Water

Coming back from the intl picnic experience, I turned on our sprinkler today evening. C was very excited. This is a stationery one and C kept running around it, chasing the water.  After some time, she turned the water jet and directed water at me! More than half an hour C was having fun.

International picnic

We went to Mariabelen's international picnic party today. C went and joined the other kids to play with them. She also ran around the special water sprinkler and had fun. She felt sleepy and wanted me to bring the stroller. When I brought the stroller, she asked for a pillow! Eventually she didn't sleep.

One of Mariabelen's cousins told that C was taller for her age!

Sorry sollu

The other day one of our friends had come to our house. C was playing with a glass of water and had kept it on the floor. Accidentally the friend tipped it over and the water spilt. The friend told C that it was ok and that C should be careful next time in English while C was telling her repeatedly "Sorry sollu" thinking that it was 'her' fault!!!

Shopping

D wanted me to get 2 packets of chappathi's from the Indian store. Jones and Kelly were coming tonight. I took Chantel along to the store. On entering the store, C took the basket and started walking inside, saying "2 packets of chappathi!" It seems, she had picked this up during our conversation and remembered it at the store!

Chantel with TSM committee

Today TSM committee had come to our house for a meeting and lunch last weekend. C was quite lively. However, she would not talk to them in Tamil and was using her English on them to no end. She showed her books, playing with them, and even invited to play tennis, but would not talk in Tamil at all.

A picture

Chantel Yazhini is growing v fast. Here is a pic of her taken on June 11th

Phone conversation

The other day when I was driving home, I called home. C talked to me for a while. She typically does not listen over the phone, but just keeps saying stuff. However, that day, I wanted her to get ready when I reached home, so that I could take her shopping. I repeatedly told her 'shoe', 'shopping', 'walmart' and she understood and searched for her shoe and started putting it on even without Daph being aware of the happenings!

Father's Day

Yesterday was father's day. The youth at STLTCF made all the kids say something about their fathers. When C's turn came, D told me that C was going to say "I love you too, appa!" This is a famous sentence from C but she you always say "I love you too, appa!" and never "I love you, appa" and I guess, she does not know the difference.

So, just to make it work, just before, C was about to say it over the mic, I shouted, 'Chantel, I love you' and she promply replied "I love you too, appa!", which worked great. C also made a card with her sketches, and handwriting and some stickers.

Shouting back

Yesterday we were about to watch a movie and I was about to switch on the DVD player. C came along and took a DVD and started playing with. When I told her not to touch the DVD she would not listen. But when I scolded her for that, C also raised her voice and said that the DVD belonged to D and I should give it to C and not put it inside the shelf!!!

She is not a baby anymore!

:(

Spell me

C has learnt to spell her name. C H A N T E L. Because the E sounds as a continuation of the T, some times she spells it as CHANTL. And some other times, CHAMTL. She also arranges the refrigerator alphabet magnets neatly and says that she has arranged it as "chantel". But in reality it is not. But she thinks so and it stays that way.

She also has learnt to spell appa, amma, abigail, dalton, jeya, jeevan, odile, jeff, daph, nicholas, etc. This is how she does it. She says: C H A N T E L ...(pause)... appa. Same way she spells daph, etc. Whatever the name is, C spells it as chantel. This is very cool.

Retreat - nail pinching finish

Just 30 minutes before the official end of the retreat, C went outside the prayer hall. I followed her to find all the other new moms relaxing in the sofa including D. I thought of joining them and sat with them. C veered off to the bathroom and was trying to open the door. Everybody was joking that i should go and help C. Suddenly, C started crying loudly. When I ran and saw, she had one of her fingers stuck in the door. When I took it out, the nail and the tip of the finger have been flattened. C was crying uncontrollably. Mary aunty came and applied ointment, and bandaged her finger. C was crying all the time. We gave her baby Tylenol. It must be hurting real bad and we didnt know whether we need to take her to the ER. Aunty told us that since there was no swelling, no broken bones. We were worried about the 4 hour drive back home too. C calmed a bit. D wanted to leave then and there, so that she can be home when C starts to cry again.

When we started driving, C was awake and was looking at the cows and bulls. Later, C slept some time but later, woke up and started crying. C said it was hurting, so wanted to sit with D. After a lot of arguing, C settled for some chips. It was quite surprising that C didnt cry too much. It sure seemed that the nail would have hurt more and C didnt show it much. Even after arriving at home, she didnt complain much, and slept thro fine. The next day her finger started looking alright, except for the nail. Hopefully it will become alright soon.

 

Retreat - Swimming

C didnt like water last time during the retreat. So, I was surprised when she said she was interested to go swimming! But once near the pool, C cried vehemently and would not go near the water. Even after a lot of cajoling, pushing, C would not go near it. C saw abigail, etc playing in the pool but still would not go inside. After some time, we thought of using the $6 swimsuit atleast for some time. D grabbed C and handed her over to me, while I am in the pool. C cried and said she wanted to go to amma. Both Felicia and Prisci splashed water on C to make her get comfortable with the pool. Slowly C loosened up and started splashing water on me and others. After some time, C even allowed Felicia to teach her swimming (flapping hands and legs!) However, C was not comfortable in the water and was very happy when we let her go out of the pool.

The next day when i asked her whether she had fun in the pool, she said, yes and wanted to go back there again!

Retreat - Poochi

C was elated to be on the Retreat. We arrived around 7:30 and I was worried that she would all get excited and come in the way of putting up the tent. But she didnt. The moment we arrived, C took off and started running around with the other kids. After we setup the tents, and were having dinner, C shrieked! She was afraid of the bugs that were around, and there were many. She would cry out loud even for a smallest one, even if it were 3 feet away. She would not stand on the floor neither sit on the benches! Shakila tried to trick C by washing C's feet off the bugs! When C was a baby, she would not be afraid of bugs, but would just stomp them!!

Luckily she didnt get afraid to go inside the tent. in fact she preferred it for the car. D was complaining all the time that we should have rented a comfy room rather than sleeping in the tent! Surprisingly C didnt make a big fuss when I took her to the potty, where there were a lot of bugs! (small kosu like creatures and some big ones, which didnt look dangerous or didnt look like they had 'stings'.

There was a huge thunder storm in the evening and we were really afraid that water would have leaked through, but later found out that everything was dry and clean!  Just before going to sleep, C thought there was a bug in her shoes and wanted to wash it off with water inside the tent!

Here is an early morning picture!