Tooth Paste

Yesterday I finally figured out why Diya has started taking 15-20 min to brush her teeth in the morning.

Most of her efforts went into how to take the tooth paste out of an almost-empty tube. I don't think it ever occurred to me that there are other possibilities (e.g., twisting the tube) to take out the last bit of paste out of the tube. :)

Warning

Last Friday I was finally able to squeeze out some time to do a backup of our home computer (long overdue). I connected the external hard drive and started the backup. It was supposed to take several hours before it was complete. So I decided to post a sign and left.

When I came back to check on the progress on Saturday, I found that the backup failed. I was a bit surprised, since the last time I tried, everything went smoothly. The computer log was not very helpful, so I decided to recheck the connections - just to see if there was a potential source of power interrupt (loose connections, etc.) 

Then I discovered the 2nd warning sign! 

The warning says - "Plese rede sine befor touching ... progress square macker - Love Diya", the "square macker (maker - one which makes) " refers to the external hard drive.

If ...

Diya has recently joined a Tae Kwon Do class. Today was supposed be her "White Belt" test day! However, I goofed up the class time (on Thu the class starts at 5:15 pm instead of 6:00 pm) and by the time we arrived, the beginners' class was already over :( .

We were both unhappy since we were practicing for the last 1 hr ... watching Youtube! (Neither of us really paid any attention to what happened in the previous classes.) Anyway, the only uplifting news was that the teacher said that he rescheduled her test for tomorrow.

We were driving back and I asked her if she really wants to go tomorrow. Her answer was an emphatic "yes"!
 
Suvo: Well, if you want to go tomorrow then you need to practice - I dont want to go there tomorrow tagging Aadi along and find out that you forgot everything. Ankur is travelling tomorrow (and it's a Friday).

Diya: Okaaaay ...

Suvo: And if you have to practice, then you need to wake up early and do it in the morning ...

Diya: [silence] 

Suvo: And if you want to get up early tomorrow, then you have to be in bed early ... lights off by 8:30pm ...


[pause]


Diya: And if I have to sleep early then I need to listen the very first time!

Suvo: Yes ...

Diya: And if I have to listen the first time, then I have to concentrate. And if I have to concentrate, then I have to listen carefully. And if I have to listen carefully, then I cannot talk and interrupt you.

We decided to try "relish" the fact that we can communicate so well with each other. The rhythm of if was blowing in the wind.

Dolphin Song

Here is a song about dolphins. Diya came up with the lyrics - on the fly - while trying to make Aadi sleep. The tune is the same as her "Chhoto Aadi" song created by Diya and Ankur (adapted from the Bengali "Chhoto Paakhi" song).

Enjoy! :)

Little dolphin, little dolphin

Playing in the ocean blue

I wish I were a dolphin

So that I could play with you.

Playful dolphins are good swimmers

And they love to splash and leap

They can talk with clicks and whistles

And they swim when they are asleep.

Pneumonia

I recently resurrected our old fish tank and got a Betta fish for Diya and Aadi. Diya has named the fish Splash.

It's working out well so far.

Diya helps me with feeding the fish, and keeping the tank clean (and gets some free Chemistry lessons as a part of the deal). And Aadi is satisfied with banging the fish tank a few times every day, scaring the hell out of the Splash, and then consoles it with some "gentle touch".

Unlike the previous times, a Betta forces us to keep only one fish in a relatively big tank. So, the water remains clean for a longer time.

Anyway, here's the story ....

Diya got up this morning, and as soon as she came downstairs, she exclaimed, "Baba, let's do the 'pneumonia test' ".

It was totally out of context, and I had no clue what she was talking about. Well, she has been coughing for a few days, so I thought maybe she was thinking of a previous clinic visit. But, it still didn't quite fit.

When I asked her what she meant, she explained, "Well, yesterday we were testing the aquarium water. The pH was too high and so we put some chemicals. So, today we should test again."

Suvo: Ok, so what does that got to with pneumonia?

Diya: Actually, we don't have to do that as it was fine. Also, the nitrite was fine ... so we only need to do the pH test.

