Kavarana et. al.

2012-01-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

We had pictures taken at Fotofly yesterday. Love them!

A couple pics of Firoza

2011-12-05T13:35:00.001-07:00

2011-10-30T23:07:00.003-06:00

We finally gave up on this getting any bigger. Maybe next year....
Her favorite way to chill until...
she got all the way over. Now she gets stuck on her tummy and it makes her so mad!

At least she likes to sleep on her tummy.

Jehan does some crazy dancing moves!

Firoza just isn't happy with baby food. She's so ready to move on.

2011-10-30T23:05:00.000-06:00

Forgot this one. It's her "I am not amused" face.

2011-10-23T14:59:00.002-06:00

Jehan helping Firoza put her hand in her mouth. He's a good helper :)

At the pumpkin patch:

She doesn't love being on her tummy, especially when being taunted by toys.

Dinner Time

2011-10-07T12:08:00.005-06:00

September

2011-10-06T00:39:00.012-06:00

I love how she watches Jehan.
Still trying to watch Jehan:

This was how she fell asleep on the car ride home from her 4 month checkup. She doesn't like shots.

Tomatoes did great in the garden this year. This is a fraction of what was out there.

He was so proud of the lego thing he built, I had to take a picture. The scratches on his face are from a run in with a rock during a face-plant. Why is he falling so much these days? It's like he's suddenly lost all caution. He trips at least twice a day.
Such a pretty girl...

This is the plant Jehan thought would be good for eating that got stuck in his tonsil and landed us in the ER. It looked a whole lot bigger when it was stuck in his throat! It's actually only about 1.5 inches.

Before the Dirty Dash
Jehan with his water balloon to throw at Mummy (of course he dropped it before he got the chance).
Mummy playing in the mud. Jehan was shocked :)
We never let her have tummy time so we're working on her rolling skills to make sure she doesn't fail her 6 month checkup.

This is her typical new food face. She does it for everything, including bananas here. So far she really only eats rice cereal. She refuses bananas, peaches, and chicken but seems to think sweet potatoes are ok.
She's a happy girl after she eats :)

What can I say about this one?

2011-09-02T11:05:00.002-06:00

Jehan loved this little bee and Firoza is taking a liking to it as well.

2011-08-20T23:42:00.002-06:00

Jehan likes sticking the plug in because she keeps spitting it out. At least she doesn't mind.

Jehan likes to strip in the back yard if we don't keep our eyes on him.

I love how she chills with her hands on her knees.

If only my thighs were this cute. They're almost as wide as they are long :)

Firoza has found her hands...

2011-08-12T21:36:00.004-06:00

or at least her left hand. One of these days she'll get the whole thing in there. She's pretty close! She works so hard at that hand I'm afraid she might be teething, but it's too early for that... right?

Jehan's pre-preschool haircut. He looks so different with short hair.
I'm going to try to update at least once a week if not more!

July

2011-08-12T19:41:00.006-06:00

We went to Snowbird for some play time with Joe and Matthew. They went on the alpine slide and the kids did the trampoline.

Firoza's first Zoo trip

June

2011-08-12T18:54:00.011-06:00

Cute cousins!

Jehan's first trip to Krispy Kreme.
The longing in his eyes...
Can hardly contain the excitement...
That first wonderful bite.... Yummm.

Nana and Jehan letting the butterflies go.

I love the expressions on her face...

I'm pretty sure this is the first word Jehan spelled on his own.

Jehan is Three!

2011-08-12T16:03:00.001-06:00

Of course this was months ago now :)

More pictures

2011-08-12T15:57:00.002-06:00

Firoza Kate

2011-06-30T15:50:00.006-06:00

Firoza was born May 11, Aunt Brooke's Birthday! I woke up that morning and went downstairs and the time on the microwave was 5:11 and I thought how cool it would be to have our baby on 5/11/11. Then around 10:30 I popped (literally, there was a big almost painful pop in my tummy followed by lots of gushing). We got to the hospital about an hour later. I went through two diapers at home and was wearing two diapers when we got to the hospital and still leaked a bit before I got to triage. I can't believe how big I was from this picture!
Of course we didn't know she was a girl so it was exciting to finally find out! We couldn't have been happier.
I thought she cleaned up pretty well :)
Jehan is a great big brother but took a little while to adjust. I think he didn't know what to do with her at first.
Here are some pictures comparing our kids!

