We Won't Be at The Wedding

I'm sorry, we can't make Mike and Melody's wedding in two weeks. It seems that we have a bus to catch.

Amiya has had both Vinay and I, sitting together and pretzel-style, on the living floor this morning. We are waiting for the yellow bus. It's bus #1 and it's going to come and get us in "fo weeks." (That's four weeks if you're not fluent in Amiya.) It's taking us to the playroom. We're not allowed to leave the bus stop until the bus comes.

Our deepest regrets to all the family members we won't see. Maybe bus #2 could bring you all down here after the wedding? I'll have to check with Amiya.

Bad Mommy

I was very unsafe on Saturday; trying to pry apart two frozen burgers with a kitchen implement that was not meant to pry apart objects. The result: a gash in the palm of my left hand that resulted in a trip to urgent care. And now? I look like I tried to slash my wrist.

Amiya got to play with the neighbors kids while Vinay took me, so she thought the whole thing was a hoot. When we came home she was suitably awed by the wrapping. Since then she gives my hand kisses, says "You're fine, Mommy." and admonishes me to "Nest time be cawful, Mommy." Mommy has promised both Amiya and Daddy to not be so stupid ever, ever again.

Dancin' Dress

Amiya calls this her "dancin' dwess." When she's got it on, she's got to be twirlin'. That's all well and good, except we've got to be twirlin' with her too. She doesn't like to twirl alone. I think we need a puppy.

Why, oh why?

It may be that every toddler is like this, but I hope not because then Amiya really will be an only child.

She refuses to eat watermelon (she calls it "melonjuice"). She won't eat it sliced, balled, pureed, in a salad, etc., etc. Who doesn't like watermelon? I don't know a single soul. Even Vinay, who in general hides when fruit is presented to him, will eat watermelon if I cut it up and take the seeds out. Not Amiya. Nope. Huh-unh. Ain't gonna happen. But she WILL eat watermelon if I blend it up in the blender and freeze it in a dixie cup with a popsicle stick stuck in there.

Anyone want to venture a guess?

Here's my theory: she will eat anything on a popsicle stick not because it's especially delicious - these melonjuice pops aren't particularly sweet or tasty - the flavors sort of separate. She eats them because she knows Mommy is wrapped around her finger and is going to great lengths to get her to try new foods.

What shall I do about this? (Insert evil laugh here.)

Our next homemade popsicle venture will involve beet juice. It's sweet, it's brightly colored and she won't know the difference. Perhaps after that broccoli pops? Anyone have a recipe to share?

I've Got a Song in My Tummy

About two weeks ago, we went to a Laurie Berkner concert - she's a really cool lady who sings songs for toddlers. Anyway, she sings about having a song in her tummy and Amiya has taken a liking to this song. Ask me how I know she likes it. Go ahead. It's because I sing it 47,895,398 times per day on average since.

Anyway, last night she was singing this song, while Daddy stood next to her. Quite unexpectedly, Daddy reached down, grabbed Amiya and commenced to "eat" the song out of her tummy making loud monster eating type noises. Usually this is a big hit with Amiya, sure to elicit giggles galore.

Not last night. Oh, no, dear Friends, it was not a good thing.

Amiya promptly dissolved into tears and near hysterics. You see, Daddy told her that he had eaten the song out of her tummy and Amiya couldn't bear this. She loves having a song in her tummy.

This is where I come into the picture. In a flash, I was in my closet, dusting off my Super Mommy cape. I returned to the scene and found Amiya with lower lip quivering and Daddy looking perplexed. I quickly got on my knees, listened to one traumatized toddler's tummy and pronounced that Daddy had missed the song and it was still happily gurgling in Amiya's tummy.

All was well in Tampa.

Long live Super Mommy.

The Parenting Paradox

Can you explain this to us?

While she's awake, we can't wait for nap time.
While she's sleeping, we can't wait for her to wake up.

I think this might not be the case if we could find her mute button.

