Arjun is 11 months old!

Our little Arjun bear is almost a year old! In our amazement at his crawling and cruising, we'd almost overlooked all of his other new skills. Arjun is now babbling quite a bit, and will say "ne-ne" for his bottle, "mow-mow" when he sees the cat (chinese, our nanny taught him), and "elm-oh" when he sees elmo. Sometimes he will say "dad-ee" when he sees Nehal but he almost never says "mama" to me! It is a bit sad to think about Arjun learning Elmo's name before mine. But it is so cute to see Arjun's big proud smile as he waves bye-bye or shouts "Hiiii!" in greeting. This morning he even blew me a kiss when I left for work. Soon Arjun will be carrying secret conversations with Lila, and Nehal and I will be out of the picture!

Happy Halloween!

playing with bubbles at a halloween party


Arjun Dragon and Lila Ladybug at the bubble pool


waiting for her treats

Lila Ladybug collected amassed quite a loot during her second Halloween, while Arjun Dragon collected quite a few "awwwws", "too cutes" and even one "is he an iguana?"

Happy Halloween!

little cruiser

Little Arjun isn't so little any more! He has no fear and wants to join Lila and I wherever we are playing, so he will crawl, pull up, and cruise to make his way over. So creative with how he gets over obstacles. He's unstoppable!

pumpkins

Fall has finally arrived in SF. And by Fall I mean Winter -- we had about 2 days of beautiful crisp weather but now the fog has descended and we are again going out in scarfs! I need to buy some mittens for the little ones.

Returning to work last week was a bit stressful (as expected) but I am feeling good about resuming a day job of some sort! Nehal's been traveling a lot for work, and now that Lila is used to daycare it really does feel like it is "back to school" for us. Busy bees.

We did manage to sneak to a pumpkin patch to celebrate the seasons. Special thanks to uncle Euge for Lila's beautiful dress.

arjun is 10 months old!

Happy 10 month birthday to Arjun bear! After weeks of crawling backwards and schooching on his butt, Arjun "got" crawling and is now getting around all by himself. Gone are the days when we can set him down and expect him to stay there. Thank goodness everything's been babyproofed for his sister!

too cute

big sis and lil' bro holding hands!

whew!

lila likes construction vehicles


and money


arjun's smirky smile


bye bye Emily

Sorry again for the lag in posts. In yet another twist on the Raj nanny chronicles, our new nanny Emily found out that the Chinese government is tearing down her neighborhood to make way for a new MRT line, and needs to return to China ASAP to take care of her furniture and register for compensation (Shame on you China!) So we had to get a new nanny right away. Stress and double stress, but since we went through this once in July, I was feeling a bit more confident that it would be okay. Danielle arrived on Saturday from our nanny agency in LA, ans so far things seem to be working out. Emily leaves us on Wednesday, and I start work next Monday, so things will be rocky and transitional for a while, but will hopefully settle down soon.

No real theme to this week's post except STRESS! But here are some random pics I haven't put up yet.

growing up

One of the best parts of motherhood is watching your little ones grow -- physically, intellectually, and emotionally -- right before your eyes. It happens so quickly too at this age, that you can see Arjun mastering cruising, or Lila grasping the meaning of a concept, within a matter of minutes. It is so uplifting to see the joy and pride they take in learning these new skills.

I've posted quite a few times about the feeding issues both Lila and Arjun have gone through, and how heartbreaking it is to see the discomfort and pain they have in reaction to something as simple as eating. Sometimes I see other children on the playground chugging away at a sippy cup of milk, and my heart aches for my children because that is something they cannot do. Not because I resent my children for not being "normal", but because something that so many others take for granted comes at such a great cost to them.

Given that history, it is easy to fall into the trap of overcompensating for Lila and Arjun. When Lila doesn't want to eat, I sit patiently with her for an hour per meal sometimes, cajoling her into eating just a bit more. When Arjun didn't want his bottle, we used to rock him to sleep and then gently slip the bottle into his mouth so he'd be able to get his nutrition. Whatever it took, I thought, to get them to grow up as healthy as possible.

