Play-Doh and his clay models!

Anirudh has been fond of clay models ever since we introduced them to him. He got his first set of 'play-dohs' and the activity table along with from his Nanu as his first b'day gift. However, it was only when he was quarter to 2 that I assembled it and let him play with the doughs. He just loved them.

We however would keep an eye to ensure he doesn't eat them them. He never did eat them though. Nor even showed any tendencies to do so anyways. But who knew he would make a small ball of it and put it inside his nostrils! *rolling my eyes*. Yes he did that. And when he felt uneasy after putting it inside his nose, he came to me pointing to his nose. I as usual thought he is pointing at the booger inside the nose, so I just wiped it and sent him away. He came again after few seconds and pointed to his nose again. I again wiped it and sent him away. However, this time I happened to see something pinkish in the tissue that I had used to wipe it. Its a habit that I usually look at the tissue after I wipe his nosey :P But this habit turned up useful that eventful day. So I called him back to see what made that pink thing appear. And when I looked inside his nose, I could see the small piece of bright pink stuck way inside his nostril.

We, myself and DH, got nervous and tried hard for him to blow his nose. He tried but it didn't help. I tried to put pressure in the top of his nose thinking maybe it will push that piece down but it wasn't helping. I wanted to try pulling it out with the hairpin but he was squirming so much that we decided not to lest we hurt him. So with nothing working we called his pead (it was a Sunday) apologised for calling him on a Sunday and told him the whole situation. He told us to take him to the emergency at the nursing home. Hearing the word 'emergency' made us even more nervous despite us knowing what the meaning of emergency section is. Parents that we are! :D

So we got ready and just before going out I just made him try to blow his nopes once again! And when he did, it came out "plop" in the tissue. *Whew*..what a relief it was. That day itself all the doughs were packed up and kept away for a few days. Yes only for few days because he would insist so much for them that we gave in but made sure someone would play with him whenever it was 'play doh' time. However, soon we noticed that his bronchitis allergy would get aggravated every time he would play with them continuously day after day. So eventually they were all packed or given away.

Recently my sister who lives in Germany sent some other kinds and much smaller in quantity. So we let him play with them after a long lone time. He LOVED them again! And he made these cute (err...maybe not cute) little models from them:

The Monster!

The Dinosaur

The monster he made totally on his own. But with Dino I had to help him out in making the legs and the trimmings on the back.

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Edited to add : The 'Monster' was not supposed to be a monster in the first place. He was trying to copy a goat from one of his books. But when he completed it he said "Mumma, yeh to goat nahi hai. Yeh to monster hai!" :D

I'm a kool dude!

Whenever we go out during the daytime when the sun is quite bright he will cover his eyes and promptly say "Bahut garmi hai. Mere goggles kahan hain?" :D

Here is the pic of him sporting his favourite RED glares -

How I remember the day when we had gone to the optician to get my pair of goggles and he wanted one too. We tried so hard that he takes the black with grey combination or the blue with black combination but NO. He wanted ONLY & ONLY these red ones!

The only good part is that we got these as complimentary from the shop owner. That's another thing that I paid ransom of 2.5K for mine :P So as they say, "There's no such thing as free lunch!" :D

Umm....Mango achha hai!

Anirudh likes to eat mangoes. But more than that he loves to bite into the guthli (the pod with the seed inside). So every time we will cut a mango, he will look for the guthli in the plate. And once done, he loves the mess on his hands and face. He will laugh and say "Mumma sab chhi chhi ho gaya!"

He also loves to eat ice cream but only the stick ones. So the other day I got him that Moo ice cream (forgot what company it was) and it had spots of chocolate on vanilla like cows have on their skin. But when he eats those stick ice creams I literally have to strip him down to the bare minimum as he eats it very slowly and the icecream melts and drips on everywhere. If you look closely at teh icecream you can see one droplet ready to drop down on the plate he is holding!

Clouds toot gaye!

The other day when me and Betu reached home after I had picked him up from his daycare, he happened to see look upwards towards the sky and saw the clouds - the scattered and wave like clouds. Something like this pic that I found on Google -

I had wanted to click them but then the camera just wouldn't switch on. The batteries were dead and needed recharging. Anyhow, the reason why I'm talking about these clouds is the emotion they evoked from Betu. He had such a distraught look on his face and said in such a sad tone "Mumma, clouds toot gaye!" (Mumma, clouds are broken.) Its then that I looked up and saw the clouds myself and was amused how he perceived the whole thing.

