Merry Christmas!

First Christmas with the family - all went well, so far. All except the technical difficulties that continue to plague my computer: Now I can't download photos from my mom's chip into my laptop - why? No idea. So, enjoy the family photos here!

People:
Front row:
Kelly Chase (cousin), Lil' Katie Logan (Bernie's daughter), Bernie Logan (cousin), me, Yogesh, Deven (pouting)
Middle row:
Matt Logan (Bernie's son), Nikki Orthner (cousin), Aunt Anne, Mom, Heather, Aunt Ushi, Daadi
Back row:
Troy Logan (photographer, looks a bit wide-eyed b/c he had to run to get into the shot!), Sebastian (Nikki's Significant Other), Carleton Chase, Uncle Joergi, Dad, Tommy, Arthur, Uncle Art (partially hidden), Lauren


Deven & Matt, above; with Matt's sister Katie, below. All the kids were hugged, kissed, and generally pinched because they were oh-so-cute, by all the Aunties and relatives.


It was Daadi's first Christmas with our family - I think she was thrilled to meet more of my family, then amused by our singing carols before we opened gifts. I love Christmas, and I hope Deven grows to love it, too!

What's in a Name? Shoo Flea!

We're at the swings in Dolores Park last Saturday after Baby Boot Camp, and Deven's giggling with every push. Nearby, a dad with a ~ 3 year old girl and tiny infant in a stroller walks up, and starts pushing the girl. At one point he says to the girl "Watch out for Deven!" - and I realize he's talking to his daugher about the infant in the stroller. Soon thereafter he says "Maia, you can push yourself if you want."

Huh. What's so fascinating about this is not that he has an infant named Deven and daughter named Maia, but that if Deven had been a girl we'd have named him Maia, too!

I'm intrigued, so I ask him: Is the infant named Deven? Yes, he says. Is it a boy or girl? Boy. I tell him that the little guy swinging with me is Deven, as well. Yogesh walks up at that point, and the dad asks "Are you Indian?" to Yogesh - because the dad (Western/American) then says that his wife is Gujarati (Indian). Just like us, they wanted to name their children names that worked in both cultures.

We didn't bother the dad further, but maybe we should've. On the way home, I realized that we live in a very special place here in San Francisco, where being a bicultural family is so completely normal, that we randomly met a family whose children are named precisely what we'd name our children. I also realized that our choice of "Deven" for our little guy wasn't so unique after all. I decided this is OK - because great minds think alike.

Now, about our cat, Mr. Idea: He's sitting on top of the cabinets ABOVE the refrigerator. Why? We think it's because he's so bothered by Deven and the general hubub at home, that this is his new hiding place. He's up there all the time lately!
This would be fine, except that last week we noticed a couple of fleas on Deven. Yogesh didn't think this was such a big deal, until our friend Caroline (a friend who's currently in vet school @ UC-Davis) said that the fleas you see are < 5% of the fleas lurking in our home. Ick. After vacuuming like maniacs, putting nasty flea-powder down, and dousing the cat with over-the-counter stuff, we realized that Mr. Idea is still Patient Zero in our fleabag household. Luckily we know Caroline, and she sent the good stuff over: "Advantage" flea control. We promptly applied this to Mr. Idea. He seems better already, but we're watching the house carefully.

8 Months: Wow.

Who do YOU think he looks like? I think he looks like a lot of people in our family! He's standing on his own now (see photo of him SO PROUD of pulling himself up on his crib), babbling like a brook, and almost crawling. Definitely scooting himself around the floor (meaning we can't leave him on the bed unattended any longer).








Today is Deven's 8-month 'birthday' and I can't believe it. I walked in to Daadi's room this morning (where I'd left him @ 6:30am so I could get ready for work), to find him holding his own bottle. When did he learn that? I knew he'd been close to holding his own bottle for a while, but wow. These little guys learn fast!

Wish my brain still grew that fast...but as long as my hips don't, I think we're OK.

Click the "Play" button in the video screen below to see some recent videos!

No Photos?!?

...because the chip we took TONS of good snaps on isn't uploading correctly now! Aah, technology.

I'm reminded of the time my parents had one of those old 110-film cameras. Yeah, the kind where you couldn't tell sometimes if the roll was done or still in use. They developed what they thought was a mostly-blank roll in the late 80's, and found photos taken from the late 70's. We all got a laugh out of the shots of my sister as a toddler (she was a preteen, and I was a teen at the time so any chance to rib her was welcomed).

I hope this chip leads to something like that...NOT that we've just lost all the cute photos of Deven's first Halloween, visit by Laura, etc. etc... :(

Had another business trip to SoCal last Thursday-Friday; missed the little guy terribly. Good news is that again, the TSA was surprisingly pleasant in their understanding of my carryon bag containing liquids while I was sans-bebe. I suppose the breastpump in the x-ray gives it away. :)

My parents are coming out for Thanksgiving - looking forward to having a fun time with them here. Deven's in full-on "PLAY WITH ME NOW" mode (e.g. don't ignore me for a second or I'll scream!)- so Naani's presence will be welcomed.

