Just get me home

That was the thought going through my head as I was trying to come home last week. The midwest has seen lots and lots of rain during the last week, and one of the things that always affects is air travel. My flight in Minneapolis was delayed four hours. They eventually got us up in the air. Once we got to Chicago, we circled and circled till we ran out of fuel. So, down to Milwaukee. There they gave us the option of getting off the plane. I almost thought of doing that and driving four hours home. But I decided to stick it out. Two hours later, we took off again, this time to land safely in Chicago. I fly out again tomorrow. This time to sunny Florida. Fun stuff.

Here's a little bit of learned behavior. The comforter below was rumpled, and the pillows were on the chair. Priya decided that the bed needed to be made, and you can see the result.


Armaan is coming along just fine. Yesterday as he was taking a shower with me, I was thinking about how solid he feels. It's hard to feel a bone on him. Quite unlike Priya, who at this age was all length and no mass. We are trying to work through his preference of using one set of neck muscles more than the other. It's not quite torticollis, but we need to make sure it doesn't progress towards it. It's great to have a PT as a good friend!


These pictures are in memory of Great Grandma Reay who made the blanket and outfit. The first one is of Priya and then Armaan. Hmm.. is it apparent that one of them fills the outfit out a little bit more?!!


This is a cool new feature of Blogger - posting videos directly! I just noticed this. For those who blog, you know how awkward it was to first upload the videos, and then insert the links. Now it happens automatically. I like this! So here's the very first video of Armaan smiling. He's still getting the hang of it. The word that I think of when I see him smiling is "sweet." See for yourself.

All By Myself...

I can almost hear the soundtrack playing for Tish as we start the next few weeks. I will be traveling increasingly in the next coming weeks. Next week is back to Minneapolis, and the week after is Clearwater, Florida. And if I haven't mentioned it before, these aren't like vacation trips. I'm lucky when I see the airport in these towns, let alone the tourist attractions.

This past week was spent with Grandma Jody here. She took upon herself to transform the backyard. Priya had a lot of fun digging, and putting in flowers, and getting dirty every day. I'll put some more "after" pictures when it's not pouring rain outside.

Armaan is getting to be quite a chunker. He's close to 12 lbs now, and feels so solid when you hold him. Quite unlike Priya, who even now is pretty spindly. For the last few days he's slept about 4 hours a stretch, and even put in a few nights of 6 hours. Can consistent sleeping through the night be far off? That would be great, but it's probably some weeks too short.

Dog Days of Summer

Does anyone know why it's called the "dog days?" You learn something new every day. Wikipedia just informs me that the saying goes back to the time of Romans, and refers to Sirius. No, not the Howard Stern one - but Sirius, the Dog Star. Apparently, the rising of Sirius in the morning also coincided with the hottest days of summer. There - just reading this blog expands your knowledge of the world! Please visit often.

Grandma Kathie was with us this past week, along with her dog Sheena. Priya had a great time with the visit. Though I think she enjoyed Sheena more than any human in the house. I have yet to see her walk around calling for me, like she did for Sheena. She would follow the dog around, saying in an almost sing-sing voice, "Sheena... Sheena..."

The girls looking cool in their shades

Priya went to the Lake County Fair with Tish and Grandma Kathie

She clutched on to grandma throughout the ride

Armaan is coming along fine. For the last few days he's had some problems with gas - which leaves him pretty miserable. He's been getting occasional doses of gripe water, which sometimes seems to help, and sometimes not. Hmmm.. How many American readers know what gripe water is? The brand available at the store was Woodwards - which is the most well-known brand. But, I think the one that we got for Priya worked better. That one is called Baby's Bliss, and is an American concoction.

Unhappy baby

Happy, sleeping baby

On Saturday we went to the annual Bosch picnic. This is the first year I attended, and it was mostly for Priya. There's free food, and stuff for the kids to do. The day was a scorcher, though. We were thankful for the tents, and the strong breeze.

I want a hot dog

Do I look happy to you?

Still not quite sure what to do...

But still looking cute doing it!

The end of a long day...

A hot weekend no rain equals perfect beach weather. Not knowing when the next opportunity would present itself, we decided to make it a beach day on Sunday. It turned out to be perfect. The sky was slightly overcast, with temperatures in the mid-80s, and 76 degree water temperature. The evening before I got a tent that Armaan could sleep in, and that worked out very well. Now I can't imagine a day on the beach without it!

Getting ready for a day at Tiki beach

Ahhh... this is perfect

This week Grandma Jody is visiting

Unlike exactly a year ago, Priya didn't quite take to the water as easily

Does this picture look familiar?

A month old

For all the time that we wait before a baby, the time after sure does fly by fast. It's been a month already since Armaan came into this world with a bang. I also finished my first week back at work. I was supposed to be in Minneapolis the day the bridge collapsed, but I managed to push my trip off a week (so this coming one). I've been over that bridge many many times, and looking at the pictures makes it seem kind of eery since I recognize the neighborhood.

Armaan is coming along happily. He's not outgrown his penchant for being held, and so far he's managed to do well in that. Last night as I was holding and walking him at half past midnight, I thought, "Well, I will look back at this time and remember how small and vulnerable he was." And then I looked down at him and telegraphed signals to go to sleep.

I also figured out why I get a little more frustrated with him. It's not him at all. The frustration stems from I as a parent knowing the developmental path that kids take, and wanting the "next" stage to come sooner and sooner. So for example, I know that even though Priya was really fussy, she eventually started sleeping through the night. So I want that now for Armaan, and when it doesn't happen (well naturally), unconsciously I get a little frustrated. So the main lesson is - everything in it's time.

Priya's face has thinned out and pretty much looks like Tish's