Good boy!

Deven has taken a fascination to the dustpan and broom lately. This is, of course, a hobby we want to encourage. I'm not planning to have boys who expect their mother to clean up after them (those of you who know me, know that I won't!)

In December, Deven will have a little...

...brother!

(Yes, the image on the left is looking up the baby's backside as if he's on his knees...and yes, that's his "lulloo" as they'd call it in Hindi). Click on the photos to see larger versions.

He's healthy, and spent the entire Ultrasound spread-eagle; but with his arms crossed over his heart. So, I have to go back next week, because the ultrasound tech needs to see more of his heart, to confirm 'all systems go.' So far, so good - but I'm glad they're making me go back.


RE: having 2 boys (make that 3 with Yogesh), my immediate reaction was: Daadi has to stay. We even have a male CAT, for crying out loud. I'm going to need all the estrogen in this household that I can get!



Oh, and the images here that look a bit like Yoda- those are the new 3-D Ultrasound images. I don't actually like them that much, because I think they look spooky. But, the technician said they show a normal, healthy baby #2, so that's good.

Visit with Big Boy Tom, and It's A ...

Visited with an old friend Amy, her husband Paul and son Tom on Saturday. I've decided that we need to do that more often. Not only because Amy is cool (and has a sense of style I envy!) - but also because Tom is ~ 6 months older than Deven, and it was astounding how much more advanced he was.

Tom was saying words like 'Nectarine' and almost begging Deven to play with him - it was adorable. Deven is decidedly a more reticent, wait-and-see kind of child in new situations - but everything from Tom's toys (he has super-cool Duplo blocks, a shopping cart to push 'round, and even these cool wedge-shaped pillows to crawl upon), to the gorgeous dress Amy had on made for a lovely Saturday afternoon.

And, Yogesh wants us to make a habit of this (where ever - Amy's house or ours) - he was thrilled to have the morning to himself!

Amy worried me with a brief story of her friend, whose 1st child got horribly jealous when #2 came along, and started biting people. At least I think it was biting. Pregnancy brain has officially set in again, and I can't recall the details Either way, it was bad.

A nice shot of Amy & Deven:


Deven, for his part, can now
- Respond with "woof-woof" when you ask "What does a dog say?"
- Eat all manners of food; and throw all manners at least 4 feet if he chooses (though mostly he chooses the chew-spit-and-drop-for-the-cat method)
- Drink milk from a sippy-cup instead of a "nipple bottle" - a major feat accomplished last week after we returned from Hawaii

Oh, and I was going to post the sex of baby #2; however I haven't scanned the ultrasound photos so if you know me and are really curious, call me. :)

MM-aah, MM-aah, MM-aah... NIMBYs!

I've been singing a silly camp song to Deven since he was born, and just this week he started singing it, too. We haven't captured it on film yet (still having camera issues); but it goes something like this:

MM-aah went the little green frog one day,
MM-aah went the little green frog,
MM-aah went the little green frog one day,
MM-aah, MM-aah, MM-aah!

Other verses continue "oink-oink went the little pink pig," "Meow-meow went the little grey cat," etc. It's just too cute that he sings the last phrase, and really only to me. I come home in the evenings, I see him in the mornings...whenever he sees me, he usually starts singing "MM-aah, MM-aah, MM-aah!" with a big toddler-drooly grin on his face.

In other news, here's the proof that Deven has entered a politically active (NIMBY) family. I love it!

What does this photo mean? It's posted along MD Route 108,

View Larger Map near Deven's Naani & Naana's house. My parents were active participants in Citizens to Preserve the Reserve and is proof that my parents helped to ensure that the rural area I grew up in, which is surrounded by agricultural land, will stay so surrounded because it's part of what is now formally defined (and signed) as an Agricultural Reserve.

Following photos are of Yogesh's family:

Rahul & Sara's son Vin (6 mos) with Hari Uncle, whose surgery we hope went well


Sameer & daughter Annika (2 years), who recently broke her arm and is in a cast. She's in good spirits now, but her break is a reminder of what we're getting into here!

Curses!

Before Deven was born, I was a pottymouth. Sailor-talk, bar-room drivel, it all came out of my mouth.

My spouse, after being horrified hearing someone else's kids utter Words That Shall Not Be Repeated, was determined that Deven wouldn't grow up in the same environment as the kids he'd been horrified by. So, now when something goes wrong, I'm usually apt to say "Darn!" "Aargh!" or sometimes my mother's favorite, "Sugarfoot!"