Snap here was taken on the roof by my friend Chris this weekend. I'd better get back to that Baby Boot Camp more often!

Is it crawling if...

...they're totally up on their hind legs and pushing along, but dragging their lips along the rug & leaving a drool-trail like the cutest slug ever? Or, if they're up on their arms and rolling over to the nearest dangerous-thing to grab hold of and bring it to their mouths?

Deven's firmly @ this stage now. No teeth yet like his little Playgroup buddies, but he sits up, bangs blocks, and has just started the oh-so-cute Peek-a-boo game.

I talk to other non-working moms on occasion and I feel really lucky to be working. Nothing's perfect, but we're OK here.

7 Months Ago...

...I was a new mom. And now Deven is sitting up, cooing and gurgling like a bubbling brook, and grabbing anything within reach to put it in his mouth.


Goodbye, St. Luke's?
I just learned that the hospital where we gave birth, St. Luke's, will no longer offer obstetric care (beginning in '09 I think...that leaves us little time to get busy for #2!)
Homestyle Midwifery, the incredible mom- and baby-centered care that brought Deven into the world naturally, will have to find another home. I could cry...but what did I expect? It's too expensive to offer excellent care to this, the "poorer south side" of San Francisco. Huh.


Work is going well for me, busy but well. Deven has his own room now (the teeny 3rd bedroom); that was harder on us than on him. He is growing SO fast, and I just think back to the hard beginning and am SO glad he came into the world naturally. So much more I could say on other topics, but I don't have time. Work and baby await. *grin*

Oh, photos: Cousin Rachna (Booaji to Deven) visited us from Portland - Deven loved meeting and giggling with his Booaji! Uncle Supreet also visited, and I think the Turbinator scared Deven...he (Deven) kept frowning for a while, until he warmed up (finally!).

What I want for you, Deven Reid Sharma

On the eve of Deven's 6 month birthday, I thought I'd share something I wrote the day he was born. I hope he reads it someday and smiles.

I want you to lead a life that is happy, healthy, and fulfilled.

To be kind, hardworking, creative, passionate, and loving.

To learn how to light up a room when you walk in - in your own way.

To not accept peer pressure when young,
and to battle injustice when older.

To find something - or 2 or 3 or 300 things - that you love and believe in and get passionate about...
and to work hard to improve those things.

Maybe I'm just saying that I want you to succeed at something(s) that you love.

To communicate well...it will take you far.

I want you to learn, and learn, and learn, and love learning.

To travel, adventure, and return to tell me and your dad the stories.

To take calculated risks - whether on your bicycle, or in your portfolio.

To love your cultures and respect others.

To love yourself, and to know that your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles love you very much, too.

Happy Birthday, my son.

- Katherine Reid Sherwood, April 5, 2007

Would you use this Photographer?

The photographer who took our family shots has requested that we allow her to use these 4 photos on her website.

I already said OK; so now the question is - if you saw these photos, would you use her for your family?
:-)
Oh, if you want to see all the photos in color, see this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/krsherwood/DevenFamilyProfessionalPhotos

Hard to believe that was almost a month ago now!

First Bites...and Hello, Uncle Helly!

...yep, Deven has started solids! But if you'd been reading the blog, you knew that already. He's had rice, bananas, and carrots so far - and according to Yogesh, is "definitely a brahmin" because he prefers sweets. Unfortunately, he's also teething...and that means ANYTHING chewable is fair game as a teething toy. Including his 'first food source'...yep, you get the picture. OUCH!

We've had a whirlwind of activity lately. We went to our first kids birthday party (where he got to sit in a big tub full o' beans...yes, lima beans...) this weekend; last weekend we ran in our first 5k with the jogging stroller - the Banana Chase Race (coming in a snail's-pace ahead of a few Bananas); we've had visits from friends Chris, Steve, Nimisha, Gurjeet, Ameya, Supreet, and Danielle; and we've hosted Noah, our share-care-partner, who will start coming over almost full-time in early October.

HELLO UNCLE HELLY!

Yep, Deven finally looks like me; or at least like my side of the family. I can't pinpoint what it was, but I was looking at him about a week ago, and he looked quite a bit like my mom's oldest brother, my Uncle Helly. I laughed when I thought of it - and was quite excited! Too bad he's already outgrown the (6-month-sized) cute outfit that Uncle Helly and Aunt Carolyn sent him.

As you can see from the photos, all's well with Daadi. She and Potaa (grandson) continue to be best friends, and spend their days cooing to each other. Life's pretty good if you're a 5 1/2 month old boy in this household.

