brown eyed doe

A nice book

Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler

Sylvie learns that sshe is pink because of the shrimp that she eats. So she tries to eat other stuff - leaves, chocolate, grapes towels, hats, with different colored effects.

Finally she gets a stomach ache (our young reader remembered the hungry caterpillar and peter rabbit)

So she goes back to eating shrimps with a hit of dessert and is happy

Excellent illustrations

she learns from the best

let me put this in context for you.

Sophia is standing at the edge of the bed, playing with a box.

i am sitting at the foot of the bed, on the floor.

She drops the box and tries to bend down to pick it up. She cant reach te box.

I take pity on the poor girl who is trying hard and cant reach, pick up the box and put it on the bed.

An immediate uproar and cry

huh?

then i understood it, she wanted to do it herself and I was insulting her ability by helping her. I took the box and put it back on the floor. Now she is happy.

Sandwiches, yoga and the rest

I have, miraculously, been keeping up with the yoga and stretching for the past week, despite the chicken pox.

Husband has been hankering after a sandwich, so that was it for lunch, it took all of three minutes to put together. Gardenia has a lovely mini baguette set for $1.70 for two baguettes. it goes well in sandwiches. (Incidentaly, i have a blue cheese gremlin in the house, couldnt find even a single crumb when I tried to put a sandwich together)

Have been working on a new mobile for Sophia. The butterfly mobile was a huge success. The new one should, hopefully, consist of rattles made of tissue rolls. I have preliminarily covered them in wrapping paper, but am toying with the idea of making faces, with yarn for hair.

Exhibit one woke up before I could do much. Got her a pair of roller blades from Toys r us for Diwali. Very nice set, with three settings, 1 for walking, 2 for rolling forward and three for rolling in both directions. Anjali is currently on stage 2. She gets up in the morning, drinks milo and puts on her roller blades. Doesnt do much else the whole day other than roller blade (doesnt wear any clothes either). This morning, i convinced her to brush her teeth before putting on the roller blade. Very nice set, and a good buy.

Husband and Anjali spent yesterday afternoon at Botanical gardens. Husband couldnt stand spending another day at home and Sophia couldnt go out. They must have had a good time,a s they both came home at 7pm, happy and exhausted, had dinner and then went off again to the market to borrow a dvd. (Of course Anjali took her roller blades to the botanical garden).

We tried the Kumon mazes workbook with Anjali yesterday. She's surprisingly good with finding her way around walls. hardly had to help her with the pencils. Might have something to do with drawing aeroplane tracks from Singapore to Romania to India.

the little walker

This is a rather old video, taken atleast three weeks ago. she walks much better now

At fidgets

I realliy like this photo. It captures much of the mischief

Gauri Kalyaana

Aarti on Saraswati puja day

Sophia at play part II

bubble play with Sophia

The miracle of soap, water and straw



She was so curious and moved so fast that it was hard to take a proper photo.

On discipline and what happened yesterday

Ok, its reflection time.

With chicken pox running around the house, we are not supposed to bring exhibit number two out anywhere until Sunday.

Yesterday, however, was the fun with tots session. In the morning, while taking exhibit number 1 to school, I was wiring her up that I wont be coming to the library and that daddy will take her. Maybe he will take you on the bicycle.

While we were doing this, we were taking Anjali's bicycle to school. It was rather fun, except that in the beginning she fell off the bike a couple of times as she was wearing socks. So i took of the socks and let her to just pedal barefoot.

"When you are better at cycling, you can cycle all the way to patti's house!"

"When i am bigger, i will cycle all the way to patti's house"
========
later that evening, husband and Anjali went to the library. Husband got all the books ready and Anjali said

"I want to go in the bicycle to the libiaiy"

"its too far Anjali"

They take the books and get to the lift lobby.

Husband comes back in ten seconds to get the keys. "She wants to go in the other bicycle"

How she can remember what I mentioned, in passing, once in the morning, I dont know
========
I got back around 7, after buying Diwali clothes for the kids. Anjali has a pale blue frock (she chose the color), sleeveless, and Sophia has a yellow one that patti got for her from India.