This is Jehan...
and Firoza,
and Firoza.
Jehan is first (without hair) and Firoza follows (with hair)

We were so happy to have her home! We only stayed at the hospital one day and I'm glad we did :) Her bilirubin was a little high so we put her by windows and fed her some formula the first day home. She was fine by the next day when we had her tested again.

I love this picture. It proves that she used to sleep!

Jehan's first (big) haircut

2011-03-28T08:48:00.002-06:00

I don't know what made me do it but I woke up this morning and cut his hair. I think I like it but it'll take some getting used to. He used to be so easy to spot because I just had to look for the curls.

more baby #2 pics

2011-03-27T10:26:00.001-06:00

caught in the act

2011-03-22T12:53:00.000-06:00

It does happen occasionally :)

2011-03-10T17:18:00.001-07:00

Why doesn't Jehan let me do this?
There's nothing a little TV can't fix for a 2-year-old. Jehan has a cold and I'm sure I'll be getting it soon :(

Jehan's new room

2011-02-24T10:06:00.005-07:00

I'm really bad at remembering to take "before" pictures so these are "half-way" pictures. I need opinions! I was thinking of doing a few random blue and green stripes on the wall behind the toy shelf, but now I'm undecided again. I could do vertical or horizontal stripes, or blue and green polka-dots, or I could just leave it the way it is. Or something entirely different. Any ideas?

(I haven't painted the shelves or doors yet. They'll be white like the baseboards.
Here are the pictures I found online that I liked. I probably wouldn't do exactly the same thing for either one but something similar.

2011-01-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

He thought it was so funny to get in the box. Dada showed him how to push it down the stairs with toys in it.

catching up on 2010

2011-01-06T22:47:00.003-07:00

I love how Jehan crosses his legs when Dada reads to him:
I have no idea what he was thinking here. He put the Easter eggs on all his toys and said they were "playing golf."
Jehan was very excited about the stockings in particular and Santa in general. Thanks again Aunt Michele :)
He has recently discovered legos.

I was remarkably lazy while in Florida and mostly left picture taking to everyone else. Here are most of the few I took.

This is how Jehan took the trip home. He was very good on the flight except he wouldn't sleep until just before landing, as usual.
Santa had a special appointment to come to our house on the 30th. Jehan loved it, the candy most of all.
A special thanks to Granny and Papa for the train. Jehan has been saying "Mummy I really like my train Granny and Papa gave me." Then a minute later he'll say "Mummy I really like it. I really like my train," and so on with slight variations.

the latest baby pictures

2011-01-04T18:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the bad quality :) I'll work on finding a scanner.

2010-12-08T22:53:00.002-07:00

Jehan thought the berries should be stuck in the power button. That's his first candy cane on his face.

Nanna came over while we were getting ready for bed so we have a few naked baby pictures.
I don't know what he's thinking but he likes to touch his lip

2010 Christmas Tree Hunt

2010-12-08T21:16:00.002-07:00

2010-11-29T10:29:00.002-07:00

Some pictures from Thanksgiving at Nana's house:

Jehan on the phone with Dada in India.

We have a fair bit of snow so Jehan helped Mummy shovel.

This one shows his beautiful eyes so I had to post it for Dada

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-29T23:44:00.002-06:00

First we went trick-or-treating at Dada's work:

Tile

2010-10-29T23:28:00.003-06:00

I've been working on doing some tile in the house and here are some pictures of the progress. I'll post more when I'm done.