But I realised he was quite upset as he went on to say "Mumma, kisne toda clouds ko? Bhagwanji ne?" (Who broke the clouds? God?) (I keep telling him once in a while that Bhagwanji stays up there pointing towards the sky).

But how could I've put such negative thoughts in Betu's mind about Bhagwanji. So I told him "Yeh tootey nahi hain. Yeh aise hi hain!" (These are not broken. They are like that only.)

On hearing my words I see the sadness, the worry disappear from his face slightly and amusement taking over and he asked "Yeh aise hi hain?" (These are like this only?) and when I said yes in affirmation he was satisfied and not unhappy anymore. All the concern just vanished away and he happily went inside the house.

Karunga ya karungi? Khayunga ya Khayungi?

Its been so long when I've been trying to correct the usage of gender for verbs by Betu. In the beginning it would sound quite funny and we would have a hearty laugh. Slowly and slowly, we started to correct him but we were not reaching anywhere. So few days ago I got angry and made him stand in front of him and angrily told him that he is a boy and he is to speak 'karunga', 'khayunga', 'khelunga', dekhunga' etc. etc. For a minute he listened and then he cried. I was feeling bad inside but again I sternly told him that there's nothing to cry about and mumma is just teaching him to talk properly. And then I hugged him and made him sit in my lap and asked him "Aapko kya karna hai? Khelna hai?" To which he promptly responded "Haan! Main puzzle se khelungee!" I squared up my eyes, looked at him and asked "Kya?" He immediately corrected himself "khelunga. Main puzzle se khelunga!"

Its been so far so good. Every time he goofs up with the gender I just have to look at him and say "Kya?", "What?" or "Huh?" and he knows where he did wrong and immediately speaks the sentence again just fine. And there are times when he takes a pause midway in the sentence he's saying just before the verb and then says it correctly. :D

Yes, it definitely brings a big smile on my face that finally its working. But then there are two thoughts that crossed my mind when I thought about it again. Why was it that even after trying for months after months he didn't understand and one scolding and he's understood it perfectly fine?

I know scolding is not the right thing to do. In fact today in the morning when I was making him brush his teeth, he was crying as his usual. (If you remember I had posted in one of my earlier posts how he cries at brush-your-teeth times. ) And just then my papa called. He heard his wailing over the phone and asked me why is he crying and when I told him he said that I should control the scoldings that we give him. He said I will talk to you about it in person one day but try and not scold him so much. I've been trying to be more and more patient with him but I guess I still need to do a lot of work on myself in this matter.

The second thought that started going around in my mind was that why in the first place did he start speaking the wrong genders for the verbs? Its not that the house is full of females that he's picking up what they are saying. Its just me and DH and Anirudh in the house. Then why he picked up how I talk and not how his papa talks? Does that imply there's an imbalance in the amount of communications/conversations between Betu with mumma and Betu with papa? To some extent I'm sure its the case in every household. But do your children also do this gender mistake in their speech? Do the girls say 'karunga', 'khayunga'?

One reason which just struck me and which I can also attribute to is that he has female nannies in the daycare. So which maybe impacts his conversations with females more than males and that is why it could be so. However, most of his playmates in the schools are boys.

So do let me know how do your children speak and if they also do such gender mistakes while talking.

Being so bossy!

Yesterday Betu's Dadi-Dadu had to travel from Bangalore to Jaipur. So when I called them up in the evening to know about their well being and to know if their journey was fine, I had just spoken few sentences and Betu said he has to talk to Dadu. So I gave the phone to him.

After his conversation, he pressed some button saying "Aap baat nahi karoge. Maine phone band kar diya." He thought he had disconnected the phone but he hadn't. This is something he still has to learn i.e. which button disconnects the call. So I took the phone from him and papa (betu's Dadu) was laughing at the other end as he had heard what betu had said. So when I said "Mujhe Dadi se baat karni hai", Betu immediately chimed in "Nahi, mujhe bhi baat karni hai" and he took the phone from me again and spoke with his Dadi.

Once done talking, again he did the same thing i.e pressed a button and said "Nahi, aap baat nahi karoge" and probably he realised that it was still on and so to make sure that it gets disconnected, he went it and put the cordless back on its cradle. This he knows will disconnect the call for sure. After that he had such a satisfaction on his face! It was worth capturing on camera! As if he felt so contended that he was able to boss on me.

This I feel was triggered from the fact that when any non-family call comes and he keeps asking for the phone to talk and we don't let him. He does feel offended however much we console him and tell him later that it was from office. So this is the way he takes his revenge back on us. :D

Talking like an adult!