Enjoy the video from Deven's Ganapati birthday celebration:


I've got 2 more business trips coming up - and I'm not feeling very well lately (stomach issues-aargh) - so we'll see how things work out with more pumping on the road and such. Wish me luck! :)

Bumble Bee Deven

...haven't had much time to write lately, though there's lots to say. But, Yogesh's company is powering the Transformers movie online, see here for details!





Link:

http://www.transformersmovie.com/suityourself/?movieid=BB4DDDF2-7C13-4FA5-80DA-EAA2BA4415EE

Tough days...(really not THAT tough...)

I know I'm lucky - I have a mom-in-law who gets along well with us, lives with us here, and cooks us nutritious meals...but still: Work days like today are tough. Clients who won't call back (even when they have a good reason to do so); colleagues who are too busy for important planning discussions; horrendous-awful-75-minute-in-nonstop-stop-n-go-commute-traffic-home; followed by all-too-brief time with Deven; and then him falling asleep early (good) but then waking and screaming for 30 minutes at his usual bedtime.

See, we're now trying the cry-it-out method at night, and so far our hearts feel like they've been squished on the floor - it is SO painful to hear him cry. But we know he's not hurt, hungry, or in need of anything other than what he's gotten used to - constant attention, even when he's exhausted & needs to sleep. Daadi, for her part, thinks we're horribly cruel and can't understand why we're doing this; we had a good argument with her this evening about the whole thing. In the end, she respected our wishes (despite her better judgement); Deven finally went down, and has been sleeping since then. I wonder how tonight will end up.

If you didn't check out the photos yorselves, here's my favorite of my sis & Tommy:

My favorite "40th Anniversary Photo" of my parents:
(Given that my dad is 6' tall and my mom only 5'2", I think this is the first time the tops of their heads have been in the same general height-plane, ever!)

...and my favorite "new family" photo:


And a video from a week ago:

Another 'Anniversary': Solids!

Hard to believe that last week marked Deven's 5-month 'anniversary.' Seems just yesterday I was waddling to the restroom in my office every 15 minutes, because I was as pregnant as a small house (without adequate plumbing!). In fact, I'm personally only 10 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight, but things don't fit like they used to. I'm not being an angel about what I'm eating, so I'll have to get better if I want to lose those last few stubborn ones. Too bad I love ice cream.

"Solids" refers to the fact that we offered Deven 1/2 tablespoon-full of mushed-rice-in-breastmilk today, and despite his funny faces, he ate it! He started out spilling about 1/2 of it on himself, and his expressions were priceless - but he kept opening his mouth for more, so I think we're onto something here. :-)

Oh, and if you like the photos (I do) - We got the professional photos back. What do you think? I think Heather & Tommy win the 'highest jumps' awards!

See them all here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/krsherwood/DevenFamilyProfessionalPhotos

Like father, like son

Yogesh found some old photos of himself as a boy when he went back to Delhi to pick up his mom in August - looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree, huh?

In other news, our family photo shoot went very well when my parents & sister were here - check out the results! Note: CLICK THROUGH SOON - the photos won't be available forever on the photographer's website.

Color photos: http://hitomiphotography.com/08.27.07%20Kate%20Color/
Black & Whites: http://hitomiphotography.com/08.27.07%20Kate%20B&W/

Oh, and I think Heather & Tommy win the cutest-subject awards for the jumping shots. :-)

So, which ones do you think my parents will want to buy?

Who's That Boy?

...it's Deven! And today, for the first time, he knows that that Deven is him!

Yep, that's right: Deven now recognizes and responds to his own name. It's pretty cool (and sort of relieving, as we'd been calling him by every nickname except his own for some time...I had harbored a secret fear for some time now, that we'd have a son who honestly believed his name was "Muffin" ...or worse, "Mr. Poopypants.")

Photo is a recent G-rated bath scene, showing that he now no longer needs the 'infant sling' insert in his little tub - rather he enjoys sitting as upright as he can, splashing as much water outside the tub with his little legs as possible.

Updated the Blog look/format today as well - I got bored of the old look; hope you enjoy the new! :-) K

A Stand-Up Kinda Guy

My friend Christie came over as part of her 'home visit' from London- was great to see her! Like me, she's cut her hair since the last time we saw each other (and gotten a promotion & raise - go Christie! But I digress...)

Was nice to spend time with someone from 'pre-Deven' days - though the time we had together was all too short; and punctuated by Yogesh being right about a bottle of wine - it was too sweet.

Invasion of the Schmelatives

This weekend, my sister Heather and hubby Tommy came and surprised my parents by visiting, so we were all in town together. I think my mom's expression when she saw my sister was worth the effort. :-)

Heather instantly turned Deven into a Baby Rocker -

- and found her favorite Noe Valley coffee shop, Martha Brothers (see it behind her/Tommy/Deven in the photo).

