chosticks update

A few weeks ago, it was clear to us that Ana is interested in chopsticks and tries to imitate us when we eat a meal together using chopsticks. Even if not quite successfully...

"It is difficult. Took me a long time to get comfortable with using chopsticks. She's just a baby...", I told D.

"Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese babies use it just fine. She is old enough", D countered.

Right. Sure.

She is showing a lot of interest in chopsticks these days, just from watching us. She does very well with spoon and fork.

And, yes, it is good to encourage her. So, we got her even tinier, baby size chopsticks with a clamp thingy that holds them together so she can practice when she wants.

I ate with my God-given fingers during my formative years as is the norm where I grew up. So, I am happy as long as she can feed herself without making too much of a mess for me to clean up - chopsticks or not :)

She has always been a good baby when it came to feeding herself. Since 7-8 months or so, she started feeding herself finger foods and such. Then, by about 10-11 months she started getting very good with her baby spoon and fork. The only times she expects me to feed her is when she is sick, or too tired and cranky. Which is fine by me...

upps, wove, sokay, tayawoth

Being my first, everything TJOML (aka "Ana") does amazes me these days.

Her vocabulary is growing quite fast... of course, as far as I have read, till they are four or so, the words they form and mouth out don't always match the way we adults say it - "Mazhalai" as it is called in my mother tongue - incredibly sweet sounding.

Anyway, already, "ba-yaa" has become "bunny", "dhow" has become "cow", "bith" has become "pig", and so on, she is gradually starting to say the words clearer...

Just so I can read back here and remember, I need to record her latest:

This morning, I served her some toast and eggs; i cut up the toast into little tiny triangles and served it to her with some ketchup we all have come to love. She picked up a piece of the toast, dipped it in the ketchup and held it up for us to see and said, "tayawoth", which is her word for triangle!

We have been teaching her basic shapes and she clearly recognizes patterns in these four shapes: square, triangle, circle, star. So far, if we held the book open and asked her "where is the circle?" she would point to the shape correctly. But nowadays, she tells us the name of the shape herself. Pattern recognition is quite a skill for toddlers to master.

When she is running around the house and unintentionally drops something or trips on her own, it is quite interesting to watch her talk to herself:
"Ana upps, uh-oh, Ana upps"."Ana sokay, Amma. Ana sokay".

(upps = oops, ana sokay = Ana is okay).

When she tries to get into places she shouldn't or climbing up some place and is losing balance, she says, "Ana wove. Ana wove". (wove=wow, as in steady, don't fall down).

Of course, she learnt all this watching the adults around her, and maybe her class-mates at daycare... but, it is amazing to watch her make the connection, use the words in correct context and communicate as best as she can at her tender 21-months.

watch and learn?

I still remember a white dress, with collar, red lace trim, full of hand embroidery of hen and chicken and such made by my mom... way back when I was 3 or 4. It was my favorite frock/gown. But since it was white, my mom didn't want me to wear it everyday and get it dirty. I have such wonderful memories of unique clothes I got to wear because my mom took the time to make them for me. One of my dad's favorite fotos of me was taken when I was about 4 or 5 yrs old, wearing a Thai skirt and tops my mom sewed for me.

I have seen my mom so focused on some sewing projects that I learnt not to disturb her from a very young age: from the time I started understanding it was for me that she was taking all the effort, I couldn't contain my anticipation. I would lay low so my mom could finish the dress for me and I would get to try it on!

Now, I sew t-shirts and fleece tops and pants for TJOML, among other things. Usually, I try to do it when she is asleep. But, of late, she seems to enjoy playing by herself for quite a while, so, I have started sewing and crocheting when she is around playing.

She seems to know/sense I am doing something special and ought to be left alone. She usually stops by to watch. Sometimes she points to my craft things and affirms, "Amma's." And, sometimes, when she tries to grab my yarn and run, even before I can form the words, she giggles and states, "naa tha thoi" and gives it back to me.

Many a day, she would come into the kitchen and try to help me put the dishes away or make me pick her up so she can watch what's cooking on the stove, perched safely on my hip.

