#425 Neyan's month three summary

Neyan's third month was jam packed. He met both grandpas and enjoyed new toys.



He dressed up as a cowboy bandit for Halloween.



Got baptized



wearing a handknit!! (for project details see Rav link here)



He met his Gavi chechi



and went to Sea World with her.



This is his month 3 portrait. (portrait set here)



Family portrait



and with the grandparents



We celebrated his 3rd month with made-from-scratch pumpkin cupcakes. (Recipe for cupcakes here and recipe for making pumpkin puree from scratch here)

#424 Sea World

Note: Drafted 9th Nov 2009; Published 13th Nov 2009

We spent the weekend with Gavi, Girish and Swapna. On Sat, we drove to Sea World at San Antonio. Here is our guests enjoying a sweaterless November day :):)



After a quick meeting with the penguins, we headed to lunch (we had a really late start!).



While waiting for the sea lion show to start, we went along with Gavi on her first roller coaster ride - Shamu express. Gavi's first trip was really good. We howled and screamed, even though it was just maybe a max 10 feet off the ground.



The Sea lion show was really really really good. We were really impressed with how they had been trained to do the show. here is 2 of them taking a bow at the end.



On our way to see Shamu, we saw a pond full of various duckies and pale pink flamingos. It was fun to see them stand on one feet. They supposedly do that to conserve body heat and energy (from here).



Next was the killer whale - Shamu show. Here is Neyan, Gavi and T at the entrance.



I couldn't get a decent photo of them in action, so took videos of the same.



Neyan was just oblivious to his surroundings and graced us with smiles :)



Gavi got a pretty half butterfly painted on her face. She was amazingly patient and did not get tickled or giggle like the other kiddos there.



This is us with 3D glasses at the 4D pirate experience. Be warned that this is not for the weak of heart!



Overall a fun trip, though we wished we could have enjoyed more rides.

#423 Crafty updates

Note: Drafted 31st Oct 2009; Published 13th Nov 2009

At our farewell party, Bryna gifted Neyan with a handknit blanket. I believe the pattern is - Big Bad Baby Blanket (rav link to project here) . Here is the in action shot of the blankie and Neyan.



Neyan also received this beautiful handmade quilt from our neighbor Ratna Ajji in Pune. We love the shades of blue and so does Neyan.



My knitting buddy at work showed me the owl patten on a sweater. She later adapted it to make adult mittens. Ever since I saw this pattern I so wanted to make it. Got a chance to finally make it for our friends in Pittsburgh who welcomed Yuvaan on June 29th. Rav link of project here.



I made matching mittens too. I used white thread instead of buttons - which can become a chocking hazard. This pattern was adapted from the adult version of the same. Rav link of project here. I hope Y enjoys it as much as I did making these for him.



Last but not least, even though its not really craft related: Neyan in his Halloween costume - cowboy bandit! Only thing store bought was the hat. Everything else, we had at home. I really intended to at least seam his handkerchief, but that dint happen. So it was just a piece of fabric left over from our bag project.

#422 Appa's super-fast sightseeing tour

Note: Drafted 28th Oct 2009; Published 13th Nov 2009

T took his appa on a super-fast sightseeing tour last weekend. They covered highlights of NYC, DC and VA beach. Typical touristy photos, so instead I picked highlights of the trip - him meeting our friends and family:

With Sini and Sony



with Aunty and Uncle



With Andrew anna and Bernice akka



With Dhana and family



With Sindhu and Sundar



And just one exception - a photo of fall colors. I miss fall colors so much here in TX. Have been sending thank yous to anyone who posts fall color pics on social networking sites!



It was a fun and hectic trip. But I think Appa had fun meeting everyone the most.

P.S. All photos taken by T.

#421 The Appas are here

Note: Drafted 21st Oct 2009; Published 11th Nov 2009

They are finally here! here is T's Appa meeting Neyan for the first time.



and here is Appa.



It was Neyan's first road trip - Austin to Houston and like his first flight, he did really well. This is him waiting at the airport.



