Zzzzzzzz

This morning she said, "I snored about you yesterday, Mama."

"You mean you dreamed about me?"

"Yes, I dreamed about you"

Hee hee hee. Good night, Sweet snores.

A Link to Bliss

I was so impressed I'm putting this link on both my blogs. Be sure to look at the pictures she points to.

Happiness is a small home.

Cosleeping

I just visited noon's blog for the first time (and enjoyed it). I came across this entry about co-sleeping, which immediately made me want to write this before I forget.

Summy had always slept in our bed as a baby. Then this year, she started to go to sleep in her crib. Sometimes she joined us when she woke at night, sometimes she didn't. Now, she insists on going to sleep on her sleeping bag on the floor of our bedroom, but almost always wakes up in the middle of the night to join us.

I love to sleep next to her, but sometimes I think about Summy sleeping in her own room. The first step, ofcourse, would be to have her sleep the night in her own bed.

So I told her about her friends who (presumably) sleep in their own beds. Then I told her about how she too could sleep on her own all night, because she was all grown up now.

She said, "But I'm not grown up - I'm just a little kid! I want to sleep in Mommy Daddy's bed. When I'm bigger, then I can sleep in my own bed."

Old enough to present her argument persuasively, but young enough to be Mommy and Daddy's baby.

You think you know somebody....

One evening recently, I was exhausted and I told her, "I'm tired today, Summy. I'm sorry I can't give you a bath. We can take one tomorrow."

Her expressions changed. First she looked puzzled. Then incredulous. Then a huge smile came onto her face and she said, "Oh Mommy, that's okay."

Then she explained, "I don't like baths."

Oh, so she doesn't like baths :) That explains a lot.

To be honest, she's been trouble at bathtime lately, but I still thought she loved baths. Sometimes you don't realize things about somebody until they come right out and tell you. Even things about your child.

So what now? You still have to take baths everyday, Summy, but we'll try to make it a little more fun.

Car Talk: The A-List

We were discussing her fourth birthday party (after all, it's only six months away).

I asked who was going to be at the party.

Counting them off on her fingers, one by one, Summy says
"Alicia, and Brad, and Cathy, and Dylan (names changed to protect identity :))..."

Me: And who else?

Summy: And Elizabeth, and Freddie, and Gena, and Harini, and...

Me: Who else?

Summy: And Ian, and Julie.

Me: (waiting for her to list all her classmates' names) And?

Summy:......

Me: And Kristin?

Summy: No, not Kristin.

I was shocked at the exclusion.
"But Kristin was at your last birthday party, and you had so much fun."

Summy: Not Kristin.

Me: But Summy, that will make Kristin sad!

Summy: But Mommy, I have no more fingers!

So that's why :) She had already counted off her ten fingers.

9 Weird Things about me

Tagged by mommyof2.

1) I can turn off the alarm only in my sleep (can't figure which button's the right one after I'm awake). Apparently, I'm not the only one who does this, as I have weird friends.

2) If I step on a line between tiles on the floor with my left foot while walking, then I step on another line with my right foot, and vice versa. If I accidentally knock my right fist against the treadmill while running, then I knock my left fist against the treadmill on purpose. Have to have symmetry. If I goodnight kiss Summy's left cheek, I have to kiss her right one too, or I can't sleep.

3) I don't wear my running shoes anywhere, not even to the gym. I go to the gym in running pants, workout shirt, and dress shoes. Only just before I get on the treadmill do I put on my running shoes.

4) I like to crumple the edges of bedsheets. It needs to be a very specific kind of edge, unhemmed and of a certain thickness, but once I find it, I can spend hours just crumpling it between my fingers. Even Summy sometimes tells me - Mommy, stop playing with that sheet! Sometimes when I get bored in meetings, I get a high just by imagining that I'm crumpling a sheet edge, and my fingers twitch.

5) I can't enjoy a meal if I don't have material to read. I have to read while I eat, even if it's just a little snack, even if it's just the grocery store flyer. (Most of the time I eat the snack and read the flyer, not vice versa).

That's all that I can think of. I suppose I'm not as weird as I thought I was. I tag Tara and Gauri.