She also took the nice shot of Naana Doug & Deven (who share the same initials). Pretty cool, huh?
Monday, we arranged for a family photo shoot with a professional photographer, Hitomi. It was fun to get semi-dressed-up, and then get into different groups for the camera and make silly faces behind the camera so Deven would smile. The photographer took over 500 frames- which @ 12 megapixels, is a lot of data! I can't wait to post the good snaps!


Little Stand-Up

Deven has become quite fond of standing - supported, of course - but standing nonetheless. He also loves 'flying' overhead...and any sort of interaction with my sister (she's earning her reputation as "Favorite Aunt" on a regular basis). He still won't sleep through the night - I guess it's too much to ask, still.

Hope you enjoy the photos and videos of Deven & Daadi!



Videos:

Deven's ABC Adventure

Much more appropriate than the last blog, check out Deven's first book. You can even create your own (of Deven or another child of your choice) at this site...enjoy!

Like a Haryana Buffalo

Daadi Meets Deven

Daadi arrived with Yogesh on Saturday, none the worse after their 28-hour trip (which, according to Yogesh, was much better on Air France/Delta through Paris-CDG than the prior trip on Air India, despite the fact that neither one of them parles-vous Francias).

It’s been such a pleasure to watch her interact with Deven. I feel like the protagonist from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, when he transforms into the nice Grinch – my heart expands “2 sizes” every time I see them together. Her face instantly loses 10 years when she looks at him, and she makes these cute high-pitched sounds that I’ve never heard before, not even when she interacted with other friends’ babies. She coos and chirps to him, excited when he smiles or moves his head or even just wiggles his legs and drools. He of course takes it all in, grins, giggles, and warbles back to her, chews his fingers and toes when she smiles at him, and listens as intently to her speaking in Hindi as he listens to me speak in English.

When Daadi stayed with us last year, it was a fight every time we wanted her to leave our home with us (we live on the 3rd floor & up a loooong flight of stairs, so it’s understandable). But this time, the day after she arrived, she was dressed & ready to go ‘baby shopping’ on Sunday afternoon – she has a purpose now! You see, we had to go to the craft store, as there was wool (yarn) to be bought so she could knit sweaters for Deven, after all!

Business Travel Blues

In my 20’s, traveling for any reason was great – particularly international travel. To Taipei for a 2-hour meeting, Shanghai for a conference, Seoul or Mumbai for vacation & school trips – all manners of flight were fun. I earned frequent flier status on United (1k) &amp; American (Diamond); as well as @ the Hyatt, Marriott, and Inter-Continental hotel chains; my passport was full of stamps; and I felt ultra-important click-clicking my high heeled pumps through unfamiliar airport terminals, listening to the sounds of other languages over the loudspeakers.

Flying was fun – you could arrive at the airport 30 minutes before an international flight; be whisked through security (as a Very Important Frequent Flier, the flight staff would bend over backwards to help you feel Very Important), and sit down with a mimosa before takeoff. Even when I traveled in the consulting business a year ago, flights & hotels were OK because I didn’t have a desperate desire to get to my own bed in my own home and nurse my baby.

But now, as I sit on a flight for my first 36 hours away from Deven (en route to San Diego for a 2-day training), I’m almost sick to my stomach. I miss him like crazy already, though I’ve only been away from him for 2.5 hours. The flight staff haven’t been bad to me on this trip, but here’s what I’ve noticed already:

• The gate crew was incredibly surly and condescending to an elderly woman (Why? She was just asking for gate confirmation, for Pete’s sake! Would it have hurt them so terribly to be nice, or at least respectful?)


• The mom traveling with a toddler girl was treated very well by other passengers, particularly when the little girl started waving “bye-bye.” Oh, how I wanted to hold Deven when I saw them! Is it normal to be jealous when seeing other moms with their babies?


• I’ve endured a 15-minute wait for a stale 1-day old sandwich and over-sweetened tea from the airport Peete’s; sandwich of course made with nutritionally-absent white bread and sugar-added cranberry sauce on the turkey. Sigh.


• The onboard staff giggled and ignored customers waiting in line for the bathroom, clearly ‘antsy’ and needing to go. They would not allow us steerage-class passengers to head to the forward lavatory because that needed to remain empty for the 1st class passengers.


• My own physical limitations – I’m traveling with the breast pump (and breasts that were ‘empty’ as of 4:45am) – but I know I’ll need to fill the little bottles and baggies that I brought soon, or else this training course is going to be very uncomfortable. :-)

Coming Home

…Writing this portion of the blog the next day as I head home from the training, I’m really excited to see Deven (and Yogesh and Daadi) ASAP – and yet am glad I came. The training I attended was a sales training by the well-known Miller Heiman group; taking it with my VP Sales and another colleague was educational and energizing.

Work is already piling up back at the office (I have one major account already plus 2 more great potentials, each of which requires intense care & feeding). But, as this training helped me realize – I was meant to be a ‘working mom’ – not a stay-at-home. I’m looking forward to jumping back in, helping these clients solve some tough problems, and feel the energy (pun intended – I sell solar & energy efficiency) when we partner together.

