Happy 4th Birthday, my girl!

Gianna celebrated her 4^th birthday at home with her dear friend Tanisha. They both celebrated it by cutting the cake and having pizza. Gianna also distributed some cupcakes in school among her classmates. This birthday remains a special one as Gianna had her baby sister Rhea along with her.  

Welcoming Rhea!

This day remains the most awaited one of the year 2012. After 38 weeks and 2 days of wait, we finally got to see our new baby on the 26^th of November. Another Sagittarius in our family!  Our baby girl is named Rhea, which means “Greek Goddess” in Greek mythology.

Gianna meets Rhea:

First few statements made by Gianna for her baby sister-

“Welcome to our planet, baby Rhea (when Gianna first saw her)!”

“Mumma , she is really really cute (while touching Rhea’s forehead)!”

“Mumma, why does she keep crying all the time?”

“Mumma, is Baby Rhea back in your tummy (when Gianna couldn’t find Rhea in my hospital room)?”

Gianna loves Rhea a lot and understands how to be gentle with her baby sister. Gianna knows that if Rhea is crying, the first thing to soothe her is to put a pacifier in her mouth. However if this attempt fails, then Gianna calls her mommy or daddy for help. Smart girl, isn’t she?

Gianna’s New Bicycle

She has got a brand new-bicycle and a brand new-helmet and was all set to go for her first bicycle ride with her papa. She was so excited that she got up early at 8:00 AM (she generally gets up at 10)!  

Once her helmet was on nice and snug, she held on tight to the handlebars and begun her maiden ride. I was so thrilled and surprised to see how well Gianna was maintaining her balance and pedaling faster on her very first go! Gianna completed her first ride with a smile on her face, “thank you for helping me learn to ride my bicycle” she said to her papa.

Happy Halloween!!

I'm a pirate...Arrrrrrr

First Snowfall of 2012

Fall 2012

First day to Preschool

It looks like yesterday when Gianna went to the playschool with all tears in her eyes. And today was her first day to preschool. Time flies! She was happy to go to school and meet her friends and teachers, but, she kept saying to me, “mumma! I am going to miss you”. Not much of my effort was gone to console her unlike last year when she was so scared of being away from me that she would wake up during midnights and cry for me.

On the second day, Gianna tried her best not to go to school, but was happy with the idea of playing in the play area in the school. I think that the long summer break of almost two and a half months is the reason behind all those tantrums.  It’s been a week now and Gianna feels happy to be back in her school.

A day spend playing in mud

 

 

Gianna talks to her baby sister

There has never been a single day passed when Gianna has not spoken to her baby sister (still in my tummy)! When I got pregnant and I told Gianna that I have a little baby inside me, she would always say, “mumma, I want a baby sister”. She was so happy to know that her wish has come true. Since then, our baby has always been there in Gianna’s talks. Gianna has become so attached to the baby, that if she hits my tummy by mistake, she says sorry to the baby. She enjoys pressing her hands against my tummy for feeling her movements and finds this whole experience really funny. She tells to her papa, “papa, we are girls’ team, and you are out!” She often asks me about how much time is left for the baby to come out.  She shows her love to her li’l sister by kissing my tummy and hugging it many a times in a day. Whenever Gianna wants to go somewhere (be it to the park, or for shopping, or to school, or for playing outside), she ensures to check with me if the baby is accompanying her in all those places.

The fight is over (deciding) the name of the baby. As per Gianna, baby’s name would be “baby Gianna” and not anything else. The reason behind this name is that it’s Gianna’s baby not mumma-papa’s. She starts crying if we tell her other names. This whole conversation is very cute and innocent but I feel that it will take a lot of samjhana bujhana to Gianna. I love every bit of Gianna’s protective behavior towards her baby sister and believes that it will continue even after Gianna’s little sister is born. I know that Gianna is going to be the best sister that our baby would have.

I am Super Gianna.

Inspired by the character of “Super Bunny” in Rosemary Wells’ Max & Ruby series, Gianna these days play dress up as a superhero aka “Super Gianna”.

This is a funactivity for Gianna and a very interesting activity for me to see. Seeing her getting ready using hands, neck and hair accessories and a paper made cape wrapped around her neck, is really entertaining.

Whenever, she feels a need to rescue her toys she gets into the character. I am surprised to see how these young children imagine the world around them.

Summer Break of 2012 Begins

Gianna’s summer vacation has started and it is going to be a 2 months break from school. It is difficult to plan out daily activities for her.

To start with, we brought some colorful chalks new set of crayons and a new ball to play with. Every day is passing by watching television for three hours, coloring activity books, playing outside with friends for one hour, reading one of her favorite story books, and messing all over in the house.

I am glad to see that Gianna has started coloring with crayons and pencil colors really well. She has also started helping me out in cleaning up the mess and picking up the things from the floor or refrigerator as she knows that mumma cannot bend much.

Pyaari Baatein

1. Mumma to Gianna (after Gianna finishes her good night prayer), “Gianna, bhagwanji says bless you”
Gianna replies, “God Bless you too Bhagwanji”

2. Mumma you will live one hundred years old and I will take care of you.

3. Mumma I want baby sister and we will name her “Gianna Gupta Baby” and if its a boy then we will name him “Papa baby”.

4. Mumma, "Gianna, I am so proud of you"…
Gianna, "I am proud of you too mumma".

5. While fighting with papa, “Papa! You are a poopoo, diaper baby.” Not sure where she came out of this term, but its hilarious.

