Enna venum

C found a basket. Everyday whenever I return from office, C would bring the basket to me and ask “enna venum?” when I say “idly” she would put her hand inside the basket and give me the fake idly and I had to eat it. This game will go for ever till we both saturate all the edible items she knows. I am surprised to find “onion” etc are included in her list of edible items. Whenever we ask her “enna venum” she would think for sometime, always, and then say “soru” or “chocolate” etc. Yesterday I told her, if someone asks for dosai, don’t just give it, but act as if you are making the dosa, before handing it over…we have to see if she learnt it. Also, if we say something that is not edible, (like Chantel!) she does not understand the joke but asks us “ungh?”

sorry

Yesterday D was correcting C for something and C got angry and went to D and hit her. D told her that was a bad behaviour in a stern voice and fake spanked her. C starter crying and went to the sofa and lied down. Her crying sound diminished a bit, but she pulled a shawl over her and made a grim face. I told her that she should not do it again and asked her to apologize. She wouldnot. Then I told her to apologize and come and play with me “enna venum?” She jumped from the sofa and ran towards D and said “sorry” and came running towards me to play.

Yellow puttu

Today D tried a new recipe for puttoo. She baked the flour and added jangari paahu. It turned out in yellow color and was tasty and sweet. I thought it tasted like laddoo. C looked at it and said, “kesari!” We were surprised because she remembered that word and that her description was better than ours!!

daph and onku

We went to apply for daph’s social security number sometime back. The process didn’t take much time and Chantel was fine overall. Then the lady asked daph to come inside the office and left us both outside. C started crying and and tried to follow daph. But the officer closed the door behind Daph and so C could not get it. She came running to me and started crying loudly. There were others in the waiting room and so I told C the thing that came to my mind first: “Amma has gone to onku”. C looked at me and was satisfied with my answer and started eating the fruits and chocolates and cakes and kadalaimuttai that were brought by daph. After 5 mins, C told me that “Amma onku poitu, varuvanga”. Daph came back after 5 mins. C ran towards her, and asked her loudly, “Amma onnukku poitiya?” We were happy we have been teaching C only Tamil and not English!

Dubai visit

C didn’t cry at the madras airport. She said that she would not stay with Granma and came with us very happily. C was very fine during the flight to Dubai. We reached Alok’s house safely. C spent sometime playing with Kunaal. In the evening after nap, C started crying and said that she wanted to go back to our veedu and see grandma etc. I was afraid that she would not stop and create a big hungama. However, daph handled it well and made C play and diverted her attention.

The next day when we dressed her up to go to a nearby shopping mall (all of dubai was closed and a national holiday was declared because of US President Bush’s visit) C got very excited that we were going to see Varna. (During this whole trip C was eager to see Varna and that was her only consoling thing!) We told her that we were only going shopping and we would have to fly (vroooooooom) again to go and see Varna.

C also tried to play with Kunaal, who wanted to play with us. When kunaal asked for his toy with which C was playing with, C said “no” two or three times but later, was very nice and said “ithu kunaal bhaiyya toy. Avungakitta kuduthiralam” and returned it to him. I felt really bad and wanted to just bring her home as early as possible.

Varna and Jeev came to pick us up. C was happy and recognized varna. When we came home, C thought it was varna’s home. Even after varna had left, C thought Varna was somewhere in the house and would not let us use our chappals, saying that it was varna athai’s!!!