My mom let me cook on my own when I was 8 years old. I used to make tea and coffee and such till then, but, when I felt ready for making my first sambar, my mom chopped the veggies for me (she didn't trust me with a chopping apparatus we had then called arivalmanai - a long sharp blade fixed on a wooden slab) and showed me where all the spices were and let me experiment away.

Full-time job, cook incredibly well, as well as constantly churn out wonderful crafts and arts stuff, plus of course home-made clothes... how did my mom make it all seem easy? Did I subconsciously watch and learn? Is that why I am engaging myself in many little projects these days? Is that why I enjoy cooking? Even today, my mom enthusiastically sews dresses for TJOML; and she had lovingly made some wonderful decorative stuffed aquatic toys that can become part of a baby mobile - it is a wonderful addition to TJOML's room.

Will TJOML watch and learn as well? Should I expect it? What if she doesn't have the aptitude or interest in cooking? It is slightly difficult for me to even imagine that. I am afraid I might feel like a failure if I didn't inspire her to cook. I want her to know how to cook healthy dinners. I want her to express herself artistically. I want her to explore and develop all her talents. I want to encourage and cheer her. But, I want to do it in an unobtrusive way, sort of nudge her when she needs a nudge, but otherwise let her do what comes naturally.

Becoming an Exemplary Mommy is not easy...

hashi obsession

Watching us use chopsticks at meal time most days, TJOML seems to have developed a great obsession for them. She likes to grab our chopsticks away from us to try and stab her veggies with them. So, we bought her smaller, blunter, plastic chopsticks to do as she wishes at meal time.

Many an evening, D and I have been treated to some home-grown entertainment: She carefully picks up a string of soba in one hand, holds a chopstick in the other, drapes the soba over her chopstick and tries to take it to her mouth. Which of course involves tilting the chopstick a little, thereby allowing the soba to slide down and away from her mouth. She screams at the soba in frustration, picks it up again, carefully drapes it on her chopstick and so ad infinitum.

So far, anything we didn't want her to play with because it is either not safe for her, or is something she might damage, we have been stating very clearly, "Not a Toy" and taking it away from her. So much so that, she tries to test her limits these days, and on her own, when she tries to sneak the candle lighter away from right under our noses, she declares, with a twinkle in her eye, "naa tha thoi" and willingly hands over the contraband item.

Tonight, at dinner, I served her some rice in a bowl, and some vegetables on a plate. As has become the norm, I set a spoon and a pair of chopsticks for her to help herself.

D helped her grab a broccoli floret with her chopsticks. Very daintily, with knuckles turning white gripping the chopsticks tight, she managed to successfully get the broccoli into her mouth!

Anyway, it was taking forever for her to get even the tiniest morsel into her mouth on her own, understandably. I wanted to speed things up, so, I started scooping some rice in her spoon intending to feed her.

She looked at me with a serious expression, making it clear she did not want me to mess with her food, firmly stated, "Amma, naa tha thoi", and took the spoon away from me!!

I just burst out laughing. D and I couldn't control our laughs for a good few minutes during which time, TJOML simply dismissed us as a pair of lunatics and continued her attempt to pick up her green beans with the chopsticks held together...

sboncio, sboncio

In an almost squatting position, with her butt jutting out back, her arms bent at elbows and level with shoulders, leaning forward with poise, TJOML jumps up with both her feet, yelling, "sboncio! sboncio! sboncio!", traveling leaps-and-bounds (read: one foot) in three consecutive jumps!

That's her latest exciting game. She pauses for breath, looks at me with a big smile and says, "Amma, sboncio! Amma, sboncio!" and doesn't stop until I ape her and hop around noisily.

Then, it is, "Appa, sboncio!" till D does the same. (Of course, her "sboncio" sounds more like "bonk-yo")

It all started when we first watched one of the Nodi episodes called Stwr y Sboncio, which roughly translates to The Bouncing Noise. This is my personal favorite Nodi episode in that first DVD: a bunch of balls bounce about noisily. Nodi helps one of the tiny, partially deflated balls by pumping air into it so it can bounce again. Other things happen in this episode: some pesky elves capture the balls in a net and the partially deflated ball squeezes out and rushes to Nodi and gets help... cute episode.