6. Gianna, "Baby when you will come out of mumma’s tummy, then I will teach you to walk."

7. Gianna, "Mumma! when baby will come out of your tummy, then you can take me ‘godi’ (take me in your arms)".

8. Gianna to Shobhit (while he was trying to feel the baby in my tummy), "Papa, its Gianna’s baby. Don’t touch it!"
Shobhit, "But Gianna sharing is caring!"
Gianna(after little thinking), "hmm! Yea papa, sharing is caring...it’s mumma’s baby, Gianna’s baby and papa’s baby."

9. Gianna, "I'm so proud of you “Bhagwanji”.

10. Gianna to the pressure cooker whistle, “Seeti, you better be nice to me! I am helping out mumma in the kitchen..okay?”

11. Gianna to Mumma (while mumma is chopping the veggies), "Mumma! You are a good cutter."

12. Gianna to Mumma(night time), "Mumma, is that funderstorm (thunderstorm)? Why does it make that ‘boom boom’ sound?"
Next morning: "Mumma, is the funderstorm gone? But where and why?"

13. Papa to Gianna, “ I miss you, baby!”
Gianna to Papa, “Papa, why do u always miss me?”

14. Gianna, “ Mumma, why does the rain falls down? Why it doesn’t go up?”

15. Gianna, “Mumma, did the doctor use screw driver to pull me out of your tummy?”

16.  Mumma to Gianna-“Gianna, I can’t bend down, as I have a baby in my tummy.” 
      Gianna to mumma- “Mumma, I can’t bend either, as I have food in my tummy.”

17. Gianna- “Mumma, is nani having cough?”

      Mumma-“Yes!”
      Gianna, "Bhagwanjiii, Please Nani ka cough theek kar do...please pretty please."

Gianna - A Nature Lover

These days, one of Gianna’s favorite activities after coming from school is to feed birds and ants. She takes handful of cracked wheat in a small bowl and enjoys sprinkling them all over on the floor outside our home.  It is a daily routine now and she starts crying if I ask her not to do it!

At first the birds used to come when they saw the grains on the floor outside, as of now, the birds come in advance and look at the door expecting that Gianna would come outside and sprinkle grains for them to eat.

Recently, she saw three ants on the kitchen floor and excited by their sight she said “mumma, these ants want to come to Gianna’s home”. Soon she fed them with three crackers (one for each).

Another one worth mentioning is her love to water one indoor plant that we have in our living room. She sprays enough water on each leaf and into the soil. And that’s not all! There is a small clay rabbit hanging on the pot. She makes sure to feed it with water so that the bunny is not thirsty.

How cute is that!

At age of 3, I am...

1.  Very talkative.

2.  In love with almost all shows on channel Nick Jr. My favorite ones being "Olivia", "Peppa Pig" and "The Fresh Beat Band".

3.  Developing a liking for painting.

4.  Fond of singing along with papa and his guitar. The very first song being “Puff The Magic Dragon” which I love to sing.

5.  Asking mumma to read books for me before I go to bed.

6.  Trying to click pictures using cell phone and pretend being a photographer by using papa’s tripod.

7.  Very fond of "puppies", "Mickey Mouse" and "Minnie Mouse".

8.  Always looking for a muddy puddle to jump into.

9.  Always preferring to hop like a frog than walk.

10.  Not willing to clean the mess I make in our home unless I am bribed.

11.  Going to complete my first school year soon and loving it.

12.  Interested in playing matching game, building blocks.

13.  Fond of listening to Michael Jackson’s songs like “don’t stop till you get enough” and “just beat it”.

14.  Believing that kids or any cartoon character can only be sad when he/she miss his/her mumma.

15.  Still in love with mumma’s tummy and want to hold it tight before going to sleep.

16.  Always ready to play Word game and Spelling game with papa and mumma.

17.  Only afraid of police uncle (imaginary one) to whom mumma and papa call every time I trouble them.

18.  Still giving hard time to mumma with my picky eating habits.

19.  Still afraid of pressure cooker’s whistle.

20.  Enjoying a head wash in a shower more than a regular bath.

21.  Loving being in the play area and swing REALLY HIGH.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Apple Montessori: International Day - Japan

Gianna in her pink pajamas (night suit) on Valentine’s Day in school

The Picaso in me!

I have always had an inclination for drawing/painting and would be most happy to see such artistic bend in Gianna. She seemed to have little interest in drawing or coloring in the last three years, however, her participation in scribbling with crayons and water colors has increased in the last few weeks.





As now she knows the basic shapes by their names and tries to draw them on paper, she loves to make a happy face, a sad face, a flower, a circle with some dots within is a cookie or a potato, a circle with a few lines coming out becomes her Incy-wincy spider and she arranges her wooden blocks to make alphabets like L, J, A, C, & I. She tells us to draw different cartoon characters on her magnetic board. I feel happy to see Gianna’s growing interest in art and glad to see her own way of imagining and believing about the things around her. Proud of you, my girl !!