Better

Can't believe I'm actually posting this, but as Miss Haana would say: "Here goes.."

Yesterday while picking up Miss Haana from her day-care I asked the usual stuff- Did you have fun today? Did you play with blocks? Did you play with everyone? Did you finish your food? ... Answer to each question was a repetitive yes. So I decided to shake it up a little.

I asked - Did you like playing blocks better or cars? 

Blocks.

Did you like Didi better or Kanha?

Didi.

Did you like Aunty better or Uncle? (The lady's husband was home that day).

Aunty.

Did you like Anika better or Anisha?

Anika.

Did you like duddu (milk) better or khaana( food)? 

Duddu (no surprise there).

Did you like cheese better or yogurt?

Cheese.

Did you like...

...

...

We went on and on for quite some time till I don't know why I just couldn't resist it:

Do you like Mumma better or Papa?

Papa

!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oww Guguuuuu! Mumma is sooo saaddd!!"

To which the little girl replies:

Mumma, it's okay Mumma. Are you alrite Mumma? It's okay!

:) 

Best Day Ever

Yesterday I was trying a dress I intend to wear when I'm out with my girl friends this weekend. The little girl came over and saw me. And she said- "Oh Mumma, looking nice, Mumma! Come, come to mirror". I was then walked over to the mirror where we looked at each other for some time, and she said, "Princess"!!! 

It's the best day ever!

:) :) :)

Blue Horse

Behold the blue horse!

Last night the little girl was fast asleep. Suddenly she turned and said "BLUE HORSE" and went back to sleep.

Someone has been visiting her in her dreams. I'm actually glad it's this cute thing.

Old Guitarist

I saw Picasso's old guitarist painting the other day. This one: 

http://www.theartistpablopicasso.com/pablo-picasso-painting-old-guitarist.htm

The painting is both stunning and dark; beautiful and painful; inspiring and depressing - all rolled into one.

If art is something that forces the viewer to feel, to think; then this was right on the money. The painting itself is beautiful- the figure of the old man, his guitar extremely life-like with impeccable detail. But even more remarkable is the feeling of despair, desolation and destitution the painting evokes. 

I still find the painting inspiring. In spite of the blue old man representing old age and death, in the center is his guitar- golden guitar. And with the guitar, it seems like the old man is not in this world at all. I felt like the guitar and his music freed him from all the worldly despair. And at that moment when he's playing, it didn't matter that he didn't have strength in his muscles or food in his stomach; didn't matter if he's dying in a desolate corner; it didn't matter that he was so close to death that it was hard to tell them apart- none of that mattered. At that moment he had something that freed his soul. It's a powerful sentiment - freeing one's soul. It makes me think of the blue blue sky with a lone eagle flying somewhere far far away. Of cotton puff white clouds floating around. 

What I thought was - right now we are tied up in things, life is busy and full of stuff. But there may be a day in our lives when we are old, unable or disable, old and alone and not a hope in the heart. We will be the old man at that point. And I hope- I wish- we figure out what our "guitar" is- that can lift us up, and free us, free our soul from the entrapments of this life, so even for a brief interlude nothing else would matter..

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Today when little Miss Haana was coughing pretty bad, and I turned to her and said "Mumma is sad, so sad because Gugu is coughing", she responded with " Don't worry! It's (going to be?) alright! Don't worry Mumma."

Needless to say I repeated my line several times this evening to hear her replay hers'!

Aquarium

The little girl has another viral throat infection - the third in the last 1 month. We both were in her doctors' waiting room this afternoon watching fishes in their aquarium. There were tiny little fishes- "Baby fishes", medium sized fishes- "Mumma fishes" and then there were bigger fishes- "Papa fishes".

Then I saw one of the fishes was eating those pellets from the sand. I told the little girl- "Look the fish is eating khaana (food)".

I had her attention.

Then I asked- "Is the fishy eating bread?"

"Yes".

I prodded on: "Is the fishy eating pasta?"

"Yes".

"Dos she also like rice?"

"No. Fish eating chicken!".

I laughed and silently thanked she hadn't said the fish is eating a fish (there seemed only herbivorous fishes in the aquarium - as best we could tell there was no carnage)!

Usted Habla Espaneol?

Yesterday i found myself doing a familiar excercise - once back from work, wondering what dinner to fix, I opened the pantry door and browsed for possibilities. The little girl was right by my side and she started counting the jars. Only, it wasn't the usual one-two-three-four-five..

She said un-duos-thres-qatro-cinc-sis!

From browsing the pantry, I turned around and looked at her in amazement (where did she learn that from?). She, on the other hand, miss cool cat, finished counting, turned around and moved on to other games!  

Wrong Stuff

Miss Haana is growing up fast. The signs of this are plentiful. I'm not sure I'm ready for it though.

For example - there were certain words she used to baby-talk earlier before she could pronounce them properly- 

Abigail was Agula

Another was dunder

Etc.

But I really like her mispronounced baby talk words! I'm not really to give up on dunder and Agula. But she already can pronounce both correctly. She can say much more- like "imagination"! 

Now, until I'm ready for her to really grow up, I'll just need to resort to teaching her the baby talk pronunciations instead. I'm already envisioning parent-teacher meets where I'm told to stop teaching her wrong stuff :-(

I'll take it!

Cowgirl

The little one spotted a hat when we were in a crowded market in India and we bought it for her. (She made us buy it!) 

She loves her hat. Loves to watch herself in the mirror with the hat on. Loves to take it off, put it back! But then the other day, she was wearing the hat, and she skipped up and with one hand, took the hat off and yelled "Hee-Haw"! I didn't teach her so, but Miss Haana is a cowgirl :-)

How strange is it- little kids- barely three feet tall, barely old enough to understand the things around them; and they already put things together, pick up ideas they like, make them theirs', analyze and improvise, choose what they like and have opinions! How did all this happen?! When did all this happen? And what was I doing all this time? :-)

Back

We are back. We had been travelling for almost a whole month. And even though many people gasp at "A month!!" implying such luxuries of getting to take so much time off from work and travelling at such leisure.. I must remind them- a trip back home with 18-22 hours travelling time is no fun in the park. It's a very hectic and tiring affair. Notice I did not use the word 'vacation' anywhere.

But it was Miss Haana's maiden voyage to India and first meeting with several relatives and places. 

She met her Aby bhaiya (brother) and they both though separated by some 6 years were inseparable thereafter. If Aby bhaiya is around, anyone else's presence or absence isn't really relevant! 

She met Softy Mausi (my sister), who, like me, fell totally in love with little Miss Haana. But unlike me, she thinks Miss Haana belongs to her and looks and behaves just like her- and she should be left with her for the forseeable future. 

Both sets of grand-parents doted on the little Miss Chief Guest! Ever since we've been back my mom calls up daily to ask how she's doing and how much she misses the little baby! And how I didn't spend enough time with them :-) 

Evils of Procrastination

Life's lesson# 89 (would've been an earlier lesson if I had remembered to take note of it earlier!): Evils of Procrastination.

I haven't written about the little girl in awhile ( I have excuses - genuine ones - we were travelling and took turns falling sick while  travelling) and as I turned to write, I saw this entry I was meaning to write some time back, but didn't. Probably hoping to finish later. Only problem is- I don't remember what it was I was just about to say:

"Little Haana has been sick lately. Virus with cough and cold. But even then..."

Maybe I should take to suspense or sequel writing. But mostly refer to life's lesson# 89. And I hope I remember what the Girl was up to!

Jyoti Auntie

Even though Miss Haana is revelling in the love and attention showered by grand parents on both sides, and uncles and aunts and brother; let it be known that she has not forgotten and still misses her 'Jyoti Auntie' who moved to Indiana and who used to watch her at her home till July this year. In the last couple of days, she's asked Mumma let's go meet Jyoti Auntie several, several times. :)
I'm sure Jyoti Auntie will have a hard time falling asleep once she reads this - being way too happy to sleep!

Are You Okay

Here's the part when, I as a mom can take credit for all the good things my little baby does and gloat in the inside.

