F is for First Moments The first moments of any adventure are the most promising, most unforgettable, most beautiful. New beginnings. Especially true of a new life. A few years ago, I was with a friend in the operation theater, holding her hand as we welcomed her baby into the world. One moment we were…

E is for Ear infection Oh I know, this is far from a glamorous or fun topic. But then who said that parenting is only fun or glamorous? All babies go through a series of ear infections. Especially  if they go to daycare or hang around siblings who go to school. Thats the nature of…

D is for daycare. "The first day at the daycare will be a nightmare," they said. "Don't worry, though. It will be worse for you than for the baby, they always adjust easily."  And they were not far off. The first part was right. The second wasn't. It didn't help that when we went to…

C is for crawl. Or, one of the lessons my daughter taught me. When it was past 5 months and it looked as though crawling would be a long way coming for my daughter, I started worrying. And fretting. I got very nervous, and got into bouts of tears. It turned out all for naught.…

B is for Baby bump As I think back on the various transformations my body went through to make my baby, I struggled to remember the low points. A smile creeps through all my memories and refuses to vanish. Eclipsing all the sicknesses, the acidity attacks, the tendonitis in both my wrists, the breathlessness, the…

A is for Anna The day my husband told me that in his native language the word for mother is mamina was the day I started yearning for a little voice calling me just that. Mamina. It was a rough ride going from being a couple to being parents but less than a year ago,…

I started this April A to Z challenge with an introduction to the protagonist of my novel The Healer. So I decided that I would end with the the world I've created. This is the world of Ariana and Farai. Of the evil Sephiroth with his unquenchable thirst for the ultimate power. Zym is one…

Talked about Darth Vader I have, earlier in the month. Another tribute to George Lucas's story telling, it is.  pic: Wikepedia Yoda. The ultimate teacher, the synonym of 'mentor'. I loved the portrayal of this all powerful Jedi. Small, large eared. Speaking in a Yodic syntax. He has trained many a Jedi before young Luke…

What ho!" I said. "What ho!" said Motty. "What ho! What ho!" "What ho! What ho! What ho!" After that it seemed rather difficult to go on with the conversation.  I was introduced to Bertie Wooster years ago in high school. Superlative writing by P.G.Wodehouse. An idle rich fellow, Bertie's main job is  to entertain…

She came to me in November 2011 during NaNoWriMo, all in a fog.  In a fog for two reasons.  First she had amnesia, no idea where she hailed from, who she was really, where her family was, and more importantly what her family was.  Second, I was writing off the cuff without any outline. Running…