And then it was September

But before we say good-bye to summer, a few parting shots...

Kean and Croco. Croco is officially his first word, said a few weeks back. He hasn't said it since!
Open bathing suit. Insert hose. Ahhhhh.




Shhh. Don't tell my sister I'm drinking her milk.

Bye-bye summer. But wait, we're going to the beach in a few weeks - summer lives on!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

I've seriously considered blogging about the crazy names I've seen for hair salons. The title of this post is one of my favorites and yes, it's the name of an actual salon. Who goes there, I don't know. I drive by Hair We Are! (exclamation point theirs, not mine) all the time and it always makes me grin. Now I have a reason to come out of the closet (or should I say, out from under the blow dryer?) about my obsession with hair salon names - Kean's first haircut. Well, his first with us. Apparently, he had three cuts before he came home. He handled his first cut with Uncle Andy, Paul's barber who thankfully has no cheeky name for his shop, with such grace. Actually, he looked kinda stunned. Uncle Andy spent two decades cutting hair in the Navy, which explains why Mop Head Kean became GI Kean in less than 10 minutes flat.

From Mop Head...
...To GI

Jaboodi de Boda, the dog formerly known as Pepper.

Our dog Pepper is a genius. He has the ability to learn new names within a matter of days. I manage to call him a different name every few months, and he responds to everyone of them, beginning with: Monkeyboy, Stinkbomber, Munkenberry, Baron von Munkenberry, Super, Super Dooper, Pooh Pooh head, Stinkenburgher, Fatty boy, Fattinberger, Stinkenberry, Jimbini Rigatone Linguine Marscoponi, Jackabodi and the very latest, Jaboodi de Boda. The etomology of Jaboodi is as follows: Last week I walked into our den and heard the word Jaboodi from the telly,(TV) , turns out it’s a place in Africa. I simply married it to one of Pepper’s favorite long gone stuffed toy dogs, called the Boda, henceforth Jaboodi de Boda. June loves saying the name as much as I, and even Masala Mama has used it on occaision-it’s rare for her to adopt my meaningless names. So there you have it…Stay tuned for the next Jaboodi update.

P.S. The Jaboodi has been watching a lot of Project Runway lately and has decided to come out with his own line of clothing. As you can see from the picture above, he’s modeling his latest fashion line called the ‘salty dowg’….ahhhhrrrgg…..wruff.

Catching up with Kean and June

Kean's favorite things, as of July 10, 2009
Balls of all sizes
Eating Pepper's dog food (don't call DYFS, he hasn't swallowed any-yet.)
Bath time (this kid could play in there for hours)
Porridge
Stealing June's cup and "drinking" from it
Walking, climbing the stairs and most recently, scaling the rocking chair. Oy.
Squatting and standing as we say "down" and "up"
Music. Goes bonkers (one of June's favorite new words) for Love Shack. Video forthcoming.
Broccoli
Tofu
Fruit
And, of course, his big sister, who he thinks ROCKS. Good thing, because June told me the other day that when she and Kean grow up, "we're going to get married, just like you and Daddy." Hmmm.

June's Favorite New Words besides "bonkers"
Bashful
Greedy
Bossy (we learned it in Chinese too, so now she walks around the house telling me not to be ai-guang-shi.
Topsy-turvy

Other funny things coming out of her mouth:
Seeing me scratch my head, she says, "Don't pick your brain, Mama."
Getting ready to go out in the sun, she says. "Put some tan-tan lotion on me."
It's not mashed potatotes, it's masha potatoes.
And my favorite one recently: "Baby girls come from China, and baby boys come from Korea."

The best $1.49 spent this week, drumroll please: the humble spray bottle. It's June's favorite new thing and keeps her occupied for minutes. No, I didn't mean hours. I'm happy with minutes at this point.

What was in his lunch?

Field of Dreams

Longtime Masala Mama readers may recall our strawberry-picking excursion with Junebug last year and the major sugar crash that followed in the car on the way home. No one suffered any strawberry-inflicted sugar highs this year, we're happy to report, and little Kean was content to eat the bounty his big sister picked for him and, of course, herself. Seriously, it's going to take months for us to eat store-bought berries again. Fresh-picked are sooo good. Later that night, we had strawberry shortcake. June made a deconstructed version with a dollop of fresh cream, a heap of berries and a little biscuit sitting, but god forbid not touching, on the same plate. Whatever works for you, sister. There wasn't a smidgen of cream left on that plate.

