jhoot bole kaua kaate...

I am the strict one…so its obvious that Ahana loves appaji & ajji when it comes to pampering her. She can get away with anything with them :-).
Yesterday at the dinner table she was acting cranky as she had not had her afternoon nap. Her ajji started feeding her the dosa pieces which were there in her plate. She had been served two dosas, of which she had been fed about 1 ½ dosas when she said that she did not want anymore. I was in the other room feeding her brother and was not aware of what was happening inside the dining room. She had asked ajji to put the left over pieces into the dustbin and not tell me about it. But then appaji & ajji told her that it was wrong to lie to me. The fear of being scolded had made her lie to me. Am glad that the stories of God punishing her if she lied still works with her!!

1-20

As usual Ahana was drawing again. This time she drew a Joker..then a Big square and small small squares within it. Looked more like a black board with squares. She wrote numbers from 1 to 20 in each square and then started with alphabets. I got to see her drawing once it was complete. The number 20 was written as 02. I called her and without referring to her drawing, asked her to write the number 20 on a piece of paper. This time she wrote it correctly. I then showed her what she had written in her drawing. She blushed...but came out with an instant answer:
"The joker does not know how to write the number 20" :-)

New developments:

- From the time she is back from her granny’s house, she has developed interest in Drawing and painting. The time she is not playing with her friends, one would find her drawing. Favourite subject : Our family, Ahana & Om, Nature. Just yesterday she participated in a drawing competition. This was the first drawing competition she participated in…Topic given: Temple procession. What did she draw? : A temple with a bell seen in one door and another door showing Ahana in it. She did not understand the word “procession”. :-). So there was no crowd in her drawing. Her enthusiasm to participate made her dad drive all the way to Ulsoor on a Sunday morning.
- She is able to read our 2, 3 &4 letter words. Practice, practice & more practice is what we are giving her.
- She’s gonna join the abacus classes for learning mathematics.
- She is learning Carnatic music. She is good. I am proud.
- She suddenly seems to be interested in Jig-Saw-Puzzles.
- She is trying to learn Hindi on her own :-). Keeps asking us the meaning of the Hindi words she comes across.
- All that she does is mostly based on memory..thats what I feel. She has superb memory.
We have seen the drive in her to be better than others. That’s what inspires us to give her more!!

Birthdays-II

Ahana’s dad had explained to her about the Earth revolving around the Sun and how the days would be counted. A few days later her chacha had come over and we asked Ahana to explain the same to him.
She picked up a stool and kept it in front of her and said, “chacha, think that this is the Sun and I am the earth. I take one round and move here(move forward). Then it will be Om’s Birthday. Then again I will take another round and move here, it will be chachi’s birthday”…so she went on with everyones birthday and at the end of one full circle, she said it will be her Birthday.
Her chacha then asked, totsie(her pet name), what will happen if you keep circling where you are standing.
Ahana said: then it will be my birthday, my birthday, my birthday.

I want to be freeeee

From the time she has come to my native, she has learnt a number of outdoor games which she had never played.
One day she came home singing....daam deem a duska nutta 123 and you go free. She kept repeating it the whole evening. Finally I asked, her what this was...and she said that this was used for teaming up of people. That day she had learnt to play lagori.
The next day we saw her climbing the mobile tower which is right opposite our house. The other girl Kamini was teaching her to climb. I allowed it. I wanted her to know the fun of playing outside the house. They then played aais paais (Hide & Seek). She came home all wet...drenched in her sweat. She had had a good time.
Again the next day at 5.00P.M. she was ready to go out to play. She played Lago...I kept thinking it was lagori, but then it turned out to be a hopping game. The the eldest girl among them taught her a dance...nadhim dhim ta na....nadhim dhim ta na....modala premada modala spandana....In return Ahana taught them a song.
Now she's learnt to play Cricket, Ball catch catch, running and catching....mmmmm..what else...I need to think of the list of games she has learnt.
I am happy that she got the taste of the outdoor game here....something that is difficult in Bangalore...something that you get only if you stay in an apartment in Blore....something that is so easy to get in a small place like Mlore.
She's definetely had fun.