A Day of Rest

Amiya has apparently missed the whole "Sunday as day of rest" thing. She's been a high maintenance type of girl all morning. I know, I know. It's only 10:08 as I type, but for the 90 minutes she's been awake it's been high-strung toddlertown in our home. She absolutely insists upon taking the cushions off of the couch - the couches morph into boats when they are cushionless. She dislikes having to put the cushions back on, though, as she's doing in the picture above. She strains, she grunts, she flexes her little biceps and she grinds her teeth. (Oddly similar to how she poops, eh?)

We had a handful of Vinay's colleagues over for dinner last night and before I could serve them what I had prepared, Amiya marched out a meal of plastic fish, apples, waffles, and quesadillas. She was a charming, demure hostess and she even went to bed without a peep while people were chatting and laughing loud enough for her to hear. What an angel! (Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.)

No news is good news, right?

I've got nothing new to report. We've been to swimming lessons all week and she's doing really, really well. She's now regularly swimming ten feet to the wall and it's amazing. She's still not crazy about her teachers, but she'll get through that.




She's also regularly using the "big gurl toilet" and wearing "big gurl unerwear." We've had an accident here or there, but for the most part, if I put her on the toilet, she pees and thinks it's very funny.

That's it for now - more later, Tators.

Another one because I can't help myself.

I don't remember these days early on, I have a hard time remembering even six months ago. I just know she's always been precious. And I've always been blessed.

I can't believe the bear is almost as big as her.

Just in case you'd forgotten...

this is what she looked like two years ago at the time.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

She's growing up.

The proof? She sat still long enough for me to put a braid in her hair. I couldn't believe it. Now the world of fun hairstyles is truly upon us. If only I hadn't butchered her bangs the last time I cut them. As a result, she'll be getting them professionally cut so she doesn't look like the guys from Dumb and Dumber at Uncle Mikey's wedding.

In other news, swimming is going well. It's starting to get hot here, so I don't mind being in the pool with her. I just wish she'd leave my swimsuit alone around the chest. She thinks it's quite funny to pull on it and I (of course) move her hand away. She pulls harder. This is a no-win situation - if I don't address it, she's going to expose me. If I do address it, she's going to expose me. So, when you see on the news that a Tampa Mom has been arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior at her daughter's swim class, you'll know the rest of the story.

Who would believe me if I told them that this formerly sleep-impaired child is now sleeping 13 hours a night and two every day for her nap? She goes to bed like a charm, although still asks if "Daddy is gon sit by my door?"

She's taken a new liking to watching TV - she asks for it all the time. As a result, I'm looking through my old teaching tapes for things that are more educational than our favorite big red dog. I've found Zaboomafoos and Stanleys - those are all about animals. She's good with those for now. We're also stopping at the regular pool after swimming lessons so she can play there. I can't imagine what her TV desires would be if we let her watch it all the time when she was younger.

One of the cutest things she does lately is interact in a very soft, non-Amiya manner with little infants. There is a 13 month old in her swimming class and today she was crying, crying, crying. Amiya scooted over next to her on the wall and repeatedly grabbed her hand to give her kisses and help her feel better. Amiya's also friends with Eva (Ava?) who is 18 months old. When she plays with Eva (Ava?) she lowers and softens her voice and helps her to find things by putting her hand on Eva's (Ava's?) lower back. It's very sweet.

I Made This Dress!!!

(I also made the model but that's been established for quite some time.)

I'm taking a sewing class at JoAnn's and we had to pick an easy project for our first effort. I picked a simple dress for Amiya and I'm now hooked! I LOVE sewing! My Mom and Dad think this is going to turn into an obsession with quilting and amassing fat quarters like my Mom, but I swear it's not. I just want to be able to make simple things for around the home. This one certainly isn't perfect - especially the shoulders, but it's cute, she likes that Mommy made it for her and I just can't believe I made this. That's so not me!

I'll tell you about the flowers in a bit.

Why the blog is not updated...

