She's No Dragonfly

"Mumma, I want my tinkerbell pen".

"Mumma, I want my tinkerbell pen".

"Mumma, I want my tinkerbell pen".

After a few moments I found and handed custody of the tinkerbell pen to little Miss Haana.

A few seconds later: "Mumma, look her wings move!"

"Her wings move!"

I turn around to look, "Oh ya! They do! Let me take a look."

Little girl handed Miss Tinkerbell to me. 

I looked at the shapely long green wings on Tinkerbell's back. I squeezed my finger in between the wings and wiggled it to make the wings move slightly. But instead- crack!

The right wing broke with a crack!

"Oh no!!!!" I screamed with foreboding! What had I done! 

Little in-control Miss Haana told me- "It's ok Mumma! It wasn't your fault!"

I looked at her and whispered, "But it was my fault, Gugu!"

"It's okay Mumma, we'll fix it with tape. It's alright. Don't worry okay? Don't. Worry."

Then after a pause she added, "She didn't want to be a dragonfly, anyway!"

We giggled!

Miss Nylie

Miss Haana's assistant teacher at the Montessori is very popular at our house. She's her favorite! Every evening I am told what Miss Nylie said or did or didn't say or didn't do. When I don't do what I'm expected to do, the little girl gives me an exasperated look, knits her eyebrows, shakes her head, puts her hands on her waist and says "So sad!"- just like Miss Nylie! Usually when I pick the little girl up from school on Fridays she asks me if Miss Nylie can come to our house on Saturday! 

So far I've mostly found these things cute and adorable. Till yesterday little Miss Haana was telling her daddy this:

Daddy, I want you to be my daddy and Miss Nylie to be my Mumma!!!

:-O

My mouth opened to a big "O"! She giggled like it was a shared, delicious, naughty little secret that had gotten out .

Naughty it was! And I wasn't about to let the opportunity go by.

I lamented at how hurt I am that Gugu  said this and how sad I am! She came to me, kissed me, touched my cheeks and told me -"I was just kidding, ok?", and giggled. I said, "No, not ok! Gugu doesn't want me to be the Mumma! I'm so hurt!". This time she came to me, more kisses on my cheeks, more caresses, and she said, "No, no! I want you to be my Mumma, ok? I was only kidding! Ok?". I purr with "Aww, my sweet baby!".

At this time I felt like it was working out for me afterall.. Such deep hugs and kisses for me are usually only afforded when my little baby is asleep! 

I secretly make plans on using this premise for extracting more hugs and kisses at a later time! Devious? Desperate times call for desperate measures! 

Because

Just learnt that regardless of what grammer might dictate, a sentence can begin, end and comprise solely of one word: 

"Because!"

Scientific observation: There's usually an exclamation mark at the end of such a sentence as well. 

Illustration: 

Whenever we get back home from outside and are barely inside the garage door, the first thing Miss Haana wants to do is take off everything she thinks she can. On one such occassion, it was cold and rainy outside. We had barely stepped back inside the home. She already was taking off her boots and was tugging at her jacket to get it off of her. 

Then she said she's wants her socks off. I said, it's cold so keep your socks on. The floor is cold.

She said, no, she wants the socks off.

I asked- why?

And there it was- her reply was:

"Because!"

The socks came off.

I was knitting my eyebrows.

Raising Eyebrows - 1

This morning Miss Haana comes and tells me this:

Mumma, you know what? Mahesh Uncle smells so good! Mahesh Uncle smells so good that I imagine I could eat him! (Giggles!)

I thought I hadn't heard it right. But she repeated it too :-)

One More Story

We have always been into stories. But these days a new genre of stories has emerged and captured Miss Haana's fancy. It's stories of when she was a baby, or even "all grown up" at 4. Basically stories about her.

It started unknowingly. I just made the first story up.

One day, after bath and most necessary chores out of the way, she was enjoying her best time- rolling around in bed. She demanded stories. I was too tired to get out of the bed to look for books so I just made one up about when she was a baby 7 months old, and used to crawl all over the house. 

One day, this curious little baby was crawling around the bed looking for adventure. She crawled behind the bed, between the bed and the wall. All the way inside out of everyone's reach and she just went and sat there. In a few seconds, Mumma wondered where the little crawl-y baby had gone. Mumma looked on the crib, next to the glider, around the curtains, next to the bed, but no sign of the little baby. Where could she have gone?  Mumma could hear her but still could not see her. Then finally spotted her well out of reach behind the bed! Of course this was now a game for the little baby to escape Mumma's reach! Finally after much going coaxing, she came out of her hideaway by herself and got warm hugs and sloppy kisses!

The End.

To this, Miss Haana said, Mumma I want one more story.

One day when the little baby was just about 7 months old Nani (maternal grand mother) came to visit. She came with a big suitcase all the way from India. In her suitcase she had gifts and presents- beautiful colorful frocks for the little girl with ribbons and embroidery and frills. Lots of beautiful gifts. Also in her suitcase were Nani's own clothes and things. One day the crawly little baby was exploring around the house for new things to look at. She went into Nani's room. Nani was not there. Mumma was not there either. The little baby was curious, what does Nani keep in her closet? Her suitcase of course. Soon, Mumma came back and where did she find the little baby? Sitting inside Nani's suitcase and going through all of her clothes!!! Mumma laughed and laughed and took pictures before picking up the little explorer!

To this, too, Miss Haana said, Mumma I want one more story.

