Thankful to be 17 months old

This was a good month, with many things to be thankful for. Mom, Appa, Karin. Snow (and warm jackets). Squeaky shoes. Red sunrises. Magnets with gears. Kitties that are soft. Music to dance to. Heaters that keep my room nice and cozy when I sleep. Homemade yogurt (by Appa). Family hugs.

This month I became more of a climber. As in, I get onto the cat play gym by climbing up my music stand. Or I can get up on the toilet to reach mom's necklaces. I tried to get up on mom's bed by opening up the drawer and crawling inside, but the bed is still a little too high. I like to get at the train in my windowsill (with my name spelled out), but I need mom's help to get up there (she holds my knee while I do this cool knee mantle move). Still, I can stand confidently on the back of the couch once up there, which is pretty small. For months I have been climbing up to my window seat (where my big dog Mopy hangs out! and where I can come down on my slide), but I used to just play with the shades. Now I climb on Mopy to get to the high bookshelves.

Someday I may be leading orange tours at MIT; one of my favorite things to do is play with keys and figure out which things they go in. I am a little too short for most locks, but give me a few more months. I already progressed beyond opening the doors with handles to opening one with just a knob (though I can't yet open my bedroom door).

Dancing is pretty awesome. I just love it. I do this little shoulder move that everyone loves, and of course twirling is fun. I also have a cute butt wiggle that mom likes. One evening in Crested Butte Appa put on some Ghanaian tunes for me to dance to, and it was really fun. So much so that the next night I just started dancing without any music. I even like the popup book from the library about a duck who really likes to dance and goes to dance class.

Mom says I am observant and a problem solver. At Thanksgiving dinner, I saw this dog go through a door, so I tried it myself and voila, found myself outside. I like to figure out what things can fit with other things (like does the phone charger fit in the holes in the heater?). I see these cool things that mom says are outlets, but unfortunately they tend to be blocked around the house. There is this cool toy where I thread beads onto a dowel and string, and I figured it out. I must admit, though, that sometimes I get frustrated when the magnetic train doesn't stay together.

Keeping life tidy seems like a good idea, so I try to do so when I can. Okay, I don't always do this (mom and Karin have plenty of experience putting toys away throughout the day), but sometimes I am good at taking things out and then putting them back. Like putting the stuffed animal back in its place after I give it a squeeze, or dropping the checker pieces back in the jar, or moving the bath toys back in the bin (after throwing them into the bath tub of course).

I like ice, as in eating it. And I like snow, as in stomping around in it. This is much easier done when it is fresh (like when Karin took me out on the back deck when it snowed) than when it is hard (like when mom and Appa took me out in the mountains).

I understand a whole lot. When mom asks me to put my PJs in the laundry basket, I do (I even flip up the pant leg if it partly hangs outside). I have good eyes - so when I drop a cheerio on the ground and mom asks me where it is I go and get it. I am working slowly on my words. You know I have been saying bottle for a while (ok it does sound a little more like botl). Ball, bye, fish (ok a little more like sh), and some others. I am good at asking for more, saying all done, and saying please with signs.

This month I have really gotten into wearing shoes - those that are squeaky, ones that are soft, and definitely ones that are too big. I go and get the ones I want and bring them to mom to help me put them on. If they happen to be mom or Karin's shoes, then I hobble around a bit. Everyone loves this.

And many good things continue. I still like baths. I like to laugh and smile. I like to play hide and seek around people or columns. I like to go up and down stairs. I love slides. I enjoy all kinds of food (thanksgiving was yummy) - some of my new favorites are pomelos and pomegranate (Appa and mom also like these a bunch)! I love my kitties (and I show it by giving them kisses and trying to hug them) - I also like to play with them by using the mouse on a fishing pole. My speed continues to accelerate - I am fast!

This month I got a new table that is just my size (thanks K&S!). I got to wear many cool outfits. Some were from India and beautiful. I love my cute teal-colored (remember how teal is my color?) down jacket from Patagonia - cozy, functional, and styling. I also transitioned to one nap a day in the early afternoon. Sometimes I am tired at the end of the day because of this.

I celebrated my second Thanksgiving with many of mom's family. I met more friends of Appa's from school. Finally, we had a good family trip to Crested Butte after Thanksgiving. We went snowshoeing to (and beyond) the old town of Gothic, and I stayed warm in my brown bear fleece suit even though the temperature wasn't above freezing!

Thank you God for this great month, for my family near and far, for pomegranates, and for things to climb on.

My first passport stamps (16 months)

Not just one, but two. I received a passport stamp for Germany (and got to visit my first au pair Nastja) and my very first stamp for India. Pretty exciting, if you ask me. A few other nice things happened this month, like a birthday party for my mom's mom's mom's sister's 90th birthday, a visit to the pumpkin patch, dressing up as a cute bear for Halloween, yummy food celebrated with family and friends for Divali, and a party for everyone from the birth class (we are all growing up!). But the bulk of the experiences were in the place where I am an overseas citizen - India!

The trip was really cool. You will notice, if you take a peek at the photos at the end, my surprising lack of hair now. Or not surprising if you were following my blog earlier (or are an Indian familiar with the ancient tradition of not cutting the hair until after a year old and then shaving it). This event - my head being shaved at Appa's family temple in Madurai - was the centerpiece of the trip. It was surrounded by visits and gatherings with about a million friends and relatives who assembled from places as near as the town we were in to far-away places like New Zealand (by the way, I don't actually know how to count that high yet, but there were a lot).


We went to south India: Bangalore (in the state of Karnataka), and Madurai and Chennai (in the state of Tamil Nadu). Throughout, my senses were stimulated.