Our home phone line is down and has been all weekend. Once it's back up and working well, I'll update. It's no fun from the laptop. I'm a simple girl who likes a BIG keyboard.

Couldn't You Just Melt?

Tell me these big brown eyes don't make you feel all woozy. She flashes those on us and we're only just barely immune enough to them that we're still able to send her on her way to bed!

So the new thing in Amiya's life is definitely imaginary play. It began with the emergence of Mita, but now it's here in full force.

• Today she told me on the way from swimming that Sonya pooped in the crib this morning and Bear had to change her diaper. I find this extraordinary for many reasons, but most importantly, Bear does not have opposable thumbs.
• She plays with her wash cloth after eating and makes it into hats, scarves and gloves.
• She is making up names and words for all sorts of things - a rattle is a gua-gua, our neighbor's exersaucer is a piti, etc.
• She had a full conversation today with Clifford. If you visit us, please know that you'll be expected to know all of the main characters in Clifford, based on either the color of their fur or their t-shirt. (Clifford - red, T-Bone - yellow, Cleo - purple, Mac - blue, etc.) I can supply you with videos if necessary.

In other news, she finished the first level (Infant/Parent) of swimming today and she rocks. When they swim to the wall, the kids know to hang on with both hands while the parent counts to five. Amiya holds on, but she's constantly pushing herself back under the surface. She comes up smiling and telling me that she's ok. We've got two weeks left of Infant/Parent II and then we're on to Level 1 and 2 where she'll learn to float and swim greater distances. The head honcho of the whole swimming school thinks she could make it through Level 4 this summer - swimming the length of the pool. That's pretty amazing for a two year old, I think, but apparently this is pretty standard. It makes me think either we push two year olds too hard or we don't expect enough of them. Either way, I'll be happy if she does make it through Level 4 - there are way too many pools in Florida for her not to be a great swimmer.

I am about to fall off my chair I'm so tired. The neighbor's seven month old was here while her older sister went to the doctor. Neither Amiya nor Kiley napped - both pretty much cried and cried from being tired but neither would be the first to sleep. Good times for Christy. Two hours of that. Kiley is a sweet little girl, but today was not the day for these two to be together. Amiya may be an only child.

I want you all to know...

that according to Amiya, I'm "jus a cute lil Mommy." That's what she told me while riding our bike home from the park, while making her lunch and then again on the way home from the store. So, I'll expect you all to kiss my ring next time you see me - what title on earth is better than that?

This little one is swimming about seven feet now - from where I let her go until she gets to the wall. She kicks and "digs" for about three feet and then goes into this sort of ethereal float for a few feet. Then she runs out of air and those little legs and arms get moving again. I've been told to start her further back so she'll quit floating and just keep kicking. She's doing really well and today was almost entirely tear free. She only cried when Miss Carleen took her and that's got to be because I'm a cute little Mommy and she can't stand being away from me.

Do you think my head will still fit through the door?

Such a boring day...

...there's nothing good to post on here, yet I know some of you have become blog junkies, therefore I will to satisfy your fix.

Swimming lessons went, well, swimmingly today. Amiya likes it all until the part where I let her go in the water and she has to actually proper herself to the wall. That's no good. Since it's all a routine and we're now 5 days into it, she knows when it's coming. At this point she places one palm on each of my cheeks, pulls my forehead right up to hers and, with doleful eyes, tells me "Amiya no go under wah-ter." At which point I say, "Not yet, but soon." Thunking her forehead against mine, she repeats more forcefully, "Amiya no go under wah-ter." But then she does, in fact, go under water and she doesn't even really hate it until Mr. Alan (the instructor) takes her from me and does it with her. She does just fine - she just doesn't believe she can do it. It is amazing, though, the way her pool-side confidence has gone up. She's climbing in and out like it's just another everyday sort of thing and that's really what we wanted.