Anyway, sboncio=bounce, in Welsh (sbonk-e-yo). So, D taught her to jump and bounce saying, "sboncio! sboncio!", after watching a Ffi-Ffi episode, where one of the characters, Cog Gwsberen, jumps around saying "sboncio!".

Which reminds me: TJOML used to refer to Cog as "baa-yaa" (her word for Bunny) for a long time, until she watched this Ffi-Ffi episode (Ffi-Ffi-Ffo-Ffym) a few times and figured out, all on her own, that he is called Cog by his friends. It was amazing. One fine day, she points to her "baa-yaa" and says "kokh" (kokh=Cog).

Anyway, TJOML caught on fairly quickly and loves this sboncio game. It is incredibly cute to watch her hop/jump/bounce all the way from living room, via kitchen to the nook (a distance of about 20 feet) yelling "sboncio! sboncio!".

It is even cuter when she holds her little cabbage patch doll Enid and gets her to jump while squealing "sboncio!" with such obvious delight.

I should probably video tape this and play it back for her when she is older...

developing prediction skills

After making us read her books in repeat-mode every time we get her a new book, TJOML amazes us these days with her grasp of the book!

We've been reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for quite a while now, so, she knows what's next. I start reading and pause a bit:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
I see a ...??

And TJOML immediately fills in "Theeth" (Tweet) - her word for bird, which is on the next page:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
I see a Red Bird looking at me

Then, when we read:

Red Bird, Red Bird, What do you see?
I see a ...??

She chips in with "Dhuck" (Duck), which is of course the next one:

Red Bird, Red Bird, What do you see?
I see a Yellow Duck looking at me

Well, you get the picture. She really enjoys predicting which animal is next.

Similarly with her Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? book, she knows what's coming next. This shouldn't amaze me so much, except that the animals are sort of exotic in this book (well, OK, she doesn't know that yet...) like: flamingo, boa, leopard, peacock, walrus and such. So when we pause at:

Leopard, Leopard, What do you hear?
I hear a ...??

TJOML looks at me with a twinkle and anticipation, saying, "Peacock", it just makes my day! She used to say "Pee-thop" for Peacock all these days when we were looking at her book from India which has pictures of peacock in it; and it seems like overnight, she has started saying, "Peacock" pretty clearly, just like that!

Leopard, Leopard, What do you hear?
I hear a Peacock yelping in my ear

The words used for describing the animal noises are quite charming: growling polar bear, snorting hippo, fluting flamingo, braying zebra, hissing boa, trumpeting elephant, snarling leopard, yelping peacock, bellowing walrus...

Her current favorite is Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? book that we've been reading to her since yesterday. ("Poopa Bay, Poopa Bay" as she calls it)

(Aside: I couldn't resist. I loved the first Eric Carle illustrations I saw in Brown Bear book, and just had to get the other two: Polar Bear and Panda Bear ones. They are just incredibly beautiful).

The animals here again are endangered species: bald eagle, water buffalo, spider monkey, green sea turtle, macaroni penguin, sea lion, red wolf, whooping crane, black panther.

It could be a bit confusing for a 21-month-old toddler with limited vocabulary: she knows lion really well, so what's a sea lion? it doesn't really look like the lion she knows. She is quite familiar with tortoise, so, she looks at the green sea turtle in this book and insists it is a tortoise (am OK with it for now, she'll learn in good time)...

By the time she is 3 years old, I am sure she will start understanding it better and appreciating it better. At least, I hope so.

Meanwhile, she has started telling us what comes next for quite a few of them in the Panda Bear book of endangered animals, and I am completely bowled over - I know I shouldn't be... I mean, children are wired to do exactly this. So, this is nothing special, except it is to me :)

And, am glad books like these make it easy for me to help her develop these essential skills.

Daddy Charmer

With head tilted to a dangerously cute angle, in a thin and delicate voice, casting an enchanting look directly into Daddy's eyes, TJOML utters, "Mote, Appa? Moaa Mote, Appa?". She bats her puppy-dog eyes and adds, "Mote. Woof. Woof.", with the most alluring bobble-headed nod.

Daddy has no choice but to comply. He has not mustered up the whatchamacallit so far to resist the spell.

"Mote" = Smot, the Welsh DVD of Spot The Dog.