My ears heard new sounds. Many many beeps when we were driving around, ringing bells, chants, and water flowing from never ending natural springs, but mostly the rich sounds of the Tamil language. Mom was thinking that she sometimes felt like me because she didn't understand Tamil. Hopefully we can work on that.

My mouth tasted a variety of foods. Dosas and idlis. Chutney from coconut and spicy sambhar (good as long as it wasn't too spicy). Chat and home-made yogurt (a favorite). Curries. Bitter vegetables. Lentils in many forms (as a curry, and especially good in little fried cakes). Custard apples (yum!). Kamala oranges with the green skin (the best!). Little bananas from their place of origin. Guava. Panipuri. And, of course, rice.

My eyes saw many new sights. Bright and beautiful colors that the women wore daily, decorated and painted temples and the statues and candles inside, many many people in the chaotic streets busy buying things for Divali, busloads of people who would wave at me, lush mountains surrounding Madurai. Water in the river - this is quite unusual in southern India where water is so precious; Appa says that Ayamma says that there hasn't been water in the river since Appa was a child, so it was a good sign.

My nose smelled new scents. Sandalwood, ah sandalwood (mom also loves this one). Jasmine flowers in the women's hair and on my garland after my head shaving. Sweet other flowers in the backyard in Bangalore and in Madurai.

My hands felt a variety of things. Cold and smooth granite tile on the floor, bumpy oranges the size of my hand, hard keys that I used to try to unlock all kinds of things (including walls), soft silk of saris, prickly mustaches, squishy idlis, the cool crank of a coconut grinder (this thing is pretty cool).

And my heart grew. I loved meeting and playing with friends and family. I know many new aunties and uncles, great grandmothers, cousins. And all of these can be mixed up as well, you know. Friends are aunties and uncles. Cousins are sisters. Great great aunts are great grandmothers. I have a cool whistling great uncle, a bell-ringing great aunt, and another great aunt who is a good cook (especially that dish with eggplant and whole, creamy garlic cloves). And while Ayappa is no longer here, I learned that when I stand holding my hands behind my back (looking like a gentleman), I look like Ayappa because he used to do this as a baby as well, so I know part of him.


Beyond this, I actually grew during the trip! Taller by a bit, but in many more ways. I learned how to play around with my tongue more (great aunties helped me with this). I worked on learning how to unlock things (like all of those locks on wardrobes, though for now, unlocking an orange is what I am good at). I became faster at walking and can basically do a little run now. Plus I do this super cute little foot stamp thing that mom likes. When I taste something I really like I stretch out my arms straight with little fists like I am saying "Yes!" I dance a lot more now to all kinds of music and singing. I can knock on the door, especially if I want to go in. I really love that in India all of the wall switches are my height - this means I can figure out which switch controls the overhead fans, turn it on, and then go whish whish while moving my hands around and doing a little dance.


The tonsure day itself was exciting and executed smoothly. The celebrations started with a large breakfast held outside on this land next to a canal where there were coconut trees (it is best to avoid them when any fronds are coming down). The place was about an hour north of Madurai, quite close to the temple. I got to meet a lot of family. Some thought it was funny that I would go to other men more easily than the women, but eventually I would let everyone hold me. One 'uncle' even ran around quickly with me, which I found fun. And another one washed my hands. Appa's sister's husband held me for the head shaving itself, and I think I did pretty well - I didn't cry one bit (and this is unusual)! It happened very fast (my entire head of hair was gone in 1 minute, 50 seconds flat). When my hair was gone, it was much cooler, though I did feel around for my hair and wonder where it had gone. After that there was a shower and sandalwood on my head, then my new beautiful clothes that Ayamma and other family made, new shoes, a garland of jasmine flowers doubled up, and my super colorful umbrella to protect my head from the sun. We walked through the Beautiful Temple next (though I admit I did fall asleep for part of it), and then we traveled up the hill to drink the spring water, and see a smaller temple. On the way there were some monkeys, and even some bats up in the trees. The events of the day concluded with a big group lunch back in Madurai proper.

The other traditional thing that I did in India was to get my ears pierced, though if it was up to me I might have skipped this one because it hurt a little. Appa and mom said the earrings looked good on me, but in a bit we will take them out.


Finally, a bit about traveling long distances. Happily (especially for mom and Appa), everything went pretty smoothly! I did well on the planes (especially once they learned that I need more liquids and bottles on the long, dry, cross-oceanic flights). I adjusted to the ~12 hour time difference in a few days (after a few long afternoon naps). I stayed healthy (aside from some diaper rash in the moist environment and a small cold at the very end of the trip). Singapore Airlines gets an A+ for travel - they were super nice to me, picked me up and played with me, gave me a stuffed toy for each of three legs, helped mom when she needed to make bottles for me, fed us before everyone else and in stages so mom or Appa could hold me while the other ate, let me cruise up and down the aisles (I loved this), let me go up and down the stairs (yes it was a very big plane) a bunch of times when everyone else was sleeping, and the biggest perk...they gave my my very own bassinet to sleep in (which mom and Appa especially liked).

The world is a big place. But family and loved ones can be found everywhere. Thank you God for mom and Appa and family hugs.

One and a quarter years old!

This has been a fun and interesting month. I survived a flood. Actually I didn't know it was really happening much aside from seeing the river outside the back gate that usually isn't there; for the most part it meant quite a few days of not being able to go to the park.

Mom says I became a much more stable walker and have picked up speed. In fact this morning I was on the verge of a trot, but not quite yet.

I like to chase the cats around, and Seng even lets me pet her.

