paya iyya stories_cont'd

so what are some of the stories?
1. stranded on sea :-(
2. paya and the bonda:-)
3. paya escapes the guardian - pillayar to the rescue! :-)
4. paya at the fair:-)
5. May 13 adventures:-)
6. Paya iyya escapes... only nearly! :-(
7. Paya Iyya meets Rathi Akka :-)
8. Paya and the creaking bed:-)
9. Paya saves two lives:-)
10. Paya's twin sister ( very personal) :o
11. Paya's school encounters :(
12. paya and the fly :-(
13. Paya the laughing buddha
14. Paya gets married
15. The missing address
16. Paya and his flexible glasses
17. Paya says vathiyar

paya iyya stories

oh a new thing has started between us now - akshaya loves stories about the people she knows! so she asks for endless paya iyya stories, malar aunty and teeth stories, aaya and teeth stories - hahaha - I must tell malar she's being immortalized through stories! and I should seriously consider writing the adventures of palani! she seems to love these stories! as much as I did when I was a kid - it's always nice to hear about the young boy who gets up to naughty adventures, and who gets caught sometimes but escapes most of the time!

the terrible twos have started!

we had a major power struggle last night - itwas hard on all of us
what do you do when your toddler who's recovering from a fever and still has a runny nose insists that she wants to take off all her clothes and sleep with a towel on her? esp when we know it's a game where she tries to wriggle out of the towel and all this at 11.30 pm? we said no and ignored her angry cries. she cried for an hour! it changed from "take off clothes" to go to hall" to "come with me" and finally to "carry me" - by then she looked so forlon - she must have thought her best friends have turned on her for good - the indulgent and loving parents were ignoring her!
very hard - but really, the last thing we could do was give in to her after an hour of crying -the message she'd get is, 1 hour is their threshold, just keep crying for an hour and she will get what she wants no matter how unreasonable or unhealthy a desire it is!
when I carried her, I told her how both her dad and me loved her very much, and that just as she's learning to be a toddler we too are learning to be parents! sigh. hope these don't go on for too long!

birthday party in the jungle

I realise I had not blogged about her jungle themed party last year
here were some of the things we did: Jungle themed 'happy birthday' banner, jungle party banner, paw prints from the lift to the door, tiger faced cake, lots of jungle animal stuffed toys around the house, a jungle themed invitation card, party packs included jungle masks and jungle hats, as well other assorted non jungle related things like bubbles, a ball and other things. it was pretty fun too!

birthday party under the sea

Akshaya's second birthday party was themed under the sea and it was so fun!
We had under sea party banners, blue and green balloons and streamers and sea creatures and sea books displayed around the house
Akshaya was dressed in a shimmery green mirrorred mermaid dress and we played treasure hunt for sea creatures in a fishing basket, and played pass the parcel to the song 'Where is Ariel?' Kids got goodie bags in a fish themed party bag, with a fish shaped bubble bottle, 2 gold coins (treasures under the sea), worm jellies, a fancy drinking straw, silly clappers, a box of raisins and a set of sea creature stickers. The younger children (aged 1.5 - 3) all received an Under the Sea Sticker Activity book as well, as a Christmas gift, and all received a personalized thank you note designed with sea creatures. They each had a sea creature party hat too, with sea creature party plates for the children, and the same design party cups (also for the kids).
The kids did crayoning of sea creatures in the balcony too. All in all, was a very fun day. The birthday cake featured barney at the beach with friends. Did I mention we designed a power point invitation card too, with sea creatures all around! animated!

I felt I had spent more effort on the jungle themed party last year but every one appreciated the sea themed one this year better! The difference - they were involved in the theme - especially through the colouring and treasure hunt activities. Credit to my mum for suggesting the treasure hunt! I'm looking forward to next year's party already!

masterpiece

My darling and I were spending a day of quality time together yesterday, and we did some painting. She was engaged in some abstract art as usual and I decided to try my hand at some boring recognisable whale drawings, so I told her I'll do my boring whale and you do my masterpiece ok" - it was said almost in passing, more like a mumbling to myself really.

