PTM

We had the boy's PTM last Saturday. His teacher says he has started expressing his anger. The boy loves his puzzles, coloring, chats a lot and is inseparable from his best friend H.
R&I with little I dropped in with an Xmas gift and the boy was thrilled. They screamed, shouted, ran around and opened the gift. Dinner was at Mainland China. The boy ate a some portions of Spring Roll and both of them had fun asking the waiters to come over by shouting "Excuse me!". We got home, the boy coughed badly and threw up the Spring Roll.
On Sunday morning we took the boy to Orion Mall as there was a Santa. We were early, the Santa was not to be seen, so we promised him that we will come back later. Off we went to Hosur and the boy actually lay down on the rear seat and slept instead of sitting with his neck at a weird angle and sleeping. On the drive back, he asked me how many hours I work. When I replied he remarked "That is big...a huge huge number" I was taken back by his response.
The boy has a new Spiderman water bottle - the recent new one was accidentally dropped by the school staff.

Below is the boy's depiction of traffic jam in the Outer Ring Road.

Haircut time + tantrums

The boy had his haircut on Saturday. We asked the hairdresser to make a parting but he couldn't. He used a clipper mostly but the boy wanted his hair to be cut using scissors.

He has learnt to unlock my phone and play songs. He has a new water bottle.

There was a flea market in our apartment and the boy was running in between the stalls when he fell and hurt his elbow badly. I cleaned it and applied ointment but he reminded us once in a while that it is paining.

We are in the process of getting him off the diaper when he sleeps during the night and he took it a step ahead. Got up at midnight, woke us up and insisted on peeing in the loo. And when we asked him to do it in the diaper, threw a tantrum.

For his extended day care till 130, the wife packs lunch for him. He dutifully told his teacher "There is more sweet potato at home but Amma gives me only this much"

He has a cough but we are avoiding giving him medicines.

Daycare and a prize!

The boy spent his first day at day care yesterday. The government had declared a holiday and the wife had her classes.

He also got 3rd prize for Cognitive Skill Puzzle in the Talent Marathon at school.

New milk cup

The boy's new Peppa Pig milk cup. It is apparently unbreakable as demonstrated by the shopkeeper!

New toothpaste

and brush.

The boy insists on squeezing it out. And he has learned to do it.

Bournvita

And the boy has taken to drinking it!

He was also on the stage today (a late Diwali program in the apartment), dancing to Lakdi Di Kathi. Considering he is not a big fan of going in front of people, he did quite well.

Eventful week

Dandiya night on Tuesday in the apartment complex. The boy did not want to go. But when he saw the other children and the ice cream truck, he immediately wore a Kurta and went down.

Dinner was at Barbeque Nation on Wednesday. He ate a little of main course and was more interested in the dessert.

Woke up after Thursday nap after throwing a huge tantrum. We did not let him sleep on Friday afternoon. The boy went swimming and he was the only one in the pool.

Saturday was at The Riverside Bar & Kitchen with friends. When was he done eating we gave him crayons and he was mostly quiet.

Sunday was a trip to Hosur to meet the grandparents.

Another Metro ride

This time we decided to visit the Bal Bhavan in Cubbon Park. We took an auto rickshaw to the Metro and the boy was excited to be in the train. He had questions and after getting down, insisted on waiting till the train left the station.

Once in Cubbon Park, we realized the Bal Bhavan was closed on Mondays. We walked around, the boy was fascinated by a horse, and climbed up and down the rock formations.

The boy also ran after the squirrels. There were so many of them.

He also got the much needed haircut today. Some use of the clipper and mostly "cut cut" as he wanted.

Birthday!

Not the boy's. Mine!

A landmark birthday as I officially enter the 40's club.  The boy was keen to cut the yummy cake baked by the wife. After his afternoon nap, he went straight for it. No lunch. I then took the boy outside to the park in the vicinity. Last time we were here, he was hesitant with the large number of children around. But this time, he was comfortable.

In the evening, the sweet couple AA dropped in and we went to Phobidden Fruit for dinner. Nice Vietnamese cuisine. Not very spicy. The boy started with some bits of Spring Rolls, Momos and finished with Noodles. Good ambience and a nice way to finish the day.

Play of words

"What is that blue car is named?" asked the boy pointing to the car in the front as we were driving.
"Alto", I replied.
"Ohhh..Alto is my favorite!" the boy replied.
"What is that black car is named?" pointing to the Mercedes next to the Alto.
"Benz" I replied.
"Benz is my favorite" the boy proclaimed immediately.
Talk about making up your mind!

