W(h)at(about)er the bottle?

V lost his water bottle. It was one of the most user (child and parent) friendly bottles I've come across and cost only around Rs. 60. All good things have to come to an end and we could n't find that bottle. It was time for a new one. So V and I went bottle-hunting. There was this good (and sturdy and supposedly odourless) 'sports' bottle at a super-market but it cost around Rs. 200 and I chucked the idea.
First stop- We walk into this books and toys store. There are some but I did n't like any. V suddenly yells, 'Amma, I want that one. N (remember his best friend from school?) has the same.
It was one of those narrow necked, ready to spill any time type with an unpleasant plastic smell.
Me-No V not that one
V-No I want that only
Fortunately the only piece available was broken.
Me- This is broken. Not good
V- Not gooda? Ok

We walk into another store. Unfortunately there are three pieces of the dreaded bottle.
V-Ammaaaaa....I want that Mickey Mouse bottle.
Me-Ok. will you use it properly?
V-Yes amma. N drinks from it daily...(Daily is a word he uses to refer to always, regularly etc)

We get back home.
V-Amma, fill the new bottle with water.
Me-Wait V
V-Now only Amma
Me-I have to wash it first
V-Is it dirty?
Me-Yes
V-Ok
After 2 minutes
Amma- Have you washed it?
Me-No. I've filled it with warm water. Will wash it later

Two minutes later
Amma, have you washed it?
Me- no, you finish your dinner. I'll wash it with soap and give it to you
Two minutes later,
Ammaaa...
Me-Wait V

Remember, 'Santhaiku ponnum Aatha vaiyum kaasu kodu', from '16 vayathiniley', where a scheming 'Parattai' (Rajinikanth) delays a flustered 'Chappani'(Kamal) from going to the market and this prompts the latter into getting into a whining mode?
V gets into that mode some...no...many times. Thankfully there are no 'Parattais' around!
Half an hour later, V finds the bottle on the table pours some water into the tumbler and says,
Amma, the water is cold.
Me-Yes. I've washed it.

He tries to drink the water. It is a difficult chore though. But he asked for it and I leave him at that.
Next morning, V is still asleep and would have to get ready in 10 minutes to reach school on time.
Me-V get up.
V, asleep on his Thatha's shoulder does n't open an eye-lid.
Me-V, wake up.
No response.
Thatha- He probably is too tired.
I  touch him and ask, 'Do you want to go to school today?'
V- shakes his head and mutters, 'No', his eyes still closed
Me-Ok. Don't go. But you will not be able to show your new bottle to N
V opens his eyes in a flash, gets down from Thatha and says, Amma Schooluku poren' (I'll go to school)

P.S 1: V is not comfortable using the bottle
P.S 2: A casual converstation with N's mom revealed that N too was n't able to drink from the bottle but insisted on carrying that because it had a picture of her favorite cartoon character. 
P.S 3: This bottle cost me Rs. 150

What were we upto?

Basically getting used to the new addition- the baby, her new clothes, newer stuff, more new clothes, newer baby antics (here I refer to the older baby) etc etc.

V is vacillating from being a lovable older brother to an uncontrollable brat. Picture this. He refuses to have his bath but would love to give the soap a wash. So when I gleefully put him in his tub (he has one but it is not the baby's-a point that he lays stress on anytime someone asks him) thinking it would be a good pretext for giving him a bath he insists that he get in with his shirt on or bawls when water splashes on his upper body. On other occasions he tells the world that his mother never allows him to have a bath!

What was I up to? Nothing much...well, apart from taking care of the babies that is! But managed to sneak in to the Book fair not once but twice. The first time with V requires a separate post and that will come later.
Found some new (for me that is) baby shops. More on that in another post (Now how many and when..that I can't tell)

This is basically a comeback post, so I'll leave with some V talk-

V is drinking juice and he finishes it in no time.
H-Do you want a re-fill?
V-What is re-fill
H-To fill the cup again
V-Fulla halfa?
H-Full
V-Then appa, it is Re-full and not re-fill

Happy New Year!

The only thing I really wish for the coming decade is consistent weather and climatic conditions across the globe. Frankly I expect very little change in the first few years until the whole world changes its ways (being optimistically pessimistic, the husband says). I also hope the environmental concerns are addressed diligently.
My contribution- I am hoping to cut down on baby T's diapers.
Other expectations (See no resolutions!!)-We are hoping V gets admission to a school that all of us are happy about!

When I look back I am surprised that I have realized this late that of the three decades of my life the first two have been spent as a student attending schools, but most learning has happened only this decade!
A Very Happy New Year to all!

