Sid, the conversationalist

This is a long pending post that I so eagerly wanted to write. I really feel sorry to myself for not starting this blog a little earlier. I could have recorded so many more of his conversations and first words. But, better late than never.

My little Sid is quite a conversationalist, I tell you. I am not saying this because I am his mom. Whoever has met him once will agree with me. Right from the childhood, he was a social butterfly. He has never tucked on to me if we are out. Making friends is not at all difficult for him. He has so far been the icebreaker among all his friends and in almost all the conversations at home too. Some of the excerpts that I remember are listed down. I just hope I keep writing the continuing volumes to record these conversations for my lifetime. 

• Amma vichaarichu???
  This comes (but is not limited to this case) when we are telling somebody about an incident related to him. Also, when we knowingly/unknowingly accuse him of something. A series of conversation starts like this:
  Me catching him doing some mischief (this time it was playing with the matchstick): Unni endaanu chaiyenne? Sid, what are you doing?
  Sid: Unni tambo tambo ne prarthikyaairunnu. Sid was just praying to God | OR | Sid was just citing shlokas | OR | Sid was just checking if the lamp is lit | OR | etc. etc. etc.
  Me: Ohhh, ok ok… Ennal ok. Then it’s ok.
  Sid: Amma vichaarichu? What did Mumma think?
  Me: Amma vichaarichu unni teepatti kondu kalikyaanu. Mumma thought you are playing with the matchstick.
  Sid: Appam unni paranju? What did Sid say?
  Me: Appam unni paranju unni praarthikyaanu. Unni teepatti kondu kalikyalla. Sid said that he is just praying. He is not playing with the matchstick.
  Sid: Appam amma paranju? Then what did Mumma say?
  Me: Amma paranju OK. Teepatti kondu kallichal polli povum. Mumma said ok. Playing with matchstick is not good, you may get burnt.
  Sid: Appam unni paranju? Then what did Sid say?
  Me: Appam unni paranju OK. Sid said OK.
  Sid: Appam amma paranju? Then what did Mumma say?
  Me: Appam ammayum paranju OK. Mumma also said OK.
  Sid: Appam unni paranju? Then what did Sid say?
  Me: Arrrrgghhhhh!!!!!!
• Owl alla, potali baba
  I have two saviors: An owl, which wakes up at night, that ensures that all little cute babies are asleep during the night. And a Potli baba in the afternoon who puts all the naughty little kids in his cloth sack who are not sleeping post lunch. I use these humbugs to put him to sleep during the night and in the afternoon.
  Once, in the afternoon, I was trying to make him sleep and he was trying his best not to. So, in all rage, I got confused myself and blurted: Owl vannu pidichu kondu poikotte orangaata kutti ne. Let an owl come and pick this naughty kid who is not sleeping.
  Sid: Owl alla, potali baba. Need I translate this?
• How does giraffe sound?
  Once, I was telling about all the animal sounds when my little zoologist asked me: How does a giraffe sound like. I tried to pull out a list of animal sounds from my slow-internet mobile and couldn’t find it. Therefore, like Kajol said in one of the advertisements, I promised him that I will get back on this later.
  And, after I googled, I found out that giraffes are normally silent animals and do not have vocal chords so they don’t have any distinct voice or sound. They do make some noises that are mostly context-specific.
  As I tried to explain this to Sid, I told him giraffes can’t talk like other animals.
  Pat comes the reply: Elephants can talk, preeeeaaaammmmmmm. (That was the elephant trumpeting, by the way).
• Daivam kaatu.
  When he climbs down any stairs, he has to jump down from the penultimate step. Once, he lost track, jumped down from the last third step, and somehow managed to balance himself on the floor. He composed himself and said, “Daivam kaatu.” God just saved me.
• Endaa paripaadi? Endaa vishesham?
  Each time he starts talking on phone: Endaa vishesham? What’s up?
  Each time he catches me doing something hushed-up: Endaa paribaadi? What’s going on?
  And I must tell you, the way he asks these questions does not match a 3-year old kid’s expression.
• Aata tannalum ishtaanu, tannittillengilum ishtaanu
  I had started giving him small aata (wheat flour) balls to make some clay-modelling-type models; to boost his creativity. And, all that he wants to make is an elephant. <Sigh>. And now, we must give (read: we dare not deny) him aata balls every day to make an elephant. Positively.
  One day Sid was in a very good mood, and was all obedient. So, I thought I must give him a small ball without him asking me for it. He was surprised at this award and said, “Unniky ammene bhainkara ishtaanu. Sid likes mumma very much.”
  But then suddenly he felt he is being mean by saying this and thought better of it and said, “Aata tannalum ishtaanu, tannittillengilum ishtaanu.” I don’t know how to translate this in English; still my best try: I like you if you give this aata ball, and I like you even if you don’t give this aata ball. Such an awwww moment, you know.
• Family and friends
  The other day I was telling him the concept of family and friends, and he seemed to have understood it quite well since he had identified everybody correctly. I was very satisfied on this wisdom-sharing and was about to pat my back when I heard our neighbor, Anjini (a 4-year-old), calling Sid to play with him. He rushed to her and as we were climbing down the stairs, he said, “Unniky Anjinine bhainkara ishtaanu. Anjini ende family aanu. I like Anjini very much; Anjini is my family.”
  Me: Alla, Anjini unninde friend aanu. No, no, Anjini is your friend.
  Sid (in an all-knowing manner): Anjini ende friend um annu, Anjini ende family um aanu, Anjini ende ellam aanu. Anjini is my friend, Anjini is my family, Anjini is my everything.
  :-X
  :-(