On the way back, I waved my hand in exasperation at a motorcyclist who had taken an illegal turn.
"Why did you wave your hand?" the boy asked?
"Because he broke traffic rules" I replied.
"Breaking rules is yukky. I don't like him" replied the boy.

"S&it", I muttered
"Dont use that word, it is bad" the boy reminded me. Wow. I need to be careful.

"Amma... Amma...AMMA..." the boy calls out loudly
"What is it?" I ask. The wife was busy in the kitchen.
"I am not talking to you!", retorts the boy.
Sigh.

School hunt continues

The boy's holidays started last Friday and it is hard to keep him occupied.

So after nearly ~13 years with the organization, I decided to move on and yesterday was my last day at work. I have some time before I take up the next assignment. Surprisingly the boy did not ask why I did not go to work. The only change is that now he wants to listen to a song first thing in the morning and one before going to sleep on my phone.

Today we went to check the Legacy School Bangalore. Nice school, campus and a good system of teaching. The fees are a killer and I wonder if this really is the cost of good education. At the same time I am thankful and privileged that I have an option to choose a school for the boy compared to some parents who cannot afford to send their children to school.

Concert

Took the boy to the local temple for a short concert. Thankfully he did not throw a fuss.

Alphabets

The boy can write E, F, H, T, I, X and L.

He refers to them as standing lines and sleeping lines. Any homework involving alphabets, he quickly finishes them.

Dusshera at school

And the boy refused to wear the traditional attire opting for tees and shorts :)

School hunt continues

We went to check the Auro Mirra International School for the boy's next academic year. I loved it. A lot of greenery and for a change, I could feel the ground beneath  my feet rather than some artificial covering of cement or blocks. We checked out the classrooms, the environment was lovely. I hope the boy starts in Nursery as he may end up being the youngest if admitted to Grade 1. The lady with whom we spoke to said she will get back to us. Keeping my fingers crossed.

In the evening we went to Aioli for dinner and Swensen's for ice cream. Excellent service and good food.

Carpenter

A sleeveless t-shirt, a half folded lungi, tied over with a belt, with straps to hold the tools. The boy was not at all happy and refused to go to school. He wanted to go  for a drive and after a couple of rounds in the vicinity we reached the school. He started crying and wanted the lungi to be removed.

The boy quietened down when the teacher told him he can remove it as soon as he gets down from the stage.

Fancy dress hunt

The boy had  fancy dress competition in school - "People who help us". He wanted to be a carpenter and off we went hunting for a costume. We were keen on a belt with pouches to store the tools. Unfortunately we did not get a costume, but we now know where the shops are.

I wanted to watch a late night movie on TV (watching one after a long time). The boy insisted on staying up with me. Reluctantly switched off the TV and went to sleep. Off late he wants a song to be played when he lays down to sleep.

Onam

We had the Onam (harvest festival) celebrations in our apartment yesterday. The wife was pretty good in the Kaikottikali but the boy was not at his usual self. He refused to wear the traditional attire, skipped breakfast, ate only chips, threw a tantrum during the sadya (feast), which continued when we went to Ah/Aa house and again continued till we came back home. He calmed down only after I took him for a walk and was ready to eat dinner - he wanted pizza. His energy levels went high after that, he was his cheerful self and slept late.

Hampi

Hampi has been on our bucket list for a long time and we made a 4 days 3 nights road trip with our close family. We were not sure how the boy will handle the walk at the ruins but we took a shot.

Surprisingly he was quiet for most of the walks we did except towards the end at the Royal Enclosure where he had to pee. He insisted on doing it in a bathroom and there were none in the vicinity. Eventually after a lot of crying and resistance we took him behind a tree to answer the call of nature. 

We stayed at Orange County.

Hand Foot and Mouth again?

Yesterday, the head mistress called today asking us to pick him up from school. There were small boils on his hand and the teacher suspected Hand Foot and Mouth disease. We checked with Dr S and he confirmed that it was only an allergy and asked us to apply coconut oil. That worked.

Today, the boy fell asleep while eating lunch. He had a long bath and by the time it was lunch, he was sleepy.

Library

We took the boy to the library - JustBooks today. His first visit to a library.

Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami day at school. The boy refused to wear the Krishna outfit and wore a Kurta instead. He is not a fan of the traditional wear and seem to prefer only shorts and tees.

School hunt

We had the PTM on Saturday. The boy was shy to sit in front of his teacher. The feedback was that he has good socio-economic skills. 80% of the class want to be the friend of the boy. He needs to improve on recognition. He was quiet and well behaved at school came as a surprised because that is not the case at home!

It is time for school hunt. While we prefer the CBSE syllabus, we want a teaching system that would make it fun for the boy to learn. That rules out the regular schools. We checked out Foundation School once we were done with the PTM. Nice concept, lovely campus, lot of open space. They have only till Grade 7 now. I remember during my school days, I could feel the mud under my feet. Sadly, the schools nowadays pave the open spaces with artificial materials. Cement floor and concrete blocks are hard and cannot be the replacement for the softness of the natural ground. 

The boy has been having a cough for a couple of days. He refuses to drink warm water. Checked with Dr S and he suggested Dolo Dx - 4ml - twice a day. He is better after that.

The boy held an imaginary phone in his hand and started "Hello, I want to order pizza. I want garlic bread, this pizza and that pizza. Ok bye!"

Last night he insisted on sleeping at my side of bed (at the edge) and promptly slid off it during the night. We swapped places, his diaper leaked and he ended up wetting the bed.

Tantrum

The boy threw a tantrum in the morning because he did not want to wear a grey color t-shirt. Bit it and was ready to remove it. Silly fellow (I am using his own words).

Chennai trip

Time for a Chennai trip over the long weekend.  Except for visiting friends / relatives who had dogs, the trip went well. The boy did not want to stay for long in those houses. 

Haircut

The boy has his haircut today. He was enthusiastic about it and sat in my lap. Only scissors and no clipper. But then the hair got into his mouth and he started spitting it out. The hair dresser thought he was throwing up and quickly remove the apron. Not a great finish but much better than the hair falling all over his ears.

He can now recite the wife’s mobile number.

My favorite toy

The boy had to talk about his favorite toy in front of his classmates.

He took his favorite yellow truck to school, went on the stage, said "This is my favorite toy" and came down. 

Homework

When the wife went to pick him today, he came out and then went back into the school. “Amma, I want homework today. Let us go and ask the teacher”

The boy went to the teacher’s door and knocked, “I want homework”.

Teacher – “I will give it to you tomorrow as tomorrow is Wednesday”.

“No, I want it now”.

I want to see where this goes once he starts full time school!

“I am in a call”

Yesterday there was a bandh called because of a river water sharing scheme ruling not in favor of KA and we were stuck at home. I played with the boy in the morning, in the afternoon I slept briefly when he slept. He came and woke me up and I dozed off for some more time. There were rains in the evening and the boy wanted to eat poori and channa. No other option but to go to the nearby hotel and he wore his rain coat, ready to go. 
Back home, he closed the bed room door and proclaimed loudly “I am in a call”. I have done that before and the boy has picked it up!

Monday blues?

Today morning woke up to a cranky boy. What tantrum. Sigh. He wanted to sleep, didn’t want to go to school, no drinking milk, didn’t like me reading the paper, wanted the wife to carry him and in the middle of all this kept asking if we are proud of him and insisted on being proud of him. 

The wife was exhausted. I was mentally prepared to take the day off as WFH is no longer allowed. But then managed to drag the boy to school.

Finally, the birthday party

A birthday party, which, hopefully the boy will remember!

Snack boxes from Samosa Party (This was our breakfast, lunch dinner for the next day)

The snack boxes were the first to arrive. They were promptly delivered at 230 pm. 25 boxes and each of them were personally checked by the delivery boy. We were impressed. The challenge was now to transport them to Play Gym. We pulled out our travel bags and stacked the boxes in it.

Picture on boy's cake - He wanted Dora and Perrito

Next was the cake. We picked it up from French Loaf and that was ready on time too. We reached Play Gym 45 minutes before the party and started setting it up. Thanks to an electric balloon inflator, that work was taken care of. 

The Play Gym decorations

Next was to wait for the children - 7 to 8 with their parents in tow. The party timings were from 530 to 7. The first child came at 5 and the last one arrived at 715 :-) We extended the party by an hour. We were left with 6 snack boxes as some of the parents insisted on sharing a snack box.

The children had a good time and the boy enjoyed it too. 

