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.

My fifth month!

Turquoise is my color, at least that's what my mom says. This month I saw a pretty lake that was turquoise (mom says it was called Hanging Lake), and there was this neat waterfall feeding the lake that made pretty cool splashing sounds. Take a look at the picture with Appa (my dad) in the middle below - and also note the fun turquoise dog hat I have on. See, cute, right? Oh and splashing sounds I found out are both cool to hear and really fun to make. My first time in a pool (it was pretty hot actually, and a little salty to boot), I figured out how to splash with my hands and make the fun sounds. Later that night my mom was giving me a massage and talking about our day, and she made the fun verbal sounds of 'splish splash', which as it turns out are also fun to say, so I had to just laugh.

But back to colors. I also think orange is pretty cool. I have this one cozy orange shirt that my mom tells me says "Daddy's little turkey." I wore it on this one day where we drove for a bit, and then were at a house (which I am pretty sure I had been to before) where a ton of people were (mom says more than two dozen, but I haven't learned to count that high yet). We hung out for a bit, then I got to eat, then everyone got in a circle and held hands and talked about being thankful, and then everyone else ate for a long time.

Brown definitely has its place though (beyond just going well with orange). As a backdrop, it is beautiful, especially when it is made of millions (maybe billions, but I definitely haven't learned to count that high yet) of tiny particles, which mom calls sand. We drove for a longer time than the thanks-giving day drive, and spent some time hiking and being around big sand dunes. Mostly I slept while being carried up the dune by Appa, but at the top (okay, two-thirds of the way to the bigger top), I got out and was able to kick my feet in the sand. This felt good. No wonder there are all these sand boxes around town at parks!

So if you know me, you know that I like lights. Looking at small ones and colored ones, looking at strings of them, or single ones. There was one night this month where I was at a party at Appa's house for the festival of lights (mom tells me it is called Diwali). Naturally, the light part I liked a lot. The part I didn't like so much was the incense. Everyone hopes I get used to this, so they don't have to cuddle me outside in the cold when it smells too strongly of incense inside.

Now another thing that you probably know if you know me is that I like to swing. In the sari swing for sure and in the electric swing that has circling elephants on top of it. What I found out this month is that there are swings outside! They are really relaxing. And mom says we are having a warm fall - on the second of December we were outside at the park and it was 60 degrees. She says this is unusually warm; I like that we can go to the nearby park and swing!

When we went on my first big trip (the one to the salty pool near the turquoise lake), mom figured out that Nastja played the piano, so we pulled out the keyboard at home. So now that means I get to hear sounds when I bang my hands. I think this is fun, and who knows where it may lead tomorrow.

I started noticing a few unusual things this month. First, sometimes walls are just walls (relatively plain and boring), but other times they look like me - responding and smiling when I do. These fun walls intrigue me - as I move my hand, so do they. They can be more responsive than some of my baby friends, who look a little stunned when I reach out to them. The other unusual thing I noticed this month has to do with when the sun comes up: at those times (just after waking up and hanging out with mom, nursing and eating), there is a slightly darker version of me on the walls. This isn't quite as similar to me as the responsive wall, but it still moves when I move. It takes on strange shapes sometimes though, and can be on a rounded lamp shade or a flat wall. I'll report back as I learn more about this.

Oh yeah, one of the other things I figured out this month is that people come and go through doors. Sometimes those doors are big ones (like the front door), and I see new people coming in who have been gone for a while. Other times the doors are actually open and are just openings into another space that people use to come and go. Or cats. Coming is much preferred.

Finally, guess what? My name is Kavi! I like it, and I like when mom or Appa or Nastja says it out loud. It makes me smile.

Here is a photo collage of my fifth month that mom put together.

My fourth month!

I had some pretty grand adventures this month. First and foremost, I found my toes - these are way cool! My mom tells me that when she does yoga, they call it "Happy Baby" pose. I just think it is really fun. And you know what? Occasionally I can actually put my toes in my mouth!

Oh wait, actually even better is that I figured out how to push up on my legs and stand for a bit (well, I still need some help to hold on to my mom's hands, or have her hold my body a bit, but I do the pushing up bit). This is so fun - you get to see more than you do from sitting, and a ton more than from lying down. Then sometimes my mom picks me up and lifts me even higher when I push up on my legs. It is really cool.

My mom and dad (appa) took me up high to the continental divide (I think they said it was Trail Ridge Road). They pointed out some cool mountains in the distance (Long's Peak?), but I can't quite see that far yet, so I will have to take their word for it. Truth be told, it was a little chilly up there, especially getting my diaper changed in the unheated rest rooms. But the big horn sheep were neat, and I heard the elk bugling. Plus, now we have these cushy soft finger puppets at home to play with, and I like those a bunch.