As expected, I felt incredibly lonely last night falling asleep in the hotel bed by myself, but after the midnight-bathroom visits of pregnancy followed by a multiple-awakening-per-night son, I can’t say I minded having my first night of completely uninterrupted sleep in almost a year. :-)

After 3 calls to the hotel concierge yesterday, I finally got a mini-refrigerator in my room (apparently they don’t put them in all rooms any more); so the whole pumping-regularly routine wasn’t so bad. I was really worried about the TSA liquid restrictions (no more than 3 ounces, milk only if with a baby, I’ve heard of moms being forced to dump breastmilk, etc.) but in the airport returning home, my fears were unfounded. The screeners were polite and didn’t even examine my cooler-pack of expressed milk too closely. Phew.

My parents are returning from their 40th Anniversary Alaska cruise & Denali vacation as well, and I’m excited to see them again and hear all about it. They’re going to stay with us again through 8/28, so we’re giving the nanny a few days off, and I’m looking forward to a long weekend of family time.

Of Breastpumps and Buffalos


When Daadi first arrived, one thing we made clear was that I planned to breastfeed at home (and out), with little reservation or modesty. It’s just too difficult to always move to another room, or find a blanket to cover up – when Deven cries, I’m much more of a “whip-it-out-and-you-deal-with-it-if-you-don’t-like-it” kind of mom. And, when she first saw me breastpumping after feeding Deven, she was intrigued. She immediately likened me to…you guessed it…a Haryana buffalo.

After Yogesh picked himself up off the floor (where he’d been convulsing in laughter), he translated her words, and the reasoning:

Why? Well, it turns out that the Murrah cows in Haryana state are known to produce more, creamier, milk than their counterparts from other states. They can nurse their calves and still produce extra milk. India’s vast appetite for ghee (clarified butter) often comes from Haryana buffalos. It’s not the first time I’ve been called a cow; but it’s certainly one of the most entertaining.

Days 9-11 without Daddy - he's back today!...

...and not a moment too soon, as Deven just attempted his first head-first dive off the couch. Yep, the little guy has been showing off his rolling skills all week long, and today as I was looking up Daddy's & Daadi's flight info (they're 2 hours late), Deven was happily gurgling next to me...until he went head first off the couch. Luckily, I caught him in mid-flight down, so he didn't hit the ground, but he did end up head-down, screaming. Huh.

Back @ Work

My 1st 2 days back were pretty good. Went right into a new client meeting on Thursday afternoon, and kept very busy, which was good so I didn't mope about being away from Deven. His nanny was great with him - he seemed very happy both days when I saw him again (though he did have different, shorter sleeping schedules both nights, ugh!). She also

• Reorganized his drawers


• 'Found' outfits that are almost too small on him already (again!)


• Took some photos of him (him in the bouncer and smiling happily are ones she took - she's a pretty good photographer, huh?


• Suggested better ways to organize things, and


• Put him in his first pair of shoes. Super cute.

At the office, it was interesting the reception I got from colleagues who I barely know. Those who knew me well were happy to see me back, but those who I didn't know had 1 main question: "Are you back full time?" This was usually asked quite innocuously; but sometimes was asked with a tone and air of "...or are you a slacker who will try this part-time work thing?" I'm glad I'm back full time - my job (sales) is such that part-time would be next to impossible - customers don't care if you've got a kid you said you'd be home to by 3pm for...so I'd end up working full-time anyway, while being paid for part-time. Might as well do it all the way!

Thoughts from the Zen Room

As I sit here in my company's "Zen Room" (a small conference room with a lock on the door, meant to comply with the FMLA requirements for a private non-bathroom for women to pump in), I'm reflecting again on how lucky I am. We have a beautiful, healthy son, I'm in reasonably good shape physically & mentally, as is Yogesh, we have a competent, caring nanny & his mom coming over too, I have a job that I love, with a mission I believe in (and where a colleague even brought me welcome-back balloons!), and we live in a place we love.

I feel so lucky, that sometimes (like now) I worry when my luck will run out. I try to push the "panicked thoughts" out of my head, but after talking with some other moms, I think it's natural for us to worry: 'Is he ok? Is Yangchen crossing the street with him only when the 'Walk' signal is lit? Is she ill & thus he'll get sick? Changing his diaper when he's wet? Singing to him when he's fussy? Am *I* doing all of the things I should be doing, to help guide him to be a caring, productive citizen of this earth? Aargh!

To keep myself sane (somewhat debatable, I know) I tell myself continually that this working-baby raising lifestyle will be hard, but it will be worth it. We shall see! :-)

...and Nursing Musings

You may file this in the 'too much information' category, but I thought I'd share: Pumping @ work has been ok in the 2 times I've done it so far. But a problem I noticed a week ago is being exacerbated by pumping: I'm lopsided!