I went a lot of cool places this month. On hikes around town. Up to the mountains (which was pretty but the altitude didn't quite agree with me and I let mom and Appa know via a messy throw up). On my very first train - this was very fun and I liked being outside seeing the trees and mountains go by, but the loud whistle did scare me just a bit. To someplace with a whole bunch of colorful (and not so colorful) fish swimming by at my eye level! There was even an otter and a tiger. Even though the tiger was far away, I could tell she was majestic and a little like my cat Taka at home. I also went to a pretty and warm place that had a whole bunch of butterflies flying around (mom says this was my second time there).

Other babies and kids are pretty fun to hang out with, and I was able to do that quite a bit this month. Sometimes it was at home, sometimes it was at Appa's house, sometimes it was at other homes, and sometimes it was outside.

I like to climb. Mom installed a cool red slide in my room a few days ago, and boy is it fun. Straight away I basically climbed up the slide, which mom thought was funny. And today Karin caught me trying to climb one of the cat perches. And as you already know I like to climb stairs.

I learned how to open the front door. I have gotten better at saying bottle, though mom still says it comes out like "bawall" but she definitely knows what I am saying.

I like to dance and 'headbang' a bit. Especially to music on my new favorite toys - one is a toy intended for kids that plays fun music, and the other is a keyboard that also has an awesome DJ mode where I can press one key (or stand on it, or sit on it) and it will give me a dance beat. I like checking out really big machinery on our street moving dirt around and doing other interesting things. I really like playing with the wood shades in my room - I can climb up on my window seat and open and close them. I also like playing the the "latch board" that mom made for me, especially making the door stops go "bwaaaaang."

Oh and the flute. Have you ever tried playing the flute? Or blowing into something that makes a pretty noise? It is really fun. (As a side note, I also try to blow spiders on the other side of the screen to get them to go away, but I think I need to work on my projection). But back to flutes: I have three that I can play with. One is pretty small and red - very portable but sometimes when I try to blow it I put too much in my mouth and I cover the second hole so it sounds strange. The second one is green and uncle Chris gave it to me - this one is longer but I can play it more easily. The last one is wooden and brown and Native American and came from Taos. It has the best sound, and mom plays a little on it making many more sounds than the one that I make.

I am getting excited about my first international trip to India - we leave in just over one week! Technically speaking this is my third international trip, but the others were in mom's belly so you can decide if they count. As part of the preparation, I have this new cool tent that mom can pack in her suitcase that turns into my bed for naps and sleeping (and keeps the mosquitoes away). Over the past few days I got used to it with napping and one full night (so far). I also get to see my first au pair Nastja in Frankfurt on the way to India - I am excited to see her!

Finally, you should take a good long look at my hair. Because it will be gone in a few weeks. I haven't yet had a hair on my head cut. We are all headed to south India and there I will have this ceremony where they shave my head - no one has ever seen me without any hair because I was even born with hair, so it will be interesting. So long curly locks (at least for a while). I am not quite sure what it will be like in India, but I like the drawing in my UNESCO world book (thanks Sky!) that shows people riding around in rickshaws. It will definitely be pretty different from here and I will get to meet a lot of Appa's family.

Below is a photo collage from my 15th month on earth. Thank you God for this great month.

Definitely a toddler (14 months)

My big news this month is that I can truly walk now. As in, decide I want to go from this side of the room to that side and go straight there. Or see my cat Taka or Seng walking away from me and follow her right across the room. Or I see mom or Appa across the room and go to say hi. Over carpeted floors or wood floors or the deck out back, those are all good. The grass is good too, though that can be a little more uneven sometimes, but it is soft to sit or fall on. When I am out front (say, heading to the park) and on the harder stuff (mom says it is concrete), then I still hold onto mom's hand. Anyway, I am pretty sure that this definitely makes me a toddler now.

I am leaving all of that baby stuff behind (or working on it in some cases, such as slowly letting go of the habit of my bottle). Speaking of bottle, I try to say it sometimes, though for some reason mom thinks it comes out 'baa'.

In other big news, I took my very first airplane ride this month! I don't exactly understand all that goes on, but it is definitely a big production, and there are all kinds of new and interesting things to check out. Like the tray table (it goes up and down!). Or the person behind me (I can hide behind mom, then pop my head up with a big smile!). Or the ipad of the lady sitting next to us (unfortunately mom stopped this pretty quickly). Definitely an interesting event is going up and down the aisle and making a ton of new friends (especially the little and young kind, but sometimes the old kind who make fun faces). Mom had the trip logistics worked out well - carrying me in the Ergo pack on her front, the backpack carry-on on her back (with lots of new toys and food), and then a rolling suitcase in one hand and the car seat in another! Oh and the pacifier around her neck completed the ensemble. It turns out I did well going up and down in altitude and my ears didn't hurt. Overall, a success!

Mom says that the trip itself was to Oregon (flying to Portland, then driving down to Corvallis) for my great uncle Warren's 95th birthday. I hope I live to be that age someday - that would be a little under 95 TIMES my age (when you are one, math is pretty easy. I think it gets more tricky when the numbers get bigger). He was the oldest Hovland and I was the youngest Hovland at the party! It was fun to meet him and a whole bunch of my relative from my grandpa's side, most of whom I hadn't met before. I met a cousin who was just a little bit older than me, and another who was really fun and shared her dragons with me.

Oregon was where I really went from taking a few tentative steps to being able to move across the room. About a week later, I figured out how to get up on my own in the middle of a room (it is a little down-dog move, followed by a squat, and then I am up!). Mom and Appa think it is really cute. For me, it is just part of my increased freedom.