Some creative misdirection and providence has helped me stay immune to this spell so far. I know it is only a matter of time before I am ensnared as well and end up playing the DVD on demand.

Smot DVD is sort of cute and educational, so, I guess I am ok with it for now.

Inbetween the 5-minute episodes where Smot sings and plays with his friends etc., the DVD has little kids solving some puzzles, discovering musical instruments and such.

For example, one such large floor puzzle is shaped/structured like a pond, with cut-outs of things one might find in the pond - like a duck, a frog, a fish. The cut-outs leave a clearly defined hole-of-sorts in the pond. The kids look around the room and find frog, fish, duck, ladybug and such shapes, some of which are of course designed to fit into the hole-of-sorts in the pond puzzle. The kids try to fit each one in the correct spot.

One of the kids picks up a ladybug and tries to put it in the frog-shaped cut-out in the pond. Naturally it doesn't fit. So, he tries again till he gets it right.

TJOML has noticed this and registered it the first couple of times. From then on, every time we play the DVD, when the kid picks up the ladybug, she blurts out, "No! foth! No, FOTH!", trying to help the kid in the DVD. (foth = frog)

Wonder if she is thinking What a silly kid... he knows ladybug doesn't fit, he has tried it umpteen times so far; yet, he tries again and I have to help him.

Daddy, from where I am looking, is hopelessly under the tiny one's spell. He can't seem to string an "N" and an "O" together and utter it firmly when the little charmer is working full tilt.

sous-chef-in-training

The other day, I was trying to get all the dry ingredients for Adai out so I can measure out and soak them overnight.

TJOML watched me get the first jar our of the cupboard and decided to help. We pulled out the containers of urad dal, toor dal, parboiled rice, chana dal, whole green moong dal and lined them up on the floor. I got out a measuring cup and a large bowl.

Then, I sat back and simply let TJOML randomly scoop out various quantities of these ingredients and drop them into the bowl. I had to sort of keep an eye as she also wanted to transfer the ingredients from one container to another rather than into the bowl. That would not have been good.

She had such a blast! She did spill quite a bit. Lesson learned. I started spreading a clean towel/sheet on the floor from then on.

Also, I sort of kept track of how much of each ingredient went into the bowl. So, when TJOML was finally done, I rounded up the proportions slightly to make a decent adai batter.

Usually, I like to work alone in my kitchen. But, ma petite is welcome any time to help me as long as she can follow directions from Chef de Cuisine (c'est moi) :-)

I stand corrected, Sweet Pea

TJOML and I have been a bit sick for the last few days - congestion, cough, fever, the usual.

A few hours ago, after dinner, not finding anything that seemed to calm the cranky baby, I started reading to her.

We read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Eight times in a row. She calmed down and had her toasty warm milk nestling cozily on my lap.


Then we read Alphabeasts ("Uffa-bees"). About four times.

And each time, when we were at

S is for Swan
dancing with glee

TJOML pointed at the swan and exclaimed 'DUCK'!

"S W A N. SSS is for SSS W A A N, honey-bunny."
"DUCK".
"S is for S W A A A N N, sweetie-pie", I ventured again.
"No, Amma, No. D U C K!" she explained patiently.

Sure. Duck it is and we moved on fine until we got to

Y is for Yak
seeking a path

Aside: the picture is cute on this page - the Yak has a paint bucket hanging from his horn, a paint brush in his mouth, looking perplexed, as he has painted himself into a corner!

Anyway, here again, TJOML pointed at the Yak and declared "Dhow!"
(Dhow = Cow).

"Y is for Y A A K, baby doll".
"No, Amma, DH A O W W W" she affirmed, pointing at the yak.
"M O O", she clarified seeing my unconvinced look.
"DHOW", she reiterated with an emphatic bobble-headed nod.

OK, sweet pea. I stand corrected.

Who cares about fine granularity? Her world is complex as it is. She'll learn in good time.

Till then, Y is for Dhow and S is for Duck.

Sounds perfect to me.

Alphabeasts

There are many abecedary books, mostly aimed at introducing letters of the alphabet, each with its own charm and merit. Some are favored by teachers and parents alike, some just by the kids who happened upon them. This book, Alphabeasts, at first glance, drew me in with its brilliant illustrations.

