Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Snow, Meet Radha

(from Terri)
Well, almost everyone by now has heard about Portland's record-breaking and highly unusual winter storms (aka, Snowpocalypse 2008) that swept through our city, starting last week.  People seem to have a love/hate relationship with the snow and it brings out the opportunity to gripe about the city's lack of snowplows, use of salt, blah blah blah.   It's also a time when us non-native Oregonians bond over the days of our youth in Iowa/Minnesota/other bitterly-cold-winter-States and how we had it "so bad" during winters and how this storm is "nothing like the ones I grew up with", how Portlanders don't know how to drive in the snow, blah blah blah...

 
I'm kind of tired of talking about the weather and more tired of having it hamper a lot of plans (holiday, family, social, work, doctor's appointments, etc.).  It's been fun snow, and while it's cool that Radha got to meet you at our house (without having to drive up to Mt. Hood), I think we need a break from each other for a while.  Nothing personal?  

But I'm not too tired of taking pictures to remember you fondly:


To the above left is our hilly street, looking northbound.  Now snow-covered, it's popular with bicyclists (yes, still biking in the snow, gotta love Portland), skiiers, a dog sledder (Ro spotted, yes, actually pulled by dogs), and kids and parents sledding.  Today I even saw a couple of hardcore joggers in the snow!  For obvious reasons, our street is NOT popular with buses and cars going northbound, and sometimes even southbound.  When this weather hits, we typically have free entertainment and start counting the number of minor accidents and stalled cars in front of the house.  

Kids like to eat snow, right?  We gave Radha a tiny bit, just to see what her reaction would be.  Clearly, she's not impressed.  We may have to cross off future Winter Olympic Skiier off her list.

During one of the less windy days we all ventured down to the library and store (where onions were sold out of, oddly enough).  Interaction with the outside world was a pleasant change for us; we were all going a bit stir-crazy being homebound.

Radha gets a close-up look at this fluffy white stuff a week ago during the first snowfall day.

Snowfall at night outside our house.



Sunday, December 21, 2008

Xmas Jedi


DSCF4230
Originally uploaded by MookieLuv


(from Ro)  The weather outside has been frightful over this last week. We've been inside most of the time, trying to find new ways to entertain ourselves and Radha.  We noticed her looking at our tree topper, so I decided to put my puppetry skills into action.  I think Radha has a new best friend.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Baby Mayhem




(from Terri)
I finally hosted my playgroup of moms and babies last week.  It was the first time I had hosted this particular group; the first time we had planned to do this, Radha got sick.

We had 8 babies and moms altogether in our living room.  As you can imagine it's difficult to get all babies in one picture, so not everyone was captured here!

When we tried to put everyone on the couch for a group shot, all hell broke loose!  This seems to be the case with the group baby pictures.  The crying seems to always be contagious.  Radha tried to take her friend Molly's toy, various babies pulling hair, trying to eat body parts of other babies, etc.  Pure mayhem!  

Should I feel bad that I was laughing at bit at the chaos?  (I wasn't the only mom laughing, by the way!)  And boy, did we need to do a thorough cleaning of Radha's toys after this playgroup.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Give Peas a Chance


crazy for peas
Originally uploaded by MookieLuv
(from Terri)

Yep, it's another baby food-related video.  AGAIN!  We just can't help ourselves. 

The introduction of all kinds of foods and flavors have not only opened up Radha's flavor palatte but a whole new way of communicating. It's utterly fascinating. And FUN for us and her. When she's not happy with a food, she lets us know it. And when she's thrilled with a food, she also lets us know it, with leaning forward, grabbing of the spoon and bowl, attempted lurches forward in her high chair, and lots of "Mmmm, Mmmm" and various squeals and weird noises of delight.

The video speaks for itself regarding Radha's thoughts on pureed peas.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Sneak Peak

(from Ro) I came across this video the other day on Carrie Brownstein's NPR blog, and after laughing, I thought to myself ... "Is this a glimpse into my future?"


Monday, November 17, 2008

Carrot Gobbler


carrot gobbler
Originally uploaded by MookieLuv
I know we've already posted some pictures of Radha eating baby dood already, but we just had to share this video. Check out how she lunges towards the spoon! (She had quite the opposite reaction to green beans, by the way.) We haven't finalized her Thanksgiving menu yet.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Party Time, Excellent!

(from Terri)
Sorry we're a bit late with this post, but we promised Radha's fans that we would post some pictures from Radha's first Halloween.  Thanks to my mom, Radha got to wear a cool kitty-cat costume for her first Halloween. 



Before our party I took her to work to show off her costume (here she's thinking, "Check me out, I'm the kool kat!")



