'08 Christmas

This year's Christmas was more memorable for the kids considering the fact that they had so much more exposure to the celebration through their school, friends and their care taker. They had this theme and all their activities at school were based on that and after school, they had watched their care taker decorate her lawn and house with lights and decorate the tree which made them all the more excited. Last year they were not this much "informed" about Christmas, I had just bought some much needed winter dresses for them and put that in a gift bag and placed it under the tree. I had to wake them up in the morning to go and check out. But this year it was a different picture. They were literally jumping around with excitement on Christmas eve. They ordered me that I keep a glass of milk and cookies left for Santa to eat and wanted to go out and sow the "magic" food for the reindeer that they had made at school on the lawns. I had a hard time to calm them down and make them go to sleep. I could relate to them in a way, Christmas to them was like Deepavali to me when I was young. That was the only morning when I would be up before my mom. Few days before the Christmas I overheard the girls talking "Divya , you know what , last year Santa did not wrap our gifts, he just gave it in a bag which I did not like.." "I know Sandhya thats because we were only half good kids to mommy, this year I wish he wraps it in a box with a nice bow.." .. and so I had to take all the pain to shop for nice shiny gift wrapper and satin bows and sat down and wrapped the gifts I had bought them after they slept. Of course the expression they had in their face and the screaming they did in the morning after spotting the gift does not compare to any thing in this world, to put it in Divya's words "in this whole wide world".

ready yet?..I don't think so..

This is a pretty mundane scene in our home during weekday evenings. Either sandhya or Divya or both calling us to come clean them after they are done with their potty. Why this requires a mention is because their potty time is when we sit down for dinner. Almost everyday , this stirs up arguments between me and M regarding their ability to clean themselves on their own. M wanted them to start cleaning on their own(one of the biggest reason being that he hates to do it and so he is hurrying to wash off his hands out of this job quickly) I protest every time saying they are not yet ready, have to give them couple of more years to let them do it but M insists I'm standing in their path of getting independent, may be I'm or may be its that I don't want to let go one more of the baby tending job out of my hands. I wanted to cling on to the feeling that they are still babies and I'm their savior. I sometimes wonder why I'm doing this more now when I use to feel so elated at each phase they grew in to from when they were born. I can't say how much happy I was when finally I made them forget bottles and drink from a sipper when they were just 13 or 14 months old which is quiet early, I also started potty training quiet early and was feeling relieved so much when they were all ready to completely forgo diapers by 2 1/2 years (though Sandhya still wets the bed occationally..thats a different story). On the mornings when I get to drop them at school I do everything for them, bath them, wipe them, dress them , I even put the shoes on to their feet..I don't let them do it on their own. I know its not good but I do it thinking its only once in a month or so I get to do this as everyday M just make them do everything on their own. I never got the feeling then that they can go on with bottle or diaper a little longer but why now. The more they show signs of independence and start to "move" away from the need for me the more I tend to cling on to those chores. Is it because of the thought that I'm not going to have any more babies somewhere deep inside that is making me do this..may be it is..any how hearing the "ammaa..I'm done.." from the toilet is priceless for me that I will hold on to as a "feel good" burden for now..

a long way home..

I had a bad commute yesterday to home..There was a big accident on the freeway which I usually take and so it was also backed up heavily on the back road the alternate route to home.So there we were, me and the kids sitting in the traffic for over an hour and me whining and very hungry. I started getting in to the loop of their conversations and asking about what happened at school and day care today to kill the time..some excerpts from that

Divya:sandhya did you know Sophia gave me a pack of banana crisps today
Sandhy: Divya don't talk about Sophia because she is in my class and so my friend
Divya: but she talked to me during the recess and she is also My friend..
Sandhya: no she is not.
Divya: yes she is
me:(trying to interrupt): Ok Sandhya .Sophia is friends with both of you. You cannot say this to Divya.
Sandhya:...amma you are mean..
me: !!!!

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me: Sandhya..did you read out your clues for the sharing toy to the class well..
Sandhya: (nodding her head)
me: (facing the road) what? did you or did you not?
Sandhya: again nodding her head..
me: (turning back and raise my voice)Sandhya, I have told you, when someone ask a question you have to answer it..why don't you answer me..
Sandhya: amma, but I nodded my head, din't you see it..
me: oh , how am I suppose to know you nodded your head when I'm looking at the road?
Sandhya: you are supposed to look at that mirror in front of you
me:!!!!..just turned back around to continue to look at the road..

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They started singing sing along songs which they have been practicing in the class for the x-mas. San trying to correct Div when ever she had a wrong or misplaced a word in the song and as usual Div not accepting it and at some point it became fun for Div to use a different or wrong word purposely giggling, thinking that it teased Sandhya. In the course she had said"the fat Santa" which Sandhya noticed with a *gasp*

Sandhya:uh-oh Divya you called Santa by names
me: DIVYA did you??( trying to join sandhya in teasing)
me: now Santa is going to be upset with you..
Sandhya: ..and he is not going to give you any gifts
Divya: (realizing what she had done..stopped giggling and went on to a defensive mode)NO I did not (her eyes welling up)
me: Divya if you are lieing it makes him even more upset..
Divya: no amma..I did not call Santa by name..I just told he is fat ..by mistake
(by this time she was at the verge of crying terrified that she might not get her gift)
me: ok..say sorry and tell me you won't say this again
Divya: I already did say sorry
me: really!!! when did that happen? I did not hear you..
Divya: well..I said sorry in my mind..

I forgot to mention how strong headed girl she is, till date it has been so hard to make her say the word sorry to us (she says to other people except the family members..don't know the reason...wish there was way to get in to their brain and see whats going on in there..)

then I remembered I had an apple that I forgot to eat during the day so I took it out and started eating. May be Divya wanted to have that apple too, since I heard the care taker say that they had a heavy snack that evening I did not bother to ask them if they needed..
Divya: amma, if you keep on eating that apple..then you will be stuck on the road for 200 years..
me: ..really if I'm stuck then you will be too..
Divya: yes thats why you need to share that apple..and so that was how the commute went and we were home finally nearly about 2 hours later than the usual time...