I got it finally ... it all makes sense if you replace the word 'pneumonia' with 'ammonia'!

I am yet to decided whether I should correct her, or get another kick out of that (ok, I know that's a mean thing to do) ... that is ... if she makes the same mistake again. She has already started avoiding the 'pneumonia' word, when I bring up the context of testing the aquarium water!

Que sera sera … episode II

Diya: 3 and ¼ yrs old, we are enroute to Disney world after we announced that we were expecting Aadi (ofcourse he did not have a name yet, or a gender, not known to us anyway …)

Diya: (during a pensive moment on the plane ride) Mamma, when I grow up I will be a butterfly.

Me: hmmmm…. (dozing off… Zzzzzz)

Diya: Mamma … mamma … MAMMMAAAA !!!

Me: What… WHAT …

Diya: when I grow up I want to be a butterfly.

Me: oh… okay. (Zzzzzzz …)

Diya: I will be a butterfly and fly away ….

Me: (little brain waking up and registering this to me a mildly consequential exchange) … okay you can fly away and come back home

Diya: NO ! … I will fly FAR away …

Me: okay, you can fly far away during winter (considering Minnesota winters, I would do the same if I could) and come back for summers …(it is safe to start drilling these things in their tender brains as early as possible)

Diya: Mamma, you don’t understand. I will be all grown up and then fly away forever. I won’t come back.

Me: (wide awake by now and realizing that this is serious … time to introduce age old tactics of manipulation and guilt) Honey, if you fly away forever, what will your mamma do??? I will cry and cry and cry …..

Diya: You have another baby in your tummy. You play with that.


(Check and mate …..)

Que sera sera … What ever will be… My bee?

Since Diya was 3 yrs old, we have been having discussion along the lines of “what will you be when you grow up?” Amazingly, we did not initiate these discussions, she did. I hope to capture as many of these incidences as I remember in the “Que sera sera” series.

Diya: (3 yrs old) – Mamma, when I grow up, I want to be a bee.

Me: Why? (where did this come from?????)

Diya: So I can drink honey from the flowers all day long.

Me: Ofcourse … you do, sweet tooth.

(Go be a bee my little stinger !)

Little Chefs

It was a hot and humid Sunday evening. We were all laying around, feeling fatigued from the heat. The evening was dragging.

Suddenly, Ankur came up with an irresistible proposition - why not have a cold glass of sangria?! 

The mood changed instantly.

An equally intoxicating follow-up idea of hers was to make bruschetta to go along with the sangria. Now she could do real justice to her home grown tomato and basil!

Our little chefs joined Ankur in the kitchen. They soon started brushing olive oil on the baguette as if they do it everyday. 

A perfect occasion for taking zillions of pictures!

Pretty in Pink

"I look Pretty in Pink,

But I still love my Red Car!"

That's Aadi in Diya's dress on the day Nana-Nani arrived. It still surprises me that Diya smilingly gave Aadi all of her gifts to play with. (I am not so sure if I could have done so if I was in her place).

Why Diya Can't Finish Her Breakfast?

(Alternate title: "Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyo Aata Hain ")

It's about 8:20am on a Monday morning.

Ankur had to leave early for work.

I was rushing to get change Aadi's diapers, feed him a bottle of milk and get him ready for dropping him at the daycare.

Diya was supposed to finish her milk and cereal by that time - so that when I was done with Aadi, we could run out of the house ... by 8:35am, get Diya to the bus stand ... by 8:38 am (that's the precise moment when her school bus arrives), drive like a maniac ... for the next 20 min to drop Aadi at his daycare,  and still make it to my morning meeting ... at 9:00.

Which means that Diya had 15 (luxuriously long morning) minutes so finish her cereal.

Instead when I came back to the kitchen I found that Diya's bowl of cereal was untouched. She was busy making a car out of cereal on her spoon for Aadi!

The situation does not really change much even if her breakfast already comes decorated!

Wheels On The Car Go ...

Aadi never gets bored with cars. Or choo-choo trains. Never ever.

He can play with a car for hours and hours. He carries one to his bath, needs one to sleep, plays with one during lunch or dinner, and holds one in his hands all the while during his play hours.