Was feeling a bit under the weather, and had a mild temperature, probably had to do with interrupted sleep the past few days.

Sophia was extremely cooperative. she played, first in the bedroom, where she was haappy, eating a stuffed sock. Then she saw the round thing at the base of the fan, which is suitable for manipulation. So she spent a nice bit fo time manipulating it, rotating, lifting, dropping, banging etc

After that, she moved to patti's room, where we played with the store of the toys. Sophia especially likes the market and the house, which make lights/ sounds when she presses, rotates etc. So she explored them, and played ball with me. Her homing device is still very active, so if I/ she go further than a bit of distance,s he would come back.

After playing in patti's room, we moved back to the bedroom, but she wanted to go out. She crawled out of the bedroom, turned and saw that i was not following. So she stopped, crawled back to me and began to cry. Then she stopped crying and played for a bit. Again, she began to crawl out of the bedroom. This time, i got up, as I wanted to go to the kitchen to fix something. So she was happy.

In the kitchen, Sophia discovered something new. She discovered that if you have a karandi and drag it along the floor, it makes a very interesting sound, almost musical. So she explored the karandi for a vary long time, making good music.
=====
Anjali got back close to nine. I was busy with Sophia, who was a little hungry and when i didnt come to the door, she struck up a tantrum.

"Mummy Mummy..."

Husband (very sweaty from the aforementioned bicycle ride to Jurong Library) was upset. Anjali, i take you to the library, spend time with you, all the time you are happy, and when you come home, you see mummy and cry. Is this my reward?

Anjali didnt quite understand that too much, but she understood that daddy was upset with her. But she was quite upset also (god only knows for what reason), so she clung to me while I washed her hands and feet and made noodles.
====
The bed time dance happened again. I was way too tired and really couldnt cope with the "I dont want to go in the rowing boat/ pedal boat/ singapore flyer" routine. So I chose to ignore her and went to sleep. She must have drifted off too.

both girls slept very well last night. Even Sophia only woke up once for a drink and didnt cry. 

Sophia at play: part 1

Moments at Canossian convent orientation

Playing wwith a car in the assembly hall
Thattha supervises Anjali
getting a ride.
A bit puzzled by all the commotion

who is small and cute and looks like a priest mama??

At canossian convent

i will put up the photos soon... been a bit harried with Sophia and chicken pox

We went to Canossian convent on Saturday for the orientation program. I dont think that Anjali really remembered the place from our previous visit.

So she saw all the pictures of jesus christ there.

"Mummy, this is Jesus Christ"

"Yes"

"Where is mother Mary??"

(Note: For Anjali, a baby without a mummy is the worst thing that can happen. when listening to peter rabbit story and how peter crawled through the gate to Mc Gregor's garden, she asks in near tears "Where's the mummy rabbit?")

So even if Jesus Christ is all tall and grown up and bearded, Mother Mary must be there.

So we went to the auditorium for welcome talk and Anjali keeps asking me

"Where's mother mary?"

Sister Joanna (who may be one of Anjali's future teachers) hears her

"You want to see Mother mary? Mother Mary is in the chapel"

So we take it at that, and go to the briefing, which Sister josephine took.

me (Trying to be informative): Anjali, see that Aunty, she is wearing a scarf on her head. What color is the scarf?

Anjali: white

Me: Thats right. That means she is a nun. She spends all her time working for the church.

Anjali (very surprised): This is a church??

Sister Joanna took us up later to see the chapel and the Mother Mary.

numbers in chinese

Since Sophia has not been well, i have been dropping Anjali in school for the past couple of days

Anjali shows curly haired teacher her hands and feet while sitting on the chair.

Miss Curly hair: lau si chao (I think thats what it is)

Anjali: lau si chao

Miss Curly hair: yi

Anjali: Er

Ms Curly hair: sun

Anjali: si

until 8

Miss curly hair to me: She says only the even numbers but she knows the whole thing

later, while drinking pomegranate juice and looking for the canossian convent bus

Anjali: Yi er San si oo liu chi ba

Well...