With that fore-warning, let's begin:

Today we went for a walk in the park in the morning. The weather was beautiful with a slight nip in the air. The little girl was running around in the grass. I spotted a gazebo in the park and we gravitated towards it. The gazebo had three stairs leading up to it, and soon the little girl games comprised of climbing up and down the stairs. 

And then the inevitable happened. She missed a step, fell down on the ground and landed on her back. I rushed to check on her, concerned and a little freaked out. But soon in a second or so, she was okay. In fact she probably was not so sure if I'm doing okay, so the little baby asked Mumma, "Are you okay Mumma? Are you okay?" She then proceeded to climb up and down the stairs again.

I was proud of the little girl being brave- recovering and bouncing back so quickly! And yes, I'll claim some credit for it :)

Pitti

Pitti in Hindi is baby talk for a spank. 

It is my opinion that cute little things like Miss Haana need to get a healthy dose of pitti. 

I regularly found myself helpless to resist the urge to spank the little bottoms at least a dozen times a day. However, I didn't know then, what I know now: that I now have a copy-cat in my abode. 

The other day, I had just given a little pitti to the little girl, and immediately she turned around to her teddy bear. Turned the bear around and gave a swift pitti to the teddy! 

My disclaimer: Any resemblance to any circumstance, place or people living or dead is purely circumstantial and has no bearing on any activities I may or may not have indulged in, in the past!

Mumma Name

For the longest time the question "What is Mumma's name" got a response of "Psss" (that evoked many a laughs by everyone except Mumma).

Don't get me wrong. This little girl is extra smart in picking up all kinds of stuff that gets us wondering daily 'Where'd she learn that from'. (She knows her own name since a long time). But when it was about Mumma's name, the answer was persistent and consistent. 

But as of today, we've broken that record! And the response is now Mumma's real name and not a strange sound of "Pssstt". As for me, I'm proud of my little baby. And relieved my name is not "Psstt"!

Stuffed Toy

I have a great idea for the toy manufacturers. I should probably patent it. 

When they invest to come up with the next stuffed toy that will be the cutest little toy ever, I know just what they should create. They should make a little doll just like Miss Haana! It will be cute and cuddly and just the most impossibly, intolerably sweetest little darling! How could they have not known, this is the stuffed toy they need to manufacture :)

No Throwing

"Papa phone?! "

Papa gives her the cellphone.

"Noo! No phone."

Changed her mind.

Papa flings phone to the sofa ( just a feet away)

A little girl knits her eyebrows and frowns her forehead.

"No throwing, no no."

Papa with sheepish smile: "Sorry!"

The Bathroom

Miss Haana and I went to an Indian fast food place yester-evening. It was cloudy, had been raining all day, and was the kind of day you want to have some fried snacks with hot chai! Or it may just be me hungry in the evening.

Luckily, this place had a vending machine with small knick-knack toys for kids. I paid 50 cents and got us a small plastic container that housed a 2 inch tall plastic monkey. 

As soon as the monkey was turned over to the little girl it was greeted to a big heart warming honey-dripping-sweet hug. He may have had a few kisses slipped to him before I interjected and objected to it. Then, she and the monkey shared a variety of activities. 

The monkey shared the snacks that Mumma had shared with the little girl. Then, once full, Monkey did some walking on the table (courtesy Miss Haana). The walk was followed by jumps and then hops. More hugs followed. And more super high jumps. Monkey and she shared some secrets (that I wasn't made privy to). The monkey was sent to Mumma (he came to my side of the table briefly) and then was hurriedly called back (he's not safe there).

Then Monkey and her, had a falling off (Monkey was made to stand with his back facing the little girl on the far side of the table). Patch up followed and he was called back again.

Finally Monkey had been out and about just a little too long. He was sent back to his plastic chambers - he had to go to the bathroom! 

Then, Mumma thinks, he might have gotten a stomach bug because for the rest of the evening Monkey kept on coming out and then going right back to the bathroom! 

Monkey is still in the bathroom as we speak, but he's doing okay- or so he says. I'm not going in :)

Second Birthday

My sweet baby turned 2 this week.

And I have to say, she's the most perfect little girl to have ever walked this planet! She's the most fun little girl, the sweetest naughtiest little Mumma's baby! She's her Mumma's favorite girl. I love you little baby! And I can't imagine how I was living without you all these years :) 

Happy Birthday sweet baby! Happy birthday!

The Ew Factor

This happened last week. And does actually have an eeww factor. I'm still compelled to report it for the simple reason that this one needs to go down in history!

It was morning and Papa just came back upstairs to get ready for work. Miss Haana had been upstairs by herself for a few minutes. When Papa came back up she was looking towards her diaper and saying "Panee" (Hindi for water). For a second Papa wondered where the water was. But when he looked at the little one- he knew. 

Miss Haana was clad in a diaper only. She was sitting on the carpet, looking at her diaper- which happened to be somewhat loose fitting. She had her one finger through one side of the diaper and yes. That's where the water was - fresh! Warm (she told Papa). And then she found a pebble inside! At this point Papa was probably screaming "Nooo" both inside his head and outside (although not as loud). 

She was immediately whisked to the bathroom for cleanup (pebble was discarded). But even then, on her way she wanted to show and tell papa (touch and show with the same hand that handled the diaper pebble!!) where her ear was. And then, the other ear.

When I think about it, I'm screaming Nooo inside my head- and I'm laughing so hard outside- I'm not sure which one comes first!! 

Yes, major scrubbing followed - including fingers, hands and ears. Nails were cut and followed another scrubbing clean. This episode has to go down in history for being the cutest ew-factor story I've gotten so far!

Bank Job

Not everyone thinks of a trip to the bank as particularly exciting. But I know someone who does.

The other day when Papa turned a different turn on his way to drop Miss Haana to day care, she immediately realized this was going to be some new adventure. And she was ready!

As soon as they walked in, the big lobby met with her approval- lots of space to run around. But the fun primarily started when they were being helped by the teller. The teller window was too high for the little girl, so she asked Papa to "Carry!" her so she is part of the action. After the initial set of pleasantries that she exchanged with the teller, she proceeded to find avenues to entertain herself. Everything within an arms' reach was fair game. Soon she found a number keypad right next to the teller's window counter and began punching buttons. 

Since Papa was withdrawing some cash he was asked by the teller to verify the amount on the number pad screen and press "Ok". But, too late. The little girl had been punching in buttons and had already cancelled the transaction!

Finally after some confusion Papa figured out and the baby was told not to punch buttons. And that's when Miss Haana realized the number pad also came with a pen attached. Life was all good again. Only problem was, the pen was attached to this small screen and tug as she may, it refused to part ways with the number screen device. Alas the shortcoming was accepted and accommodated for by moving in closer.

Again all was well till the teller asked Papa to sign on the number pad screen. The little girl had found the pen first, and in all fairness it was hers' and she wasn't going to give up without a fight! 

After some push back, the signature was done- once by Papa and several times after by Miss Haana. And the duo were on their way again.

Inner Circle

You know when someone is in Miss Haana's inner circles when they are needed to be there in bed when she's tucked in, when they're offered a bottle of milk from her own share, when they are talked to intently for at least 30 minutes when the little girl wakes up in the morning, when they're needed when going for walks and outdoor excursions, and when she holds their hands or fingers when walking. If you think that's Mumma, think again!

It's this guy!

Sweetest Thing

Miss Haana and I were waiting in her doctor's office today, so we were playing our latest games.

"Suhu, do you know how does a fish give a pucchhi (Hindi baby talk for kiss)?"

A continuous stream of kisses into baby ears leads to loud chuckles and giggles.

"Suhu, do you know how does a turtle give a pucchhi?"

I pretend to bite the little baby hands and cheeks only to end up with kisses instead of bites. More delightful laughter and uncontrollable giggles. She flinches to get away but mummy already got her and we both ended up laughing and giggling!

Then I asked Suhu, "Do you want a fish pucchhi?

"Nooo"

"Do you want a turtle pucchhi?"

"Nooo"

And then, to my surprise she said- 

"Want Mumma pucchhi"

And then kissed me on my right cheek.

And then as if that alone wasn't enough to completely floor me, she said: "One more!" and proceeded to give a big sloppy kiss on my left cheek!

It was the sweetest thing EVER!!