News Outage Ends

Four plane rides. Two hotels. Multiple subway trips. Countless taxis. One van ride with a potty emergency in the backseat that will be forever remembered. And at the end of it all: one beautiful baby boy named Kean Yoobin Gill joins our little family. Here are a few pictures from our trip. More to come in the following days, uh, make that weeks.  

Bits of Randomness

Little Miss Spider is one of my favorite books to read with June. It's about a baby spider who can't find her mother and who's adopted (although the word isn't used) by a beetle named Betty. It's been a while since we've read it, and this time, June brought a new awareness to it. When we got to the part where Betty offers to be the spider's mama, June started laughing and said, "She can't be her mama!" I took the bait and asked why not. "Because she's green, and the spider's yerow!" she said in her "duh, don't you know anything, mama" voice. I couldn't let it go so I asked her if we looked alike. "Noooooo," pause, then, "Let's read another book now." Ok, let's.

Tonight we compared faces. Two eyes, check. Two cheeks, check. Two eyebrows, check. Nose? Yep, smack in the middle. Then, the following:
"June, does my nose look like your nose?"
"No. Yours goes straight up."
"How's your nose?"
"It's squished down."

For the "People Say the Stupidest Things" file:
- A nurse walks into an X-ray room, sees me holding June, then asks: "Oh, she's so cute. Are you watching her?" I tell her she's my daughter. The reply I wish I gave, but only figured out on the way home: "Yup, for the next 18 years!"
- A dad at toddlertime comments that June is so smart. I smile. He replies, "I don't care what they say, Chinese people are smarter than others." I keep smiling.
- A neighbor sees us playing in the yard with June, then says, "You know, Asian kids, they show respect. Kids over here, they don't care." Apparently, it's in June's genes to behave and listen to us at all times. I'll tell her that the next time she refuses to stop jumping on her bed as I try, pointlessly, to get her socks on.

Ingredients for a Money Pie, from Chef June: Water, Salt, Pepper, Wind, and Sprinkles. Oh yeah, and money. Maybe she can cook one up and replenish our 401k with it.

June decided to wear Masala Papa's glasses one night. We asked her to draw his face. This is what we got. I like his ears and wavy hair. The connected eyes are pretty good too.

The Hills Are Alive...

We borrowed the soundtrack to The Sound of Music from the library last week. We're wearing out Track #8. It's the most recommended song in the car, in the house, in the tub, yeah, just about everywhere. Hit it, June!

Thomas and Me

Seven of June’s Favorite Things: 

1. her Thomas bed. No drama, no fussing as Masala Papa dismantled her crib last weekend. She’s already demonstrated how she can climb it and sit on top, thanks to our super helpful 9-year-old neighbor who showed her how. Oy.
2. Croco. Can’t sleep without it, ever since Day One. That's him behind her in the picture. We have visions of her sucking him in her dorm room. No need to test her olfactory senses - she tells me whenever Croco’s stinky. Which means I have to wash it. Which brings me to…
3. Telling Masala Mama what to do. Little Miss Commando orders me around like a drill seargent in boot camp: Mama, turn off the light, it’s too bright in here. Mama, I don’t want to pull my underwear up. You do it. Mama, put Pepper downstairs, he’s bothering me. She’s got imperative sentences down pat.
4. Telling Masala Mama that she made a great meal several times during the course of dinner. This makes up for #3.
5. Typing. She loves, loves, loves the computer. She knows all her letters and can spell her name. All those nights watching Wheel of Fortune are paying off!
6. Picking a chocolate from the Godiva box. When will this box be finished?
7. Things around the house currently on the most popular list: flashlights, nail polish, sparkly tiara with equally sparkly jewels for her finger and ears, easel, Telulah the turtle, keys, the kitchen stool, her sparkly red party shoes (worn below) and pictures of Pepper when he was a puppy, which she pulls out whenever someone visits.

Happy Holidays!

A shout-out to Maggie who gets special recognition in this video! More about the holidays in upcoming posts. Right now, I'm too busy feeding the reindeer. Sorry for the title page on this video that's completely illegible. I'm still figuring out iMovie, YouTube, blah, blah, blah.

