Watch your word

Me: What did you do in school today ?
Achu continues to do and say which doesn't have the slightest relevance to my question....
Me: ACHU WHAT DID YOU DO IN SCHOOL TODAY....?????
Achu: huh! what........
Me: ( let me give it a different approach) Achu what snack did they give you today?
Achu: hmmmmmmmmm! samosa and biscuit
Me: ( Ok we have a related answer...here goes) Ok good so what did the teacher write on the board?...First tell me about maths....
Achu: Come I'll show you on my board.....
Me: YES :):):):)
Achu picks up a chalk and says "Amma, Before and After"
I wonder if my son is reminding me about the weight loss regime I registered for months ago ...with a slim chance of me attending it ( the only thing that's slim in the deal )
Then I figure out that it is just the "What's missing in the sequence" question
We do a couple of rounds of it and then I ask " Achu what did you do in English baby?"
"go,so, to, no" he wrote on the board
 Sheri (ok).. let's make sentences

We took turns in writing them
And Achu boy was good at it :)
We finished all the four words... two each
Now Achu said he wanted to do the words he didn't get to do
And I gladly agreed
And then.....
" Achu now your turn ...'No' "
Achu wrote " No. Not go in"
"No, No, No Achu that is wrong... correct it or find another sentence"
Achu: Ok Amma I will....
He rushes to the board and writes "No.No.No."
Me: !!!!!!!
Achu: You just said that Amma (very pleased)
Me: Smarty pants ....Huggy-buggy :)

Jig-saw me

I did blog about the games we play but didn't mention jig saw puzzles because Achu and I don't have the patience to 'work' on jig-saw puzzles. The proportions differ. Achu is okay with jig-saw while I am not so close to being ok with it.

Achu does play with his jig-saw set. Sometimes its after dinner/lunch with Ammumma. And sometimes he sits with his nanny. Poor nanny would have to set the puzzle while our little fella behaves like a boss.

So today we were having a Nanny-and-I-are-jigsawing episode. They had set right 2 out of the four Noddy Puzzles. And were they glad. Achu glad 'he' did it and Nanny glad its half way done.

Achu runs out of his room and asks me to come and see the result. I praise the duo. Tell them to work on the other two and begin to leave the room.

Achu comes to me " Amma carry me will you?"

I readily do the needful :)

He hugs me tight and says " Amma I need a jig saw of this"

Me :"What?"  

Achu: "Amma take a snap of 

- you bending to lift me

- then carrying me

- then me hugging you

and make a jig-saw for me"

Me: What an idea!!!!

Reels in my head 

• Must see if I can find somebody who can do that for me
• Nice idea for a birthday gift
• Is my son missing me ?
• Have to spend more time with him.

Update: While I was browsing for a background I found out that it wasn't a very new idea afterall and there are lots of ppl who have made a business out of it ...but hey for the Achu Household its still a moment of pride just that the 'invention' becomes a 'discovery' :D

Invincibly Invisible

Two of my blog world friends Niv and Mamma of twins happened to touch on this subject and I thought I should do my bit…..

Achu is known for his acting skills and sometimes....he takes it too far …..

Backdrop 1: Acha is back from office and he spots Achu in the drawing room happily playing.

Suddenly Achu runs behind Acha and screams “Appupa njan evidey illa” (Grandpa I am not here!!). Signals me to remain quiet on his whereabouts and walks behind him shrieking away to glory.

Backdrop 2: We are about to leave for a family function and Achu is asked to get dressed. I leave a kurta and pants on his bed and leave him in his room for his nanny to dress him up.

Achu screams “Amma yenika kurta vendaaaaaaa…idhulaaaaaa” (I don’t want this kurta….I won’t wear it). Silently has a wash, wears the outfit and then keeps shouting “Idhula” ( won’t wear ) with interim giggles while am getting dressed in the other room and HAVE to shout “ Please kutta” , “Please Monnu” and the likes.

Then he walks out of the room mummified by a towel with an evident part of his costume showing “Njan oodupu matilla amma” (I didn’t change my dress). My response “yendhu kutta? Please” (why …please)!!!!!!!!!