It's A Tough War

We're in the dark phase of food rejection once again. I keep getting this déjà vu feeling - like I've been here before.

Anyhow, its been causing major heartburn to all the involved parties. Miss Haana has figured out she needs some arsenal to stick to her guns (of not eating) and still avoid getting into trouble (stern/mean looks followed by time-out). And I have to say- her arsenal works like a charm!

Just at the point when we're getting mad at her and finally loosing it, she says something totally unexpected - she puts together phrases and words she's not used together before, like: "No, thank you!! No thank you Papa! Thank you!" or like yesterday's "No problem! No problem". And we usually look at each other wondering where she picked that from and admit defeat by breaking into a smile. It's a tough war this one! And we parents are not in a good spot, I must admit.

Bug Talk

"Hello,Bug"

"How are you doing Bug?"

"Are you having fun, Bug?"

Intent watching from either side.

Finally, bug decides to move on. I find myself secretly thanking bug! 

Now bug has decided to climb a small step but it is proving challenging and slippery.

"Come on Bug, come on!"

"You can do it Bug!"

"Come on Bug"

Regardless of the pep talk, bug slips and falls again.

"Oww Bug fall down"

"Bug got boo-boo"

"Bug fall down"

I'm tired of being made to sit around watching bug. Being the parent I'm taking a stand (!) and deciding to move on now.

"Ba-bye Bug"

"See you later!"

"Tale care!"

"Bye bye!"

Glossary of Terms - Part 1

Glossary of Terms - Part 1

The following are some terms that may help you understanding Miss Haana better. 

On the left are a few of the words from her vocabulary.

Onthe right are how Miss Haana thinks they ought to be said.

Abigail (her friend) -- Agaalaa

Aligator -- Agulator

Umbrella -- Underbrella

Good Morning -- Goo' Monee

Good Night -- Goo' Nite

How do you do? -- How u (d) you?

Vegetable -- Vegituble

Butterfly -- Baadafly

Dragonfly -- Daagonfly

Finish -- Feeeesh

Thank you -- Thank youuuuuuu

Spank -- Pank

Water cup -- Wata cup

Diaper Bag -- Dipaa Bag

Get up -- Geeetap

Stop it -- Topeet

I did it -- I dideet

Dinosaur -- Die-saur

Car Seat Ghummi (Hindi for walk) -- Ca See Ghummi

Good girl -- Googirl

Sprinkler -- Plinkler

Rabbit -- Wabbit

Elephant -- Ephant

Cutie pie -- Kutti pie

Trumpet -- Tumpet

Piano -- Pinna

Yes I can -- Yes I can (sing-song tone)

No,no, no -- No, no, no (sing-song tone)

Dusty -- Dukty

Dress -- Deass

Sky - Kkkyy

Grapes -- Gapes 

Green -- Geeen

Crayon -- Kayon

Spoon -- Poon

Surprise -- Uprise

Iguana -- Guaana

and the list continues..

All Around The World

Babies all around the world are saying Mumma (or the translation into different languages thereof) right now. All except my little bird, who calls out to Papa instead! :)

Rag Doll

Here's what I see in front of me right now:

A somewhat 3 feet big rag doll jumping up and down on the bed amidst peals of gleeful giggles. Up and down. High and low. Is it on the bed or trampoline?

Then one big jump and the rag doll lands on the bed but instead of her feet- on her bottom!

Then swings back to lie flat on the bed, more giggles and verification to check if everyone is in on the fun.

Then, repeat.

Science Boy

Raj was telling me what happened this morning. Miss Haana was watching some baby television show this morning and the science boy on the show was talking about how important brushing your teeth is- why we need to brush, how one must brush, to use a toothpaste, to do it properly etc. 

Miss Haana actually used to like brushing as long as she doesn't have to use the toothpaste and if she's brushing by herself and Mumma or Papa are not brushing her teeth for her. In reality, though, she ends up brushing her tongue more than her teeth. Which means one of us adults needs to intervene and make sure the teeth are brushed. Which is then faced with a resistance so strong, most days we feel our resolve waning. 

But this morning, after seeing the science boy, she ran upto her Papa. Asked for toothbrush with toothpaste. Got it and then brushed her teeth for a long long time.

Now realize that there are two ways of looking at this: one - oh she's such a good baby. Yes, I've considered that.   And two- we're such failures as parents relying on tv shows of science boys to teach our baby the right things! :)

For now, thank you science boy!

Here's Something for Your Next Ice cream

We came to this McDonalds' and Miss Haana had been requesting for "Eat ice cream?" over and over again. We came and sat down on one of the tables. There was a lady having her breakfast on the table next to ours'. Miss Haana immediately starting telling her who her mom and dad were and that she should try the ice creme because "Ice creame good" and "Ice creame cold"! Then she starting introducing Mumma to her new found friend and called her "Aunty"!

The lady thought her cute. Especially the little girl calling her Aunty. When she got up to leave, she took some cash and gave it to the Miss Haana for her next ice cream. I resisted initially but when I saw her intentions were driven from love, I didn't have it in me to decline.

In north India, in my family, when you go and visit family, it's customary to give some cash/gift to new brides or little children. But this gesture from a complete stranger just blew me away!

Love - Reign O'er Me

I heard this as a friend's friend's account of her feelings on motherhood; but I found it so true for me - (so plagiarizing but hope to be forgiven):

I understood what love truly is when I saw Suhaana for the first time. And then, every single time I've thought of her or looked her in the last 22 months. 

(Love Reign O'er Me - sung by The Who)

Changing Time

A 22 months old baby is not the only one in our abode that's wearing a diaper these days. And before anyone rushes to conclusion, let me just explain:

There is a white teddy bear with blue t-shirt and an Elmo diaper hiding amongst the other (stuffed) animals in our living room.

Suhaana has been very vigilant about the health, hygiene and welfare of her toy buddies. She gives her sheep (on wheels) a bath daily. Once in a while, she'll take Minnie with her and give her a bath as well. And this morning, it seems Papa did not pay attention, but Teddy Bear had a dirty diaper that needed changing. So Miss Haana took matters in her own hands, and embarked on changing Teddy's diaper. She also told Mumma later (diaper was changed again this evening- obviously!) that it was in fact that Teddy had poopy in the diaper that Mumma had neglected to check.

On one hand I'm entertained at Miss Haana's new antics. On the other hand, I'm equally relieved we were only talking about virtual poopy!

The Future is Suhaana - Part 2

I admit it. There are household chores I hate but have to get done every so often. The chore I hate the most will be a closely contested competition between doing laundry, tidying, ironing... Even coming up with this list is getting painful!

But then I saw glimmers of hope today. 

Today Miss Haana was sitting on the bed with a t-shirt and pants waiting to be worn. I was busy checking something online when I noticed the baby was busy by herself. She had her big, fat mermaid book of poems with her. And then she erupted with: "Hot!!" What was she doing?

Well here's what: 

She was laying the t-shirt and her pants flat on the bed. Once she made sure they were really flat, she got her big, fat mermaid book. That was her iron! And she was ironing her t-shirt and pants and exclaiming at how they were both "hot" once she had finished ironing! We couldn't help but laugh in amazement. We don't even let her be around in the closet while ironing usually, but obviously someone has been watchful! 

When I finally got over my amazement and delight; and was able to stop laughing, I couldn't help but casually mention to the little Miss Haana- you know baby, Mumma has several shirts that need ironing, but no pressure :) Did I mention I was on a recruiting spree? 

Unsatisfactory State of Affairs

Someone in this establishment is dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. Especially as it relates to hygiene. So far I was under the impression that we do just fine. We do regular tidying and cleaning. Laundry once a week usually on Sundays.

But that dissatisfaction became apparent when this morning I found the laundry basket full. It is only Thursday. Somebody has been filling the laundry basket. 

On closer inspection, the following were excavated from the laundry basket: bathroom slippers, hair dryer, contact lens fluid bottles, unopened soap boxes, little cloth purse, hair brush, band aids, clean t-shirts...

I think I know where they are coming from.

Don't Cry

When Raj ordered for a batch of books for Miss Haana, he didn't expect what she'll say when she reads/sees it:

"Piggy crying."

