Sore Throat

Chantel didnt sleep neither eat properly for the past few days. We were wondering and could not figure out the reason. Daph thought that C has cold or fever.
Yesterday morning when I woke up, i realised I had a terrible sore throat. Ditto daph. So, it seems, after all, C had sore throat and could not tell us! Today daph has slight fever and i have severe sore throat. Hopefully, it will go away soon...
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appa and amma have got 10 year visa!
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Patting

Sometimes when we hold chantel, she puts her arms around us and "pats" us. I guess, she has learnt patting from us...whenever we do it to calm her or while rocking her, etc in a parental way in an assuring manner. It is interesting to see her doing it to us. Yesterday she was doint it to the computer. Not sure what she meant.
Daph started showing chantel pictures from books. Eventhough C could not understand much, she has picked up the "pointing". So, now, whenever we open a book for reading (photo album) C comes and points the pictures or anything with her forefinger!
Last weekend, I taught her to switch on the keyboard. I tried to show her the difference between the switch on and off position. (sound coming or not coming!) It looks like she has understood this and started playing the keyboard by switching it on by herself! Nice.
I hope she would learn to switch if off too!

Naughty

Chantel pushed over the TV antenna for the 20th time. It was really bad. The antenna is not broken yet but whenever she pushes it over, the channel alignment gets lost and it is very difficult to get the channels with quality reception again.
So, I told her sternly not to touch it again. She seemed to have understood it. She circled the room for a bit with a sullen face and came towards me. I thought it was still not time to be smiling. My stony visage bounced her back to Daph. After a minute, Chantel started circling me again and this time I thought I will do a show and tell demostration. I picked her up and took her close to the antenna. And placed the antenna in the correct place and told her in stern voice that the antenna should not be moved around, etc, animatedly waving my hands (othai kaedaikkum!)
When I finished, C was oblivious of my polemics, and started waving me goodbye! Funny, she thought all I was doing waving my hand was just bidding goodbye! I guess, I have to wait for another 6 months to talk to her about causality.
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got some toys - moving train - for chantel for her bday
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Hugging

Whenever Daph come and sit close to me or if we are hugging, Chantel would come running "chinunkkikondae". She also wants to be hugged or kissed. I am not sure why she is doing it but is usually satisfied only after she got sit in between us.
C also does not like Daph to hold or lift other babies in town. C gets uneasy and starts to jump with a typical slur cry meaning that C wants to be held.
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We bought a samsung 7.1 digital camera / mp3 player.
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Dinner at 10515

On last Saturday we had invited Mohit and Amit for dinner. Chantel was asleep when they came. When she woke she was quite aghast seeing all the new human beings in the house and took some time to get used to. Mohit's mother put bindi on Chantel. It was cute. I guess, Daph would not have liked it.
During the dinner, C took mohit's wallet and pulled out a credit card. When we took the credit card from her, she started wailing. Mohit didnt want C to cry and so he offered to give her another card. I knew C liked things that made sound. I told them she would give the card, if we gave her something more intersting, like a "use and throw" plastic bowl. Others could not believe it. I tapped the bowl on the floor to make some rattling noise and gave it to C. She liked it so much, she dropped the credit card at once and picked up the bowl. It was quite interesting to watch!
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mowed the lawn again...i hope this is the last for this season!
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Computer

Like any baby, C is quite fascinated with the computer (or any electronics) She wants to play with the cellphone, tv remote, etc. She pushes over the TV antenna almost everyday and that changes the setting everyday. She also can switch on the computer that is sitting next to the TV and we had to unplug the computer so that she could not switch it on anymore.
I could not work on the computer at all, if she was around. She sits on the floor and cries a lot to be picked up. But while sitting on the lap, she tries to tap the keyboard, move the mouse, pull the sheet and doess all sort of noranatyam. Some how she just likes to keep banging on the keyboard. But if I play winamp or windoes media player and run its "visualization", which is similar tot he screen saver, she looks at it with her eyes wide open and does not take her eyes off it! She keeps looking at it so much, I am afraid that she would be mesmerized by it or something!
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My vacation got sanctioned and we might go to California, after all!
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Water, water

Daph said she was tired yesterday and went to bed and asked me to give C her dinner. Which was a Gerber precooked product, pasta and tomato sauce. C took some but was not too eager to eat more. Then after some time she started crying. Usually she plays this crying game, whenever daph is not around, expecting someone will take her to daph.
She kept crying, I help her for sometime, she would stop and then start again. Then I thought she might be sleepy and tried to help her to go to sleep. She was still crying on and off. After sometime, daph came and saw C was still crying and gave her some water! C gulped them very fast! After this, she became calm and didnt cry much. Still not sure whether Daph's nearness made it happen or the absence of thirst.
Whenever eating spicy food, C makes a hissing sound and starts waving her hand (meaning the food is v spicey and she needs water...) It was easy to figure out what she wants then. But it must be very difficult to understand that she wants water without the hissing!
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Daph is trying to teach C the "flying kiss". All C could do is to "vaayila adiththal" herself
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Independence

