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January 30, 2008

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!

23 comments:

Chitra said...

Hi - I visited ur blog for the first time and i must say interesting post about your little girl. Way to go! I have a 17 mth old at home and she is driving me up the wall! Whatever it is...they make our day..isn't? will keep visiting. Cheers !

Timepass said...

Hmm Ashu has become a big girl now..LOL abt her not eating chocalates.

Pretty Woman said...

:) But it makes me sad when babies grow up....as a kid, I used to ask my mom to have a baby and the baby should not grow up ever! :D

Sukhaloka said...

wow, lovely!

Anonymous said...

Interesting as ever.... :)

BTW ur blog tempplate is nice, but wud b good if u cud activate the "search" option, wud b easier to dig out some archieves and read.

Tharini said...

Blogger lost my comment! Argh!!

You always make me giggle out loud with one line or the other in every one of your posts. Calling HD a sneak and your pride at Ashu's discerning eye for weightage, really did it for me!! :)

Akhil was the same way as Ashu is now w.r.t not trying things they feel they won't be good at. I don't know if its a phase, because he still does it. But a lot of that talking to and drilling into their heads, really does make a difference.

Happy 33 months to Ashu!

Daisy said...

oo Ashu is so cute.. sucha clever girl.. "Twist illa appa Twirl"??!!! wow.. she is already correcting her parents..I remember when my cousin was 2.5 yrs old, she used to goto a daycare . She used to imitate her mom's Indian accent and compare it with her day care provider's American accent!

Manchus said...

Wow!! She is really a wise little girl. With her hair pulled back, she really looks grown up. It is a better phase I guess, enjoy the moment.

Mad said...

If she is correcting HD now, what is she going to do when she enters teenage??!!

Anonymous said...

ha ha this one is an absolute cutie. and her smile is precious

--Aruna

Its our space said...

Ashu rocks ! I guess I can imagine the tone in which that "Twirl" must have been said :)I'm at the receiving end of similar stuff everyday :)

Re that I cant do that phase , it does get better when the importance of trying is reinforced. And that certainly is trying on us :D

Anonymous said...

A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. Drishti sutti podu. The 'difference in weight' part had me in splits.I've realised that with my 5 yr old, things she can actually do she'll want help for (like turning the pages of a book) and things she most definitely shouldnt do she'll want to do it 'all by herself' (wanting to cut veges with the real knife not the butter knife---and no I do not oblige even if she is rolling on the floor with tears streaming down her face). Such are the trials of Motherhood. I also remember that I didnt deal with these issues with my 10 year old. That the older one is a boy and the younger one is a girl might have something to do with it, you think??? Priya

Anonymous said...

Beautiful update. And Ashu's looking beautiful as ever. And her hair's just lovely. Btw, how do you manage her hair? My daughter's hair is similar but gets knotty at the ends easily despite oiling everyday, so we end up trimming it.
-Sanjitha

Mona said...

great post! i really enjoyed this update.
ashu sounds like an intelligent, fun and happy girl! good going, boo!

Inba's Corner said...

Lovely update, Boo. Kids are smart, eh? Ashu certainly has a way with languages. Isn't this the same kollu-paati with whom you used to play pallaankuzhi? Fun paaties deserve 'good' treatment from grand/great-grand kids ;)

P u said...

Chooooooo chweet! Just loved the first pic! Wonder what this one has in store for me!

BTW, mom loves it when I show her ur blog and Ashu's pics!

Preethi said...

Such a beautiful post.. I loved "Sometimes I don't know who the 2 1/2 year old is in this house!!!" lol.. neither do I... and the one about books.. these kids do make us eat our words sometimes don't they!! And about singing Tamil rhymes for her great grand mom... how sweet!!

Shobana said...

She is a very smart girl..Hd has to be careful around her. But good to know that she is making the connections and giving up chocolate...kudos to you Ashu.

Anonymous said...

Hey, great pictures, can't waitto see her in person. BTW, your comment about knowing difference between two languages gotme thinking. Off to do some research and may be do a post on it some time.

Disclaimer: please take note on pharses such as may and sometime.

B o o said...

Chitra - Welcome and thanks for the kind words!

Timepass - "I am a big girl amma" is the oft repeated sentence at home these days! ;)
a
Pretty Woman - I want to freeze every year so that I ll have 20 Ashus in different years when Ashu is twenty! How crazy am I? :)

Suki - Can I take the credit please? :)

Anon - I wish I could do a search option as well. For now, the categories should be of some help.

Tharini - I think Ashu and Winkie are alike in many ways, reading about Winkie gives me an idea of whats in store for me! And yes, talking and drilling does work. Unlike you, it does nt come naturally to me though!

Daisy - I think the tables are turned now. They are so tired of us correcting them all the time that they are having their share now!

Manchus - Her hair! Im losing my hair on that! I should do a post soon!!

Mad - If she were still living with us, you mean?? ;)

B o o said...

Aruna - :)

Mias Mom - Yes, exactly "that" tone! ;)

Priya - Ashu is born with the mantra "its better to be safe than sorry" I think! But of course by 5, it would change to "better to try than be safe"! ;)

Sanjitha - Her hair! sigh! Dont start me on that. Its getting so unmanageable. I dont want to trim as we have to keep trimming then. I just want it to grow longer so that its more easy to manage. But I think I ll lose all my hair before that!

Mona - Thank you my dear!

Inba - Adhe adhe! The very same Kollu Paati. And it warms my heart when she shares the special relationship too!

Welcome to the turf, Pu. :)

Preethi - Tough to bring up 2 kids at the same time when one of them is 30+, no? ;)

Shobana - The connection is a phase, Im sure. Life cant be THAT good!! :)

Utbt - I remember you wrote a post in somewhat those lines long back. Would nt mind your well researched post on the subject though!

Anonymous said...

Please drishti suthi put..

Sunita Venkatachalam said...

What a nice chatty post, reminds me I've to do an update post too, it's been ever so long.

Ashu looks adorable as always (and you funny too as always !)

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