Everything's a Chase Game!

That Manya is the epitome of naughtiness would be an understatement. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes 24/7 and the squeals of delight when she has accomplished what she is not supposed to give her away. 

I have so many updates to make that one post wouldn't just be enough. So, will stick to her chase games in this one.

Everything, I repeat, everything is a chase game. There is not a single activity that I can do without having to chase her around the house. It starts the minute she wakes up. The moment her highness opens her eyes (which is usually at about 5:30/6 AM), she wants me to be up and about - asap. No snooze time at all - she is ruthless. Any resistance from me is met with a high decibel scream, followed by her exit from the bed and out of the bedroom door. I have to run after her, bring her back to bed, place her with daddy - bring her some toys and then finish my morning routine first. 

After that, at the first and every diaper change, the same game follows. I plonk her on her changing pad, put the straps on - she wiggles, and wriggles, and in the nano second that I turn around to either pull out a new diaper, wipe or her cream, she is off!!! Her joyful screams are met with Vish's paranoid ones as he is scared about what if she does something on the carpet!

We go to the kitchen and dining area for the morning milk. She will snuggle and cuddle till I fix the lid of her sipper. That's her clue - she knows I am ready - so she takes off. After a chase around the living room, we settle down for milk. This is again repeated religiously at all meal times.

Cut to nap times. "Manya, let's go to sleep." And there she goes running to the other end. I am telling you if I do not shed all my extra weight because of this, it would only be due to the fact that I am a certified glutton!

Wondering if the game is never reversed? If M doesn't chase us. She does. When Vish and I are changing our clothes, or if we are just out of a bath, or if she spots some bare parts when we are sleeping or lazying on the couch - she rushes to us to pinch all the bare skin she can lay her hands on - she claws at it and giggles till no end. Oh how it hurts. We have tried to say no in a hundred ways but somehow she doesn't get it. (And please, don't you dare say children do what they see because I swear Vish and I don't go around pinching each other!!!) 

Oh god, the games these children play :(!

Furry love

I have been wanting to do this quick post for a while now. For the last couple of months, M has been showing great affection to her furry friends - her soft toys. 

I have named each one and most of the times she also recognizes/identifies them by that name. For example, 'please get me Bruno', is followed by her hunting down her brown doggie.

That is not all, you have to actually see her "play" with them. She nestles the "head" of the toy in the crook of her neck or sometimes her chest and pats it, just like we pat her when she is in our arms. It doesn't end there, after her cuddling session, she promptly hands over the toy to Vish and me, and while gesturing, eggs us to pat it in a similar fashion. She makes sure we do that by standing on our heads with her arms folded in front of her, and if we slack of, she instantly shouts at us.

Lately, I have been noticing her walking with a few of her favorite ones (though it looks like she loves all of them equally but Minnie, Polo, and Dolly do get more attention - I feel :D) just like we walk with her at nap times. The funniest was, when the other day, she was showing Dolly the mirror, exactly how we show her mirror image to her! 

Lights, Camera, Action!

I think I have mentioned this before, but I cannot emphasize enough how camera conscious or rather not conscious (take your pick) my daughter is. The minute the camera is out, she stops doing whatever she is, and flashes a big grin (nowadays with her mouth wide open too). She then loves checking herself out in the camera preview option and let's not even get to the point when the pictures are uploaded to the laptop - it's sheer joy to see oneself, apparently.

The other fascination that she has always had is with light and light sources - even as a baby, a switched on bulb was enough to catch her intention. Then much as she hates the sun in her eyes, she likes how the stray rays enter the room at various times of the day and the funnies part - she open her mouth so that the rays fall into her mouth. Remember dhoop from Koi Mil Gaya? Anyways, given her appetite, I guess "dhoop" might be her sustaining source!

Stairway to heaven...

...Is a great song by Led Zep. If you haven't, you must give it a listen.

BUT, on another note, the staircase in our apartment has become M's most favorite hangout zone. While she has been able to climb up the stairs for about 4 months, she has only very recently mastered the skill of coming down. She puts her legs down first and just slithers down - she is not only a pro at this but also super fast. She actually tries to race us up and down!

Her ascents and descents are interspersed with  loud cackles - it must give her a lot of joy to give mommy much needed exercise and not be lazy. The minute I try to sit with the laptop or with a plate to eat food from, she decides that the time is right to go up.

