I grew out of it Daddy...

After a hiatus from our normal weekly/bi-weekly visit, Daddy and Arjun went to Dennys to have dinner. Arjun normally likes to have two items from Mach&Cheese, Nuggets and Hot dog list. Apart from his all purpose favorite Heinz tomato ketchup, he also likes Honey Mustard sauce to dip his Hotdog/Nuggets with.

Having said that after placing the order, Daddy mentioned to the waiter that we would need the Honey Mustard sauce. Arjun immediately started saying no, no, no... Daddy was surprised and asked Arjun why he was saying No to the sauce. Arjun thought for a sec and said "I grew out of it Daddy...". Daddy was very proud that his young one is continuing to amaze with his command over the language.

Some More Pictures.

Seems to me it is easier to post pictures and let them tell their own stories than to actual sit and type anything.

This is how we watch TV when we are really really tired, but still will not go to bed until we finish our "TV Time" quota for the day



This is the first ever picture that Arjun took with a real camera.



This is how we watch TV when we are with friends

I'm a Soccer boy

Last week, Arjun finished the last of his 12 series soccer class. He got a uniform that says "Lil Kickers" - pretty cool and he has a course completion certificate too :-)

Activity Time - Ginger Bread Man cookies

November 19, 2006

Arjun is pretty addicted to the well known Gingerbread man story... So we decided last Saturday that we would make ginger bread man cookies....

It was a family effort and Arjun helped with making the hands and placing the raisin eyes and coat buttons.



Before putting them into the oven they looked pretty decent... Take a look



But after baking it in the 350 degree heat of the oven, they expanded and turned out more like halloween ghost cookies :-(



Arjun luckily wasnt too picky. He was happy with those cookies and so was Anand. Needless to say the dozen that we baked was emptied within 2 days.

Priya

Favorite Activities...

Last evening, the mommy in me decided that Arjun was being too sedentary and that it was time we did some running and hopping and get the body moving. So I told him "Lets fly like an aeroplane" and we both put our hands out and zoomed around like an aeroplane. Next I asked "What's the birds' favorite activity?" Arjun replied "Flying"and we flapped our wings and ran around. Now I said "Lets do butterfly's favorite activity" and we did a modified wing (folded hands) and fly around....

Anand was just watching us. Arjun and I were doing the actual fooling around.

Then I asked "What's rabbit's favorite activity" and he screamed "Hopping" and we both hopped around for a few minutes. Then I asked "What about Tigger's favorite activity?" "Bouncing!!! " and we both bounced around like crazy
(FYI, Rabbit, Tigger (the tiger) , Winne (the Pooh Bear) and Eeyore (the donkey) are Disney's Hundred Acre Wood Characters and are Arjun's current favorite)


This took us totally about 5 minutes, and before I could say another sentence, Arjun took over and asked "What's Eeyore's favourite activity?" Even before I could reply he screamed "Sleeping" and then curled up on the carpet and closed his eyes.... Anand and I rolled with laughter.

The. end.

So much for my trying to get him to be more active :-(
Priya

Activity Time - Matching the lids and containers

November 04, 2006

Blog title is self Explanatory... Kept him occupied for a while...

Activity Time - Cheerios Bracelet

November 04,2006

Arjun is busy trying to put the cheerios through a straw. He is trying to make a cheerios (cereal) bracelet for his daddy and his school teacher... Saturday afternoon activity.


Say Cheese... Arjun is perfecting his art of smiling for the camera - an "On Demand" smile, i would say...



Engrossed in my task...



There, the bracelet is almost complete...

This or That?

Typically one of the things that all new parents learn when their kids hit a year and a half is a way to handle the toddler independence. Asking an exasperated "Do you want to wear a shirt or not??" will most often result in the answer you dont want to listen - "No"

The strategy there is to ask the kid "Do you want to wear a red shirt or a green shirt?" Either way they *have to* pick a shirt - You are happy and they are also happy as they exercised some choice.

This strategy has been fairly successful with Arjun. Between 1.5 yrs and 2.5 yrs, typically when I ask him "Roti venuma, Dosa Venuma?" and I get a "Dosa Venum". Or a "Milk venumaa, Mammam (food) venuma?" results in a reply of some sort...

This evening though we realized that he learnt yet another permutation and just was growing smarter by the minute...and how old is he today...mmm...Nov 19th will make him 2 years and 9 months old....

So this evening, when we three were driving back home I asked him "Do you want Maggi Noodles or do you want Dosa?" and as expected his reply was "Maggi noodles"... and then my next question "Ok, Do you want Maggi Noodles with broccoli or do you want Maggi Noodles with carrots, green peas and other vegetables?"

Pat came the reply "I want Maggi Noodles with nothing in it...Maybe some butter". Anand and I just burst out laughing...We sure weren't expecting that answer.

Kiddo is growing up... fast....