That's why I was so concerned about Lila starting daycare this week. I hardly slept on Sunday night worrying that she wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't stop crying. I was expecting the worst. So you can imagine my surprise when I dropped her off and she didn't even cry once! My little trooper got through a whole day without mama just fine. Today is her third day, and though she has been a bit clingier than usual, she has adjusted so much more easily than I ever imagined. Arjun, meanwhile, is taking his bottle while awake more and more often now, and though he did test positive for a milk protein allergy, is doing great on non-dairy solids as well.

In a few weeks, I will go back to work, and although I am nervous, I'm starting to learn that sometimes all I need to do is to put my faith in the kids, and to give them the benefit of the doubt. Lila and Arjun are teaching me how to be brave and just let go!

PS-On a lighter note, the pictures above have nothing to do with this post. Lila and Arjun are wearing their Indian outfits for a traditional "rakhi ceremony", where the sister ties a red thread on her younger brother's wrist to symbolize her love of him, and he reciprocates to symbolize that he will protect her. And protect he will -- Arjun is now 12 months younger but only 1 pound less than Lila, so I am sure that he will grow up to be her bodyguard at preschool :)

under attack!

Sorry for the lag in posts -- we all came down with some sort of weird bug this week. Nehal came back from a business trip on the east coast with a sore throat, and the next thing you know Lila, Arjun, and I all had fevers. Luckily we are all on the mend, though it hasn't left us much time or energy for taking pics! We've been resting up indoors all week long. The kids are doing much better than I in terms of energy and resilience. If they felt anything like I did this week I am surprised they weren't whinier! We really have super duper babies.

Here's a beautiful portrait that our wedding photographer Karina took of the kids with dadima and dad (and Sherlock the doggie) in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. Christmas card worthy, don't you think?

back from italy!

nehal and i dropped the kids off at the grandparents for a week in positano/rome. we enjoyed lots and lots of art, architecture, good food, and most importantly -- yummy gelato! here we are at the trevi fountain.

the kids did great on their big adventure with dadima and dada. both looked and felt so much bigger after one week! we missed them so much though. next vacation it will be with the whole family!

Happy Birthday to You

Quick update -- can't believe I almost forgot to mention that it is Nehal's 31st birthday today! Now we are both officially not just 30, but in our 30's.

Lila had a birthday surprise for daddy...singing the "Happy Birthday Song" to him! I swear I didn't make her practice. I just told her it was daddy's birthday today, and asked her what she wanted to say to him when he came home, and she started singing "Happy Birthday" out of the blue. She even asked if I got him anything: "How about birthday present?!" (imagine this with very drawn-out vowels, and in a high screechy voice). She seemed satisfied when I showed her the wrapped gifts.

She sang "Happy Birthday" to Nehal as soon as he walked in the door, but here is a clip of her performing again at our request. She always wants to play with the videocamera, so we resorted to bribery. Enjoy!

Hanging out

I know its been a while since I've posted, but life goes by quickly when you are having fun! Lots of good things have been happening in our little household. Our new nanny Emily is having great luck feeding Arjun, and he is even starting to enjoy solids (baby biscuits and cut up avocadoes, peaches, and bananas...he still hates the jarred stuff. I think we have a little gourmet on our hands.) He is starting to get a little pudge and hitting all of his milestones. He has also stopped vomiting, thank goodness, so I am a lot less worried about him than I was a month ago.

Lila has been doing super too. She hasn't been taking her appetite stimulant at all, and yet still eats well. Sometimes she eats less, sometimes more, but I know that now she understands that eating is fun and good for her, so though she is still hanging by a thread at the bottom of the weight chart, I am not as worried about her either. We love bringing her to different restaurants because she is actually a very adventurous eater and willing to give anything a try -- so far dim sum and thai food are big hits. Unfortunately she ate a lot of spicy potatoes at our favorite Indian restaurant before she started crying from the spiciness! So maybe we'll wait a bit longer before taking her there again.