One day when my little baby was just over 3 months old, Mumma was still off from work but decided to visit all her friends at work and show them her new little baby. All of Mumma's friends at work, came to see the little baby and swooned over her. Everyone said how good and cute and sweet the little girl was! Then, when Mumma had met everyone she hugged her friends goodbye and headed back home. At home, Mumma took the little 3 month old baby out of the car seat and walked to the living room. The floor carpet had a bed sheet on it. She put little baby on the bed sheet. And the little thing just kept sitting! That was the very first time the little baby had sat all by herself. Mumma was so happy, she took pictures of the little doll to remind her always the moment when the little baby sat by herself for the very first time. 

The End.

Now little miss Haana said, Mumma one more story! Six such stories had just been narrated.

Now, on this day, Miss Haana had claimed she was too tired to brush for the night. And had gone straight to bed instead. I said, Gugu, looks like you're not that sleepy now, if I hear another word, we are going to go brush our teeth first.

Silence. (Good night!)

Designer Shoes

Designer shoes by designer Haana.

White shoes colored by Miss Haana.

Santa Fe - Fall 2015

When little Miss Haana was born, one of my dreams was to travel the world - go and stay in different places with her. Keep alive the spirit of adventure, not only in her childhood; but in essence bring my childhood alive as well. She's four now and able to experience the world and have an opinion about what she likes and when, I thought it was time to test-drive the theories, and begin the ride.

To test the waters I decided to head out on an impromptu trip to Santa Fe, NM for a couple of days. And here are just some of the highlights:

We stayed as paying guests with Susan and Steve and their beautiful house in Santa Fe: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/28066905
To say that they were gracious hosts would be an understatement. Miss Haana became very thick with both of them and soon was narrating to them all the happenings of her classroom, her teachers, her best friends, what she likes and what she doesn't. She enjoyed the attention of the two new-found, doting friends of her's as she pranced around the house! Before leaving she also let them know she'll be back soon. At Christmas! We left with warm hugs and an even warmer feeling of having made unexpected friends at unlikely places!

The best part of being on a vacation should be that when you get up in the morning, there is absolutely, candidly, completely, nothing better to do than to roll around in bed for a while! Miss Haana woke me up one day and said "Mumma, Mumma, wake up! My stomach just growled".
I asked - "Gugu, did you eat a lion yesterday? Is that a lion growling from your stomach?"
"Noo!!", giggles all around.

If there was ever a time when I had my hands full and my mind occupied with things to do or stuff to carry, there was this little helper who would remind me (there was definitely a motherly nagging in that little voice):
Hey, Mumma, don't forget to put my buckles on the stroller! And don't forget to put the buttons on my jacket!!! (delirious laughter along with "Who does that?!")
Hey! Don't forget to pick up the jacket, huh! (snickering follows)
Hey Mumma! Don't forget to pull my pants up! hahahah! (Don't ask)

At the New Mexico Museum of Art, we found some children's books on Georgia O'Keefe. Miss Haana and I sat and read through each one of them. Then, the little girl declared she wanted to draw and paint. Now. We headed out looking for paper or colors. The little girl confidently walked up to the museum shop and asked for paper to draw on, all on her own. I was proud of her. We continued on our quest for colors in nearby store full of trinkets. But now, she got all distracted with all the other "stuff". We sat and read several more books.

On canyon road, strolling up and down the galleries, little Miss Haana decided which galleries to get into. There were several bronze sculptures of dogs, horses, boys and girls in the yards. And someone was prancing around through all of them. Once inside the Barbara Meikle gallery (one I wanted to visit), we met with the artist; Miss Haana told her she was an artist too. They talked and talked about what she liked, and the bronze sculptures, and played games in the gallery.

Theme for our entire trip was this sentence repeated through the trip:
Mumma!! I got an awesome idea! Let's go on an adventure!
But then also this from time to time:
I want to go back home!

On our drive back to Albuqurque to get on a flight back home, I told Miss Haana to bid the mountains good-bye. Then we noticed someone was following us:
We noticed we left most of the snow covered mountains behind as we headed south-wards, but one mountain was following us down south. I told Miss Haana to talk to him:
"It's ok, Mountain. You don't have to follow us around to our home. There are no other mountains down there, you wouldn't have any other friends. We'll be back in Christmas, Mountain. We'll all play together then. Go back home now Mountain, ok?"
I have to say, the talk did work because I haven't seen any strange mountains back at home lately!

On the airport on our way back, we saw the most wonderful plane of all! It was the Mickey Mouse plane on Alaska Airlines:
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/our-aircraft/739-spirit-of-dl2.aspx
We stuck like flies on the glass windows at the airport, wondering whether Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy and all were headed to the Clubhouse.

Another note - everyone doted on little Miss Haana! On her jacket, the bow on her jacket, the braid in her hair, her cowboy boots, and most of all - her!

I was a bit tired coming back from the trip. But it was an absolute fun filled adventure!

Day At Work

Amongst all the fun that can be had by 4 year olds at work, this is by far the funnest :-)

From left: Prema, Rushil, Anya, Papa, David, Mumma, Miss Haana. And then there's a ladder for home.

Favorite People

Little 4 year old Miss Haana transitions back and forth between drawing and writing now.

Here's a list of blocks on which she's written all her favorite people's names:

From the left most pink block:

Anya, rushil, Suhaana, papa, Rangoli, Mumma, Rajesh.

And the last block, even though it's not visible due to the color, it says: sweetheart!

:)

What do you want to be for Halloween?