Doctor DoMuch

Summy's pediatrician been her doctor since her birth. He has always been very gentle. He has always listened and paid attention to her, even before she started to talk. He has always talked directly to her instead of through us. It is sad (for us), but he is retiring. He told us so a few months ago, and now we got the final goodbye letter from him, prompting us to look for a new doctor.

The good news is that we already have one. The one whose four year old daughter is getting nominated for the Academy Awards (Summy is the other finalist). How could I do better than the doctor whose kid is going through the same things that Summy is? As soon as Summy asked for a sticker, she went straight for a couple of huge Dora stickers - because she had noticed the Dora sandals that Summy was wearing. Her old doctor, the best in all other ways, would pick out something like Snoopy or Spongebob.

Hope doctor visits continue to be pleasant outings for Summy.

Tagged

by Boo.

I am thirty one today.
I said nothing much - I usually don't, I'm shy.
I want to not seem shallow, but can't help it - what I really really really want is samosa chat for dinner.
I wish that today were Friday.
I miss being in India.
I hear Summy's chatter as long as she's awake.
I wonder where I would've been today if I'd got that coveted seat in my dream college.
I regret having yelled at Summy yesterday.
I am glad I'm sneaking my way out of the second "I am". I waited until it was my birthday so that I could do the first "I am".
I dance clumsily, but happily.
I sing the teletubbies title song at work.
I am not going to let myself walk into a modified "I am" trap.
I cry at the drop of a hat.
I'm not always straightforward.
I make with my hands shadow animals by the light of Summy's flashlight.
I write a lot of non-technical stuff and I enjoy it.
I confuse everybody at work when I try to write a technical document.
I need nothing more than what I have.
I should be a better role model for Summy.
I tag mommyof2.

From the Mouths of Babes

This morning, Summy looked at the wedding picture on the mantel. It's been sitting there ever since we lived here. And she said, "Mommy and Daddy were married yesterday."

It seems like only yesterday, but next week is our tenth anniversary!

Doctor or Miracle Worker?

This was a few months ago, Summy had a cough and I took her to the doctor. I explained that the doctor will help make her feel better.

She was as good as can be throughout the checkup, the weighing, the temperature-taking, the ear-probing, the poking, the prodding, and the awarding-of-the-stickers.

After he left, she coughed a small cough. Then she complained "Mom, I'm still coughing!" She expects fast results!

I didn't necessarily want to tell her that the medicine was would make her better, because I don't want her to associate doctor visits with medicine. She loves doctor visits, and she doesn't love medicine, so why make the visits harder in anticipation of medicine?

Yesterday, I took her to the doctor again to get a cough checked out. She had also complained of her ear hurting on Sunday, and yesterday she added a stomach ache to her list of ailments (she really really wanted to go see the doctor).

Her regular doctor was out, so we saw another doctor. "So she has a stomach ache?" the doctor asked. I waved my hand and said "I don't know ..." thinking about how to put it without hurting Summy's feelings.

"You mean to say that she would be good in Hollywood?" the doctor said diplomatically.

"Exactly!"

"Got it. We have a four year old daughter we're thinking of sending to Hollywood", she said.

She understood, no explanations needed. It is so nice to see a doctor who knows exactly what's going on.

The good news was that there was nothing the matter with Summy. She was fit as a fiddle, just wanted an outing to the doctor.

All's well that ends well.

Forgetful Mom

Twice or thrice a day, Summy does something which makes me think "There's some new material for her journal." But once I find the time to log onto this blog to write about it, I forget what it is.

Today it's the same as usual. I forgot what it was.

Good thing I'm writing down atleast what I'm writing down, or with my memory, there would be no stories that I could tell Summy about "When you were little..."

A New Friend

We have been visiting the swimming pool for the last two weeks.

She enjoys splashing around, ofcourse (need to put her in classes), but the best part of swimming (or going to the park, or out for a walk, or anything else) is the socializing.

Usually the pool crowd consists of five or six year olds who consider it beneath them to get familiar with a three year old "baby". :) There are some very friendly older kids too - there are all kinds. But usually nobody pays much attention to Summy.

