Keeping Khushi Thread 12 Part 121 (Last ) Page 126 - Page 62

Originally posted by: smitar

Will be a bit late. Sorry. MIL rushed to the hospital.

Smita

Originally posted by: smitar

Will be a bit late. Sorry. MIL rushed to the hospital.

Smita

Originally posted by: toeditor

Smita,

Hope all is well at your end.

Take care dear

Smita,😊

Here is my interpretation to Part 119.

The entire update revolves around Gouri Arnav Singh Raizada. She is the center or the hub of all the activities at Raizada Mansion. So the theme is

OMPHALOS.

OMPHALOS is an interesting word that can be used in three different contexts but in the end all mean the same.

It is used as the centre or hub of something.

It is used to denote, in Greek Mythology, a rounded stone representing the navel of the Earth, especially at Delphi, Greece, where the oracles were located.

It is used to indicate a boss (a bulging round piece at the center) on a shield.

All the three mean center or the focus.

Arnav, Akash, & NK walked into the house, leaving their bags and making a beeline for the small padded mattress laid out on the living room floor.

"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what"

Gouri lay on her back on it, her arms and legs in the air, gurgling and cooing, smiling at her mother and two aunts leaning over her and teasing her.

"Gouri!", Arnav called softly.

The baby turned her head to look at him, and moved her limbs vigorously, trying to get to him.

"Any one can father,

But it takes someone special

to be a Daddy"

Khushi smiled at Arnav who dropped a kiss on her hair, breathing in her jasmine scent and filling his lungs with it.

"She knows her father is here!", Khushi said softly. Nani and the others nodded, smiling.

"Gouri, my chweet, chweet girl!", Akash called her.

Gouri cooed.

"Gouri'My Gouri Baby!", NK went to lift her.

Mami hit him lightly on his arm.

"Wash your hands before touching our Gouri Bitiyaa, Hello Hi Bye Bye!", Mami admonished him.

"All-enduring Cleanliness,

Virtue next to Godliness,

Easiest, cheapest, needfullest duty,

To the body ,health and beauty:

Who's that human that would refuse it,

When a little water does it?"

~ Mary Anne Lamb

"Maasi, I was in the office. I was not digging holes or playing in the mud!", NK protested.

Mami pointed to the washroom, her eyebrow raised imperiously. Like sheep, the three men went to wash their hands.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things"

They returned soon, and Arnav lifted Gouri from the mattress, cuddling her close.

"Parenthood doesn't improve one's character, it exposes it" ~ Leslie A. Gordon, Cheer: A Novel

NK & Akash played with her nose and kissed her rosy, plump cheeks while the ladies watched, all smiles.

"Guess what happened today!", Payal said.

The men looked towards her in anticipation. The ladies smiled.

"Gouri crawled today.", Aarti smiled.

"A baby has a special way of adding joy in every single day"

Khushi laughed to see the astonishment & pride on the faces of the men. The other ladies joined in the laughter.

All lavished high praise on Gouri, hugging & kissing her for her achievement.

"Is it the right time, Khushi?", Arnav asked, a frown on his face.

"I think my mom put it best. She said, 'Little girls soften their daddy's hearts" ~ Paul Walker

Payal & Aarti looked away to hide their laughter.

"Ji. She is 7 months old. It is time.", Khushi smiled.

Arnav sighed in relief. He was too unused to happiness that he feared it would be taken away from him at any moment. Khushi threw her arm around his shoulder & hugged him.

"A daddy isn't defined as the man who makes the child, but rather a man who extends his hand and time to help with the child raising and his heart to love the child through anything!!!"

They placed Gouri on the mattress.

NK said, "Gouri, crawl for us. See like this..." NK crawled on the ground to show her how experts did it.

Gouri blew a raspberry.

"A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it" ~ Frank A. Clark

Aarti & the others burst out laughing.

"See what the baby thinks of your crawling skills, NK Bhai!", Akash teased him.

"Crawl, baby, crawl... crawl for Chachu...", NK exhorted her.

The baby smiled at him.

"Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you" ~ Mahatma Gandhi.

Arnav chuckled, looking at Khushi who was leaning over his shoulder to look at Gouri.

"Please, Gouri... once.. crawl once for us...", Akash pleaded.

The ladies bit their lips to stop giggling as the baby cooed.

"My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining light as to the tendencies of a child by the study of the parents. Don't you see that the converse is equally valid. I have frequently gained my first real insight into the character of parents by studying their children"

~ Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"

Arnav's phone rang.

"Oh, Aman... Just a moment...", Arnav muttered as he left the group and moved away. Standing facing the huge glass windows, he listened to Aman and gave him the necessary instructions.