Last year little Miss Haana and I were both cowgirls- with chequered shirts, vests, cowboy hats, cowboy boots (with real spurs in my case!). Last year, it wasn't really a question. I decided the Halloween costume, and the little girl just went with it.

Such simple times are now behind me. And so, this year things are more complex. All decisions are made by a 4 year old Big girl. 

Till a week back, we were all absolutely sure it was going to be an Elsa Halloween for us. I had started looking for an Elsa costume for me. The little girl already had one since several months back (her Jinu aunty had gifted the whole ensemble to her).

But then, new, previously unrealized options appeared on the Halloween horizon. Daddy suddenly surprised the little girl with a tinkerbell costume! And suddenly it started looking like it will be a tickerbell Halloween for us. Just as I was going to look for tinkerbell costumes for me, a new option loomed.

Yesterday when I asked the little girl what she wants to be on Halloween I got this:

"A Zombee".

We never watch any zombie movies or tv at home or talk about it. Where did she see or hear about zombies?!  Then she volunteered clarification. When I asked her what a zombie is, she said it a buzzing bee, but it's very big in size, so it's called a zom-bee! 

What does it look like, you wonder? It has yellow and black stripes. That's a zombee!

We laughed and laughed; and briefly I wondered how I would do inside a big buzzing bee costume. And then I hoped the zombee wave would die down soon!!

Olaf

Couple of weeks back an amazing thing happened:

We are currently in the phase of our lives that can best be described as Disney's Frozen Fever. Little Miss Haana was coloring in her Frozen coloring book. She was coloring the eternal optimist snowman- Olaf.

But then, once she was done, she sounded the name Olaf to herself slowly a few times. And, carefully began writing the letters as they sounded.... O...l..a..

Then she came to show me what she'd written.

I reminded her the name Olaf ended with an "ff" sound.

She knew what was missing. She added the letter "f". Now she had just written, by herself, the word Olaf. All by herself! Did I mention- all-by-herself?!!

I was besides myself with so much pride that she had applied herself to it, and figured it out  all by herself. 

While I was still oooh-aahh-ing on what she had just done, she proceeded to write c-a-t. And Elsa too.

So proud of my little thing!

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Sandwiches have never been my thing. But that was before I came across the Hazelnut and Cocoa spread - a chocolate spread made from hazelnuts and cocoa. Delicious, chocolate-brown, finger licking goodness! 

But in order to pack more protein I decided the sandwiches with the cocoa spread ought also to contain peanut butter ( by far the most protein rich nut- far better in protein than almonds). So, here's the recipe for the sandwiches:

Remove the crusts (can't be a sandwich with crusts on!), spread roasted peanut butter on both slices. Then spread hazelnut cocoa spread on both slices. Cut in half, and ready to eat.

Only problem is, little Miss Haana would much rather her delicious, finger licking goodness of chocolate sandwiches not be tampered with or adulterated by anything. Especially peanuts! 

This morning the sandwitch went through some thorough interrogation. I handed her the sandwich.

Right away she retorted it has peanut butter, so really can't be expected to be that tasty.

I said, no! It has the chocolate spread.

She handled the sandwitch gingerly. Some of the peanut butter got stuck on  her finger. She showed it to me- See! It's much lighter ( in color). It's not chocolate.

I knew something had to be done.

So I said, Nono Gugu, when you spread the chocolate spread it gets lighter on the sides. That's why it looks like yellowish on the sides, but if you look inside the sandwitch it's all brown like chocolate. She peaked in. My story checked out.

Finally she bought it. And ate her sandwitch.

Both of us felt satisfied!

Picture

This is Mumma with straight hair (in reality are very curly- is this a hint?) wearing a long skirt and Papa with a beard wearing shorts.

Miss Haana is going to add herself to the picture too.

Mumma Has A Frown

Little Miss Haana now draws her own pictures and colors them brilliantly! Last weekend she was coloring using my crayons and made a king and queen on the inside of a card. When the card closes, they kiss, she said (kissing sound externally provided for effects!).

Then she was making softy cones and assigning them to people. "This one is mine, this one is for Papa. This one is for Mumma". 

She makes a family of smilie faces while doodling.

Last night, though, she made her family again. Only, Papa and the baby were next to each other all happy and smiling. And Mumma was on the other end and with a big frown! When I asked why does Mumma have a big frown? She said "Mumma is upset because baby is not sleeping!"

I was not liking this one bit. I protested, Mumma is not mad. Mumma is happy too. I changed the frown to a happy face and felt all better inside. Little girl approved.

Curious George Goes to the Beach

Last weekend little Miss Haana was watching a curious George episode. 

"This is George. George is a good little monkey. Always very curious...."

George and his friend, man with a yellow hat were lounging at their country house. Suddenly George wanted to go to the beach to make a sand castle. The man with a yellow hat decided it was a good idea. So they both got into a car and when to the beach, where they built sand castles and learnt about the tides.

As soon as the episode was over, little Miss Haana demanded to go to the beach! I thought it was a joke, but learnt soon enough she wasn't joking. Tried to tell her the beach is far, far away from where we are. Got out a map and showed her where we were and where the beach was; and still the little girl didn't understand why we can't go to the beach right away. Anyway, promises were made to visit a beach the next weekend.

