The Ups and Downs

First the ups.

Little girl Haana got a red balloon from her dear cousin Varam's. We decided to play volleyball with it. Miss Haana and I took turns head bumping or foot kicking the balloon. Suddenly peals of laughter was heard. I had little Bobby boy in my arms and he was mighty amused with the balloon. I made him head bump the balloon again and again, and each time this little thing would break into a giggle! We laughed with him, moving round and round in the living room, me carrying the boy in my arms, head bumping or fist thumping the red balloon; and miss Haana jumping and ducking to salvage the balloon before it hits the floor. It was a fun game for everyone!

Later than evening after the boy woke up from his afternoon nap, little miss Haana and I gave the boy a performance of a lifetime. Late in the afternoon, when miss Haana was getting stir crazy at home, and it was still to hot to step out outsider yet, i suggested she show me some dance moves. She played the gonoodle app, that has videos of a group of teenagers singing and dancing to a foot thumping song, its videos intended to get up from the couch and get moving.  One of the songs sounded really fun, and I decided what can be enjoyed by one can be enjoyed more by two. Or three. So we set up the chromebook in front of our audience - the Bobby boy, and moved to the beat. I concede i do not move quite as much as the girl next to me. But the audience did not complain! :) 

Now the downs.

One of little Bobby boy's favorite play toy has been the purple monkey with a cymbal. This evening when i put the boy in the playmat for tummy time, he found the monkey, and as with all things dear to him, he proceeded to chew on the monkey. Except this time, he was trying to chew on the cymbal and my little baby skin on the upper lip got caught between the cymbal. When he bit into it with his gums, his skin got caught in the cymbal, and my poor baby screamed in pain. The skin above his upper lip all red and got a press mark. The boy was screaming murder. I picked up my little baby and knew he must have hurt himself in the mouth even before I saw it. I admonished the monkey, which is banished for now. My poor baby boy had big fat tears all streaming down his face. I felt so bad. I kept him close to me, filling him up with hugs and loads of kisses. The trooper that he is, he stopped crying soon. All of us felt so bad. Little miss Haana suggested maybe we put a medicine on his booboo. No, I said. Babies are tricky that way, you can't give them medicines normally. But in a few minutes as he breathed easy, so did the rest of us! Phew! 

2 Months

Little Bobby boy turned 2 months old yesterday! And with it, he got his 2 month vaccines at the doctors' check up.

This 2 month old baby is now cooing at his favorite toys, the blue elephant, the lion, set of silver bells and the purple monkey. His smile is so unbearably cute ,it can melt any heart, and flood it with love. His cheeks are puffs of cotton candy, just too puffy and sweet to resist. When he's happy his legs are out air cycling, fast and furious. I figured he's cycling to Africa to see more lions and elephants and monkeys for himself. Although he might be headed to the zoo too. His hands are also boxing around, flooring imaginary foes and beating them to a pulp. Sometimes though, he doesn't aim right and ends up bumping his fist to his own forehead! Anyone who sees that sweet smile, that little curl of the lip cannot really remain a foe. When he sleeps he's the picture of sweet serenity. His 5 little toes on each feet line up together in a neat file. His fingers are quite often curled up together into a tight fists. And his legs are pushing up, ready to go places! Sometimes when he's not completely happy, he knits his eyebrows, they get all crumpled up above his eyes. I resolve the situation with a strategy guaranteed to get quick results; i straighten out those brows with my fingers :)!

Little miss Haana still considers little Bobby boy an oversized doll, part of her private collection. She loves him and cuddles, kisses and hugs him every chance she gets. She even roughs him up routinely. Bobby boy handles it pretty well, most of the time with the resilience of a younger brother! 

Little Bobby boy's favorite times of the day are either when mom is giving him a massage all over; and also when Papa sits next to him and plays with him! 

Much like the little boy's first month birthday, I made a chocolate cake; we sang him his birthday song and pretended he cut the cake. And then we ate it up!

Happy 2 month birthday little Bobby boy!!

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!

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 :)

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!