Dearest Appa,
Happy Father's Day!!! I hope I can say this today and every single day just like I have been wishing Amma 'Happy Mother's Day' long after its been gone
I wanted to keep this letter brief and to-the-point because you know how I am a boy of not too many words ...
Thanks for being the greatest appa in the world..You mean the world to me and I hope we can stay close and share a fantastic relationship in the years to come..I look up to you for everything and I want to be like you when I grow up. as you know, I wait eagerly for your approval on what I do and am always rewarded with hugs, kisses and praise for my achievements (Amma thinks you over-act a bit but you know how these girls are!!)
Thanks also for spending time with me, taking me to the firestation and the construction site and putting me on the bull dozer when no-one was looking so you could get a picture,I know you are the Chief picture man in the house because if left to Amma, I would not haave any pictures of me doing things like holding the golf club or wearing my underwear on my head while sitting on the potty or listening to the ipod. I also love 'helpng you' work on the house whether its out in the lawn, in the garage or build things. You are quite a handyman (Lucky Amma!!!)
I know you are the expert at putting me down for a nap. Those nights(that Amma would love to forget) when I was teething, you paced the house with me on your shoulder singing and humming ..You have such a good voice and I love all your songs My favorite is Harivarasanam.
You are also super-patient and always try to answer my endless 'why's' without even a sign of boredom or frustration.
I almost forgot to thank you also for agreeing to write this blog with Amma ..
I could go on and on but remember I promised to keep this short ..I have to go now and play and maybe I'll even decide to take a nap today..
So, here's to my Appa, the cool, fun-loving, patient father anyone could have...
Hugs and kisses,
your 'sarkkarai kodam'
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Everything about firetrucks and firehoses
Round 1 - After constantly asking what sound a fire-engine makes ( Wheee-oo, Wheee-oo, for those who dont know yet!), when the little bear was 18 months old, we took him to a nearby firestation to show him what a fire truck looked like, hoses looked like, that the firefighters were real folks and friendly thinking he would really enjoy it. Well it turned out to be a disaster, with uncontrolled bawling, tears streaming and him wanting to get out of that place as soon as humanly possible even with the best coaxing and distractions from me (papa bear) and the firefighters. So, we put it off for another day and time knowing that it was the sheer monstrosity of the trucks and the building and the reality of actually seeing one in person, that scared the bejeezes out of him!
Round 2 - When little bear had played with lot more firetrucks, walked around with the plastic firehouse subs firetruck hat until it shredded away in pieces, 5-6 more fire truck books, we thought at 26 months, he was "ready". So, Thatha little bear and I went to a firestation, with lots of preparation and "no crying" gentle reminders to make this a fun experience.
So......it turned out to be as expected, no crying, lots of questions, inquisitive minds playing with the steering wheel, hoses, lights, boots, seeing their gym, sleeping quarters, kitchen all made it "come real" to him. Having developed a vocabulary of a 4 year old in his 2.25 yr old body, he floored the firefighters with his pointing to a fire extinguisher and saying "that is a fire extinguisher"...one of whom remarked that the other one next to him, probably could not say it even now. He then proceeds to "run over" to a motorcycle (Kawasaki ZZ - R 1200, papa bear knows a bit about motorcycles from his younger days and mama-bear pretends to not want to hear a word of it) and wants to get on top of it. The firefighter who owns that motorcycle nervously laughs and I distract him from it. It was then that the little-bear unleashes one of those lines " daddy - thats tiger woods" at which point I have no idea whether I am dead or alive, not knowing how to react...i yelp out "haha, you said your name was trevor, he heard tiger and he is a BIG fan of tiger woods when we watch golf together" and try to get out of that moment....actually, little bear in his kaleidoscopic vision, saw a tall, athletic, 6-2", 200 lb, african american gentleman of mixed race and a wide smile and thought - this must be the real thing! So, i sheepishly excuse myself, walk through the kitchen when little bear stops and remarks " firefighters are eating bread", while I have been nudging them to advise him to drink milk, eat veggies etc, to become strong like them. Another oopsie moment of truth
Now, at 29 months, he is very comfortable with firetrucks, firefighters, fire, water to put out fire and no anxiety over things...all he wants to do it be a firefighter at home. One morning, when I was getting ready for work, he got hold of an old tie of mine, pulled it out and pretended that was firehose and he was intent on putting out fire in the house. I thought it was a one-day event that would soon be forgotten. Unfortunately, that rust-colored tie is in tatters, has all kinds of stains and has been used on a daily-basis to not only be a firehose, but a belt, a way to drag another toy.