In fact, he seems to be always mesmerized to see the wheels of a car go round and round. I think that he cannot get over the fact that round things can roll.

Aadi had just started speaking out a few single words. His most favorite ones are "Caa..." and "Wow". And he always uses those two together in the only two word sentence that he knows!

Can't wait to take him to Cars 2!

Momentary Lapse of Attention

This happened one afternoon when we were trying to make the kids sleep in their new bunk bed. 

Ankur was busy with folding the laundry. I was in the basement trying to justify the $$ we spent on my Korg KARMA keyboard. Ankur heard Aadi waking up after his noon-time nap and was waiting for him to come running and say "Mamma!!". 

Instead, there was complete silence. 

Ankur suddenly had a bad feeling about it and ran to find out where he was. She found him in the study. 

Aadi was grinning from ear to ear with immense satisfaction. He just finished trying out what his Didi taught him a few days back. He could now do face painting all by himself. What an accomplishment!

We didn't have the heart to take photos of our newly replaced carpet.

Money

It has been quite a while since my last post. It's not that nothing funny or interesting happened in the interim period. In fact, every day Diya or Aadi does something which absolutely deserves a blog entry.  It's just that I have been plain lazy. (It's so easy to think that I'll write tomorrow ... and then keep repeating the same thought every day ... until all the beautiful memories fade away, and there's nothing more to write.)

Anyway, this incident took place yesterday ... and I had to get back to blogging :)

I picked up Diya from her Adventure Club after work around 5:30pm and was driving home. Diya finished updating me with all the cool things she learnt that day. Then she asked, "Baba, I hope you are not very tired today, and can play with me".

I was mildly surprised by her tender thinking. I asked her, "Why do you think I will be tired?"

She replied, "Well, you must have worked pretty hard today. I know, Mamma and you work very hard every day so that you get the money". I realized that she's uttering back the same answer I give her when she asks me why do I have to go to work.

Then, after a pause, she asked in a concerned tone, "So, did you get some money today?"

It was not a paycheck day, so I truthfully answered, "Not today, darling."

"Buy why?!"

"Well, we are paid every other week."

She seemed to be satisfied for a while. Then she asked, "Baba, can you tell me something?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me where do the people get the money who give you the money?!"

I kept quite for the next minute (the first 30 sec to suppress my laughter, and the next 30 sec to think about what's the simplest reply to her question). We were almost home, and I was not able to think a 1-2 line answer. So, I decided to play a joke on her and end the topic. I replied, "Well, you know every (other) Friday those people give us some money. And after the weekend, on Monday, we give them back their money."

She thought for a moment. Then she said, "You know Baba, I don't really understand how will that work out. Well ... whatever ... Mamma is already back!" And she ran out of the car as soon as parked the car.

I think I have to pay for that over smart reply someday. Eagerly waiting for that "delicious" moment :).

Who is Your Favorite Family Member to Eat?

What a weird question, you might think. Apparently not so for Aadi. Let me explain ....

This weekend was highly unusual … the kids slept in late. It was past 8:30am and I had started to wonder if I was indeed daydreaming. I opened one eye, checked the watch, pinched my cheek and went back to sleep – count (and exploit) your blessings while you can.

Soon enough I heard rustling (instead of screaming – how strange !) and I found Diya padding in with Aadi in tow …. complete with blanket, pillow and a miniature Lightning McQueen. The kids wanted to cuddle and laze around a little while longer … who am I to counter God’s will?

We (I) pretended to ignore the stinky diaper and foul breaths and decided to soak in some quality time with kids in the morning. But, I guess, our growling stomachs took over our subconscious minds and Diya and I started singing – “I like to eat eat, apples and bananas”. Aadi joined in as well but was having trouble saying “bananas”. So I tried to break the word up for him into “baba” (means Father) and “nana” (Grandfather) both of which he speaks easily. We practiced saying baba and nana several times. Once Aadi was comfortable we started the sing along again. All three of us chorused – “ I like to eat eat apples and ________ (here Diya and I paused to give Aadi the spotlight and finish the line”. He took a breath, gave me his brightest smile and yelled “MAMMA” and launched himself in my arms for a hug and a slobbery kiss !!