Backdrop 3: As a sequel to 2, he slowly slides into the back seat of the car (sure the towel is pulled away or thrown away on the closest sofa/ non-living thing (grrr from ammuma) or floor (growl from ammuma)

The little brat winks at me and convinces me in a highly audible voice “Amma, acha-neduthu parey Achu vanilainnu” ( Amma tell Acha Achu hasn’t come!)  ….You know what happens next don’t you..?

What happens if we don’t have the I-am-totally-surprised look ?

Guarantees recitations of the Itchichi mantra on you until he spots his next prey.

What happens if you want to please him and stay surprised?

You’ve earned yourself a huggy-buggy moment … I'd do anything for that you know.

M never reacts surprised as he thinks we are just making Achu act like a fool. Condolences M for loosing the ‘child’ in you *snigger snigger*

Spell Well

Achu has learnt to spell the numbers one to ten...but he hates seven and eight ...he always skips spelling out these 2 numbers

Drop in and u will find him singing and spelling out the numbers....his pastime for the season...errr week...errr day... :)

Remember he loves numbers.....

Today morning he came up to me and said ...Amma I know how to spell eleven and twelve...

Impressed .....wow my son has learnt more than what he is taught at school !!!!!

I ask him " Tell me , Tell me Achu "

Achu darling sings aloud " O-n-e O-n-e  Eleven "...."O-n-e T-w-o Twelve"

Me...!!!!!!!! and then it was huggy-buggy time

The Case and Verdict

Points against little Achu and big me
- He day dreams in class
- He smiles to himself
- He doesn't mingle with the other kids
- His Ws have their mouths wide open
- His 3s don't look good
- U work
- U are not spending time with him
- U don't know what's happening at school

And then she explained what she taught the kids all through the month with me nearly feeling dizzy and totally guilty......

Facts of the Case

- Achu watches too much of Mr.Bean and so he often morphs into Mr.Bean himself....that explains the talking and smiling part
- Achu day dreams when he is bored and knows what is being told....don't all boys do that?
- Achu has always done self play....no neighbors his size, no relatives close by his size...so where is the question of mingling....he is kinda choosy with who he plays...a true cancerian
- He will be jus 5 tomorrow and I don't want to pressurise a 5 yr old to get his Ws and 3s right...they will be good when they have to...( though I know of a dozen kids who can write the alphabets in reverse and count to 100 )
- I work but I do spend time with him....maybe not like the other moms ...maybe lacking a bitta quality...but M and I make it a point to sit with him when he does his homework
- My boy comes back home and sings a song or narrates a story he heard at school...BUT does not tell me what lessons were taught....maybe that's where his interest lies
- I came back home and asked Achu all that the teacher told me....questioned him...asked him to draw it on the board....and to my delight he could recollect every single thing the teacher had done at school

The verdict

So the next day i went to school with all the good news and she was glad he was attentive though he seemed disinterested.

She said it was good I got back to her.

So we mutually agreed to

1. Meet weekly to pass on what happened during the week
2. Get him to join drawing or dance ( she was surprised to know he took part in dance and singing in Pre school and lkg)
3. Make him write something on the lines everyday ( I guess a little bitta writing will get him used to the idea of having to sit in one place for a ten minute stretch :)...)

Personal steps

1. No more Mr.Bean. The theme of his 5th birthday was to be Mr.Bean. But it isn't anymore. Must get this guy out of my son's system
2. A desk tops Achu's birthday gift list
3. Don't miss a chance to hug my lil boy...he's a bright little boy you know :D

Woh! Achusuto

My lil one is Achusuto.

The brave Japanese martial expert. He can pound a dozen bricks with ease and lift the heaviest rock in a jiffy and still skillfully dance as light as a feather.

The Day : Annual Day @ Bhavan's

Behind the scenes : The hunt for the 'proper' Kimono ended when M (Achu's classmate N's mom) called me and let me know there was one shop jus a few blocks away from office which had 'the' Kimono. Thanks M. We went for a trial , gave in measurements for alteration and booked the suit. Actually M had booked for red and I thought I will book another color but then after a bit of confusion on my side and his the owner confirmed that I could only have a red Kimono. And I submissively agreed. Grrrrrr!