Discovery Gateway

2010-10-29T23:25:00.002-06:00

Some pictures from Discovery Gateway with Cassie

Detroit

2010-10-29T23:09:00.006-06:00

A few pictures from our recent trip to Detroit :) Happy Birthday Ferzeen!

2010-07-22T08:38:00.007-06:00

Jehan is now two and Uncle Matt and Aunts Michele and Brooke and Nana gave him a Cozy Coup. He had fun helping to put it together and has played with it every single day since.
We are starting to potty train and Jehan has and the tiniest little bit of success. We'll just have to be patient.
He put a BBQ flavored almond in one of his toy bolts and sucked on it like a popsicle.
Uncle Roger and Aunt Karen and my cousins Amy and Jacob came for a family reunion last month. Uncle Rodger has a red pickup and Jehan had lots of fun playing in it.
He tried to climb back in when we got him out.

Jehan and Dada make carrot juice together. Jehan loves to "help!"

The garden is growing better than I expected. It's getting a little out of control.

2010-04-20T14:55:00.003-06:00

He kept making the cutest faces while he was eating this apple.

Rubbing his stretched tummy after a really big dinner. He insisted on wearing my pink socks. I might do some mean things to him, but I'm not that mean :)

Of course, just as I'm taking such a cute picture.

Easter and such

2010-04-06T20:49:00.009-06:00

This is Jehan's begging and on the edge of losing it face.
He likes to brush his toy truck's teeth before bed.

A nice view of his cute and curly (and for a few minutes clean) hair.
A rainy day when Jehan wanted to go out.
He loves to wear the sunglasses but still has trouble putting them on.

This was my favorite stuffed animal when I was a kid and Jehan loves it.

St. Patrick's day.
This was at discovery gateway and right before the first time I lost him. It was only for about a minute but I panicked none the less. I turned around to help a kid get some blocks and he was GONE. I was sure he was right next to me and I have no idea how he got by so fast without me seeing him. In the thirty seconds I lost sight of him he was all the way across the play area. He usually stays in place for a while and takes his time moving from one area to the next, but not this time.
Of course I knew where to look first and he was there sure enough, putting gas in the red truck.
He's starting to take a more active role in sustaining himself.

We had such a fun Easter egg hunt, even though Firdosh and I were still recovering from the stomach flu Jehan picked up for us. He took it like a trooper but it flattened us for a couple of days.
He picked up this plastic egg and shook it and yelled "KAN-DEE!!" I have no idea how he knew what was in it. At that point he became very focused on finding Easter eggs. Every time he saw one his whole body reacted and he squealed "anudder egg" (sometimes pronounced 'another egg') as he ran to get it. He even picked up a golf ball in his enthusiasm.

2010-02-28T17:22:00.006-07:00

Anyone who's been to Discovery Gateway will recognize the balls which completely fascinate Jehan.
I was watching Emma (2009, highly recommended) and happened to pause it here and Jehan kept saying it was "Uncle Matt" and then giggling like he was telling a joke.
Can we say 'spoiled?' He saw this chair at JC Penney (I walked right by and didn't even notice it) and he ran over and sat in it and leaned back with his arms just like this and took a deep sigh like he had found his place in the world. We waited a while and I shopped around but we ended up getting this one anyway. The excuse for getting it was that he would sit in it and read (which he does) but we really just got it because he liked it so much.
Jehan fell down the stairs (again, will he ever learn?) so we made cookies to help him feel better. It worked.
Then Mummy needed a laugh so we put his hair in a ponytail. It's actually getting pretty long.
Jehan loves to jump in his crib. Who wouldn't? When we take his clothes off he points to his chest and says "neck-ee" and giggles.
He is starting to look so grown up and he's finally starting to put on some weight.
Um, spoiled... again.

2010-02-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

They're clearly discussing the sizes of their tummies. Bracken says "See, my tummy is bigger."
Jehan says, "Yes, I can see that it is. Why don't we see how they look sitting up?"
Bracken says, "Yes, my tummy is certainly bigger, but we both look pretty good. They can't get enough of us."