On Sunday, she found a baby who was hugging his Daddy's neck and crying in the pool. He wanted no part of all that rowdy splashing around (every two seconds one kid or the other would do a cannonball). She swum around close, watching the baby with delight. When the baby stopped crying to smile at her, she was overjoyed - then the baby bent down to touch Summy's hand, then she held his hand and put it in the water. Then the baby's Dad said "Look how well she swims - isn't she good?". He didn't know it, but he and his son now became friends for life :) The rest of her time in the pool, she hung around with that baby.

When she came home, she told Kiran very proudly that she had made a friend and his name was Alex.

Good to meet you, Alex!

Rubberback and More

The other day, Summy pretended to be the mommy while I was forced to be the baby being put to sleep. When she was tired of the game, she said "Now I'll be the baby and you be the rubberback."

Rubberback (noun): one who rubs somebody's back or tummy, in order to put them to sleep.

I do add those "ie"s to the end of words to make them sound cute - doggie, fishie, froggie, etc. When a car next to us honked last week, Summy said "Did you see that car-rie?" When I said yes, she said "Did you hear that car-rie make the sound-ie?"

Jujubes

This happened a few months ago - how did I forget to put it in Summy's journal?

We were reading a small board book about fruit at bedtime, when we first saw the now legendary Jujube.

She found the name "Jujube" very funny, and it started to seem funny to me too.

After the lights were out, we were singing the alphabet song, and when we came to J, she said "J for Jujube" and started to laugh again. I laughed too. It was one of those things, hard to explain why it was that funny.

We laughed helplessly with tears down our faces, and until our jaws hurt. Then we looked away from each other because even looking at each other would have triggered another bout of laughter. We slept with an occasional suppressed rumble from one of us, setting off the other one to rumble too.

Now we try not to talk about explosive topics like Jujubes at bedtime.

Words

Summy's vocabulary has grown with her, though it's muddled sometimes.

"Washclotheser" is the washing machine.

"Hopgrasser" is grasshopper.

"My hair is all sparkled." (when the wind blew her hair about)

"It's all nooshed." (again about her wind-tousled hair) I don't think nooshed is in the dictionary, but you know what she meant :)

The Zoo

The day after the aquarium experience, Summy and I went to the zoo with my cousins and her cousins. Getting there was easy, because I didn't drive. Summy enjoyed being in their car.

On a side note, again I had mixed feelings about this trip. I don't like zoos very much, and in our last zoo visit the animals didn't look happy at all. But we went anyway because I knew Summy would enjoy an outing with her cousins.

It was noon when we got there, so the kids had a bite to eat. Then there were carousel rides, pony rides, a playground, and so on right outside the zoo entrance, to be covered before we got into the zoo. We made fast time, and entered the zoo at around 2:30. (two and a half hours not bad, eh?)

We went to the dinosaur exhibit first. This consisted of a narrow trail through the woods with robotic dinosaurs placed at intervals. The first one was about waist high, and Summy insisted on staying far away, but looked with interest. The second one was roaring a little, so she clung to me. The third one was large - large. Summy hid her face in my legs and started to whimper. The next one was around a bend and again - big. And close. Summy started to cry. I knew she had all she could take. I didn't want to turn around and risk missing the others in the group. So I carried her and walked fast to get through the trail.

Bad idea! As we walked further, the dinosaurs by the trail started to get larger and more ferocious looking. Poor Summy was screaming when we finally walked past T-Rex and out of the exhibit. Then she instantly calmed down and was herself again.

It was puzzling how scared she was of these dummy dinos until I remembered a previous conversation with her.

"Mommy, Are we going to the zoo?"

"Yes, the zoo has animals in it."

"Just pretend ones."

"No, Summy, the animals in the zoo are real. Not pretend ones."

Doh! How was I to know there was going to be a dinosaur exhibit? That must have been pretty scary to Summy if she thought those huge, roaring dinosaurs so close to us were real. I explained to her too late that they were just robots.

The rest of the visit went smoothly - the animals did not look too unhappy, and there were no lions or tigers in cages. I think she liked the gibbons best. A baby one was clinging on to its mother while the mother was swinging on the trees. Awwww!

I think all the children had a good time most of the time. When asked about it, her smart cousin Aditya said "It was fun, but it would be funner if we went to Sameera's house." So the fun went on into the evening, and though there were no pictures taken, I think the day was memorable.

At bedtime, Summy's own (now predictable) response to whether she had a good time was "Yes. I don't want to go to the zoo again." :) Amen.