On D Day: Achu had to be dropped off at school at 4.15pm so he couldn't have his usual afternoon siesta. Initially he didn't show much interest in dressing up causing a slight level of panic ...who panics?...me of course :)......Then he finally agreed to be the good boy he normally is and got ready very fast. Clicked a few snaps in Ammamma's garden then left to school. I had to go drop Achu and catch a seat for M who was getting the camera ready for the event.

The dance: The theme of the day was 'Seasons'. We wondered how a Japanese dance would fit into any of the seasons we have. We waited.....enjoyed the colours of the seasons ...with kids dressed as daisies , butterflies, animals, santa claus, snow men. They danced into our hearts. But my mind spelt" When does my child perform?....Don't know what he is upto?...is he crying?...he missed his nap....he only had one lil glass of milk..he must be hungry...why do they have to have his dance at the end???

   And then he came ...Achusuto, in all his grandeur...he swiftly moved across and swished his fan with tremendous speed ...and ...and ..and it was over....that's it?....Was a short performance ...but a cute one :)..Did M get the whole video? ...yes he did but without the audio on :(..There were more performances....all of them so ethusiastic...The wait didn't cause any kind of discomfort!....It was a lovely show. Witnessed a lot of proud parents and grandparents kissing and blessing their lil ones for their outstanding performance...For us it was a huggy buggy moment :)

Smile and I shall read

I knew by the look on Achu's face that he didn't want me to go to Delhi. When I was ready and gave him a hug his face didn't have that smile ...that smile of excitement...that smile that said "Amma I'll be fine with Ammumma and Appuppa "....His face had " I'll miss you" all over it...Knowing his face was mirroring his heart he washed the expression off in moments and told me "Amma marakhadhey train vayinchitu vareneeee.........."(Don't forget to buy me a train)...I nodded and left half heartedly....

We had to go to Delhi this week on an official assigment but the fog in Delhi got worse and our flight got cancelled :):)..When we got back home achu was asleep....I kissed him and gave him a hug:)

The next morning Achu gave me the smile I wanted....The Real Smile ...of joy...of contentment....and I reciprocated right from my heart ....
Achu: Amma yendh patti?...( what happened?)
Me: Bad weather so the plane didn't take off
Achu: Bigggg Smile and a huggy-buggy moment ...sighhhhh

Later during the day we were to go to M's place and so was getting dressed
Achu: evadhey ponnu amma ( where are u going?)
Me: Arinjudhe? ( don't you know?)
Achu : Najannum varinaaa ( Am I also coming?) - his face lost its initial smile beacuse he had my Delhi trip still in his tiny mind and heart and thought I was getting dressed to go to Delhi.
Me: Monnu we are going to Achacha's house get dressed now ...fassst
Achu: There was that smile I always crave for...yet again

Achu...Amma loves you so much and can read your mind and heart with equal precision
Just smile and I shall read......... 

Ah! The Charmer

Amma wasn't in town for a couple of days so was handling ALOT of things (The worlds best Manager happens to be my mom)...Achu loves to have his fish and chicken....The first thing he scans for on his platter is for the high protien / omega-3 fatty acid food. So I have to pick up some NV when I go get him from school...go home and cook it for him for lunch....

Today I did just that...fried a piece of fish and placed it on his plate
when he came in for lunch...
Achu: sniff sniff...hmmmmmmmmmmm yummy
Me : endha da ( what da?)
Achu: Fichhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :):):):)
Me: yessssssssss :):):)
Achu : (started eating the fish and rice with so much ethusiasum)
Suddenly he stopped looked at me and
Achu: Thank you amma for the fich...(in a sing-a-song-way) sooooperarikunnu
Me: Awwwwww kutttaa ur welcome
And the rest if u have already guessed (((huggy-buggy))) :D

Yup! The bedroom my Playground

Achu loves his ammumma's and appupa's bedroom a lot...why?

