Update on Ashu at 26 Months.

I'm in the kitchen warming Ashus milk in the microwave. I take it out and while stirring it, spill some milk on the counter top. I go "chee chee chee chee"! Ashu who is sitting on the sofa in the living room hears me and asks "Amma paal kottitiyaa?" (Did you spill the milk?) I went speechless for one whole second! HOW? Am I wasting *that* much milk everyday?!

We have now entered the grand era of doing everything on our own! But theres a mix up between "you" and "I". She says "You do it" which actually means "I ll do it." The first couple of times when she said "You do it" and we did it, she screamed and did it herself. Now when we tell her - Its not "You do it" Ashu. Its "I ll do it" - she thinks we want to do it and screams again!

Yesterday we were playing with the Play-Doh and I made a tortoise. I mean, I tried. Ashu sees the finished product but does nt have a clue what it is. So I giver her a hint and then declare "Its a tortoise Ashu" and she goes "No Amma. That's a Snail!" My baby girl knows SNAIL? How?

Today as soon as Hd came home from office, the little rat ran to him and said in Tamil, "Appa, I threw the play doh and Amma got angry and Amma hit me"! LIAR! Usually when she does something naughty, we make a sad face and she goes to the other person and says "Amma/Appa is making sad face because I hit them" irrespective of whether she hit us or not. So now madam is complaining that she has a sad face because I hit her. Everyone believes the child much to my inconvenience. I dont have to hit you for the stupid play doh, Honey! You give me plenty of other opportunities, so beat it!

These days, when she says "sorry", I MUST say "its ok" or else she ll keep on saying sorry and it will get louder and louder and then her voice will break and she ll start crying. Sometimes she herself will mutter a "its ok" after a sorry and move on. At other times she ll NEVER say sorry when the occasion demands it and after a double time out, she ll mutter a sorry and would nt care if its accepted or not! The bigger the mischief, the tougher it is to get a sorry out of her. For example, if "I" bump into her, she ll say sorry immediately. But if "she" throws the remote at me and it gets me on my nose and I see stars, she ll NOT say sorry until I order her to.

This weekend we had guests over for dinner and Ashu had fun playing with 2 kids. She shared her toys, played with them and there was no violence whatsoever. Just when I was relaxing, I saw Ashu climb on our bed and saying "Ashu bed this. No!" to the other little girl. Where do kids learn these? And it was nt even her bed! I mean how do they associate that this is "our" house and "our" bed. Because according to her something is either hers or others. She always says Amma appa bed and Ashu bed or Amma laptop, Appa phone, Ashu dress, etc... But in front of a guest, Amma appa bed has become "Ashu" bed! Such a brat!

Her language is also evolving. From Babulu to Dabbu Dabbu, now she clearly pronounces W as Double U much to my chagrin. As if this "huge" change is nt enough to dishearten me, her silly dad is hell bent on teaching her to pronounce F which she says as S. Fan is Shan, Phone is Shon, 4 and 5 are Shore and Shy respectively. Until yesterday that is! Instead of doing the dozen things that has to be done around the house, he showed her how to say F before sleep time last night and she got it immediately. And he sent her to me to gloat. She did too. "Phone" sounded so wrong coming from her mouth after listening to "Shon" for the past one year. Every morning when the alarm in our mobile phone goes off, she used to say "Appa Shon, Appa Shon" and wake us up. Now it will be just a dull "Appa phone". Sigh! My lil girl is growing up.

Walking in the Rain.

Ashu is dressed in a white and green checkered shorts with a flower print. A white and pink lacy top with flowers and butterfly print. Pink Dora shoes and a colorful head band. And oh, ear rings. Shes all of 26 months old. And the Doctors assistant takes a look and asks me "boy or a girl?" Its an insult, I say!

Ashu got two shots today, second dose of MMR vaccine and the Meningococcal vaccine. She let out a scream and then quietened down when I told her I ll put a Dora plaster when we get home. (And she made sure I changed the plaster when we got home.) It started raining heavily when I was about to leave the Doctors office. I had one umbrella with me. I decided to wait for a while. I was getting hungry as I had nt had my breakfast. So I sat on the floor outside the exit door and rummaged my handbag to find a box of Ashus colorful fishie biscuits. We both started munching on them. Theres something about watching the rain through the glass door and munching on snacks with your loved one. As I was thinking about how heavenly that moment was, Ashu accidentally dropped the biscuits and they scattered on the floor. So I was cleaning up while giving dirty looks at Ashu and she has the gall to ask me for more biscuits. Evil incarnated! I decided to brave the rain and go home. I let Ashu hold the umbrella and I held the top while pushing the stroller. She was quite thrilled to go in the rain and to hold the umbrella. It took hardly 10 minutesto walk home and while I was fully drenched, she was bone dry! Now if that does nt explain parenthood...

Bitter nothings.

Some time after a fight...

Husband: I am sorry ok? Forgive me.

Wife: I will never forgive you for what you said.

H: I'm saying sorry right?