If you remember, I like to play a bunch. It is a good thing to remember to do throughout life. My new favorite things are to play around and through Karin's or mom's legs,  to open and close the wood blinds in my room, and to try to crank the shade out back. A continued favorite is to hide around a post (or mom) and peak out and say hi! And of course to crawl around with mom or Appa, to play with running water in the sink, or to play with anything shiny. Sometimes little friends will come over play too. One time I even pushed my little friend around the room using the push toy (we took the blocks out so she could have a seat).

We rounded out the month with a trip up into the mountains where I got to taste a wild raspberry, crawl around some rocks, go on a pretty long hike to a remote lake (mom says we made it to Booth Lake!) in the Gore range, walk on cobblestones, hang out with some good friends (including little B), and play in some cool playgrounds.

Ayamma left Colorado (on her way back to India) this month, so I will see her in October when I get to take my first international trip!

Thank you God for this month, this day, and this moment.

One year plus one month

So being over a year old is a pretty big deal. Mom thinks back to a year ago when I was just a little baby and I had to figure out how to eat and sleep and hold my head up and hold on to things - even smile. A lot has changed, and I love life. 

Have you ever had a time when you were trying to explain something to someone but they didn't quite understand you? It is like they are listening in a different language. Well that is sort-of my boat these days. I (mostly) understand what mom or Appa or Karin are saying, but they don't quite get what I am saying. Luckily, there are a lot of ways beyond verbal that we can communicate. Like when I crawl in to the hallway and mom is still inside my room saying "Where's Kavi? I wonder where he went" - I crawl back around the corner and it is a happy reunion. Or I have taken to pointing a lot to where I want to go, and this moves the communication along very well (except there are sometimes when I don't get taken to where I want to go and this can get a little frustrating). There is also this cool thing where I can do something with my hands and it is like a language! Like when I want more of something (say, green puffs or strawberries or blueberries - can you say YUM?).

I take each day as it comes. I try new things, I explore the world, I play with sounds, and I laugh. One of the really fun things to do is to play with my big dog Mopy - he is very very soft and it is fun to roll around on him, crawl over him, and belly flop on him after I walk a few steps to him. 

Speaking of steps and walking. As you know, right before my first birthday I took my first few steps. I am still pretty tentative about them. But I progressed to taking eight in a row (after Appa moved back). Though I still prefer to hold mom or Appa's hand while walking around.

The rest of my birthday trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons was pretty great. There were beautiful flowers and mountains, and friends to play with too. The only not so good parts were when I had a little fever for a bit, and then when I ate something that didn't agree with me (and made me throw up on a hike). At least I had a change of clothes ready after that one.

This month I also traveled in the mountains in Colorado quite a bit - mom says the places were called Estes Park, Mount Princeton hot springs, and Copper Mountain. It was a bit of a whirlwind time, but I got to put on my first (and mom says very cute) suit to attend a wedding. I also went on my very first ski lift ride, which gives you really good views and has a handle to hold onto that is just my size (of course Appa held on to me tightly as well).

Aside from these adventures, the month was full of hanging out with grandpa and grandma, ayyamma and chitappa, and Karin; playing and going to the park (I can climb the stairs on the little kid's play gym and like the slide, in addition to, of course, the swings); and hanging out with some other little people that are my size.

Thank you God for life and for today. Below is a photo collage of my month.

P.S. Check out the cool green shirt from Brasil that Karin brought me!

Can you believe it, one year old!

Today I turned one year old. Actually mom says it is in a little bit, since I was born at 10:43 pm.  I am celebrating it up in the Tetons - in fact today we were on a very beautiful hike (toward Table Mountain). I also had a birthday celebration a few days ago with lots of family and friends at a park. This included tasting my first cake, though I didn't actually like the chocolate cupcake and spit most of it out (maybe I will grow to like this, we will see).

Life is pretty amazing. Every day you can learn something new. And if you try new things with your body you will probably be able to do something new too. One example from just a week ago (mom says I was 51 weeks old): I was standing at my mirror having fun (moving out of the way and then popping up to say hi to my reflection), and then I decided to move on over to my changing table, but it looked sooo close so I just went for it! About a minute later I was standing at my changing table and mom was just a few steps away holding her arms out and encouraging me, so I went big and took my first few steps! And then five minutes later I tried again into mom's arms, and I took four steps. It was a big thing and yet it was gradual at the same time, just a natural transition that comes from trying new things all of the time (of course encouragement and congratulations makes it fun too).

This month I started doing a bunch of new things. Like I can clap now (sometimes making noise), and I understand 'good job' and clap whenever mom or Appa or Karin say it. I have been waving for a while, but I am getting better at it, and even wave back to strangers that are saying hi (like the other day at Old Faithful).

I like to play a lot. Of course sometimes this is with toys, but most of the time it is with people. Like when Appa or Karin chase me around the living room table - I can move really quickly around it and try to catch them (on occasion I do!). I play by moving my head way to the right and then back up straight, imitating Karin. I like it a bunch when mom chases me around by crawling. I also love laughing. Who doesn't? I suggest everyone try to laugh every day. Another thing that is just plain fun is jumping. On couches or in my crib. I will work on finding other fun places for this. And sometimes the play is with sounds. I like to almost-talk a bunch (with sounds that are hard to imitate), but can almost banter back and forth with 'arhhh'.

I like penguins, and generally animals that like the cold. Mom thinks this is pretty funny since she likes snow-related things so much (maybe it is in the blood?). In the animal book when we get to the page with a polar bear and penguins, I give the penguins a 'kiss' - right now this kind of looks like me tasting them, but mom figured out I am giving them a kiss. Water animals aren't super exciting, so I pass by that page pretty quickly. Of course I still love cats.