Not too noticeable to the untrained eye, but one breast produces MUCH more than the other (no, I won't tell you which one), to the tune of 2-3 ounces per pumping session! So, anyone know where I can buy bras with different cup sizes? ;-)

Day 8: Gifts & Thanks (or lack thereof!)

Having a baby means that lots of people who care about you (or at least care about your family) will send you nice things. The latest items in this category are 2 fabulous childrens' books that my parents' friends Wilma & Andy sent us. While books are always nice, these are rather special - they were illustrated by Andy's brother, Ned - and they're gorgeous! One is even signed by Ned - how Ned is clearly a fabulous artist who puts love and attention into his work. I can't wait to read them to Deven!

Yogesh's father is a professional painter as well, but has quite a different style. He's a modern artist; who I describe as "Modigliani on color-steroids." But he, and Yogesh, can appreciate nice artwork, and I can't wait for Yogesh to get home to see these books and share them with Deven. These books, however, are ones that we will NOT let Deven gum-on as he teeths!

In the same category of 'fabulous gifts from mom's friends that I haven't sent proper thank-you notes for yet' are:

• The pale yellow blanket that Carla M knitted for Deven - we use it all the time (it's complete with knitted-in images of Maryland things such as lighthouses, crabs, boats, etc.)!



• The smaller knitted blanket from Aunt Carol is perfect for his naps 'round the house/yard/etc. Both of those are machine-washable...a very good thing as he's constantly drooling on them or getting them messy in some way.



• The 4 yummy, nutritious meals that our friend Sugeet cooked for us, and just called and dropped by (without insisting to come in) when Deven was ~ 4-6 weeks old; saving us from starvation and embarassment of having to entertain when I & the house were both a wreck

I hope that the gifters don't consider us complete social philistines for not saying thank-you properly...I hope they (having had kids themselves) understand that it's a little crazy around here lately, and we really appreciate the gifts and think of them every time we use what they gave us.

It's funny - in fact, I've at least tried to 'give forward' - though I don't have Wilma's or Carla's snail-mail address to send them proper cards; I at least try to do nice things for other people. Today, I brought some food over to Amie, our share-care partner who's still home with her little guy Noah. I figure if I can't say thanks back to the people who were nice to me, at least I'd continue doing nice things for other people. Makes the world a little better place.

Days 6-8 sans Daddy: Last days off...

I go back to work tomorrow. Excited, nervous, and still 2 dress sizes above my pre-pregnancy weight. Sigh. Excited because I love what I do and can't wait to get back into projects I left unfinished when Deven came early. Nervous because I don't know what I don't know about what's changed at the office; and I've never pumped breast milk there - I'm sure that will be a challenge, at least logistically. And still 2 dress sizes up, because I ate for 6 when I was pregnant. ;-)

This week, Deven has developed a love of standing while being supported - particularly on my belly, while I'm doing situps/crunches.

Had a 'last Boot Camp coffee break' with some of the gals from the Baby Boot Camp this morning - it was nice. Photo shows: Kopal (in the center) is the coach/instructor/owner, with her 16-month old son; Amie is another student, with her 10-month old son - she's from the UK, and that's me & the little Devil on the left. In the other photo you can see how Deven likes to have 'tummy time' atop my legs - he giggles endlessly when I do crunches this way! Challenge will be to keep on working out as I go back to work.

Skipped the sign language playgroup tonight; so I could spend the last evening with Deven. Planning to gracefully exit from some other 'extracurriculars' as well over the next month - Yogesh said (and is right) that any time spent on those sorts of things now is time away from Deven. I can always go back to the volunteer work later - I'm sure they'll still need good volunteers then!

Tonight, he was sweet, giggly, loved my singing, and finally went down ~7:45pm. I know to expect him to wake a lot over the next few nights as I go back (supposedly he'll miss me)...in fact, I hope he does miss me. I hear that kids always know their parents, though they also love their nannies or caretakers...I sure hope that's true for Deven, too.

I just think about leaving him, and I miss him. I think this transition will be harder on me than on him! His nanny, Yangchen, is great (that's her holding him in the photo), and his Daadi (grandma) will arrive on Saturday with Yogesh to live with us for 6 months, so he'll have no end of spoiling, I'm sure.

Oh, see here for a photo is of me with Deven in the new Ergo carrier. Still love this thing - super comfy for both of us. Wish me luck at the office!

Day 5 without Papa: (over)Stimulated in the City

Great day today - the weather, I mean!

We started the morning with Deven in the jumper, and a brief Ergo carrier instructional video in the DVD player. It was the first time Deven had been in the room with the TV on, and he was mesmerized...reinforcing my resolve to NOT allow him to watch too much tv. I mean none until he's at least 2. Luckily this shouldn't be too much of a problem - we currently have 6 remotes (5 that work); and it takes 2 of them to turn on the TV, or a different 2 to watch a DVD. I'd like to see even the most precocious child or nanny figure this system out!