Promises are forgotten sometimes. This one was too. Till it was Friday afternoon, I was at work and I suddenly remembered i had told her we will visit the beach this weekend. I looked up flights for standby travel, looked up and booked hotel, checked on car reservations and was all set in an hour. I picked her up from school, Daddy joined us at home and we all packed a backpack and left for the airport. Next morning we were sitting in golden sand with the ocean waves washing over us and the little girl encrusting the sand castle with sea shells! We spent our morning at the beach and took the afternoon flight back home in a short impromptu getaway! But I have to admit our sand castle was nowhere as grand as curious George's sand castle was! More internet lookups required!

Space

This morning's timeout did not go as expected. Little Miss Haana was not eating and had been sitting on the breakfast table with a bite in her mouth since eons. After much goading, I finally gave up. I told her to finish or get a timeout. As it turns out, timeout it was to be. The timeout place is on the turn of the stairs, away from any activities or stuff that could be utilized for play.

I didn't hear from her for sometime. I wondered if she'd fallen asleep. She hadn't. I spied her. She spied me back. I pretended to be busy working chores around the house. Another few minutes passed. Still no sound.

I crept up close and asked her what she was doing. She said, "I'm standing by myself and I was making funny faces at Papa."
"But Papa can't see you!" I asked.
"I was playing by myself", she said.

She had been hanging out by herself in a corner, with no toys or avenues. She was making funny faces and singing funny songs to herself, by herself. Entertaining herself.

It did beat the purpose of a timeout but I was very glad she's capable to having fun by herself. On this day of constant stimulation (television, radio, social engagements, social media, ... the list is endless), personal time has rapidly depleted. I'm guilty myself. The ability to give ourselves some time and space; and be able to enjoy one's own company is extremely valuable. I'm proud of little Miss Haana for being able to do that today. And I hope she never outgrows it!

Talk

Last couple days the little girl has been sniffling. Inhaling steam is a good remedy for noses with cold, but holds logistics and practical challenges.

So, Daddy was explaining to little Gugu- "I'm going to put this pan of boiling water in the washbasin. You can climb up on the stool and then we will lean into the pan from which steam will be coming it. Take deep breaths but don't touch anything. Remember, the pan will be very, very, very, very hot." 

Could more "very"s be added to that sentence? Probably not.

But on hearing the instructions, what did a visibly anxious and disconcerted Gugu ask?

"But Daddy... But... Would I be able to talk?"

Report Cards

I still remember the day when I was in school (elementary, middle and high) and it used to be the report card day! Last month we went to visit grand-parents in India and we saw a different kind of report cards.

Every morning during our stay with her maternal grand parents, my little girl would come out with her own report card: who all are on her good books, and who are not. 

On the first day, Mumma, Papa, Aby bhaiya (my sugar drop nephew) and Sid uncle were Pyaara bachha (lovely child) and everyone else- Softy Mausi (my sweet sister), nana (grandpa) and Nani (grandma) were all declared badmaash bachha (naughty kids).

On hearing her report, Softy Mausi got thoroughly traumatized. She doubled up on the hugging and the agreeing and the bribing. 

Next day, the charms had worked. Papa, Mumma, Softy Mausi, Aby bhaiya, Sid uncle - all of us were on the good books. So who's left? Nana, Nani. Both grandparents ended up on the naughty side. Reason? They came between Miss Haana and her tv shows! :-)

Every day for the rest of our stay, I checked but the report cards stayed the same.

We've just been back for a week and I checked this morning. Nana, Nani and still badmaash bachha! 

Have A Cookie Now

Today after dinner was over, the little girl and I was bantering with her on my lap. She reached out for a dirty but dry pallet tray from the cabinet behind me. The pallet try had several compartments-some big, some small. They were all multi-colored now - I'd been lazy and not washed the pallet tray since I used it last. But this was just as well - the little girl decided these were a tray full of multi-colored cookies.

She offered me one and I pretended to eat it. Then she offered another one, "Have the green one now".
"Now have the red one",
"The blue one. Take the blue one now."
"Brown cookie now. Take the brown cookie."
" Now yellow one."
Somewhere down the line I felt I had had enough cookies, and politely declined.
The little girl insisted, "Take this one now."
"No, thank you."
No, no, have the orange one now."
"No, I don't want it."
Then came a sudden, forceful reprimand: "HAVE A COOKIE NOW!!!!"
I sat up and stared at her stunned. She stared back. Silence for a couple seconds. And then we both burst into peals of laughter!!!
I repeated her scolding again and again: "GUGU, HAVE A COOKIE NOW". More giggles!! Repeat. Repeat. Repeat! Giggles every single time.

I'm Gonna Take Care of You

My little girl all of 3 and a 1/2 years takes care of her Mumma:

I've had some leg/hip pain that's been my companion on and off for as long as the little girl's been around. One evening last week, I was sitting on bed in pain and the little girl came up to me and said she'll massage Mumma's leg. I got a kiss that would make the worst ailments all better and then some!

Fridays are Miss Haana's favorite days. Friday there's no uniform in school. This Friday was even more special- their montessary school was going to get an ice creme truck. So this Friday morning started with more excitement than usual. When I asked the little girl how many ice cremes she'll get from the ice creme truck, she started counting.. 1..2..3...4...5.. Finally she stopped at 16. I was surprised, i had expected 3 or 4! But when asked about it, she said it's for her and all her kids. Her kids? Tanishka, Naisha, Akshita, Shaun... The list kept on going to cover all kids in her class! I was impressed, but I had to ask- What about Mumma? She said she'll ask and get an ice creme for her Mumma and papa too. I was happy.

