How do you grow?

Another one from October:

For school, Chinipie had picked out a dress for herself, which she had outgrown. I avoid removing such dresses from her closet, cause sugar will grow into them and my past experience has been that if I take those dresses away, I completely forget about them until sugar has outgrown them too. And they are, usually in a good condition to be worn as a hand-me-down. Now, on this particular day, Chinipie had picked one of her favorites from late spring/early summer. When I told her that the dress is too little for her, she obviously didn't agree and wanted to wear it. Knowing her very well, I asked her to try it on and see for herself, if she would be comfortable in it. (I use this strategy quite often. good way for them to experiment n learn). After struggling to get into it, she gave up and rather sadly, remarked, "I used to wear it when I had turned 5. I am still 5 and that dress doesn't fit me Anymore." 

"Coz, beta, you are growing."

"Why?"

"Coz we grow each day." 

Why?

"Coz that's how it is.  Every day either we grow or our hair or our nails..."

Picking on it, she started adding, "even our hands, our feet, our fingers."

"Yep. You got it. Now let's get ready for school.  Mommy picked out a dress for you that still fits you."

"Why? Why does is still fit me? I am not tall enough not to fit in that dress yet?"

Yes.

"One day, I will grow up and even this dress will be small for me?"

"Yes."

Getting all teary-eyed, she says, " But I do not want to grow. When I grow, I will have to go away from you. I will not get anymore huggies and kissies from you. I do not want to miss them!"

"Awww my baby. You do not have to grow up that soon. There's a long time to that. Besides, I will always give you hugs n kisses. You will never outgrow them, for sure! "

Seemingly pacified, she started getting dressed, when she again asked, " momma, do all of us grow each day?"

"Yes beta."

"Even the grown ups?"

"Even papa."

"Even you"

"Yes beta."

" So you grow tall like me each day too?"

"No beta. I don't"

"But the other day, I heard you telling papa that one dress didn't fit you anymore.. That it was too little for you..."

Momma, scratching her head, trying to remember, when she wud have assumed herself growing so tall that her dress wudn't fit.....

"Oh! I know. When you are a grown-up, you don't grow tall anymore. Isn't it?"

"Yes beta."

Decidedly, she adds, "you don't grow tall anymore. You grow fat."

??!!!!??

Of ancient and alien momma

This happened, sometime in October too,  when Chinipie had just started skipping rope successfully and was rather proud of this milestone of hers.

How old were you when you started skipping rope?

I don't remember, honey. (Why did I say that? I could hv said anything. She had no way of cross-checking, after all)

Why? Why don't you remember?

B'coz it was a long time ago.

How long?

Many years ago.

You mean many many years ago?

Yes

It was such a long time ago that you don't remember now?

Yes

It's a very very very very very old story now?

Yes

It's an ancient story?

Huh?

That means you are ancient?

Hain???

Ancient like dinosaurs?

What??

Runs off upstairs to her dad, "Papa, did you know mumma is ancient?"

Dad looks up from his laptop, "Really?"

Ya. She told me that.

????!!!!!?????

Also, in October, once I had avacado face mask on when sugarbun had entered the kitchen.
 "Why is your face green? Are you an alien ?"
Runs off to her older sister, " didi ! look we have an alien momma! She came from the other planet in her rocket ship."

And ever since I have been an ancient alien momma.

Birthday -a year later

This post is from October.

As I have said umpteen times, birthdays in our house cannot be anything but special. Most of my readers would probably remember how my birthday was an event last year. This time,  While Sugarbun had been singing, "happy birthday to mamma" for a week before and a week after my birthday, Chinipie kept giving me notes, greeting cards, drawings that day. She also made sure that everyone, I met, that day wishes me "a very happy birthday" which included her teachers, karate masters, friends, friends' moms. Which I would say was a little embarassing and a bit solace, in a way,  as the phone ane internet were down that very day! Chinipie had complained about it, " why is the phone not ringing today? why is nobody calling to wish you ?"
 I had tried to soothe her down, " this means I get to spend more time, without any disturbance, with you and sugar".  
She had seemed to digest it well and later, in the night, The girls and the dad decorated the cake baked by yours truly.