We went to brunch @ Sugeet & Sanjeev's home, where Deven finally got to meet Uncle Supreet (Devenator meets Turbinator, as we like to say!) Lots of photos taken but I can't find my camera - so a few will be posted when I get them via email. Deven was great - cooing, gurgling, laughing, and flirting with Sugeet... until he'd had enough. Then, meltdown #1 of the day. He started wailing, and simply didn't stop until I put him in his carrier and had him in the car for the ride home.

So, then Aunt Karen came over, and we went for a walk on this gorgeous afternoon, and to get our nails done (an annual birthday event for Aunt Karen & me - we always do it late, but at least we get around to it!) Deven was in the Ergo, and again was quite the charmer, on the walk and in the nail studio. Until we tried to push him too far by going to dinner @ Savor around 6:15pm... and he had meltdown #2. He was sweet at first, cooing as he lay on the bench, but before I got my burger, he started wailing again...and didn't stop until we walked out of there on the way home (my burger in a box thanks to Karen's quick thinking!)

When we got home, he cooed and was happy again, and after a quick nursing on the bed, he was out for the night by 7:00pm. Interesting that his bedtime has moved earlier, so let's hope this is part of a trend to sleep through the night soon...cross your fingers for us!

Days 3-4 without Dad: Carrier Dealer...

...Yogesh had accused me of being a 'stroller dealer' because we've already owned 6 strollers in Deven's short life. Well, he might as well change my nickname to 'baby-carrier-dealer' because we now have owned 3 soft carriers for Deven.

1. First, there was the New Native sling: a simple black piece of fabric that worked well when Deven was 1 week old and we walked to the pediatrician (1/2 block away). But...as Deven grew, he outgrew the sling - not physically, but he acted like a cat in a bathtub if we tried to put him in it after about 3 weeks old. So...
2. ...then we started using the Bjorn: a carrier I'd seen lots and heard good things about; so we got the Baby Bjorn Active (complete with lumbar support!) My sister bought it for us off our registry - it was great. Deven had recently switched to 'front-facing' carry and loved being able to see all the action. Until I realized that I was getting awfully tired carrying Deven's now-15-lb body around in it for anything more than 1/2 hour. And, I read an article (or was it an email posting to GGMG?) that said that the Bjorn can be bad for kids when used for extended periods, because the baby's weight is on their hips (not butt, as other carriers).
3. So now, we are the proud owners of a Ergo Baby carrier in cranberry (maroon) color - and I love it! It can be worn front, hip, or back (baby always facing inwards) - the weight is on the hips, not the shoulders or back, and hands are totally free to do the 1,001 things needed to be done 'round here. Fabulous. Deven's already spent more time in it, and seemed quite content. I'd take a photo of it if I could find our camera...

Deven has definitely found his toes - consistently grabs them when lying down. He also doesn't really like to be on his back now - cries/whimpers/screams after just a few seconds. He's consistently rolling to his side and occasionally all-the-way over if put down - making diaper changes fun - but he definitely LOVES his jumper now. Will spend upwards of 30 minutes in it, happily batting at the toys on it. He hasn't really figured out how to really jump in it yet, but I'm sure that will come.

He's sleeping at an earlier time - naps are sort of consistent (though still not long enough. After waking for the day @ ~ 7:00am, today's naps, for an example, were:

• 8:30am: 30 minutes in the crib (usually 9:15am, in the stroller)
• 11:00am: 1 hour in the stroller @ the Noe Valley Farmer's Market - where we get most of our vegetables and fruit - and our weekly fix of yummy pastries from the nice bread lady, Cindy (the vegetable family from Laos can't wait until Mama comes back - she's one of their favorite customers!)
• 2:00pm: ~ 45 minutes in bed next to me (ooh, why wasn't it longer?!?). Enjoyed the new Ergo.
• 5:00pm: Yawns...but no sleep. Played in the jumper - but wouldn't nod off.
• 6:00pm: More yawns...but no sleep. Fussiness.
• 7:00pm: Ate then was out in my arms by 7:15pm. 1-minute whimper for more food; which was accommodated (sp?) and has been out in his crib since ~ 8:00pm.

I am glad he's not too difficult to put down, but I wish he'd nap longer. I'm sure it'll change again as he grows and I go back to work and the nanny and his Daadi are here to care for him. We shall see!