The only glitch was that we were invited to a party with an "Under the Sea" theme.  No problem; we just told everyone that she was a CATfish instead.   :)  I went as seaweed (using an old green graduation robe) and Ro went as Steve Zissou from the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

The same weekend Radha got to celebrate her first Diwali, which is a Hindu holiday and festival of lights.  We took the opportunity to dress her up very girly in a fancy silver dress, which we had received from family friends at our baby shower.   Here she is with her Babaji:


Of course, last Tuesday was Election Night and we had a election party to attend.  Talk about excitement!   We managed to squeeze Radha into her "Obama Baby" onesie for probably the last time.   It must have brought Obama some good luck considering the results, which we were all thrilled about.  

With three parties within a week, Radha was quite the party animal!   Going to all these parties was a good learning experience for all of us (ex: how long it takes to get out of the house, mingling, eating, and drinking while holding a squirmy baby, first guests to arrive and first to leave, etc.).  But all were fun and Radha got to meet some of her internet admirers and new faces, all which hopefully will make her a pretty socialable kid over time.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Things Just Got a Whole Lot Messier


(from Terri)
Earlier this month 
we decided it was time to give Radha something totally new:  solid food. Well, not actually solid, more like slightly thicker liquid food, but something other than mom's milk.  

Can you imagine eating nothing but the same thing for six months, and then, BAM, a whole new flavor profile and explosion in your mouth?  No wonder the reactions are really weird.  Here's what we've tried thus far.

First food:  organic brown rice cereal
Second food: pureed pears
Third food: pureed sweet potatoes

Radha was pretty weirded out by the rice cereal since it was a whole new thing but she wasn't exactly thrilled.  We thought maybe it was too warm, or too cold, and wondered why she didn't take to it immediately.  After hearing some experiences of other moms at the moms group, I realized it's pretty bland on it's own and why not just move onto something different, although we plan to try it again because it's got some important vitamins in it that she needs. 

Radha liked the pears much better, but seemed to give us mixed signals.  She occasionally would lick the spoon fine, but then turn her head, yet stick out her tongue as if she wanted more.  What did it mean?  A few more servings of pear and then we were done with that and time to move on.   Sweet potatoes?  Instant hit!  

Radha was learning forward, lurching towards the spoon, mouth open, and grabbing for the spoon.   Who knows what makes babies like one thing more than another, but I predict much more sweet potato in our future (luckily we eat them pretty often anyways).  Next on her menu will be avocado and banana, two of my personal favorites.

Our other big realization from the foray into solid foods?   We should probably get some of those rubber bibs that wipe off easily!

The Graduate


(from Terri)
Last week Radha turned a whopping six months.  Ro and I sang "Happy Birthday" to her twice that day, but otherwise kept the celebration mellow.  (We're saving up for the big 1.0 next year!).  For those keeping an eye on the stats, here is an update from Radha's six month check-up:


Weight: 16 pounds (50th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)
Head circumfrence: 43.9 centimeters (85th percentile)

She's more than doubled her weight since she was born, making our arms all the more stronger these days.  Basically Radha is healthy and doing well.  Some of the things she's been up to lately:
  • Obsessively following Mookie with her eyes and getting very animated when Mookie comes by or makes a move; we are trying to gradually teach Radha how to softly and gently pet Mookie.  Mookie seems to have taken on the "big sister" role well as she'll often sit right by us when I'm nursing Radha, or sit nearby when Radha and I are playing.
  • Grabbing anything and everything in site; liquids are bound to be spilled around her and if you have long hair, I'm sorry if my daughter might make you bald sooner than expected.
  • Sitting up on her own.  Well, for a few seconds and then she starts to lean.  Very close now.
  • Various attempts at crawling, but mostly uncoordinated butt-in-air, legs-and-knees-move, and flailing arm movements, but not at the same time.  She gets frustrated and prefers being upright for now.
  • Eating her toes.  She doesn't care if they're clean or have schmutz in them, and sometimes she doesn't mind a leather flavor if she's wearing shoes.
  • "Graduating" from our moms group at the hospital (here's her serious graduate pose):

Since the support group is geared for new moms and babies, you get to "graduate" after six months.  On the last day it definitely felt strange to be considered a "veteran" mom at this stage and asked to share my words of wisdom with others.  I hardly felt qualified to offer any advice...I'm figuring this stuff out like everyone else. I just happen to be a few months further into it! 

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Lil Pumpkin

(from Ro)  Yesterday, we (along with many other parents, I'm sure) took Radha to the pumpkin patch.  We went to Fir Point Farms outside of Canby.  They had pony rides, a petting zoo, food, and of course a pumpkin patch.  The weather was amazing!  We also took the opportunity to put Radha in an obnoxiously cute outfit, and got lots of comments when we were there.