This month I spent my first night outside in a tent! It was a little cold, but I think I did pretty well. There was also a fire there, and I really like watching flames. We went on a few hikes and saw pretty mountains and a neat gem of a lake. I even tried tasting pine needles!
 
I have quite a few teeth (seven as of a few days ago), and two new teeth are coming in as we speak (because of this I have a little fever so I went to bed early tonight). But most of the time these teeth are allowing me to do new things like chomp down on a strawberry (yum!).

As you know, I like water. Splashing in the bath, or running my hands through water in the faucet. But especially when Appa dips my feet into a running river (in Yellowstone) - that makes me smile a lot (see the middle picture below).

Mom says I am a toddler now because I am one year old. A lot of new and beautiful things are sure to be in store for me in the coming year. Thank you mom and Appa and God for my life!

My 11th month

My eleventh month was pretty great. It's pretty neat how from one day to the next the changes are so gradual, but when you look back on the month they can be dramatic.

There were the big things. Like I can CRAWL now - cool right? Mom thought I might skip the crawling bit altogether, but in the end I did decide to crawl before walking. I think back on a few months ago when mom would put me on my stomach and I would get upset or maybe pike forward on my feet and worm forward. Crawling is definitely a much more efficient way to get around. And it is really fun to decide where you want to go and make it happen. Like across my bedroom to the crib, or across the living room floor to get to the cat.

Of course I still love moving on my feet best. I can cruise pretty fast, now from my room down the entire hallway into the living room and around the room. I am moving faster and faster; even tonight I wanted to just walk across the room. Pretty soon I am going to just go for it. I've watched other kids to it, and I checked out the walking illustrations in my Everywhere Babies book quite a few times, so I think I am pretty ready. Plus my thighs keep getting stronger.

I have been 'talking' more this month too. This morning I tried to say 'book' though I admit that it came out a little like 'buh' but mom knew what I meant (and was excited). In return, I get super excited when she picks my favorites. This month there is an awesome book from the library called Ten Tiny Babies, but the best one by far is the book with two cats in it called Miaow (this is the Indian spelling of Meow). Appa brought this book (among many) home from Tamil Nadu when he visited in April - it has letters that mom can read and a pretty script that neither of us can read (yet), and it has a great story about two cats - one black and one white. This reminds me of my own two cool CATS (one which is black and white), who I love to watch a bunch. I can kind-of say 'Taka' by saying 'Aja', and now that I can crawl around, I have fun trying to get to their tails (though they are pretty spry).

So from my pictures you may have noticed that my hair is getting longer. Not one hair on my head has been cut yet, and it won't be until October (after I am at least a year old, well actually I will be 15 months old by then). I am going on a trip way around the world to southern India (via Frankfurt - by the way, hi Nastja!), and there will be this ceremony where I get my hair shaved. That's what mom says that Appa says. Anyway, as a result, my new 'do is to wear headbands. This keeps my hair out of my face, but especially makes me look like a rock star (or a tennis player).

I have been somewhat adventurous on the food front this month, tasting all kinds of things. I love raspberries! They are just the perfect consistency for me to chew, besides tasting yummy. I don't love all things - my first taste of asparagus wasn't so great, but I suppose mom will keep trying another 10 or 15 times and then I might like it, who knows. I also drink from a bigger bottle now, which means that I can drink more in one sitting, and that I can drink it much faster.

The weather really has been perfect. Which makes me happy because that means that we get to go to the park almost every day and SWING a bunch. Or go on a hike after mom gets home from work, where there are beautiful views of big mountains far away and colorful flowers along the way. Or even take a bath OUTSIDE, which is just great. Or eat dinner outside next to the waterfall, and you know I love the sound of falling water. Being outside also allows me to look UP, which means I might see a fast bird flying by, or the wind rustling the trees, or even a rainbow (like last night). Of course inside has its own fair share of interesting things up high, like whirling FANS, lights (that I can turn on and off with the pull of a chain), or a tinkling wind chime.  

We also had a good trip (with mom, Appa, and Karin) up in the mountains near Breckenridge. There was a gently flowing stream that sparkled, a rushing stream that had a chaotic but calming sound, a lot of bright and soft snow (good thing I had my cool sunglasses for the snowshoe trip, even though sometimes they got annoying and I wanted to take them off), high mountains, and new friends. Oh and a hot tub, I almost forgot - this was super cool because Appa kept blowing bubbles and you couldn't help but laugh.

Ayamma came back from India for the summer, so at the end of every week I get to go hang out with Appa and Ayamma, which is fun. I also get to hear a lot more Tamil spoken when I am there, and that is good. 


Finally, I spend a lot of time at home with Karin, who is awesome. She just makes me laugh, hiding behind things or tickling me. She takes me swinging, sings to me in Portuguese, and makes me good food. She even builds up blocks for me because she knows I love to knock them down.


Here is a photo collage of my 11th month on this beautiful earth. Thank you God for everything.

(when you hear from me next, I will be one year old!)

My 10th month

Today I turned ten months old. Pretty cool - two digits! Oh and I have a few books that now go up to ten too, which is quite a bit further than five.

I really like to move, and am getting better at it. For example, there was this time when I pretty much just stood up at my changing table, holding on. Now I can cruise left and right along it, make the reach over to my crib (which has very convenient slats to hold onto), and move along it. It is especially fun when mom puts little plastics eggs (which I love!) behind a slat for me to get, or a little duck. Oh speaking of the duck, it has this little hole that means that it gets filled with water in the bath, and then it comes out a little when I shake shake shake it - awesome!