And then:

"Don't" "cry" "Piggy"!

:)

Latest Chart Buster Game

One might begin to have serious doubts about my mental state by the time one finishes reading this blog. 

When I pick up Miss Haana from her day care, the little girl and I have ourselves some fun in the car. Our games are simple and yet superbly effective. They also rotate and change periodically. For a sneak peak here is our latest chart buster game:

It's a two player game.

Both players look at each other and grin. Then when ready, player one (also called Mumma) says:

"Onnneee".

"Twooooo".

"Threee"!!

That's when all the fun begins. Both player one and player two (also called little baby) open our mouths wide and shout and scream our hearts out loud "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh".

At the end of it player one and player two (the baby) giggle and laugh uncontrollably. Player two even claps with delight!! Both players are thoroughly content and feel like a merry good time has just been had. 

Good games such as this one can certainly be repeated any number of times. 

The best laughs are those that are had for no reason at all :)

Smile for the Photo Please

I was looking at one of an older photo I have of little Miss Haana and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. 

The photo is taken on the day of her birthday in October last year. We were in Vienna that day - we were on a 18 day trip through central and eastern Europe by car for her birthday. It was October so it was slightly chilly. I was paranoid about her (or either of us) catching cold and so would make sure she's very well insulated against the cold. 

That day we were going to spend considerable part of the day outdoors sight seeing Vienna on foot ending the evening with a ballet-opera-symphony performance. It was ambitious but I was determined none of us was going to catch cold in that trip. So I bundled her up in tights, hat, sweater, gloves. I was about to put her jacket on when she retorted- she's had enough of it! She probably felt like a Michellin tire (poor thing). But I gave her a well meaning lecture of "What if you fall sick? That would be no fun at all! ". She gauged this wasn't a fight worth fighting and resigned to her fate. I bundled her up. I was carrying her with me on a sling (I loved carrying her, keeping her close to me where I can kiss her head and talk to her and show her things the whole time!). 

I think even though she resigned herself and wore the jacket, she was sort of pissed about being super bundled up like that! The photo was taken once we left out hotel room and were in main area of Vienna where I'm all happy carrying this little baby. She is looking somewhat given up and somewhat pissed off but well past the phase of fighting it. :)

Yes, in case you're wondering the jacket did come off soon enough and she enjoyed the day thoroughly. Especially the ballet-opera-symphony performance where she was mesmerized with the show! I carried her jacket most of the day. She didn't catch a cold.

Meanwhile, I remembered the photo returning from work today and I couldn't stop laughing at the sullen expression.

Which Color Is That

Little Miss Haana and I were playing the game of Name-The-Color with the above painting going over the colorful compartments of the dragonfly's body. 

We started almost at the bottom- the "blue", then the "green", then "yellow", then "orange" (twice). Then when I reached the top one and asked her which one is that?

She replied "Bug"!!

Can't really argue with that :-)

I'm a Little Teapot

Maybe words don't adequately express this little girl's cuteness especially when she sings so many of the children's songs and does all kinds of actions her little hands and legs along with it! She sings 'Itsy bitsy spider', 'Do your ears hang low', 'I'm a little teapot', 'I love you' (the barney song) and many more.. And every time she's finishing the song, she'll look up with a twinkle in her eye, and the look of complete self satisfaction that would be a crime to let go unnoticed!

I'm a little teapot, short and stout (hands show short and stout)
Here is my handle (left hand on waist becomes teapot handle)
Here is my spout (right hand is raised to become the teapot spout)
When I boil over, I scream and shout (hands around mouth - screaming and shouting)
Tilt me over and pour me out (Baby/Teapot tilts over)

"One, two, three, four, Goooo"

"I'm a little teapot....... Tilt me over and pour me out"

"One, two, three, four, Gooo"

"I'm a little teapot... Tilt me over and pour me out"

(Repeat endlessly punctuated by crazy giggles, gleaming eyes!)
Now if she would let me get my hands on her and crush her into a sweet paste of naughtiness!

I Feel Terrible

I just feel terrible!

For one- there have been so many big and small things with my little baby (going to turn 2 in a couple months now-- baby!) and I haven't been able to write about them because I've been busy. Preoccupied with other stuff which clearly is less important. And then I've just forgotten about writing it! I feel bad about that- like sand slipping through a clenched fist, I feel this time and my memory will fade away if I don't quickly embalm it and store it away for eternity. And I didn't do that. I feel terrible!

But then today was one of the bad days. I'd had a very busy and also unproductive day at work. At home little Miss Haana was constantly fussy and cranky about one thing after the other. These days the challenge is when we tell her to do or not to do something- how do you get her to do what we want. As smart as she is, I have no doubt she understands what's being told to her and what's being expected. And yet- she chooses otherwise. I was loosing my patience. She was crying as a retort. It was just a bad, bad cocktail of sequence of events! Poor baby was cranky and crying quite a bit. 

Finally, after a bath, she was tucked in and we both read two Abigail books as she fell asleep. So the day did end with a cute little cuddly baby curled up and tucked in to bed. All cute as a button! But when I think back to the evening, I feel terrible!

The Future is Suhaana

Yesterday something happened that made me profusely hopeful. I'm seeing a life on cruise control, with plenty of help on hand in my future!

Yesterday I was eating a snack in a bowl with a spoon and offered the little girl a spoonful. Anticipating much of my offering will go dripping down to her dress (don't ask me how I know that), I knew I needed a bib. Instead of getting up to get it, I told little Miss Haana - "Gugu, can you go and get your bib and wear it?" The bibs are hanging from the grill in the staircase gate. She coolly turned around, walked up to the stairs, pulled out a bib (dropped a couple others, but I'm not complaining), and came back to me wearing one of her bibs!

Imagine how proud I felt! And now, also imagine how this opens a plethora of such pleasing possibilities- where she does as I say, and in time, she'll be helping her Mumma with all kinds of chores around the house, and be helping me out!

Call me delusional but I'm smiling tonite.

It Must Be The Terrible Twos

I know we must be in the terrible two stage now (she's not two yet). Yesterday I picked up Miss Haana from her daycare and was coming home, Raj and I decided to meet at a neighborhood snack place. We met up there and the little girl was delighted to see "Papa!!" there. The next 30 minutes were spent spraying mom and dad with water from a "water cup" using a straw. 

Anyhow, we left from there to go back home, I put her back in my car, strapped her in the car seat. And that's when it started. She started crying (very loud, angry crying) yelling "Papa!!". I kept my cool and told her he will come home (after a short detour to groceries). But more crying, tears and "Papaaa!!!!" I could give her a stern, dirty look, but that only makes things worse. I just drove back without a word. That was perhaps the longest 10 minute drive I've ever made. She was crying non-stop. On other occasions, I've actually given up on it, taken over by my concern at her being so upset and crying for so long. This time too I was getting concerned but I stuck to my stance - which was don't respond to bad behavior. Even after we arrived at home, the crying continued. To say I was angry, frustrated and just hopping mad would be an understatement! But I ignored. After sometime she calmed down in the familiar surroundings of home and found her toy friends to entertain herself. Soon she came running to me, "Mumma, Mumma", followed by some more words I now forget. Basically signaling it was make-up time, since I'm my cute-cuddly-baby self yet again. For the first time ever, I was not impressed ( usually I'll be the one excited about whatever she speaks and agreeing with her!). I gave her a look and then continued on with what I was doing. She hung around close to the kitchen, sulking. 

Soon Raj came and mom was all but forgotten (I've made peace with that :) ). I  apprised him of the bad deeds. The little girl was happy to have someone who was still talking to her and answering her questions. And then, Raj said "Can you say I'm sorry Mumma". Little girl came up to me and said "Sorry Mumma"!

"Can you give a hug to mumma?"

Little girl came up to me and hugged me tightly.

"Oww! I love you baby!!! I love you" hugs and several kisses after!!!

Yes, that's how it ended. 

What's the Bucket For?

Last two weeks have been rough. The first week- the week of July 4th, Suhaana's day care lady was out on vacation for the entire week. (I found a new home based montessori for the little girl after her -and my favorite daycare lady moved out of state). 

