First hand report

This weekend was wonderful. Thambi did a lot of new stuff. On Friday evening, we had put him on the mat in the hall. MIL and myself were seated on the sofa and there was a phone in front of him. He started inching forward slowly to take it. It was a wonderful moment. It was the first time he was doing and there I was, watching it :)) He moved at least two to three feet trying to get the phone. I immediately took the video cam and shot it :)) After he got the phone, he was looking at it for sometime. Then he put it into his mouth. So MIL removed it from him. He started crying immediately (almost whimpering) and then looked at me with the most pathetic eyes and started crying...like asking me to return the phone to him :)

Then, on Saturday we had been to a friend's house warming function. He had slept during the car ride and had woken up when we got down. This was his napping time and so he was not fully awake. So he kept quiet (not his usual smiley self). But he went to the host without crying and was with him for some time. Then I took him. When we were having dinner, I had thambi on my lap and was eating. So another friend's maid came and carried thambi after she had her food. Thambi was fine with her, until I left the room to get some more food. Then, he started having wobbly lips and gave a loud bawl...he would not listen to anyone or look at any of the toys...he was just crying. I immediately washed my hands and came and carried him. He stopped crying. Then he would look at me and cry. It was so funny..like scolding me for leaving him alone with someone new :))

Sunday, we had another friend visiting us for dinner. Thambi went to both of them willingly. He was even playful with the lady. No stranger anxiety (I hope it would continue when we go to India in May). When they were leaving, I told thambi to tell bye and shook his hand. The next time, he put his hand up and stretched out his fingers and shook it all by himself. :)) As you can imagine, I was excited. I made him do it for everyone. MIL tried to damp my spirit by telling that she used to shake his hand every morning when we leave. I was not daunted. I saw him do it by himself for the first time and I was on top. H was going to drop the friends at their home and so I took thambi also to the car and made him show bye to each and everyone - The guests including two kids and their parents, pappa (who was going to drop them with H) and to H...and for good measure, I made him show bye to me...:)).

Now for updates about pappa.

On Saturday, when we were getting ready for the party, I had put on a black sequined dress for her. She had matching pearls on her neck and ears. She also had matching bangles. She came in front of the mirror and had a good look at herself. She was very happy with what she saw and asked me..."mummy I'm looking very beautiful right?...but I think I would look better if I had a bit of lipstick on!! ".

At the party, there were around 4 to 5 girls of pappa's age. From the time she joined the group, she was the boss. Organising games and telling everyone how to play something or the other, getting angry if someone doesn’t listen. It was fun watching from the sidelines, for once I was not the only one being bossed around. At the end, she didn’t want to leave the party and it was 10pm already!! On the way back, I asked her to sleep and she was hyper active. When we were nearing the house, she pretended to be asleep and wouldn’t open her eyes when we reached home. She wanted to be carried. As H was carrying thambi who was fast asleep, I carried her and when I took her into the bedroom, she immediately opened her eyes and declared "I'm not sleepy anymore" I knew this was coming. So asked her to shut-up and sleep. She started howling her heart out, hoping that MIL or H would intervene and bring her out. Told them not to go to the bedroom and not to tell anything. After a few mins of crying and some threats from me, she meekly comes out and says she wants to go to the toilet. Then, she says she wants to change to her night dress. Then, she says she wants to update Grandma of the things that happened at the party, as grandma would forget that she had been to the party the next day!!

On Sunday pappa and myself went out. She was wearing a blue sandals and was very unhappy about it as it was not matching her chudidhar. It was a pink and green chudi. I had asked her to wear the pink sandals but she didn't want to. So on the way, she kept cribbing that her shoes were not matching. I pointed to a few blue flowers on her dress and told her that it was matching. She kept quiet for some time and then told, "Ma, this sandals is so childish (what the ???). I need to get a slippers that goes 'klok klok' when I walk. It would look great with this chudi! "