The Bald and the Beautiful

Yesterday we shaved H2's head and gave H1 a haircut. They both look adorable! And H1 kept on saying how her hair looked like a brush now (Her cut was a bob).

Today, just after waking up, I kissed H2's head and said, 'The bald and the beautiful.' H1 who is exteamly vain, always assumes that if someone mentions 'beautiful', they would invariably mean her! So she said, 'No Ammi, it's the bald and the brush!'

Seasons Greetings!!!

H1 and I made this rag doll angel for our Christmas tree. The base is a toilet roll. Made the wings from elephant dung recycled wrapping paper so it's a green angel!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

Four months already!

My darling four month old,

A lot of changes happened in the last month. You definitely have changed from a helpless baby to a baby with an attitude! You absolutely know how to show your displeasure by screeching non stop. You don't cry. You screech.

You can finally touch your toes now and grab them when ever possible. You also want to grab everything that comes in contact with your hands and they all go straight into your mouth. I don't know why I bother to sterilize your soother or bottle when you put every other thing in your mouth. You also love to lick our shoulders or hand when ever we carry you. Thaaththi absolutely hates it as it tickles him. I think you are teething and your gums must be scratchy because you get so annoyed and frustrated when you can't bite the things your bring up to your mouth. Of cause your hand to mouth coordination is pretty poor, so you get so mad when things don't work the way you think they ought to. You love to gnaw on my chin. You would pull my face towards you by grabbing my hair and pounce on my chin like a little puppy.

You can make lots of different noises by moving your lips in different ways. You look like a little bird with a pouty beak and I just want to squeeze you then. Sometimes we have a whole conversation of ooh aah talk for almost fifteen minutes.

You've also started patting my breasts when feeding or pulling at my t-shirts. You would gaze into my eyes while feeding and every now and then would stop feeding altogether to give me a smile as if to say 'thank you', and my heart would melt to a mushy goo and I'd think, 'Oh how I love you. I love you my baby...'

When I place you on the floor mat, you move around quite a bit by lifting your bum and pushing from your legs.

There are so many little moments that I want to hold forever and I wish you'd stay a baby for a lot longer but I know I'd delight in every little change as well. I love your little chubby cheeks and pudgy hands and every other bit of you.

Thaaththi and I are so blessed to have you and Akki in our lives.

Hugs and a bucketload of kisses

Ammi

P.S
I started this blog for your sister 3 years ago on this day. I know she won't mind it that you get to share it with her now.

Sri Lankans at a concert

H1's play school held their annual 'Concert and Graduation Ceremony' last Friday. In true Sri Lankan style the invitation card said, 'Please don't be late' after the time. So there we were half an hour before the start and guess what, we were like the second family to arrive. Hubs and I was escorted to the front rows as H1 was 'Graduating" and our guests (H1's two grandma's, Puncha and Nanda) were asked to sit a few rows back from us.

We waited for the rest of the parents to arrive...we waited...and then we waited some more. The concert was supposed to stat at 3.45 p.m. By four most parents had come and now we were waiting for the Chief Guest to arrive. We waited....and waited...and...waited....aaaaaaaaaaaaaand waited. Then we were asked to arise to welcome the chief guest. So we all got up and waited and waited and waited for about five minutes when another announcement was made to say that "Oh dear we are so sorry but the chief guest is still on the way and would take about another ten minutes to arrive." So we placed our well worn butts back on the chairs and well, waited. A good one hour after the actual time the concert was to start, the honorable chief guest, who was a former teacher of the head of the play school and who should have known how difficult it is to keep a bunch of kids and parents waiting, arrived.

While we were waiting for her Lateness to arrive,  there was a family sitting behind us (ma, pa, grandma and sister). Let me call them AH for short (figure out what it stand for). The director of the school came over and kindly told them that these seats were reserved for the graduating student's parents and would they if they don't mind please move to the seats allocated for them. Once the directer left, the Pa half heartedly told the wife, 'I think I better go back.' to which the Ma replied, 'Ane don't aney..don't worry. There's plenty of room,' and none of them budged an inch while the couple who was actually supposed to sit there had to be seated in the corridor because there wasn't enough room. Even seeing this, the AH family didn't budge and even had the galls to complain 'Ane hari kathai ne cheif guest parakku una eka.'

While the concert was going on, whenever their child came on stage, the grandma would say in a rather loud voice, 'Ours is the smartest noh? See, she looks better than the other kids.'

When it was time for refreshments, I went the car to feed H2, so was a little late in getting in the line for food. By the time it was my turn, there was no food left as everyone in front had not only taken the food bags for them selves but for their kids at home, the neighbours and the family cat. The grandma of the AH family was a little ahead of me and when she realised that her fat tummy wasn't getting fed, she went off in a huff looking for a teacher to complain to. Those poor teacher's had enough on their plate looking after restless kids, but one said she's so sorry she'll see what she can do.

I am being unfair when I imply that Sri Lankans are all like the AH family because 95 percent were conciderate people, but just like people notice the black dot on a clean white paper, I could only forcus on that indiciplined family of visigoths.

Brotherly Love

H1's cousin brother came for a visit over the weekend. This was the first time they met after we came back from Singapore. So H1 was highly exited. She was a bit worried too. She came over to me and said, ' I don't have any boy's toys Ammi. What will M-Ayya play with?'

Once he arrived however, all those worries seems to be forgotten as they chased each other all over the garden. Then H1 had the brilliant idea of comparing their slippers and claimed that hers was bigger. Now this wouldn't do thought M and said, 'No! Mine is Bigger,' which promted H1 to claim, 'NO! Mine is BIGGER!' This made M so mad that he grabbed her slipper from her and ran away with it and hid it behind a tree. H1 who is used to getting her way and being the boss all the time just couldn't stomach this.

I could see how she was struggling not to cry. When it became too much for her to bare she quickly ran to her room. She only came out when M went in to say sorry to her and she claimed that it was soooooo hot in the garden, that's why she went into her room!

M being equally strong headed and bossy as H1 proved to be a tough play mate. After one of their many mini battles of wills H1 in an exasperated voice told me that 'Brother's are really silly!'
After a battle of wills with me she shouted, 'Mothers are as silly as brothers!'

We took them for a swim and H1 got out of the pool in a huff because she didn't like M splashing water on her constantly. Her Aththamma told her that boys are like that to which she replied, 'But I am a girl and girl's don't like that sort of thing because we are special!'

Before bed time both of them wanted me to read a story.  It was called 'Keenthi Keeyada' (How angry do you get...I think). M said he especially brought it for Nangi because she gets mad all the time. M's mother said, 'Well, you too have the same book and I bought it for you because you get angry all the time too'
Then H1 not wanting to be second said, 'No! I get more angry than M!'

While I was reading them the story, M started kissing H1 on her back. Then when H1 got up he said 'Oyata hada passak thiyenawa!' (You have a lovely butt!). I nearly chocked on the words I was reading. That coming out of a six year old! :o)

Ah kids these days....