Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Darnedest Thing #1

Kids say the darnedest things, and I'll put down Summy's questions now and then so I don't forget them. Here's #1:

"Mommy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Edited to add: On thinking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" isn't so ridiculous after all. We keep growing up all the time. This is not the end of the road.

It is a cheerful question that makes you think of all the possibilities, no matter what you already did, no matter how old you are. So what do you want to be when you grow up?

Sing it the right way!

I dug up the complete lyrics for Twinkle, Twinkle, didn't I?

Then I sang it to Summy the last three nights - and she told me "Mommy, No! Sing it the right way!"

But yesterday she said "Mommy, can you please sing it not the right way?" :)

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Because Summy loves this for a lullaby, I searched for and found the complete lyrics.

Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
|| Twinkle twinkle ||

When the blazing sun has gone
When he nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light
Twinkle twinkle all the night
|| Twinkle twinkle ||

Then the trav'ler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark
How could he see where to go
If you did not twinkle so
|| Twinkle twinkle ||

In the dark blue sky you keep
Through my curtains often peep
For you never shut your eyes
Till the morning sun does rise
|| Twinkle twinkle ||

As your bright and tiny spark
Lights the trav'ler in the dark
Though I know not what you are
Twinkle on please little star
|| Twinkle twinkle ||

Monday, April 17, 2006

Calligraphy

I picked up all her train tracks and pieces and put them in a red basket. This was the cue for Summy to come running and dump out all the pieces on the floor. The other day she had learnt to make a figure 8 track, so the train could go over the bridge and all around on it.

But yesterday, she put the tracks in a little circle instead. She said "Look! I made an 'O'!" I was very impressed. After a while she said "Look! I made a 'Q'!" The circle now had the train bridge pieces going over the rim, and it was a big Q! I was just remarking to my SIL about how much more kids know now than we did at their age, and I heard "Look! I made a 'G'!" She had added more pieces to the Q, but it didn't look like a G. Then I saw it was not a G, it was a 'g'. She curved the Q's tail around to form a g. You know, g, as "in genius" :)

Disclaimer: I'm a mom, so everything my baby does is ingenious to me.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Testing...

మా తెలుగు తల్లికి మల్లెపూదండ

మా కన్న తల్లికి మంగళారతులు


ఆశ్చర్యపోయారా లేదా?

Thursday, April 06, 2006

The Silver Lining

"If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." A quote attributed to Mark Twain and stolen by regions all over, apparently including Cincinnati and Texas. But New England owns the copyright.

Well, we waited a few hours, and today the temperature is up to a sultry 43 degrees, up from 33 (Fahrenheit, that is). Yesterday was cloudy and gray, with the snow showers interrupted occasionally by freezing rain. Today, it's sunny and bright, and what clouds are there are fluffy white. The grass is green, with a light sprinkling of snow on top (Looks a little bit like Summy's birthday cake, with sugar on it). The duckies are out swimming on the shimmery lake. I didn't want to get poetic, now, but it's that kind of day.

On a not unrelated note, when you are tired of hearing about the terrorism, the poverty, the misery, and the pollution, visit goodnewsindia for a silver lining.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Spring has sprung!

New England's winter last three months officially, but we have been in winter coats for six months now. Everybody was anxious for Spring by the end of March.

Sure enough, the weather got warmer. Last weekend we saw the first robins of Spring. April showers started right on the mark. Logically, the next thing to follow would be the first daffodils blooming. Then why were we still surprised this morning when we looked through the window, and saw - the most natural thing in these parts - the first snow of April?

Nature has played this April fool's prank played on us so many times, that we should have been used to it by now.

One little person is always happy to see snow, and she was happy this morning too ("It's not spring outside anymore, mommy - it's winter!" Cowabunga.). Kids are so easy to please - if you give them sun, they are happy because they get to play outside. If you give them rain, they are happy because they get to use their umbrellas. If you give them snow, they are happy because they get to catch it on their tongues.

I'm glad somebody is happy about the snow.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Birthday Party

Summy had a party last Sunday, though I couldn't write up an entry about it last week. It was a lot of fun for everybody who was under 4 feet high.

The guests all arrived on time, at 11 am. They wished Sameera a Happy Birthday and then got into play mode right away. Everybody cooked and fed their parents in the play dining room, rode the big train engine in the train room, shopped in the play grocery store, and tumbled about in the little gym.

After about an hour of this, we herded them into the party room, and the kids got sticky and messy doing a paper bag puppet craft. After which, they impatiently dug into their pizza. (Little kids aren't subtle when they realize it's lunch time - "Is that pizza?" "I want some pizza!" "I'm hungry!" "Can we eat now?" Even one parent asked "Is that pizza for the big boys too?" - everybody ate, it was good pizza!) A huge Dora cake followed, and Summy blew the number 3 candle out to cheers and clapping. The lady of the play place played on the piano and sang Happy Birthday. Then we sliced and served cake (with more subtle hints in the background "I want cake!" "I want cake!"). This went well, mostly, except for when one of her friends said "It's my birthday!", which made Summy very indignant (a shouting match of "No, it's MY birthday!" followed).

After licking the frosting off the cake and leaving the rest alone (next year I have an idea for a cake that's made entirely of frosting), the kids were manoeuvered again into a different play zone. They drove fire engines, little cars, played doctor, made music, colored, and best of all, played with water. At about 1, the parents tried to convince their children to leave. This was made easier with the bringing out of the goody bags.

This part is the icing on my cake. I was handing out goody bags, and Summy seemed to consider this the lowest insult. She said "I want to do it." So I let her. She gave a goody bag, a hug, and a kiss to each friend, and said "Thanks for coming to my party.".

It's true I had told her the night before that as a host, it would be her duty to do this. It would make her friends happy if she did. But I didn't dream that she would actually remember and do it! Shows that I should trust her with more responsibility than I do.

This birthday party was not about Summy being queen for a day - though ofcourse it was her special day. At three, she was ready to be the host at her party for the first time. She was to know that it's good to have friends around to celebrate, and to receive them well and show them she was happy to have them come. She did this much better than I've ever done (except for the one small shouting incident :)).

In her excitement, Summy had a single bite of pizza and one sip of juice in the party. After we went back home and settled down, her tummy reminded her about that - she asked for pizza, and then some more, and then some more. Kiran, Summy and I sat down at the French window and ate pizza. That was our little family party, I suppose.

Summy was as eager to send thank you notes to her friends as she was to open presents. She decorated them, and though she could not write, she asked me to read what I'd written. I mailed them out, but forgot to tell her about it. Two days later, she says "Uh oh! We forgot to mail the thank you cards." :) Three-year-olds are miracles.