Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Amazing Appu (aka Rampant Rajiv)

Warning Warning -- Heavy bragging alert --

Time to talk about my favorite toddler!



He knows the whole alphabet and recognizes printed letters and numbers. Sometimes he mistakes an A for an H and stuff like that, but mostly he gets it right. He likes it when I write things for him, like his name, and he can distinguish MAMMA from APPU, because one has the M and the other has the P. He likes to read the number plates of the cars parked downstairs and he enjoys counting along with the display in the elevator as we go up and down. He doesn't quite get the counting backward thing when we go down, but thanks to the elevator he now knows that zero is a very important number, because that's where you go out to play :)

He likes to sing and in the last few months he has added quite a few tunes to his repertoire. My favorite though, is still the first song he learned before he was even two. This is his version of the lyrics of "row row row your boat":
ROW ROW ROW ROW ROW (this can keep going forever unless you stop him)... BOAT!
... STREAM!
MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY
.... DREAM!

Other great interpretations include the alphabet song, "twinkle twinkle", "C is for Cookie", "giro giro tondo" and "CONNI" (aka "Unicorni"), the two latter in Italian and complete with accompanying dancing and signing.



He is speaking better and better. He can say things like "It's broken" (no comment), "I don't want taia!" (which means "I don't want mettiamo via", which means "I don't want to put this toy away"), "E' pronto" (which literary means "It is ready", but it is more used like subtle way to say "Why haven't you started making dinner yet?"). I think he understands that there are at least two languages in his life and he somehow also understands that weirdo who is his mom is somehow connected with one of them. He is very willing to switch from one language to the other when asked, and when nothing else works he just screams :)

He can say "Rohan is sweeping" (sleeping) and "Rohan is crying" in both English and Italian. With this he has his brother's range of activities more or less covered, but he is quite pleasantly surprised when Rohan deviates a little from his routine and plays with his cute little screams. I can't wait for Rohan to start crawling, then it's going to be wild around here! ;(



We no longer have major problems putting him to bed - with some exceptions of course, just to keep us on our toes - a long as "latto" (mamma's milk) is available. If I say "Rohan is crying" normally he lets go right away though, which makes his mom very proud of him. He is beginning to be a little confused about what other people call milk, like something in a carton, but he seemed fine with the explanation that that is cow's milk, as opposed to mamma's milk, and he found it hilarious.

When he is not asking again and again for the same cartoons on tv, he likes to do puzzles. He is getting so good at it, he can do 12 pieces puzzles almost by himself and we do together some 24 pieces puzzles, where he places most of the pieces himself with a bit of help (like "can you see the eyes of the cat, where do they go?"). I am so glad he is able to sit down and work on something for a little while, it kind of compensates for his usual tornado approach to life. It also shows once again that one shouldn't be too quick in placing labels on kids: the same child can be wildly adventurous and impulsive and calm and attentive too.

He is also learning to play with other children. He knows that is he takes something he should give it back and if someone gives him a ball he throws it towards someone instead of running away with it like he would have done a couple of months ago.

Unfortunately he sends a lot of time away from me, otherwise I would have many more things to tell, surely. Sometimes when I read the reports from daycare I can't help thinking that they are even more deluded than I am (he said "we'll see"?? please...), but maybe that is why I love them so much. I couldn't leave my little guy with anyone who didn't think he is an Indescribable Wonder!!

(quoting from "Chrysanthemum", a recent favorite: you have to watch the version read by Meryl Streep)

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