On Sunday, one of our neighbour and his son Mitr dropped by for few minutes. Mitr is about 4 months younger than Anirudh. So Anirudh and Mitr started to play with the jigsaw puzzles and were having a gala time. Whatever one would do other would repeat. Be it talking, or throwing or stacking..just about anything. When I offered a cookie to Mitr, Anirudh wanted one too. And this is when I had asked Betu if he wants one just minutes before Mitr came with his dad and Betu had flatly refused saying "Yeh achha nahi hai!".

July 22, 2007 : Mitr and Anirudh playing with Jigsaw Puzzles

Anyhow, so after cookie time when I asked them if they want water. This time Mitr said no and Betu said yes. So Mitr changed his stance immediately and said he wants water too. :D

I noticed a small injury near the left eye of Mitr and I asked him "Yeh kaise lagee?" and he said "Kabir ne maara". I assumed it must be one of his school friends. Immediately Anirudh pipes in "Dawai kha lena. Theek ho jayegi." And then Betu took Mitr back to the play area holding his arm.

What amused me the most was that 10 minutes before Mitr came, Betu was in completely angry mood, wailing continuously and getting angry at my as I was not allowing him to suck his lower lip (he has this bad habit of sucking his lower lip since he was an infant and I'm still struggling to get him get over this habit as its spoiling his teeth). And the moment he sees a playmate he is all happy and chirpy.

So many times I feel there are mood switches somewhere hidden on these kids. I'm still trying to find where they are on Anirudh. :D

Such little trust on parents! Sigh...

Yesterday we - Betu, myself and DH had gone to Ansal Plaza for tafri. Betu was having a good time running around here and there. We all were having ice creams when he told me he needs to go and pee. So he handed over his ice cream to his Papa and told very specifically "Papa main abhi aata hoon. Aap isko pakad lo. Aap isko khana nahi! ok?" And he repeated his last sentence "Isko khana nahi" at least 3-4 times before walking off with me to the loo.

When we reached the loo, there was a queue so it was taking time. All the time he kept saying "Mumma jaldi karo, papa meri ice cream kha lenge!" And despite me telling him "nahi khayenge" he was way to concerned about his ice cream. So after few seconds he goes, "Mumma jaldi karo, nahi to paint mein ho jayegi!" All the other people in the room waiting laughed so hard and they let us skip the queue and go in first! :D

And once done, he dashed out towards his papa and the first thing he said "Papa, aapne khaya to nahi?" with such a big question mark on his face looking at the ice cream. And then DH goes "Aajkal ke bachhe! They have no trust on their parents!" :D

Laughing or talking in sleep?

How many of you have experienced your children laughing or talking while they are sleeping? I really get amused at Anirudh when he does that. Sometimes he will laugh, and sometimes he will talk. I remember the first time he laughed in his sleep was when he was just about 6-7 months young. I was really really amused then. But slowly I guess I got used to it and never gave much attention.

He caught my attention once again when he started saying word(s) while sleeping. And lately his talking in sleep has been quiet frequent. Earlier when he had just started talking, lot of the words seemed incoherent to me. But now anyone can understand what he is saying.

I remember a week ago, he had wanted to play with the clay which I had hidden away as we had noticed his bronchitis allergy would get aggravated whenever he would play with clay too often. But about 10 days ago when I was cleaning some stuff he found it. And since I was not giving him those, he was quite mad with me. I guess since he slept off with being angry with me, suddenly around 1 Am he wakes up and with his eyes closed started saying, "Gimme my play (clay)" in an angry tone. It took me about 2 mins to console him and make him sleep again.

And yesterday, he first giggled, then laughed out loud and then was saying words "Nahi, Bilkul Nahi!" (No, Not at all!) and then after 10 mins he again goes "No talking to you!"(he tries to imitate my sentence when I get angry with him and say "I'm not talking to you!") and then after few minutes he goes "NO!"

I don't know if I can just get amused with it and sleep or should I pay more attention to it and talk to child psychiatrist about it. Is it too young for a child of 3y 3m to be laughing or talking in his sleep and that too so often?

As of now I just smile when I hear him doing so while still in deep sleep!

Talking on phone

Betu is home today with his Papa as he has had a viral relapse. So I keep calling to see how they are doing. So when I called last, Betu picked up the phone. Its just so sweet to hear his voice on phone. He sounds like such a sweetu baby! :D And the conversation we had was so funny and so sweet at the same time.
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(I've dialled home number and the phone is ringing and betu picks up the phone)
Betu : Hello?