Test driving the pumpkin hat on Friday



Finding the perfect pumpkin



Radha and Mom (R's outfit says BOO!!)


Luckily it wasn't too muddy or wet for Radha to sit.  She's almost sitting on her own these days!


Saying hi to a goat.


Dad sampling a fresh made apple cider donut.  It was good.  Radha looks on in envy.  Next year, she'll be able to have one!



Saturday, September 27, 2008

Exersaucing

Now that Radha has her head control she's been able to spend a lot of playtime in her "exersaucer".   
We were fortunate enough to get this item gently used from one of Ro's co-workers.   It's been especially nice to have a structure that supports her while she plays because she outgrew her bouncer chair last month. (The amount of clothes she has outgrown already is pretty staggering!)

Can you see the drool coming from her mouth in that picture?  Clearly, she's working really hard at spinning those colored cylinders...it takes a lot of focus and attention!  She likes the cylinders (which each make a different sound when spun) and the sun rattle the best.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Super Girl Attempts to Fly

(from Terri)
Here's a quick video of the Super Girl from our day at the park last week, before Ro went back to work.

It was such a nice day with nothing but blue skies, I think Radha wanted to fly up into the sky, and boy was she excited about it! I love her squeals of delight.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Transition




(from Ro)  Well, it's been almost 12 weeks since I took my leave of absence, so it's time to get back to work.  That also means that Radha is going to start child care next week.  Luckily, with Terri's schedule and some help from my Mom, she will be going for only two days a week.  Still, it's definitely going to be a tough transition for all of us.  I'm going to miss my morning walks with Radha, and all of the unstructured time we've had together.  But on the other hand, now she's almost 5 months old, and I feel really good about where she's at developmentally.  Since I can't stay home until she's ready for preschool, now's a good a time as any to start her in child care.  We went to our child care facility yesterday, and had a nice time visiting with the director and Radha's "teacher".  And, we got to see one of Radha's friends (son of good friends of Terri and I), who will be in the same room as her.

This week, we also went to a slightly delayed 4 month check up.  She's doing great, and handled the vaccinations as well as can be expected.  For you statisticians out there, she's now 15lbs and 2 oz, and 26 inches tall.  She's ready for the next car seat already!



Monday, September 1, 2008

Happy Labor Day




  I




In honor of Labor Day here are a few recent pictures of Radha hard at work playing.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Inaugural Overnight

(from Terri)
Considering Ro returns to work in a few weeks and Fall is soon upon us, we decided we had to get out to the coast at least once this summer, so we did.  We splurged for a motel room with an ocean view on the beach and decided that whatever happened with Radha, we would give it a try.


We were so glad we went.  Radha apparently was glad too for the change of pace.  Even though we were without her bouncer chair and the yoga ball (things that we use as part of daily routines), she was happy as a clam and we had our first overnight away from home.

The ocean air, miles of beach, seagulls, and SUN!  Our coastal trips are notorious for bad weather, but this one made up for past cold and wet trips.  Radha got to feel sand on her feet for the first time and dip her toes in a pool at the motel.  


 
I think the fact that Radha behaved wonderfully on the trip just made it so more relaxing for all of us.  More difficult times are ahead I'm sure, but at least we had good weather and good demeanors for this mini-vacation before things change again.


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Hamming It Up



babble laugh
Originally uploaded by MookieLuv
Here's another video of Radha doing her laugh and babble thing. We're not sure if she was laughing at the camera or at us.

We could put this video on a loop all day and never get tired of hearing her laugh, even though there are many more fun moments to come.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

5 + 10 = 1

(from Terri)
It's hard to believe that Ro and I have been married for five years now and altogether as a couple for ten.  When we first met we had no idea our meeting would turn into anything serious, let alone marriage and this incredible baby down the road.
 


Lately Radha has just been hanging out enjoying the dry (and very hot lately!) Portland summer.  We've been exploring our backyard (where the above picture was taken), local parks (picture below), and downtown.  




I realize this may not sound like a big deal to some, but when you have a baby every outing requires a bit of planning and preparedness.  When we arrive to a fun destination without a diaper blow-out or crying meltdown in one piece, it becomes a big accomplishment.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

We're so glad she's our little girl

Ro had our stereo receiver fixed last week so we put on some vinyl Beatles the other day to try it out again. Radha thought it sounded great and agreed it had a better dance beat than Raffi.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Self Soothing

(from Ro) Now that Radha has passed the three month mark, she's showing more signs of independence. She's not objecting to the crib as much for daytime naps, which hopefully means our crib training for nighttime won't be too hard.  She's been able to stay on her own for two hours in the crib, even when she's not fully asleep the entire time.  One of the big reasons for this is that she's discovered her thumb!  It's amazing what a difference it has made in her fussing and sleeping habits.  Sometimes we have to even remind her that there's no milk in her thumb during feeding times!  And interestingly, she keeps going for the left thumb, so we may have a southpaw on our hands.  Her classic soothing position when she's lying on her back is to roll on to her left side, insert thumb into mouth, and put her right hand on her head. Though as the picture shows, having a toy in the other hand works too! 