Queen of Hearts

All October, we asked June what she wanted to be for Halloween. A queen, a queen, was all we heard. Then, a week before the Big Day, she told us Angelina Ballerina, a cartoon mouse that dresses up in a tutu. Okaaaaay. Thanks to Auntie Sheebie for the tutu, the leotard, the tiara and magic wand...actually, the entire outfit except for the tights and butterfly wings (every ballerina must have wings, didn't you know?). My favorite moment was when I told June that she had to hold her magic wand up HIGH and she proceeded to carry it like the torch on the Statue of Liberty. My second favorite moment was when she told me we had to go home because her pumpkin was too heavy from all of the candy. She had seven pieces in it. Click on the pictures to see them bigger.

Who Wants to Put June to Bed Tonight?

Getting June to bed these days is a lesson in patience. First, we have to get her upstairs. Then, brush her teeth to get the "gunk" out. Off to her bedroom where we must read at least three books before we can even think about getting her in the crib. Last night, we read "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" together and I got her in by telling her that the line "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs" meant climbing into her crib. Heh-heh, it worked. At least this time. Then we have to say our prayers, give each other a hug and finally, 30 minutes after this whole bedtime ritual started, I'm out the door...when the demands start. Mama, close the closet door. Mama, put away the books. Mama, move the diaper pad on the floor so it's this way, not that way. Mama, put the little potty back between the orange basket and my reading chair. Everything has to be just so, or else. Pretty funny coming from a kid who's only concept of "clean up" is to clean up her plate.

Favorite Things, according to June

Here’s what she told us the other day:
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Porridge
Favorite Song: Farmer in the Dell

Favorite Toy: Gigaball. The yellow honeycombed thing in the video. I saw it on a blog and sent the link to Masala Papa, knowing full well we’d have to get one asap. We did, less than 6 hours later.
Favorite Fruit: Pineapple

Other June favorites that we’ve noticed lately:
Screaming “Kill Buddy!” while leaping from the top of the couch. At least that’s what we think she’s saying. We have no idea where she picked it up, but she thinks it’s hilarious.
Picking up ants, worms and other creatures.
Green Eggs and Ham. The book, not literally.

Drawing faces. See the video for demo. She's since added ears and moustaches.
Licking cake and cookie batter.
Talking anytime, anywhere about anything. The other day in the car, she and I were talking about big and little. I asked her if Masala Papa was bigger than her, and she said yes. Then I asked her if I was bigger than Masala Papa. “No Mama, you’re not grown up yet,” she said. So true!

Sorry if the video is small. I'm still figuring out my software!

Sand, sand everywhere

Just back from a week in Wildwood. Beach, boardwalk, ice cream every night, what more could a two-and-a-half year old need in life? Somehow we didn’t destroy our 1 bedroom place, despite June jumping on the beds, playing with the TV, throwing food on the floor and casually showing us that one of the kitchen chairs was broken. (Honestly, I don’t think she did it. Can we have our security deposit back, please?) She gave us lots of memorable moments – finding shells in the sand, strong-arming us so we couldn’t get the ice-cream cone out of her clutches, going on the little boat ride all by herself, waving and yelling hello (actually, it sounded more like heh-row) from our third floor room to the fresh-fruit guy on the street (by day 3, he started waving back). And, she’s now as dark as Masala Papa.

On vacation, she started to walk up the stairs like a big kid (not one step at a time) and mastered the new question, “Can I…?” As in, “Mama, my stomach is making some noise. Can I have another cracker?” Can I, Can I, Can I…By the end of the week, all I could think of when I heard her was Canei wine.


We’re starting June’s dictionary. Latest entries:

Ear muffins: Headphones. As in, “Dada-ji (Masala Papa’s dad) is wearing his ear muffins so he can listen to the TV.”
Battery: Cake batter. Coined a few weeks ago: “Are you gonna lick the battery, Mama?”
Airporch: Where you go to get on a plane.
Rami: Salami.

Strawberry Fields Forever

We went strawberry picking on Saturday, although it was more like strawberry eating for June. Her mouth and hands were streaked red after only a few minutes in the fields. Every time we found a good one - and it wasn't easy, given that the season is almost over - we told her to pick it and put it in the box. She listened to the first half of that statement, then shoved the "whole shing" in her little mouth. Couldn't really blame her - the berries were really good. This is what she told us on the way home in the car:

- How many strawberries did you eat today, June?

- Two.

- Only two?

- Yeah, just two.

That was the last sane conversation in the car. Moments later, she launched into an ear-splitting scream to "Get out!" which lasted all the way home. Arms flailing, tears flowing, complete meltdown in the backseat for the next 15 minutes. Overheated? Exhaustion? Two pounds of strawberries swooshing around in her belly? Probably all of the above. We prefer to remember the happier part of the day frolicking in the fields.