On another note, we are trying to break this habit she has of stripping her shoes off of her feet anytime she's in the carseat for more than .2 seconds. Nothing better than being butt-up in the Target parking lot on a scorchingly hot and stiffingly humid day in Tampa, wrestling with a toddler to get her sandals on her feet, ya know? So, today I told her that if she took her shoes off in the car, she couldn't watch Clifford all day. Got home - guess where the shoes were? That's right. On the floor of the car. So no Clifford. Instead, whiny Amiya following me everywhere saying, "I...want...Cliffuh." What lesson is really being learned here? That I shouldn't take away Clifford.

When one door closes...

... it only means Amiya has been there.

She's onto this new thing where she must close any doors that are open and vice versa. We had to purchase more childproof doorknobs yesterday as we were finding little plastic toys all over the house (in the shower, in our bed).

She also has turned into a bit of a drama queen. We'll let her know that we're no longer interested in eating plastic grapes with mustard sauce and she'll throw a mini-tantrum with her hand pressed to her cheek like in the Scream! panting. We now have a "tantrum mat" in the foyer and she has to go sit on it when theatrics commence. Perhaps a trip to the Oscars is in our future as she is very, very convincing.

Goin' to the Beach

Amiya loves to go to the beach. Very, very much. She would go every day if she could just see over the steering wheel. As her Daddy and I are sticks in the mud, she's devised her own plan to get to the beach. See photo:

Amiya lays down her quilt (fancy appliqué work always facing down), gathers her Daddy (Mommy is not imaginary beach worthy), and hops on. Vinay must sit just so in her "ca-ar" and he must make himself fit in along with the following toys: giraffe, duck, monkey, bear, robot, lunchbox, basket, saw, swimsuit, puzzle pieces, Sonya's quilt, Sonya, and Bear. They fasten their imaginary seatbelts and make noises as they drive to the beach. The drive to the beach takes hours every day, much to Vinay's chagrin. And, there's never a beautiful sunset to see, just the dining room table.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was given a lovely Mother's Day card from Amiya. She delivered it to me while I was using the restroom. It's so true: timing is everything.

Vinay also gave me a card and took us out for a really nice breakfast. I had cranberry pancakes - and if you know me, that's all it takes. I'm happy, happy, happy.

But the real point of this today is to say Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there who mean so much to me. Because the truth of the matter is that I can read about being a Mom in books and online, I can be a Mom day in and day out, I can watch other Moms at the park and the library, but without all of the other Moms out there for me to talk with and learn from, I'd be a sad lump of a Mom. So, Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

My Family Moms

• My aunts (Marge, Jamie, Odilia, Debbie and Donna)
• My sisters-in-law (Rajshree didi, Renu didi, Jaishree didi, Saroj didi, Sandyha bhabhiji, and Archana bhabiji)
• My cousins (April, Nicki, Dawn and soon, Kelly)

My Oshkosh Moms

• Amber, Heidi, Heather and Susie

My Illinois Moms

• Jacki, Cathy, Yvette, Kathee, Connie, Carolynn, Cassinda, Rae, Jill, Alveda and Lisa

My Tampa Moms

• Cory, Katie, Lauren, Dana, Angela, Bashi, Sherri, Kim, Krista, Patti, Lorna and Emma

The Mother-in-Law I Never Knew

• Amaji - Thanks for being such a great Mom to Vinay. You did well and I'm reaping all the rewards of your hard work.

Ma Maman Française

• Geneviève

My Grandmas

• Mary and Phyllis

And the best Mom of all

• My Mom
  

When Men Buy Clothes for Children

These bibs are from Uncle Matt. He bought them when Amiya was 3 months old. We love these bibs and Amiya, especially, loves these bibs. It was love at first sight. First sight was yesterday. That's when they first fit.

This is the fun thing about when men buy clothes for Amiya (and, I've learned, for other little children). They choose adorable things, with loving, loving thoughts but they buy them huge. Another dear relative of Amiya's, Rohit bhayia (cousin), bought her a shirt when she was six months old - it's a size 3T. Her dear Uncle Mikey sent her a Hello Kitty shirt from Japan that might fit her in grade school. Uncle Jon-o has given her two Alaska t-shirts that will work about third grade.