Tail

With the visits of all our relatives, Ahana had been getting a lot of attention. And that made her think that she could have a nice time at others place. Anyone who asked her if she would come along, she would gladly say yes. And even if they didnt ask, she would throwing a tantrum that she would want to go home with them. I was irritated with this behaviour of hers and scolded her...."Ahana, dont behave like a Dog. Are you their tail, following them wherever they go?" There was no answer.
The next day, 'Sangeeta aunty' came over to our place. When she was about to leave, she asked Ahana.
Sangeeta: Ahana, will you come with me?
Ahana: I want to..but then mummy will scold me...she will say am I your tail!!
Same evening another of my uncles had come over, he also had asked her the same question, to which she immediately replied,
Why should I?? Am I your tail??

4 stories

Last ten days we had our house full. All the relatives flowing in, staying over. The only source of entertainment for all of them was Ahana :-) and her smart acts and Om with his new stunts. Subramanya ajja, who came over first to our place told her four stories, she loved it. Two days later, Ramesh ajja and his wife came over. She refused to go to him, he then lured her with a story of Krishna & Shakatasura. The moment the first story got over, she asked for another one. He gladly agreed. With all the aninmation on his face and all the actions he was doing during the story telling time, Ahana was really having a good time. The moment he ended the story, she announced, Subramanya ajja told me four stories, you should also tell me four stories. Luckily for all the grandpas the patience lies with their grandchildren, if not their own children :-))). He then actually told her two more stories. Then came Bhaskar Ajja & Aruna dodda. In Ahana's absence they were prepared by my parents that Ahana has been demanding for stories. The moment Ahana asked them for a story, they lied...."I dont have grandchildren, so I dont know stories". They actually managed to escape :-). Well, Ahana did not lag behind...she also narrated her own set of stories..some which were told to her and some created on her own..all the stories ended with a moral.
And the moral of the story is.....
You should always help poor people.
God is the strongest.
You should never lie.

Big sis has been nice

tingu babaaaa pingu babaaa....Chickoo babaaaa pickoo babaaa....thats what she sings for Om.
I was told by my aunts and granny that I had been a very caring sis, always watching over my bro. And now here, I see my daughter doing it for my son. Ahana had been a doll from the time she was born. The youunger one seems to be the total opposite. Always wants to be carried around and played with. Refuses to be sleeping in one place. The moment he starts crying, one can hear rhymes...being sung by Ahana. She really tries hard to make him stop crying. And then she questions, why mamma, this brother always cries!!

Missing pappa

Its been a month since we have come to my mum's house. Every other day Ahana would mention that I miss my dad. The other day her mama called from California and spoke to her.
Mama: Hey Ahana, dont you miss your dad?
Ahana: Why should I? I speak to him on the phone everyday.

Who's the prettiest of all???

Dad to Ahana: Who's the prettiest girl baby?
Ahana: My mamma is the prettiest.
Dad: What about Sandhya aunty?
Ahana: She is also pretty but my mamma is the prettiest
Dad: What about chachi?
Ahana: She is also little pretty.
Dad: mmmmmmmmm...
Ahana: Appaji...stop thinking.
Dad: Stop thinking about what baby?
Ahana: Stop thinking about other ladies.

Birthdays

It was Ahana's dad's Bday a few days back. She lovingly made a card for him and ensured that we bought a cake for him. But she still had a complaint, for which we didnt really have an answer.
What was the complaint??
"Why is my Birthday so late? All my class friends Bday's are over, only mine is not!! :-(
When will I wear color dress and give chocolates to my friends. Why is my Bday in April and not earlier.
I dont like my Bday to be soooo late. I dont like my parents Bday to be before mine".. (hehehe)
Finally I couldnt take it anymore, acted as if I was unhappy too....and told her that my Bday, chacha's, ajji's, doddamma's, mama's, and her Brothers bdays are even later. So do you think all of us should also be crying??
Now everyday we do the counting on the number of days left for her Bday...this is keeping her happy and motivated to go to school.