Me : Hello Betu!

Betu : Hello Mumma!

Me : Aap kasie ho?

Betu : Main theek hoon.

Me : Aapki tabiyat kaise hai?

Betu : Theek hai.

Me : Aapne khana khaya?

Betu : Haan

Me : Aapne kya khaya?

Betu : Subjee (Subzi)

Me : Kiske saath khaya?

Betu : Papa ke saath

(I had to really control myself frm laughing out loud as I was sitting in the office along with 3-4 odd people around me. What I was trying to ask him was he had subzi with roti or with what?)

Me : (trying to control my laugh) Roti ke saath?

Betu : Haan

Me : Aur aapne kya kiya?

Betu : Maine book suna!

(yes, he 'heard' the book..he said it right :D He has some talking books which he loves)

Me : Aapne ninnu kiya?

Betu : Nahi kiya

Me : Achha, papa ko phone de do. Bye

Betu : Bye

(And he handed over the phone to his papa.)
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I wish I can record how sweet he sounds on phone but I don't have a phone which will allow me that. ow sad..how very sad!

"Aap theek ho?"

Yesterday while driving down somewhere, DH had to brake hard all of a sudden. So I guess I must have said "Oops..dhyan se" to hubby. So once we all had regained our composure, Betu asked me "Mumma aap theek ho?" Me and DH were so awed at his concern. I said "Haan main theek hoon" and sat smiling, immersed in thoughts like "He's such a pyaru" and didn't ask him how he was. So after few seconds he said on his own "Main bhi theek hoon!"

Me and DH felt so bad that he asked us how we are but we didn't even think of asking him. So DH promptly asked him "Aap bhi theek ho na?" to which he smiling replied "Haan main theek hoon. Thank you!"

We were now even more awed at how he said 'Thank you' that we asked him for his well being! He definitely is such a pyaru betu!

But on second thoughts looking at him talking like such matured lil man makes me cry out loud as he's growing up too soon!!

"This is very no nice!"

A while ago me and Betu were drawing things (yes..again!). He made something which he called a tree. To me it didn't look like a tree at all. So I said. "This is not nice!" Then he made a shaak (Shark) which resembled a shark except for the tail which looked like the tail of a tadpole. So ignoring the tail I said "Very nice!".

Then he handed over the coloring pen to me and asked me to make a tree. When I drew it, he said "No nice!" Then I drew another one he goes "This is nice!" And then I drew another one in another shape and he twists his face and says "This is very no nice!" Hahahaha.....

Later I told him that you say "Its very bad!" if you think its bad. And after I told him, he kept on saying it over and over like a stuck tape record "Very bad!" till I made a "Very nice!" tree again. :D

Aapne mujhe nahi daanta?!

I was sitting in our bedroom and writing the previous post when Betu comes and says "Mumma potty ho gaya pyajama mein!" I asked him sternly with a frown on my face "Pyajama mein kyun kiya?". In the most soft voice he says "Galti se ho gaya! Sorry Mumma." Well, I couldn't have gotten angry at him after that..could I? So when I took off his clothes and saw that with wind a bit of it had come out. (Sorry for too much information) Since he has upset stomach due to viral infection I just washed him and asked him to go.

He very surprisingly asks me "Mumma aapne mujhe nahi daanta? Aap gussa nahi ho??" That just hit me so hard. And I wondered that this small child thinks that I scold him at everything and was so surprised that I didn't scold him when he has done something wrong! I wish I could have clicked the expression on this look when he asked me...with eyebrows arched high, eyes wide open and looking at me expectantly. I really felt very bad and now I'm gonna try and not scold him as much as I do.

Coloring - Dancing - Coloring!

An hour ago, me and betu were making drawings and coloring them up. Radio was playing the background and suddenly the song from the movie Guru "Barso Re Megha Megha barso re" started playing which is one of the songs which betu really likes. But I guess I was too engrossed in coloring up the things with him that I didn't notice the song but Betu of course did and jumped up like a spring and started to dance away! When he sprang up I thought he's going away so I told him "Sit down and finish karo!" in a stern voice.

He very sweetly says abhi main dance karoonga "Yeh mera favorite hai!" :D

Pyajama Fashion Show

We had a in house fashion show today - it was the pyajama fashion show! :D

I was working in the kitchen preparing lunch when I hear betu saying "Mumma yeh kaisa lag raha hai?" I turn around and see he has changed into pyajamas from shorts which he I had put on him along with his pair of slippers. I asked him as to why did he change and he said "Woh geela ho gaya tha!". I thought well and good. Now he can change into fresh clothes himself.

