Dearest Poppy,

Today your nani expressed her disappointment at my laziness and loss of enthusiasm at updating this blog. To be honest, there is so much to say; everyday is a treasure trove of adorable little new delights and there really are no words to describe this absolutely wonderful phase that you are at currently.

As mausi would say, you are at that turning point where the neurons in your brain are rapid firing and making all these new connections and circuits. You are just beginning to make sense of this very confusing and complex world. Thanks to your bilingual upbringing, you still don't have words to express yourself but you do understand and you do let us know what you think and what you want and most importantly what you don't.

Over the past one month you have developed a skill at recognising the sound of a plane high up in the sky. When you are out and about and you hear the engines of those massive flying objects, you point your finger up and start looking for the origin of the sound. Even at home, you almost always hear a plane no matter what you are doing and point up at the sky. It amazes me every single time you do it. And I am amazed a dozen times a day or more.

One of the many other things you love is unloading the dishwasher and handing each plate to mummy or daddy for us to put away in the shelf. However, when it comes to the last plate you let out a cry of anguish and hold the plate close to your chest. If you were to give away that plate, it would mean the end of the fun filled game and that would be a real tragedy. Often the game ends with mummy needing to distract you onto an even more exciting other game.

You have recently discovered where the dish washing tablets are stored. These are quite the perfect little toys. They are wrapped with the kind of material that makes a rustling sound, they are a convenient size to hold and they come in large numbers. You relish taking them out and hiding them all over the house. In fact today as I emptied the washing machine, a few tablets emerged along with the washing.

We have to be very careful about taking out the recycling. Another one of your pet hobbies at the moment is to take objects from around the house and place them with great care  in the recycling bin. A lone shoe that had lost its partner for days was found in the recycling this morning and when we run out of dish washing tablets we can be sure that the recycling bin will solve our problem.

My little dressing table in our bedroom is a treasure chest of unique little objects. One kind is particularly interesting. It consists of two parts. A bottom and a lid. The bottom rotates, and like magic what appears is a shiny colourful crayon-like tip. Lo and behold, unlike your crayons which are not to be used on the face, mummy's fancier crayons are meant just for the face! You don't believe in inequality, so you have decided to chuck them all in the laundry which quite conveniently lives right next to the dressing table, but not before you have tried the crayon on your face and bitten off the tip. 

Poppy, I love having lipsticks that have little tooth marks in them. I adore not finding dish washing tablets because you have hidden them in your car seat. With great anticipation, I go through the recycling, to see what treasures you have hidden in there every new day. May the chaos and cuteness never cease.

Love,
Mummy

Being bookish

Dear Poppy,

Surprise: it's daddy writing this time. Your mother has given me a guest appearance on the blog, to write about a topic of my choosing. So why not write about storytime?

We've been reading (or sometimes, just looking at) books with you more or less since the day you were born. Your first book was a black-and-white textile book with three pages. It had pictures of mommy, daddy, baby and a mirror on the front page. It didn't hold your attention (or mine) very long.

For a long time, your favourite book was 'Dear Zoo.' Having learnt it by heart pretty quickly, you would tear open the flaps as soon as the page was turned, never mind the story, and feel the teeth of the lion or the dog's tongue. Actually, 'feel'? More like, try to rip them off. That book is now completely in tatters, but it has certainly served its purpose, keeping you entertained for the first nine months of your life.

At 15 months you're much more diverse. There are at least 15 books you really like, and that you look forward to reading. But the best part is how enthusiastic you have recently become about the story time session itself. You always enjoyed it, but now you're literally quick stepping with anticipation as soon as story time is announced. Several times you have gone to select the books you want to read, carried them carefully to mommy and daddy's bed and carefully placed them, one by one, on top of it. Then you can get a little bit impatient if daddy is not ready, having dimmed the light and brought the bottle, the dummy and your favourite blanket into bed. And when he is ready and in place, you stretch your little arms out, wanting to be lifted up into the cozy wonderland that awaits.

And then, dummy in place and blanket around you, lights dimmed and ten books at the ready, I will lean you against the pillow next to me and put my arm around you. Nestled between pillows, blanket and daddy, you will wiggle your back several times to find the most comfortable and snug position possible.

And then, we are ready. You and I. Poppy and daddy. It's our time.

It's story time.

Much love,
your dad