Saturday, August 2, 2008

Congratulations Rishi and Sonia!



(from Ro)  My cousin Rishi from Toronto was married today to Sonia. Unfortunately we couldn't be there since we're not quite ready for plane travel with a little one yet. Rishi is only 11 months younger than me, so we've been like brothers from a young age.  In Indian culture, your Dad's brother is your Chacha, and his wife is called Chachi. So welcome to the family Sonia Chachi!



PS - These pictures were from a photoshoot we did to try and capture Radha on our infamous basement couch.  There are pictures of me at that age on the exact same couch.  we always said we would try and re-create my baby picture on the same couch 30 some years later, and then finally get rid of it!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Three month progress report

(from Ro)   Terri has been doing most of the updates lately, I guess it's time for a report from Dad!  After a month of so of my work leave, I've been able to spend lots of time with Radha while Terri works.  Of course, I'm an objective source when I say she's an amazing kid!  In the last few weeks, she's become very aware of the world, and is "talking" pretty constantly.  As the last update shows, she's a big smiler, especially when I'm twirling her around.  Her head control is almost all of the way there, which allows her to lift up during tummy time (see the picture), and she can mostly keep her head still when we prop her up in the sitting position.  Just three days ago, I started playing the airplane game with her, when I hold her up in mid air above me supporting her under her arms.  She loves that one, but it's a dangerous game for Dad cause the drool starts flying!
  



I also had to put this next picture up since it shows Radha's first time wearing shoes.  Robeez are my only brand name addiction for her.  Those dinosaurs are just too awesome!



Things are going well with my tasks for the break.  We've picked a child care provider for the two days a week that Terri will be working, and my Mom will be helping out on Mondays.  And, our big house project for the summer was finished this week.  Thanks to the City of Portland, we (by we I mean our hired contractors) had to replace our sewer line, even though the old one was fine.  At least it's done!  Landscaping will have to wait until next year ...




Friday, July 25, 2008

Pure Joy


Can it get any better than this?  

It is so worth it.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Bath Time


after a bath
Originally uploaded by MookieLuv
For a while we were starting to think that this little girl preferred a little dirt and grime on her.

She just wasn't a fan of baths. Lately though, she seems to be enjoying them more and even grinning a bit. Maybe it helped that we started singing "Rubber Ducky" to her and she started to realize she could play with her rubber duck (one animal toy yet to be named; Ducky is too easy although the Pretty In Pink reference is fun).

We present her here, just out of the bath in her koala bath robe/towel. If computers had a scratch and sniff feature, you would smell one super clean baby right now!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

When Home and Work Merge



(from Terri)
July has been a pretty busy month and we just haven't had the time to update the blog as we know some folks would like us to, but here's a brief update.

I started back to work this month part-time from home.  It's been an interesting adjustment, learning to tune things out and missing the hum of my previous office space.  I'm glad I invested in some quality headphones last year!  It's been two weeks now and I feel like the three of us have adjusted pretty well to the routine.  Radha is perfectly content to get nothing but dad time in the morning and has no problem taking a bottle while I pump (I think someone should make one of those construction signs that says, "Caution: Women at Work Pumping". I mean, there's got to be something like that out there already, right?).

Radha is doing great.  More of her hair is coming in, she continues to gain weight (you should see her thighs, some definition happening there!), and she is smiling, cooing, and gurgling more often as she has "conversations" with us.  Early morning and evening walks are helping us all cool down on the hot days and hanging out in her diaper as needed.

Aside from getting back into the work groove, we've been busy researching infant day care centers (pre-pregnancy I had no idea how much fewer options there are for kids under 2 years old), dealing with some house contracting work, and continuing to show off our beautiful girl to friends who haven't met her yet.  I think we've had social obligations every Saturday and Saturday this month it seems, but all for good reason.

Our good friend Jen visited a few weeks ago during one of the monster heat spells and presented us with a really cool gift, which is now my latest favorite outfit of Radha's: a sock monkey onesie, seen here.  It's not just any plain ol' sock monkeys, but sock monkeys scuba diving, swimming, and looking for underwater buried treasure.  It will go well nicely with the sock monkey bib we got from one of my co-workers.