Come Saturday morning and as her  eyes opened, the first thing she said to me was- Mumma, they didn't have ice creme for parents, it was only for kids! My little baby had asked for an ice creme for her parents at the school ice creme truck! I was so warm and fuzzy inside:)

Mighty Girl

The little girl and her daddy went to the playground in the evening. Here's what happened when they got there:

A couple of older girls were playing on a couple of slides. They were going down the slides. Then climbing up the slides, then going down again. Then sliding backwards then forward.. Little Miss Haana was interested! In the slides, yes, and in the older girls too. She kept watching them, enjoying their antics. She usually watches older kids with interest and curiosity. But in a few minutes, she was itching to slide down the slide herself. But there was a problem. The older girls were hogging the slides. The little girl kept watching. She met up with a friend of hers' at the playground too. And both the little girls watched the older girls have fun at the slides.

Finally little Miss Haana had had enough of the watching game. She climbed up the stairs of the slides and talked to the older girls. In no uncertain terms and withy authority, she said "Hey guys, you need to share the slides. You need to share.". One of the older girls was quite stunned by the direct approach, and quickly gave way to the little girls to play on the slides.

For the rest of the evening, the two little girls played the slides, ran around the playground, climbed up and down the stairs.

I was so proud of my mighty little girl to stand up for what she felt. 

Texas Flood

When life throws lemons at you, make leamonade. It's always easy to do that with my little Miss Haana. 

The state of Texas went from several years' drought to a state of evacuation due to flooding. I am deeply moved and poignant about the plight of families and people who are affected by the floods. 

But this Saturday morning as we finally caught a break in the rain, and I opened the convertible top, driving around with my little girl aiming for puddles; it felt like we were making leamonade in the rain! 

Texas Flood-

Well there's floodin down in Texas..

All of the telephone lines are down

Well there's floodin' down in Texas

All of the telephone lines are down

And I've been tryin' to call my baby

Lord and I can't get a single sound

Well dark clouds are rollin' in

Man I'm standin' out in the rain

Well dark clouds are rollin' in

Man I'm standin' out in the rain

Yeah flood water keep a rollin'

Man it's about to drive poor me insane

....

-Stevie Ray Vaughn 1984.

Gummy Bears in Child Lock

Food is a touchy topic. It just has always been so.

These days if Miss Haana doesn't want to eat what's for dinner I tell her to go upstairs and sit quietly alone while we finish our dinner. If she wants to do anything else she needs to finish her food first. 

Yesterday when I said that, the little bitty girl decided to go and sit upstairs instead. Usually she starts to go upstairs but then hangs around on the stairs and sulks. But this day she went upstairs without a fuss. In a few minutes she came back with the new bottle of gummy bear multivitamins, and asked me to open it and give her one. I reiterated my rules, if she wants to eat or drink anything she needs to eat her dinner first. In a few seconds she vanished upstairs again. I didn't hear from her or see her around for the next couple minutes. Then I got curious. What's going on?

I decided to find out, so I quietly climbed up the stairs. Still no sign of her. No noises. I went inside the bedroom, and found her sitting with her back towards the door. I stood in the doorway to watch what she was up to. Little Miss Haana had the bottle of gummy bear multivitamins in her hands and was diligently trying to open the bottle to help herself to the goodies. She kept on twisting the cap, it kept on rotating without opening. It had a child lock on the bottle. After watching her intently at work for several seconds and nowhere close to giving up, I entered the room. 

She looked up at me and have me a beseeching look. I told her- Gugu, this bottle has been made by people who knew little kids very, very well. They knew when mummies tell little kids not to have gummy bears, sometimes the little kids don't listen and instead try to open the bottle themselves to eat all the gummy bears. So, they made a bottle that only mummies can open and little kids can't. Little Miss Haana replied in earnest. "No, no, I'm not going to eat the whole bottle. I'm only going to eat one. That's all. Only one." 

Her earnestness did win her that gummy bear. And with dollops of patience she finished dinner too.

Go To Bed

I'm not sure what the secret ingredient is, but for sure one exists. There's something that helps Miss Haana grow. Grow naughtier that is!

Getting to sleep is a slow and long process these days. The popular notion is that after all the getting-to-bed activities are done (shower, creme, clothes, milk, brush etc), the real play time begins!

Today when finally the little monkey lay down next to me on the bed with her back to me, I was caressing her hair and patting her. Suddenly a naughty little hand came and flicked my hand away and quickly disappeared, followed by stifled gleeful chuckle. Realizing what had just happened I smacked her back immediately with my flicked hand! Both of us broke into peals of giggles. That was funny, she says! :)

What is not so good? Little thing tested positive for strep this morning!

Toothbrush

This morning when trying to wake up Miss Haana she groaned "Nooo". Some more fussing ensued. 

"What's wrong, Gugu? Is something bothering you?", I asked.

"It's running away..."

"What? What Gugu?"

Snores.

"What's running away?"

"Toothbrush"

:O

Now it was my turn to be indignant: "Naughty toothbrush! It's running away?! Let's hop on your bicycle and chaseit  down! Let's race it!"

Giggles!

Teacher Appreciation Week

First Bicycle

This past weekend I feel has been a momentous one. My little girl got her first bicycle. Its a wonderful, Frozen themed purple with snowflakes colored bicycle with silvery pom-poms on both sides of the handle. It has training wheels. It even has a small bag on the front handle with Elsa and Anna on it- for keeping snack and knick-knacks. And it goes so fast!
This past Sunday as I was running up and down the neighborhood next to little Miss Haana riding her bicycle, I wondered: Is she big enough for a bicycle already? That big? 