We visited Sarita and her family and in all the hulla of meeting Neyan we forgot photos. Sarita thank you so much for hosting us. We had a wonderful time with all of you and wished we could spend more time with you.

#420 Neyan's month two summary

Note: Drafted 15th Oct 2009; Published 11th Nov 2009

Neyan's second month was really eventful. He remained calm as we packed up all our belongings and moved to TX. He missed my wall of handbags and hence I cut out some animal figures out of sale papers for him, which he tried to grab



He absolutely loved the mobile and enjoys it ALL the time.



he learned to hold his bottle (I think it was by fluke cos he hasn't really done that again)



enjoyed his first flight on Southwest - he was really calm for the entirety of the flight



he started grabbing on to things and tried incessantly to put them into his mouth



he started noticing toys on his swing



took monthly portraits on the same day as the welcome reception in Church - which explains why we were dressed up.



family photo



and one just with me :)



It was hard leaving all friends and family in the DC metro area. I am :( Neyan will grow up without them, but we need to bend with the wind and move on.

#419 Updates from Round Rock TX

Note: Drafted 15th Oct 2009; Published 11th Nov 2009

We have been here a week since we landed in Round Rock TX, and we miss all our friends and family. We had a fun farewell party before we left and want to thank all who made it. Neyan of course was the center of attention - here with Bini



Thanks to Sony and Abraham who helped us with packing the container with such high density. It is scheduled to arrive here anytime this week and then uphill task of unpacking.



Before we left, Susan took some awesome photos of Neyan and us. This is my fav one.



Neyan was visited by his paati and family



and also by others. Anne made these beautiful booties for him.



Neyan too made a couple of visits before we left- here he is with Varun and Pavi who took turns holding him.

#418 Crafty & Misc updates

First crafty updates: I have been knitting, but progress has been extremely slow. Neyan and packing* takes precedence. I did however manage to hand sew this pennant. I roughly followed a pattern from moonstiches.



During the course of packing, inspired by the stash flash on the Rav South Asian group, I decided to document all stash and related stuff.. here is all my yarn... related stuff here (pics have notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them).



Neyan got this beautiful hand crocheted hat from Anu, a new friend and fellow raveler.



Sue made me some beautiful handspun! I think I know exactly what to make with it!



Now for the Misc updates... Here's a ladybug I found on one of my plants.



and a last get-together with the gang! We will miss all of you! The fun, the laughter, the food and especially the taboo wars! {hugs}



* to moving ~1500 miles.

#417 Neyan's month one summary

Neyan's spent most of his first month sleeping



sometimes during the day and kept up at night



he loved talking to the tortoise



and trying out outfits we sewed for him.. and of course smiling all the time!



He was named by T at a small ceremony with friends and family



and got to wear jewelery as part of the 28th day celebrations. (Traditionally, the expectant mother goes to her mother's home (maike) for the delivery. On the 28th day after the baby is born, the new father and family come to name the baby and bring gifts)



We took a family photo, but Neyan cried :(



But he had fun playing with T



on 11th Sept, he was one calender month old. Here is his one month portrait with Winnie the Pooh



and one as a family :)

#416 Welcome Neyan

He's here!!
Neyan Nirmal Thinesh was born August 11th, 2009 at 8:51 pm. He came out screaming and yelling! This is my fav of the first few photos. Sabarni interpreted it well -

"Aaiyoo, now i have to start observe and learn and study and bawl.....so much work to do!"

He looks a lot like Gauri. Here is her pic taken a day after she was born! For side by side comparison here.



He spent the first few days sleeping a lot...



and listening to anyone who had something to say. Look at him listening to T intently!



and here with Grandma



He didn't cry at all on his first car ride and took a nap as soon as he reached home!



played a bit with T



and smiled a lot!!



and got grumpy soon after.



Our lives have changed and no words can express the joy he brings!
Welcome to this world Neyan!

Needless to say, posts will be sporadic
all for a good reason :)