DADDY and KAVI are lying next to each other in KAVI's bed doing their bedtime ritual. They have finished singing a song and are recapping the day.
DADDY: Did you play with playdoh today?
KAVI: No.
DADDY: Are you sure? Did you play with playdoh this morning before going to the Puffin room?
(KAVI thinks)
KAVI: Yes. I did. Why did I play with playdoh?
DADDY: Because you wanted to. You asked me if you could play with it.
KAVI: Why did I want to play with the playdoh?
DADDY: I don't know.
KAVI: Why you don't know?
DADDY: Because. I can't answer that question.
KAVI: Why you can't answer that question?
DADDY: It's a question of your motivation, KAVI. I can speculate about why you wanted to play with the playdoh, but I can't tell you why you wanted to.
(pause)
KAVI: Why?
DADDY: I can tell you what I want, but I can't tell you what you want.
KAVI: What do you want DADDY?
(DADDY takes a deep breath)
DADDY: A lot of things. I want you to grow up to be a strong, intelligent, loving, happy boy. I want Anika to grow up to be a strong, intelligent, loving, happy girl. I want Mommy to be able to do what she wants in life. I want all of us to travel, spend time with family, and enjoy the world. That's what I want.
KAVI: oh.
DADDY: What do you want?
KAVI: Playdoh.
Growing up too fast View Comments
I love watching Kavi's expressions. We took the kids to the Museum of Life and Science for a birthday party today. He's been there plenty of times, mostly with Mala. I've been there a few times with him. It's one of his (and I guess every kid's) favorite places. Each time we go, it's a vastly different experience. Everything seems new to him. His eyes light up with wonder and amazement at the exhibits.
We were late for the party, so Mala took Anika ahead of us while Kavi dawdled in the front exhibits. Ahead of us was a large skeleton of a dinosaur's head. I know that he has seen this before, but, it was as if he'd noticed it for the first time today. And it was scary. Not too scary, mind you. He wasn't crying or anything. He just was very cautious about getting too close to it. But, there was no way to avoid it, since the party room (with the cake!) was just past the dinosaur. He held my hand tightly and asked what it was. I told him and he repeated it, "Dinosaur?". His eyes were wide open, but focused on the T-Rex's head. His right hand clenched my left and when I tried to walk past it, he pulled me back. Still no crying or complaining, just ... concern. So I took my time and talked to him about the dinosaur and the other exhibits nearby. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to walk around the back of the dinosaur and towards the party room. Later, after the cake and festivities, we made our way back to the other exhibits. This time, he pointed out the dinosaur, still in a concerned voice, but made no effort to shy away or slow down. Now, he noticed other things that he had missed before -- cool astronauts uniforms and a glass elevator slowly ascending. When he saw each of these things, his face turned into the embodiment of wonder. Eyes wide open, jaw slightly ajar. I love seeing him experience life like this, so fully.
I write this because I know that I'm otherwise going to forget them. I had the distinct feeling this afternoon, while watching him, that he was growing up in front of my eyes. That these expressions of wonderment would soon be replaced by the apathy of young adulthood. I know, I know... he's only 2, but everyone keeps telling me that he will be grown and with kids of his own before I know it! I hope not and if so, I hope not too soon. I want to make sure that I remember these moments, simply for their own sake.
In order to lose any remaining readers, I am very proud to announce that Kavi made a poopy in his potty. First time! It may well have been a lucky accident, but I'm happy about it. In other news, Anika is 1 week old and doing great.
I can barely believe it, but Kavi is 2 years old now. This is such a great age. I remember saying that a year ago, but he's even more enjoyable now. He's excited about everything new. He's running nonstop, singing out loud, and dancing up a storm.
Mala organized a great birthday party for him at a local park. He got a lot of great gifts from all his friends, some of which we're saving so that he can open when the new baby is getting a lot of attention. But, his Mossa and Mossi got him the best gift of all by delivering Vishali into this world the day before his birthday. Kavi has been enamored with her from day 1. She's now a week old, and Kavi will still drop whatever he's doing (even if it's drinking milk or playing in his black truck) to come over and 'kiss baby shali'.
Now, we're just waiting for our bundle of joy :-)
We had a few friends over tonight for our first little get-together in our house. Mala made homemade pizza and cake. I provided moral support :-) Everyone had a great time. There were 4 little kiddos and 1 infant, which made for some craziness, but everyone left in good health. It's a treat to watch Kavi interact with other kids. He's a real observer. He sits back and watches what everyone is doing. While the other kids were running like crazy around the house, Kavi was content to sit on the carpet and watch them scream. He was pretty tired since he had taken an early nap, so maybe that was part of it. He also seemed happy to watch the other kids play with all of his toys. I mean, sometimes he would try to grab a toy that another kid was playing with, but for the most part, he didn't seem to care. When we finally cleaned up and got him ready for bed, it was nearly 10 PM. He fell asleep while I was singing a lullaby to him. He woke up for a minute when I put him down, but that was it. He was tired!