It's been a while (again)

2010-01-22T23:11:00.008-07:00

so I better post more photos. I haven't been taking as many as I should so there aren't many to choose from and I haven't uploaded a lot of photos because of computer problems that we're working on.

I got this shirt from a 5K. I can only assume they got an insurance discount for the almost reflective T-shirts. Jehan was learning colors at the time and he picked up "orange" (originally pronounce "unna") very quickly.

Firdosh enjoyed annoying the neighbors with his Halloween costume. Jehan was so cute in his panda bear costume. It was for babies up to 24 months and he could barely fit in it. He would even roar if you asked him "what does a panda bear say?"

Jehan is starting to use sentences. He's been a chatter box for a while now but now we're starting to understand what he's saying. His first sentence was last Monday. He said "Bracken eating cracker" and then "Mummy eating cracker." Tonight while I was putting him to bed Firdosh turned the light on the humidifier off and he said "Dada, light on. Dada turning. Blue light. Dada turn off blue light." That was awesome to listen to him putting the words together! I think all babies his age are doing the same thing in their heads but Jehan puts it all out there for us to hear and I love it.

I'll post some photos from India soon but we didn't take many so don't expect much :)

Jehan's first bubble bath

2009-09-25T23:19:00.004-06:00

Sick day means it's time for a bubble bath! Jehan ended up getting the cold the rest of us had but it hasn't bothered him very much, I'm guessing because he got a flu shot a couple weeks ago.

Nanna was very nice to let Jehan play with her car. I'm glad he didnt' break anything. SO many things to move, he's probaly never been happier in his life.

2009-09-22T12:30:00.003-06:00

We went to the fair with Joe, Shannon and Matthew last Thursday. Jehan seems to be a thrill seeker. Firdosh and Joe took the babies on the magic carpet ride and it didn't faze Jehan one bit. Poor Matthew wasn't as lucky. He screamed on the way down and cried once they got to the bottom and tried to run away (see third picture). Jehan loved the horses, sheep, goats, pigeons and rabbits but the pigs and cows didn't really do anything for him. I love seeing him think. He was totally putting the animals and their noises with our animal pictures at home. Since Thursday he's started to get animal noises right when we ask him what animals say. Everything used to say "nay" but now kitties say "ow" and cows say "moo" and he looks at you like you're crazy if he doesn't know.

What is it with boys and dirt? (or anything resembling dirt)

Not quite as thrilling as the magic carpet but still pretty good. He goes down all by himself now.

I love these pictures. Pretty soon we'll have to get him one too.

And I am so impressed with myself for posting today. We're all sick and my head hurts!

Summer 2009

2009-09-17T11:54:00.008-06:00

I haven't posted pretty much all summer! Man I've been lazy. Here are some pictures :)

Jehan swimming with Dada.

Jehan started walking in July. These pictures are from his first day.

Ally did have arthritis but the real problem was cancer. It was really bad and she was in a lot of pain so we had to let her go rather suddenly. We miss her so much. She was the best dog. These pictures are from a few years ago.

I don't remember what Jehan was sad about but I thought this picture was pretty funny. Poor little guy. I think he's so cute when he's sad.

Some more pictures of Jehan playing.

Our friends Joe and Shannon and their baby Matthew are staying with us for a little while while they look for a house. They sold theirs too fast which is not really a bad thing in ths market :) Firdosh and Jehan went to the zoo with them a couple weeks ago.

This is up Mill Creek Canyon two weekends ago. I put Jehan's feet in the water which was freezing and he never wanted me to take them out. I think he would have jumped right in if I'd let him.

This is Shannon and Matthew in front.

We went to Lagoon last weekend for Joe's company picnic.

Jehan's first popsicle:

Nanna put Jehan's cowboy boots on. I didn't even realize he had grown into them yet.

One of those days

2009-06-30T23:01:00.002-06:00

Tonight while I put Jehan in his bath I was thinking how lucky I was that we hadn't had any accidents in the tub yet. Of course you know what I was doing five minutes later: cleaning partially digetsted veggies out of the tub and hoping he was finished as he was sitting on the bathroom floor. All things considered it wasn't too bad, or maybe I should say, it could have been worse.