A few minutes later I turned to look at my daughter painting - a gorgeous landscape of green with tinges of brown, and asked her, "Akshaya, what are you painting?" and she says, cool as ever, "A Masterpiece!"

hahahahha! oh wow! I had to take a step back in respect - that is the confidence of children -she tells me she is painting a masterpiece! I told her she was our masterpiece.
lovely!

talking a mile a minute

our darling is talking and talking so well!
a few days ago, she came to inspect the teat I was using for her night feed
She said, "this teat better. other teat falling falling falling!"
hahhah! that was coz her father had just two days ago given her hot milk that spilt out of the bottle coz the teat did not fit well!
Then yesterday, while waiting at the petrol station, she recalled an incident and improvised too

"Achiya in car seat. petrol station. Aatha go shop buy something. beans, carrot, brocoli.
Achiya scared. Achiya frightened. lady talking talking to achiya"

goodness! I had forgotten about this incident, which I admit should never have happened. I was late to the airport, so I left her in the car seat for a few minutes by herself while I went to pay for the petrol. in that time she got a little anxious so the petrol pump lady spoke to her through the window to distract her.
must never do that again!

Budding Artist

Our little one loves to draw and paint, and I, unbiased impartial mother that I am, think she's fantastic! hahah.
She painted a lovely apply tree with a bear running away from it (the bear was accidental but looks so good!)
and ponds, and she recently did a crown forself, with leaves
very nice! she loves it too - some finger painting etc.
she's limited only by my imagination - which is terrible. I think she has fantastic potential. I must get more ideas.

Akshaya Saravanan - the Tennis Player!

Yesterday, my kutty baby went on stage and she rocked!
She went for the fancy dress parade, dressed as a tennis player. she had practiced for three days before the day.
she was so confident! she went up, swung her racket a few times, then put down her racket and clapped for herself! ahahhaha. so adorable! after finishing, she wanted to go up again!
it was the first time a tennis player went up on stage!
I am really glad for this talent show the temple organises! it really provides very good oportunities for little children to enjoy limelight with no pressure to win. It's a talent showcase not a competition, so every child emerges a winner. it's very good.
and my kutty was so happy with the gift she got - she told me.. "present! " and she held on to it tightly while standing on stage.
She also amazed me that she stood quietly on stage wtih all the other kids, without looking for me all, while waiting for the photoshoot
My little precious baby is growing up is she!

Favourites

The other day I was driving my daughter to the clinic, when the nursery rhyme
It's raining, it's pouring, The old man is snoring..." came on.
She told me.. Different song, Akshaya;s Favourite!!!!!
I was stunned - my daughter has favourites that she can recognise and articulate? I never knew!
I asked her again and she affirmed, that this was her favourite song!
Then she said her favourite car was appa's car.
I asked her, which is her favourite fruit - she said Watermelon,
Her favourite bird - she said cockatoo!


my gosh! two things stunned me - firstly, that she had favourites, secondly that her favourites were so different from what I would have thought would have been her favs!
like I would have thought she liked baa baa black sheep or 1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive for that's what she asks for over and over again in the car
her fav fruit is watermelon and I never give her that! I keep giving her grapes
Her fav bird - I would have thought it was the despicable mynah but it was the cockatoo!

An important lesson here - we must respect our children as individuals in their own right who will develop their own tastes and likes etc that we sometimes can't predict ! hjaha - I always knew that in theory - but still, took a lesson on favourites for it to become crystal clear!

cup corn

I have so much to update this blog on!
First - about my daughter's burgeoning vocabulary and the way she is able to reveal her process of logical thinking:

Last wednesday evening I took her to the baby gym, and stopped by MacDonald's for a snack before heading back. She asked for Cup Corn, and the poor darling must have been hungry for she kept at it for ages - Cup Corn Cup Corn Cup Corn!
I tried to feed her till we got to the car, once in the car I stopped as I was going to drive.
she started again - Cup Corn Cup Corn Cup Corn!
So I told her, darling, Aatha is driving right - ya - so how can I give you your cup corn?
And she answers, slowly,
"Park Car, Feed Cup Corn to Akshaya, Then Drive... Good Idea!"