New cycle

It has been 2 weeks since the boy is down with hand-foot-and-mouth. His birthday party at PlayGym has been postponed twice. We again moved it to next weekend.

Still does not stop him from being cheeky.

"Silly", the boy said.
"WHAT?" I asked.
"I did not say anything. It’s a bug", the boy retorts.

The boy has been wanting a new cycle for a long time now and we felt it is time he progressed from a tricycle to a cycle. Yesterday we took him to a cycle store. He was excited! As we walked along the cycles, he was in awe and slowly tried each one before selecting a BSA Champ Star 14" cycle.

We got home and he took it out for a ride in the corridor. For some strange reason he is comfortable doing only a half pedal stroke. 

Still at home

This time the boy did not make a fuss when his grandparents left. They told him the previous day and looks like he understands.

The boy got another truck as a birthday gift - Maisto Fresh Metal Builder Zone Quarry Monster Yellow Dump Truck Motorized 6 Wheeler. Thanks to Aunty N. No batteries in this one. 

It has been nearly 2 weeks but the boy is still not free from the hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The scabs need to fall off as that is contagious too.

House arrest

The boy is still stuck at home. Everyday, from the balcony door, he sees the children playing and want to join them. Ah and Aa have been strictly told not to come anywhere near the house. Despite that Ah comes to the balcony on some days in the evening and shouts for the boy. They have a long conversation - the boy on this side of the closed door of the balcony and Ah outside it.

I took him out for a drive yesterday and today. Hopefully tomorrow he should be starting school.

Birthday! 3 years old

The boy is 3 years old. The wife baked a nice cake and we decorated it with gems.  The boy blew out the candles as soon as they were lit.

Thankfully I had the day off. The IL's are here too.

The boy got a Majorette Remote Controlled Mater truck and books from his aunt. Super heavy truck! It has got a missile launcher in the front :-)

The battery ran out in 4 hours after which the boy banged the remote. Sigh. The aerial broke and we decided not put in any more batteries for now.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease

"How dare you!?” Something new that the boy has picked up. We pick up his toys or move his books and he asks immediately. It is a new fad for him.

The boy is down with hand-foot-and-mouth disease. It started with a fever, which subsided. Talked to Dr S and he said it will take a week to be free of it. He suggested not sending him to school and not allowing him to play with other children. The appetite will be affected for some days and will be back to normal after that. The boy has got sores around his mouth, elbow and on his legs.

The boy started scratching and Dr S suggested rubbing Fucidin H twice a day.

We checked with the school and no other children has got it. 

Proud of me continues

Peed outside the water closet and I had to hose it clean.
“If you do that how will we be proud of you?”, the wife asked.
Turns to me and says with a sad face, “Sorry”.

Upcoming birthday

The boy was eating yogurt and to prevent it from spilling on his t-shirt, I made a bib out of a handkerchief and tucked it around his neck. “I feel I am in a barber shop!”

The boy’s birthday is coming up and we were scouting for places to have his birthday party. We checked out PlayGym. The boy loved it. They also have a separate area for the birthday party and gave contacts of children’s birthday food suppliers. The loo was clean and they had an electric balloon inflator.

Back home, the boy made a big ruckus to go Ah’s house. And then when he called his aunt “silly idiot” the wife gave him a serious talk and hit him on his leg. He cried nonstop for nearly an hour. He put so much effort into his crying that the nerves at the side of his neck stood out. We asked him to stop crying.

The wife  to the boy, “If you cry like this how will be proud of you?”
The boy, in between sobs, “Are you proud of me?”
The wife, “Why should we be proud of you?”
The boy, “Because, you should be proud of me”

Finally he stopped.

Lunch outing

Lunch at 3oh3. Nice ambience and friendly staff. The food was very good. We had ordered pasta for the boy, I ended up eating his leftovers again and stuffed.

New Question

"You are proud of me?", asked the boy

"Yes", I replied

"Why?", asks the boy

"You have been a good boy today", I replied

The boy ponders for a moment and give a wide smile.

Family visit and dinner

After visiting the wife’s cousin, we went to Chianti for dinner last night.

This is in the food street that we have heard for a long time but never got been there. Being the weekend, the street was crowded. Thankfully we found a place to park and walked the stretch.  The food was good and the ambience, ok.  The boy found it hard to sit still till the food arrive. Since we had some of his toy cars, that kept him occupied. 