Day 2 sans Papa: A Thousand Splendid Suns

So I'm a part of a large moms' group network, the Golden Gate Mothers Group . There's a subgroup for Indian / South Asian moms & moms of Indian babes (like me), called SFDesiBaby, and that group has a small group of us who've formed a book club. This is my first foray into book-club stuff; and our first novel we read was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni (see NYT review here). Great novel - totally worth the effort, though I liked his first book, The Kite Runner, better, because I felt this one ended with a sort of fairy tale "and they lived happily ever after" quality. I love that my mom's group has allowed me the opportunity to join a book club. Whoda' thunk it? :-)

But I digress...this blog is about Deven, not his mom. He was pretty good today; and when he wasn't, I put him in the Bjorn, and he slept. He has had some unusual new things happen today: he's been spitting up partially-curdled milk (bleh), though he hastn't been a spitter at all otherwise to date; and he's been pooping a lot more. I don't mean a few juicy fartlets- I mean full on big-smelly-diaper-filling poops. Don't know if I've been eating something wrong; or he's still reacting to his 4-month shots, or what. Will watch it.

I'm getting excited/nervous/sad about going back to work next week. I start back on 8/16. A Thursday. I love my job, but Deven is so darned cute right now. I'm SOOO glad I like our Nanny, Yangchen; and even gladder that Yogesh's mom will come stay with us - having her here will alleviate some of my guilt (though that means I'll just be sad, because I'm sure I'll miss lots of milestones that they'll get to witness 'for the 1st time'.)

Oh, I didn't catch Deven at all today in time to use his potty, but thought any readers would enjoy the photo anyway. I'm sure he'll hate this when he's 14 (or likely even well before then!) but that's what he gets for being born to a minimally-tech-savvy mom in the Bay Area in 2007:

Day 1 without Daddy: What's the sign for lederhosen?

Aunt Danielle & Uncle John just returned from a 6-week European trip across Romania, Hungary, and Germany - and brought back these sporty lederhosen for Deven, complete with edelweiss flower (a symbol of Austria - where Naani Gerda's from). Cute, huh?

Today's been pretty uneventful for Deven - Grandma & Grandpa left super-early so we didn't get to see them; we woke early (6:15am), pooped on the potty, attended the Baby Boot Camp class @ midday, followed by a visit from Aunt Danielle, didn't get much done in the afternoon (allowed mom to upload photos)...and tonight, we walked up the big hill to Diamond Heights for the Baby Sign Language Playgroup, where we learned more symbols from American Sign Language (ASL).

So, what's the sign for lederhosen? :-)

Enjoy the videos!

Frog Attacks Boy...(or is it Boy Attacks Frog?!?)

Photos don't do the situation justice: Deven attacked that frog like he was holding it down for the police to make an arrest!

Naani (Grandma) Gerda & Naana (Grandpa) Doug are back in town before they head to Alaska for their 40th Anniversary Cruise. Wow. While here, Grandma reminded us that we hadn't put him in some cute outfits that she bought for him - and so we did...and they're almost too small already. Darn it! Well, we'll have to put him in them a lot before he outgrows them.


4 MONTH CHECKUP

Deven had more shots and a clean bill of health. Vitals:

• Weight 14 lbs, 15 oz (60th Percentile; down from 75th...something I immediately & silently blamed on myself...is he drinking from the bottle too much? Am I not producing enough? Why is he 'down'? OK, I'll get over it...)


• Height 25.5" long (75th Percentile, same as @ his 2 month appt)


• Head circumference ____ (75th Percentile- I can't remember the exact #s but I know he was there again)

Life @ Home

Yogesh left today for a 10-day trip to India for work and to bring back Daadi (his mom). While I'm excited to have her come stay with us again (I know she'll LOVE being with Deven, and he'll fall in love with her), I'm dreading the next 10 days without him. I start back to work on 8/16, BEFORE he returns...not going to be easy! House is still messy; I've got the Nanny coming next Mon-Tues just so I can spend some quality time with the messy 3rd bedroom and my closet (which still is in the post-maternity-clothes transition).

Having Daadi here should be a huge help to me - I still remember my mom saying, quite seriously, that "every working woman needs a wife to come home to." When she lived with us last year (during my pregnancy) she was precisely that - someone who cared for me almost more than I did, she cooked for me, doted on me, and was very excited to be part of our lives. I'm looking forward to her coming (but not the next 10 days before she arrives!)

Back to Deven. In the past week, I've noticed some changes:

Deven has BEGUN

• "Fake couging" for attention. It's sort of cute, so I respond - though our pediatrician says he'll keep doing it if we do...


• Actively laughing - more than just giggling


• Eating his toes


• Enjoying sitting up more


• Teething (or at least chewing on everything for pain relief)


• Rolling regularly


• Pushing up on his forearms while on his belly - super cute. Of course, I'm biased.


• Peeing on the potty quite a bit. Yep, it's working. :-)

Deven has STOPPED

• Showing the 'tonic neck' or archer, walking, and butt-movin' reflexes


• Hiccuping (sp?)...something he'd done since about 6 mos in utero. I sort of miss it!


• Enjoying sleeping on someone. It's his crib, jogger, or nothing!


• Lots of other things that I can't think of right now...