor cut her umbilical cord. I haven't cried so many happy tears since...I don't know when.

They say men don't cry or they don't this or that, but just to clarify...DADs are exempt from all that. Whether it's making silly faces and sounds since they make Sophia laugh, or waddling along and singing with her in her baby carrier, Sophia's makes all our inhibitions disappear.

And sometimes, I just have to stop and watch. I know Radha does the same thing. We'll just watch her. There's the joy that she's our daughter and that we're her parents. But there's the amazement at what she's doing and discovering. Lately, we've both caught her just staring at her hands or feet and flexing her fingers and toes. Looking at her face, it's clear that she's doing something as ordinary as practicing her movements. But moreover, she's discovering more and more of her world. Those brain cells of hers are putting two and two together and realizing that she can indeed control her fingers and reach for her toys (or Junior's ears).

The interections with the dogs are one of the latest things we love to watch and encourage. When Junior will allow it, we'll sit Sophia on Junior's back and just let her play with his fur and grab his ears. When Buddy's calm enough, we'll let him sniff and give light licks to Sophia's fingers and cheeks.

And while everyday life and the stresses that come with it take their toll, all of that fades into nothingness when Sophia's in my arms. It's the most amazing thing and these are the moments I hope to remember and cherish forever.

Happy Half Birthday Bachu!