5 mins later he comes back again with a different pair of pyajama and asks me again "Mumma yeh kaisa lag raha hai?" I couldn't help laughing and just said "Achha hai!" Thinking that was the end of it was the biggest mistake. In the next 10 mins, all of the pyajamas he has had been tried on before he finally decided which one he wanted to wear and went off to watch his cartoon sprawled up on the couch using with his 'Onju' (The pillow is in the shape of an orange and he calls it onju) pillow!

Relaxing on the couch watching cartoons!

It hurts to see your children not well!

Betu has been down with viral since Wednesday night. I had been praying hard that he doesn't catch the infection but he finally caught it too. Every 5th person I talk to is down with viral. Seems like viral has stuck onto Delhi for ever. Earlier it used to be seasonal thing with it coming with monsoons but now its there all around the year, its attacking all!

Its really upsetting to see children when they are ill. I know there are times when I pray that Betu sit still and quiet for sometime but when he does when he is ill, I Hate it! Simply hate it! I want him back to his jumping around and doing all sorts of pranks! I don't like him lying in the bed like that at all!

Today was the 2nd day since he's been down with it. And these two days that I've spent with him have been just great minus his viral. We have been doing so much masti and so much talking during these two days I had taken off from work and for few moments I tried to imagine life if I quit and become a SAHM. Anyways I've talked about it so much that I don't want to go on about it again.

During these two days we read stories and recited various poems from his school book, watched 'Thomas' and 'Bob the Builder' DVDs, watched Tom & Jerry on TV and just cuddled together! He has been such a loving boy giving me a peck every now and then. But then he's been trying to bully me too into doing things saying "Nahi to main naraaj (naraaz) ho jayunga!" :D

Something to which you will all agree is that its such a wonderful and satisfying feeling when a child sleeps off in your lap! Isn't it? It has happened so any times but each time it happens I feel the same warmth,the satisfaction as ever. Yesterday also Betu was so restless and as soon as I took him in my lap, he dozed off within minutes! And I just couldn't help admiring the little child sleeping with such innocence, such serenity on his face and feeling so secure in the arms of his Mumma!

Today when he was feeling much better with fever not going over 100 C, we did bits of wrestling - yes..with fingers entwined with each others and trying to push the other on the ground and finally he won by pinning me down and sitting on my tummy and jumping "Yay! Yay! Yay!" :D Losing from your children is never looked at as losing at all..right? :D

After the wrestling match we got on to pillow fights! It was so much fun too! But he's such a meanie that the moment I would manage to hit him, he will make such a face as if how badly I have hurt him. But if he hits me, its just fine!

One thing which relieved me of whatever anxiety I had left about his new school was his statement yesterday morning when he was running about 101 C fever and he says "Mumma Jaldi ready ho! New school jaana hai! Hum late ho jayenge!" When I told him we will not go today but have masti and cuddly time with Mumma he agreed. Then again in the afternoon, he goes "Mumma, new school jaana hai!" What more can a parent ask for!

And he becomes such a mature lil baby when he's unwell. He will say no to all the things to which we say no too! For e.g he will very seriously say "Mumma, no chocolates, no toffees, no cold drinks! Only juice!" These are the lines that I teach him. But he remembers them only when he is not well. Otherwise these are long forgotten! :D

And if by chance I've given him a chocolate, and next day he gets even a wee bit of pain in the tummy, it becomes my fault "Mumma, tumne kal mujhe chocolate diya tha na, isliye mere pet mein dard ho raha hai!" *rolling my eyes*

Just as I was typing this post, he brings my phone to me, points at his picture which I've set as wallpaper and asks "Yeh kaun bachha hai?" And when I replied, yeh to Anirudh hai, he goes "Yeh pyaru betu hai!"

Mixed emotions!

I can't help gushing over just about everything that he does or says - a typical mom you might say. And I worry "Kahin meri nazar nahi lag jaye!". I know some of you might say what old fashioned woman thinking of nazar etc. But yes, I also used to think of others in this manner before we had our Betu. But now sometimes I also think on those lines. Call me old fashioned but sorry..can't help it.

I was just reminiscing today's events and I felt so contented, so happy and so very everything looking at my little baby. Err..little baby might be a little too far fetched since he's actually a big boy now...at least the baby looks are gone and I miss those baby looks.