On another note, I have shin splints. I got nice new shoes to train for a 5k and within three weeks I have shin splints while last time I trained for a 5k with my cheap torn-up falling-apart shoes I was perfectly fine the whole time. Now the question: do I invest in expensive shoes or just go back to the old ones? Hmmm...

We took Ally to the vet today. She's aggressive when she's scared which is pretty much any time we go to the vet and we've had some bad experiences with vets/techs being rude after she growls at them. I tell them ahead of time that she's going to freak out, I bring our own muzzle and put it on her and hold her in place for them, and they still have to have attitude about it! The vet today was so nice! It was such a relief to have a good experience with a vet, especially since she's getting older now and we'll need some regular care. They were so gentle with her she never growled or acted aggressive in the slightest. We knew she was having some joint problems and it looks like her right knee and left hip are the worst. We started her on arthritis medication today and hopefully she'll be feeling better soon!

We have a bird!

2009-06-20T19:56:00.004-06:00

Well, a robin made a nest in a tree I was going to prune today. That'll have to wait till fall now! Robin eggs are so pretty!

Some pictures I've been meaning to post

2009-06-10T18:36:00.010-06:00

This is my first sprinkler repair job. A little messy but it's holding so far :)

Daddy and Baby Bracken on the beach before Brooke's graduation.

Congrats Brooke!! (and Bracken, Corey, Courtney, Candice, and Shawn!)

Last Mother's Day I didn't expect that I'd be taking my baby skinny dipping this year. We had lots of fun at Brooke's in-laws and Jehan experienced his first pool. Too bad Daddy wasn't there to get in with him!

The day we came home, both the boys were so tired. We'd had a busy weekend! We went to see the shuttle launch and on the way the boys both fell asleep.

This is what we saw of the shuttle launch... nothing!

We did hear a distant rumble though :)

These pictures are from before Jehan's birthday party. He had so much fun moving drinks from one tub to the other. When the ice came out he kept trying to eat it.

Jehan's first birthday!

2009-06-10T11:03:00.014-06:00

First thanks to Steph for the photos. I didn't have time to take any! We were very busy but it was lots of fun. I can't believe he's already one!

I made the cake :) It took a long time but now I know how to do it and it's not nearly as hard as I made it.

Jehan didn't actually eat any candy but he sure thought it was fun to play with.

It didn't take him long to figure out what presents were about. He loves looking in bags now to see what surprises are inside!

These are just a few shots of him opening presents. He got so many cute toys to play with. We're trying to spread out the fun so we still haven't gotten to all of them. Thanks to everyone who came and made his first birthday so special!

Who needs Kiddie Kandids?

2009-06-10T10:58:00.001-06:00

I'm so proud of myself ;)

Of course they did very well, but I think I prefer mine :)

2009-04-26T11:23:00.005-06:00

Jehan is pro at pulling up on everything now, even walls!

Jehan hates to be stopped, even for a quick hug.

He is getting into everything lately. He loves to pull things out of baskets, cupboards, off tables etc.

Last Sunday we went to Liberty Park with Joe, Shannon and Matthew. Matthew is quite the little scholar chewing on his glasses :)

Jehan loves to brush his teeth. The hard part is getting him to quit.

The Beach

2009-04-26T11:07:00.007-06:00

Brooke and I took our babies to the beach for the first time when we got back to Florida.

We layered them with lots and lots of sunblock.

When all the water started rushing past he got a little worried.

After thinking a bit, he decided that the water was a little scary.

He was happier on higher ground but still very concerned.

Matt's graduation

2009-04-22T16:33:00.012-06:00

I think everyone who reads this knows Matt is in the Air Force and that he wanted to be a combat controller when he joined a few years ago. He finally got to go to Combat Control School this spring and here are a few pictures.