Raj and I took turns taking some time off from work that week. One of the days when I had a few meetings to attend, the little girl came with me to work, played with my co-workers, made new friends, doodled at meetings, watched Barney on my work computer (that had never known YouTube before), played ball, watched battery operated dinosaurs and monkeys and when she was done, climbed on to her stroller to indicate she was done for the day! 

The week after, just as the weekend was wrapping up, my little baby fell sick. She had some cough, trouble swallowing and  fever. And not to say this wasn't bad already, but the cough made her throat particularly scratchy, which in turn made her particularly likely to throw up. 

The onset of the illness itself was sudden. We had gone with a few friends of ours' and Suhaana's to a children's museum where these kids were having a great time. Suhaana finally ran out of her battery life and decided to recharge with a nap in the stroller. She'd been asleep awhile when suddenly she got up with an itch in her throat. I offered water. Declined. Offered milk. Declined. And then came an enormous fountain of puke! By the time I washed her up and we came back home, the poor baby had fever.

Doctor said its a virus that is affecting the throat. Like tonsillitis. So, treat fever and wait it out. That week Raj and I took turns being at home (he spending more time with her than I). 

Meanwhile the throw up bouts continued. And I've not done that much laundry in a long while. Twice a day all pillow covers, bed sheets, blankets, clothes, towels. We were so tired of it! We were finally began to get wiser when we kept a bucket next to the bed when putting her to sleep, to be used to "catch" the throw-up fountain and save us the trouble and work of another round of laundry. 

So the next night while putting her to bed, Suhaana must have thought it mighty strange when on her slightest hiccup Papa pulled out a bucket from behind the bed and placed it right in front of her with lightening speed. At one moment she was being put to bed, cozy bed sheets tucking her in. In the next second, she's made to sit up, blankets, sheets and pillow thrown away, a bucket staring in front of her! 

I bet, as she was blinking her eyes sleepily she wondered what is the bucket doing here on the bed, and why she's staring into it!!

Careful

There's a special affinity women have with footwear, it's known. But Suhaana loves the footwear that I wear particularly.  The moment I take off the shoes I'm wearing, she immediately goes over by the shoe closet, gingerly puts her tiny feet into each shoe and once she's convinced she's worn them as they should be worn, she starts on the tour of the house with *her* new footwear! 

Yesterday when she was walking around wearing my healed shoes, she was almost  about to loose her balance. I was watching her, and was about to leap forward. But I needn't have: 

As soon as she was about to loose her balance, she said "Oh! Careful", she regained her balance, and was busy moving about.

Unexpected Learning

One thing that little Miss Haana did learn from the recent trip to the wildlife conservatory is how to make a long drawn out squeaking sound while giving a flying kiss. She heard Mommy do it many a times while on our drive-thru tour asking the gazelles, antelopes and deers to come closer and get the feed. Now when Mommy asks for a flying kiss, that's what she gets!
And Mommy is not too happy about it!

Antlers

Today was a day well spent. It was  spent at a nearby (within 2 hours' drive) wildlife conservatory which has a scenic wildlife drive through it. We bought a bag of feed from the admission gate and were on our way to meet gazelles, deers, multiple antelope species, audads, giraffes, zebras, emus and ostriches. The initial mile or so we followed the guidelines and threw the feed away from the car for the antelopes or deers to get them.

Later, we got wiser and bolder. The little girl was sitting either next to me or on my lap (we were driving at 5miles an hour or less) and was handing me the feed for me to hand to the deers, antelopes or gazelles. One antelope with massive antlers almost came inside the car to get the next bite of the feed. I blame it on Miss Haana who couldn't hand me the feed fast enough for the antelope. I was leaning away from the window trying to avoid getting licked in the face by this massive four legged and we were laughing! 

Later I tried not to laugh as I turned around and found that when I was not looking, the little girl was beginning to lick the feed and see how it tastes! If these four legged folks like this, it must taste good- she must've thought. I nipped the feed-tasting efforts in the bud, though.

The cheetahs were in an enclosure by themselves, and we were thrilled to find a couple of them very close to our car. When I say 'we' I mean we excluding  Miss Haana. Because when we were marvelling at the cheetahs, she was not impressed- (what kind of cat doesn't even say meaow). While I was hanging outside the car window (we were not allowed to step outside the car) to get good photo of the wild cat, the little girl was fussing about her Minnie Mouse shoe coming off! 

Some days I don't get kids at all! 

Change

Today felt like the unwilling end of a wonderful chapter.. And there were tears on every side!

As I pulled away I wondered how many more such chapters would open and close in my little baby's life.

Just 4 months back I was in a crisis mode: Suhaana's nanny was leaving (effectively for good) and in my opinion she was too little (15 months)  for going to a regular day care. Realizing that may be the only option I was already taking day care tours although still not comfortable with the idea. 

And then, I got a reference from a friend of mine; who's friend has a home day care. And the next four months were the most fun period. The little girl made new friends. And most unexpectedly, I made a really good friend too. So many-an evenings were spent at the pretext of picking up Miss Suhaana; but then staying longer while we talked over masala chai and snacks! To say that the tea was fantastic and the company even more endearing- would be a gross understatement. I looked forward to spending that half an hour every evening away from both work and home in an escape that can only be provided by a good friend. And we'll talk about what happened during the day, just everything under the sun. 

Meanwhile the non-adults would continue with fun of their own: the lady's two daughters and Suhu would be busy with their own activities. 

Her daughters are probably the most well behaved, soft spoken, smart and cutest girls ever! The older one is 10. She is smart, sweet and  paints really well. The younger one is 4 and she is also very smart, very friendly and very sweet. 

Suhu and the girls would be busy with their fun activities; and every day when I would turn to Suhu and ask her "Shall we go home?", she would immediately give me her to-the-point, unequivocal reply "NO". Every day I would be met by formidable opposition (read: angry crying and throwing of arms and legs) against been taken home. My only weapon: "Papa must be waiting for the little girl, don't you want to meet him?" Grudging acceptance - these games may have to wait till tomorrow. 

Lately Suhaaana would call the day care lady (no names for privacy) as Mumma! It was funny and cute there were more than one Mummys around! 

But now the day care lady is going to move out of state; and even though I found an alternate place for the little girl- it will never be quite the same. Every morning when sitting in the car seat, Suhu calls out the names of her 10 and 4 year old friends! And today when I with Suhaana went back to my day-care-lady-friend for good-byes, it was hard. Hard thinking I would not see her around. And harder thinking the kids wouldn't have each other around and would miss each other a whole lot. Suhu was calling out the names of her friends all the way home - as I'm sure she'll repeat them tomorrow as Papa is taking her over to the new day care next morning. 

Life moves on.. And this begins the journey our children would go through for the rest of their lives - moving in and out of new places/things is never easy. But if you think change is hard wait till your kids have to go through it- that's so much tougher. 

Today when Suhaana figured that we're leaving and we may not see the lady or come back to her house perhaps, she held on to her hand and didn't want to let go. Crying proceeded, as I'm sure there were tears on either side. I could have cried too if I wasn't too busy being the parent and saying it will be okay! Yes, this is definitely harder! But the last few months has been a really good time and the little girl will undoubtedly remember her older friends for a long, long, long time. 

Mumma, Neenna?

Scene 1: Its 1pm and its Suhaana's nap time. It's weekend and all of us are at home. I get the little girl to the bedroom for her nap.

The stage is set.
Bedtime lullabies? Check.
Blinds? Check.
Curtains? Check.

Now it's a waiting game before the little girl falls asleep. And then:

Mumma?
Yes baby
Mumma, neenna? (baby talk for sleep)
Yes baby! Now go to neenna!
Pause
Mumma?
Yes chhota ( little )
Mumma, neenna ?
Yes baby! Go to neenna now!
Pause
Mumma
Neenna
Suhu.. Do neenna baby!
Pause
Mumma? Neenna?
Gugu, (employ a stern voice now) go to neenna now!
Pause
Mumma?
Yes Gugu
Mumma? Neenna!
Yes baby! Neenna karo ab tum ( go to sleep now)
Momentary pause.
Mumma?
No response strategy employed now
Mumma?
Mumma?
Little hands patting my cheek now in case I've fallen asleep..
Mumma?
Mumma?
Yes chhota?! (unsure whether to be angry or to break out laughing)
Mumma? Neenna!
(Mumma trying hard not to hug the little one tight and semi-crush her)
Yes baby, go to neenna now!
(repeat)
(repeat)
(repeat)
(....)