Where's the Party?

June's Favorite Things, as of 1:12 p.m, June 19, 2008:

Cookies, Witul Bear (translation: Little Bear), 'rami (salami), beans of any variety, broccoli (still a winner at dinner!), Pinky Bear (which looks more like Grey Bear since he desperately needs a wash), MMs, feeding the farm animals at the park, finger-painting, blowing bubbles, swinging on the big kids' swing all by herself, playing with her next door neighbor, Sophie, singing her ABCs, telling me what CD to play in the car, making silly faces when we take her picture, keeping the paper industry in business by using at least 5 napkins at each meal (ribs the other night took at least 10) and lots of other things I can't remember right now.

Not-her-favorite things: Flies. She panics whenever one flies by her. Yesterday, she found two in the den. One was limping along on the rug--I think Pepper got a piece of it. I opted not to smoosh it in a tissue, figuring she would freak out, so we took him outside to "play." She found the other fly "sleeping" on her little green chair--Pepper strikes again. We brought it outside to finish its nap.

Funny story: A couple weeks ago, when June wasn't wearing any socks or shoes, I told her that she had bare feet. She looked at me oddly and said, "No Mama, June no got bare feet. June got June feet." Bare, bear, all the same to a two-year-old.

Spring Snippet

June got her first haircut last week. She didn't know what to make of the fire truck chair or the lady cutting her locks, but she was mesmerized by the Thomas cartoon on the TV. Hence the dumbfounded look on her face. The blow dryer really freaked her out, no surprise since she's never seen or heard one.

She went to her first Memorial Day parade last weekend and scored a little American flag (and loads of lollipops from marchers - a toddler's fantasy come true). The next day she walked up and down our street waving her flag in her own little parade. Too cute.

Yesterday, she took the tiniest piece of waffle outside to feed the ants. She put the crumb on the driveway and yelled, "Come on, ants! I brought you waffle!" When no ants showed up to her feast, I casually suggested we find an ant to feed. "No mama, the ants come here," she insisted. A big ant named Pepper helped himself later.

A Pixie in Pigtails

June's Favorite Things, as of May 8, 2008, 1:18 pm:
Fingerpainting
Sitting on the front stoop eating an ice-cream cone
Worms. She calls them No Feet. She picks them up and brings them over to her swingset for a ride down the slide. Masala Mama tries not to flinch when June dangles them inches from her face.
Where is Thumper, Pointer, Tall Man and Pinkie song. She can't do Ring Man, so she skips it.
Little Bear cartoon on Noggin. Totally. Transfixed. By. Brown. Little. Bear. Not. Blinking. Not. Talking. Little. Bear. For. President.
Playgrounds. The bigger the slide, the better. This child knows no fear.
Flossing. Actually, it's more like sucking on a white string, but hey, never too early to instill good dental habits.
Strawberries. As long as they're sugarized.
Chalks. It's plural in our house.
Picking out her own clothes.

And some of her Least Favorites:
Sitting in her car seat. It's like Wrestlemania in the back seat and I'm losing big time.
Sitting in her booster seat. I sense a trend here...
Cold, uncooked vegetables.
Coming inside on a bright sunny day.

The Soup Dragon Strikes Again!

Who is the Soup Dragon? The Soup Dragon is a friendly character that appears in a BBC children’s program called the Clangers. It’s one of many zany British children’s shows that I watched when growing up in England. I recently purchased a bunch of them from England and now watch them with June – yes, I’m re-living my childhood, it’s my main incentive for having children! She loves the Hangers, as she calls them and is fascinated with the Soup Dragon Character. The Soup Dragon lives in underground caves and supplies soup to the Clangers. Check out wiki for more details on the Clangers – I love Wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clangers

So now Pepper, our dog has officially assumed the name Soup Dragon. And last Saturday Grandma Lach made June a double layer sponge cake with chocwut-as June says-frosting. The cake was made lovingly and placed in the sunroom overnight. In the morning Grandma Lach put the Soup Dragon in the sun room for two minutes so she could come upstairs and wake us up. When she returned to the sunroom to let the Soup Dragon out she was shocked to see that the Soup dragon eats more than soup! The cake was half eaten!!!! The Soup Dragon loves cake! Long live the Soup Dragon!!!!