But here's the cool thing - I'm not complaining and I'm not mocking. This girl has always had far too much clothing. I've got things sorted by age and when I came across Uncle Matt's bibs, it was like getting a hug from him all over again. I pulled them out and remembered how touched I was that he thought of her and picked them out just for my girl. I smiled when I thought about the way he played with her just a month or so ago while visiting. When it's finally time for Amiya to wear Rohit bhayia's turtleneck, Uncle Mikey's shirt, and Uncle Jon-o's Alaskan tees, I'll be sure to tell her who gave them to her and just how much these guys love her.

So Men, keep this sort of thing up. It's cute, it's endearing, and it's the kind of gift that just keeps on giving.

An Update

Amiya has mastered the use of the word 'perfect.'

Today, Vinay was changing her diaper. Amiya told him her poop was 'pewrfect.'

The Terrible (and sometimes not-so-terrible) Twos

Doesn't she look like one of those oddly distorted greeting cards in this picture?

Word on the street says that Amiya had a great time with Malory the babysitter. Whoo-hoo! I tried calling halfway through my class to make sure things were fine, but no answer. They were probably elbows deep in Play-Doh. She even went to bed ok with not too much crying. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

Today we had a new friend and her Mommy over. Amiya appears to believe that all new friends have Mommies, like all McDonald's food comes with a toy. The two simply go together. As is so often the case, she is not interested in the new friend, but rather the Mommy. Today she pestered and cajoled Ms. Patti until she drove all the way home screaming. That's not true - I think she probably made it to the gate and then the screaming subsided. Amiya doesn't seem to be interested in playing a lot with kids who can't talk yet - most likely because she can't boss them around. Which brings us to an interesting question - where exactly does she get this need to be in charge?

I'd like to submit for your consideration:

1. Vinay has experience teaching large groups (50+) of people for hours on end.

2. Vinay successfully directs a research laboratory.

3. Vinay keeps me on my toes.

4. Vinay almost always drives when we go somewhere.

5. Vinay determines when it rains. (Ok, not true, but he is in charge of our irrigation system.)

And the biggie:

6. Vinay and my Mom get on famously. Two peas in a pod.

Obviously, Amiya gets her need for control from my husband, her father. Being a feminist, I'd like to take the credit for passing this "We Can Do It!" bullheaded determination her way, but I just can't. I'll give credit where credit is due.

(Sometimes the best thing about this blog is that I can say whatever and know that he's going to read it and roll his eyes. Then he'll come home and tell me I need a hobby. Which will then lead me to tell him that after one three-hour class, I know that I love sewing and that I need a super-deluxe sewing machine. Do you think it will work?)

Anyway, back to Amiya. She had a good time with Ms. Patti and she'll probably let her bring Eva (Ava?) back, too.

Really, one more thing this time

Amiya is going to have a babysitter tonight while Mommy goes to her sewing class and Daddy has a late meeting. The babysitter, Malory, has to put Amiya to bed.

Anyone want to take bets on how this is going to turn out?

Now really and truly off to clean.

Two last things for now...

The bravado at swimming lessons has disappeared. I had to "release" her in the pool today and let her sink or swim to the wall. She did really well, but she doesn't think so. Lots of tears today, lots and lots of tears.

The other thing is just to share a stark and staggering mothering statistic with you: I have been peed on twice and have had to deal with excrement in a not so pleasant location (meaning not in the diaper) in the last 24 hours. She may not be able to tell me she's less than excited about sleeping in her crib or me "releasing" her to the wall, but believe me, her bowels are making it very, very clear.

Play-Doh

Our little one loves Play-Doh. Adores it. Begs to play with it. Every single day. We can use it as bribery if needed or it's just a fun way to keep her from underfoot while I'm making dinner. She only eats a little bit, I figure it keeps her regular so why not?