New water bottle

The boy agreed to go to school because we agreed to buy him a new water bottle (the old one broke). We went to the shop and promptly picked a blue spider man bottle. He insisted it on taking it to school immediately but we refused saying it has to be cleaned.

Nursery

The boy's nursery classes start today and he made a big fuss to go to school. Pulled my hair, dragged me inside the  school. A happy boy came back – although he fell and cut his lip.

He asked the wife - “Amma, why didn’t you bring my pram to school? I had to walk all the way back!”

Tantrums

The boy was in a tantrum mood today. Got ticked off easily. It was frustrating. He cheered up a bit when we went out to buy a birthday gift for N. Came back home and he wanted to go the birthday party at Domino's Pizza immediately and that too in my car. I told him it is only in the evening and he would not listen. 

A much needed haircut

We were hoping that now Ah is back, all of us can go together. But Ah was not ready yet. So I took the boy to the hair dresser and then he developed cold feet. Cried and pulled away. I cajoled him and while he sat in my lap, the haircut started. This time he insisted on “cut cut” – scissors and no clipper. The cut hair falling on his face and neck irritated him. The clipper was used to clean up but he did not complain.

Road trip - Coonoor and Bandipur

The boy was well behaved and wanted to repeatedly listen to Lakdi Ki Kathi Kathi Pe Ghoda(a song from the film Masoom) and Sadda Dil Vi Tu (ABCD ). The wife and I were so tired of listening to the songs. The buggy at Kurumba Village Resort , Coonoor fascinated him and he waited for it to get a ride to the room. It was a steep walk up from the room to the restaurant. He wanted juice and cake with all his meals. Since it was a buffet he knew it was available.  Thankfully he did not waste food and whatever he did not like, was dropped in my plate. The monkeys in the resort scared him. He enjoyed playing table tennis (out of 10 times, he would have hit the ball once) and tried his hand at the pool table as well. The shrill whistle of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway scared him - we were in the compartment next to the engine which was pushing the train. Although we covered only 2 stations, Coonoor to Aravankadu, he wanted to get down immediately. The boy enjoyed the return journey as we were in a compartment away from the engine.

At The Windflower Resort & Spa Bandipur, the idea of safari in a jeep fascinated him and he would have mentioned it at least 50 times the previous day. “When are we going in the jeep?”, “I want to go in the jeep now!” When we went on the safari, he was able to identify the animals after sometime – deer, peacock, bison.

After we got back, Aa and Ah were back from their US vacation too and the boy was shy and thrilled to see them. He got a Lego block set and some new words he has picked up – “No ever ever!”

School tantrums

The  boy's summer camp continues but his mood on going depends on whether N (another 4 year old from the apartment) is on or not. The 2 days he did not turn up, the boy threw a tantrum and refused to go to school on one of the days.

New toy and screaming

The boy got a new toy yesterday. A red BMW whose door when opened,  the lights flash. He went to sleep with it next to the bed.

Last night he woke up screaming in the middle of the night. I moved him to the center of the bed as he was pushing the wife to the edge and the screaming started. Took a while to calm down. The key is not to talk to him and let him finish up.

He has learned to go up the slide and I read about this! Should we stop him?

Behavior and ice cream

The boy’s screaming has become louder when he is angry. And he seems to have quite a temper. Most of the time he seems to be waiting to be ticked off and then starts crying for silly reasons. Sometimes it is very easy to get him off it - show him something new and he completely forgets about why he was upset in the first place.

We met some friends today for lunch at Fort Kochi and went to Häagen-Dazs for ice-cream. The boy and I ordered the same ice-cream (Summer Berries and Cream). I went out to take a call and when I was back, the boy started eating my ice cream after eating half of his!

Family wedding

We had a wedding in the family - after a long time. Needless to say the whole family had gathered. A memorable time.

The boy created a fuss to wear the new clothes. Mostly he stuck to me and was in a good mood. He insisted on drinking the bottled water instead of sipping water from his bottle. More saliva and food items went back into the bottle when compared to the water he drank. Most of the time, I ended up eating his leftovers. 

On the bright side, the boy can reach the water closet and can pee standing up now.

Dhoni

The boy has developed an attraction for Dhoni. Any IPL match, he asks “Is Dhoni playing?”

Mix of emotions

Last Thursday night Ah and Aa left for a month long holiday. The boy cried and refused to go up to their home and say good byes.

The boy has been spending a lot of time in the swimming pool, especially in the baby pool section. He even went under water once.

