Getting back on the web wagon

'Mama dove Aata', that's what Anika just said to me, it means Anika loves Mama. She also hugs Palu (the cat) and says Aata dove Palu, he is usually pretty tolerant, but the other day he bit her. Of course I chased Palu out like a mama tiger, but it's she who needs to learn to control her rough love=)

We have finally gotten used to being home after a lovely vacation in India. I feel rejuvinated and clear headed. I didn't know what I wanted from my trip back home but I got everything I needed and some. I spent a lot of time with family, Anika got tons of love, attention and stimulation. When we left she was pre-verbal, she had about 40 words she used to communicate. Within a month of being in India she had a vocabulary of over a 100 words and soon she was stringing them together to make two-three word sentences. It was like a cascade of development. Everything came together at once. She was having fun and getting such a kick out of being understood. She picked up many Hindi words too, she says words from both languages together to make certain we get it.

She has also developed a great emotional intelligence. If mama gets a 'hupee' or 'hurt, she comes over and kisses it. When we returned from a weekend away she wanted to feed her favorite toy, a stuffed cat. Today she was taking a bath and said.'Aata miss papa'. Out of the blue she says, "aata go bhaiya, park' Bhaiya is her cousin brother in Bombay, who she was crazy about. I can't believe her memory! Last week, we went to the Children's Museum and stayed for a couple hours, we left 5 minutes before closing time. When I got to the parking lot I started digging around for my key, it was no where to be found, I emptied my entire bag in the street in a panic. I ran back to the museum and got in right before they closed, with no idea where to start looking. I asked Anika, 'Beta, mama lost the car keys, do you know where they are?' She said immediately, 'Ya'. I asked her disbelievingly, 'Where are they?' She said, 'Shop', i was surprised she knew that word to begin with, but I listened to her. We went in the shop ad then I put her down and said, 'Can you show mama where they are?" She walked right to the back of the store and picked them up from the ground and handed them to me! I was shocked! Truly. I kissed her profusely and left the museum with a skip and sky high goose bumps.

Its so ironic that just when she is so much fun to play with I am thinking of going back to work. I really need the mental stimulation and the money, but I can't imagine being without her. I think part time is the best idea for now, for both of us. She will really benefit from learning new things and interacting with other children now.