The laughter died away. There was perfect silence in the living room. Arnav frowned. Ever since Khushi had married him, his house resounded with laughter. The silence was eerie. He cut the call, pushed the phone into his pocket, and turned around. He gulped.

"A baby fills a hole in your heart that you never knew was there"

His daughter, missing him, was crawling towards him on tiny unsteady hands and knees. Nani, Amma, Mami, Payal, Aarti, Khushi, Akash, & NK were staring at her.

"Someday I will find my prince but my Daddy will always be my King"

"Sshh...", Arnav rushed forward to pick her up. "You will hurt yourself... Gouri... Why should you crawl? We are all here to carry you around... Gouri... Gouri..."

"There is something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself"

~ John Gregory Brown.

He kissed her cheeks repeatedly, breathing in the milk and baby powder scent of his daughter, feeling his heart hurt and his throat choke.

"Listen to me, kitten. Win or lose, you'll always be a princess to me" ~ Kiera Cass, The Selection

That night at dinner, Aarti said softly, "Arnavji... Err... I was thinking...", she shrugged.

Arnav looked at her, listening with attention. Aarti rarely voiced an opinion. But when she did, it paid to listen to her.

"Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else"

~ Mark Twain

"I was talking to Amma & reading up on babies .. So... Uumm... Gouri is going to sit and stand up soon..."

Arnav nodded, looking at her, waiting.

"The electrical sockets... She will be able to reach many of them that are fixed low..."

All paled. Arnav nodded.

"And the pool...", Payal said softly. She did not want to alarm all of them. But this had to be said. "If it had railings around it..."

"Let the fear of a danger be a spur to prevent it; he that fears not, gives advantage to the danger"

~ Francis Quarles

Arnav nodded, unable to even swallow. Mami dropped her spoon with a clatter.

Akash & NK panicked.

"Nannav, we need to get an electrician in. And fix railings...", NK was sweating.

"Shall I phone him, Bhai?", Akash asked.

Arnav nodded, looking at Khushi's pale face. He held her hand tight. "Ask him to come over now.", he said. The ladies nodded.

"Nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe" ~ Markelle Grabo, The Spell Master

That night, no one slept in RM. Ten electricians and eight men worked all night. By morning, the sockets were all up in the air and a wall of railings closed the pool to the most intrepid of invaders.

"A perfect example of minority rule is a baby in the house"

Gouri slept through it all, a sweet smile on her lips.

"Don't forget that compared to a grownup person every baby is a genius" ~ May Sarton

Seven months later, one evening, Arnav, Akash and NK walked into the house, after a long day in the office. They rushed to greet Gouri who was lying on a soft mat spread over in the living room. She was shaking her arms and legs in the air gurgling, cooing and lapping up all the love and attention showered by her mother and aunts' who were playing with her. Arnav's soft call, "Gouri" had her turning her head in his direction and move her limbs vigorously welcoming him back home!

"I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes"

~ Martina McBride

She tried to get to him. It was a "Welcome Home Dad! What took you so long! Do you know how much I missed you!" gesture.

Arnav who was overwhelmed, hugged Khushi and dropped a kiss on her hair!

"The greatest thing a father can do for his daughter is to love her mother" ~ Elaine S. Dalton

Kushi acknowledged that Gouri is old enough to realize the presence of her father. The rest agreed, with a smile hovering around their lips, seeing Gouri's way of welcoming her dad!

When Akash called,"Gouri, my chweet, chweet girl," she cooed enthralling him! When NK saying,

"Gouri... My Gouri Baby!" went to lift her he got a slight rap on his arm from his Maasi for touching the baby without washing his hands! "Wash your hands before touching our Gouri Bitiyaa, Hello Hi Bye Bye. NK's protest, "Maasi, I was in the office. I was not digging holes or playing in the mud!" fell onto deaf ears as Mami directed them to wash their hands before touching her granddaughter! They were left with no choice but to follow her diktat. Once washed, Arnav lifted her from the mattress and cuddled her while Akash and NK played, with the ladies watching them with smiles.

When Payal asked them whether they could guess as to what had happened that day, they had no clue! Aarti announced that it was a day of milestone as Gouri crawled! Seeing their amazed expression which was filled with pride, Khushi laughed and was soon joined by rest of the ladies!

This resulted in Gouri getting another round of hugs and kisses for her achievement! Arnav who had thought Gouri still small, voiced his concern to Khushi, who he knew had brought up many kids at Omkar, as to whether it was too early, making Payal and Aarti suppress a giggle.

Khushi's assurance that she was in the right phase of progress and it was along the growth chart went a long way in relieving him.

"Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty"

Arnav, who since his childhood, had not much going on for him in his personal front, in terms of happiness until he met Khushi, was always fearful of it being snatched away from him. Sensing his insecurity, Khushi hugged him. When Arnav placed Gouri on the mattress, NK started to ask her to crawl, for them to see, by showing her what to do. But the little wily miss just blew bubbles galore! Undeterred by others laughter and Akash's teasing remarks on Gowri's opinion on his crawling skills, NK spoke to her, "Crawl, baby, crawl... crawl for Chachu..." But the baby just smiled at him. Arnav along with the rest was enjoying this exchange between his daughter and uncles'. Soon Akash too joined NK in pleading with her to show them her prowess. "Please, Gouri... once... crawl once for us"

The scene of the grown up men begging a seven month old child to show them her latest acquired skill in her repertoire, had the ladies bite their lips to stop giggling, as the baby cooed in response.

"Some joys are better expressed in silence as a smile holds more meaning than words.

I was asked if I enjoy having you in my life... I just smiled!"

At that time Arnav got a call from his lieutenant, Aman, and he moved a bit away facing the window pane and started to give instructions. When he was finishing the call, he felt the room go silent! Since his marriage to Khushi, the house had been always filled with laughter and he felt eerie. He turned around. What he saw made him gulp in surprise! He saw his daughter, missing him, crawling towards him with her unsteady gait! The rest were staring at her dumbfounded!

"Whenever she turned her steep focus to me, I felt the warmth that flowers must feel when they bloom through the snow, under the first concentrated rays of the sun" ~ Janet Fitch, White Oleander

"Sshh...", Arnav rushed forward to pick her up. "You will hurt yourself... Gouri... Why should you crawl? We are all here to carry you around... Gouri... Gouri..."

He rushed to her and swiftly picked her up feeling his heart about to burst at her gesture and love showered upon him by her!

"Daughters dance their way into your heart whirling on the tips of angel wings; scattering kisses & gold dust in our paths used ~ Jdkell, Our Daughter

Inhaling her scent, he felt he was a father filled with a sense of bliss!

"A baby is cuddles and tickles on toes, the sweet scent of powder, a kiss on the nose!"

What he didn't realize was in his love for Gouri not to be hurt while crawling, that crawling is a way in which the bones are strengthened to facilitate the kid to bear its body weight when it starts to stand and later walk. But that is an universal bane that the first child in the family undergoes!

At dinner that night, Aarti, who was normaly reticent to voice out any opinion, addressed Arnav voicing out her concern. She said while she was talking to her mother and going through the books on child rearing she felt there were two points that needed to be addressed. Since Gouri was in a stage were she is soon going to sit and then walk around, the electric sockets at lower heights needed to be taken care off, and the pool needed to be cordoned with railings, in order to allow Gouri move around freely!

"Being a great father is like shaving.

No matter how good you shaved today,

You have to do it again tomorrow"

~ Reed Markham

No one had given these things a thought and her pertinent input had everyone in panic. It resulted in taking immediate action.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bank roll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for"

Electricians and workmen were called and made to rectify things overnight. While the entire family was kept awake by the sound made by the workmen, Gouri, the source of these changes, with a smile playing on her lips, was getting her beauty's sleep undisturbed!

"Baby's dreams must be the sweetest" thought Pooh

Well, it is a GASR update! She is the focus of all that happens at RM.

We see ASR, Akash and NK rushing home to cuddle the little one.

We see all the three been given marching orders by a doting granny Manorama to wash their hands before touching the apple of their eyes.

We see Payal and Aarti giving the three an account of Gouri's activity and the new skill acquired.

"Sometimes the smallest bundles bring the Greatest Joy"

We see NK crawling just to induce Gouri to show her crawling ability!

We see Akash who made fun of NK join him in beseeching Gowri to exhibit her prowess.

Sometimes the smallest things shine brightest in our lives"

We see Gowri maintaining her stand and enjoying their antics. She only crawls when she deems it fit, that is when she finds her dad is not paying his attention to her!

We see then she makes it a point to get the attention of all on her.

We see even her dad couldn't resist her when she crawls towards him that he rushes to pick her up and gushes over her efforts.

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart"

For all, she is the center and for her, her dad is the center!

We see Aarti thinking about the precautions that need to be taken in the house for the child safety and voicing it out at dinner. The minute it comes out of her mouth all are in quite a state of panic as though the child would harm herself that very moment!

"Special Things Come in Small Packages"

We see the work being done over night for her safety. While the entire household is awake the princess is in deep sleep!

"Sweet little one, you are our pride and joy"

Now tell me isn't she an OMPHALOS?

That's it from me. Hope you enjoy it!