It was time to get him armbands - Intex Pool Kids Inflatable Armbands For kids aged 3-6 years

He also picked up this Monster Truck yesterday. Got up in the morning and this was the first thing he asked for.

The boy was excited with his next Flintobox set – it was all about painting and had a paint roller. A good way to distract him and keep him occupied.

Another tip to Hosur today, just me and the boy. He was a bit cranky as I woke him up sooner than he expected. Initially he threw a big fuss to eat lunch and didn’t want to. But after seeing my mother feeding the dogs, which distracted him, he calmed down and ate.

He has grown tall to the reach the lift buttons (just about manages to press the 0) and the calling bell. Back home and there was a birthday party in the community hall. He ate the cake, threw a tantrum when it was time for dinner.

Ouch!

Shut up you ba***rd!

Overhead in the play area, a 7 year old telling her friend when the former’s mother asked the latter why her daughter is upset. 

Phew.

I tried to remember when I first heard the ba***rd word. I believe it was in the 10th grade. 

Children these days catch on fast.

Summer Camp

The boy's summer camp has started and this is what he brought home today!

Bath time improvements

The boy has learnt to rub soap on his own during his bath. And asks for his head to be shampooed.

Today it was lunch at Fort Kochi with I and family. He played with I, went up and down the escalator but did not let her hold his hand, which upset her.

Disturbed sleep

The last 2 nights have been bad with the boy getting up complaining of the pain in his leg. Most of it in his mind as after the complaining in the middle of the night, he wants to go Ah’s house.

As I was getting ready to go to work, today there was a twist in his rant - “I will go to office, you go to school”.”Don’t go to office, I will completely lose it.”

Words from the boy

“I am so bored at home”. “Don’t go to office…Don’t come back to my home if you go to office!”. 

The boy twisted his feet while playing in Ah’s house. We took him to the general physician (as he refused to go to Dr S for the fear of injection) who suspected tissue damage. She gave a tonic. He walks with a slight limp.

PTM

We had the PTM on Saturday and the boy was all smiles and well behaved. He was beading the balls and carefully put them back after he was done. We finished in 10 minutes. All good.
Lunch was at Mama Mexicana. The place looks a bit dated. Service was decent. The boy didn’t seem to enjoy it. He had some Nachos and some French Fries. He was more interested in going up and down the escalator.

I took the boy to Hosur yesterday. He was chatting and asking questions on the way and did not sleep en-route. Ate well and after lunch he started getting impatient. We drove back home and the boy slept, reclining in the front passenger seat. After we got back home it was time to head to a birthday party of his classmate. The birthday boy was not keeping well and our boy refused to take part in the games and dance, preferring to stick to me or the wife. He got excited when another classmate dropped in and was playing with him.

The boy’s vacation starts today. Next Monday onward, his summer camp starts, which is 3 hours per day.

Q&A

It is that phase of life when it is all about questions - Why? Why because? So? And? Where? Why so? Where?

“Whose bike is that?”
“The shopkeeper's”
“Why?”

“Where are you going?”
“Office”
“Why?”
“My boss asked me to come”
“Why?”

“Can I help you make ball ball with the chapatis?”
“We are not making chapatis today”
“Why?”
“We are having oats for breakfast”
“Why?”

Splash pool

Yesterday the boy had splash pool at school. Initially he was hesitant but then loved it. He was all bubbly and smiles when we went to pick him up.

Today he had rice with beans and pomegranate. Weird.

I hate your boss!

Yesterday we dropped the boy at school on my motorcycle. He was super excited and sat in between us. After we picked him up, he refused to let me leave for work. Finally I had to tell him that just as he gets a star on his hand from his teacher at school for being a good boy, I have to go and get a star from my boss on my hand. He let me go.

In the night, when I was at work, he called me and asked me to come back home immediately (“come now!”). No need to get the star from my boss and that is he cross with my boss. Cried, the wife distracted him and he forgot about it.

Today after he was back from school, I saw putting on his slippers. I asked him about it and he said he is going to my office to meet my boss. “I will hit him ok!”

New books

for the boy...

1) Peppa and the Big train
2) Georges New Dinosaur
3) Peppa Pig: Recycling Fun

He has also learnt to count backwards!