Turf War

Lately role reversal has been very popular with me. Until recently.

Little Miss Haana seeks to get what she wants. When she doesn't get what she wants, she tries to be a very good, big girl and ask nicely. And then she asks again. And again. And again.. yes, constantly. In order to drive home the point that this can be annoying, I tell her I am the little girl and she's Mumma.

Yesterday at bed time when little Miss Haana was in the repeat mode, I said I am Gugu now. And then I wailed: "Mumma, I want a sticker".
"I want a sticker Mumma", I repeated.
"I want a big sticker. I want a sticker Mumma! Mumma, Mumma, I want a sticker. Mumma, I want a sticker now, Mumma. Mumma! STICKER!......."
For about 30 seconds I went on about how badly I needed a sticker.
The big little girl kept her patience and cool and kept listening. Smiling. Understanding the joke.
And then finally giving up the turf declared, "No, I don't want to be Mumma anymore!".

We giggled and laughed for a good 15 minutes after! 

Gun Control

Miss Haana and I helped ourselves to a couple of raisins at our grocery store.

She took 2 raisins from my hand. 

She later decided they were gum -as in chewing gum.

Then at checkout counter, I briefly saw one of the raisins jump away from her to the floor. She turned around to face me and said it fell down. I nodded absentmindedly. Then she cried, "Mumma, I want my gun back!!! I want a gun!!"

Several more pleads of "I want a gun" followed! I thought it so ironic she should say "I want a gun" in Texas :)

I let her chant it a few more times just for my ironic pleasure!!

Then finally told her what she means is not gun, she means to say is g-u-m. 

Scary Thought

I had the most scariest moment this past weekend. Nothing actually happened but sometimes thoughts can scare the living daylight out of you too..

Little Miss Haana and I went to Home Depot this weekend. There are several reasons we like Home Depot. One of them is their patio furniture featuring a swing. Both of us love to hang out at the the patio furniture section and try the different swings. So this day I was looking forward to it.

Much to my dismay the swings were gone. Replaced by rocking chairs now - not quite the same if you ask me. But my little helper quickly placed herself on one of the rocking chairs. I proceeded to browse the aisle right next to the rocking chairs. Then realized I need to check the adjacent aisle too. I told the little girl I am going to the next aisle. She nodded, and I went forth loosing sight of her for just a little bit.

When I came back towards the rocking chairs, they were empty. I didn't panic- she must be around it had just been a few seconds or so. Then I saw she was being led by the store attendant - probably to customer service to find her Mumma. I called "Guguu" from behind and she ran up to me.

Later I was thinking about this incident at home and I shuddered when I pictured her being led by the finger by someone else. What if it wasn't the store attendant? What if it was someone else? What if she was led outside the store like that?? It scares me even to type these things- as if typing them and getting them out of my heart would somehow make them more possible... I shudder to think of what some parents have to go through.. In this instance I was glad that the Home Depot store attendants took care of her for the few seconds that I lost sight of my little girl. But it was the scariest thought of my life.

The First Bad Word

Today's park visit was interesting in a not so good way..

It was a beautiful spring afternoon which pretty much mandated a park visit. I had other agendas too but they were quickly brushed aside in favor of Vitamin D building, sunshine dancing park visit.

We went to a park we don't go during weekdays. When we reached there, the kids' play area was crowded with big kids taking pictures of themselves and their friends on the slides. Thinking it's too crowded here, little girl and I walked over to the nearby play area which seemed empty. 

When we got there, there was a group of 7-8 boys (probably teenagers and 6 feet tall each) hanging out at the slides. The little girl and I approached the slides. But she sort of froze at the stairs and kept watching the big boys. All the boys hung out talking at the play area above the stairs. I goaded her to move on and climb up so we can get to the slides. But she hesitated and later decided she just wanted to be at the stairs and not go up afterall. 

I wanted my little girl to not be intimidated by the boys and instead play on the slides like she intended to initially. But I also realized that she can't do it unless I do it first. I went and talked to the boys and asked if they can hang out elsewhere. No surprise they reminded me they can very well hang out wherever they please. I pressed on.. I said I understand that, but their presence is intimidating the little girl. They said they couldn't possibly decline me when I'm asking so nicely. They hung out in one corner of the play area and Gugu and I played at the slides for a bit. 

Soon, we drifted to the volleyball court. I told the boys thanks and we're out of there. There at the volleyball sand court Gugu and I made sand castles. A few other older kids were practicing baseball throws nearby. 

Unfortunately all these big kids (middle or high school) used quite a profane language. The little girl is always very interested in other older kids. She observes very keenly. She listens and remembers. I was reminded of these traits of hers when we came home and I was getting her out of the car seat and she said "damnit-gth". It's the first time I've heard her use that word. 

We had a talk after that, and I tried to explain to her sometimes people are not always saying or doing the right things. Sometimes people use bad words or do bad things (the big kids on the slides were using f words!! :( ) But she is not to use these bad words- it is not right. 

We patched up like we always do. With a hugs and kisses and lot of unrelated talk soon after. And inside I was hoping she wasn't listening in on the other bad words!

:S

Solving World Problems With Humor

You know these toddlers.. Dangerous combination of bursting personality and energy without the reality check. They're bubbly and happy like balloons and kites. And then they have these lethal meltdowns at the most trivial pursuits "I want to wear that dress right now".