Priya

Spidey vs Diego --- Shoe Shopping Saga

Arjun seems to be very clear about what he wants.... For the past 1 year he has been wearing Spiderman shoes. Even when the shoe size changes, and we take him shopping, he had been chosing Spidey shoes.

Yesterday it was time to go shoe shopping again. After handing over the car to a mechanic for oil change, we walked over to the shoe shop. With a 9.5 toddler shoe size measurement (and yes, he co-operated beautifully) we went to that section of the shop.

My eyes fell on a lovely Diego shoe while his fell on a Spidey shoe. I was excited with the Diego shoe as Arjun likes the diego character.



I extolled the virtues of that shoe will Arjun wanted me to help him try the Spidey shoes. I did help with the Spidey and made him run around the store to make sure the shoes dont slip out.
After that he was convinced that those were the shoes he wanted. One last attempt - i asked him what about Diego --- and did what I should not do... "Do you want to take both?"

and his reply .... "No Amma, some other boy will come and take Diego and pay money"

:-) He sure is clear about what he wants.... Spidey, yet again, wins

Priya

Later..Now?

This afternoon's conversation....

Arjun: Amma, can I watch TV?
Me: A stern look at him (He has already finished his TV quota for the day)
Arjun: (Understanding the look) Maybe...?
Me: Maybe Later...
Arjun: (Happily) Can we do "Maybe Later" Now?

LOL
Priya

Proud Papa...

Posting an IM conversation between Anand and me this morning...

anandsundaram: he is so mature, you know for his age
anandsundaram: today...
anandsundaram: in the morning when he was having his Bfast...
anandsundaram: he talked while he munching his food in his mouth..and
anandsundaram: he had to spit everything out
Priya: ?
anandsundaram: and I got upset
anandsundaram: and he tells me....
anandsundaram: "don't get angry appa, it's ok"
anandsundaram: :)
Priya: :)
Priya: yes he is a gem
anandsundaram: I told him I was not angry
anandsundaram: then he asked me..
anandsundaram: "are you upset?"
anandsundaram: I told him "yes"
anandsundaram: then he says " don't be upset appa"
anandsundaram: "I will not talk with food in my mouth...Are you happy now?"
anandsundaram: :)
Priya: he is very sensitive to different moods - nuances - he can figure out what we feel

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually come to think of it, for a two and half yr old, this kind of dialoguing(sp?) is pretty good. Many times in the past when I say "Am looking for xyz, am not finding it" He would immediately pitch in saying "Dont worry Amma, I can help you find it". "Mmm.... It is probably...probably...hiding behind those books"

There was a time when i was upset about something when he came to me and said "Dont worry Amma, it will be ok." and gave me a hug. Maybe I blogged it...I dont remember, but yes this little one has a way with words...

Priya

Is that door open?

It was just another routine evening. Arjun and I were coming back from daycare. Arjun was strapped in his car seat and me in the driver seat. We were just chatting when suddenly he asked "Amma is the door open?" I immediately checked the indicator to see if any of the car doors were open. I was worried by now...Here we were clocking 60 mph and Arjun was asking if the door was open?

When I was sure that none of the doors were open, I asked him if he meant the windows instead and pat came the reply "No Amma, the TV door"... He was referring to the enterntainment center in our house that holds the TV. He wanted to make sure that the door was already open and ready for him to watch TV as soon as he gets home

Phew... So much for worrying about my being an irresponsible mommy and not taking care to lock the car doors before driving...

But hang on... Is he now getting addicted to TV? Am I going to have a couch potato at home?

Gotto go write that up on my "Mommy Worry List" (*grin*)
Priya

WheelBarrow Fun

Yet another Diwali Picture....



Simon Says...



Arjun and his friends were playing the "Simon Says" game. (For you uninitiated ones, this is a game where some one says "Simon says clap your hands" and everyone claps their hands. Simon says Turn Around, Simon Says Touch the ground and you can go on making up things like that)

The last one... "Simon Says Jump up High"

Diwali 2006

We had a Diwali Gettogether at Sai and Amrita's place.

Here is a picture (Thanks to Sai for his excellent camera and photography skills) from that day.



Vennela, Arjun, Sami and Achyutaa..

Am trying to upload more

The spicy toothpaste battle....

We are right now transitioning him from the baby toothpaste to the regular flouride filled colgate toothpaste (Per the dentist's recommendation - he had his 2nd Dentist visit in October 2006) --- and it is a fairly tough battle. Arjun hates the spicy feeling that he gets (and he has never ever liked spice so far) and screams when the paste hits his tongue.

When I brush his teeth, I just let him feel it... I wait for a few seconds when he screams and then ask him what happened. I assure him that nothing happens when the paste hits his tongue and that he will be ok and then we talk about other stuff.

Anand on the other hand is more considerate... When he brushes Arjun's teeth - he makes this big story about monstrous germs invading the teeth and how this white toothpaste (the other baby toothpaste is transparent in color) helps kill all these germs faster.

Either way, it is a mini war zone in the bathroom these days. Some day, this will just be one more default activity

Priya