Update on Ashu at 23 months.

Here is the last update when shes still one. Sigh!

--> I can see glimpses of two already and it is very interesting. You never know when she ll say what!

--> She said "Welcome" when I thanked her today. So cutely and with a smile as if "I'm surprised myself that it came out of my mouth!"

--> She has to have closure for everything. Its bye TV when the TV is switched off, bye diapers while changing diapers, bye Pooh after reading Pooh book, bye doll when she puts down one doll and picks up another.

--> She showers kisses on her dolls. But only if we are nt looking. She becomes very conscious if we are looking and says "bye doll" and throws it!

--> She says "Sorry" even if I bump into her accidentally.

--> She ll say "Come Amma" and take me somewhere. It ll be to flaunt her creativity - the green block above the red block or a tissue paper torn to 100 pieces or her doll under a book. The "Come Amma" will be said with a "You ll like what you see. Come with me" tone!

--> Absolutely no sentiments for her. Its "bye appa" when she needs amma and "bye amma" when she needs appa. "Bye doll1" if she needs doll2. "Bye book1" if she needs book2.

--> Shes easily scared and I startle her a lot.

--> Obsessive compulsive about so many things. If she passes a room, she ll close the draws, smooth the rug on the floor, keep the phone in the base, keep the magazine under the table,.... Every thing has to be in its place and I did nt teach her to do any of this.

--> At last she has her own room with kiddie furniture and kiddie stuff. I love it more than her.

--> She sits on her stroller without fuss when we go out and almost always dozes off within half an hour.

--> The other day we went to a friends place for dinner. They have a 3 year old and I noticed that Ashu was nt tempted to take any of her toys. When she went to touch her cycle, I told Ashu to ask permission first. She did nt but she did nt touch the cycle again either!

--> She saw Pinocchio's figurine in a friends place and said "Elephant!" Now if this is nt logic, then what is? (On her defense, the liar's nose was unusually long!)

--> She starts crying if she cant find me while playing hide and seek.

--> She does nt like it if we laugh at her and never repeats the word/action again. So we have to be really careful not to laugh. Such an ego!

--> She is so careful, so careful that its so annoying! She ll crawl under the table and then crawl out back so carefully making sure she does nt stand until shes well clear off the table and will keep at it until her butt hits the wall! She ll hold onto us for dear life while we carry her or make her stand at high places. She ll take one whole minute to climb down one step and if the steps are too deep, I have to hold her hand. Its a different thing that she ll get hurt in totally unexpected situations.

--> Only now she has started associating children with their names rather than the generic baby, boy or girl. And she remembers the names quite well.

--> She saw Thomas train in another friends place and liked it very much. Last week I asked Ashu what she wanted for her birthday and if she would like Thomas. I just asked it in passing and did nt even think she understood. Then Hd asked her couple of days back what she wanted for birthday and she says Train! We asked her what train? And she says Thomas! Now we don't have a choice, do we? :)