Parties and No Maths

Baby D's returned to school after a month and a bit of summer vacation. He starts in Year 1, no longer the youngest in school. It's been a summer full of Christmas, and questioning how Santa Claus will make his sneaky entrance to drop off presents,  barbecues and beaches, play dates, gaming arcades and movies.

Mommy D and Daddy D took themselves a summer vacation too - the longest in a while.

On one of these long, lazy, sweltering afternoons, Baby D and I went to while away our time in the air-conned surrounds of a shopping mall. We went shopping - school shoes and clothes, ice cream and lunch. I decided to have a meaningful conversation with Baby D as we wolfed our way through kabob and chips at the Greek restaurant.

"Baby D, what are your biggest hopes for this year"

"My biggest hopes are no Maths and parties"

"What kind of parties Baby D? Birthday Parties? "

"No mum, I'd like to have parties in school."

Well Baby D, I'm glad of your optimism - I can't rid your life of  Maths, not really. Hopefully, I can get you to like it better.

Baby D's life is full of friends and parties and fun - there's Maths and school, violin and swimming.

My hopes for the year - I hope you are happy, and you have many friends, I hope you accomplish things - learn to swim and learn to love music, and tolerate MATHS.

Catching Up With Baby D

The days are slow but the years go by so fast.

Baby D's no longer a baby of course, except his mama's.

He goes to school, he's completed Kindergarten. He reads and writes (his own little journal presented by Santa Claus), he whinges, he whines. He sketches and colours, loves Transformers.  He's been known to earn pocket money and blow it all on Bumblebee. He's got friends and play dates and campaigns for sleepovers.

Baby D learns the violin, which he says he hates, he has an electric guitar to twang. He learns to swim, but mostly just faffs (I want to do whatever I want to do).

Baby D is a skilled negotiator and an expert orator and he aims to be an actor "just like Marty Mcfly".

Mummy D feels she's missed recording so much over these past five years, but aims to be a faithful historian henceforth.

His First Words

Baby D started off in an unconventional fashion with "Emmm", which Mommy D was very pleased to be called. He then decided to confirm and switched to "Mamma", very sweet on the ears. Baby D used it effectively, to demand pizza, or stop momma from visiting the loo or just to welcome her back from work.

He then added to his vocabulary - "nahin". "Nahin" means a lot of things, but sometimes it does mean "no" and so we count it as a real word too. Baby D says "nahin" when he doesn't want to be diapered or doesn't care to be shirted or doesn't want to eat. What's important is that he's learnt to say no early in life.

Next came "ight". We only discovered what "ight" is recently - "light". Baby D repeats "ight", every time we say "light". And, we have no idea why this figures in his first three words list. By a very long shot, perhaps he inherits his Mommy D's love for Diwali, or more simply he just likes lights!

Baby D in fact knows more words than he can say. He can tell "Where's light", "where's fan", "Where's Papa", "Where's nani" and "Where's mamma", the last one with a happy sort of grunt. Of course he responds once, if you keep asking him over and over, he just loses patience and gives an angry little growl as if to say "Get a grip, haven't I just told you!"

Attempts are on to get him to say "Papa". When told "say Papa", he responds with an impish smile and says "mamma" much to Mommy D's ill concealed delight.

And so, on the cusp of his 11th month, birthday - we have a clever little Baby D with a three word bilingual vocabulary and a mini dictionary in his head, that he hasn't quite learn to say yet. 

Playground Dynamics

For some time now, Baby D's evening walks have included a visit to the society park. It's a miniature place but so is Baby D, who immensely likes it there. So every evening Mommy D overcomes her natural introvert instincts that prompt her to run in the opposite direction when she sights people and "hellos" other mommies at play.

Baby D who'd initially hide his face coyly in Mommy D's shoulders when approached by folks (how like the family after all) has slowly picked confidence and looks other babies in the eye, babbles up  and generally has a good time. We start nice and easy with the swings, Mommy D holds him securely and swings him "back and forth" and "up and down". Both are really the same, but Baby D doesn't know that and he giggles out loud. We then do the slide and the bouncy. Baby D has attempted to crawl up the slide, which is obviously an uphill task. So now he's content to stand at the bottom and bang away with his fists.

There's Baby Kuhu, an year and half old who excitedly repeats "Baby" every couple of minutes on sighting Baby D. She greets him and pumps his hands up and down. Baby D, a little overwhelmed at first, warmed to good intentions and himself grabbed on to her shoulders and "spoke" to her.

Then we have Baby Kiara, two years old, who equally loves Baby D, is enthusiastic in her advances and despite her size, and boisterous mien, Baby D stands his ground and actually smiles back.