As the cover might suggest, the illustrations have a surreal quality at times. Very eye-catching. In addition, they have layers of subtleties infused that hopefully will become apparent as the child grows.

And, as the title suggests, each letter of the alphabet teaches an animal name, in the form of simple couplets, like:

A is for alligator awake from a dream
B is for bat slurping ice cream

Each illustration depicts a single animal placed in a rather incongruous setting, without obvious elucidation. An alligator comfortably stretches in a plush red recliner, a comically stout hippopotamus prepares to play a dainty violin, a majestic lion sits styling his locks...

"I didn't want there to be a story," I remember reading Edwards' observation. "Kids make up their own stories."

It is not surprising that Edwards won the Governor General’s Award (Canada) for children’s illustration for this book.

In addition to the usual array of animals like P is for Pig and C is for Cat, this book introduces exotic animals such as: I is for Ibis, M is for Mandrill, N is for Narwhal, Q is for Quetzal, X is for Xenosaur, without appearing patronizing or condescending at any level... Not many kids get introduced to these animals in a standard alphabet book.

Although the rhymes in Alphabeasts are a bit bizarre, seemingly prosaic, and possibly beyond comprehension for a toddler, it definitely could double as an interesting coffee table book: The Victorian-looking house has different animals in different rooms in various states, doing different things that is sort of summed up or suggested in the rhyming couplets.

One of my favorites in this book

C is for Cat,

Who reflects on its self

shows a Siamese cat in front of a mirror gazing at the tiger staring back at him!

Another favorite for visual tease is

J is for Jaguar
Checking the stairs

where the jaguar's intricate coat pattern blends in with the checkered carpet on the stairs.

And the funny one

Y is a Yak
Seeking a Path

shows a yak, with a paint brush in mouth and a paint bucket hanging from his horn, looking perplexed as he has painted himself into a corner.

Peeling the layers of meaning that suggest themselves in the dreamlike illustrations is the greatest appeal of this book. As the child grows with the book, and starts getting the subtleties, this book will be treasured by both the parent and the child.



I do believe visual stimuli and very simple rhymes catch children's fancy, help bring them in, and encourage them to enjoy reading. So, I love this book, and can't wait for my daughter to start appreciating it in her own way as she grows up, pointing out her interpretation of the illustrations.

Meanwhile, I enjoy reading the couplets out loud to her while she drinks in the page visually, scanning every inch, pointing out things she already recognizes, asking about things that catch her fancy.

This is a wonderful book for children of all ages, merging childhood fancy with adult finesse.


More children's books review at Saffron Tree!

baby signs

My mum-in-law gave this book when TJOML was a tiny baby.

We love the concept and we sincerely gave it a shot.

We taught the usual signs for "More", "All Gone/Done", "Hat", "Drink", "Eat", "Milk" and a few of our own for "Want/Give me", "Come Here" etc. And we are glad her daycare has been reinforcing signs as well.

TJOML learnt to sign for the most common things much before she started saying the associated words in her own sweet way.

She usually says the word "more" with the more sign these days: tapping her fingers bunched together.

A few months ago, when her Nana visited us and we went to The Takahashi, TJOML was sitting across from me and Nana. We were almost done and weren't sure if TJOML was done. I simply looked at her and did the "All Done"? sign and she shook her head from side to side indicating she is not done! Not a word was exchanged but we communicated our thoughts while TJOML kept merrily babbling away and slurping her soba and miso soup, clutching her chopsticks. She was all of 18-months old then!

In some sense, it tugs at my heart because signing is considered essential form of communication for kids with hearing/speech impairment.

So, I am torn about teaching it to TJOML. I should be encouraging her to express herself in words and sounds. Which I do. In loads. In two different languages. Now that she can communicate using words, and even make up baby sentences, we've eased up on signs a bit, but, I feel we must continue to sign.

My main goal is to be able to teach her "No", "Yes" and some common disciplinary signs so that, in public, I don't have to worry about yelling at her when she begins a tantrum - I simply sign to her and she hopefully notices and understands. Not that that will stop her tantrum, but, at least we'll be communicating, she will know I am talking to her even if I am not using words in a high/loud tone while struggling with my own temper and reactions...

my granny went to market

Ever since TJOML was a month or so old, we have read to her pretty regularly. Very simple board books. Then we graduated to other books.

