Blog Moment, is a moment when something happens and you feel, aaha this is what I want to write about when I write next. And when you are ready to write after hours, days or weeks you have completely no remembrance of these episodes. This is precisely the phenomenon I am experiencing and the reason is also clear. I as usual have "millions" (as Manav would say) of things on my mind and these days add another "million" due to the upcoming move. So I will pen today's post trying to rack my brain to unclog memories and right after the post experience a surge of "conversations". So technically I should begin writing after I complete a post.
Manav is doing some science experiment at school. He explained it thus.
"There is vinegar and baking soda and when you mix them the balloon sucks up the air and blows"
This was enough to trigger memories of my father lighting a candle, placing it on a water filled saucer, putting a glass cup over it and magic - the candle goes out and the water is sucked up the glass. Wait, not over yet. When Baba (father) holds the saucer upside down, the glass is still stuck with the water inside. With audible gasps breaking out into vehement claps me and my brother would beg for an encore and my proud father would grudgingly oblige. I guess it is the novelty of anything that mesmerises us and as soon as we get to know the real science behind it the magic wears off. I am reliving the magic via my kids as possibly I cannot experience the "first time" again for things that have already happened. Or can I?
When I asked more questions on the experiment Manav came up with a clever reply
"How about I let you focus on driving and not talk?"
and that did shut me up.
Arnav is becoming quite a talker now. A typical conversation with Arnav would go like this
"Arnav, did you throw the marker here?"
"Maybe" with a cool shrug
"You know that you're not supposed to play with markers."
"I think so"
"I don't like it when you are not listening"
"Me neither" and little man walks off.
The other night for some reason he kept on crying and wouldn't sleep. I cuddled with him and said
"Ooh my baby, what's bothering you shona?"
"I am NOT a baby anymore" pat comes the teary reply
Caunteya tried to lighten the moment by saying
"Jaldi so ja. Abhi batman aayega, tera bhai"
"Nooo Manav is NOT a batman, he is a ice-hockey man" another round of tears.
And today afternoon when I sent him for nap, he complained
"My tummy is hurting"
"It's ok, calm down, breathe and rest a little, you will feel better"
"I think the sun can help. I am tired of sleeping. I am sooo cranky" Arnav cried.
Manav also resorts to this "tummy hurting" syndrome quite often. Guess that is where Arnav learnt it from. So we tried water, food, rest everything when Manav remarked
"Maybe the oreo cookies and come ice cream will fix it. Let us try"
And when he had both
"See it worked. I cannot believe it. I think my tummy needed some cold thing"
Arnav is my cuddle bundle. Today he tells me
"Mommy can you please give me the squeeze hug" and I gladly did
The other day I smothered him with kisses and he said
"Mommy don't kiss me so hard. Then my back will hurt like you"
Manav on the other hand is more Caunteya oriented and is a little conservative with his affection towards me and I guess it is mutual.
Today Arnav was running behind Manav and both were crying aloud. I was concerned and when Manav stopped, Arnav just leaned over and kissed him on his arm.
"Awww, you are such a mean brother. He just wanted to kiss you"
"I didn't know that" Manav said and fair enough. Arnav is very very raw with his display of affection .
There is a deluge of "why's" from the boys and it is killing to say the least. Almost 90% of their sentences begin with why.
"Why does Snow White need a prince?"
"Why do you put that on your face?"
"Why do you want to be pretty?"
"Why can't I be a girl?"
"Why is it subzi? Why not subzi mandi?"
"Why did the rainbow disappear?"
"Why did you say why?"
Today I reminded Manav for the umpteenth time that when Mommy is on the phone he has to behave and not yell. I completed yet another difficult phone call and Manav explained
"Arnav pretended to be a ball and I had the baseball bat. So I hit him and he cried. I tried to stop him as you were on the phone, but he still cried."
He is now besotted with baseball and knows the baseball anthem "Take me to the ball game", courtesy Ms Foley.
When Arnav is angry he just crosses his arms and pouts. Sometimes he says
"I will not give you any jelly beans." or
"Just leave me alone"
Manav tries to intimidate you with his meanest remark. The other day he said
"I will not cook and feed you when you grow old"
Manav donned his office clothes and shoes and carried his laptop to "office" while Arnav managed with just a shirt over his shorts. I requested for a photo op and Arnav said
"Sure, you can" and posed for me
"I am very late. I cannot stop for pictures. Once I am back you can take some pictures" was Manav's reply
Then they spent considerable amount of time on their laptops till Manav had to come home for "tea". I finally convinced him to undress and "work-from-home" as he was sweating with those layers of clothing on.