W: So?

H: Just say I am forgiven.

W: OK you are forgiven.

H: You did nt mean that!

W: How do you know? You asked me to say it and I said it.

H: Mean it.

W: How will you know if I mean it or not? You are not a mind reader. You are definitely not that!

H: I ll know. Say it.

W: No I wont.

H: Don't make me beg. It was just a silly thing.

W: What do you mean by silly?

H: I mean there are lot of other worse, unforgivable things.

W: You mean I should be thankful that you are not doing worse things?

H: I did nt mean that. What I said was stupid OK? Forget it.

W: Only stupid people say stupid things, You want to me to forget you as well?

H: Stop it now. I cant take this anymore.

W: Neither can I.

H: Then you are free to do whatever you want.

W: You don't have to tell me what I can do. I KNOW I can do whatever the hell I want!

H: So basically I should nt tell you anything.

W: At last you get the point.

H: OK I ll shut up.

W: Whatever! That's your answer for everything anyway.

H: But you want me to shut up.

W: As if you always listen to me?

H: Of course I do. *muttering* Ask anyone!

W: Excuse me? I heard that.

H: I mean when have I not listened to you?

W: Only like a million times. I know people think that I have twisted you around my finger and you dance to my tunes! But who knows the reality? When have you ever done anything without a long argument? Only God is a witness for all the problems I go through. To whom can I go and complain about you? Everyone is on your side. Even my stupid parents! I have nobody! *sob sob*

H: I am sorry OK? Forgive me.

W: I will never forgive you for what you said.

H: I'm saying sorry right?

W: So?
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ps.
This is a work of fiction. This does NOT happen in Boos household regularly.

Fathers day, car seat, day care...

After a hectic shopping for groceries and stocking the fridge and the kitchen cup boards to last a week, realized that Saturday has flown by. Hds colleague, a single girl, new to Swiss and getting bored living alone invited us over for lunch on Sunday. Poor girl, must be really desperate for company! :) So as soon as we got up today at 10.00 am, I rushed to the kitchen to make some Sabji and rice to take to her house. Shouted at Hd for not waking me earlier and the next second realized that it is Fathers day! :) So wished him with a sheepish grin. Ashu got up a while later(we are still not out of jet lag!) and I gave her a pen and asked her to scribble something in the card I had bought earlier and she gave it to him. Its a funny card which says something like, "Dad, I know you do so much for me... but I totally deserve it!" :) I had also bought a fridge magnet in the US which has Homer Simpson in it and says "Best Dad in the house". Hd growled at me seeing this gift! This man cant take a compliment gracefully! ;) Is nt this a cute gift, people?

Back from the friends house after a hearty lunch. Thanks to the US trip, Ashu sits in her car seat quietly these days while I can sit in the front with Hd for a change. The Nursery Rhymes CD from a friend is of huge help as well. Don't know how long the novelty will last though! Since we take a rental car only during the weekends, she is nt getting used to it here. She drops a book or her doll and asks me to pick it up for her. And as soon as I twist myself and turn to the back and pick it up, she drops something else and asks me to help. I can as well sit at the back for all this twisting and turning. Today, she flung the doll back and it fell into the trunk. And she started crying for the doll. What a drama queen!

We have found a day care for Ashu where the care takers speak English. We checked it out last week and it is okay. Just a place where Ashu can be with other children for a couple of hours. Nothing fancy. If shes out of her jet lag, she might start this week. I cant wait for the Dday. Wondering how she ll react and how everything is going to work out. Most importantly, how I am going to cope with this big step! I am all excited but very much scared at the same time. I mean how do you trust strangers with your BABY? It is indeed going to be a huge milestone for me even if not for Ashu. *sniff sniff*

And the awards go to...

Thanks Art Navy and Utbt for making me walk a few inches above the ground for the past couple of days. Yes, awards do that to me and I have been acting all high and mighty and even avoiding cooking much to Hds concern. Hes waiting for me to come back to Earth.

Trying to come with five people was nt as difficult as I thought it would be as there are so many bloggers I deeply admire and lot more people I would love to tag are already tagged not surprisingly.

Without much ado, the awards go to...

Dubukku - My blog Guru who made me think as much as he made me laugh. How real life simple situations can be described in a totally hilarious way - got to learn from the master! If I live long, it would be thanks to him. Mudhal Vanakkam, Anna! :)

Gauri - According to me, every mommy blogger deserves this award because well... I am a mother and we deserve every recognition which comes our way. And Tharini and Gauri are a huge inspiration and they both are up there in a pedestal for me. I look forward to Gauris posts and to read about her children. Every post leaves a mark on its own and if I am a better mother today, shes definitely one of the reason. Need I say more?

Madura - She writes both in English and Tamil proficiently though her Tamil blog is missing these days. The subject of her posts and the research she does and her thorough knowledge on the subject she deals with make me her ardent fan. Write more, Madura.