Hahahah! I was so thrilled! there she was presenting a solution to my problem! so I did that! How could I not, after such explicit instructions!

meal time madness

I had the pleasure of giving the little doll lunch the other day
what an experience
food spread around the entire hall
then finally she sits
and picks up the food with her tiny fingers
the food traverses the long journey from plate to mouth
half is lost on the way of course
first all the green brocoli
then the red carrots
then the white rice
and then some, only some, green beans
but it was a good meal at the end of it all!
and then the joint clean up
two brooms, one for her one for me
then two wet cloths, one for her one for me
we scrub the floor
and the house is clean
volia
lunch is over in an hour and a half

passing moments

She grows so fast, does so much so quickly and I am not capturing it:-(
she says thenda paani koya
and moni caa
teesher
om / shakthi om

She went for swimming classes from 3 months to about 8 months regularly,
and baby gym from about 9 months to 15 months
now she's starting music classes at 21 months
and will be going for an art trial class soon too

she seems to enjoy music class most so far, maybe because she is able to articulate her wishes more
after each class she says 'gain' gain' - she wants to go again!

shoe pottu, slipper pottu, shirt pottu, pant pottu, go moni ca - aatha dwive

dwive, cwy,
doggy baarking
achiya scad
full moon

her fav drawings - moon star

different children

The other day at the temple, I was trying to feed my daughter. Next to me, was a mother and her two daughters, aged 6 and 19 months.
The 19 month old is my daughter;s age of course. When I took a break from my feeding, I noticed this mum feeding her daughter. The child was on her lap looking on curiously at the antics of my daughter, who at that moment was playing hide and seek / peek a boo furiously with my saree!
To feed my baby I had to be careful not to strip myself, reach under the palloo of my saree, pop a piece of idly in her mouth before quickly covering her up again, saying, take one mouth and hide.
when I kept the saree off her for too long once, she ran away and screamed at the top of her voice and I had to coax her back into the saree. Then she got tired of this game and ran off to peep through the railings of the fencing at the end of the dining hall.
This entertainng show was enough to keep the other 19th month old enthralled enough to stay in one place and eat.
my sis in law and I ran round the temple feeding our little one.
such different babies there are in the world.
I love both kinds of course but I must admit I have a partiality to the michevious ones who can't stay still - even if I admit it is tiring for us! children should be active and curious - not docile!

Thinking of Baby

Thinking of my daughter just makes me happy.
I think of her face, of tracing her features with my fingers, I replay conversations with her, I recall her reactions to things, her words
I love her so.

two words together

yesterday, 9 aug 2010, our darling daughter started stringing words together!
And it's such a pleasure.
You should see her eyes light up, as she tentatively tries putting words together and when we react with claps and delighted laughter. the first time she strings them, she does so ever so quietly. And then... when we cheer for her, she says it again, boldly and loudly.

she started saying Pamma Aaya (Padma aaya) and Took Oil, to say she took an oil bath.
she can say take, too.
And she attempted the polysyllabic name Palaniappan - calling out payappan.
to my dad's utter delighted she has been calling him payya payya for the past 3 weeks - that means little boy you know! imagine a toddler calling her grandfather small boy!

Such joy I tell you! Magic. I believe I have used this a number of times.
Then this morning, she was up at 5 am, talking non-stop till 7 am.
She saw her father's chips on the dresser - don't ask why it was there! and she said 'share' for 'chair' . when I pushed the things on the chair aside, I asked if she wanted to sit, and she said stand! and when she was standing, she reached out to get the chips. There is such purpose in her actions.

She also makes such fantastic connections. I read to her about Chicken Licken who wants to tell the king that the sky is falling down, and she runs to locate her nursery rhyme on Sing A Song of Six Pence because there's a king in that verse. So everytime I say "we need to tell the king" she points at the king in the other book. This is intertextuality my friends! one of the keenest pleasures in reading is the connections between texts. texts speak to one another, and my daughter loves to get them to meet!