The good news is that she is still eager for another outing or visit with her cousins, just as long as it's not to the zoo.

Aquarium

This was two weekends ago. Summy and I visited the New England Aquarium.

I was very nervous to drive a car into Boston (the last time I did, I took forty five minutes to get to Boston, half an hour to find the place I had to go, and an hour driving around for a parking spot). It turns out I was nervous for a good reason, because we got lost.

It is more flustering to be lost with Summy, because questions and comments keep coming non-stop.

"Why are we in a tunnel?"

"Why are you turning that way?"

"Where is the uckbarium?"

"Red light, that means stop." (Okay, that one was helpful)

"Why are we turning around?"

"Why are we going in the tunnel again?"

"Is the uckbarium the other way now?"

"We need a map."

And so on. I told her that she had to be quiet for a while, or we'd never find the aquarium. She sulked in the back seat while I found the way (and found that we had passed the Aquarium two times while looking for it).

She was fascinated by the water and the boats on the wharf more than the aquarium itself. She did like the penguins, the seals, the giant turtles, and the jelly fish. The acquarium looked crowded, and I'm not talking about the people. I wish the fish had some more space, but then maybe then don't really need much space, even in the ocean. I don't know. I think the seals must be bored just swimming in circles all day long. I'm a wet mop, I always find a dampening angle on things. On the brighter side, the turtles didn't seem to care where they were as long as they got their naps.

Once we had lunch in their restaurant (no, I didn't see them serving seafood), we walked along the wharf and had ice cream.

We found the way back home easily enough. And at night, just before sleeping, Summy said those words which make it all worthwhile.

"Mommy, I don't want to go to the uckbarium again."

You read that right. :) But luckily, she does still want to go back to the wharf and get on a boat - so maybe whale watching next time?

Camping In

Today Summy's classroom has a sleepover/camping theme, and they asked us to bring a sleeping bag if we had one. We didn't have one, but we went and bought one as there has been some talk of sleepovers with her cousins lately.

So ofcourse, last night she wanted to sleep in the brand new sleeping bag. Not alone though, and we opened it up and spread it on the floor of our bedroom. We read an Angelina (the ballerina) story and then wondered where the Angelina doll was (we hadn't seen it in a while). Then it was time to turn the lights out.

Oh, it was one of those nights. We lay down at nine, and at ten thirty she was still fiddling around. Around then, I put her in the bed with Kiran and went off to do a little reading by myself. I came back to bed in the dark, and when I was climbing in I saw a little hand in my way. Summy was comfortably spread out in my place. There was about four inches of space on the end of the bed where I could have fit in, but I decided to sleep on her bag instead.

That should be enough to know who's royalty in the house, and who serves - there she was, a little three-feet-long person with her hands and legs all over the big bed and managing to occupy an entire half of it. And here I was, on the floor, on a small pink ballerina sleeping bag, and trying to fit under a blanket one third my size. The only thing that would have made this look funnier (to me, anyway) would have been Kiran sleeping in the ballerina bag.

But we all slept well, and I didn't awake until I heard a shout "Angelina!". Summy had woken up, and from the big bed she had spotted her Angelina doll under her little bed. Yawn! All's well that ends well.

A Milestone

First Smile, first laugh, first steps, first words, and now...

First wink! Two days ago she made a joke, and winked at me. I laughed, so she winked again. And again. And again. She winked for her Daddy when he came home. She winked for her Babai and Pinni. I just hope she doesn't wink at the wrong place or wrong time.

I wonder what's next - whistling? I hope it is, because I never did master the fine art of whistling (my education is incomplete).

Darnedest Thing #3: Colorful Language

Summy was getting ready for bed, and trying to make small talk so she could delay bedtime a little.

She said, "Mommy, I have some problems."

I was surprised (an understatement) - "What kind of problems, Summy?".

I imagined all kinds of things - school, boo-boos, potty accidents, sicknesses, at the same time wondering if she really knew what "problem" meant, before she gave her puzzling answer.

"Brown problems."

"Brown problems?"

"Brown problems."

"What do you mean, you have brown problems?"

"And when I go to school, I have blue problems. Sienna has pink problems too."

I'm still not sure what she was talking about - was this about problems or em-and-ems?