That said, I have slip-ups. Like last Saturday, in Hawaii: I was using a knife to peel an orange in preparation to take it with us as we were leaving. Deven was with me, happily opening drawers and spreading whatever kitchen implements he could find across the house. In a snap, the knife slipped, the orange went flying one way and hit a bowl of cut mangoes - scattering them into a small army of ants that had come to enjoy our hospitality, the orange peels scattered, and the knife came dangerously close to hitting Deven as it clattered to the floor. I uttered a loud "God DAMN IT!" sighed, and began cleaning up the mess.
3 seconds later, Deven grinned and said in an identical tone (but with a wide grin on his face) "Ga DA AA!"

I was stunned - and horrified. And immediately thankful that he doesn't have full speech yet, because this was not something his great-grandmother would have liked to have heard. I didn't chastize Deven (wasn't his fault) - in fact I tried to play it off by saying "Gosh DARN it!" with a smile on my face as I picked ants off the mango pieces and let him eat a few slices off the floor.

I admitted my mistake later to Yogesh (something I ALWAYS do readily, right sweetie?) - after I made him swear to not say "I told you so." So when I told Yogesh, he just smiled and grunted (and thought to himself "Serves you right" I'm sure).

Harrumph.

All in all, an excellent vacation.

Photos were taken on gorgeous Beach 69, and the lanai (covered porch) of our cute little rental house.


These next two are of Deven and Daddy playing "the shower game" - there was an outdoor shower between the beach/reef and our lanai; and Deven loved turning on the water and showering OTHER people. Shades of his great-great-grandpa Tulloch, I suppose:


I realize the shots from my cameraphone don't do it justice, but thought I'd post them anyway - the disposable cameras are still being developed.

Risks and Probabilities

I've decided that the big stuff in parenthood is all about risks and probabilities. May be a 'duh-REALLY?' comment to some readers, but again, since I keep this blog for Deven & #2 as much as for any other readers, let me explain:

Parents (or at least the vast majority, and certainly including us) have an inherent goal to decrease the risks of (not), and increase the probabilities that, their children will be happy. The definition of happiness, naturally, is as varied as the parents themselves - but to use examples from our lives:

- We feed Deven, and ourselves, organic / natural / whole foods whenever possible. Not just because we have San Francisco values (see prior post for definition), but because the information we've read leads us to believe it's healthier for Deven to eat this way.
In our book, physical health is a component of happiness, and we have thereby reduced his risk of unhappiness. There are lots of other decisions, small and large, that we hope will reduce his risk of unhappiness due to physical ailments.

- We take, and plan to take, vacations to interesting places, like Hawaii where we are now, and we don't just stay in fancy hotels. Not just because we have the money to get to interesting places, but not stay in fancy hotels - but because we believe that Deven will benefit. Short term, he likely won't remember this vacation - but maybe he won't be as afraid of the water in the future as he was yesterday. Long-term, we believe that experiencing interesting places will teach Deven & #2 about different cultures and ways of life, in a way books/tv/school never could.
In our book, education is a component of happiness, and we have thereby increased the probability that Deven & #2 will be happy. Satisfied? Perhaps not (and that's ok in my book b/c it'll make them want to work to change things they don't like) - but happy. Again, there are lots of other decisions we will take, that we expect will increase the probability that Deven & #2 will be happy.

- We are already teaching Deven different aspects of his multicultural little 23-pound self. He hears (and knows) Hindi daily from his Daadi and Dad. He has a Tibetan nanny (who speaks in Hindi to him as well), eats Indian food, and celebrates festivals from both 'sides'. I'm determined to ensure that he knows, and feels secure with, his "Indian-ness" in addition to his "American-ness" (interestingly, I don't think I know enough about my Austrian-English-Scottish heritage to provide much of a education about those cultures). Despite those who might think that his being "part-brown" is a bad thing, I'm willing to bet it isn't.
In our book, self-awareness, understanding, and acceptance of who one is, increases the probability of happiness.

Other parents might add to this, a laundry list of things they do, such as going to Church together, enrolling their little one in classes, living their entire lives to support the health and well-being of their kids. We may well do a lot of that too, as our kids grow.

In the end, it's all about decreasing the risks, and increasing the probabilities of our kids' happiness.

Side Note
We're in Hawaii right now (side note: Our main camera finally broke; so photos from the cheap old-fashioned Walgreens' waterproof camera coming after we return and process the film).

Corn Eaters

...Deven knows how!