I went to a pumpkin patch on a beautiful fall day, and there were a bunch of big orange things about my size that mom sat me up against. It gets a little confusing because sometimes mom calls me 'pumpkin,' but I think that was what she called the big orange things too.

Oh and there was this very cool party with a ton of other little faces (and bodies) like mine - us little ones were doing pretty great being carried around for most of the party, but then there was this time where our parents sat us up in a line against a couch. Apparently we looked absurdly cute, but some of us (well, most of us) haven't learned to sit straight yet, so when one started leaning, then the rest followed suit. It was actually pretty funny if you weren't sandwiched in the middle (I wasn't).

During many days (the weekdays my mom says), Nastja takes care of me for much of the day. While I still really love my swing (and taking naps in it), we get out for long walks often, take baths every few days, and play a bunch. She even made me a snowman with a carrot nose and twig arms when it snowed! Mom comes home for lunch almost every day and we play a bit. And Appa comes over every day to play with me too. A lot of his words sound a little different (mom says they are Tamil), and I think this means something pretty cool for me in the future.

Oh yeah, there is this other great thing I figured out - I get a massage every night, and I think all I have to do is smile and laugh sometimes when my mom is massaging the bottoms of my feet or my thighs. Done deal!

Ok, finally there was this pretty weird adventure a few days ago. About a week ago, my mom and friends carved those big orange things and lit some candles to put in them. Then it was my turn to go to the changing table and put on a new outfit. Which apparently was a ridiculously cute one that matched animals that are a theme in my room - I think my mom said it was an elephant (not quite sure what those are yet, but I am definitely finding out some day).

I like being four months old! Here is a collage that mom put together:

Kavi's third month!

Today Kavi turns three months old. It is so beautiful to see him growing. He is a very happy kid. Every morning when I wake up with him, after hearing him squirm a little and trying to get out of his swaddle, each of these mornings when I move my face in front of him he looks at me with his big dark eyes and long eyelashes and gives me a killer smile. When I free him from his swaddle, his arms are up! And then he knows it is time to get up. After nursing (and following up with a bottle), he starts his cute playful sounds, gives me his big big smiles, and lately pushes up on his legs, which turn into big jumps (aided by my arms).

We celebrate the many many firsts of life. His first real smile (around 5 weeks old), followed by many many more. Kavi's first laugh (when he was 2.5 months old) was so fun. Yesterday morning as I was changing him into his clothes for the day, playing with him, and giving him a kiss on his tummy, he gave me the best reward - more laughs that are just so cute. Huh-huh-huh and his head goes back a bit. Kavi's first rollover (at 4 weeks!) was fun (and unexpected) - now with months of practice when he is put on his tummy he flips almost instantly (he hasn't learned to roll back to front yet). There was the first time he wore pants, and the first time he wore shorts. His first restaurant (at least I made it half way through the sandwich before heading out to nurse). The first time he was in the carrier face-out, ready to observe the world and dance along with the African singing class (Tu Man Ge Le!). The first time he slept for 6 hours straight (luckily around Week 7 of his life). The first time he grasped the ring on his play gym, and the first time he shook his rattle. His first hike (near NCAR), and the second, and third, and fourth, and ...

A friend once said that you always think that your children are the cutest at that very moment, and I have found it to be true. When Kavi was born he was the most beautiful and cute and handsome kid. And every day since then he gets cuter (I may be biased).

In his third month, Kavi has gone from his first sitting in the bright blue Bumbo chair, his head a little wobbly to sitting in it comfortably (sometimes relaxed with his arms on the sides like an arm chair). In his three little months, Kavi has found his hands, and gone from moving them at random to now 'considering' things as he clasps his hands, or purposely sucking on them to self soothe. He now reaches for my face, finding a nose or a cheek. He follows things smoothly. You can almost see the connections being made in his brain, as you present him with a movement pattern for a while, then change it and see his reactions.

We have settled into many fun routines. Bedtime ones and changing ones (singing 'one snap dooown, two snaps to goooo'). Bath-time ones (he loves the sound of running water and getting his hair shampooed). Nursing ones (it really does get much better over time). Reading and singing in the glider at night (we usually start reading with 'Sophie's World' about the history of philosophy, then finish with singing a nature-inspired version of Hush Little Baby). Dancing to favorite songs; some of his favorites are "Feeling good today," "This is the way we make the love grow," and "I am happy" (you guessed it, Snatam Kaur again).

Kavi's au pair Nastja from Germany (and Russia) arrived a few weeks ago, and I have had three days back at work. After a first somewhat rough day (the first time we were ever apart), the next days have gone much better (coming home to see him at lunch time is great!). I get all excited driving home from work, ready to see my little handsome guy. Holding, dancing, nursing, reading, singing, smiling, laughing, and loving await.

Below is a photo collage of Kavi's lovely third month in the world. I thank God every day for Kavi.

Kavi's second month

Today, Kavi turns two months old - here is a photo summary of his second month of life!