I realize now that I must hurry and get photos and videos of her! she is growing growing so quickly,. I am missing moments to treasure!

Rhymes for Baby

Some rhymes are just so violent!
So here's a softer version of Rock A Bye Baby

Rock A Bye Baby
On the Tree Top
When the Wind Blows,
The Cradle Will Rock
If the Bough Breaks,
the Leaves Will Break Your Fall
And Down Will Come Safely,
My Baby, Cradle and All!

Here are two additional verses of a rhyme my baby likes a lot:

Mary Mary Quite Contrary
How Does Your Garden Grow?
With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells
And Pretty Maids All In A Row...

With Butterflies, and Bumble Bees
And Yellow Birds up in the Sky

With Flowers White, and Flowers Pink,
And Green Green Grass by the Side

Baby sponge

Monday, June 14, 2010

Baby sponge

My baby - now a toddler - is a little sponge!I sing to her, we speak to her constantly and just like that, suddenly, she's throwing all these words back at usshe can say, 'no no' with a twinkle in her eye, and 'yea yea' with a little smileI sing to her Two little dicky birds sitting on a Wall, and she says Wowl (silent l), one named peter one named paul and she says Pow(l) then I tell her I'll be putting cream on kaal (leg in tamil) and she say Kaw(l)!I sing wheels on the bus go round and round, and she says 'roun'now everything is Athiya athiya - Athiya will feed herself, drink water herself go everywhere herself!Door, Doll, Ball, back, quack, cluck, hiss, miaw, pia, dog, boo (for moo)how fun!

baa baa

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Baa Baa

And it's begun!Baby (or should I say toddler? she's always baby to me somehow!)Baby gets into the car, points her index finger to the sky and demands.. "Baa Baa"and we have to play baa baa black sheep for her.. over and over and over again!this is exasperation mingled with pride and lovethe question is baa baa black sheep a politically incorrect song does arise in my head - a minor aside for nowthe worst of it all is, I have nursery rhyme ditties in my head all day and night long now! how I long for some grown up music in my head!Baa Baa is significant for our baby in her own way though - our new zealand trip, if nothing else, she developed a love for those baa baas! any stretch of green and she'd be on the look out for those wooly friends of hers. plus it was the first animal she got up close and personal with, daring to reach out and touch their fur, on a farm visit. till then, she used to shy away from real animals (pictures ones were okay)so with the baa baa, she got to appreciate nature, experience relating the picture to the real thing and even tried petting and feeding them!and now this rhyme! who knows what it reminds her of?

the breastfeeding journey

Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Breast Feeding Journey

I had to record this for I'd forget otherwisedate when I stopped breastfeeding: April ... (see I forgot already! - it was 2 weeks ago) - April 30 2010having breastfed baby for 16 months - woo hoo!okay, complete breastfeeding only for 4 months but still..I was actually going to stop at about 13 months but then we went to New Zealand and she fell sick and we re-started breast feeding to help her keep some food in and fight the bacteria and that got us started again!So funny this whole breastfeeding issue: when we started, we said it with great pride - for it was being encouraged by all doctors and through campaigns and posters - that breast milk was bestthat was till baby was 6 months old.then some people looked on in admiration while others tried to dissuade when I continued to breast feed past 6 monthsthen come 12 months, I had to keep it secret! because almost no one would encourage it anymore. except my mum which was very ironic, considering that intially she was the one who was insisting breast milk is completely insufficient for the baby and that formula was essential!oh well!personally, I've very happy and very blessed to have been able to breast feed for 16 months. it really helped me bond with my darling and honestly we both are really close! I mean, that is something really only mummy can do - all things else anyone else can do and was most most happy and willing to do - feed, change, bathe, dress play ... breast feeding however.. ha! only one!I think it was like this:complete breastfeeding: 0 - 4 monthsbreast feeding plust one feed formula: 5 - 8 monthsbaby rice introduced: 5 monthsbreast milk and baby rice: 8 - 9 months (india at that time, I did not bottle feed at all)breast milk, baby rice and one feed formula - 9 - 11 monthsbreast milk, 2 - 3 feeds formula and solids (rice and paruppu etc) - 11 - 14 months1 feed breast milk at night - 14 - 16 months

