It's been a while ...

... and lots has happened in between. For one, we often find Varun sitting on top of chairs and ... yep, even the dining table. Yeah, I shake my head as I think of it ... but a few days ago, D and I were hanging out in the living room when Varun trotted out very casually. A few seconds later D walked out to find him playing with a newspaper on top of the dining table. Needless to say, the chair was the first rung of the ladder and our man didn't even bat an eyelid while his parents were standing aghast and telling each other with popped eyeballs that he was sitting where he was (as if it wasn't there for everyone to see anyway!).

Anyway, now, of course, he doesn't need help when he wants to get to something formerly out-of-his-reach - it's just a simple matter of pulling out the chair, somehow scrambling up while holding on to the sides for dear life, standing on the chair (which makes mum's heart skip a beat), and simply hopping up on to the table.

He knows the bathroom is for nhai-nhai, and will often go stand outside it insisting he needs a bath, guising his real intent of transfering water from the pail to the mug to the other mug and back. He tries this with his glass of milk as well, to fairly disastrous results, since he wants the milk to keep pouring out endlessly and doesn't stop when the glass he is pouring into is full.

He is connecting associated things. He was lying on the floor and I was absently asking him what he was doing to which came the reply 'oonight', 'tati'.

He knows which of his toys are broken and where (as a result of his new-found love for hurling things to the floor and enjoying the sound they make when they hit the ground. This experiment has been tried with most all his toys and his small steel milk glass - which has a dent). He picks up a particular plastic toy teddy to which he says 'hi!' and picks at the area where it is broken and says 'tut'!

He has started climbing the first rung of the ladder in the park, where he loves to go every evening. He is beginning to enjoy being with other kids and I believe loves the fact, there are other people his size. I know this from the twinkle in his eyes when he sees older kids running about in the park.

He surrenders himself to the joy of being cradled on Daddy's legs and can never get enough of 'dadu'.

He hangs out with the phone at his ear making fictitious phone calls. He will pick up the receiver with one had and dial numbers with the other like a pro.

He used a dirty shirt of his and got a pail from the bathroom and set about mopping the floor as if for real, dipping the shirt in imagined water inside the bucket and bringing it out and mopping the floor.

He stretches his arm upwards and says 'uppa' indicating the arrow on the lift display. He also says 'nine' (the floor we live on) - whenever we get into the lift.

He loves the IDBI bank ad. where the little girl with curls who comes sobbing with a broken tooth then sows teeth and says "main sone ke daant uga rahin hoon, kyunki aapke racing car ke liye paishe ban jaayenge". He will come running from anywhere in the house when he hears the distinctive music on the advertisement and he will watch it through till the very end.

He says a "Beee" to an "A" and a "She" to a "B" and a "Deth" to an "X,Y ..."

He has little rabbit teeth that he grits and flashes all the time ... that I absolutely adore.

He is a year and nine months and every bit the apple of our eyes ...