The mini idli

Yesterday night we were doing our usual "ead a book and eat vanilla routine"

After going through maisy about ten times, I picked up Mr Brown can moo

"Anjali, did they do this book at IEp class today?"

"No"

"i thought they did, but you were asleep in IEP class"

And I went on to the book.

A couple of seconds

"Mummy, I did not sleep in IEP class"

"You did not?"

"No. in IEP class there was a hook"

"A hook?"

"Yes. it was big and geen and iound like a... like a..."

(face scrunched up in thought)

"like a mini idli"

"Like a mini idli?"

"Yes!"

"Ok. what did you do in this hook?"

"I jumped in and out of the hook"

Then i realized that they had played with hula hoops. So they look like mini idlis

Sophia has chicken pox

I guess this is monumental enough to record down. Her rashes began on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night she had trouble sleeping and measured a mild fever. On Sunday they were terrible, so much so that we cancelled IEP (Anjali went with patti) - rashes from the top of the head to the tip of the toe.

I still thought it must be some viral thing, not chicken pox. We called the nurses hotline to ask if we should rush her to hospital but received reply in the negative. Took her to the pediatrician this morning and the diagnosis was confirmed.

I came to office late, after smothering the kid in camomile lotion (Anjali took a look at Sophia from school and said "Sophia is so white!!")

Well, she's officially quarantined. We'll see what next

questions galore

I have been very tempted to tell her to stop asking, but wasnt I the one who told her to question everything in the first place?

We are reading the story about the happy prince

Once upon a time there was a happy prince and he died

Why did the die

because he fell sick

Why did he fall sick?

Because he didnt take care of himself

Why he didnt take care of himself?

And it goes on for about ten minutes and then we move on

And the people built a statue for him

Why the people built a statue for him?

because he died

Why did he die?

(and the cycle repeats)

About half an hour later, we actually get to the end of the story and then

the people found a broken heart and a bird and they threw both into the rubbish heap, but the prince and the bird ascended to heaven

Why the heart broke?

Because the bird died

why the bird died

because it was cold

Why the bird did not have a sweater?

and so on and so forth

What did Europe look like before Maria through a boot into the ocean?

Read the magic boot and find out. (Remy Simard)

Anjali made me read it to her about five times last night. I read the Maisy book another five times

Beans and garlic

Slept late again this morning. I am starting to become a nice epitome of laziness, waking up at 6.30. Husband had expressed a desire for beans, and of course, that made life easy, as I had popped the beans in the slow cooker last night.

This morning, they had cooked all nice and soft and warm. At 6.35, I tossed some onions and tomatoes together in the teflon and then popped in the beans. Pounded some garlic and put it aside for later.

Now, when the beans were cooking, what could I do? i remembered a couple of days ago, i had spoken with a colleague, a girl of the same age as me, who had a slip disc problem.

Thought about my own couch potato life, and how when i tried to pick both Anjali and Sophia up together at the same time last evening, some part of the body twisted. Made, yet again, a resolution to introduce flexibility in life. Began some long forgotten yoga stretches. Not much yoga can be done in twenty minutes while the bean sauce is simmering, but got until the front exercises.

Very heartening to note that I can still do chakrasan and halasan. Met my match at dhanurasan. Surely it wasnt this hard four years ago??

Now, how long can I keep this resolution up is anyone's guess.

Halfway through the sarvangasan, Sophia woke up. She opened one eye, saw me in my contorted posture and thought it would be interesting to climb on my face when my center of gravity was somewhat shifted. I was too quick for her though, and got out of position, fed her and then continued the exercise.

Went back to check on the beans. they were cooked. Turned off stove and went to take a bath. Discovered that exhibit number one had gotten up and wanted noodles.

Gave exhibit number one a choice. Either come to the shower with me, or stay in bed. She chose the second option and gave commentaries like how my shadow was waving a towel on the bedroom wall.

Exhibit number one ate her noodles while reading the long Maisy book (cute though Maisy is, try reading about Maisy and Talullah ten times each session... and pretend to be panda when they go to school. Its more fun pretending to be the big bad mouse, only that it tends toreduce Anjali to tears). On a side note.. Would Anjali worry so much about the big bad mouse if the mummy gruffalo had gone for the walk as well??