Mumma is having a hard time not laughing!

In the end; Mumma starts to sing a lullaby and the little baby finally falls asleep listening to it!

Oh No

We've entered another exciting phase.
My little baby Suhaana can now say 2 to 3 words together- sometimes on cue, sometimes impromptu.

I'm not entirely sure when it started, bug I noticed last week.. She was calling herself "Good girl". Today when she wanted a cup of water, she demanded "water cup".

But the funniest came when I was trying to give her her dinner and she was less than enthusiastic about it, and she looked away from me in dismay and said "Oh no, food!!"!! I laughed for several minutes after!

I'm told my troubles are just beginning..

Civic Duty

Gone are the days when Mumma used to give little Suhaana her bath. These days, the independence streak has taken over. Not only do little girls around here take a bath all by themselves and enjoy themselves. They even ensure tumblers full of water are rolled down on Mommy to give her a (much needed?!) bath as well.Consider it civic duty!

Unfriendly Neighborhood Ducks

The ducks in our neighborhood are not the friendly kind. That's what I learnt the other day:

I looked out from the living room window one evening and saw two ducks crossing the front yard gate. Evening stroll. I immediately jumped up. So far Suhaana has only seen ducks from afar on the lake. But here they are on the front gate, this was different!

I called out to the little girl and opened the door to show her the ducks on the front gate. I didn't even have a chance to put her slippers on and she was gone!

She ran behind the ducks, who seemed mildly amused but kept a few feet's safe distance. But my little girl was too excited to pay heed to that. She ran behind them and pointed an excited finger at them: "Duck! Duck!".

The ducks were slowly moving to keep a constant few feet's distance with the pesky child. But the little baby was persistent! She ran behind them for a long distance. When they quacked, she even quacked back at them to initiate familiarity. "Quack quack!" she shouted! I ran behind the three of them (two ducks and a little girl) laughing at the cuteness of it all.

Evidently the ducks didn't appreciate the intrusion, and eventually realized they can't shake off the child so they flew away. Poor Suhaana kept calling "Hey Ducks! Ducks!" after them but they were gone. Mumma had to console the baby the ducks have gone to bed, and now it's the baby's turn; and returned home.

Friendly ducks they were not!

Reality is Only A Probability

I love Calvin's dad - he's done the impossible! He's taken this really tough job of parenting and turned it around to be a vehicle of his amusements and experiments! Its pure genius! I'm surprised its not already patented.

What I also agree with Calvin's dad is that popular knowledge is incredibly boring. Alternate outlandish explanations with no bearing on scientific data or populist notions of reality are so much more interesting. And quantum mechanics itself tells us- we can never be 100% sure- there's always a level of uncertainties even to our most certain realities. Which means the outlandish explanations are not really falsehood and made-up lies after all - just alternate realities. Much like alternate universes.

Now with that preface it's only a good thing that sometimes when Miss Suhaana says something wrong (by popular knowledge anyway) but incredibly cute, I have to encourage her - its only part of good parenting.

Sometime back Miss Haana was learning to identify the eyes and nose and ears etc. And somehow she got the eyes and nose messed up, such that most days, the eye is the nose and the nose is the eye. I do as any good parent would be expected I do.. Never stop laughing as I agree with her- point to her eye and say "N.O.S.E.")!

Lately she's learnt the three words that preface her big jumps- ready-steady-go. Only that for her- it is "Ready. Steady. G.O.A.T"!! Once again, being the supportive that I resolve to be- I agree with her and make it a point to say "Goat" every time I can!! It is hilarious!

As she grows up, I do intend to teach her about how big the sun is and where it sets as well! :)

Heavy Stuff

It's hard as a parent to NOT be the preferred parent. I've been trying to deny the feeling for some time, but every time I see it (Suhaana preferring Raj to me), it stings. There are just no two ways of saying it! On the other hand, maybe it's the universe's way of saying what goes around comes around.

When I was little, I had my favorites. And that actually continues till date. My dad was my role model when I was young. Intelligent, charismatic, righteous, just - just about everything. I remember when I was 5 or 6, my mom jokingly asked me who I love more, Papa or Mummy. I gave a politically correct reply of "Both". But I don't think there ever was a question about blinded-in-love-role model! So could this be payback time for me?

In my defense, I wasn't really the favorite child for my parents either. For a long time I thought it was only my mom playing favorites. But much later I realized, it was so for both my parents. As both my sister and I grew up, on occasion I was the preferred one but only because she was not preferred - she was in a temperamental stage. I was preferred because of lack of options.

Now the tables are turned. And as a parent, eager to correct the "wrongs", I compensate: a blog to commemorate every nuance of Suhaana's growing up. An email address to store every loving note until eternity. No, we'll not make the same mistakes. We'll make different ones.

I guess for several families, the Mom is the preferred parent, because she's the one who's around mostly, and she's too busy to fuss about such non-issues. And I guess I should be thankful of my situation of equitable division of labor. (I call it equitable, I've never asked Raj what he thinks about it. I've figured it best to steer clear of those discussions!) And yet, here we are. I either need to climb the social charts of likeability really quickly or brace myself for the teenage years to come.

Prepare For Bed

Suhaana does know how to prepare to go to bed. (Not to be confused with her actually going to bed/sleep. )

She knows:
Once she's taken her bath, then Mommy towels her dry. Then she opens her arms to get a ride to the bed.
Once she hits the bed (minor detail alert: no clothes or diaper yet), she knows it must be bed time. She pulls away from Mummy's arms and is on her way towards the pillows. While Mommy makes attempts to dab creme onto the slippery baby, she buries her face on the pillows. Then rolls around till she can pull the sheets up to her shoulders so that she's tucked in properly. Then looks on to the exasperated parent with a grin and "eet deem" (sweet dreams for the non-parents!).

Now of course this is just another one of those let's-try-this-'cause-it's-fun moments. Any hope I might have that she will fall asleep that quickly are eagerly dashed as she rolls back around and is on to the next game!

Sea Wolf

I just finished the Sea Wolf by Jack London. Leant to me by my friend (thank you very much!). Beautiful golden edged hard bound book; but even more wondrous in the effectiveness of the journey it takes the reader through. I'm still a little taken aback by the ending and still trying to make sense of it all. It's the same stuff as art movies in India. And it just struck me, as I write this, that I'm not sure if 'art movies' is a universal or a very Indian term. Basically the type of media that is open ended and thought provoking. No wonderful twists in the end, no painfully euphoric reuniting of torn lovers in the end( I was hoping so badly!). Sea Wolf- raging brutality and barbaric power, culminating in a gradual, silent end. Or depending on which way you look at it, a lifetime of high moral ground, given up and driven out, for the universal will to survive.

And while I was trying to make sense of it, I wonder... We prepare our children for the life they are to lead in all ways possible: good manners to fit in the society, good hygiene, good nutrition for a healthy body, good education for a healthy mind. What about the meaning of it all? The power of love, the purpose of life, the ignominious and the glorious, and the road to choose? Of course that assumes we as parents have figured this out, which, in my case is a long shot. But maybe our legacy to the next generation would be, other than material things, wisdom. Or at least the practice of soulful introspection and a never ending supply of questions.

All by Herself

This day should go down in history as the day my little girl actually had (and finished) her dinner (which mostly ended up in her tummy and not the floor) ALL BY HERSELF!

Yes. Just today over lunch I was lamenting to my friend what has come over my little baby- lately she's gotten whiff of this terrible thing called independence. All parents would agree. I would want to give a good 'talking-to' to the person who first introduced the concept (sorry Ayn Rand - I've loved you all my pre-Suhaana years, but looks like we might need to take a break!) - especially to my little baby. But it's possible she just stumbled upon it all by herself ( I looked for a scapegoat and didn't find one).

