Ashwini

A couple of notes from Ashwini's teacher:

Jul. 21, '06:
I feel as though Ashwini has matured this week. Some of the things she says sound like they should be coming out of a thirteen year old. Yesterday, she told me that, "Someone should move that toy so we won't trip over it." She's really growing up in front of my eyes!

Current favorite activity: Twirl and make the hem of her dress fly.

Jul. 27, '06:
Ashwini had a lot of fun today going for a walk. We went to the park and ate snack. Ashwini enjoyed being really quiet and listening for nature. We heard bull frogs, crickets, birds and leaves on trees. We also played "I spy" and used descriptive words like gritty, smooth, spikey, fuzzy and smelly. Ashwini did very well.

Ashwini and Cinnamon

Ashwini feeding her other baby, Cinnamon.

Ashwini

I realised that I hadn't posted Ashwini's photo (by herself) in a long time.

Father's day card

Ashwini's preschool teacher helped all her students make Father's day cards. She asked them questions about their dads and wrote the answers in the cards. Here is Ashwini's essay about her dad.

MY DAD...

I like to play with him with blocks

My favorite thing is giving him hugs

He likes to work

He is ten

He looks like a boy

We sleep together in the same bed

Work?!?

A: What does Dada work with, Aai?
V: He works with big magnets.
A: What do you work with?
V: I work with computers.
A: Do you know what I work with? I work with books and toys.

Me: Ashwini, wake up. Time to get ready.
A: No. five more minutes.

A few minutes later...

Me: Ashwini, wake up. Time to get ready.
A: No. I want to sleep for some more time.
Me: When will you wake up?
A: I am waiting for Prince Charming to wake me.

same question; different answer.

A: Can I have a lollipop?
Me: Why?
A: Because, I am good.

Goddess Durga

Ashwini knows some of the Hindu deities: Ganesh, Ram-Laxman-Sita, Hanuman, Shiva, etc.

On our last trip to the local temple, she came across a statue of Goddess Durga.

A: "Who is that?"
Me: "That is Durga."
A: "Why does she have so many hands?"
Me: "To hold all the things that she has."
A: "Why is she holding so many things? I don't want her to hold so many things. What is she sitting on?"
Me: "She always sits on a lion. Just like Ganesh sits on a mouse."
A: "I don't want her to sit on a lion. Can she sit on a giraffe? I want her to sit on a giraffe."

At this point, I steered her away from Durga and towards a more familiar Ganesh.

Angry Maavashi

Ashwini chanced upon an issue of Filmfare, that V's mom brought from India last year. She looked at the photo on the cover and asked, "Who is this maavashi (aunt)? And why is she angry?"

V replied, "That is a kaka (uncle), Ashwini, not maavashi".

Ashwini: "No. That is angry maavashi".

Click below to see the photo that was the subject of this conversation

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Lollipop

We used lollipops as bribes to get Ashwini do things like sleep in her own bed, go to the potty, etc. A couple of mornings ago, Ashwini woke up in our bed ...

Me: Come on, Ashwini, let's get up. Time to get ready.
A: NOOOOOO
Me: Come on, come on. Wake up.
A: Can I have a lollipop in the car?
Me: Nope. You didn't sleep in your own bed all night long. Why should I give you a lollipop?
A: (pondering my question for a moment) But you can give me a lollipop, just because you love me.

Does anyone want to guess if Ashwini got her lollipop?

Potty training

Finally, it has been accomplished! After us fretting about it for a long time, Ashwini on one fine day decided that she wanted to start using potty and rest is history. This miracle happened sometime in the end of April and she has been regularly going to the potty without even a single accident for a whole month. I haven't changed a poopy diaper on Ashwini in more than a month. Hallelujah!

She is very excited about her "creations" in the potty and everyone in the house has to witness and admire it before she flushes it down. Hopefully, her excitement will simmer down over time. She is also excited about different kinds of underwear she has and likes to choose which one to wear every day.

I just didn't want to talk about it before because I didn't want to jinx the good thing.

peas in a pod, enjoying a spring day

A day with Thomas

Last Thursday, Ashwini and I went to meet her favorite Thomas, the tank engine. Thomas comes to Henry Ford Museum's Greenfield village every year and it is a fun event. There is a train ride for 20 minutes and then, they have a lot of other activity tents with of course, a big gift shop.

Here are a couple of pictures from our visit...

Ashwini trying to imitate Thomas' smile

They look so similar

We were looking at Ashwini's old photos and comparing them with Adit's photos taken recently. They looked so similar. Can you guess the subjects of these photos?

What are they talking about?

I took this photo along with others that I posted a couple of days ago. But the expressions on their faces deserve a separate post. Here is the fun part... Can you guess what they are talking about?

Here is my guess...

Ashwini: Have you seen their life insurance policies? We can live happily for a long time. Lots and lots of lollipops and chocolate balls.
Adit: Hmmmm.... Let me think about it.

Injury update

Ashwini's lip has recovered very nicely. It has been only 3 days since the accident, but you can't even make out that there was an injury on her lip.

On Sunday evening, as I picked up Ashwini after her tumble from her trike, I saw all that blood, and immediately started imagining about our visit to the Emergency Room. Fortunately, we didn't have to go there as the cut was very small and her teeth were alright. The blood stopped right away when we started icing it, leaving behind a big swollen puffy lip. Ashwini is definitely growing up. It was her first big bloody messy accident. She was such a brave girl. She didn't freak out at the sight of her own blood and even helped me ice her lip as I cleaned up all the blood. Hope we don't get too many falls and big ouchies.