She mentioned that in school, her teacher had returned her the English spelling note. She had got a full score. She immediately thought about the 1 dollar I had promised for each full score. The next period was tamil class and the teacher started returning the spelling notebooks. While waiting for her note, the following thought popped into her mind – “Kanna, rendu laddu sapida aasaiya”.

Listening to her, we all burst out laughing. Thambi couldn’t get the joke and he innocently told, “Mummy, you shouldn’t eat two laddus right? Only one laddu per day!”

We had a laughing fit which took a long long time to subside.

This the list.

Aye aye captain
Awesome
I like it too
Of course
Whatever
Fake children

Now, I remember all the stories behind each of the points except “Fake Children”. What did he do/tell about “Fake children” ? It has to be something funny/cute for me to note it  down. But I’ve been thinking for the past two days and not able to remember it.

Coming to the list,

Aye Aye Captain – this is how he responds when you ask him to do something. A brisk ”Aye Aye Caption” with a smart salute and off he runs to do the task. It might be as simple as asking him to get down from the sofa.

Awesome – Thambi has found the meaning for awesome and likes to use it whenever he gets the opportunity.  The last time he used it was “Mummy, you are back!! Its awesome! “

I like it too – Here the emphasis is on the word “too”. This is also a recent addition to his vocabulary and he never misses an opportunity to use it. So normal day-to-day sentences goes like this – “Athai is going to pick up Akka. I am going too”

- “He is daddy’s brother. He is Athai’s brother and he is mine too”

Of course – of course, one should not forget this important word that  has been used a minimum of 2o times everyday. And of course how can we miss “whatever” told with the nonchalant manner that such a word demands. You get a dramatic ”Whatever” with the shrug of the shoulders  and dropping face when you call him for dinner, ask him to pick up his toys and any such thing.

I burst our laughing and he told me, “Mummy don’t laugh at me. I will become sad.”

me: ??!!

*** —— ***

The other day, he came and sat between his Athai and me . Then, in all innocence he asked his Athai,

“Athai, do you love me?”

“Yes”

“Do you want to carry me?”

“Yes”

Then he got on to her lap and hugged her, the moment she hugged him, he turned to me and told,

“Mummy save me, help! Help!”

*** —— ***

Thambi wanted to go susu urgently. I carried him  and made him sit on the WC. A bit spills out and he says,

“Oh no, we have a big problem. What to do now? Think, think, think” and proceeds to tap his finger on his chin and then says,

“I know, lets pour some water and clean it!!!”

*** —– ***

When he sees us getting ready for office

“Mummy/Daddy, are you going to office?”

“Yes”

“Ok, bye. “

“Bye, take care.”

“Tomorrow I miss you Mummy/Daddy”

“I’ll be back quickly ok?”

“OK. But I miss you ok?”

*** —– *** 

We were watching a Vijay film on the TV. A fight scene starts and Pappa says this,

“It’s anyhow going to be the hero who wins, so why see all these fights?”

*** —— ***

Some words from Thambi that I like to repeat myself:

gepach (get up)

adivaen (adipaen)

hey guys

That’s a good idea

aa…aa…achooo

I’m tired and proceed to pant loudly.

This was when we were returning from Sentosa after viewing the ‘Lights of Spring’. 

Thambi: Mummy, you don’t love daddy now and don’t hug him. He is driving the car!

Me:  eh?

This was when we were preparing to go to bed:

Thambi: I will not sleep on the bicycle.

Me: Yes kanna, you should sleep on the bed.

Thambi: No, I will not sleep on the bed also.

Me: Then, where will you sleep?

Thambi: (with an impish look) I will sleep on the floor!

Me: What???

Thambi: (Pointing his finger at me and laughing) Got you there!!

After a fighting session between brother and sister:

Thambi: Thambi is sad because Akka scolding me.

Pappa: Akka is sad because Thambi hit me.

Thambi: It’s ok Akka…lets become happy. (Goes to hug his sister).

Today you complete 18 months.  A big one for you and a bliss for us. You have made our family complete. You are the most bubbly child I have ever seen. Always ready with a smile, you entice even strangers easily. No one can look away from you. Right from the kids and aunts and uncles you meet at the playground to the gardener, the security guards, the men working on the roadside and the teachers in Pappa’s school, everyone is your friend. Everyone looks forward to seeing you and your smile, that they have started asking if we go without you.

Don’t think you would remember the long train journey (1 hour) from Changi airport back home. You started grabbing everyone’s attention by smiling at them and batting eyes. You even pulled tired office goers into responding to your “Boo-peep game”.  Then, the other day when K aunty and R uncle had come home, you had your trade mark smile plastered onto your face everytime they turned in your direction. It was indeed a photographic moment.

You ape your sister.  You love to dance with her and can emulate her barathanatyam steps. You look so cute when you bend your hands in a pose and stamp your leg saying “thaiya thai”. The singing sessions are even more adorable. You would sit down and sing “pa, paaaaa”  while putting the thalam.

Your love for wheels has not abated. You fancy all vehicles with cars taking a special space. The words that you can clearly say now are car, car keys, taxi, trai (train), akka, anna, amma, baba (meaning yourself), nyna, daddy and tata. And in all these, its those related to car, that you can say spontaneously at all times without prompting. The others you would tell at times and refuse at other times.  You also love to play with the ball. You would bring the ball to us and say, “ba, kick”.  Which reminds me of your first syllabus words.  You say “Ho” for hot, “Co” for cot, “ba” for ball, and many more.

Do you know how you frustrate your sister? You make her repeat whatever she was playing with you over and over again. Sometimes the pour soul would have done it atleast 10 times and still you wouldn’t leave her.  You would go pull/push her, complain to us or simply cry until she does it again.

All in all, you have been a wonderful bundle of joy that makes each and every day special.

Have a fun filled day darling.

Yours besotted mom.

We were all surprised as this was the first time he was putting  a phone to his ears and then had a hearty laugh at his intelligence.

So, hereafter, you say a ‘hello’ on the phone and a ‘how do you do?’ when you shake hands!!

Thambi’s upper teeth started to come out just a week before his birthday.  Funnily, the front tooth on the left and the one next to it, came out first. This was followed by the right front tooth a week later. So now he has three upper teeth and two in the bottom.

He knows to pray, clap, jump, wink and shake hands.

He is quite friendly with strangers and goes readily to some of them. 

He loves playing in the water. He gets excited when he sees water and makes a bee line to it.

We did his ayushhomam on 7th Oct.

As it was the first saturday of ‘Puratasi ‘month, we were maintaining a fast.  We prayed to God and went to the Murugan Hill temple. After returning, we had lunch, and the kids went to bed. G & me sat down to prepare the letters in Thambi’s name to put up in the party hall. By the time I finished this and had prepared bagalabath for the party, thambi and pappa woke up. Bathed them and got them ready for the party.

The party was planned in the club house and R & the Daddy took care of all the decoration works.  The party was planned to start at 6:30pm and most of the guests followed the IST and hence we ended up cutting the cake at 7:30pm. Thambi was perfect during the whole party, having had his afternoon nap. He took a quick nap when the guests were having dinner and was back as fresh as ever to bid them adieu. Pappa enjoyed playing with her friends and was happy to distribute the return gifts. It was almost 10pm by the time all had left and we cleaned the hall and returned home.

A truly wonderful day in all sense.