In this picture, she's practicing two things: 1. making the Eiffel Tower (she swears that's what it is) and 2. pouty Angelina Jolie lips. I have a few problems with both of these. She's seen the Eiffel Tower so she knows it's not blue and green. She's not much of a realist, eh? More importantly, she's far too young to be practicing Angelina Jolie lips, especially when we all know that Big Bird poops on pouty lips (according to my Mom).

***
An unrelated side note. Isn't it a cruel twist of reality that you never notice how dirty/dusty/natty something is until someone else pops over or you have to spotlight that thing? As an example: the crack in the table where the two sides meet. If you didn't notice it, I love you and don't you dare go look now. If you did notice it, rest assured that it's only Vinay and I who live in this slovenly manner. Amiya eats off of gilded dishes every evening, we throw them away when she's finished and pick up new ones every morning. Just kidding. Off to clean.

Ah - the sweet sounds of the trumpet

Wasn't this one of the best parts of being a kid? I marvelled at this thing that could make my voice boom and echo and that grown-ups would throw away as if it weren't priceless. Amiya shares my former enthusiasm and fetched this from the garbage more times than I care to mention. (Luckily it was a new bag and there was nothing else of great interest in there.)

She spent at least 15 minutes at the table when I first gave it to her yelling through it, listening with it, looking around as if a telescope and tipping it over. There was also a fair amount of time passed with the tube pressed to her cheek - no idea what that was about except that she really liked it and it kept her calm. I'm all for that.

And before anyone comments that her hair bow doesn't match her dress - I know, I know. I try to keep her color coordinated, but this girl has a propensity to lose hair rubber bands like nobody's business. I think she eats them. When I see a rainbow poop, I'll know they've all passed.

Watercolors

Amiya's watercolor from early last week. What do you think it is? The first correct answer gets a signed (or more likely peanut butter-smeared) reproduction and a kiss from Amiya.

All answers should go in the comments section. If you don't want to make an account, use the anonymous option and just add your name in the comments.

Things you should know about our child

1. Hide and Seek

This is beyond Amiya. Completely and totally. Vinay tries to play with her and she insists on doing whatever he is doing. So, if he is counting, she must therefore also count. If he is hiding, she hides right next to him. Vinay likes to play this game while I clean up after dinner and unfortunately it never works - Amiya doesn't get that one must hide for the other to seek. Tonight I hid while they counted in hopes of having her see how much fun it can be - no dice. She still doesn't get it. And, when I am trying to hide and she's counting with Vinay - she cheats! She has her eyes open the whole time. The amazing thing - she still isn't the one to find me. She sees me walk into the laundry room, there is nowhere, absolutely nowhere for me to hide except behind the door and she still can't find me.

2. Two hours eight

This is the only unit of measurement that matters to Amiya. No matter what.

Mommy: "Amiya, what time is it?"
Amiya: "Two hours eight."

Mommy: "Amiya, how many blocks do you have?"
Amiya: "Two hours eight."

Mommy: "Amiya, how much do you weigh?"
Amiya: "Two hours eight."

Mommy: "Amiya, how far to the swimming pool."
Amiya: "Two hours eight."

3. I know

This is the new yes in our household.

Mommy: "Amiya please put your shoes on."
Amiya: "I know."

Daddy: "Is it for me?"
Amiya: "I know."

Mommy: "Are you ready to go to the library?"
Amiya: "I know."

4. She can now say "Hello" in four languages.

(because her Daddy pesters her all the time)

Daddy: "Amiya, what do we say to Guadelupe?"
Amiya: "Hola!"
Daddy: "What do we say to Babaji?"
Amiya: "Namaste."
Daddy: "What do we say to Grandpa?"
Amiya: "Hi!"
Daddy: "What do we say to Grandpère?"
Amiya: "Bonjour!"