He knows what he knows...

V came from school one day, a little late than usual (He's being dropped by a van).
Me: Is anyone else being dropped before you?
V: Yes
Me: Who?
V: Akshada
Me Who... Akshad-a?
V: No Amma Akshada....girl...ladies ladies (note the use of ladies instead of lady!!)

                                                *****
We come back after visiting the doctor and
Paati- Doctora paathiya? (Did you see the doctor)
V-Yes
Paati- Enna sonna...Marunthu yethavathu koduthara? (What did he say? did he give any medicine?)
V- Illa verum paperthaan koduthaa (No, he just gave a paper, referring to the prescription)

                                                *****
V's school conducted a project day and his class's topic was North India.
One evening H and I were talking about visiting a temple when V chipped in,
V-Let us go to the Golden temple
Me (beaming and hoping to spread the news of the child's knowledge to the world)-Where is the Golden temple?
V- At school

Before anything else...

Some 'V Talk'...


'Enna paati...pazham sudutha'


The above is a very popular conversation (supposed?) between Lord Muruga and Avvaiyar as represented in the films 'Avvaiyar' and Kandan Karunai.
In the guise of a shepherd, sitting on the branch of a Jamun tree (nava pazham), the Lord asks a tired Avvaiyar if she wants hot (sutta) or cold (sudatha) fruit. The poet laughs at the child's ignorance and says she will have cold fruit. When the fruits fall on the ground the poet picks them up and blows away the dust at which Muruga asks if the fruit is hot thus revealing who he is.

Some mornings H has the classic 'pazhayathu' (rice soaked overnight in water) with buttermilk for breakfast. He does a tea vendor act while mixing the rice and buttermilk. V chose that morning to do a Lord Muruga ...
V- Enna appa...Mor sudaratha (Why appa...is the butter milk hot?)

V the detective


One day V's best friend N was supposed to visit us. V was exited throughout the day. However, in the evening, N's mother called to say that her older son had made some plans without her knowledge and that they could n't come that evening.
V was extremely disappointed and I had to use the only believable soothing technique and told him that N was sick and had to be taken to the doctor. Nevertheless he kept asking me a hundred times why N did n't come and I repeated the same thing.
The next day, he came back from school and asked me yet again..
V: Amma, Why did n't N come yesterday?
Me: I told you...She was sick
V:  I asked her...She said she had gone to a friend's house ( and walks off without pausing to give me a look)
Me: (Need I even say what my face looked like??)

A Month later- Baby T and Big brother V

It's been a more than a month now since Baby T entered our lives and as always it is chaos. The nights and days are blurred and I can hardly read! Wish I were into confinement without being tempted by books, internet and the people who make the already difficult days more difficult that I have no choice but to resort to books and the internet-hope that explains the bad eye-sight.

A big brother emerges


V's behavior has been on predictable lines. He is co-operative when least expected (which is the case most of the times) and at the other times I have two kids crying for shoulder space. The initial week was very tough for him. At every given opportunity he would help me with anything from trying to put my feet on the bed, to handing over the feeding pillow to staying close to T when I was away from the room. But in all of the above I could sense a feeling of insecurity. Now he seems to have accepted the fact that the baby is here to stay and his day begins with a 'good morning' to the baby, checking if her nappy is wet, baby-talking (who?) to her and
most of the time he does what he is best at doing-Talk.

One day he wanted the baby to be placed on his lap. In a few minutes she did 'su-su' on him. Before he could react all of us  cheered him saying that the baby likes him a lot. What could have been a frown turned into a grin and he retorted,
'Naan enna toileta?' (Am I a toilet?)

A few days later the same scene was enacted. This time before he could let me place T on his lap, he stood up, removed his trousers and became 'ready' to hold his sister.

P.S: I am glad I got this out of the system. Almost contemplated to quitting blogging (read posting):)

It's a girl!!

I had packed the bags for the hospital by October end and had declared (threatened) to the household that the baby will be born before Deepavali (Second time mom's instinct you see). That passed.
Then I announced that the baby is going to be a Deepavali release amidst the chaos and crackers. (Instinct, instinct). That too passed.
When 'the Jal' took the city by storm I was very sure we were going to do an "Anjali film" act and rush in the rain even as storm hissed past us. That stormy night too passed.

Next morning it was sunny and bright. So I declared- "It is definitely going to be next week on the expected due date. Bring out the vacuum cleaner. I have to clean the house". The husband and my father who were detained at home on various occasions the previous weeks were packed off to their respective places of work. (Instincts instincts, very strong instincts)

AND SO,
Two hours later I was driven to the hospital and our baby girl was born!