Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Moppet @ 18 Months

In the two months since my last update much growing up has happened. New words are added to Moppet's vocabulary so regularly that it is no longer newsworthy, yet it was barely 4 months ago that her first word had me jumping for joy.

She sings as she goes about her day and the song goes like this:
Taa ta TAA ta TAA ta taa
Owwa owwa waa ya waa
AAPPA aappa waa saa yaa
Daa ta daa ta daa ta taa

If you're scratching your head trying to figure that out, don't bother. Only a fond (and slightly demented) mother who hears it being sung about 50 times a day would be able to recognise it as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

These days, she modifies the first line to match with whatever it is she's doing while singing. So if she's having a bath, the first line becomes Baaya BAAya BAAya ba (baaya = bubble), if she's being dressed, it's Baata BAAta (baata = button) , if she's colouring, it's Paal PAAal (pal = pencil), if she's riding her bus, it's Baasa BAAsa BAAsa bas. You get the idea.

Music has become a major obsession. At playschool, if the music is not playing when she arrives, she will pull one of the teachers to the CD player and get her to start it up. It's the same thing at home. If the track playing is not to her liking, she gets one of us to skip through the tracks until we get to one she approves of, her approval being indicated by vigorous bum wagging and hearty thigh slapping.

Her favourite song is Pal Har Pal from Lage Raho Munnabhai. I have a feeling she likes it so much because she thinks it's an ode to the other great love of her life - the pencil, which she calls 'pal'. She's usually found with a pencil in her hand, and while I try to make sure that colouring happens only on designated sheets of paper, I'm resigned to the fact that the defacement of my cream papered walls is imminent.

I tried to substitute the pencils with washable crayons but she enjoys chewing them too much. Have you ever removed tiny waxy crayola flakes wedged between sharp little teeth in an uncooperative mouth owned by a squirmy toddler? It is a hugely character building exercise.

She has to do everything we do, in exactly the way we do it, whether that's picking out books in the library or sitting up in bed and 'reading' them like her Papa. Including, ahem, reading on the pot.

She's quite happy to sit and do her business on the potty, but never volunteers the information that she needs to go, even if specifically asked. However, having learned from experience that walking on our polished wood floor with wet feet can be hard on her butt, she has taken to calling me imperiously - Mama, susu! - to be rescued from her self-created puddle. My entreaties to tell me before rather than after the event have fallen on deaf ears. Karma, no doubt. My mom tells me that despite being an extremely chatty baby, talking in full and complex sentences, this one thing I would only ever tell her after the fact.

Just my luck. A daughter who has taken almost entirely after her father, and the one thing she gets from me is this?! Sigh. Although there might some hope yet. A strange thing she's started doing is answering 'Mann' when asked her name. It is nothing like her name and she knows it because her answer is always followed by a huge grin and a chuckle when she sees our bewildered expressions. I do believe it might be the beginnings of a cheeky sense of humour. Hurray!

23 comments:

noon said...

Love the pic of her reading on the pot! My My! How grown up! And the last pic - that she is humoring you jumps out! Enjoyed this post!

Tharini said...

cute cute cute potty picture. Priceless. Happy 18 months to Moppet. Wow. Time really goes by fast. I still remember reading her birthday post.

Unknown said...

happy 18 mnths moppet
:)

Timepass said...

Lovely pics..I wish to hear how Moppet says Twinkle Twinkle Little star..

Choxbox said...

happy birthday and half!

a friend of mine (who had 2 kids while mine was a baby) had once told me that the cutest phase is between 18 mo and 36 mo. after two of my own, i tend to agree. so here's to more cuteness!

Sukhaloka said...

so cute so cute! I love the way she's begun to humour you - clearly inheriting quite a bit of your sense of humour, isn't she? :D

It's an absolute joy to watch her growing up and growing cuter and cuter all the time!

Sue said...

About the walls... I forget who advised me to do this, but it seemed sensible. Tack up huge sheets of white paper (chart paper or preferably longer, if you can get it) from floor till a little higher than she can reach, and let her draw away to her heart's content. You can always remove/replace/preserve/trash the artwork later.

Gauri said...

Happy 18 months to you Dear lil Moppet :-) And I do so love the fact that you still have your mom terrorised enough not to lay a finger on your crowning glory :-)

No cliches Moppet's Mom - but time flies, does it not ? I still can vividly remember that picture of a lot littler Moppet sitting inside a bucket :-)

Sunita said...

The potty picture very very cute.
I am all set to do a 18 month post for the peapod and a lot here is very similar.

Unknown said...

Gosh, they grow up so fast...still remember the post of her saying 'me, me' to her name. God bless.

Maggie said...

Thanks guys. Yes, just when I think she's reached peak cuteness levels, she goes and gets even cuter :-)

Sue: Yes, I was planning to do that in her room, but she doesn't spend much time there - I may just have to do the living room as well...

Just Like That said...

Went back and laughed delightedly at
Taa ta TAA ta TAA ta taa
Owwa owwa waa ya waa
AAPPA aappa waa saa yaa
Daa ta daa ta daa ta taa
with the interpreter's help, this fond aunty could also understand the rhyme!! :-))

Give the little cutie a bear hug from me!:-)

Mala said...

OK.. now I have Twinkle Twinkle - the Moppet Remix running through my head non-stop!

:-)

Mala

Anonymous said...

When I first read it, I thought it was that 70's number by Bappi Lahiri I think... "Ow wa ow waa" Think it was from I Am a Disco Dancer...

And loved her on the pot...

Squiggles Mom said...

Oh the potty pic is so cute! Are you sure you haven't staged this for maximum cuteness impact??
I know what you mean about how they can't get cuter but just do.

Anusha said...

yay for the sense of humor and Moppetized version of twinkle twinkle! she seems to take her potty business quite seriously - :)

mnamma said...

Lovely Lovely pictures Moppet's Mom :) The last one was really cute!

Fuzzylogic said...

She looks A-dorable in that last pic!Ah,the trevails we parents(read mostly moms)face to initiating them to the act of elimination the social way:)
Let the fun begin!I hate hate removing those crazy crayola flakes from the teeth. But I'm glad I have company:)

utbtkids said...

That twinkle twinkle lil star is so precious :)

Collection Of Stars said...

That was a great update :) And, I cannot resist this - so much like KT :)
KTs present favourite song is also Pal Har Pal and she asks the potty for her big job only. She pees wherever she wants and knows that she will fall if she tries to take a step in it and calls us saying 'Kikhikha shee shee'. And KT also seems to have a similar sense of humour :)
If you were in bangalore, I would have brought KT right over to meet Moppet :)

~nm said...

Simply adorable smile and big beautiful eyes she's got!

Anonymous said...

Her eyes are so cute and adorable..potty picyure portraits the little scholar in her.

OhTheJoys said...

She is super cute!