Exhibit number one thenn brushed her teeth (because we wanted to show Panda how to brush our teeth) and then i convinced her to take a bath (in Sophia's bathtub, with the blue insert, no less)

Here comes the learning bit. We filled up yakult containers with a bit of soap and used a straw to blow bubbles. Anjali tried after that with plain water (she had tried once in Romania to blow bubbles and ended up drinking some soapy water). I heard a lot of interesting noises while I did the following

1. Mixed garlic in the beans
2. Prepared colored salt for some future art activity which will involve white glue and colored salt. I buy a lot of herbs and they come in these really nice shaker bottles that can be reused.

Meanwhile exhibit number two woke up. As she was having fun, dumped her straight at the entrance of the bathroom, whereupon whe slowly made her way to the bathtub, exploring the plethora of created bubbles in the bathroom floor. At some juncture, Anjali began to wash Sophia with water and the yakult bottle and both girls were rather soapy, so decided to put Sophia in the tub as well. They had good fun.

Nice montessori activities we did recently

Two night ago, we tried curve stitching. It was fun. We got hold of a tapestery needle and some yarn. I drew two perpendicular lines and marked dots on them from 1 to 4 on each line. the I taught Anjali how to go in and out with the needle and thread. We got a nice red curve on a pink card. I'll put up photos soon.

I like curve stitching, it combines join the dots with fine motor coordination, and its good because Anjali as of now cant draw lines to join the dots so much

yesterday, I came back home and decided to get Anjali to help me to glue the symmetry puzzles. So we did some cutting and pasting. Anjali tried to use the baby scissors and we made good progress on using the scissors with one hand and opening and closing them (before she was using two hands to open them). she still hasnt gotten the coordination to open the scissors properly with one hand, but she takes up the challenge of hiding the other hand behind her back and disciplining herself to work with only one hand when using scissors.

I took a break to feed Sophia her porridge and when I got around, found Anjali climbing the top of her cupboard for toothpicks. Was about to tell her off when i realized that toothpicks had pointy edges.

Got out a piece of construction paper, drew an apple and got Anjali to punch holes on the edge of the apple, so that hopefully we can pull it out. Thats another Montessori activity. Anjali put about ten holes on the edge of the apple and then poked at random, having fun poking. Soon, she realized that she has two hands, and she could poke to holes in tandem, so she climbed the cupboard for more toothpicks.

Tried to put a stop to it when the number of toothpicks on the floor was getting a bit overwhelming, ordinarily wont really bother, but Sophia was around, and i didnt want her messing with sharp pointed stuff. Was about to change activity when Anjali made another nice discovery

We were working with the construction paper and toothpicks on the rubber mats around the bed and the toothpicks could stand vertically on the mat. That meant we could do some threading around the toothpicks. It was really quite cool, though Anjali didnt really take much part in it (she was more interested in climbing her cupboard for more toothpicks). I had to dismantle the toothpicks due to Sophia, but I will probably put them up again.

That happens in the house all day

Two nights ago: We were reading a book. Anjali had earlier emptied her daddy's wallet and was currently holding said person's most important document in her hand.

Sophia crawls by to peek at the book (Hop on pop). Decides it is not interesting. Turns around, sees the identity card in her sister's hand.

Yank

Anjali does not let go, yanks back.

Card comes out of Sophia's hand.

Sophia doesnot give up.

Yank again.

The thing goes back and forth a few times with Anjali intermittently exclaiming "Mummy, Sophia!!!"

Something tells me that the best thing to do will be to observe and not interfere. It is good training for later years.

Sophia began to cry after a while. Then she got interested in an ant that was crawling on the floor and dropped the identity card to chase the ant.

===
Yesterday morning, Anjali was playing the colors exploration with two glasses of water (red and yellow), an empty palatte to put the color water in, and a syringe.

Sophia crawls to Anjali (Note: There are atleast ten other toys in the room, from balls to play centers to books, but does she go anywhere else??)

She grabs the tumbler of red water and pulls. Anjali pulls back. Sophia pulls again.