I guess Baba and Nana were not delicious enough for him, he wants to eat his Mamma. :)

Best Birthday Ever

Suvo and Diya planned a surprise party for me this evening for my birthday. It was just us but it was beautiful. It really was a big surprise because there was no way for this to come together. We had earlier planned that we will attempt to go out for dinner with the kids – nothing too fancy, someplace close by, it would have been challenging but we had decided to give it a try.

Aadi and I are sick – I had fever all night and all day today. Diya is coughing too and Suvo is starting to sneeze as well. It has been raining nonstop since yesterday and it is very cold and windy. I could not even make it to work. We decided to drop the dinner plan.

Suvo got home from work and picked up Diya from school. Suvo looked quite beat up but Diya’s eyes twinkled. She came to me and told me – “Mamma, we went to the store but did not buy anything special – okay”. She was trying hard to suppress her smile. I was too dull to register. I asked Suvo if I should go pick up Aadi (since he looked so tired). He was happy to oblige. On my way out, Diya came running and said – “Mamma, drive very slow” … I thought she was concerned about the slippery roads … but then she added “don’t come back too soon”. Now something clicked but before I could put the pieces together my reflexes yelled at her to go back in the house or she will catch a cold standing in the garage without a jacket.

It took me longer than usual to bring Aadi back as he was still finishing his food at daycare. Diya was hyper excited when we entered home. Aadi was throwing a fit as he wanted a longer car ride and did not want to come home yet. Diya asked me to close my eyes and instructed me to come with her. I left Aadi rolling on the floor and followed her. She screamed “surprise” and I opened my eyes to candles, lit up fire place and dancing strobe lights !!! Happy Birthday !!!

Diya was in her red princess gown all dolled up. Suvo was busy cooking in the kitchen. They had bought a chocolate cake, a bunch of cupcakes with “happy birthday” signs on them and arranged in a tray with candles burning all around. Diya had decorated the family room with all her art work on the walls. She also had selected several gifts for me which included several pairs of earrings – one set was all bright blue, another pair looked like hanging quarters and there were some other fancy ones. There was also a lipstick, a candle and a box of mini oreo cookies which she claimed for herself. She and Suvo had bought cards. Her card had a little dangling paper bird – there was a huge fight as Aadi wanted the bird for himself. Suvo’s card said that I was his wife as well as his girl friend.

I changed into a sari by popular request. Aadi checked out my sari and my jewelry and exclaimed wow many times and then started to pull at these to dress himself up – so we changed him into a kurta. Only Suvo ran around the house in his shorts and vest cooking and arranging and taking pictures. Diya started getting restless about cutting the cake. We patiently waited until Suvo could free himself from the kitchen. Meanwhile the kids danced to Boney M (our favorite evening activity).

Finally, Suvo was done cooking and changed and we cut the cake or cakes. Aadi wanted to play with the knife and the candles but in the end satisfied himself with the plastic “happy birthday” signs from the cupcakes. Suvo announced to Diya that he was going to put on music that “Mamma liked when she was a little girl” … hmmm … what music? He surprised me with a song that I knew I liked but could not place …. It was “All out of love – from Air Supply”. I used to love this song back in college. How did he know about it? I do not remember ever telling him that.

Soon Aadi got tired and hungry and needed a change of diaper, meanwhile Diya managed to burn her leg with the strobe light (yes it gets that hot). A lot of crying ensued from both Diya and Aadi. We quickly changed gears (both literally and figuratively) and got going on feeding, changing, calming and dressing the kids for bed. That done we cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes and had dinner with “Dil to bachcha hai ji – from Isqiya” playing in a loop. Not so surprising end to a lovely evening.
All in all, one of my best birthday celebrations – one that I am not likely to forget.

End of a Tiring Day

Sobering end to a tiring day ...

After an exhausting day at work Aadi served me a glass of red wine.

The off-white carpet in the basement drank it all.

Diya's Artwork