February

The whole of last month was a topsy-turvy month – atleast most of it. The boy was sick with cough and cold. On one of the days, he ate only ice cream and he threw up that. For a week he didn’t go to school. We gave him Crocin, Sinarest and it finally wore off. He has become cranky, very cranky when he is upset. First he asks for me and if I am not around, he wants to go to Ah’s house and he knows it is not possible to go there so early in the morning or late in the night. Basically he wants things which he knows he cannot get / be done. 

On the bright side the boy had his annual day on 6th and was excited to travel in an auto rickshaw (his first trip) . Dressed in a veshti and bright blue shirt, he danced to the Pongal O Pongal song. It was a nice and cute sight of the tiny tots on the stage. He got a book “The Painted Crow” as a prize. A very nice speech by Dr Ali Khwaja from the Banjara Academy that covered some of the below points on parenting :-
1. Communication – means listening.
2. Once you give the child something, don’t take it back.
3. Don’t lie in front of them.
4. Parenting is not a popularity contest!
5. Pick the school that is comfortable for your child.
6. Punishment must be immediate and with a reason. Tell the child “I love you” after that.
7. Broken Gramophone record – the way to politely say no to the child. Be polite and nice and don’t scream.

After reminder from the teacher, he had his haircut on 14th without any fuss. He has been sitting and drinking milk in the morning as opposed to lying down. And he willingly closes his eyes when his face has to be washed with soap :-) The brushing teeth activity is a hit or miss. On some days he is willing and on other days throws a tantrum. On 24th he had his Vidyarambham done at Mookambika temple, Kollur. In fact he seems to love going to the temple and spending time there. Back home, he went to the post office as a part of his school trip the next day. He also posted an Inland Letter for us :) He has learnt to wear and remove shorts on his own.

He also started with his Flintobox (Educational Activity Boxes For Children) sets. Nicely thought out activity sets they are.

“Yuk!” That is his way of describing anything that he does not like. “I don’t like milk. Yuk… yuk….YUK!”.
“Aye, I say stop it” is something that he says when he wants us to stop doing what he does not like.

Silly girl

“Hey, silly girl”, the boy called out loudly to a slightly older girl when we were out. Good thing he did not get whacked.

At my parent’s place, the boy after eating lunch and ice cream, decided to gulp down salt to my horror. He drank water, retched and promptly threw up everything. Lesson learnt

During one of his talks he declared that he does not like the teachers in school, only his friends and aunties who help him.

Ambulums (Ambulance), aldeary (already) are some of the new words he has picked up. The boy managed to speak full sentences now. But more than the words, it is the action that he concentrates on while talking.

Choice of words

I need to be very careful about my choice of words. The boy has picked up “s*it”.

Ever since we started giving biscuits to dogs during the walk to school, it has been a ruse to get him ready in the morning. And it works. The wife has to carry the biscuits and I have to hold him / carry him as he is scared to give the biscuits himself.

Ah has taught a high five sequence - 1 high five below the sea, 1 in the face and 1 in the sky followed by “you are a monkey” statement. The monkey part he has got it right.

Snappy

The boy has been cranking since last evening, snappy at Aa and Ah. Today he woke up with a cough and cold, threw a big tantrum when I went out to buy soup for him. We did not send him to school.

Over the past week, he has been whining a lot during the nights. Mostly to go to Ah house or sometimes to paint. Initially we talked to him out of it, but it wouldn’t work. Best way was to ignore it or distract him. Off late he wants to do exactly what we don’t want him to do.

The boy has learnt to remove the diaper on his own in the morning - pulls own his pants, unstraps the diaper, hands it over to me or the wife and pulls up his pants again.

Dumbo!

“I want to go to in the bike” was an early morning statement. And when I offered to drop him to school on the motorcycle, he refused.

When his back itches he starts off, “Scratch my back, it is paining”. 

“So funny, no?”. “Dumbo”, “Dumbo Ah”, “Bad Amma”, “Bad Didi” are some of his current words. Not a good choice, he typically prefixes “Bad” to the person’s name he does not like.

The boy has learned to open the front door and let people in.

With an engagement in the family, it was full house with the MIL, SIL and the wife’s uncle dropping in. The boy had a good time and he was social. He did get bored at the engagement ceremony  and I had to carry him out. Once they left for their respective homes, he asked for them. Initially he cried and then forgot about it.

The boy loves eating pomegranates and papaya. When he went to our regular grocery shop, he insisted on buying a pomegranate and carrying it all the way home. On the walk back, while cupping it with both hands, the pomegranate fell down and rolled on the road. The boy ran after it, caught it and continued walking. The next time it fell down and he ran after it, he fell down and bruised his knees. Too proud to cry, he held back his tears, picked up the pomegranate and continued walking home, determined not to let go off it.