Anyhow, before I move away from the topic which I happens almost all the times I start to write, let me come back to what I wanted to say. Today morning when I said 'Bye' to him when I went for work and told him "Mumma shaam ko aayegi Betu ko lene ke liye" he says "Jab aap shaam ko aayoge na, tab main aapko pyaree karunga!" I was so overwhelmed and thought what more could I ask for! :D

But in the evening, after coming home he was testing my patience way too much. Throwing things here and there, banging at the doors with whatever he could lay his hands on, rolling on the floor, and when I picked him up to calm him down by cuddling he tried to poke his fingers in my eyes, pulled my cheeks hard saying his usual "Cheeku Mumma!", pulled at my clothes and just about everything. I had to do more of "Calm down" to self than to him. This whole wild situation lasted for about 15 mins. One might say just 15 mins but hey, when kids behave like this, 15 mins look way too long! And then I was thinking where was my sweet little child from the morning?

Anyhow after some stern warnings and cuddling and trying out everything I had him under control in about 20 odd minutes. *whew* Then another task started. We had to go and get our passport pictures clicked as well as the mini family picture to give at his pre-nursery school. When I opened his cupboard and took out the T-shirt, he decided he doesn't want to wear it. He went and got out the lone full sleeves t-shirt with Superman on it which I presumably forgot to pack away with his winter clothes. He was hell bent on wearing that sweatshirt in this sweaty sweltering weather. Getting him to wear the one I wanted was getting almost impossible so I had to bribe him saying I will get you a balloon. Usually this works but today, he was not to be coaxed into things easily. So I forcefully put on the t-shirt and then started the shrill cries as if hell had broken loose.

I'm sure my neighbours must be thinking I torture him way too much as for the past some time, months rather, he starts wailing at the drop of the hat.

Anyhow, we somehow managed to get him into the car with his own will and off we went. Once at the studio he refused to smile. *Rolling my eyes*. Somehow a faint smile appeared and we had to settle with that shot. When we left after an hour later from the studio I was thinking "Sigh..another task completed!"

As soon as we were on the way, I looked at my watch..it was 8:30 PM. And I thought, the moment one task ends, starts another - the task of cooking dinner as our cook will be gone by the time we would reach home. But the task turned to be an enjoyable one just because of betu! Yes, the same betu who was making me so mad just an hour or so ago.

While I was cooking he comes and says "Mumma main aapki help karoon?" Aww..I was so totally floored by his statement. Instead of saying no I told him to spread the newspaper in the bedroom as I decided to eat in the bedroom as only our bedroom has the AC. He happily went hopping and got it spread. Once done he again came to me and asked "Mumma, khaana ban gaya?" When I said "Bas abhi ban jayega", he again asks me "Mumma main ab kya karoon?" So I gave him the three plates along with the spoons and he so happily goes to the bedroom to lay them out. Then he comes back and says "Mumma, katori to de do! Daal kisme khayenge?" Every time he offered his helping hand I couldn't help thanking god for giving me such an adorable little baby!

Once I had served all the food in the bowls to take to the bedroom he chimes up "Come on Mumma!"...a phrase which I heard him using the first time! I'm sure he must have picked it up from the school. The tone he said it in was just so sweet to hear. And that's when I wondered that 2 hours ago there was this brat making me want to tear my hair out and now here's a child who wants to help mumma and is so excited by the simple thing as having dinner in the bedroom with Mumma-Papa!

So with its ups and downs of betu's behaviour, its the ups that keep me going! Its these ups which make me forget all the downs and makes me thank God for giving me such an adorable baby! "I love you beta!"

Now you love it, now you don't!

Remember those days when we used to eagerly wait when our little ones would say "Ma" or "Mumma". And how we jumped with joy mixed with excitement, got so emotional and sentimental when they finally did! Every time they would say "Mumma" we would reach the 7th heaven and those words used to sound so soothing and loving and nothing better that you could have asked for.

But now are the days when I don't get that lovely-dovey feeling when he calls out saying "Mumma" every 5 to 7 seconds. It irritates the hell out of me. After every "Mumma" call, when one thing he is asking for is settled, 5 seconds later the second call will come. Once second call is listened to, within few seconds the third call comes and so on and so forth.

Have any of you have faced such situations? If you have, do you not find it irritating? Is it that I've low levels of patience? I so try that he spends some time playing on his own but so far I don't see any signs of it. Just as I'm writing this a thought crossed my mind. A thought which makes me feel guilty for thinking like this. He stays in a daycare during weekdays till 6 PM. Its only Saturday and Sunday that he gets to spend with us for full. And that way he is totally justified in demanding our attention then. Then why do I get irritated hearing "Mumma" "Mumma" every 5 seconds? Am I wrong for wanting some "me" time during weekends?