Sleep Training Diary

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Sleep Training Diary

Tear drops in her eyes
Downturned lips
Quivering chin and nose
My baby is about to cry
She wants mummy to pick her up
Doesn't understand why
Mummy doesn't pick her up
Sleep baby sleep
We love you baby
Hard lesson
Harder for mummy
Perhaps

How does my Baby Grow?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

How Does My Baby Grow?

Tell me Tell me, how does my baby grow?
With Twinkling EyesAnd Dimpled Smiles
With Squeals of JoyAnd Peals of Laughter
That's how my baby grows!

(sung to the tune of Mary Mary Quite Contrary)

Baby's first words

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Baby's First Words

14 months old... is my baby's speech developing properly? A fairly common concern among parents I'm sure!So, to allay my fears, I'm listing out the words my baby can say - and let's see how I feel after that!
Baa baa (sheep)
Mum Mum (food, water, milk, biscuits)
Mummae (when she's very hungry in the middle of the night, asking specifically for milk)Aatha (that's me!)
Appa (whispered usually)
Aaya (maternal grandma)
Iyya (grandpa)
Aathappa (no idea!)
Thathathae (no idea!)
Iyyappa (no idea - or maybe God?)
boo (for moo)
wow wow (dogs)
kkoo (bird)
ot ot (hot)
co (cold)
Be be (said once so far - for baby)
uck (once, for duck)
cow (once, for cow)
So what do you think - not too bad eh?She understands a lot more than she speaks!A real joy watching her grow!

Read Me a Book!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Read Me a Book!

Having a baby really gives one tons of moments to treasure, only they grow up so fast that we tend to forget those moments sometimes..My baby is one year old, and I want to note the few I remember still before I forget them.

Yesterday, my baby picked a book for me to read to her, without my asking.I was having my dinner and reading the newspapers on the couch. She was playing but when she saw me sit down to eat and read, she went over to her own mini library in the hall.I thought she was well occupied playing with her books and I continued reading the papers.Suddenly she was at my knee, holding up a book : My Baby Elephant - and was clearly asking me to read it! she wanted to climb up on my lap for me to read to her!

What a moment! it was touching and sweet and heart warming all at the same time - at least for me! she was reminding me that I was 'ignoring' her to a certain extent.She also showed me that my nightly readings to her were having an impact - she liked them and had been looking forward to them! and if I were to forget about our ritual, she was going to remind me! and best of all - she was expressing her preferences for a particular book! When she was at her mini library, she had a choice of about 20 books at least - and she picked one that appealed to her. The best part - it wasn't even a book I had read to her that often! the books I read often are in the bedroom.

What a moment to treaure - my daughter aged one picking a book for me to read to her all by herself!

Most Beautiful Baby in the World

Monday, January 11, 2010

Most Beautiful Baby in the World

Okay I'm going to now make a blatantly biased, completely one sided, totally unoriginal, probably one of the most repeated, and yet unashamedly true in every instant statement:My baby is the most beautiful baby in the world!I love being biased this way! and I am so happy to be part of the million mums who feel exactly the same way about their little darlings. Mummyhood is such a happening club to belong to!My little one is now one. how fast time flies. just awhile ago she was so small cradled in my arms. now she's still cradling in my arms but her legs stick out! and I caught a video of myself the other day - oh gosh! that proud look on my face as I talk about Akshaya to her equally doting grandparents. she'd probably gag at these videos when she grows up!Back to work, now!