Baby D does have a nemesis though - Baby Bani. This impish little girl, all of an year old is normally found kicking a ball around the park and has now made Baby D cry twice! She once patted his cheek a little to firmly and another time pulled his hair. Mommy D would have passed this off as unintentional and put it down to high spirits, but Baby Bani giggles when Baby D cries! Needless to  say, the barely germinating relations between the two Mommies are now well in the Arctic.

It's quite a Charles Darwin world, this park. Baby D himself has been known to try grabbing a pacifier off a smaller baby - Baby Adam.

Well, all the activity around him - the cricket and running babies, and ball kicking has spurred Baby D on to try walking himself. He now won't crawl if he can somehow walk, if he can find something to hold on to. Once reluctant to try things in the big scary world of the park, he now clasps Mommy D's hand, and tries to get where he needs to at top speed. Baby D has just learnt to stand without support, about thirty seconds at a time. But he has rightly decided, that this is rather like riding a bicycle - you don't fall if you keep moving. And so one day, with a whole lot of cheering from Mommy D and Daddy D he took his first couple of independent steps - in this same park. We have been seeing some progress since and it's not for want of trying that Baby D isn't quite walking just yet.

Talking of play, Baby D has three new additions to his cloth book library - The Tale of Sir Prancelot, Where's Elmo, and another title about Elmo's bedtime routine. Baby D, it turns out loves a book with a story to it and so he has taken to "Sir Prancelot" even as "Are You My Mother" remains an all time favourite. Mommy D is proud to report that Baby D can now turn the pages himself - one at a time.

Mommy D and Daddy D are turning the pages too, only a few more weeks until his first birthday!

Best Weekend Ever

We went to Hamleys! Yay! When Mommy D and Daddy D were in London, and Baby D was still not  among them, they used to go to Hamleys to while away an evening pleasantly. Now with Baby D in their midst and a local branch newly opened in their town, they can go there with legitimate reason.

Baby D has been showing scant interest in his toys recently, so they thought to buy whatever Baby D chose. And so Baby D was allowed to crawl at large, and explore at will,  with a very excited Mommy D and Daddy D in tow. They would have brought home a tricycle, legos, the hungry caterpillar, potty seat, Po soft toy, a fox, Mickey mouse, bigger version of Mr Spots, a tiger, rabbit and dogs, a musical ball, a swimming frog (bath toy) a motor boat, too large for his current bath tub and a bubble gun.

Luckily the cold hand of reason brought them down to earth. Mommy D went to the cashier with the caterpillar and a musical ball of dadi's choosing, smiling beatifically. Daddy D entertained Baby D by wearing the toy masks.

Mommy D then thought of other practical matters, such as buying herself a pair of shoes. Baby D let her, but then called loudly and specifically "Emmm". He was hungry. He polished off his khichdi in about 5 minutes, something that would have taken him four times the time at home. (He likes to "eat on the go"- crawl around the house doing important things like exploring cupboards, and drawers and finding slippers, only stopping long enough for a panting Mommy D to catch up and shove a spoonful in his mouth). Well, for once Baby D attacked his dinner with a no nonsense attitude, and burst into tears at the end and further remonstrated with "Emm" to give him some more. Thankfully there was some extra formula on hand!!

Baby D having been fed, it was time for the rest of the family to think of their own appetites and so off to an asian restaurant we went. The waiters courteously pulled up a high chair for Baby D and settled him in. Mommy D left the ordering of her food and drinks to the others even as she worked hard to keep Baby D entertained in the confines of his high chair. This meant dancing his Mickey mouse for him, offering him the menu to read and feeding him biscuits. Baby D thought it would be a fine idea to drop things and have Mommy D pick 'em up - just for fun. So it was that Mommy D spent most of her time on the floor , but was enjoying herself hugely for all that.

Of course, when Baby D tried to grab the waiters to place an order, it was time to get him out of his high chair and take him for a walk. Mommy and Daddy D were extremely grateful to the waiters for offering Baby D a couple of straws to play with and for sterilising his sippy cup  spout which had been thrown to the ground. Of course they were to learn later that this was de rigeur for families with babies. They are more savvy now.

Baby D, in the meantime, took trips to the ladies room where he giggled at all the mirrors, insisted on eating chicken off our plates and then decided he had had enough of the high chair after all. As Mommy D watched frozen in shock, he launched himself off and slid neatly down. Thank God for the Hamleys toys under to cushion his fall. The tables around stopped mid conversation and dada had the presence of mind to pick him up before Baby D quite realised the sensation he had just created. He carried on unconcernedly eating his teether even  as the rest of us gulped down our meals, gathered ourselves together, paid our bill and took ourselves off.

Baby D fell asleep as usual in the car to the strains of Mommy D singing "Soft Kitty" and we agreed it was the best outing we had in a long while.