So in this new spirit of independence, she was intent upon feeding herself last couple weeks. Which translated itself into- we place the girl on high chair, put food on her plate. She proceeds to prod it with her fingers, smash it between her palms, rotate it all over the plate, smoother it out on the food tray, take it to her mouth (we're watching in foolish hope and excitement at this point), then very soon, spits it out with her tongue, picks it up again, smashed it some more with her fingers. Puts it back on the tray, then picks it up. Finally, coolly tosses it out of the tray on to the floor! It was diving me crazy!!

So anyone would appreciate what happened today. Fearing the worst, a bowl of rice and grilled fish was presented on the tray to her. First, she coolly picked up the Cod and segregated it on the side. That was the end of the fish. Then, using her spoon proceeded to feed herself the wild rice one spoonful at a time! I could barely believe myself. And did not even react till she was finished so I don't jinx myself!

Only after she was done and I picked her up that I told Raj what a wonderful baby I've gotten.. My absolute, hands-down, no-question-about-it best mama's baby in the whole world!

A Dog or a Cat

Check out the image.
On Sunday to celebrate great spring weather, we made a last minute detour. Instead of going to a mall, we headed to the park and as usual the little girl was super happy to be outside, in the grass, running around! There were several people walking their dogs. Suhaana wished she could walk their dogs for them- and play with the four legged funny animals, laugh at them and generally make new friends of them. The dogs regarded her as a cute little tiny girl, and then walked on by.

Until, we ran into the pomeranian (see image). He was even more interesting than all the other dogs. She ran close to him and kept watching closely, till the dog (who paid no attention to her whatsoever ) passed her by. She pointed to the furry four legged and declared loud and clear-"Meaaaoooowwww"! Followed by a definitive finger-pointed "CAT" (just in case anyone didn't understand the 15-mile-long-Meow)!

All of us: us and the walker/owner of the dog were least expecting her to say what she did, and all of us burst out into peals of laughter!! She kept on Meaaaoooowwww-ing pointing to the pomeranian, who probably took that as an insult and spared not one look to my little girl!!

Of course I was too busy laughing to complain!

One.Two....Ten

My little baby is barely 18 months old. And other than singing the "I love you" barney song and "tinkle tinkle ittle saar", there are more skills in her arsenal. (Alert: Parental boasting coming up).

When I say "One", her reply is-
Too
Thheee
Four
Sees
Even
Aiii (eight)
Nine

Between nine and ten, she usually picks one and includes only one.

Now before I get those "such pushy parents" kind of looks, in my defense- I've never tried to have her parrot the counting to me. We do count 1 to 10 especially up and down the stairs- but this is all her.

And that doesn't mean I am not super proud of her!

It's Raining Mud Here!!

You can check the forecast on whichever website, it won't tell you to watch out for this evening. The sky is overcast, the wind is 5-10mph. And it's raining mud. Chance of precipitation-100%. That was Friday.

Since it was good weather I let Miss Haana out in the yard on Friday. And as usual, she headed straight for the flower beds. They're her passion I should say. And she feels the amount of mud in the flower beds is unjust and disproportionate. In a bid to set everything right my little baby takes it upon herself - on her tiny shoulders to set the world (yard) right and redistribute the mud in an even, more just manner. This usually translates into taking fistfuls of mud from the flower beds and distributing it evenly (use of both palms) across the grass.

On Friday though, she thought it would be much more even if somehow the mud was falling from the skies, that way an even layer would cover everything! So I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised when she got 2 fist full of mud and threw it up above her head suddenly!! The mud was evenly distributed over her hair, shoulders, feet, pants and surroundings. I think she was sufficiently impressed with the results because before I could assimilate what just happened here, she had done it again and then some!

Meanwhile I was debating if I should stop this immediately or get a video of this craziness for posterity.. She, in that time frame, had gotten another couple of fistfuls of dirt and decided they need to be spread out inside the house (it didn't have any dirt at all!).

At that point, obviously, stopping her was useless, I got out my camera and starting making a video - mud rain.

Lotion

When there's one hand applying moisturizing lotion on Suhaana (after her bath), there are two tiny, (and determined) hands applying lotion back to Mommy.

Delight

Last Saturday we went to a birthday party of a friend of our's daughter. Sweet little three year old girl. Suhaana had a great time on the birthday party. It was evening, and we were hanging out in the backyard. Lots of kids, plenty of balloons. This little girl was having a blast running up and down the backyard, catching balloons, running on the grass, climbing up on the bench, then down, then back again, running to Papa or Mumma and darting in the opposite direction again, giggling at the big people standing by, smile at the other little people! She had a blast!

And more than her, I was just noticing everyone else around her, and saw everyone else reach the same conclusion that I have: this little doll is such a DELIGHT! There's just no better way to describe it!

Love Song

All weekend we've heard this love song. But before I get into that, I have some updates to report that I've been running behind on..

It was a couple of weeks back when it first happened: from being able to say a few syllables, and then full words, sweet Suhaana started saying multiple words together - 3 word phrases! The first phrase she said was "I love you"!! Such a sweetheart my little baby is! 'I love you', by the way, is a Barney song. And Barney, by the way, is a purple dinosaur. And why children, especially this little girl of mine adores and loves a purple dinosaur is beyond my comprehension! But I've accepted it. She loves Barney and with it, the Barney- I love you song. We were so amused when we were on our way to our friends' a couple weekends back and she kept repeating/practicing saying I-love-you all the way in the car! It was hilarious!

The next phrase was even more surprising! Unlike I-love-you, which is a song, the next one was from a book- stomp-your-feet.

Even more amazing (I thought) was this week, when she was putting words she knows together, by herself. Meaning, she hasn't heard those words being put together before, but since she knows what the words are, she's putting them together herself. I thought that was so amazing. Last week, when I turned off the TV, she was casually waving her hand and saying "Ba-bye TV". I was impressed!

This weekend, she's been singing, not just "I love you", but much of the whole song by herself "I love you, You love me, We're a happy family". It was so cool to hear her just sit and sing it by herself while we were clamoring over to try to get a decent video footage of the action! Proud to report, the video was pretty decent.

Also proud to report all the latest updates from my little baby!

Confession

I have a confession to make.

Yesterday Suhaana and I were hanging out together. She was on my lap. I was on the dining room chair, and both of us were browsing around on the laptop. We were having fun talking together, and looking online at perspective dinnerware - Suhaana didn't approve of anything so my wallet is still safe.

All was going well till the little girl started to try to get on the table. This endeavor is not new for her, she does it everyday at the day care lady's place when I go to pick her up and the lady and I are chatting on the dining table and having tea together. Again and again I tried to dissuade her to climb on to the table. And again and again the determined girl was resolute in her attempts to get on to the table. A couple of times I tried to let her climb on (holding her for her safety), for her to naturally realize the futility of getting on to the table in the first place. It didn't work. She just wanted to get on to the table. And once she got on, she refused to budge. I was reduced to a safety net, though, because I had to hold on to her with both hands for fear of her falling and getting hurt.

Soon, I was exasperated, and wanted her down from the table and back in my lap. But tried as I did, she just wanted to be on the table. My patience was wearing thin. And finally, I was so irritated that I picked her up, in both my hands, and put her down on the floor, and told her that I'm done with all her stubbornness, this is where she gets to be, I'm done with her!

The little girl realized Mom was not joking. She got all serious when I finally put her down. She was looking down on the floor in serious contemplation when I was giving her a piece of my mind in irritation. And then.. when I was least expecting it, she looked up at me, smiled and said "I loee yoo". Like a gush of flood waters, I instantly felt so sorry for loosing my patience and getting irritated - giving her a piece of my mind when all she wanted was what all kids want - to play. I hugged and kissed her and said "I love you too baby!!".

Soon she was back in my lap and we were sitting on the dining chair together looking at perspective dinnerware..

Toothbrush

When Suhaana sees Raj or me brushing our teeth, she points to the brush, and says "Me!". That's her general indication that she needs one too- and it applies to a range of things - tea cup, coffee mug, food we eat, hair brush and now toothbrush. Since this had been happening quite often, we have a small toothbrush for her too now.