He got 2 bottles of bubble baths - Personal Care Raspberry Vanilla Revitalizing Bubble Bath, Childs Farm Bubble Bath and some fancy twisted straws, one of which he broke.

Bus ride

The boy’s first bus ride. I had to drop the car from the service center and test drive cars with AT options. So off we went and on the way back got into the big “Red” bus as the boy called it. He was in awe and looked around in wonder. As usual, some time into the journey, he fell asleep. The next day, he was awake. It was a challenge to cross the road. Total apathy from the motorists. 

Back home and in Ah house, the boy saw that crayons and paper were strewn on the floor. “What is the mess?” he asked mimicking B (Ah’s mother). He has become a parrot, repeating whatever the grown ups say. 

Some improvement in the use of his tricycle - he has learnt to pedal backwards freely. He struggles to pedal it forward.

Routine

The typical routine for the boy now is get up > milk > brush teeth > get dressed > school by 9 > home by 11:15 > bath > lunch > sleep > milk at 4 > play area > Aa/Ah house, depending on mood he may eat dinner there > home > change into pajamas > sleep by 9.

Last night, the boy woke up crying saying he wanted to go Ah house. The only thing that works in such cases is to ignore him, pat his back and let him fall asleep. He later lay on me for some time and slept.

The boy woke up with the biggest tantrum – no school. We didn’t send him to school.

Long drive with the boy

The wife was attending a baking class and I had the whole day with the boy. I decided to drive down to Hosur to meet my parents. The boy was thrilled with the thought of a long drive and meeting my parents. I was slightly apprehensive as it is my first long drive with only him. If he becomes too much to handle, I decided to turn around and come back home. Since the car seat was at my parent’s place, I strapped him in the front seat and pushed the car seat back. He sat wide eyed, being so close to the controls. 15 minutes into the drive, his eyes started rolling. He insisted on staying awake, couldn’t fight the sleep any longer. His head was rolling, so I pulled over, reclined the passenger seat and he slept. The parents were thrilled to see him and fed him well. They gave him 3 chocolates and he refused to let go of it till we got home. The drive back home was a breeze.

Dr love

The boy complained of stomach pain and started crying. It was not severe as he stopped crying when we distracted him. In the evening he went to Ah’s house to play and he completed forgot about it.

Ah had fever and was taking medicines. Touching Ah’s cheek the boy asked him, “You have headache?”. Today morning he told me “Ah ate marunnu”. Since Aa and Ah went to see the doc, he also insists that he is not well and want to see the doc (He does not like Dr S).

The boy has his school annual day coming up and he is practicing for the "Lungi Dance" song at school. His reactions are mixed. Sometime he shows us the dance steps and at other times his chanting starts - "I don’t want to dance. I don’t want to go to the school."

I don’t want to go to the school!

The chants of “I don’t want to go to the school” has started. Holiday blues?
It has been 2 days in a row that the boy has gone without an afternoon nap. Not a good thing for the wife.
“Accidentally” is his new buzz word. “I accidentally did susu in the jetty”.  “I accidentally did susu in the floor”
I picked up the phone to call my mother and his questions started – “Who are you calling to?”, “What are you calling?”

Year end

The year-end break and time to travel. This time we covered Palghat, Ernakulam and Chennai. I had a school reunion after 26 years in Ernakulam. I could not take him to see my school. The boy behaved well during this road trip. We did not take the car seat as he wanted to lie down. Thankfully he had people and things to keep him occupied at each place. The boy also surprised us by being awake till late in the night on some days. There were few chants of “I want to go to Ah house” but he got over it. During this he learnt to somersault and recite the days of the week. We were back home on 1st evening.

On 2nd we went to Cubbon Park with Ah and Aa. The boy had a good time.

I thought he was settled in. I had gone out with D (who was staying over) after we got back, when I got a call from the wife - “Come back home”. The boy was creating a ruckus. We rushed back, I went to the shop nearby home carrying him and he calmed down. I hope he get used to fact that I may have to step out of home on holidays, soon. 

As I reflect on the year that passed, the boy started walking and talking a lot - 2 things the close family was wondering when he will start doing. I also got insights into how they think and the fact that they observe a lot - what we do, what we say.