A Very Contrary Baby

It was Baby D's ninth month birthday and Mommy D had some plans to commemorate the occasion.
Despite the fact that Baby D has been showing scant interest in new toys of late, Mommy D thought to go ahead and get him this clockwork alligator anyway. "Snappy" features two birdies on his back, which when you press, gets Snappy to work his jaws furiously and roll away. It's supposed to be fun for crawling babies to chase after. Snappy's tail can be twisted, so it goes click click. His is a friendly face and colourful wheels. What's not to like!

Mommy D and Daddy D had a much involved discussion the previous night, over a name for Snappy. They had perhaps not put so much thought into Baby D's name! Mommy D thought it might be a good idea to just hide Snappy in Baby D's toy box for him to find, so he didn't feel pressured into playing with him.

Sure enough, Baby D spotted Snappy right away. But having examined him a bit, and banging the floor with him, he simply threw him away. No amount of showing him Snappy's capabilities would  get him interested. He really couldn't be bothered to chase after Snappy rolling away. In fact, when Mommy D "accidentally" left Snappy lying around, Baby D unconcernedly stepped over him in his quest for slippers, shoes and the like.

The other excitement of the day was introducing fish to Baby D. Mommy D had thought of a recipe, that she felt sure would please. Fish and potato were boiled together with a clove of garlic to give a hint of flavour. The whole was then mashed together with a teeny pinch of salt and formed into a ball. Mommy D then fried the fish cutlets in ghee. It was at this crucial last stage that things went awry and the whole tasted more ghee than fish.

Baby D's response was frank and instantaneous. He took a bite, pulled a face and threw up the whole on Mommy D. Oh well. She had that coming. The same evening,  Baby D determinedly devoured the grown up fish cutlets - nicely spiced and salted. He also got his way over the omelette, growling at Mommy and Daddy D until we were forced to relinquish at least a quarter of their portion each. This is when he's not officially started eggs.

Mommy D  is worried on the shape of things to come, even as the entire household patters around in bare feet, (the slippers are all hidden away lest Baby D should take a fancy to eat them) and each household article that is lost is looked out for with repetitions of "where is pen", "where is cup" and so forth after the manner of Baby D's peekaboo game.

Baby D's Little Rituals

Baby D is quite a grown baby now with a very definite personality, mannerisms, likes and dislikes and moods and ways. For one, he wants everything Daddy D has. Daddy D never is able to keep his glasses on if Baby D is in the vicinity. After multiple days of saying "no no", "bad", "dangerous" in all its variants, scolding and explaining, Daddy D has surrendered to a state of perpetual blurriness. He's even been known to offer his glasses as bribe, "here Baby D come get my glasses, but lie still so we can diaper you".

If Baby D has one virtue, it'd be persistence. He goes at something, until we drop the cause in sheer exhaustion! So Baby D now happily eats away at slippers, barring the weak "No Baby D, dirty, please, really dirty". He also bats away gleefully at the mac as and when he pleases. Daddy D had offered him the ipad as an alternative, but Baby D, naturally was having none of that. Eventually Daddy D threw in the towel and Baby D has been known to type away, open chrome, register for online courses, sit on the computer and so forth. The last bastion that needs to be conquered is for Baby D to be allowed to open the mac cover in the reverse, and something suggests Daddy D would stand firm on that.

And so Baby D crawls around the house at top speed, making new discoveries, exploring and destroying at will. Mommy D spends most of her time at home on all fours, chasing around Baby D, to limit damages and to save him from the consequences of his somewhat reckless decisions.

In his more manageable moments, Baby D is turning out to be quite an affectionate person. He gives Mommy D a tight little hug when she returns from  work and sometimes he hugs her just because, and sometimes because he likes it that she's jamming with him. He has also learnt to kiss and his kisses are naturally reserved for Mommy D. Mommy D wishes he'd remain this demonstrative when he's all grown up, but she does wish he wouldn't cry when she leaves for work!

Baby D is quite a thrill seeker too. He looks to Daddy D to give him a ride on his shoulders and to bounce and toss him around. His appeals and requests can come at any time, especially when Daddy D is driving and not really in a position to comply.

A budding book lover,  his favourite at the moment is "Are you my mother". Mommy D reads to him this tale of a bird in search of his mother, every night, and Baby D laughs at all the funny bits and looks to his Daddy as if to say "wait wait, she's coming to the best part now". Mommy D has thrown herself enthusiastically into the task of creating a cloth book library for Baby D and looks forward to the day when Harry Potter will be available as a four page cloth book too!

Baby D loves to play "peekaboo" and hides in his blanket until he's heard a lot of desperate "Where is Baby D, where can Baby D possibly be"! His favourite is when Mommy D is looking skyward and clasping and unclasping her hands, "searching" for Baby D, who gives a delighted yelp and comes crawling over. He definitely knows his name..and he knows his Mommy is "M". Mommy D wishes he'd always call her "Emm" and call to his "Emm" to make things better.