It has been a while since I posted a video, though Nehal got me this amazing HD video cam for my birthday. So I'm posting a video that I took right after lunch today. Lila is hanging out in her high chair, reading, snacking, and drawing. She is talking so much now, and it is always funny to hear what she will come up with next. Sometimes we can almost carry a conversation! She doesn't like talking in front of the camera, though so I only managed to get this snippet out of her today. Other favorite phrases of hers: "get up mama please", "no way, jose", and "bye peoples!" Last week as we left a shopping center she shouted "bye peoples!" every time she saw a stranger smiling at her, totally cracking them up. The best by far was hearing her say "I love you mama" though. Amazing.

Arjun is starting to communicate too, but I have a feeling he won't be verbal as early as Lila. He is growing up to be such a hunky dude, with his big dark eyes and crooked Elvis smile. My nanny says she is in love with him, and I totally know what she means. I know that auntie Kei has her eyes on him too!

Arjun is 8 months old!

Arjun is growing up fast. It felt like it took Lila forever to get to 8 months, yet here we are with Arjun. Five minutes after we finally finished lowering his crib yesterday he showed off his new skill -- pulling up to standing -- with a big grin on his face. On the to-do list for next weekend? Lowering his crib again!

Speaking of smiles, Arjun always cracks me up with his silly one. He looks like an ordinary little boy until he smiles, and then he looks exactly like the grouchy toothless old man from "UP". What a silly bear!

glamour shots

Summer Lila


Arjun in black and white

We took Lila to a professional photo studio while we were in LA. I put her in a sunny summer dress, to reflect the season, and they had a closet full of costumes and props, so it was very baby friendly. We ended up with some great shots! Nehal did not approve of the pearls & tutu outfit, though I thought it was adorable (see more pics on Flickr by clicking on the icon on the top right of this page).

We couldn't bring Arjun because he always seems to be eating/napping when Lila is awake, and vice versa. Probably just as well, since Minoo and I could barely handle Lila on our own at the photoshoot! We will bring Arjun when he is a bit older. But couple of days ago when Emily forgot to rinse out his conditioner, I was inspired to take some rock & roll shots of him playing with his best buddy -- the baby in the mirror! Here is my favorite from the series. He loves it!


best buddies

back from lala land

studious buns in dadima's living room


beach bum arjun bear posing with mama's sunglasses


"splish splash" time for Lila

A few weeks ago we found out that our nanny Lucy had some health issues and wanted to resign. We were sad to see Lucy go, but even sadder that we couldn't find a suitable, Mandarin-speaking nanny anywhere in SF! Feeding Arjun and Lila is so tough that several trial nannies just didn't think they could do it.

So we took an emergency trip to LA last week to find ourselves another nanny (apparently there are many more Mandarin-speaking live-in nannies in LA). The best part is that Lila and Arjun got to spend a week in sunny LA. We even set up a mini splashing pool for Arjun and Lila to play in. Lila loved practicing the swimming moves she learned during her swim class, while Arjun gingerly sat in the pool for 5 minutes before wanting out.

We are home now, with new nanny Emily in tow. So far the kids seem to be adjusting alright, though Lila seems to be having a more difficult time adjusting to Lucy's departure than Arjun. Hopefully Emily will be with us until they both go off to preschool! Meanwhile, it was so fun spending a week in sunny LA with Dadima and Dada. Thanks especially to Dadima for helping to take care of Lila and Arjun during this tough transition time! We could not have managed without you.

Another busy holiday weekend

Happy Independence Day!


Playing catch with dad with the GG bridge in the background


Mama warms up with yet another cup of tea


Playing with a partridge at the Discovery Museum

We had a busy holiday weekend over July 4th. First my long-lost cousin Cindy visited from Houston. I hadn't seen her since probably around high school, so it was really nice to see her again and introduce her to my kids! She doesn't seem too different from how I remembered her, though this time around it was nice to chat like friends. Seems like the age gap has closed between us now that we can both bond about husbands and careers.