These days the moment the little girl is abot to go into the fake crying mode to assert what she wants, I turn the tables at her. I tell her she's Mumma and I am the kid. And then I pretend I am just about to cry, and I make fictitious stories about how I was wronged (like some little one we know) and then like a clap of thunder I jump right into the fake crying!! The little girl thinks it is hilarious every single time and bursts out laughing at how funny it is. She sort of realizes the joke is on her! But for me, it puts a break on the train that was heading downhill and gaining steam. And then we talk things over like big people and reach a conclusion.

I read this quote on a joke and it is so true- all I want to be when I grow up is be a kid! For now.

And I Miss You

This one post is not about Miss Haana. And yet it is nothing without her. 

I will be sufficiently shallow and say that on beautiful spring days like today, I think having a convertible is my way to pay respect to the Sun God and the Others up there. Miss Haana and I have ridden around in this convertible with the top down enjoying ourselves in company of some truly immortal musicians. And even with everything else being there just right, the open roads, balmy winds, tweeting birds and beautiful spring flowers sprouting unruly and wild like my soul. Yet all I am thinking of how my baby  would've loved it, and how it would be if she were right here at the back seat. 

Easter Redemption

It's easter time again! And just to refresh memory, here's what had happened last easter: http://roadtohaana.blogspot.com/2014/04/easter-egg-hunt.html. It's still fresh in my mind like it happened only yesterday. So I was looking forward with anticipation and anxiety this Easter, to turn it all around this time!


We'd decided little Miss Haana and two of her best buddies will do Easter egg hunt this weekend. I ran to the store to get us a befitting eager basket - last time we forgot to get (or buy) a basket to the egg hunt, and borrowed (borrowed without returning=stealing) a tiny basket from the event's pancake breakfast table. So, for this time, I ran to the store in the morning to grab a basket. I debated about getting a small one or a big one. What if (like last time) we manage to get only 1 or 2 eggs? Should I get a small basket after all? But what if this time was different, and we're able to get lots of eggs but can't fit them in the basket? Finally after much internal debate, I went for the bigger one. Here's to hoping!


I tutored little Miss Haana this time, what she was supposed to do. "As soon as they say start, rrrrruuuunn and get as many eggs as you can and put them in the basket." We had gone through this routine a couple of times at least. When we got to the egg hunt field, there were scores of kids with parents lining the soccer field full of colorful eggs!


When the hunt started, I resisted the urge to grab a few eggs and throw them in the basket. But I need not have worried! The little fiery girl was all over the field, running, grabbing eggs, tossing them in the basket. Then running around some more and tossing more eggs and candies in the basket. I was amazed and impressed! In no time our big basket was full of colorful Easter eggs and candies. Easter was a roaring success!!!!


Once all the eggs were collected, we soon met up with Miss Haana's buddies and their parents. Miss Haana shared a few of her eggs and candies with her buddies. Collectively we all laughed at our success and my tutoring. I laughed too, but also was extremely proud of my go-getter. :)

Perfect Drop

Spring is finally here and since the daylight saving time has changed the evenings are bright and balmy.

Miss Haana and I went for a walk after dinner in our neighborhood. We headed first towards the gazebo facing the lake. Played around for a little bit and then walked next to the lake; along a pathway lined with tidy bushes. As we were walking by suddenly a cat raced through the bushes, scared both of us and ran away. After we realized what happened, we both laughed at ourselves. The cat turned around and looked at us from a safe distance in dismay.

A couple ducks came by towards us in a hurry. Probably expecting dinner from us, but were soon to be disappointed. The little girl looked over at them and said "Hi duckie!" Ducks turned away disappointed and Miss Haana mused "Why didn't it say quack-quack?" 

All along Miss Haana had been picking up dry leaves from the ground and handing them out to me for safe keeping. I may be partly to be blamed for this. Earlier in the fall when beautiful red and golden leaves were beginning to fall off the trees, she and I collected bags full of colorful leaves. They were later dried, sealed and converted into an art-and-craft project. I tried telling her these leaves were now too dry, but soon realized it was not the winning side. 

So I kept holding the dry leaves she was handing out to me. Occasionally she would check to make sure I'm keeping them safe. When we were heading back towards home I wondered what to do with this bunch of dry leaves in my hand. I thought of leaving them on a bench and wondered if she will remember them just before turning to our lane and demand I get them back...

Such situations can be tricky!! We slowly ambled on.

Finally, now on the last leg just a few houses away, I quietly slipped the leaves from my hand away behind my back. And as we turned inside the door I heaved a sigh of relief when the topic of the leaves did not come up..

Eat

Conversation on the dinner table:

Miss Haana looking over at a book with a picture of three billy goats on it: 

"What do the billy goats eat?"

Papa- "they eat grass and leaves from small bushes".

Haana: "You mean like skunk?"

Papa: "No. Skunks eat nuts like acorn and small bugs"

Haana: "Frogs eat that too"

Papa: "Yes! Frogs eat small bugs like flies too"

Haana (matter if factly): "Softy Mausi too!"

(Uncontrolled laughter).

Mental note to self- have to share this with Softy mausi( my sister).

Junk Food

I don't usually binge on junk food but still it has a special place in my heart (and tummy). On evenings when I'm very hungry and not ready for dinner, I like some junk food to accompany my tea and be my soul food (yes, very arguably).

A few days back when I came home with the little girl and opened a bag of golden goodness of Cheetos, she screamed "No! No!".

I was alarmed, what happened?

"That's junk food Mumma, you can't have junk food. It's not good".

