Missing each other

My mom is in Changanassery for two days to be with her grandson. She finds him a lot more disciplined, talking sense and talking clearly. The tantrums - or rather demands to get him this or that - continue. The itching is only occasional and his skin looks much better.

One thing I have forgot to mention is that we have stopped all the medication that we got for him from Trivandrum. When my inlaws took Ash for a 2nd opinion about his persistent itching with an Ayurveda doctor friend in Changanacheri, he found that Ash was being given siddha medicines and not proper ayurveda as we believed them to be. He advised us to stop them right away, including the oils. Instead he gave an allopathic ointment, probably with cortisone content, for temporary and has taken a blood test for lead content in his body. The test will be done in Bombay, so we have to wait for the results now.

I must say prayers help a lot too. The climate and cleaner air in Kerala too, I guess.

Mira's absence maketh his heart grow fonder for her. When his granpa gets him a toy, he now requests him to buy one for his kid sister, from whom he snatched away toys until now even when he didnt want to play with them.

And today, Mira tells me that she wants to go to granpa's house to be with Ash. She is bored sitting at home with the maid. Her new school will not start until July (V has finally consented to let me seek admission in WCC's nursery school when I offered to drop her at school in the mornings). Meanwhile we have to use all our resources to keep her occupied - to the terrace, to the groundfloor to see the watchman's daughters, for a walk, for an outing etc. etc. The outing is not easy with V's late hours except on Sundays. Last Sunday she went to the church and the beach, and has been clamouring for more church trips ever since.

Apart from looking after her doll, she has progressed to looking after me. She towels my hair, combs it but give up half way. "Amma, you have too much hair" and asks me to braid it myself. She insists that I read the newspaper while she applies creams and lotions on me.

As V watches her sweep and keep away things and pretend to cook, he remarks: "She is not going to be like her mother."