But back to the crib. So I found out that I can move along the crib and around the corner and get to a little wall (Mopy my big stuffed dog hangs out above this, so I can grab at him a bit). I learned how to palm along the wall - of course mom covered up the enticing outlet but that is okay because at the end of the wall is a bunch of books at floor level! Yay! You know I like books a lot so I like to sit there and pull them out of the box (speaking of which I got a cool set with opening flaps from my second cousins this month). Sometimes mom sits with me and we read one right on the floor.

If I get bored though the next thing to stand up near is really quite fun - it is a moving chair! It glides back and forth, but I can hold onto it (mom says it looks like I am dancing). Sometimes I sneak into the corner and get the magnets, which are really very interesting things. But usually I head from there to the couch, which is just my height. After that, if mom doesn't let me play with the fan, comes the dresser that has cool hand holds that face down or sideways (mom says they look like underclings). I generally always try to reach up, but the dresser is not really fulfilling because there isn't much to grab. After that I get to the closet, which I can palm along, and then I get to my really cool wooden box plaything with a bunch of fun moving parts and wires on the top that have wooden pieces I can move around. I love this thing and spend part of every day here (mom gave it to me on Easter). At first when I tried to use it to pull up it would tend to fall over, so mom attached it to the ceiling in a clever way using her climbing gear and slings (she was excited to use a butterfly knot, girth hitch, a figure eight, and a few half hitches). And voila, I made it three quarters of the way around the room. With mom's help (holding two or sometimes one of her hands) I can then walk to changing table, completing my circuit.

Oh speaking of butterflies, have you ever seen them? They are beautiful and move around in lovely ways. Mom took me to a place with a whole bunch of them flying around and I liked it a bunch. I tried to catch some but they are very fast.

This month I learned some cool things. Like dancing to music, or even when the music isn't there. It's catchy if you try it. I learned how to push myself up to sitting from lying on my back (first I pike up using my stomach muscles then just as it gets too hard I roll to the right and put my right hand down to push myself up the remaining way) - mom thinks it is really cute, though it makes changing my diaper more challenging. I continued to learn better how to pick up foods and eat them. I like to do this when everyone else is eating. Oh and I drank from a real cup too! Like a big kid, well not quite as mom held the glass and tipped it, but it was just an open glass and looked like ones everyone else uses.

I got out hiking and snowshoeing quite a bit this month. Places up high that are sunny and snowy with beautiful mountains (and places that burned mom's face but not mine because I was super protected). I got to ride in a new backpack that was on mom's back (instead of the pack on her front that I've been in before). Places down low that are warm and have dirt trails and other dogs and people on them. One one of these hikes Appa let me sit on his shoulders which was really fun - I could reach his mouth if I leaned over, or could pat his head.

There were lots of other meetings with family and friends (both big ones aka mom's friends and small ones aka my baby friends). All in all a wonderful month.

Here is a photo collage of my tenth month on this beautiful earth. Enjoy!

Nine months old!

I am three quarters of a year old! Earlier this month, mom took me to see a friend who had a tiny newborn baby, so I was able to show her how much I have done in my life and how much I have grown. Even though I was pretty amazing and cute when I was born, I still just hung around a bunch, slept a lot, nursed often, and you even had to hold my head whenever you moved me around. Now I am a real little guy and can show the world my personality.

I love to stand - at my changing table shelf, holding onto my crib slats, in the living room holding onto the open drawer or the metal handles on the entertainment center, on the kitchen counter ringing the beautiful chimes or opening and closing the cabinets (but for some reason not being allowed to pull the plant apart), holding onto the new wooden cube toy I got for Easter, ... well you get the picture. Standing and moving around is fun, and I can even pull myself up to standing (I started this almost a month ago, and now it is pretty easy - I can even do it from my knees). I can move back and forth along something (or around the wooden cube). I can also 'walk' a bit if you hold my hands. Just don't put me on my stomach and leave me there - I really don't like to pike-push myself along the floor on my tummy, even if the wooden blocks or the empty Easter eggs are out there to entice me.

Books are pretty great things. There are all kinds of pretty pictures, good stories, and mom makes a bunch of fun sounds when reading them (whoooshhh goes the wind, baaaa goes the sheep). I especially love the part in Goodnight Gorilla where the lights go out and all the animals say goodnight, and then the woman opens her huge eyes in the black night and realizes that there is a gorilla in her bed! This makes me go 'aaarrhhh' and enjoy it. The book with the fuzzy farm babies and things to touch is also pretty cool - I guess pigs go 'oink', but the fuzzy hair is the best part. And if you give me one of those silly books that isn't cool, I'll let you know right away - I will just push it away.

I can communicate waaaaay more than I could back when I was born. I can push my bottle away when I am done. I can hold my hands up when I want to be picked up (mom especially likes this). I will smile at you when you come in the door. I am working on waving goodbye - mom waves goodbye when she leaves; I am starting to hold my hand up and move a few fingers and this gets a good reception - sometimes I even do a 'baa' sound, kind of like bye-bye, which gets an even better reception. I will hold one hand out when I want to walk over from one thing to the next, or just get closer for cuddling. I can raise my arms up when things are exciting. I can do my version of 'talking' (which may sound like babbling), but I can vary my intonation, repeat a varying tone back, and get loud when I think things are really fun. And I can also laugh. 

Speaking of laughing, there are a few things that just make me crack up. The things that we have known for a while include blowing raspberry kisses on my tummy, those spots on my thighs, and the bottoms of my feet. What I let everyone know this month was that I think snow flying off of a shovel is basically hilarious - especially when grandpa does it and then tries to eat the snow. I get everyone going with a good strong laugh. The other thing that is crazy funny is when Appa throws things up in the air and lets them come down - balls of course, but even better is Easter eggs.

