At Sweet 16

Joyce is 16 months today. She is trying to pick up words. From the sweet little girl she has become that irritating little cricket which around you keeps mugging you with that stupid sound. When I am around she believes my hip is the most happening place. Saturdays and Sundays she hunts be down to every nook & corner of the house.

1. She is almost WEANED. ATLAST. 'Almost' because, days when I am lazy to boil & wash & sterilize I just breastfeed her.

2. At 14 I mentioned she goes and calls her dad as soon as I start putting the plates on the table. Now she starts pulling the cushions down from the chairs, climb them, then climb the table, will leave space for the plate and side dishes and will reserve herself a nice spot, from where she can send everything crashing down with just one kick.

3. Climbing, reaching out for things at different heights is her favourite sport right now. She is mostly found on top of the dinning standing at the edge and yelling out to me to catch her. I don't have time to go get the camera, I rather save her or its my CDs, DVD player, TV, cellphone, handbag etc that will be at stake.
4. When I scream at her, she points a finger at me and blabbers. Maybe she is saying calm down mom, who knows.
5. She can hum tunes when the song is on. She loves the "Bonney M"s I think. In the car, she will get on to my lap, turn the volume knob for a 20 from 9 and clap her hands and smile. I will need ear plugs or a sound proof room looks like.
6. She will smile at the camera and so the actual expression is missed many a times.
7. She loves to play with the ball but as soon as she starts, the crazy mom and dad are kicking it around in the house, and she is tired finding it for us from under the bed or sofa or whatever it is.
8. She will pick or pluck a flower or leaf or even a twig and bring it to her nose and inhale it.

9. She can pour water all around. I let her play around in the tub for a while before I bathe her. She aims the water at herself but not quiet on target yet. She also helps me water the plants and wash the balcony. Just give her a mug and she will follow me around doing the same.

10. Sleeping. phew!! She will test my patience before she sleeps. On the bed, she will keep moving her little butt and head from one direction to the other searching for that perfect spot like a dog, sometimes she will let her legs hang outside the bed, then decide against it and get back in.

11. I think she is a little slow on the talking thing. A few things she says,
App - was meant to be apple but in Joyce's words it is anything that is round.
tar - which is star, which could be anything on my T-shirt since thatz where I first showed her a taaar.
bow bow - thatz the dog. sometime even the cat is.
na na - is what she calls the children in building. I tried didi and bhaiya but nana stuck on.
Mumma - Every body in the family is Mumma, sometimes there is a Mummy too. Instead of Dada that we have been sticking our heads out and teaching her, theres an occasional baba.
vavo - When the stage is all set for her to go to bed, she will put both her hands to her tummy and ask.... vavo vavo?
che che - She will put a finger to her nose, make that piggy face and tell us she has just done the job, or if she just passed gas.
kllas - Its my mom's hindi, Khallas, for everything that is over. We tried undoing the killer-khallas but its here to stay.
Illa - In mallu means, no. so anything missing, not found is all "illa". That according to my mom was my favourite word as a teenager.

Lots of blabbering. Different pitches and tones. You can almost make out if she is asking or telling you or just annoyed by your lame response.