Advantages of being Tiny

   He can crawl under anything 

N

He can sit on AnyON

He can fit INTO anything!

Big boy!

Tiny had to wait an extra 10 minutes at school today as we were running late. The moment we reached school, I jumped out of the car and ran to the gate only to find Tiny happily cycling away with 2 other children. The teachers watching them and having a good laugh. He looked like he didn't care much that we were late. In fact, I had carry him out of school forcefully as I had interrupted his cycling race! 

I managed to have a word with his teachers and they seemed so pleased! Am surprised because Last year was dreadful for us...with a complaint almost everyday. Most complaints would be about how aggressive he was or how he chose to sit by himself and not mingle with other children or how he preferred playing outside to staying in class etc etc. 

Initially I used to get worked up and worried myself sick about how to set things right. Then I figured that letting him be and just giving a lot of love and attention may help. So through the holidays we would sit and tell each other stories, go for long walks, play in the park, visit his cousins and have them visit us, get busy in craft and so on. Basically a lot of time together. And it seems to have helped. Now, he seems like a much more secure child.  The teachers said that he's much more gentle with the other children now, sits through class and follows instructions well. 

He's grown up so much in just a few months....My big boy.

Learning for me: given time, lots of love and attention, children will turn out to be just fine. :)

       

First day of school...

was good :). It was an amazingly fuss free morning.  The glass of milk was finished within minutes. I didn't have to chase him around the house for breakfast. Nor did I have to drag him out of the bathroom after his bath. He'd chosen the clothes he wanted to wear to school and allowed me to dress him up without any traces of resistance! 

It was almost like he knew he had to go to school and that he is going to a bigger class and should behave appropriately. Maybe. What else could explain such good behavior?! Anyway, the bag was packed, 10 mini idlis arranged neatly in his snack box, water bottle around his neck, Tiny was all set. 

Before we left for school, he looked at me and said, " Maa, am going to school. I'll be back in 2 hours. Ok?" and hugged me. God, he's such a big boy already..tugging at heart strings and all! *sniff* 

We walked to school, which is 2 houses away, with me praying that it would be a good first day. No fights, no tears, no complaints...just lots of fun, that how I wanted it to be. And the moment I saw him coming out of the gate, with a wide grin pasted across his face, I knew that he had a wonderful time. 

I walked back home, satisfied, with a happily tired and hungry toddler who had just rediscovered his time away from home with peers. Hope this is a sign of a fuss free academic year. *keeping fingers crossed*

How was your child's first day back at school?

A brand new year at school

Re-admission. Check. Orientation program for parents. Check. Collect school kit. Check. Control enthu toddler who wants to run into school every time he passes by...:) check! 

I was never much of a school person. All stories of my first few years of schooling start and end with tears. Because of my dad's transferable job, We changed cities and I changed schools almost every year till high school. The obvious problems being letting go of friends whom I'd just started to get along with and making new friends all over again. I never quite settled down and in 29 years, I have just 1 friend, that too from junior college, who I've managed to stay close to. 

For Tiny, it's going to be different. With our businesses headquartered in Bangalore, am assuming we won't pack up and move cities often. We plan on taking admission into a proper school next year, when he's old enough. Till then, it's the play home next to home, where he'll spend a few hours every day with other children his age. 

Tiny started school at 1.8 years...mostly because I needed some help in keeping an overly active toddler constructively engaged while I balanced other aspects of our lives like work, domestic chores etc. the beginning was troublesome. He'd end up going to school only 3 days a week. Most days I would get a call from school asking to pick him up as he was standing by the gate and crying. I was even tempted to stop school and start afresh the next year, when he'd be older, and probably more prepared to manage on his own. We even discussed it with his teachers and decided that we'd try for one more month and if nothing charges, we could stop school. Then something changed.

. I did not send him to school of,r a whole week and he would sit by the window watching parents drop his friends off at school. And he suddenly wanted to go to school. Just like that. Without any fuss.  No effort from our end. And when he did get back, he was a different person, as the teachers told me. He enjoyed being with other children. Loved sand-pit and splash pool time. Looked forward to singing and dancing sessions. Enjoyed the group activities. And I thanked God for that!

Ever since the vacations started over 2 months ago, Tiny has been looking forward to getting back to school. In fact, every time we crossed the school during our evening walks, he'd just stand there, peep through the gates and ask me how much longer it would be before he went to school again! The good news came last week. By courier. An invitation to their orientation programme along with a schedule for collecting the school kits. :) 

So my big boy is all set, with his new waker bokel, snack box, uniform and a cap, to go to school tomorrow! Here's to a great year ahead..full of fun and of course, lots of learning! 