Easter was pretty special this year. Of course it was my first ever, but I also got all dressed up (in a white silk outfit complete with a bow tie), there were a bunch of friends and family there, and then at church I got to get up in front of everyone and get water poured over my head three times (mom says this is baptism). There was a nice running fountain of water (which you know I love) and I was anointed with nice smelling chrism. It was beautiful, and then we had a party afterwards to celebrate.

We also got outside this month, which I like quite a bit. Mom says I look cool in my sunglasses too - I just like that it is easier to check things out along the way. On one hike it was snowy, but the sky was clear (as an aside, I really enjoy watching snow fall, though normally this is from inside). Appa and mom and I stopped near a tree and I tried some of the snow (with their help), which was cold but somewhat interesting. The neat part was when you pulled on the branch it moved a bunch (I like to pull on anything that is hanging) - this was fun for a while, until the point when I let go and the branch sprayed me with a bunch of snow!

I hung out a lot with my new au pair Karin this month and she is really great. Sometimes she sings to me in Portuguese, sometimes we go outside to the park and SWING, and all of the time we have fun playing together. Today she even picked up some cool new books at the library, including one that looks like a truck.

I rounded out the month with visits to friends and family. Mom had a birthday party, Appa's friends had good authentic Chinese food, my friend B had his first birthday party, my baby friends had a party (we all lined up for a picture again, but now we all know how to sit so we didn't squish each other like the last time), and I met some other friends of mom and Appa.

Here is a photo collage of my ninth month on earth!

My eighth month

Yes it's true, I like to do things generally on time. You may recall that I came into this world on my due date. And now, are you ready? I have two, count-em, TWO front bottom teeth (mom says this is following the teething timeline). Right now they are still pretty small, and I don't like to show them off too much, but if you stick your finger in my mouth you can definitely feel them. Actually, they weren't that big of a deal, I didn't cry through the night or anything. We will see how the others go, but so far so good!

So one of my favorite places to hang out is standing up holding onto the shelf of my changing table. It is the perfect height for me - just below armpit height. That means I can grab on easily, play with all of the fun tubes (especially the smaller ones that I can even 'palm' and pick up), and then relax by leaning on the shelf with my arm. Mom hangs out behind me, which is nice for the occasional time when I get too excited and grab a tube with both hands and then kinda loose my balance just a bit. Mom also seems excited when I move my feet around a bunch to support myself, either holding on, moving along, or on the way to the shelf. The other day I tried to put my foot up on the lowest shelf (sort of like climbing), but I don't quite understand how to step up (that was another good time when mom was there behind me).

This month was full of quite a few transitions. As you know, my first au pair Nastja left a month ago, so instead I hung out with a huge range of people this month, and sometimes that included cool little people just like me! There was Appa, and grandma and grandpa, W and little L (my age!), new B with interesting facial hair and new music, A and little B (my age again!), and friend V too. Adjusting to new and changing people took a little while (especially figuring out how to sleep different places), but it all worked out pretty well. The exciting news now though is that my new au pair Karin arrived from Brazil (or is it Brasil?) just two days ago. We are already getting along well - I love when she hides behind something and then comes out to say hi!

Another transition that is still in process is moving from three (short) naps to two (longer) naps. Some days I am pretty good at this, even sleeping for 2 or 2.5 hours. Other days, not so much - on those days I try to make it, but when mom comes home I sometimes fall asleep drinking a bottle. Usually I muster up a second wind to play a bit (and READ, yay!).

Oh, I just brought up reading and got excited. So in the morning, mom comes in (just after I wake up), there is this business of taking off the jammies and getting a new diaper on, and then comes the bottle. However, I usually get distracted by the books that are so nearby! Fun, colorful, and interesting. Llama llama wakey wake is the first of course. I have a bunch of favorites (I let mom know when she picks one I am not too interested in). I really love "On the night you were born" with the beautiful polar bears dancing on the front (mom says they are dancing all night for me!) (ps thanks Kathie and Walt!). There is this one new book that has two different words for the same thing (mom says it is English and Spanish, so she gets to learn new words too, like papalote).

Finally, a few weeks ago we went on a trip, mom says it was to Taos. I remember seeing a rushing river up close, and that was beautiful. There was a gorge that we walked down to get to the river which mom liked and I did too (of course on the way up I slept a bit). I had a bit of trouble sleeping in the new place, but mom tried out sleeping with me in her bed for the first time, and Appa held me for a long time too. We also went to a hot springs on the way back, which was fun, but mom says she left her camera there by accident - she recently got it back in the mail.

Here is a collage from this month (note: this is updated from earlier to include pictures from our Taos trip)

My seventh month

Most of the books I have only go up to five (in fact some just go up to three, but those also have crinkly pages so that makes up for the paucity of numbers), but mom says that after five comes six and then seven. Which makes me seven months old! By the way, I really love books, especially Everywhere Babies, Goodnight Gorilla, and Peek a Who?

Lots happened this month.

Mom says I keep getting stronger. I guess this is because I went from sitting okay but a little wobbly and definitely needing the boppy behind me to catch my falls, to now when I hardly ever need it. Or because when I bounce in the bouncy chair by pushing my legs out and coordinating with my body the entire thing starts to jump off the ground (I forgot to mention last month that I am a bounce bounce bouncer!)  Or because I roll around a bunch - last week it was to reach one of my favorite toys (can you say cool black rectangular thing? aka phone?), but now I just do it a bunch to get all kinds of things (like the container of massage oil!). Or because I can kind of stand up when holding onto something (not mom). I am pretty much just having fun, but sometimes this means that I get clapping and "great job Kavi" from mom or Appa.  