Nehal and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary on Friday night, and on Saturday we took Lila on an overnight trip to Cavallo Point, a resort just across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is an old converted military base, with amazing views of the bridge and the city. The buildings are luxuriously remodeled, and I discovered that I love wraparound porches. Maybe one day we will move to the South and buy a house with a porch and rocking chairs ;)

I was hoping we could all stay up and watch the fireworks together but Lila fell asleep half an hour before the fireworks were set off. No matter, we loved taking Lila out and showing her off, and Lila loved walking around and discovering new leaves and flowers. We spent the next day visiting the Bay Area Discovery Museum, where Lila got to play with partridge statues and watch a wizard tell stories, then wrapped up the day watching a free performance of the San Francisco Symphony at the annual Stern Grove Festival. Truly a San Francisco summer weekend.

Next year we will bring Arjun to Cavallo Point, and I will make sure at last one of them stays up for the fireworks!

Arjun is 7 months old!

icky flash photo of Arjun in his first restaurant high chair

Hard to believe my little boy is all grown up. Now that he can sit in high chairs, we've been trying to bring Arjun out more. Of course we prefer having more people around to help out, such as when dadima and dada are in town!

Arjun hasn't quite gotten the hang of eating just yet. He seems to prefer chunkier mashed up fruits and just hasn't taken to cereal or fruit purees. I'm a bit concerned but also glad that I get to keep my sweet-smelling boy sweet-smelling just a bit longer. Once Lila began eating solids she lost that sweet milky smell that Arjun still has. Sometimes I bury my nose in Arjun's tummy and just breathe until he gets bored or tickled or both! I'm glad Arjun bear is growing up, and yet I already miss my baby.

too cute

peanuthead


curly

eating

Lila loves garlic aioli


Arjun trying banana puree

Lila and Arjun went to see their GI specialist this week. Both have made great progress over the past few months, especially Lila! She is actually back on the weight chart and remains a steady 50% for height. More importantly, she's eating a lot more things than purees now, and though we still spoon feed her, she is getting her nutrients from a lot of non-puree sources. Current favorites? Peas, mushrooms, turkey hot dogs, grilled cheese, noodles, tomatoes, and fries, fries, fries. She especially loves fries dipped in aioli. Heart attack on a plate, I know, but her doctors think that she isn't getting enough fat in her diet (babies need it for brain growth), so we're trying to add it wherever we can!

Arjun grew a lot too. He's just below 50% for weight and around 75% for height, but still really hating his bottle. The GI tested his poop and found lots of blood in it. My poor little baby boy. His eczema and skin rashes also haven't cleared up, all signs pointing to a milk protein allergy. Even though we had switched to hypoallergenic formula, it hasn't worked, and so now we are switching again, to a prescription-based formula. Hopefully this one will do the trick! He is starting to enjoy some solids too, though I'm sticking with fruits and veggies that are very easy on the digestive track for now. Hopefully someday we will look back and wonder at how difficult it was, and how much easier now, but right now my heart aches to think of the pain Arjun's going through to have all that blood in his poop...

at play

arjun pretending to love his book


lila dribbling avocados and french fries while the angels whoop a**

Now that Nehal's work has calmed down a bit, we've had a great couple of weeks. Arjun is really growing up fast. At his 6 month appointment, he weighed in at 40% weight and 75% height. Tall and skinny, just like his dad. He's also sitting up all by himself now! No wobbliness like Lila at that age. He doesn't really enjoy reading or books though. Here he is pretending to be a little reader though all he wanted to do was stuff the corners into his mouth. Our nanny is convinced that teeth will begin popping out soon.

Lila's been having a great time too. This weekend we decided to check out different parks around us. She's getting much faster at walking, so I sometimes take her out and let her walk on the sidewalk. It is slow going, but so fun to see her discover everything. Of course, being the little reader that she is, she saves her most excited squeals for the stop signs and no-parking signs.

Yesterday we spontaneously decided to go catch the Angels game at Giants stadium. It was super chilly but Lila loved her first baseball game! Well, she loved the fries and giant jumbotron. We were ribbed for being Angels fans but Lila proudly showed off her baseball cap just the same!