5. Conversations are held in no particular order

Daddy: "Can I get a kiss?
Amiya: "No!"
Daddy: "Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"
Amiya: "No!"
Daddy: fake crying (now we know where Amiya gets it)
Amiya: "Come on boy!"
Daddy: continuing on with these antics
Amiya: True to her Midwestern roots kisses Daddy and says, "Dere you go!"
Daddy: "Can I get another kiss?"
Amiya: "Sure you can." (gives soft kiss)
Daddy: "I just love you Mia."
Amiya: "I do the work."
Daddy: "You're too busy to say you love me?"
Amiya: "I know."

Harumph

I'm not going to tell you about something cute that Amiya did today. I'm not going to tell you about a new word she's discovered or her new favorite book. I'm not going to tell you about our recent sleep success or the fact that she's rockin' it out at swimming lessons. Instead I'm going to tell you about something she does that is almost entirely inconsequential but still really, really annoying. (Mom, I know you don't believe it, but she can really be annoying at times. I never was, so I imagine it's hard for you to fathom. Apparently the gene skips a generation.)


Here's what she does:

She flips the switch on the dishwasher from "heat dry" to "air dry."

I'll wait for the rolling eyes and the "whatevers" to cease.









Done?

Ok. I know, it's not a big thing. It's not even a medium thing. It's a little thing, but it's darn (edited for Nisha's sake) annoying. Sometimes I've got three minutes between X and Y to get something done and so I decide to tackle the dishwasher. I open it up, ready to pounce only to find that everything is sopping wet. All this moisture morphs the task from a three minute task to a ten minute task where every vessel has to be hand dried. This mundane chore no longer fits between X and Y, thus meaning I've yet another task to do after Y. The good thing is, there's no job to rush off to and my husband is very understanding if dinner is less than inspired or less than punctual.

The kicker is that Amiya doesn't really care about the switch. It isn't an object of fascination, she can't see the cause or the effect of it. It just is and every so often, when the sun's rays glint off this switch just so she can't avoid the temptation and she must switch it. It doesn't happen often enough for it to have any pattern or any sense; certainly not often enough for me to remember to check it. But it does happen often enough for me to write about it. And today, it just so happens, this blog, unlike the air dried dishes in the dishwasher, fits nicely between X and Y.

Amiya broke her leg today

Or so she thinks.

We were out making the wee one march to try and tire her out. (If you can't figure out how the sleeping is going, that sentence should clue you in.) She started running in that adorable toddler way that she has about her and she took a little skid. Hands down, didn't hit her face, but her right outer shin is scratched up. Let us not jump to horrible conclusions. Nothing is pink, no skin was actually scratched - it's just white. A little lotion (even a little water) and it would all be forgotten. But NO! Amiya insists that she broke her leg.

In true Hounsell fashion, I'm making her sleep on it. If it still hurts in the morning, I'll take her to the doctor! (Ha - just kidding. If you're not a Hounsell this makes no sense. My Dad (and I do love him so much!) used to have a rule - if it still hurts in the morning we'll go to the doctor. He was absolutely right about it every single time but one - when my brother Andy's hand was, in fact, broken. And we of course won't let him live that down.)

So Proud!

Amiya is quite, quite proud of herself today. We came home from "fwimmin" lessons and we had to call Daddy immediately. As soon as she got to talk she said, "Hello, Daddy! I went under wahhh-ter." She did, in fact, go under and several times, to boot. She was the only one in her class not to scream and cry - I guess all those times I've let her go under for a second or two weren't such a bad idea. She was a trooper about all of it, although very disappointed that she wasn't able to play with the "ool" (noodle).

Multiple Amiyas

We might be witnessing the emergence of an invisible friend (or foe) for Amiya.

For the past several days she's been talking about another girl - Mita or Mina. Sometimes she'll say these other names when we ask her to tell us her name. But today solidified Mita's presence in her life. Amiya was eating dinner and dropped her spoon on the floor. Vinay asked her, "Who dropped her spoon on the floor?" Amiya replied, "Mita!"

As if living with one Amiya isn't challenge enough these days!