For almost my entire life (meaning about 5.5 months), I slept in this little bed (that mom loved and was pretty convenient, as it was right next to her on her bed at night). I kept getting taller though, and my arms were a little constricted and my head was getting pretty close to the end too. So I moved to a bigger location to sleep where I could extend my arms straight out from my body and take up a bunch of space (ahhh). This, though, was a short transition to...(are you guessing?)... my very own room! Doctor's 'orders' to help me sleep longer, so we tried it out and I like it. Now my bed is really big and I can sleep on my side if I like, or roll around a lot. Normally I at least rotate 180 degrees in the night, and sometimes more. The very first night, there was this attempt to change things up including taking away my pacifier, but I set things straight on that after a few hours. Mom says that my new sleep habits (while not perfect) are much better and we all get to sleep more!

Another big thing that happened this month is that my great au pair Nastja left and went back to Germany. I will miss her quite a lot. She was really fun to play with, and I liked her Russian singing and fun sounds and silly faces. I will have to visit her someday. I have a new au pair name Karin from Brazil who will get here in about a month - so far I have just seen her on a bright rectangular screen, and I am looking forward to when she gets here in person!

Something I have been paying a lot of attention to is this thing called talking. I have my own version, but I found that communicating in the same way others do is beneficial. So I am working on expanding my repertoire beyond "bbbbb' and 'hhhhmmmm' to include 'bwabwabwa.' My grandpa mentioned that it almost sounds like Barbara Walters, but I don't know who that is. It is also fun to play back and forth with mom or Appa changing my intonations. For now, I will keep observing and trying new things.

Below is a collage of my seventh month on earth:

My half birthday!

Today I turn six months old. My half birthday! Mom says that the time is going quickly. I just take each day as it comes. For me, that generally starts when the sun comes up.

A pretty big thing that happened this month was that now I get to sit in a new white chair and mom or Appa or Nastja put strange tasting things in my mouth using a little spoon. At first they all taste pretty strange, but after a few days I can really get used to some of them. Like apples or pears. Some things I like right off the bat, like bananas (can you say YUM?) and sweet potatoes. Appa says that eating a perfectly ripe banana strikes a cord deep inside of you. A few things like oatmeal and carrots mom has to sneak in between the yummier foods. But generally it is pretty interesting. I like sitting up higher with everyone at the table too. I still prefer bottles of milk though (warm ones of course).

Speaking of bottles, about a week or two ago I found out that it is interesting to play with them. They have something inside of them that moves when you pass it from one hand to another. I haven't yet figured out how to get milk from them, but mom says pretty soon I probably will. For now, I just like the feel of the cool and smooth material on my gums.

I like playing games. Peek-a-boo is one of my favorites - Nastja plays it with me in the living room behind a wood pole, and mom plays it behind a curtain in the bathroom. I also like seeing what is around the corner or around mom or Appa. I like banging on my new drum that uncle Chris gave me. And of course jumping. I'm a jump, jump, jumper. Mom says my legs (and body) are getting a lot stronger. In the morning we play first in bed, then when I get changed for the day (in my room) there is this pretty (and turquoise!) cloth wall hanging (that mom says came from Africa - not sure where that is yet, but I am going to find out some day) and mom lifts me up and on the way down we see and say 'sky-mountain-tree-giraffe-elephant-baby elephant-grass-soil.'

Oh that reminds me - I saw a real elephant a few days ago! I had heard a lot about elephants and seen a whole bunch in my room and on the walls and on my clothes, but I didn't realize that they were so big and strong. They have really long trunks that can sometimes make loud noises when they want something (like to see their friend). The one at the zoo was inside - I look forward to seeing more outside when it is summer time. I actually was more interested in the monkeys because they were jumping around a lot from branch to branch.

This month I mastered the art of playing with my pacifier and putting it into my mouth. This helps me sleep a bit better, though I still wake up during the night a bit - mom says these are the 'light sleep' phases that I need to learn to sleep through. 

I have found that laughter begets laughter. Appa will start it with a 'ju ju ju' that makes me smile and then giggle, and then both mom and he join in. It is a lovely game really.

There were more beautiful lights this month, counting in many ways. Even though it is the darkest of months by some accounts. The lights that I saw included tiny white lights on a tree that appeared in our living room several weeks ago. There were colored lights on a second smaller tree in the kitchen. There were blinking white lights outside our house. Mom said that there were a lot of other lights on the street too. Then there was a really interesting kind of light that actually moved! It flickered and sometimes changed slightly different colors. We had four of these on the living room table that were lit one by one throughout the month. There were a bunch of trees with white lights when we went to a beautiful place with a lot of singing and people. Finally, there was the Light that was brought into this world, which we celebrated in many ways.  

One of those ways included unwrapping presents. I like crinkly things (be they wrapping paper or toys with crinkly arms or an empty diaper wipe container). There were many opportunities to crinkle paper and tissues on the day of Light. And there were also a few fun things for me, including a big, squishy, incredibly soft big dog (from Nastja) that we are going to name Mopy and two new outfits with my first hoodies! One had black ears on the hood (mom says this is super cute), and the other has turquoise in it (yay!). These were put into immediate use.

I went on my first snowshoe trip on white stuff through nice smelling trees, though I am not walking yet so I was carried by Appa. Mom put three layers on me, including my fuzzy fleece sleep sack on the outside (which I thought was for sleeping, but mom was excited when she thought of it to use as an outer layer for me). We made it up to a pretty lake (called something to do with 'brain') surrounded by beautiful mountains. I even got to eat up (and out) there, which made me happy. Of course I slept on the way back.

Mom says it is a new year. We are all excited to see what every precious day will bring.