Update on Ashu at 33 Months.

What a month! Ashu has grown leaps and bounds in the past one month. She talks more, plays on her own more, notices things more, breaks down more, eats more (Anti-jinx! Anti-jinx! Anti-jinx! Thanks for the anti jinx spell Moppets Mom. You should pattern it!)

Ashu keeps twirling these days and one day told her dad, "Look appa. Naan twirl panren" and did a nice twirl for him. And Hd was "Oh how nice. Turn panriyaa?" and Ashu immediately corrected him, "Turn illai pa. TWIRL". Hd was shocked to say the least and gave me an accusatory look. It was nt me this time though. School is actually teaching her something after all!

For the past couple of weeks, the little Missy has stopped eating chocolates. Not that I gave her chocolates frequently before. But these days she says, "I don't want chocolates. I ll get germs in my teeth. So I'm not going to eat any" if we offer her. I'm not complaining here, more for me actually! And she has taken to raisins like crazy. She finishes a small box in one go. Its like a miracle because Ashu usually does nt eat ANY snack! This was the conversation between Hd and Ashu 2 days back:

Hd: Ashu, want a piece of chocolate?

Ashu: No Appa. I ll get germs in my teeth. I don't want any.

Hd: You can brush your teeth after eating the chocolate, ok?

Ashu: No appa. I'm eating raisins.

Hd: You will get germs in your teeth even if you eat rais...

Me: (screaming at hd) STOP IT RIGHT NOW. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?????? WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YOU CANT BE HAPPY THAT SHE EATS RAISINS INSTEAD OF CHOCOLATES? ARE YOU CRAZY?

Sometimes I don't know who the 2 1/2 year old is in this house!!!

During Xmas when we stayed in a Chalet with two other families, Ashu started talking to the two boys there in Tamil. I told Ashu that the boys did nt know Tamil and she has to speak in English. For the next 3 days, she did nt speak one word of Tamil to them. She was keeping on blabbering thinking that shes speaking in English but communicated by using the important words like "Come here, Sit, Give, No, Take, Play, etc... " It was fun to watch her speak like that. And how did she know which words are English and which are Tamil since we use so much English while talking in Tamil? One of those things about a child's brain, I guess!

And the other day while talking to my grandma on the phone, Ashu said Hello and volunteered to sing rhymes for her. Usually I have to beg her to sing rhymes on the phone for my family so I was surprised. But she always did have a soft spot for her great grand mother. Then she started to sing all the Tamil rhymes she knows, Anile Anile, Yaanai, Yaanai, Nila Nila and counted 1 to 10 in Tamil. I was really stunned. Did she really figure out that my grandma cant understand English and sang Tamil rhymes? She has never done that before for anyone else. She always starts with Baa baa black sheep, Mary had a little lamb, etc... and I have to plead her to sing a Tamil rhyme. One of those things again, huh?

Oh and the most important thing. Ashu has a "best friend". Her first ever! :) The past weeks I noticed that she is happy when B is in class with her and the days B does nt attend school, she is all sullen and sad. Then I asked her whom does she play with a lot in class and who she likes the most. "B", came the answer. And of course B comes running to greet her when I drop Ashu in the class and gives her a wide smile. At home, Ashu keeps telling B did this, B did that. I am so happy for her. And did I tell you B is the cutest looking boy?! *grin*

Books rule her world. I used to wonder why some parents complain that they are tired reading a book for the 10th time and I would be happy to read Ashu a book for the umpteenth time if it makes her happy. Boy, was I wrong! My throat is parched at the end of her bed time reading and I am begging her to spare me. But she begs back "One last book Amma. Last book, OK?" and brings the fattest book from her shelf. The problem is when I read, I "really" read it unlike Hd who mumbles, swallows half the sentence and reads without any passion. I change my voice, make animal noises, whisper, scream and do the whole nine yards. Time I switched tactics and followed Hd on this one. He sure is smarter than I think, that sneak!

Ashu seems to have taken after me in her desire to do everything perfect and gives up easily even after the first attempt if she thinks shes no good at something. That describes me to the T. But shes 2 1/2 for Gods sake and just learning everything in life. How can she get so frustrated because she cant hold a pencil properly? "I cant Amma" seems to be her mantra these days. "I cant open the box Amma. I am a baby. I am small. You are big girl. You open." "I cant color Amma. I don't know how. You do it." "I cant turn the pages in the book Amma". And she whines when she says that and the next time I ask her to do that thing, she gives up even before trying because "she cant"!! It takes immense patience from my side to keep encouraging her and prodding her gently to try again and compliment her when she does try. I truly hope its a phase and she gets over it. Because the things she can do, she never wants me to help her in those. Its always "I ll do it Amma. I ll do it"!

One morning after getting up from the bed, she took her pants down and the pull up diapers with it. Took the dirty diaper and gave it to me to throw it in the garbage and said "Amma. I did nt go susu in the diaper while sleeping. See!" When I took the diaper from her. I saw that against the usual 2 to 3 susus, she had gone only once and since the diaper was nt as heavy as it used to be, she concluded that she had nt peed in the diaper. I have never been so proud of her. She knows the difference between the weight of one susu against two. My baby girl is so clever, sigh!