House Warming

A day after her chacha's house warming ceremony, Ahana got to meet her bestest friend Saanvi.

Ahana: You know, yesterday it was my chacha's house warming ceremony.

Saanvi: What is that??

Ahana: They made the house hot.

Shivaratri

It was a good family get-together for us this Shivaratri. Quite entertaining, unlike the silent ones we've had every year. We had Omnext to us squeaking....Ahana insisting that she also do the linga pooja. All of us sat together for the linga pooja (a pooja done for the shivalinga's that each one of us have) and thats when Ahana felt disappointed that she was missing out on something. Looking at her disappointment, her appaji came up with a brilliant idea...he handed her a black grape...told her that it was a "linga" (small shiva linga) and she had to do as she was told. Luckily my baby did not realise that she had been duped and the whole pooja was completed smoothly without her crying.


Thats her reciting all the ganesha, gayatri, saraswati mantras that she has learnt.

Best Choice

Ahana: Mamma I like our Car.
Dad: How was the Car we test drove today?? That's big, isnt it?
Ahana: That's also good, but Bus is the best....because, soooo many people can go in it.

Whats a Stylus?

Grandmother: What is a Stylus?
Ahana: Its a Pen without ink.

Happy Birthday

I just realised, its a year since I started Innocent Dialogue. Happy Birthday.

Am glad I started this, this has helped me capture most of the important events that my daughter has been through.

He's my Baby

He's my baby & I am appaji's daughter :-)
Its been over a month since Ahana's Baby Bro is born. With the cold chills of Bangalore, we have been freezing...but this does not seem to affect Ahana. Everytime she enters into a room,
Ahana: Amma, I am feeling hot, I want Fan.
Be it in Speed 1 or Speed 5, it does not matter, it has to be on.
Amma: No baby, its Winter and all of us are feeling very cold here.
Ahana: But I am feeling very hot.
Ahana: I am feeling hot because I was born in Summer. I know everything. My appaji has told me everything.

She fails to understand that till the baby is able to hold his head still, she cannot lift him. Everytime their granny carries her baby bro,
Ahana: I want to carry my brother
We put him on her lap.
Ahana: But why cant I hold the baby on my shoulder?
Amma & grandma: You need to grow and the baby also needs to grow. Its going to take another two months for him hold his head straight without support.
Ahana: Why so late!! But you & grandma hold him straight!! Then why cant I??

She has never stepped back when it comes to helping me & her brother. He cries and she runs to rock the cradle. Anytime he wets himself, we find her running inside and getting a fresh napkin for him. And these days she insists that she ties it herself.

Her brother has been pretty comfortable with her voice from day 1. The moment she starts singing raravenu gopabala he would stop crying. She loves her baby brother.

My colleagues had visited us to see the baby and were trying to analyse who the baby looked like. One of them said that he looked like my husband and suddenly we saw Ahana jumping around…not talking to anyone…not answering anyones questions. She looked upset about something.
After my colleagues had left, I told her that I was upset with the way she had behaved with my friends and I would also do the same when her friends would visit us. To this she said, I was angry because your friends said that my brother looks like Vijay Appaji. How can he look like him? He is my baby, he should look like me.
After this incident, we have made sure that anyone who comes home does not comment anything about his similarities in front of our daughter.

Ahana: Appaji says that I should be good in everything. I will learn Karate so that I can go and hit whoever troubles my baby brother.

Her dad has been putting in extra effort to teach her everything related to numbers. She was recently taught skip counting (5,10,15...) at her school. He took this as an opportunity and taught her to see the time (not digital...analog). She has also learnt to read numbers in thousands. Right now at school she has been taught numbers only from 1-50. Its good to see the way she is picking up things that are being taught, at a fast pace. She now knows the meaning of words like "Camouflage", "acting dead"...thanks to the Knowledge Series Books from Times. An investment worth the price.