Toy Story

I used to hate stuffed toys. Not as a kid, because as a kid I didn’t have even one! But when I had grown out of them and saw how they littered people’s homes. And how they were prime accumulation point for dust bunnies.

Obviously I did not communicate my hatred to my husband, because day 2 of Kodi’s birth, he went out for some essentials, and came back with - a stuffed chimp. I winced, to myself. What would a 2-day old do with a stuffed chimp? But this was the first gift that came from a first time father and I couldn’t prick the love bubble, so I bit my tongue instead. I didn’t realize that the visionary Bapa was thinking a little ahead of me.

Today, the chimp and other stuffed toys, that entered the house guised as gifts from different people, are indespensible. Kodi does not have a favorite, because, well, that’s just him. He does not form an attachment to these things. They are picked up, hugged, kissed, loved and ditched – all in a matter of minutes. He does not have a favorite blankie, a toy that he tags around all day or attachment object of any kind. Unless you count his mom.

Anyway, there is Dogtak, who is so called, because he is a dog and he plays daaktak (doctor). But one day, Kodi noticed that he didn’t have a diaper on. So he asked me for one and we snapped on the largest cloth diaper we had and now Kodi has an un-potty-trained medic for partner in crime.

The stuffed toys play a vital role in story sessions. Where K and I sit on his mini-sofa, which was a useful birthday gift from my cousins. The toys sit in a circle around us, we read a book and they are supposed to listen. Sometimes they play a part too. Like the koala bear becomes a tortoise and Tigger plays the hare. 

So one such story time, I had just begun reading, when Kodi noticed that Vinnie Petha Pooh wasn’t paying attention.

Dhole jaankinguna jojo karaatha aya, ((He is closing his eyes and sleeping) )he complained. This kid is going to go to school to be a rattle tale.
Really? Let’s wake him up.
We tried waking Winnie up but he just would not open his eyes. So we stood him up against the leg of a table. Stay there and listen to the story, I told him.

Just as I started reading again, Kodi stopped me, Anki jojo karaatha aya. (he is still sleeping)
Of course he was still sleeping. His eyes were shut tight.
Yes, he is. Hmm, maybe he didn’t take a nap. Should we just let him sleep?
Kodi agreed that it was a better idea and proceeded to exhibit an uncharacteristic compassion. Instead of letting Winnie sleep standing up, he carried him, put him on his lap, and gently tapped his back, as I continued the story.

I wish he would be this compassionate with me. Especially on Saturday mornings, when he wakes up unnecessarily early. Those times, I really wish I could become Winnie the Pooh….for 5 more minutes….just to be tapped back to sleep by baby hands.

Some Vinnie Petha Pooh trivia-

Winnie was a gift from my dad. He bought it when Kodi was much younger. At that age, K was a horrible napper and I had to beg and plead him to take sleep for at least 1 hour straight, so I could sleep too. I even tried to use Winnie to show Kodi how he should close his eyes, put his head on the pillow and sleep, but only the walls heard my pleas. Maybe K’s unresponsiveness had something to do with his age then - he was 2 months old.

Now that he is all grown up (!) and can supposedly pronounce Winnie’s name, it comes out as Vinnie Petha Pooh.

For the Tamil readers: This is the same Petha as in Yenna Petha Aatha.
For others: His nomenclature crudely translates to the Pooh who gave birth to Vinnie.

K’s unintentional goofups are always twisted.