I was simultaneously surprised, impressed and sad.. Impressed that she learnt the healthy foods and junk foods at school and she's implementing it elsewhere. 

And yet sad that there wouldn't be at Cheetos with me tonight. 

Magnifying Glass

"I want a magnet-find-glass"

"You mean a magnifying glass"

"No, no. A magnet-find-glass"

"Gugu I think you mean magnifying glass"

"No. It's magnettt-fiiiind-glass" (more stress on the magneT and fInd now)

"I want a magnet-find-glass"

"Ah, and I want a Gugu-loosing-glass"

Peals of giggles follow.

Stories from the Past

This evening little Miss Haana noticed a couple of pictures stuck on the side of the fridge. They were taken when the little girl was just a little baby - 4 months old. A giggly little baby.


I tried to use the new found interest in herself as a little baby to my advantage. "The little baby Gugu used to always finish her food! She was such a terrific eater". Miss Smarty instantly poked holes in my theory by retorting that the baby didn't have any teeth, so couldn't possibly have eaten much food. I had to explain by "food" I meant milk, and the little baby used to be very good about finishing her milk!


Meanwhile, the conversation drifted to stories from when she was a baby. I had heard earlier about how little kids really like to hear sensational stories from when they were younger; but I had no idea how they hang on to each and every single word!


I started with oft repeated familiar anecdotes - how little she was as a baby; how she was smaller than a boppy pillow. Then other anecdotes from the past - about how she used to sleep with both her hands up like a yoga pose (touch-down position)! And about how when she was born and her grandparents were here, grandpa used to get so flustered when she would cry! Even as a little baby Miss Haana had a big big voice, and once upset would not be shy to use it.


Then I was telling her how we visited several places for her first birthday; one of them was the Cinderella castle (Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany), and Momma dressed her up as a ladybug (the costume was so soft and cute; I just could not resist making her wear it multiple times). And while we were clicking pictures of the castle, several people came up to me to comment on how cute my little girl is; and to ask if it's okay with me if they take pictures of my little girl who was hanging around on the cobbled stones! It was hilarious how we were clicking photos of the castle and everyone else coming around and clicking photos of this tiny cute ladybug!

Case of the Missing Hairpin

Now that my little girls' hair are growing longer and curlier, hair pins are a big thing for me. I had bought a large consignment (in a shipping trailer!) of all kinds of hair pins mostly pinks and purples for all days and dresses. I did a good thing because these things practically come with shoes on them- they run around and vanish into thin air in no time at all. And then there are times when they pull on the little girls hair or generally fall out of luck and are just removed by tiny hands and handed to me- while I'm in the middle of driving, running in the park, going to ring the doorbell at a friends' place- anytime at all.

The other day little Miss Haana and I were on a trip to the mall (which commenced after I threatened her with "If u don't want to put a pin in your hair then you can be at home, Mumma is going out"). Somewhere during that mall trip we thought we had an accident (bathroom accident). I wasn't happy. I left what we were doing and we headed in the direction of the restrooms. It was at this time that the little girl began peeling her hair clip out of her hair. I gave her a don't-even-think-about-it look. It usually doesn't work but this time it did. 

For a little bit. I did not notice but the hair clip soon vanished from her hair. I did not notice because instead of handing it to me she got rid of evidence by putting it inside her boots. Things stayed quiet for sometime. The accident wasn't really an accident- so I was relieved. 

A little later while walking the little girl complained that her shoes were bothering her. "Are these shoes too tight for you" I asked. "No they have my hairpin". "What? Hairpin?". I took and shook it out. Nothin. And then two tiny, knowing, expert hands went inside the boots and came back victorious with a pink flower hairpin!!!

The mystery of the missing hairpin for once was solved. For now.

Bad Girl

This incident happened sometime early last week at the little girl's Montessori. Teachers who could barely stop laughing themselves, related the incident to me, and ever since, the reference has come up at home several times.

There were a string of accidents over a two day period at school last week. While accidents are not uncommon in little kids, what followed was this:

One of the teachers at Miss Haana's school who loves to chat with her, asked her - "Oh, did you have an accident again?!" Little girl pondered, and responded with a solemn "Yes, I did".
They had run out of change of clothes for her at school, so the teacher said "I don't have a change of clothes for you in school, I'll ask your Mom to get one real soon. Till then, I'll give you spare pants from someone else". The little girl asked, "Are you going to call Rangoli?"

Mildly amused that she referred to her Mom by her name, the teacher laughed, "Yes, I'll call Rangoli. Why did you have an accident today?" The little girl said "Mmm I don't really know. I think my pee-pee is a bad girl!"

On hearing the last sentence, the teacher could not stop laughing till she shared this exchange with me, and we both laughed till our sides hurt! Luckily, since then, the pee-pee has not gone rogue and has been on excellent good girl behavior!

ASPCA

Day before yesterday Miss Haana were watching a movie - this holiday season I saw Tangled a record number of times! This time we were watching 101 Dalmatians on TV. And in the middle of the movie there were ads. One of the ads were of sad, abandoned animals needing our help - sponsored by ASPCA. The animals looked really sad and lonely. I felt even more heartbroken when I looked over to the little girl and she had tears in her eyes. She turned to me and asked , "Momma, why are they (the animals) alone? Why are they alone Momma? I'm worried (about them)".


I was amazed at her tears and compassion and promised myself to donate to ASPCA. I do need to do a little more research about them. I do see an adopted pet in my future. I'm still in denial that it would not be in my near future!