Again i curb my interfering instincts.

while the pasta is boiling

Woke up this morning at 6.45am. Too late to do anything useful for husband's lunch

Put together the following

Pasta with garlic and herbs, topped with olives

Topping of the pasta got done in five minutes flat. How was it done?

1. Slice garlic and fry in little oil until golden. Add ajwain leaves (I have a plant that grows in the balcony), a pinch of chili powder, salt and some dried basil. Stir it around for about half a minute and then add the olives (I didnt bother pitting them, husband has teeth)

2. In the meanwhile boil pasta in salted water, drain

3. put the pasta over the garlic/ olive mixture and heat it up to be satisfactorily dry.

The verdict is that it is excellent. Simple, but very delicious. Right up husband's alley

While the pasta was boiling, I worked a bit on Anjali's things that go together puzzles. I have done three categories so far

1. Things that are symmetrical (six puzzles)
2. What we eat (six puzzles)
3. Where we live (4 puzzles)

i love milk cartons. Usually i glue the drawings on the milk cartons and then just cut them out into puzzles. The symmetrical things got done. Anjali had a nice time playing with them until it was time for me to go to the office

TWIG

Ian Horswill has come up with a simulation model that simulates parent child attachment. Calls it TWIG. i think he has modeled it on Sophia. the page shows a kid holding his mother's knee.

Sophia is alike that, put a toy in front of her, she will get down, crawl to it, pick it up and then return to my lap at the earliest opportunity. I wonder if it has something to do with insecurity as Horswill models it. Further away she is from me, the higher the chances of running into danger.

Some days ago, patti tells me that Anjali had the front door open and was climbing the gate. Sophia sits at the fan and patti in her chair. Sophia wants to go to see what Anjali is up to, but is afraid of getting knocked on the head. So she crawls three steps towards Anjali, looks back, sees that patti is not following, crawls back. Tries to convince patti to go along, but no go. So when I got back home, she was playing with the fan cable and Anjali was climbing the gate.

Funny that when she is with husband, she doesnt crawl back to the lap so often, tends to be more independent, pushes ber boundaries further.

When she gets into a quarrel with Anjali, she will drop what is is going after and immediately crawl back.

What I wont give to know what goes on in her brain.

At the doctor

Anjali goes to the doctor

"I dont want a big ooshi, i want a kutti ooshi"

"What??"

i translate

"Kutty means small is it?"

"Can i give you a kutty sweet?"

Anjali sticks her hand out and takes the blue sweet

"Do you want a pink sweet?" Holding out pink sweet

Kid takes the pink sweet and hold it out

"Mummy, here's for you"

I take it

"What about for daddy?", asks the doctor.

Anjali sizes the situation, loks at sweet in her hand and in my hand and turns to the doctor

"Do you have moie?"

good books

I have been reading several good books with Anjali that we picked at the library.

1. Hey you, by Sandra Boynton (After you have reached the top of the hill, you must go down, says Anjali)

2. Maisy books by Lucy cousins: i have read each one about ten times, am starting to get bored of finding Talullah chicken behind the house, but not Anjali

3. Gruffalo's child: Anjali didnt like this one because the baby gruffalo went away from the mummy gruffalo. After the story I pretended that she was the baby gruffalo and I was the big bad mouse and she got scared in earnest

Is she teething?

Saturday night:

7pm
both girls poofed after going to fidgets. Anjali sleeps on the bus and is left at patti's house (much to thattha's joy).

9pm
Sophia sleeps in the carrier on my way back from patti's house. I put her on bed and crash next to her, without bothering to change my jeans

12.30pm: husband comes to sleep

1am: Sophia wakes up and begins to cry. I try breastfeeding her, but no go. She continues crying. Husband walks her

1.30am: Sophia sleeps in husband's arms, comes to bed

2.15 am or so: She wakes up and begins to cry again. Husband walks her again for half an hour.

====
Same thing happened on monday morning, just later at 5.45. Husband had to take sandwiches for lunch.

