Ten Months

The main update for this month is that Puttachi Walks. Not yet, as in walking all about the house without support, but she has taken her first steps, and she gets better each day. With the use of her legs, she has simultaneously found another new use of her feet - exploration. What was previously being examined with her hands and mouth, now needs to be explored with her feet too... leading to more falls!

She has been climbing steps (crawling) for a while now.. but she hadn't climbed down stairs until last week. She has a cute way of climbing down single stairs. She goes right up to the edge, swings her legs over, assumes sitting position, then stands wobbling on the lower step, then stoops carefully, and sits down on the lower step.

For the rest of the update, I will give it to you in the style of a Tag that Wunderyearz has tagged me with.

Before I start, I will describe to you The Exciroutine - what she does when she is excited (which is very often). She draws herself up to her full height, takes a deep breath, her eyes open wide, her mouth twists in a near grimace. Her arms fly up to her shoulder height, and she flaps them about like wings. Sometimes, it is like beating invisible drums. Simultaneously, her palms screw-unscrew-screew-unscrew an invisible light bulb at lightning speed. Sometimes, the action is that of locking-unlocking an invisible lock with an invisible key. While her hands are busy, her feet are rubbed against each other like a fly rubs its "hands" together. Occasionally she shakes her body, like the way you would shake a container into which you have just poured sugar, to settle the contents.


Things Puttachi is passionate about.

- Me.

- Her Papa.

- Dogs. You need the strength of three people to control her if she as much as spots a dog. She performs The Exciroutine. She squeals and roars for all the neighbourhood to hear. At least one dog has been known to run away from this crazy child, terrified.

- Animals, in general. Elephants, lions, and other animals on discovery, Cows on the Road. When there are animals on TV, she crawls right up to the TV stand, stands up and tries to touch the screen.
When we ask her "Puttachi, what does a cow say?" She says "Ambaaaaa!" And "What does a tiger say?" She roars.

- Bougainvillea. Wherever she spots the bougainvillea, she gives a long drawn squeal, does The Exciroutine, and then bends her head sideways and looks at the bougainvillea almost with love.
- Flowers, in general.

- Doormats and footrugs. She crawls right up to the doormat, stops, and then slyly looks towards me to see if I am watching. When she sees that I indeed am, she giggles naughtily, sits down very close to the doormat and starts The Exciroutine. I can almost hear the voices in her head.
Devil - Go ahead, touch it!

Angel - No, no, Amma is watching.

Devil - Go on, Puttachi, it looks so inviting... nothing will happen!

Angel - No, no don't, Amma said no, it is dirty.

Devil - Go on! There is a nice looking scrap of paper right there.. I am sure it will taste heavenly. Go ahead, take it!

The Devil usually wins, and a hand hovers over the doormat, then she looks up at me sideways again.
Me: Puttachi, NOOOOO!
Puttachi takes hand close to doormat.
In a flash, I am over her, scoop her up and take her away, with her laughing wickedly and delightedly. It is almost like she expected this, but thought she would try her luck anyway.

- Kids of all ages. She thinks everybody is her friend by default. When shy children do not respond to her, she bends towards them nonetheless and touches them softly on the cheek, bends her head sideways, smiles and gurgles.

- Music. She hums along to any piece of music. She sways to it, and sometimes dances too. She then pats her leg like a Taala.

- Ta-ta. As in going out. A few days ago, 90 percent of the intelligible words she spoke consisted of the word "Amma". Now, 90 percent of the time, she says "Ta-ta". She makes for the main door/balcony saying "Ta-ta, ta-ta". If she sees anybody dressed to go out/wearing shoes, they've had it. They have to escape when she is not looking.


Things she does that drives me/us crazy:

- The fact that she wants to put everything, and I mean EVERYTHING into her mouth. But just sometimes, for example, she takes a scrap of paper to her mouth, then turns and looks at me. I shake my head, and she puts it down, surprising me completely!

- Put her down and she has to make for the nearest forbidden item. Sometimes I feel that the entire day, all I have done is bring her back from where she is, to safety.

- When she has had enough food, she spits it out with a vengeance. Even after she has done spitting, she spits out saliva, as if to get rid of the taste. Then she proceeds to play with whatever she has spat out.

- It is next to impossible to keep her in one place when bathing/changing/drying her hair.

- In the supermarket, she picks up things from shelves as we pass them by, and has often knocked down many things.

- She is never still. Her hands, legs and head are ALWAYS in motion except when she is asleep.

Things she says often:

- Amma.
- Papa
- Ta-ta
- Ajji/Ajja/Thatha - for her grandparents
- Mamm-mamm (food)
- Ai-gi-giyaaa/Au-gu-guyaaaa/Ingi-yaa/Ugm/Ibn (No apparent meaning)
- Umba (no apparent meaning)
- Dir-dir-dir-dir-dir/Gir-gir-gir-gir (When irritated)
- Phhrrrrrrrr (spitting air - when frustrated)
- Aa-aa-aa (rising notes) - when happy, when she sees something she likes.
- She repeats anything we say immediately.


Books she read recently:

You mean books she ATE recently. (;)) - Ok seriously.. she loves to look at books.
- Baby's first colours - she loves this.
- Mickey-Donald's baby books
- The clownfish
- Nursery Rhymes
- "Don't cut my hair!"
- Animal Record Breakers - her current favourite.
... and all newspapers and magazines

Songs she listens to over and over
All sung by me of course --

- Aane banthondaane
- Nammooralli Shivanobba
- Naayi mari naayi mari
- Putaani Krishna
- Kuri mari Byaa
- Ditties that I made using her name.
- Oh Susanna
- Yeh Dhara
- Sa-re-ga-ma.
- Old McDonald
- Where's the Party Tonight
.. and many many more.

Things that makes her the person she is:
- Her smile.
- Her eyes - big, black, guileless
- Her eyelashes - oh, how she uses them to her advantage, batting them oh so innocently!
- Her hair - that frames her face, sets it off.
- Her enthusiasm for everything.
- Friendliness - man, animal and object - all are her friends.
- Her very animated and expressive face. She uses her eyebrows, lips, cheeks, chin, everything to convey the expression of her choice.