Sunshine and Saturday

Finally the snow and ice melted and so did our crabbiness. A little sunshine can do so much to lift our spirits. Manav sure was sad to see the snowman melt away but in the next breath he stomped all over it and destroyed whatever was left of the poor soul anyways. I sometimes wonder how the gender difference manifests in their actions, I mean all these boys do when they are not sleeping, not watching something interesting on TV, not being read to or not engrossed in some toy ( oh that's a long list, I didn't realise) is jumping, jumping and more jumping. There has been no looking back since the day they started walking and another milestone was achieved when they got those springs in their heels and thereby mastered jumping. Girls am sure are way better.

Yesterday Arnav woke up from nap and I was holding him when Manav woke up too. I told Arnav now its Manav's turn and Arnav said

" Manav is a verry bigg buoy, I am soo baby, I cannot do that"

Manav is now at an age when he rubs things in to irritate people and mostly other children. Quite a while back his friend from school had come to play with him and Manav said

"You have to go home now. We are going to the beach" ( We were going to Corpus Christi the next morning) and his friend was all in tears  and kept ranting "I want to go to beach too"

At a neighbor's house he tells her little boy " I am going home now, go tell your mommy." leaving him in tears.

Caunteya forced out some foam alphabets from his mouth and trashed the same and he said

"Papa look I still have more in my mouth" while there was nothing.

To negotiate anything with him is a nightmare . It is a super long discussion about specifics.

"Manav you're going to sit in this room till the timer goes off and if you come out to ask how much longer then you'll be in trouble"

"Papa can I sit on my bed?'

"Yes"

"Can I sit on Arnav's bed?"

"Manav sit whereever but you have to sit and not stand and jump and do anything else."

"What if I want to go to the bathroom"

"Do you want to go? , let's go now"

"No, but what if I feel it before the timer beeps"

Today afternoon Manav refused to nap and we went ahead and started watching a movie.

"What kind of movie is it?" Manav asked

"Hindi movie"

"An adult movie?"

"No, yes....I mean it's not a kids movie"

"Is it over?"

"Not yet, its a long movie"

"But then there is a song."

"Manav no more questions"

After the movie was done Manav got the cello tape.

"Please put it on our mouths, so that we don't talk."

And they had a blast trying to talk through the tape and we ended up in a charged discussion about the toxic levels of the tape.

Today they were jamming with Caunteya, Manav with his makeshift drums (the margarita glasses) and Arnav on the guitar. Manav wanted the guitar but Arnav wouldn't relent. Manav said "Arnav you can snatch my drums"

Arnav looked quizzically, Manav reiterated "You can snatch my drums" gesticulating with his hands and Arnav actually did. Then Manav said 'No more asking for guitar, you play the drums"

which Arnav promptly asked back for.

Note Manav's headband....initially it was used to keep his freshly shampooed hair off his face but then suited the bill perfectly.

When we were brushing tonight, Manav remembered that his hairbrush had sindoor smeared over it.

"How did Ma's (grandma's) sindoor come on the hairbrush Mommy?"

"Arnav was combing Ma's hair with that"

"Why does Ma put sindoor?"

"Because Ma is married"

"How?"

"Ma is married to Dadu (grandpa), just like Mommy is married to Papa"

"So you guys put sindoor?"

"Yes"

"Why don't you put?"

"Just like that"

"Then you're not married"

and I left it at that. Can't handle it, not tonight.