Lil Helper

"I am tired" is an understatement. Am not sure if it is my waning energy or the boys' waxing enthusiasm for everything in sight (and not in sight). Today's post will be without any photos if I manage to publish the post that is.

Manav woke up at 6:30 AM and excitedly came up to me and said

"Mommy the duck has grown. Come see"

and I had to wake up too. Last evening, he had gotten this duck toy (from my neighbor) which if you put in water it keeps growing.

"Sharoon aunty promised it will grow. She was right. Look how big it has grown"

and the excitement continued with Arnav coming over and answering in the negative to Manav's question

"Look hasn't the duck grown up?"

"No"

"Come stand here. From here you can see. Can you see now?"

"Yes" still sleepy Arnav got it.

The duck made it to the school and back today. In the car Manav informed

"The duck is growing without eating anything"

"It must be eating Manav. You cannot see" I didn't want to reinforce the growing without eating theory. Eating linked to growing and becoming strong and being able to play sports is a central theme in this house. Important and most activities revolve around it.

"Its mouth is always closed. It is not eating Mommy"

I let it go, too  much discussion here will just end up reinforcing.

Today I picked them up early as Arnav had a dental appointment. I must elaborate the luxury of this kids' dental place. They have a high rise play structure similar to most of the Mc Donald's only bigger. Not to mention that Arnav insisted on completing the whole loop though his doctor was ready for him. Then you walk in to pick up a DVD, which you'd like to watch and the nurse puts it in the central DVD system and takes you to your room where the TV screen is right above the dentist's chair. So while you lie down and get your teeth examined/fixed you get to watch Diego saving his beloved animals. And if the doctor is using water and too much is squirting up for a clear vision of the rain forest above, you are passed on a pair of sunglasses. So Manav is quite right in asking

"Why didn't Arnav's doctor appointment last longer for me to watch a little more Diego?"

And I cannot help but contrast it to my earliest memory of dentist appointment in IGH, Rourkela where I ran away from the dentist chair even after he had administered the tall syringe full of anesthesia. The doctor did give an earful to my father about raising better kids.

The trip to Mc Donalds' after the doctor's appointment didnt go that well. Arnav refused to leave the play area and we had to force him out. And trust me forcing Arnav is neither pretty nor easy. He yells for all people to notice you forcing him and gets this immense strength somehow which makes it hard for even two people to strap him down to the car seat. This traumatic experience interfered with his afternoon nap but between me and Manav we managed pretty well. Yes, of course Manav didn't nap. Did I mention I am tired?

Few minutes into his nap time Arnav woke up again

"I want to go. I want to go" referring to the play area I believe

I told Manav not to make any noise and went to put Arnav back to bed.

It took a while as Arnav just wasn't going to fall asleep easily. When he was finally asleep I heard a distant "Done". It could mean only one thing - post potty cleanup request.

I went out of the boys' bedroom looking for Manav in their bathroom but was surprised to find him in ours instead.

"Hey what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to potty and you were putting Arnav to bed and the exhaust was too noisy so I came here"

If only he wasn't on the potty seat I would have hugged him tight.

"Oh Manav, that is so nice of you. Very good thinking. You are so intelligent"

"Yes, I didn't want to wake Arnav. He is cranky and you were putting him to bed. I am intelligent so I came here" reiterated Manav.

He patiently finished his homework while I spoke to the realtor, played with the computer Caillou alphabet game while I folded the laundered clothes ( less of folding and more of reading a book) and continued to be this sweet grown up son even after Arnav woke up.

"I will not throw those" declared Arnav sleepily pointing to the folded clothes on the couch.

"Arnav come I will show you how Gilbert is finding his bone ( or something like that)" Manav called out and Arnav bounded along.

Manav came to me and whispered

"I am just asking him to help me find the 'M's so that he doesn't disturb you. You can read your book"
And I could hear Arnav saying
"Good job Manav. I will give you one candy"

This arrangement worked pretty well till Arnav displayed his real elements and dethroned Manav from the chair and started operating the mouse. Before the yelling and screaming could go out of hand I whisked them off to the park. But not before Manav showed another of his "over-helpful" side for the umpteenth time today.

" I need to go to the bathroom" I said

"You go ahead Mommy. I will keep an eye on him" Manav said pointing to Arnav.

When I finally emerged from my interrupted stint in the bathroom I was aghast to find them "cleaning" the TV screen with a soaked towel. All my tender love for Manav vanished and I yelled. I then calmed down and explained how the TV and laptop just cannot have water anywhere near them etc etc when I saw the once folded clothes now all strewn on the floor. Then I lost it again. I took Arnav by his shoulders and reminded him in his words, that he wasn't going to touch the folded clothes. He continued to stare with big eyes, which made me madder then but now I feel that he didn't get any of what I was saying. Because they just don't understand words above a certain decibel level. Other than scaring ( possibly scarring) them it does nothing. Sometimes they are not even scared, they laugh, for them its funny to see a grown up doing weird things with their hands, hair and feet accompanied by yelling/shouting/screaming.

Park was not bad at all despite the fact that Manav took possession of a big stick and wouldn't part with it, decided to be a crocodile waiting at the mouth of the tunnel slide and mouthing a little dirt in the process and was swinging on the net of the goalpost.

Back home I reminded him that it was one Mommy and two boys ( Caunteya had his tennis match today) so he needs to help me as he had been doing during the day. He said

"Yes Mommy, what can I do for you?"

Then they got busy playing with the pots and pans and ladles in the kitchen. Manav was making dal and put lots of pots and pans inside each other and said

"The dal has to grow inside this. When it is soft then it is done. Till then you have to wait Arnav"

He opened his shoes and said

"Mommy can you please put them in the closet for me? I am cooking so you need to help me. Tomorrow when we go out and we come back then when I open my shoes and I am not cooking I will put them in the closet." All the while shaking his head for maximum dramatisation.

He was coughing and said

"Mommy may I get a cough drop please?"

I assumed it was cough syrup and said maybe later.

He clarified

"Ms Foley coughs like me. We are sick you see. She has something with two lines on it like a candy and when I asked she said it is cough drop. Maybe I should have some"

I just gave him some cough syrup and Arnav got none though he made an earnest effort in faking cough.

Manav slept off early as he didn't nap and I got to have a pep talk with Arnav alone. I said he did good at the doctor's office ( Did I mention that he opened his mouth wide just as the doctor entered the room) but was a very bad boy at Mc Donald's. Why did he behave like that, I asked

He said

"I wanted to go up one more time" referring to the play structure.

"Why did you want to go up again, when we talked about "last time" and Papa had to go back to office. Right?"

"I wanted to go up again because that would make me happy" said Arnav. A very valid reason with pretty invalid set of parents though.

Little things make me happy. I didn't have to brush Arnav today as he had the fluoride treatment and

"Mommy called the doctor and doctor cried

No brushing at night tonight.

That is today's highlight but in a positive light

Brushing Arnav has been a highlight of every night

Since his first tooth at fourth month, right?"

Good Night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.