As Matt says, this was when he still had muscle, before they starved him. Aren't the glasses cute? :)

That's ice they're breaking through to cross the river.

They learned to use gas masks with tear gas.

That's Matt on the right getting gassed.

He did better than most of the guys. He walked away from it.

The instructors gassed them while they were taking pictures. Matt says they just ran away :)

This is their final ruck march after their last field training

We all went to North Carolina (Pope AFB) for the graduation. We had lots of fun!

Matt got the Tech Sargent Christopher Matero Communications award that is given to "a combat control graduate who demonstrates exemplary tactical situational awareness in a combat environment."

We went to dinner with some of his friends.

I'm so lucky to be married to this guy. Give him a baby and he'll put it to sleep!

Jehan played a very important role.

We went to the JFK Special Warfare Museum (note Jehan's initials are JFK).

A chunk of the Berlin Wall.

We thought this was pretty hilarious. It's really quite a nice rug, but Bush is wearing the Pope's robes. It's a gift from the people of Afghanistan.

Brooke and I and the babies drove with Matt back to Valdosta on our way back to Florida. This was Matt's house for a couple of years while he was living in Georgia.

Catching up on Jehan

2009-04-19T21:07:00.010-06:00

Our little stinker has been keeping us busy! He's getting all over the place and he isn't even walking yet. Here are some pictures from last month :)

We went to Matthew's first birthday party at Jumpin' Jack's. It was lots of fun! Matthew is getting so big. Poor Matthew just wanted to play with his sock but Jehan wouldn't leave him alone! They were very cute :)

2009-03-09T21:32:00.005-06:00

I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd better get some new pictures up :)

Poor Ally has been a pretty good sport about all the harassment.

In his toy, he likes to run around in circles. He gets so happy :)

Some pictures of Jehan crawling:

He just started pulling up on his knees.

Baby Bracken Pictures

2009-02-21T23:05:00.003-07:00

So here are the pictures, finally!

This is what Brooke calls Baby Bracken's "angry eyes."

Such a sweet little guy.

Brooke calls him 'the toad.' Here he's demonstrating.

Cute little family!

Had to get some pictures of Jehan too.

He was learning to use a straw.

This is his frustrated face. He opens his mouth and shakes his whole body. It's really quite cute.

Showing us how to multitask.

I can't believe how big Jehan is and how small he used to be. Little Bracken is so tiny!

You can't really tell from this picture but Jehan is grinning like he's got a new toy. He was quite interested in Little Bracken and got so excited when he cried. He would touch him gently at first but then we had to take him away 'cuz Jehan couldn't contain his excitement and can't comprehend 'gentle' yet.

Jehan found his nose, and that fingers fit in it perfectly.

Jehan started crawling forward last Friday, Feb 13. I just realized that was Friday the 13th. He has also started learning words. The first was 'light' and he now also knows 'Ally' and 'Dada.' When you say a word to him he stares at you with this blank expression like he is just so amazed, and then grins like he thinks you're the coolest thing on the planet. Makes my heart happy. Something that makes my heart sad is that poor little Jehan is teething (his top front right came through today, the left is almost there), and he has a really bad cold, and we took him to the doctor today and he has an ear infection. Everything is just hitting him at once. Poor little boy is taking it like a trooper and hopefully will be better soon!!!

2009-02-06T13:46:00.001-07:00

Yay! Bricket is having a baby and I'm going to see her! I'm so excited to meet little Bracken!

Jehan's Besta (Sitting Ceremony)

2008-12-26T02:37:00.010-07:00

The sitting ceremony is supposed to be done before the baby is seven months old. They make the baby sit on some really sticky candy. The idea is that the baby's butt sticks to the candy and helps him sit well from then on. At least, that's what they say. I suspect there's really some other significance I don't know about. I think it really worked though. The next day he started correcting himself whenever he started to tip over.

He wasn't too excited when we started.

Once he got the flowers he decide that maybe it wasn't too bad.

