It was just yesterday, when I was wishing Aayra a happy 4th birthday. And all of a sudden, a year has gone by…just like that. Today, Aayra turned 5.
Born in the hot summer of Texas, Aayra is warmhearted and kind. She is very jovial, and always smiling – a trait that I wish I can learn from her. As she grows though, she is learning new emotions. Now she does get angry – more often than before – specially for her Ryan’s World Toys. Ah, the benefits of YouTube. She has learned a lot about animals from Kratt brothers. She will always riddle me about some species or some animals, and I’ll have no clue. She knows the answers.
She is also cute in her own ways. Like when I am talking to her in English, she will start responding in Hindi and only wants to talk Hindi. And on some days, she just doesn’t like Hindi. And then there are days when she is cool and everything goes – including some gibberish that sound funny but doesn’t mean anything. She loves to have fun. And that makes my day. We can play at hours in her doll house, making pretend plays, playing games, creating Lego structures that she’ll break without notice. Aayra is just fun to be around.
Now I may be biased being her dad and all, but our friends will probably tell you the same thing. She just adds life to the life.
I wish I did not have to work (as in, having a Job) so I could spend all my time with the family. But unfortunately with all the remote work, my days are full of meetings. She will come outside the office door and knock lightly. If I signal her to come in, she will come and whisper what she has to say. And then she will move close and say in my ear, “when is your meeting ending. I want to play”. Truth be told, sometimes I’ve cancelled my meeting just because she wants to play and I don’t want work to be a reason to say no. Othertimes, I have to tell her to wait.
She is growing up fast. Pallavi spends 70% of her day taking care of Aayra and her needs…food, bathing, clothes, etc. And I spend my 30% having fun with Aayra. That makes us even 🙂
On this 5th birthday, I just want to wish Aayra all the happiness in the world. She is a great learner, a born leader and a kindhearted human. She can do anything she wants in life – I know that, and whenever I get a chance, I tell her that too.
Aayra, wish you a happy 5th birthday!