====
Turned out that she has a fever, the bug that got me last week. 38.1. The doctor has given her cough and flu medicines with instructions to give panadol unless the fever goes over 39, in which case I should give ibrufen

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This morning she was fine. Woke up at 7.15, drank milk, waited for me to finish my shower, drank more milk and then went back to sleep till 8.15

What we did this weekend

We finally made the trip to fidgets. More than anything, ofcourse, I am amazed by how much Sophia has been growing. She took the toddler play area in her stride and began to crawl all over it. There is a small hill in the area that she loves to climb to look at the mirror at the very top.

Anjali ofcourse, loves the place. She climbed all the ladders and through those cylinders (two times on these climbing apparatus and I am poofed, but not her) to reach the slide downs. Then she ate pizza and chocolate brownie and went back to it again. Fidgets is a nice place.

We left there at around 5pm, and decided that a taxi was too much of a bother as we would probably get the peak hour traffic. So we took a walk to horse city, saw the ponies and then took a bus. Anjali crashed in the bus.

The plan was to go to the UCC for a concert, but we never made it. Anjali slept at patti's house for the night.

The next morning, Sophia threw up her avocado, and all the plans went down the drain. We decided that the best idea was to get her to sleep, so until 2.30 we slept (me too, and I really loved the nap), but not continuously, just here and there.

At 2.30 we went to patti's house and played till 4.30. After which we decided that it was a nice idea to go to Bukit Timah hill.

We went to the hill and walked up the rocky path. That was the highlight of the weekend. Anjali walked the whole path too... fromm base to rocky path and up the rocks and then back to the base. Husbband kept telling that the rocks to navigate were puzzles that she needed to solve. I was digging my nails into my palms wuite a lot, but I think she enjoyed herself well.

We got to see a load of monkeys (Anjali looks at them and says kangayoo, I'll leave you to guess why). Sophia starts giibbering at the top of her voice.

We stop at the cheers at the Esso station and buy a kinder surprise for Anjali.

kids say the darndest things

Yesterday i was totally pooped after work and had to take the kids to the library. Soo it was in my interest to gobble down my dinner as quick as possible while feeding Anjali. Thankfully, Sophia was sleeping in the hammock.

So Anjali, stark naked tried to stand on my knee as I gobbled down the dosa. I nipped her bottom.

Mummy, you are a shoe

I am a shoe?

I have a bandaid

Where?

On my bottom.

Why?

You bit me.

(thats why I am a shoe. i think its a lot of logic for a two year old brain, especially since the show didnt bite me for over a month)

what has been happening

The past few days have been really quiet. Not exactly uneventful, but just nice in a quiet sort of way.

Yesterday we took Anjali for a hairrcut. I am a boy, she says, after snippets of hair fell on the floor.

Sophia has, somewhat, stopped eating the raw beans that I use with Anjali in dry pouring games. In a way it is great as the dry beans make very interesting sensorial stimulation for both girls. Ofcourse, we are still careful to have either me or husband around when the beans get taken out, just in case she decides to eat them, or worse, to pee on them

Anjali and husband had a ball of a time last weekend playing a montessori activity that involved small containers (ice cube tray or old paint tray), a syringe and colored water (blue and yellow). They made every so many shades of green. We ought to try it out with the IEP kids

I was sick like a dog most of last weekend and as a result spent the whole weekend indoors. It is good because Anjali doesnt want to go to the swimming pool anyway (or in the aeroplane, or the rowing boat, or the pedalling boat... no where except the cable car). But we still owe the girls a trip to fidgets.

We read a book called Chrysanthemum by Kevin henkes. Anjali likes the story. She wants to be called Chrysanthemum Curic.

Incidentally, did you know that Cinderella took my shoe and the only reason why I am not marrying the Prince iss because I am already married to husband?

Ask Anjali for the whole story

 

what do i do when the child is afraid??

Yesterday night: 11.30pm.

Anjali and I are lying down in the bed. Husband is at the computer. Sophia is sleeping peacefully next to me, on the other side.

Anjali: Mummy,m i dont want to go in the deep swimming pool.

Me (given the lateness of the hour): Ok. You can go to the shallow swimming pool

Her: Will you come with me in the shallow pool?