These days C has gained some confidence and independence. She tries to venture into rooms and spaces on her own. Even if we are in the drawing room, she does not stay there, but goes into unchartered territories. The moment she escapes our eyes, no one knows whether she is pulling down the trash and skimming through it or whether she is opening the cabinet doors to disperse all its contents on the floor or whether she is pulling vehemently the stair gate to remove it off the bolt.
Some part of the day she does not mind us and keeps playing with the chappals here or the spoon there, etc. But during some other time, she does not want to be left alone but wants to be picked all the time. Even if I put her down while brushing my teeth, she crawls towards me and put her arms around my legs and looks at me earnestly. She might also think that I am playing with her by moving my arms fastly across my face.
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Shiela sent info that GAP is looking for babies for their ads. hmm...i have to just send Chantel's pic without D's knowledge!
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"Tha"

Chantel understands the tamil work "Tha". Whenever she has something, if I say, "Tha" she brings it and hands it over to me. But, I guess, she still does not understand the difference between "tha" and "thank you". She also says tha.
She also brings stuff if we point to something thats lying on the floor and tell her "tha". She is just learning "pointing to something"...usually she looks at the tip of the finger and does not project her view towards the thing the finger is pointing!
She has been quite nice with this tha thing...even if she has a toy, she would give it to me...but eagerly look at the toy to see if I would return it to her.
Yesterday she found a biscuit and was about to eat it. And I said "tha".
"labak!!"
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duane and treena came home yesterday. Watch Antwone Fisher movie with them.
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Galleria

Daph was bored yesterday and told me that C wanted to go to Galleria. It was already 8. However, we went there. By the time we reached Galleria, C went to sleep. We broke the cardinal rule of not waking up the sleeping baby. But C was ok. We went into the Macy's new store (in place of the old Famous Barr) There was not much change. C was eagerly looking at all the jewelry. C was trying to pick the jewelry with her hand...luckily the had all the jewelry stacked inside the display cabinets safely...
We managed to video tape C walking today. But could not videotape her shaking her butt for the Swanlake prerecorded music from the Keyboard. She likes to dance for any kind of music. While sitting or crawling, she used to sway her butt. But since she has been standing or walking (with her balance always in limbo) it is very interesting to watch her dance.
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We found the mechanism behind the "adjustable cleavage bra" at the Victoria Secret store.
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Junior Nic Dress

It seems Daph has bought a dress for chantel (apparently for the Winter - jeans) that has "Junior Nick" logo. Sounds interesting. I have not seen it myself. Yesterday Daph had taken C to "Shop and Save" to get groceries for the Saturday dinner (which Mohit has already backed out from!) After they came back from the groceries, we went to the Indian store. Chantel is picking up all the stuff and trying to throw them to the floor. Had to be very careful.
Daph gave bath to C in the tub yesterday. C is getting used to the water and was enjoying it a bit.
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dearth of Dal in US because the Indian govt has banned all exports of dal till March 2007!
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Chantel Waiting

Now a days Chantel realizes whenever I leave the house to go to office, that I wont be home for some time. She still has not understood the idea "dressing to office" or "wearing a shoe" to go outside. But when I am about to leave, with the office bag, she realizes.
Daph says that around 5 pm, chantel waits for me to come and starts crying. She also turns around bouncingly, if asked "Appa engey?", thinking that I have come home in the evening.
After I reach ome, she starts crying if I dont pick her up rightaway. She does not even allow me to change my clothes. I dont want her to smudge my office clothes with all the food she has been eating. However, once i pick her up, she is all happy and doesnot want to go back to Daph for sometime! Thats nice. When I put her down in the bedroom, so that I could change, she starts crying without realizing that I am changing clothes to stay at home rather than to go out.
She has started doing her moon walking steps quite often. One of these days we might be able to videograph it.

Chantel Walking

Yesterday Chantel walked again. Three steps. Daph was fortunate to witness
this with me. It was very interesting to watch Chantel walk. Like the guys
on move... wide, big steps...
She has two teeth now. Quite sharp.
Yesterday we went to the forest park. The water basin in the park is very
big and really well maintained. Being in the park, amidst the huge art hill
and the water and the trees makes St Louis look like a very different,
better city! We wished we had visited the park often and made a pledge that
we should visit it often. And we would forget about it tomorrow!