Naturally Dr.Seuss books are a big hit. When she was about 4 months old, I started reading Mister Brown Can Moo Can You? She used to light up with a huge toothless smile when I started the book in my usual sing-song I reserved for Dr.Seuss books:

OHhh the WON-der-ful SOW-nds Mister BROW-nn can do...
He can SOW-nd like a CAOWWW
He can go MOO MOO...

And any time I wanted a guaranteed great picture of her, I just had to hold the camera in her vicinity and start reciting Oh the WON-der-ful SOW-nds and by the time I got to the Buzz Buzz line she would be sporting the most delicious smile ever and I simply clicked away to my heart's content.

It is sort of a secret pleasure for me to hunt for books I really like and want her to read. There are the usual classics, and then there are some pretty interesting books.

Maybe I shall write about TJOML's library one of these days.

But, today, I wanted to mention two of TJOML's books that I find very beautiful - in concept, in illustration and what it could mean to her as she grows up.

The two books pictured here: Alphabeasts and My Granny Went To Market were gifts from her Nana (my mum-in-law).

Thank You, Mom!

TJOML seems to love these two books. We sort of know this because just like her Say-aa potty book, she makes us read these in repeat mode, she is never satisfied with one read.

And, she doesn't like it if we hurry. She drinks in the page visually, points at things on the page that she knows, and tells us about it. And, she points at things she wants to know and looks at us expectantly nodding her head like a bobble-head doll while asking us to tell her more.

In My Granny Went To Market, granny goes to Istanbul, gets a magic carpet,

Next she went to Thailand
And flew down from the sky
To buy herself two temple cats
Puyin and Puchai

Then granny goes to different places all around the world, to Switzerland, Russia, Tokyo, Peru among other places, collects different things, and brings them back for the little girl. It is also a counting book as granny buys a certain number of each item she finds in each place. The illustrations have a folksy feel to them and are quite charming. The rhymes are nice and easy. I love the book as much as TJOML does, if not more...

TJOML got Alphabeasts book for this Christmas (2006). We have read it every day since, and at least twice a day. She asks for it!

As the cover might suggest, the illustrations are brilliant and have a surreal quality at times. Very eye-catching. Sort of Dali-esque.

And, as the title suggests, each letter of the alphabet teaches an animal name, like:I is for Ibis, N is for Narwhal and Q is for Quetzal!

Not many people I know have heard of these animals. The only reason I know these animals is because D is a sort of Mister-Know-It-All and we share our knowledge base.

Besides, TJOML has a floor wood puzzle of alphabet animals which introduced her to Narwhal, Quetzal and Vicuña and such. Again, Thanks, Mom, for the floor puzzle! We shall treasure it.

Although the rhymes in Alphabeasts are a bit bizarre, quite over the top for a toddler even, it definitely could double as an interesting coffee table book. The Victorian-looking house has different animals in different rooms in various states, doing different things that is sort of summed up or suggested in the rhyming couplets.

One of my favorites in this book is

C is for Cat,
who reflects on its self

shows a Siamese cat in front of a mirror gazing at the tiger staring back at him!

Another favorite for visual tease is

J is for Jaguar
Checking the stairs

where the jaguar's intricate coat pattern blends in with the checkered carpet on the stairs.

I do believe that at her age, TJOML needs visual stimuli and very simple rhymes to catch her fancy. So, I love these books, and can't wait for her to start getting all the subtleties and start appreciating the books in her own way as she grows up with them.

Books with several sentences in each page sort of tend to get a bit overwhelming and boring at times for a toddler, understandably. So, I sort of make up abridged versions of Beatrice's Goat, Peter Rabbit and such so I can still "read" her the stories without bogging her down with too many words and sentences that don't usually rhyme.

Clearly, those books are better enjoyed when she is older and I can't wait to read them to her in full original form when she is ready for it.

Until then, I am so glad she has quite a collection of board books and visually stimulating books to keep her little gray cells multiplying and firing energetically.