Birthday Celebrations

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Birthday Celebrations
The year is coming to an end! Everyone exclaims how fast the year has gone by and it's true to some extent. However we had three really enjoyable parties recently that linger in my mind, and do not seem rushed at all. All three were for baby Akshaya's 1st birthday celebrations and all three were great fun for me and for her... I hope they were fun for the guests too!
Posted by meena at 5:05 PM

1 comments:

Meena said...
Had one more on Saturday - a pooja for her birthday on the day of her star sign. That went on very well too! Aayush Homam, followed by a Mandalabishegam at Thendayuthapani temple. Very nice - and she listens so intently to the Iyer saying the manthirams! And she started offering flowers and flower petals in exactly the way the Iyer taught us (the parents!)Very moving to watch her do this. Children do seem have an automatic unforced relationship with God. No wonder they say God loves children.
January 11, 2010 3:24 PM

Sleep Training in Progress

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Sleep Training in Progress

4 a.m.
You cry
Gently first
tremulously
then louder
and louder
She walks in
Speaks soothing words
No pick-up
though
and she leaves
You wail!
and continue
crying crying crying
Tears of anguish
Tears of anger
and she caves
Pick up!
You smile and cuddle and
coo into an imaginary phone
plant bite kisses on her cheeks
All is well with the world!
What a blessing to be like you
A heart that
bears no grudges,
that is filled only with
Love, Love and
More Love

Sleepless in Singapore

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sleepless in Singapore

My baby is not sleeping enough, nor is she sleeping through the night, she hasn't slept more than 3 hours in a stretch since she was born, 9 months ago. That is .... terrible. For her.Babies need lots of sleep for brain development, and my husband and I have been taking the easy way out by not teaching her to fall asleep on her own. WE are the culprits. This is a terrible weight to bear you know. and we MUST do something about it.Absolutely must.This is an important lesson for us in bringing up baby. sometimes we need to be firm and we need to do difficult things for her own good.God please give me the courage to do this and to do it well.

6 Months Forever

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

6 Months Forever!

My baby is six months old now, and a part of me is so anxious that this stage is passing by so quickly, I want to hold on to every minute and savour it. She'll only be 6 months once!and every day, I see something new she learns. It's amazing.
one day she's getting her first teeth.
the next she's learnt to turn over both sidesthe next she knows how to keep rolling in one direction!
the next she's turned 360 degrees in her cot
the next she's moving backwards using her legs to propel her
the next she's learnt to wave bye bye
the next she's trying to feed herself
the next she's crying to be picked up
it's unstoppable! not that I want to of course, but I want to capture every single minute of this miracle unfolding before my eyes.

Where is the Milk?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Where is the Milk?

This is mildly depressing. I'm getting less and less milk as each day goes by, while pumping for longer and longer.Why am I doing this anyway? This feeling is compounded by guilt at whiling away 1 hour of office time on pumping, while also using my lunch time to do this. that's 2 hrs of good time being used to get much too little milk!and I can't and don't want to leave work late because I have a baby I want to get back to to feed.solife is reduced to a cycle of feeding, desire to feed, longing to feed, necessity to feed and pumping to feed laterand the pumping ain't going too wellnot in a good mood here, as one can tell

Love, Shakespeare

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Love, Shakespeare

From Sonnet # 17 (addressed to an unidentified young man)
If I could write the beauty of your eyes ...
The age to come would say 'This poet lies: ...
But were some child of yours alive that time,......
You should live twice; in it and in my rhyme.

Who says it better than the bard?

Mini Me

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Mini Me

Had a look at my own baby photo yesterday... my daughter does indeed look almost exactly like I did when I was a baby! It was almost disconcerting, to tell the truth. I had produced my very own 'mini me'! The resemblence is uncanny if I may say so myself.Where will the similarities end though? I was kind of hoping my daughter would turn out far prettier than me! If she looks like me when I was a baby, will she look like me as she grows up too?

One of Shakespeare's sonnets come to mind here :Sonnet #3 (addressed to an unidentified young man)

"Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in theeCalls back the lovely April of her prime"

Amazing, Shakespeare's lines, written 600 years ago, still as relevant today as ever, holding resonance for us in the different stages of our lives!