Premalatha - When I was new to the blog world and started reading blogs, Lathas posts made me very nostalgic and wished she wrote more. I never thought that one day we will be on first name basis as she was like a celebrity to me. Her strong opinions on some topics make me wish I was nt such a wuss! ;) People like Madura and Latha who write excellently in more than one language leave me with awe as I know how difficult it is to keep writing in both as my sorely neglected Tamil blog will tell you.

Ashok - A writer, an architect, a painter, an artist, a poet, a photographer, a proud father,... His talent amazes me. I hope this award jolts him awake from his hiatus and he writes more often. I miss you Ashok. Or did nt you let me know about your new whereabouts?

If you choose to pass this award on, these are the Thinking Blogger Award rules:
This award was started here.
You have to award five others whose blog you think deserve this award.
Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.
If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all — blogs that really get you thinking!

Cut to Zurich.

Back in good old Zurich fighting the jet lag and busy unpacking the gazillion things I bought from the US. Ashus wardrobe is brimming with bright and new summer clothes. I hope the summer lasts really long this time! Got some picture frames from Michaels and at last put few of the good photos I have taken to better use. Hence my living room looks a little presentable. I would nt feel too bad to invite people over from now on! ;)

Got to catch up with hundreds of posts, take up a couple of tags and also update on Ashu. And not to forget the photos taken in the new camera as lot of you have asked for. So here I come with a bang. Hang on!

All Good Things...

When Hd arrived last week, it was a total surprise for Ashu as I had not told her that her dad was coming. On Thursday evening, Bil picked up Hd from the airport and came home. We made Ashu stand near the door and she was thinking that her Pepa was coming back from the office. When the door opened and Hd stepped inside, Ashu was so shocked for an instant and we could see her go speechless. Then she started jumping and doing a tribal dance of some sort and then running to her Appa. She said "Appa, Appa" and then stuck to him like glue for the next 2 days. Even her precious Pema was ignored much to my sisters disapproval. Then we left for Las Vegas where Pema ruled again as she was the one who always carried Ashu and also baby sat her in the room while the rest of us gambled away Ashus inheritance! ;)

Vegas exceeded my expectation and we had a swell time. The hotel we stayed was awesome and the service was excellent. We never wanted to leave the room which was in the 25th floor or the jacuzzi in the bathroom. But when we left it and entered the casinos, we never wanted to go back to the room either! We visited almost all the must see casinos like Wynn, Bellagio, Ceasars Palace, Treasure Island, Planet Hollywood, The Venetian, The Mirage, MGM Grand, Luxor, Paris, New york New york, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, etc... Watched Cirque DuSoleil's Mystere show at the Treasure Island. It was mind blowing. The stage production and the original music and the spectacular performance makes it a must see show in Vegas. We also did the Manhattan Express roller coaster at the New York New york. It was amazing. Then of course gambled until late night at the blackjack and the slot machine. I gathered guts and sat at the blackjack card table and played $5 chips against the dealer. As soon as I got back the $20 I started with, I got up and ran out. It was the more thrilling than the roller coaster ride and I found out how addictive gambling can be. Stayed away from the tables for the rest of the trip. But then I lost some on the machine which was totally worth it! :)

Children under 18 can only pass through the casino floors and should not even linger around. The casinos are completely smoke covered anyway. Ashu took in all the colorful machines, the lights and the noise and could nt figure out what the people were upto. She had fun at the MGM watching the Lions and two newborn cubs. She enjoyed the aquarium, the rainforest cafe and our hotel room. After she slept, three of us sneaked out for some late night gambling. It was like college again. The desert heat was tolerable this time of the year and the free drinks at all the casinos made up for the meagre amount of money we lost there! Not to mention the waitresses who brought the drinks and their barely there costumes!

Hd and I had the best anniversary which began at midnight while we kissed and wished each other under the security camera of a casino. He had given me the Nikon D40 two days earlier. I gave him a cheap card which I just remembered to buy before midnight but did nt have a pen to write! I had told him I will get him a sun glass as he wanted one, but he did nt like anything so the day went without a gift from me! We have hardly unpacked the bags from Vegas and now we have to pack and leave the country.

We are leaving tomorrow to Zurich. There has been a lump in my throat and a sudden heaviness in my heart whenever I think about Ashu saying "Bye" to her Pema and Pepa at the airport and disappearing from their sights. The next second she ll be asking me "Pema illayaa","Pepa illayaa" (No Pema/Pepa?) in a hurt tone and I'm sure I ll have tears in my eyes. I feel as if I am snatching their baby from them and going away. But then, what to do?

Sin City.

Its our wedding anniversary today. And I forgot to buy a gift for Hd. I did nt even get him a card. So last night at 12.00, I gave him a $20 bill and he blew it on the Blackjack machine! Because we are in Las Vegas baby!!!!!

I cant begin to describe this city so I wont. We are taking turns baby sitting Ashu and the rest are gambling away to glory. We are leaving tomorrow and I am already sad! Oh by the way Hd got me this camera for our anniversary! More updates later if I don't gamble away my flight ticket! ;)