Other firehoses are an ethernet cat-5 cable, mama-bear's belt, my belt, strings that hold together anything, draw strings from pajamas, belt-like things on mama-bear's blouses (who knows what they are called). Anything that's vertical is a fire-pole that firefighters slide down on...spindles on staircases, temporarily vertical golf club etc.
One last thing on this topic are the firegloves that firefighters wear - almost always his socks come off his foot and he manages to put on each sock of a pair on his hands stretched as high as possible and walk around like that for a while.
Absolute delight to watch at this stage, but at times tests your nerves, when you ABSOLUTELY must let him play with pretend-tie-as-a-firehose or read his fire-book for 10 whole minutes when you are trying to quickly brush his teeth and put him to bed or getting ready to leave for work....or else all sanity will break loose!
Round 2 - When little bear had played with lot more firetrucks, walked around with the plastic firehouse subs firetruck hat until it shredded away in pieces, 5-6 more fire truck books, we thought at 26 months, he was "ready". So, Thatha little bear and I went to a firestation, with lots of preparation and "no crying" gentle reminders to make this a fun experience.
So......it turned out to be as expected, no crying, lots of questions, inquisitive minds playing with the steering wheel, hoses, lights, boots, seeing their gym, sleeping quarters, kitchen all made it "come real" to him. Having developed a vocabulary of a 4 year old in his 2.25 yr old body, he floored the firefighters with his pointing to a fire extinguisher and saying "that is a fire extinguisher"...one of whom remarked that the other one next to him, probably could not say it even now. He then proceeds to "run over" to a motorcycle (Kawasaki ZZ - R 1200, papa bear knows a bit about motorcycles from his younger days and mama-bear pretends to not want to hear a word of it) and wants to get on top of it. The firefighter who owns that motorcycle nervously laughs and I distract him from it. It was then that the little-bear unleashes one of those lines " daddy - thats tiger woods" at which point I have no idea whether I am dead or alive, not knowing how to react...i yelp out "haha, you said your name was trevor, he heard tiger and he is a BIG fan of tiger woods when we watch golf together" and try to get out of that moment....actually, little bear in his kaleidoscopic vision, saw a tall, athletic, 6-2", 200 lb, african american gentleman of mixed race and a wide smile and thought - this must be the real thing! So, i sheepishly excuse myself, walk through the kitchen when little bear stops and remarks " firefighters are eating bread", while I have been nudging them to advise him to drink milk, eat veggies etc, to become strong like them. Another oopsie moment of truth
Now, at 29 months, he is very comfortable with firetrucks, firefighters, fire, water to put out fire and no anxiety over things...all he wants to do it be a firefighter at home. One morning, when I was getting ready for work, he got hold of an old tie of mine, pulled it out and pretended that was firehose and he was intent on putting out fire in the house. I thought it was a one-day event that would soon be forgotten. Unfortunately, that rust-colored tie is in tatters, has all kinds of stains and has been used on a daily-basis to not only be a firehose, but a belt, a way to drag another toy.
Other firehoses are an ethernet cat-5 cable, mama-bear's belt, my belt, strings that hold together anything, draw strings from pajamas, belt-like things on mama-bear's blouses (who knows what they are called). Anything that's vertical is a fire-pole that firefighters slide down on...spindles on staircases, temporarily vertical golf club etc.
One last thing on this topic are the firegloves that firefighters wear - almost always his socks come off his foot and he manages to put on each sock of a pair on his hands stretched as high as possible and walk around like that for a while.
Absolute delight to watch at this stage, but at times tests your nerves, when you ABSOLUTELY must let him play with pretend-tie-as-a-firehose or read his fire-book for 10 whole minutes when you are trying to quickly brush his teeth and put him to bed or getting ready to leave for work....or else all sanity will break loose!
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