Our shopping escapades

MMW is away on work for two months. I cannot, for the life of me, stay home bound the entire time. So, i decided to include Aanya in my escapades. 

We started with basic grocery shopping. There have been times in the past when i have completely regretted taking her to the supermarket, but now i have no option. And, to be honest, it's not so bad anymore. She likes to sit in the trolley, not in the child seat, but IN the trolley, and play stacking games with the groceries. She has her own demands for fruits and veggies which somehow i have to forbid her from eating before billing!

After the ordeal, i like to treat her. On most days its the Mc Donalds happy meal. One evening we even ventured to the local food court or 'kopitiam' as its called. I had a cup of coffee while the little lady had french toast and milk... 

Those are our general outings. 

Last weekend, i thought it was time for some serious fun. And our wardrobes also needed revamping! So after a scrumptious and highly calorific lunch at IKEA, we went to the mall. 

Here, I must describe the scene. Stroller with aanya's bag hanging on it, on one shoulder. My handbag on the other shoulder, holding aanya with one hand, we climbed up and down a few stairs to reach the mall. There was a money operated car staring at us as soon as we entered. After a bawling session and major tantrums, i let her ride it. Within two minutes she was bored. And here i was sincerely hoping she would sleep off so that i could try out some clothes! After half an hour of aimless walking around, my wish was granted. 


Another day, another mall, this one especially good for kids, coz it has an open play area. With a cup of coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other, i was chasing an energetic two year old running in every possible direction. I was hopeful when i thought she would take a breather in her stroller after almost an hour of playing. Then again, i was being very hopeful. She walked all the way to the train, ran around the handrails and finally said the most awaited words, "mumma, i want to sleep"!

One particular day, there was no sign of her sleeping off, and i really had to try on a pair of trousers. So with her in her stroller (don't ask me how she sat through...) i was contemplating the look when suddenly my lil one went, "Wow mumma, you look beautiful". Of course, the pants came home!


Shopping WITH Aanya is a big challenge. But shopping FOR Aanya is therapeutic. Within the frustration and anger, we find our moments of joy. We bond. Hopefully this joy will last a lifetime and the bond grow stronger. 

The side-effects will only show on MMW's pocket!

The first battle of sorts...

I came home huffing, my face a crimson red. How could those kids be so insensitive and their parents oblivious of their childs behaviour. It was one of those incidents where my maternal love overpowered basic human reaction. Now when i think back, may be it wasn't as big a deal as i made it out to be. But i was hurt, on my daughters behalf. And i know, it's just the beginning of life and battles. Some will be won...

Aanya's been craving for company. So the other day at the park she tried very hard to 'fit in' with a group of older (maybe by one year) kids. She showed off the tiger on her t-shirt, ran after them, tried to make conversation and all they did was shun her completely. When all else failed, she started saying "sorry". That's when i held her hand and took her away. It wasn't her fault that they were not playing with her but she's too little to understand anything beyond. I distracted her, took her to another play area and all was forgotten. By her. 

I was not able to get over the incident. Agreed i was being oversensitive. 

The next day, she went back to the same kids. They behaved in the exact same manner. And i marveled at my daughters pure heart. She gave her gummy bear chewy to the girl who didn't want to play with her. Of course, the kid gulped it and ran away. Aanya didn't fret. She carried on. She didn't give up. She ran behind the same kids. And i decided to watch from a distance. 

"Maybe it's time for me to grow up. Not shield my daughter all the time. At least not in the park. She's doing pretty well for herself. Maybe she doesn't need me to interfere all the time..." while all these bizarre thoughts crossed my mind, i looked on to find Aanya telling another girl... "See my racing car t-shirt... and that is my mumma", introducing me for the first time ever!

Speechless, i gave her a tight hug. 

She doesn't need 'a' friend. She's happy to play with all the kids in the park. I'm definitely being overprotective of my extremely friendly and expressive 28-month old!

Our chatterpurkayastha!

Nothing can prepare you for the non stop banter of your little one. Its adorable and eye opening and all that cute stuff, but its also very tiring. On most days, i wake up to "mumma book" or "mumma dollhouse" or "mumma blocks", on other days, i'm woken up by tiny fingers trying to open my eyes or pull my cheeks. When i'm lucky, she's huddled up into me trying to recite her rhymes! And thus the day begins...

As most mothers are for their kids, i'm the Aanya to English dictionary. I would always wonder how it is that only the mother can understand what her kid is expressing (at this stage), now i know, its a gift! And yet there are days when she repeats a word endlessly, and i just don't get it. 

Her first complete sentence was "mumma, please putting TV" (so you know where we are headed!); she jumps on the bed and says "aanu jumping bed!", when she says "minnie mouse house", i'm supposed to sing the mickey mouse clubhouse song, she sees anyone on the phone, she says "uncle/aunty talking phone", she can name most of the animals in her book and also imitate the sounds they make, the latest being "frog says tibit tibit!!!

According to her dad, when aanu stops wanting, the world will come to a standstill! 'Coz "aanu wants" everything, all day. 
"aanu want water", 
"aanu want more water", 
"aanu want bitit" (biscuit), 
"aanu want" while nodding her head means "yes" and 
"aanu no want" definitely means "no"! 

"Aanu no water!!!"

If you ask her where has papa gone, "ossie" comes the reply, "and what has he worn to office aanu?", "thokka thuji", she says, corresponding to "socks and shoosies"! Her pronunciation for her fathers name and umbrella is the same "unvava" and ask her what her name is "aanuputhayas", she says. 

This is what happened when i was trying to teach her colours-
"Aanu whats the colour of the sky: Lello"
"whats the colour of the heart: boo"
"whats the colours of the trees: pik"
And when i was almost giving up i asked, 
"whats the colour of the sun: lello" (correct answer by fluke and i was jumping with joy)

On most nights we have a night time routine. Once the lights are out, she holds my elbow and i tell her a story and It has to be 'Goldilocks and the three bears' and it always starts with 'Once upon a time...'. One night i decided to let her tell me her version. So she started "Tiiimeee... papa ber, bebi ber, poidge.... foist.... chair boke, stoi finish"... so i filled in the blanks myself and aweed at the little marvel of a baby that i have!

I read somewhere that at this stage, kids pick up 10-15 new words a day. I see it happening. The copycat that she is, aanya likes to repeat every new word she hears. Even with the constant drilling of 'positive' words, she managed to catch the one bad word we accidentally mentioned (shit), and repeated it a couple of times (without context, of course!) and thankfully forgot about it... such innocence i tell you!