Me: Yes, i'll come with you

her: Will you hold my hand in the baby slide down?

Me: I'll hold your hand.

Her: I dont want to go to the swimming pool

Me (opening one eye): Why?

Her: Its very deep. I dont want to go.

Me: Well, let's go in the shallow pool

Her: I dont want to go to the shallow pool. I dont want to go to the swimming pool anymoie

Me (Both eyes open): I can hold your hand Anjali. Swimming is good for you and for Sophia.  We'll go to the pool and have fun.

Her (very adamant): I dont want to go

Me: lets talk about it in the morning when you are feeling better. Want to go to fidgets this weekend?

Her: Yes. I want to go in the big slide down.

Me (cuddling up) : good. now go to sleep.

Her: I dont want to go in the aeroplane, I dont want to go in the rowing boat

Me: How will you go to Romania without an aeroplane? You'll walk?

Her: Yes

Me: Well, you'll be big before you get there.

Her: Will you come with me?
==========
What do I do?

Kolu images

a

Anjali likes the dolls in the kolu. Sophia likes the fact that there is earth at the bottom of the kolu in the garden and patti has a tough time keeping her from eating the dolls and the dirt.

noodle art

This was done using cooked pasta. First I cooked some needles al dente and gave them and a plastic kniffe to Anjali. She spent a happy twenty minutes cutting them.

Then I put food coloring on the noodles and we tried to experiment with the painting. The first layer was the noodles with red and yellow. The second layer was when we decided to see how adding blue would turn out.

Husband says that it looks like a museum masterpiece and even got a book from the library to show us the painter, but I forgot the name.


The butterfly on the right is the folding paint activity we did a few days before.
This is a picture of Anjali's mouth, teeth and tongue when she decided to eat the needles after coloring them

Two girls ride a horse

Bunica can say that this is the equator

Long overdue pictures

At the Singapore flyer.

Anjali was very impressioned by the flyer. On the one hand she is afraid that it is going high and doesnt want to go in it (she keeps me up at nights discussing it)

On the other hand, she goes into the kitchen (according to patti) closes the kitchen glass door and pretends that she is on the Singapore flyer.

Well

a red letter day

The first time I have, over two daughters expressed 250 ml of milk. Yesterday. I was totally thrilled when it happened

video pending

The Sophia circus is quite amusing to watch. I got to patti's house last evening. Both girls were having idlis. Anjali had hers near the window. Sophia had hers near the  fan. Both girls turned their head upon my voice. Both made a beeline. Anjali ofcourse, won, but it was a short contest.

Sophia literally jumped on me and refused to get off. If I put her down, she would play and then get back on my lap at the earliest opportunity. This morning, she woke up early, and didnt want to leave my lap. I gave her a few toys, which she tried to reach, but if I helped her by putting her on the floor, she would cry. It was only when husband came on the floor with a bottle of jam and a few slices of bread that she livened up.

 

Anjali's conversation with Swati

"Sophia is toilet trained" I tell Swati at IEP class.

"I know, i read your blog"

Anjali chips in

"She goes to the edge of the bed, stands and makes oosha"

Swati turns to her

"And you?"

"I go in the toilet"

"Do you have a ring in the toilet or do you go in the potty?"

"I stand up"

I wonder what Anjali's future husband will think when he sees this stuff

Why Sophia makes us laugh

Sophia would be playing on the bed very nicely. She would suddenly stop, drop everything she is doing and make a beeline to the edge of the bed. We would try to help her down. She would stand at the edge, holding the edge of the bed and do some very important business.

Yesterday night, we had turned off the lights and Sophia did this routine. Husband was watching as she climbed back up.

"Nothing", he said. "False alarm"

Anjali wanted moo moo milk vanilla. We got the vanilla from the kitchen and came back to the bedroom

"I want to turn on the lights"

"Ok, you can turn on the lights while you eat vanilla, and then after that you should turn it off. deal?"

"Ok"

So I turned on the lights and sat at the edge of the bed.

I stepped on something. Something wet and slippery on the rubber mat.

It wasn't a false alarm after all.

Kid really knows what she is doing