The boyz have an insatiable appetite; did I mention this in China?!
Well, Isaac knows when to stop, but Jonah can get "sick" and continue like there's no tomorrow. We don't allow him, of course!
His table antics are a source of great pleasure and laughter at suppertime. Tonight we didn't have the usual fare of eggs or noodles that the boyz so love. Instead we had a choice entree of tuna casserole or sea bass with star anise, Greek salad with stuffed vine leaves, fried mini bokchoy with fenugeek, and we topped it off with a choice of fancy yoghurt or brownies. This is it, I said to myself, they're sure to find something that they don't like...
The boyz went mad! The fish (ee-ee in Mandarin) was a hit! The salad (romaine, green onion, heart of palm, black olives, red sweet pepper, cucumber) all went down the hatch without a hitch. Jonah asked if the olive was a grape. No, I said, it's an o-l-i-v-e. After about three attempts to say the word, he swallowed it without knowing how to say it properly or knowing what it was. Hummmm, he said! Eh-gar! (which means Look!) Wheels!, as he holds up a slice of cucumber...
The greens are a smash - anything green really. Hold the salad dressing, thank you very much. If there is salad dressing, Isaac shakes it off and says, Mama, Mama, it's dirty!
The tuna casserole was called a cake because it had the golden bread crumbs on the top. They chose the yoghurt instead of the brownie; it's better for you too. Once Jonah was finished his yoghurt, he went over to Isaac with his mouth open! After Isaac was most generous in giving him a quarter teaspoon and said, No more! Slightly disgruntled, Jonah proceeded to relick the tops of the yoghurt containers!
In the end, they had to be told that they couldn't have any more. We don't want any sick little boys!
One little antedote that I found rather amusing: during the salad Isaac kept playing with a U-shaped piece of red sweet pepper. I asked him what it was. You remember he only has two consonants /m/ and /h/ so I wasn't sure if I had heard it properly. Did you say rainbow, Isaac?! Where did you see a rainbow, sweetheart?! He was looking for an answer and I knew that he hadn't seen a real one. So I said, Did you see one on TV? His face lit up shaking his head. Yes! In a movie? I asked. Yes, he said. Which one?
I thought he said car. But then I realised he had said ark! Do you mean in the movie Noah's Ark. Yes, he said!
I couldn't believe it! He's only been home 5 months, he saw that movies five times and the last time was a month ago and he remembered the word rainbow...and ark!
Amar, I said, imagine all the things he would say if he knew we would understand him! I can't wait for him to start speech therapy. When he meets new people he acts shy, but he isn't. He's mature enough to know that there's no point saying much when new people don't understand him.
Lordy, help us then! When it's just us, he never stops talking! And... if he were to know that we did understand him?! Yackity-yack-yack!
Just like Mama. TTFN! Ta ta for now!