I should perhaps mention that she has all of 2 bunny rabbit teeth so far. So today when she asked for her toothbrush, and was given hers', she proceeded to diligently and vigorously brush her tongue. It should be called a tongue-brush. She protested when finally the brush was taken away and secured before she could leave it in a nook somewhere. (Mom would have had to end up spending several minutes searching for it all over the house before giving up! )

Bye TV

When I switched off the TV just now, I heard "Bye TV". Wave of a hand, and repeat "Bye bye TV"!
The bye and waving went on for several minutes.. Unbelievably cute!!

My Shadow

My Shadow by R. L. Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

 

I've been lucky, but that can only take you so far. Suhaana has now learnt the no word. And she uses it aplenty! But the best part is, even when she says no to the things I rather she said yes to, I can't help but laugh out loud. Let me explain:

Mom: Suhaana do you want to have dinner?
Suhaana: (Shaking her head in negation) No (Short, definitive)
Mom: Suhaana, do you want duddu (Baby talk for 'Milk')?
Suhaana: (Eyes are gleaming with naughtiness now. Again shaking her head.) Nooo (The no is getting longer)
Mom: Suhaana, do you want mammam (baby talk for 'water')?
Suhaana: (Smiling now - Mom has played this game before. Twitching her nose now - who would want to have water!) Nooooo.
Mom: Suhaana, do you want a diaper change?
Suhaana: Noo.ooooo.oooooooo.. (Same long sing-song as "Miaaaooowww")
Suhaana: (Giggling at the shared joke)
Mom: (Laughing out loud, makes an attempt to catch the little girl into a big hug and sloppy kisses. Little girl knew what was coming and scuttles away beyond arms' length).
Smart kitten!

Wiper Blades

You know good wiper blades when you see them in action. I saw one today and I knew it was good.

I was at the day care lady's to pick up Suhaana this evening. Her older daughter, 10, and I were talking about cell phones and photos. (Both her daughters are incredibly sweet, loving and cute. Both dote on Suhaana. Suhaana enjoys their company thoroughly.) Soon we started looking at photos on my phone. There are 846 mostly of the little girl. We were sifting through them, commenting, laughing, giggling at how much more hair the little girl had before we got her haircut, how cute she looks, how she was wearing Rudolf slippers etc. And then we stumbled upon this video from maybe 6 months back. I didn't even remember about it. And here's how it goes:

Suhaana is sitting on her high chair. And Papa is trying to feed her. A spoon filled with food bravely starts on the treacherous journey towards the little baby on high chair. As soon as the spoon is within a feet from her, severe shaking of her head begins- dodging mechanism or wiper blades in highest speed and motion?

Soon Papa is deciding to really give it a twist. Now, it's just his hand moving towards the little girl on high chair, as if to feed her, but no spoon, no food.

Result? Same as above. Fully-functional-well-oiled-in-warranty-wiper-blade movements to dodge whatever it is that might come close to perhaps feeding her!

We had so much fun watching the video.. And I was surprised and thankful some phases have passed!

Penguins

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antartica. (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin). But perhaps some of them escaped somehow and travelled far north. They must have felt it was getting much warmer. One of them ended up at our house, and was delighted to find brief periods of the day when a door will open, letting out fresh, cold air like the warm breeze of Antartica. Such cold, frigid comfort! Who can not love it! So she comes running to the door, turns around and sits down on the "bench" inside: comfortable, cold and at the perfect height. Now if only she could make these other pesky people stop asking her to come out of the cold haven. Why don't they just let her be!!

"Suhaana, no sitting in the Fridge, baby. Come out. Come out and close the door"

Suhaana: (Continues sitting on vegetable tray in the fridge. No response)

"Suhaana, can you come out and close the door, please?"

Suhaana: "Ba-Bye"

Suhaana (Sensing some more reaction is expected): "Mmmuaa" (Flying Kiss). "Ba-Bye"

Suhaana (That should've done it!)



 

Cat in the House

We have a cat in our house these days. A two legged, close to two feet tall cat. She runs around at home the whole time, climbing on the couch, jumping from it, rolling on the carpet, climbing up on the chair, going behind the curtains, emerging from behind them. And if you ever ask her 'What does the cat say?', she will respond with: "Meeeaaaaaaaaooowwww". Quite possibly the longest miaow anyone ever heard! And then, she will giggle in delight.

Doll House

I went to pick up Suhaana from the home day care where she spends her days these days and like everyday found myself in the middle of a new story. The lady's younger 4 year old daughter has recently acquired a 3 story doll house. It features bathroom and sitting area on the first floor, an elevator to get to the second floor, staircase in case of emergency, bedroom with a bed, mattress, pillows, carpet, a sitting area and balcony on the third floor. Basically, the works!

The 4 year old was aching to show 'Aunty' (me) her doll house. When we got to it, and I was marveling at the sophistication of her doll house, Suhaana was busy appreciating it on her own as well.  For starters, the concept of a doll has not exactly crossed her mind, and she hasn't seen anyone even smaller than her, so the 2 inch wide chair has to fit her somehow. Poor girl kept trying to sit on the chair, then the table (also 2 inch wide), but couldn't fathom why she doesn't fit. Then there were the stairs. She knew the stairs, and these ones are not even barricaded behind gates like the ones at home! She tried to keep her foot on the miniature stairs, but unlike the ones at home (and everywhere else), her single foot now spanned as many as 4 stairs! How could that be?

Finally when it was clear Suhaana cannot climb the doll house stairs, she settled and let the little doll climb the stairs. But then, it looked just too good to be true - stairs or not, she was going in. So she did what she does everyday at home on the couch. She climbed up-  on the second floor of the doll house - she, barely able to sit up in it; we, barely able to keep a straight face as we watched her get into the doll house!! It was hilarious! Finally only when Mumma was leaving the room and the possibility that Mommy might leave her and go home surfaced in her mind, did she grudgingly left the doll house alone and left the room.

I have a feeling - I see doll houses in my future!

The Ranch

It was such a beautiful spring day outside today. We spent the afternoon the best way there was to spend the afternoon - outside, at a ranch. There were horses, cows, goats, a pig and several dogs.

I was amazed and impressed that Suhaana was not intimidated by the sheer size of the horses. She was walking around them, like they were farm fixtures, like the tractor and the arena fence. She would point to it, and call out "horsh"! We nodded and cried out "Yesss! Horse!" in sheer delight and helplessness of not being able to hug her, crush her! She is not one to be hugged or picked up or told where to go when she's out on a ranch. Such blatant encroachment of her independence is not dealt with lightly. Displeasure is immediately notified and there's nothing discrete about it either.

But perhaps who she liked the best were the ranch dog. There were at least 4. But she liked the big shaggy sheep dog, almost twice her height, the best. The laid back, calm dog was minding his own business when, to his surprise, there came this funny looking two legged thing, with pink pants and pink multicolored jacket with a hood on- the hood ending in a dark pink flock of threads flying around in the wind. It looked amusing, till this little thing came by and tried to lick or kiss his snout! The dog was stunned. Why is this little thing jumping on him? Why is she trying to climb on him? Did she come here for horse riding lessons and mistook him for a miniature horse? Why? Oh why?
Whatever happened to being ignored all day long in the laid back silence of coexisting farm animals! The poor dog ran away in a hurry, the little girl in tow, trying to find his own peaceful haven, free from crowds and toddler children!

Sing A Song

There's nothing more rewarding I've done in my entire life than to have Suhaana snuggle up besides me and I cuddle her in my arms and sing to her while she falls asleep. Nothing in my world is any sweeter than that moment. I can see her eyes blinking, initially, as she just listens to me carefully. And then slowly, drifts into sweet dreams. I pause to give her kisses and continue singing; partly for me, mostly for her..
 

Whistle Blower - Part 2

To follow up on my Whistle Blower post earlier, I finally got to test if the whistle still scares Suhaana, and have mixed results to report:

Initially till the whistle was not too loud, she was okay with it - a background noise, barely an annoyance. But then suddenly, the pressure cooker let out an unexpected, loud scream. It sent the little girl wrapped around my legs, freaked out and bawling! Poor thing just got so scared when the cooker suddenly screamed out loud.

A quick switch off the gas and pick up the baby in arms is in order.