I don't know the answers and sometimes feel too bad at my behaviour and feel I'm not being receptive to his needs and wants.

"Main isse ticket khareedunga"

Saturday night i.e July 7, 07 Betu's Dadu-Dadi came from Jaipur. They had a flight to B'lore yesterday night i.e July 8. Betu really gets sad when Dadu goes away. In the beginning when we were getting ready to drop them at the airport, he was all excited. But when Dadu-Dadi started to go away inside he started insisting to go with them. When I told him we do not have a ticket so we can't go, he understood the point since we both play games involving tickets. For e.g. he will not let me enter the room till I produce a ticket which would be anything from a piece of paper to a pen to a potato! :D

Just before entering the airport, his Dadi gave him some money to buy something for him. He took it and on his own said Thank You. Later when we are on the way to home and he's all the time waling "Dadu ke paas jaana hai!", suddenly the crying stops and shows us the money that his Dadi gabe him and says "Mumma, hum isse ticket khareedenge, fir main bhi Dadu ke saath jayunga!" Me and DH wre both totally dumbstruck. This little boy who is just 3yrs 3months is thinking of every means so that he can be with his Dadu! Kids these days are really amazing and beyong our imagination!

Me and DH got a bit emotional looking at his eagerness to join his Dadu...showed how much he loves spending time with them and them just being around him. Sigh...

My little monkey!

If you have read my earlier post which I wrote just a few minutes ago, you will know that just a while ago I sent him to his Papa so that he can play. While they are playing, he suddenly holds on to the curtain and swings clutching it tightly between his hands and legs. Me and DH both are like ":O" but also get amused how easily he can swing holding on the curtains. But at the same time we told him not to do again as the pelmets will not be strong enough and might come out and fall over him. And that surely can be dangerous.

But he truly is our little monkey. When he was less than a year old, I taught him to do a kind of a somersault with me. This is how we do it

• We stand face to face.
• He holds my hands..umm..no its other way round. I hold his hands tightly
• He then starts climbing on me with my knees a little bent to make it easier for him.
• He climbs on me till his feet are on my tummy and then he swings backwards!

He loves it and I love it too! I have a video of him doing that. Will try to post it here so that you can see how we actually do it.

Lot of people used to tell me, he will twist his shoulders or get a sprain somewhere but I had read and seen that the bodies of kids his age are quite flexible so I don't worry about it.

He's already so manipulative!

Just now when I was posting his other post, Betu was asking me to play with him. So I told him to ask Papa to play with him. He says "Nahi, tum aa jayo. Papa kaam karenge. Tum mere saath Khelo!"

But since I had just got on, I asked him to play with papa for sometime and then Mumma will play with him. So he goes to his papa and says "Papa, ab aap kaam karlo. Mumma mere saath khelegi!" I can overhear all this and I am thinking "How manipulative kids become on their own!"

And that reminded me of another incident when betu's dadu was here about 3 weeks ago. His Dadu must have told him to ask Mumma to give a glass of water. He obediently comes to me but decides to take things in his own hands and in his own style. He asked me "Mumma, aap kya kar rahe ho?" Me, unaware that my FIL has asked for a glass of water, reply back "Mumma kaam kar rahi hai!". So again promptly he goes back to his Dadu and tells him "Mumma abhi kaam kar rahi hai!"

My FIL could make out that betu ne apni khichdi pakayee hai and later when Papa (FIL) called me and asked me what Betu told me, we all laughed thinking how he twisted the things as per his own thoughts.

Kids these days are really too much..baba re baba!

"Mumma gaana suna do"

I have a song that I used to sing when it was bed time ever since he was few days young - "Chanda hai tu, mera suraj hai tu..." and he would immediately doze off. Slowly and slowly, when and how I don't know but the frequency of my singing it to him reduced but did not stop completely. I only realised lately how much he still likes to hear it when once when he was really sleepy and cuddling with me, I thought he was actually asleep, when suddenly I hear this tiny little voice saying "Mumma, gaana suna do!"

How my heart swelled with pride that there's at least one person who appreciates my singing..err..braying is a more apt word for it. But on second thoughts when he dozed off in just about 2 minutes I was wondering probably I do sing that bad that he finds it so boring that he dozes off!

Oh well, whatever..but I decide to take the former reason - that he appreciates my singing. Hehehe...