                      

Accident prone

Tiny is a tough kid. He jumps, falls, brushes himself and goes back to jumping again. We've never fussed over him too much either. When there's an owie, we hug, kiss, cuddle, comfort him only till he feels better and then let him get back to playing. This is only when he,s not in trouble...and I mean serious trouble. He's all of 2 years and 8 months old and there's a list of accidents we've been through already.

Common and almost everyday.. Things we don't even bother much about and respond a kiss and a hug

- falls, bruises, scraped joints

Often, but not Everyday

- cut lips as a result of walking / cycling into walls or furniture. These result in a few drOps of blood and am on high alert. I usually try and soothe it with turmeric / ghee and TRY to restrict him from running too fast 

The irregular ones

When he was learning to walk, he'd lost balance in corners and hit his forehead on some piece of furniture. This has happened thrice already and he's got 3 cuts with visible marks on his eyebrows.

The horrifying one's 

- the first time was on a lazy Sunday morning when S and were playing with Tiny and the little fellow started this thing of bouncing off S's stomach. After doing it several times and with us laughing our heads off, he just started jumping and before we knew it, we heard a loud thud. He had hit his head against the foot of the cot and had slit his eyebrow from half tillthe end. We were so stunned and then the blod started flowing. He was crying and I couldn't think! S was comforting him as I jolted myself back into my senses and brought  a cold towel to press on the wound. Thankfully, the hospital was just 5 mins away from where we lived. Turned out that someone had expired and the staff in the ER was busy completing formalities. We waited, Tiny and S drenched in blood. By now, the little fellow had calmed down and was ready to get back to playing. He was smiling and gurgling at strangers who looked aghast at the sight of a bloody baby. Finally when we did see the doctor, they were thankful that the blow had landed on the socket and missed the eye. He needed to be stitched up, though! So now he sports a scar on a left eyebrow, in addition to the small cut marks he gets every time he walks into a piece of furniture.

- then the incident at the food court in a mall where he fell, face first, off a chair and ended up with a broken tooth!

Inspite of all this, he continues to play the same games, jump to and from places you wouldn't even step on, slide down head first from a big slide (!!!!) etc.

Tiny, till now

Tiny, till now.

So time is flying and Tiny is already 4 months past 2 years. He talks like he's been at it for ages. Every time he runs across the living room, am sure he's going to end up breaking something. Every time I get busy, am sure he'll find ways to make me stop whatever it is that am doing and run to him...either by being too cute and irresistible  or too naughty and intolerable. He' been springing surprises too often for me to keep track.

He's no longer the daredevil that he used to be even until a month ago. He's begun to get a grasp on how most things around him function.. People, places, things etc. it's fascinating to see how a child learns through observation and also by asking questions unabashedly. Unlike before, he doesn't warm up to strangers instantly.

Food -- He still doesn't snack in between meals and prefers savory south Indian meals / snacks to chocolates or cereal or breads! Has started becoming fussy about tastes and textures and spits out anything he finds yucky. Though, I see a little change..he's open to tasting Ice cream and jelly and even asks for repeats. :) He even enjoyed a spoonful of condensed milk while my brother and I were busy licking the tin clean. 

Memory -- is something that is driving me crazy! He remembers incidents, people and places from almost 4 months ago..and very clearly that too. Just last night he asked, "Amma where is Ajjibear (that's what he calls my mom)" I reminded him that she lives in Bombay. And then he starts talking about the lift, his blue cycle, Nikunj baby, meena Ajji,  Sanju aunty, the flyovers, and his favourite memory being a stray incident near Crawford market where a santro car was ablaze and he saw a fire engine in action! 

Love -- is expressed selectively. And is also used to manipulate and get things done his way. Like if he wants to play with the iPad, he'll give you any number of hugs and kisses. If there is nothing you can entice him with, you'Kll be lucky to even get a kiss blown in your direction. Sometimes, when he's in the mood, he goes about cycling across the hall singing " I loveoo Amma, I loveoo appa" but won't allow you to roll on him or hug him tightly and squish him! It's almost like,words speak louder than actions in his case:)

As the days go by, he promises to keep me realllllly busy while he just goes about with his business of growing up!