We sang the birthday song again and only later, when I was tucking her in bed, Chinipie says, "you know you look the same" 
"when did i look different?" 
" I mean you look exactly the same like last year. You haven't grown older or anything." 
"well thanks, i guess." Now that was a huge compliment, don't you think?
" God really listens to me, you know." 
"He must be dear. You are his child too" 
" no really. I prayed to him not to let anyone of us grow because I do not want to grow up and go away from you." 

Awww my baby... I wish so too..

Updated: see the four corners of the cake? My curious angels couldn't wait for the cake to be cut!!

My interrogating, observing, absorbing, interesting,definitely entertaining Chinipie

Chinipie and dad were discussing Odd-even numbers.

Chini - Why are 1,3,5 called odd numbers. are they odd? 

Dad - They cannot be divided equally between two. For ex. If I had 4 cookies, how many  will you n sugar get?

Chini -  Each of us will get two.

Dad - See how you both got the same number of cookies? Now, what if I had 5 ?

Chini - Simple, I get 3 while sugar gets 2..

Every first Friday of the month, chini's and sugar's school organizes a parenting class where they also provide baby-sitting for the kids as the parents attend the sessions.  Last Friday was the first time that I attended. That evening, as I was getting the girls ready, chinipie asks me, " why do you have to go to my school in the evening?"

" I have a parenting class" 

"why do you need to go to a pare ting class? You are already a mommy." 

" in this class, i will learn how to be a better mommy." 

" you mean, you will learn how not to scream?"

To make chini's lunch times more interesting, sometimes, I sneak in little notes in her lunch box. She, definitely enjoys them and feels special, but my little chinipie, being as inquisitive as she is, came to me one day and asked, " why did you put a note for me in my lunch box today?" 

Before, I could even think of something, she quipped, " because you love me and want to make me feel special."  

" yes honey. That's why."

"Then why didn't you put a note in my lunch box, yesterday?   You didn't love me yesterday?"

Dad goes to California

on work, for one entire week, much to mom's chagrin. How could he do this to her? He knew that she loves her beauty sleep and craves for it the entire day. Then why did he have to be so cruel?? You see, ever since sugar had turned one, and, the dad, had decided that he is done clinging to the very edge of the mattress, holding on the the last inch of the bed-sheet, for his dear life(and bones), much to mom's protest, had moved the kids' little beds to their rooms. Now, this room, previously, was pretty much used only as a parents' interior decoration skills display room as much as the other 2 bedrooms  in the entire history of a year and a half of buying that 4- bedroom house. The mom, mortified, at the very thought of walking each night to the adjacent room to soothe or nurse or calm her babies on their each cry , which then was every 1 hour or so, had moved their little beds next to her bed. So, all she had to do was reach upto them and pat them back in their cozy little beds. Now, when and how, in the entire course of the night, they would climb up to the huge and high bed of ours, still remains a mystery. The bottom-line is, each morning, on that California-king-sized bed, the dad was inevitably found sleeping, balancing delicately on his left torso, while the kids rotated, turned and well, dozed royally. Amongst all the protests, the hard-hearted, sleep-deprived dad, had then decided to put the other rooms in the house to some huge. Mom, had made a huge deal about this, and had him promise that he would calm them, each night, for every single cry. Whether or not he intended to originally, but the sly mom made sure that the dad sticks to his word. And rest, as they say, is history. Since that fateful morning, dad is, many-a-times, even found sleeping on the floor in the kids' room to make sure that they sleep on their bed, in their room. Well, those days, are long over (hopefully). However, with every cry they utter, with every drop of water they ask for, in those hours of mom geting her zzz's, the dad tends to them.

So, how could she have survived 5 nights with him travelling to the west????
Chinipie had the solution. She came up to the mom and said, remember mom, when he was away for only one night, in the past? How you had slept on the floor in our room? You could do that. I will even clean my toys from there for you.