Then we have a poem that I coined when it was his "brush-your-teeth" time. He hates brushing his teeth. I think he doesn't like the tingly feeling of the paste despite the fact that I use the Colgate children's toothpaste - the one with the tweety on it in strawberry flavor. So just to distract hm I coined this poem. It goes like this

"When you get up in the morning,

brush your teeth,

brush your teeth.

You brush in and out,

You brush up and down,

You brush brush brush,

You brush brush brush"

Its really a task to get him to brush his teeth and sometimes he wails but actually his wailing makes my task easier. Why? Because his mouth is wide open because he is wailing and I can brush easily as I can see every nook and corner in his otherwise little mouth :D

I guess today was my lucky day as he came himself and said "Mumma, its brush-your-teeth time!" What more could I want! And I started brushing. So he stops me in the middle and says "Mumma, gaana to sunao!"

Just now, while I was writing this, Betu came to me and gave me 3 puchhas - one on each cheek and one on the lips..yes one on the lips. I don't know where he learnt it from but its been almost a year since he does that once in a while. And he fights with us if we don't let him do the third one! :D And that's not all, he also said "I lub(love) you Mumma!"

All I have to say now is "Thank You God! For giving me such a precious little child!"

"Mumma Cheekoo"

This is how he cuddles and does pyaree to me these days beside the usual puchhas. He will pull both my cheeks..quite hard that they hurt and will say "Mumma Cheekooo!" :D

While doing this he will keep giggling and when I tell him it hurts, he will say "Main to pyaree kar raha hoon". And when I tell him let me do that to you and he will make such a sad face and says "Fir main ro jayoonga." See how smart he is? As long as he is doing to others its fine. But no one should do the same to him! Kids these days are not kids in reality *rolling my eyes*

His first day at the new daycare!

He was happy, playing and eating a slice of cake (the non creamy ones) when we, myself and his papa, reached his new daycare to pick him up in the evening yesterday around 6 PM!

When he saw me coming he ran towards me and hugged me. When he was hugging me, he saw his Papa coming and Betu ran to him to hug him! After coming back from his papa, he opened his mouth wide to show me the cake that he had in this mouth which was his way of telling me he was having a cake! Seeing all this gave me such a big relief!

So on the way back, he's happily plopped in my lap and we are talking. This is how our conversation went:

Me : Aapne kya kiya new school mein?

Betu : Main Pithvi (Prithvi) ke saath khela.

Me : Aapne kya kya khaya?

Betu : Snacks

Me : Snacks mein kya tha?

Betu : Cake

Betu : Aap chale gaye the to main ro raha tha!

Me : aap roye the?

Betu : Haan! Main Mumma-Mumma bol raha tha.

Me : Aap big boy ho na? Rote nahi hain! Mumma shaam ko aati hai na betu ko lene?

Betu : Haan, main big boy hoon. Main nahi royungaa. Pithvi roya tha na ..woh mummy papa bol raha tha

Me : Prithvi roya tha isliye aap bhi roye the?

Betu : Haan. Fir didi ne bola chup ho jayo. Didi ne bola Mummy shaam ko aayegi!

Me : Ok Aapne khoob saara khela? Aapko mazaa aaya?

Betu : Haan.

His Papa : aapne ninni kari?

Betu : Haan kari thi.

Me : Aapko new school achha laga?

Betu : Haan! Achha hai!

And that was it! I needed nothing else to hear! Those were the only words that my ears were yearning to hear!

His new daycare started today...*sigh*....

Today morning we dropped Betu at his new daycare - The Oxford Kids. Somehow I was feeling so empty, so anxious leaving him at a totally new place with all new people.

And this is when he has been going to daycare since he was 9 months which is almost like since the past 2 years. So why am I feeling this way? I was up from 4 AM thinking about him going to the new daycare, thinking on what to send for his breakfast. Thinking on how he will adjust, will he cry, will he tell the new nannies when he needs to use the wash rooms, will he eat fine, will he sleep well....just about everything was worrying me.

I called up his new daycare an hour after leaving him and he was playing good. Another one of his friends from the previous daycare is also going to this new one so that's a big relief for both the set of parents that they have at least one familiar face in the crowd. When I called up this new daycare around 4PM, I got to know they have hired the 3 nannies from the previous daycare too! And that brought about so much relief to me! Now I'm just dying to meet him in the evening and hug him and cling to him. Hehehe..sounds so funny...instead of son clinging to mumma, its the other way round :D

But when I think on this behaviour of me, I feel so stupid. And I wonder how will I react/behave once he starts going to formal school. He will start nursery from next year. Anyhow, I not thinking that far as of yet. Right now I just want to see him!!