• There are zillions of lil tit bits he can get his hands on ...all he needs to do is make a :( face
• The cordless phone...which visits the doc almost every week
  
• The visiting card stack...very boring but doesn't fail to excite him every time
  
• The side drawers filled a red and green bag pen's, pegs & pencils  ( in all levels of utility rated 0 to10...0 unusable 10 in the process of becoming unusable), punching machine ( I know he had a go at it if I find millions of multicolured dots all over the room when I get back ...and achu screams...amma dots kandhaaaa ...amma saw the dots...), stapler, gum ( most of the magazines in the room have all the pages randomly either stapled or stuck)
  
• The cloth stand that functions as a tent or climbing bar and when he wants to irritate appupa...he pulls down all of appupa's clothes on it and runs for his life...yeah all he gets when he is caught is a huggy-buggy moment
• The mirror - Achu loves to talk in front of the mirror...sometimes feel he will be a good actor...all the 10 - navarasas... yeah 10 there is this face that only achu can make...can't name the expression hehehehe
• The powder cans - He loves to put the powder all around the place....on the mirror, dressing table, floor, in the piggy bank, on me grrrrrr
• A mat - He loves to put the mat on the floor take his pillow and lie down ..that's pretty ok....then he asks me to roll him in it and then stands up....and falls...stands up...and falls...stands up and ...u know what
• A cupboard full of  stuff ranging from unwanted gifts got to old photos
• A fridge - he investigates the contents and fishes out a snack or jus opens it cause 'coolakinnu' (its cool)
• The TV - He loves to watch his takeshi's , mr.bean, bheeeeem and the like and wonders why we don't have a TV in our bedroom
  
• The bathroom - At intrevals I have to drag him to the bathroom and itchitchi amma moment that is. Ammamma gives him his bedtime bath which he loves and gets both of them totally wet
• THE BED - Whew!....Wonder if all children crossing 4 jump on the bed....he LOVES to jump...and all the three of us ( appuppa, ammumma and me) shriek & scream and pray he lands safely on the bed....It doesn't take much time for a 15kg mass to flop on the floor...the saga continues....far from heroic I guess

ZZZZZ! Winkie's partner or what!

Why do young brats have such irregular sleeping patterns????....how does their system work so efficiently with so little rest???? If there be a medical explanation jus forget it...I don't wanna know 'cause I live with a 4 year old and I would like it if he jus follows our pattern....

Getting Achu to sleep is like tring to get M to appreciate women...it never happen and when it does happen you don't realise it!!!

Take for instance yesterday. We reached our lil home a bit early and so I skipped watching the bit of TV I watch (while M was reading his fav mags plus watching TV plus expressing concern over achu's sleeping schedule and why 'I' couldn't put him to sleep early...baahhhhhhh) and asked achu to get ready to sleep( at 9.30pm)....

Which means
- Piss
- Brush teeth ( which doesn't happen...no it doesn't)
- Wash hands and legs
- Put on Pyjamas
- take fav toy/book/torch
- head to the bedroom

This takes a decent 30 minutes max....with screams reaching decibels unheard of  from all sides in equal proportions...today it took 20 minutes ...:)

