Theatrical Debut

This weekend witnessed the SG's first visit to a theatre. Ever since his conception, I have been off the theatre, because it never felt right to take a baby into the theatre, which may not only upset him, but spoil the experience for all the other viewers. Leaving him with someone was not an option for me, because I would have ended up simply fretting about him. So it was Cd's, that I stuck religiously. But this time it was Harry Potter, and having missed catching Order Of The Phoenix, in the theatres, the SG being teeny tiny back then, no way, was I giving this up. Since the SG is grown up a bit now, I thought father and son can enjoy time alone, if required, but I am not giving this movie a miss.

Harry Potter movies obviously are not an optional thing for fans. My relationship with the movies goes back to when I was in college. The first movie was (The Philosopher's Stone) was viewed, just because it was running in the theatre. I did not know who or what Harry Potter was at that point, but I loved the movie, I guess it had a lot to do with the fact that I had not read the book, had I read it, I might have not quite liked the movie. Never did I have imagined back then, that one day I would be watching a movie in the same series with my two and half year old son.

So the tickets were booked online, and off I went for the six in the evening show. A big bucket of popcorn in tow, to keep the SG happy. A small multiplex screen, was not even packed, being a weekend evening. Maybe the movie really has received all the bad reviews it so rightly deserves. The SG was happy, with the popcorn, and was not at all disturbed by the darkened theatre. The issue then? He kept blabbering, and occasionally a screamed to express his excitement, especially when the screen showed special effects. His parents being the overly conscious people they are, kept asking him to keep quiet, which he did for a little while before going back to being all happy and excited. Finally with the last half hour of the movie to go, the BG left the theatre with the SG. Just did not feel right to kill the viewing pleasure of the other viewers. And that was how the SG debuted at his first theatre visit.

If you are expecting a review of the movie, there is none, because it is quite impossible to say anything even remotely nice about the movie if you have read the book, lets just say, they butchered the story, and worse than any of the previous attempts. And trust me I did not realise just how badly, till on the way back, the BG asked me several questions about the storyline, having not read the book, he just could not understand what was going on. It is that bad, for someone who has not read the book, there are way too many gaps in the storyline, and for the ones who have, you will be shocked at how much they have deviated from the original. I just prayed they would keep the last sequence true to the story, but they did not.

I had dressed up, because I was really excited to go to a theatre after ages. And well for nothing else, but the fact that it was the SG's first time, I am happy. The movie was followed by a trip to a bookshop, and after a really long time, I picked up some books to read, the last one I had bought was Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Have not bought a book since then. All my books are languishing, in a humid dump at a relative's place in India, don't know if I will regain them in good health. Libraries are not much of an option here, so I finally went and bought myself a few books. Reading is something I can barely make time for, and now it basically means I sleep later than ever, but I am happy, to be reading. Once upon a time, no matter how tiered, I could not shut my eye without reading a bit. In school I would have atleast four books of fiction on my bedside at all times. In college we would circulate books in the hostel, there was never a dearth of reading material. Later while working, my reading time used to be the four hours of travel time, I managed to read in the packed locals. Never realised how and when I gave up the habit. Too much time on the net I guess. Hopefully will be back to reading books, more than blogs.

So much to do, so little time, how do I prioritise. Lucky people with maids, I am so sick of the rinse and repeat cycle of housework. Dishes, laundry, home-cleaning, cooking. The endless cycle of it, why can't we be without food, I wonder sometimes. The dishes pile up each day, just as does the laundry. If only there was some variety to this work. Guess not, will have to make do with what I have, improve my efficiency, rather than dawdling time.

Knon

Huh? What? Is that what you are wondering. Well in the SG's language, that means nose. The SG has finally started to talk, bit by bit. little by little. I have reached a brand new, and wonderful stage in my life as a mother, that of a teacher, I mean the formal kinds. I am teaching him to recognise parts of the face now.

At a little over two and half years of age, we have been eagerly awaiting the words from the SG, and now they are coming, and sound like honey to our ears. My little love, now touches the parts and says ice(eyes), ear, knon(nose), mou(mouth), teet(teeth), keeks(cheeks) and tos(toes). Learnt well wouldn't you say. Last night he was seeing his photos on the laptop, and he pointed to the parts he knew and said them aloud in each of the photos. I tried to teach him hair, but realised it sounds too much like ear, and this was the first time I realised that.Being a mother really is teaching me new things. I am loving it. :) So now let me go off and see the scrunched up knon.

Its amazing how well the SG is observing and picking up things now. Let me put it all down, so I can reminisce later. The little guy sits in his car seat, at the back in the car, and notices every little thing the BG and I do. On the occasional times, he sits with me in the front, he tries all of those things. He knows how to work the car radio, so he puts it on and adjusts the volume, Then he pulls down the sun shade, opens the mirror, checks himself, this is followed by an attack on his favourite item in the car, the GPS, if it is not in use. He now apes his father in putting up the GPS stand, starting right from blowing at it, to moisten it. It is just so much fun seeing him do all of it.

Most of the day he is up and around with the vacuum cleaner in the house, assembled, plugged in, switched on and working. As I sit, typing this post on the sofa, he sits next to me, with his laptop on his lap, and pretends to type. The SG wears a hairband, as soon as I put on one, and looks amazingly adorable in it. When I wear my earrings, he pretends to wear some himself. He is quite capable of turning keys and opening doors now, so the key is kept quite out of his reach.He tries on our sunglasses all the time. We bought a pair for him, but he refuses to wear them. At home, he finds my spects and puts them on. And not only does he wear them, he puts it up on his head, like I do with my shades. This boy is getting there I tell you.When about to leave home, I pick up a bottle of water and glass for him. he immediately produces the bag to put them in, puts them in the bag, and places it in the tray under his stroller, which is where I put it.

The sweetest little thing happened on Saturday, and I missed it. I was off to get myself some tops, and was in and out of the trial room in a store, trying them on. While the SG ran about the store, with his father following him around. After we got home that evening, the BG tells me, there was a mannequin in the store with a bag on its shoulder, the kind I carry when I take the SG to the park. The small canvas one, which is usually worn across and holds the basics. So the little guy reaches out to the mannequin, opens the bag and pretends to pull out something, then holds it to his ears, talks, says bye and put the phone back in the bag. My little baby, is that how much you notice, and know? You have learned to play with pretend toys, and things. You are growing up so much, so soon, and I am loving every bit of being your mother, just as long as your pretend cooking, which involves spilling all the bottles of water available on the carpet stays at bay. Oh! and just yesterday he saw the newspaper, with a photo of sliced mangoes, and enthusiastically barged on to pretend eating them.

Aping me, by wearing an apron, like I have to do the dishes. And trying to do the dishes too.