Another source of extreme happiness is throwing things down the stairs - she crawls with things in her hands - dad's pedometer, her own clothes, medicine droppers, her socks, toys - anything that she can get hold of, and throws them down the stairs - and then dives down after them. Ofcourse, this entire process is interluded with panic attacks from dad and screams from mom - which leads to only more giggles and frenzied activity from her highness. I am seriously beginning to question this whole innocence in  babies belief.

The latest antic is she is trying to hold the side rail and trying to stand up and step down. I must mention here that she cannot stand or walk without support - but she obviously thinks she can walk down the stairs with support. Is this ambition or stupidity? 

As you can tell, I am definitely going crazy. Now only if I could resist compensating all this energy expense by not eating so much - there's a faint probability I might find the proverbial silver lining in this mayhem.

Dishwashing and Laundry

You heard that right: Dishwashing and Laundry are our little pumpkin's favorite activities these days - hands down!

The minute the dishwasher door is opened or the dryer unit unlocked, M leaves everything - eating, drinking, playing, fussing, crying - to run to the site of fun! 

Every night as I rinse the utensils in the sink and arrange them in the dishwasher, she promptly reaches out to take every single one out. With the result that there is water and cutlery all around the kitchen and what would take me a measly 15 minutes, takes a good 40-45 minutes. The mornings are no less peaceful. The minute I open the latch to unload the dishes, our rather generous helper sits ON the open door for better access and throws all the stuff down - one-by-one!

A similar story happens at the clothes dryer too. She flings the washed clothes out - I had a brain wave the other day and now I very judiciously a place laundry basket right in her trajectory. So, inevitably most (quite a few) clothes land up in the basket rather than on the floor. This game is less life threatening (to others) than throwing spoons and forks all over the floor - with the result I indulge her ever so often so that I can either cook or eat in peace for atleast 10-15 minutes. Oh one very funny thing I must mention is that before flinging the garments, she sniffs each one. Crazy girl!

Now, all that I hope is that this helping hand is offered when it is really required and when it will really be of some use (read pre-teen/teen age). But something already tells me that is asking for too much!

Of newer feats

A quick update on M's latest:

• She is getting quite chatty, I must say. No meaningful words yet, but that does not stop her highness from having a lengthy, animated conversation with you, especially if she is in the right mood.

• Finally, madame's bringing her hands together to clap! The first time she did it I was so so amused - so no guesses what are favorite song these days is. Ofcourse, it is "If you are happy and you know it - CLAP your hands" :D.

• Though we have installed child gates at the staircase, we had left the first set (of three) open for M to practice climbing within a safe range. She's really taken the challenge to heart. She climbs three stairs in less than 30 seconds. Isn't it amazing how kids figure out things themselves without anybody showing them the way? She's yet to learn how to climb down though.

• Oh, and someone's discovered (err, rediscovered) gravity. One of her favorite activities is to throw things - her bib, food on her tray, toys, down from the couch or her high chair. And then, if you innocently pick it up and give it to her (thinking she dropped it accidentally), she will plunge it right back to the ground, give you a disapproving nod, and then look down to see where the item finally landed - after spotting it, she'll give you a victorious smile. The cheek, I tell you!

Our in-house acrobat!

The chipmunk is pulling out new tricks from her sleeve every other day, much to the delight of eager spectators :D. Here are some of the acrobatics:

• Guess what's going in the mouth these days - madame's own toes! Yes, it's disgusting, but very funny too. The first instance was when I turned around to get a fresh diaper, only to turn back and see that Manya had her hand firmly grasping her leg and the toe steadily inside the mouth.

• When being carried, she tries to crawl/climb up and down. Mind you, it's not slithering - she actually uses her legs in a walk-like fashion!

• She has developed a dance move that is somewhere between wriggling and twisting. She does it all the time - on her bouncer, on the bed, on the lap!

• Teething or not, she is a raging tiger at most times during the day - ready to pounce and bite on on anything and anyone - her favorites being mommy's jaw line and daddy's cheeks!

• 99% of the times, you will find her legs up in the air in a very neat gymnast posture - she can also sleep like that - Imagine my plight trying to cover her with a blanket in the nights!

• Another of her favorite pastimes is pulling her socks out and pulling her PJs up - using her hands!

• We also have a copycat in the making. During feeding her cereal, I often wipe around her mouth with a cloth. She has lately started doing that on her own during her cereal eating sessions - she picks up the cloth from her lap and wipes her mouth with it. It's all cute except for the fact that her entire attention is on wiping rather than eating!