He was completely fixated on the flowers. The little square things he's sitting on are the candy. We didn't actually unwrap it :)

The coconut made a big mess on the floor. It was yummy!

Afterwards, we went to see one of Firdosh's friends who has a 3 1/2 month old baby. She's so cute and little! I've already forgotten how to hold a baby that small.

The next day we went downtown and saw the back of the Taj hotel. We didn't get closer because the road was blocked and there was a huge crowd.

When we got home, Jehan started getting up on all fours and rocking.

He was so excited! He'll be crawling any day now. Hopefully not until we get back to Utah.

We had dinner for Firdosh's family at a chinese restraunt for Jehan's sitting ceremony. It was great to see everyone!

Jehan is rolling over... again!

2008-12-22T22:20:00.003-07:00

Well, last time he was rolling from front to back and that only lasted a few days. Now he's loving rolling from back to front. Only now he seems to have forgotten how to roll from front to back and so he gets stuck on his stomach and cries until we turn him over again. Then he just rolls right back to his stomach as soon as we turn around! Little stinker! And I know it's just going to get worse from here. ANYthing that is in his reach is guaranteed to make it to his mouth. I'm already longing for the days when he just sat passively on my lap and didn't try to reach/eat everything in sight.

He seems to have had another one of those developmental bursts this week. He holds toys in his hands and turns them over and feels them, even brushing his fingers on them to feel the texture. (Thanks for the blanket Brooke, he LOVES to feel all the different fabric textures!) Of course they inevitably make it to his mouth eventually.

Matheran Trip

2008-12-20T10:31:00.019-07:00

After being in Mumbai for a few days, we took a vacation to Matheran which is a Hill Station or little resort town about a two hour drive from Bombay. The drive itself was quite an adventure, as are all excursions involving vehicles in India :) I'll just say I was happy Jehan was in a car seat. And it wasn't nearly as scary as a couple of drives last time we were here, especially the drive from New Dehli to Agra. There were several times I really thought we were going to die then, so this time was a relief.

No motor vehicles are allowed in Matheran so you get dropped off about 2 km away and either ride a horse, get pulled in a rickshaw, or walk.

Firdosh and I walked with Jehan. It was quite pretty and cool (compared to Bombay).
The place we stayed had a playground. Too bad Jehan isn't big enough to play yet.

Our rooms had enclosed porches where Firdosh and Papa would read their newspapers and we had our tea in the morning.

Some pictures by the pool:

Jehan and Papa having a laugh

This morning was quite nice. We eventually had to go in just after sunrise 'cuz that's when the monkeys come out. Jehan still wasn't keeping himself upright very well but he had fun sitting anyway.

So the monkeys were really quite a nuisance. When we got there, the people who owned the place said there were two rules: first, don't take food outside because the monkeys will take it. Second, keep your doors locked to keep the monkeys out. They weren't kidding! This monkey really wanted to get in. He climbed a pole just outside the door and I could see his little fingers trying to pry the door open at the top.

I wonder what they're thinking here... who's in the cage? Don't worry, there's glass between them!

The monkey gave up... for a while.

They made so much noise when the whole troop would run across the roof. It scared me the first couple of times. All that said, the mommies and babies were so cute! I wish I'd been able to get a picture of a baby monkey.

The only time I really went out was to do a little sightseeing. We went to a cemetery (the most beautiful I've ever seen) to visit the grave of the husband of the lady who owned the place where we were staying (a relative of Firdosh's dad).

I thought this was a cute picture of Firdosh and Jehan one of the places we stopped along the way.

So Jehan really knows how to draw a crowd. This happened three times while we were there! I know he's cute and here's proof!

Talk about a humiliating method of transportation! There were some steep hills and these poor guys had to push and pull me up and down them. And it took three of them to haul one of me. Finally I just got out and walked (my excuse was to take pictures of course).

Firdosh is so skinny he didn't mind! And he's right, this is how they earn a living so we might as well give them work.

Here's another cute picture after Firdosh's mummy beat him soundly at badminton. Who knew? I thought Firdosh could play any sport, but apparently not as well as his mummy!