He enters the room , flops in bed with a Prevention magzine and the contents page had a big round bindi on the C....then.....
Achu: " Amma idhu yendhonu" ( what is this )
He wanted me to read content with the bindi on 'C'
Me: O-ontent
now he placed the bindi on 'O'
Achu:"Ippo" (Now)
Me:" COntent"
Jus when I started liking the 'quality' time I was spending with my lil one...achu got distracted and placed the bindi on a ommmphhhh model and smiles....
Achu: " Amma oru kariyam ondu" ( one thing to say )
Me: " Tell me"
Achu: " Ethara nall ayi pink panther kandhitu" ( Its been days since we watched Pink Panther)
Me: " Thanney achu. we will get somebody to repair ammamma's computer and you can watch"
he nods and smiles
Achu: " amma inni oru kariyam ondu" ( another thing )
Me: " hmmmm"
Achu: " naala school ondha ma?" ( do we have school tomo?)
Me: " yes"
a wee bit of sulking Achu: " Itchichi Amma"
Achu: "kallu perathu itota?"( can I put my leg on u?)
Me: "Sheri Da"
Achu: "Thank you amma"
Me:"Welcome Achu....."
Awww that's a huggy-buggy note
Amma and Achu hug and kiss...
Achu: " Amma....."
Me: "Achu sleep monuuuuu"
Achu:" oru kariyam "(one thing)....not again sigh
Me:"Last ..parre" (tell)
Achu:"Nalla mosquito bat vayinkanam" ( tomo we have to buy a mosquito bat)
Me: "Sheri"
Achu:"Amma Girija miss nalla miss annu"(teacher is nice)
Curious Me: "Yendhu monuu"(why)
Achu:" Miss Good boys inna adhikula bad boys inna matharam adhikum"( she hits only the bad boys not the good boys)
Me: "!!!!!!!!!...ok sleep"
Achu :" Amma....nalla morning ayal pal tharanam ok amma?"( when its morn give me milk)
Me: "hmmmm"
Achu :"Itchi-chi Amma podhapu" (want a sheet to cover)
Me puts the sheet over achu
Achu:"Acha yepazhum book um TV thane...yethara late avanu nokku"(Acha is always with books and TV...see how late he is getting)
Me: I don't answer ....jus to see if my silence will aid sleep
Achu:"Amma pohapu vendha amma" ( don't want the sheet )
Me pulls the sheet away...silently
Achu: "Amma innoru pottu venam amma"(want another bindi)...remember the round bindi he was fidgiting with it all through this episode....
Me:" sheri poi edhitho"(ok go and take)...prevention of rise in BP and a few more Itchi-chis is better than curing it they say...and so he had his way....
Achu slides thru the door , gets a little suprised scream from M and rushes back with the second bindi
Achu: "Amma 2 bindis"
a biggg smile I witness thru my eyes which were very much loosing the power to stay open
Me doesn't answer but does offer a slight smile like gesture
Achu is happy with that
The symptoms of M's entry started with little 'bangs' and 'splash' outside...door locking cermony and a visit to the loo
Achu:"Acha varinoo innu thonunnu" (I think acha is coming)
Me has stopped answering completely....
M comes in and sets his phone to charge and grabs his lil sonny ...a few hugs, kisses, questions on not sleeping and boy games follow....
(Reserve their conversation which I evesdropped for another day)
Then Its Acha's turn to get angry and ask achu to sleep and get silent...
Achu:" Amma yenniku podheykanam" ( I want the sheet to cover)
Me Rolls over and puts the sheet on him and gives him a look....
Achu shoots an angelic smile
Me whispers:"Love u achu...sweet dreams"
Achu whispers back:"Love u amma...weet deams"
hugs and kisses follow as usual
After a few turns and giggles it all settles down at 11.45pm......

Wee Willy Winkie  are you extinct or do u have a partner at work or what?????

Duh! We have a Winner ?!

Today Achu came back from school with a Gold Medal.

Me " Wooow what did u win that for ????"
Achu " For sportsday"
Me "!!!!!!!!"


Me "But Achu didn't go to school on sports day. Remember achu you were sick "
Achu "Itchi-chi Amma.....but I won Amma" ( A 70 mm smile that makes me forget where we started....)
Me" Ok great a huggy-buggy moment this is"
((((((achu & amma)))))

I still don't know if Achu won that or his sweet school gave out medals to all the kids in class....must find out at the next PTA meet.

This was his second sports day in life ...while the first at his play school saw achu, all of 2 and something years, stand still and gaze at his mom while the other kids ran towards the finish.

Cheers! To the Spicy Singer

Achu has this thingy for songs...he loves to sing....I noticed that long time ago but its getting more evident day by day.....Like for instance he has started liking school because they teach him songs and bhajans.One day he came back sing
"Good morning , hope ur well today....Sun is shining kies are blue...fabersense are full of u....Goodmorning , hope ur well todayyyyyyy"

Now what was that????!!!!!...I wondered...we could only wonder ...I asked him to repeat and it didn't get any better....

At his PTA meet we asked his teacher if we could have the text for all the songs he is taught....Girija miss  told us that we would get a copy of the book soon....until then Sun is shining kies are blue...fabersense are full of u.

Yesterday was the day of realisation.....we got the text....and the truth unfolded....a moment to smile had arrived ....the song read

Good morning , hope ur well today....Sun is shining SKIES are blue...FLOWER BLOSSOMS ARE FULL OF DEW....Goodmorning , hope ur well todayyyyyyy

hehehehehehe.....I gave achu a big hug....the umpteenth one for the day...'cause hugging achu is a event that occurs almost always when am around him or hez around me.....he's my huggy-buggy , my bujji-vujji ....

My Achu can spice up any song without even realising he did:D....that's true talent babe...