Manav is doing some science experiment at school. He explained it thus.
"There is vinegar and baking soda and when you mix them the balloon sucks up the air and blows"
This was enough to trigger memories of my father lighting a candle, placing it on a water filled saucer, putting a glass cup over it and magic - the candle goes out and the water is sucked up the glass. Wait, not over yet. When Baba (father) holds the saucer upside down, the glass is still stuck with the water inside. With audible gasps breaking out into vehement claps me and my brother would beg for an encore and my proud father would grudgingly oblige. I guess it is the novelty of anything that mesmerises us and as soon as we get to know the real science behind it the magic wears off. I am reliving the magic via my kids as possibly I cannot experience the "first time" again for things that have already happened. Or can I?
When I asked more questions on the experiment Manav came up with a clever reply
"How about I let you focus on driving and not talk?"
and that did shut me up.
Arnav is becoming quite a talker now. A typical conversation with Arnav would go like this
"Arnav, did you throw the marker here?"
"Maybe" with a cool shrug
"You know that you're not supposed to play with markers."
"I think so"
"I don't like it when you are not listening"
"Me neither" and little man walks off.
The other night for some reason he kept on crying and wouldn't sleep. I cuddled with him and said
"Ooh my baby, what's bothering you shona?"
"I am NOT a baby anymore" pat comes the teary reply
Caunteya tried to lighten the moment by saying
"Jaldi so ja. Abhi batman aayega, tera bhai"
"Nooo Manav is NOT a batman, he is a ice-hockey man" another round of tears.
And today afternoon when I sent him for nap, he complained
"My tummy is hurting"
"It's ok, calm down, breathe and rest a little, you will feel better"
"I think the sun can help. I am tired of sleeping. I am sooo cranky" Arnav cried.
Manav also resorts to this "tummy hurting" syndrome quite often. Guess that is where Arnav learnt it from. So we tried water, food, rest everything when Manav remarked
"Maybe the oreo cookies and come ice cream will fix it. Let us try"
And when he had both
"See it worked. I cannot believe it. I think my tummy needed some cold thing"
Arnav is my cuddle bundle. Today he tells me
"Mommy can you please give me the squeeze hug" and I gladly did
The other day I smothered him with kisses and he said
"Mommy don't kiss me so hard. Then my back will hurt like you"
Manav on the other hand is more Caunteya oriented and is a little conservative with his affection towards me and I guess it is mutual.
Today Arnav was running behind Manav and both were crying aloud. I was concerned and when Manav stopped, Arnav just leaned over and kissed him on his arm.
"Awww, you are such a mean brother. He just wanted to kiss you"
"I didn't know that" Manav said and fair enough. Arnav is very very raw with his display of affection .
There is a deluge of "why's" from the boys and it is killing to say the least. Almost 90% of their sentences begin with why.
"Why does Snow White need a prince?"
"Why do you put that on your face?"
"Why do you want to be pretty?"
"Why can't I be a girl?"
"Why is it subzi? Why not subzi mandi?"
"Why did the rainbow disappear?"
"Why did you say why?"
Today I reminded Manav for the umpteenth time that when Mommy is on the phone he has to behave and not yell. I completed yet another difficult phone call and Manav explained
"Arnav pretended to be a ball and I had the baseball bat. So I hit him and he cried. I tried to stop him as you were on the phone, but he still cried."
He is now besotted with baseball and knows the baseball anthem "Take me to the ball game", courtesy Ms Foley.
When Arnav is angry he just crosses his arms and pouts. Sometimes he says
"I will not give you any jelly beans." or
"Just leave me alone"
Manav tries to intimidate you with his meanest remark. The other day he said
"I will not cook and feed you when you grow old"
Manav donned his office clothes and shoes and carried his laptop to "office" while Arnav managed with just a shirt over his shorts. I requested for a photo op and Arnav said
"Sure, you can" and posed for me
"I am very late. I cannot stop for pictures. Once I am back you can take some pictures" was Manav's reply
Then they spent considerable amount of time on their laptops till Manav had to come home for "tea". I finally convinced him to undress and "work-from-home" as he was sweating with those layers of clothing on.
Handsome Arnav posing
Manav is getting better at his alphabets though there is miles to go.
Beautiful post DJ ... really, it has taken tons of pressure off my head ... Keshav and I do keep talking about Arnav's emotional outbursts - he truly is innocence personified .. all of us have loads to learn from him ! And Manav's wit is growing by the day! Awesome presence of mind! Touch wood!
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