She has her cake, I eat it too

The other day as Summy and I were picking out jammies for her, I saw the cutest blue pair with duckies on it. But when I showed it to Summy, she said, "Mommy, those are baby jammies."

I see.

And then she showed me her pick - Disney princess nightgown. I said, "But Summy, that looks too grown-up."

And this is where we are now. I'm trying to hang on to her babyhood, and she's ready to drive a car ("Mommy, next year can I drive the car?").

So who won?

She got the princess nightie, and twirled and danced in it for a long time before she slept. She got her wish.

When she fell asleep, she snuggled up to me just like when she was a baby. I got my wish too.

Love at first sight

With a doll! And I'm not talking about Summy.

It was more than twenty years ago (Groan! An oldie's story!). I saw this doll in a store that I wanted for my eighth birthday. The night before my birthday, I was running a fever and it was raining, but my father took me to the store in a rickshaw and bought it for me. The condition: I wasn't to open it till my actual birthday.

That night I slept with the doll box next to me. I even remember staring at the ties around its legs and wanting so much to open up the box. When I opened it, it was named Neelima/Jane and turned into a "she" instead of "it". She was a chubby little girl with a gentle smily face.

Years later, when I was in college, my mother quietly discarded her from storage (I think rats had gotten to Neelima/Jane, and even before that, her hair and face were in a pretty bad state with all the love and baths and makeup I'd given her), I found I was still attached to her. I couldn't sleep for a week, with the image of the doll in the trash.

I never saw a doll like that again. The dolls in the stores these days (groan! "these days"? Another sign of an oldie) are so out of proportion and ghastly. The few toddler dolls that really look like little girls are a little pouty.

Yesterday I found the doll that was just right - with a happy face, the right proportions, and wearing shoes and socks that can be taken off (yes, that's a bombshell feature). Moreover, it has a couple of changes of dresses and shoes and little clippies for her hair. I just know Summy is going to love the doll when she sees it (on Christmas day, since it's so close).

I can't wait to play with her doll.

Er, I mean I can't wait for Summy to play with her doll.

A compliment (?)

One day Summy was watching me going about doing things, and said (very appreciatively) - "Mama, you are getting really big and heavy." What I say to her when I carry her came right back at me!

Then, that night, she cuddled up to us and said, "My, what a big nose you have!" (Her daddy also received the same praise).

Why, thank you, Summy!

Tropical Girl

On the class survey report of each child's "Favorite Taste" posted on Summy's classroom door today, among the "popsicle"s, "lollipop"s, "chocolate chip cookie"s and other stuff, "mango" stood out prominently. Guess who liked mango best? But that was one of Summy's more mainstream favorites.

Her strangest favorite is (gag) - tofu served in an icecream cone.

Live Green

For the sake of my child, and your child.

"Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, 'What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had the chance?' We have to hear that question from them now."

- From the documentary film "The Inconvenient Truth"

Grandparents

For three months, Summy had a wonderful time getting pampered by her Ammamma and Thatha. I was also busy those three months, so I missed a lot of things that I should have put down.

She stayed at home whenever she got a chance, and played many games with them. They patiently played little people with her, and played patients when she was a doctor.

She learned to draw, color within lines, and write letters while they were here.

She made both of them crawl into her tiny playtent (her house) and take "naps", climbed all over them, and they were as patient as only grandparents can be.

Dear Grandma and Grandpa, now that you are in India, she can't wait to see you and play with you again!

Drama Queen

Last year she was voted the one with the "Best Imagination" by her teachers, and now we're seeing why.

Her favorite toy is her little dollhouse people (and there are many). She makes them talk to each other, play, fight over taking turns (and then the mother or the teacher comes in to restore peace), and sometimes even fly to California (why California?) in a magic car. She keeps this up for hours, but that's not what makes her a dramatic expert.

She makes characters out of everything - spoons and forks, markers, socks. She has a toolset and she even makes the screwdrivers and wrenches talk to each other. I once heard a screw comment to another one "What a pretty skirt!" (the other screw was "wearing" a washer).

Goodbye, Old Mother

I was ready to become "Mom" or "Amma" from "Mommy", but this is what I heard recently when I waved bye to her.

"Goodbye, old mother."

I laughed a lot, so now she says this all the time. Where could she have heard that?