Some more pictures I liked:

Here it looks like Firdosh is on his Blackberry, but of course that is a sudoku puzzle thing and not a Blackberry. He spends so much time on the Blackberry that it just seems natural for him so when I see this picture I automatically think that's a Blackberry :)

Poor little Jehan got so tired! He fell asleep while I was changing his diaper.

The last morning we were there was so beautiful! I was jetlagged quite a bit still so I hadn't really gotten up to see the sunrise. It was one of those mornings you only get to experience a few times in your life, unless you're the outdoorsy type which I might have to become :) It was just a little too cool with a strong breeze and hardly anyone was awake yet so it was so quiet. Just me and Jehan and the big beautiful sky! The pictures don't do it justice.

Having my happy little boy there made it all that much better. We had a long discussion about the important things in life.

When we left we rode down from the top of the mountain on a train. There was a sign at the front of the train I wish I'd taken a picture of. It said not to crowd one side of the train as this would make it unstable, and in case of a storm to keep the windows open so the cars don't blow off the tracks. I suddenly wished we were walking! There were some steep and long drops and I'm not very good with heights under the best of conditions! Why couldn't they make the tracks a few feet from the edge instead of right on it!?!?!? I don't get it.

Well, we survived!

PE

2008-12-20T10:30:00.003-07:00

Firdosh passed the PE! I'm so happy for him. He's a genius of course.

Jehan has teeth

2008-12-19T01:12:00.007-07:00

They broke through the second night after we arrived in India (Dec. 10). I never really had any expectations regarding baby teeth, but I was surprised at how sharp they were. They're little daggers! I thouht puppy teeth were sharp but they've got nothing on Jehan.

Jehan also started babbling "mamama" and then "dadada" the first couple of days we were here. So cute! It seems like every day his personality is coming out more and more. We just can't get enough of him.

A few pictures of bath and bed time

Super flight

2008-12-19T00:57:00.007-07:00

I was really dreading the flight to India. Kind of like labor/delivery, I thought once I'd done it I would understand how you survived a 17 hour flight. Also like labor, after doing it last time we came to India, I still didn't know how I survived it. Doing it with a baby this year I expected to have a really miserable time. The flight to Atlanta was a breeze and then when we got to Atlanta we were upgraded to first class. Now I'm so glad Firdosh travels so much with Delta! I can't believe the decadence of first class compared to coach. We even had the best seats in first class, at the back with enough extra space in the corner for Jehan to fit perfectly. Now the return flight will really feel like torture.

Jehan had his own little nest, even though he didn't sleep there very much. I held him most of the time and watched movies while he slept. The motion of the plane was great!

Jehan spent some time hanging out with Daddy. Everyone around us and the flight attendants said they'd never seen such a good baby.

Our view of first class

We were certainly happy to get here and Jehan has finally met the grandparents!

Bumbo

2008-12-04T15:48:00.002-07:00

I love his bumbo, and he doesn't mind it either. This is definitely coming to India with us!

Looks like they'll get along great!

2008-12-04T00:45:00.005-07:00

Little Jehan got so worn out on our trip! He's learned to sleep whenever and wherever he gets a chance. His little outfit is from Aunt Brooke and Uncle Bracken.

He's really starting to look like a little boy, not my little baby anymore.

Brooke's nursery turned out great! I really liked it and I hope she does too :) It's even better than I expected. The faces on the animals are obviously not finished.

Brooke's cute house for those of you who haven't seen it.

He's pro at getting those toes in his mouth. He loves playing with his feet.

Like I said above, he gets his sleep wherever he can now, including the bathtub! He's so tall! I can't believe he's only six months old. 28.25 inches!

2008-12-01T06:32:00.001-07:00

Jehan's first teeth

2008-11-30T18:48:00.003-07:00

Jehan's front bottom teeth are coming in. He's been a little cranky the last few days but I just assumed that was from missing his naps. Hopefully they come through before next Sunday. Our 17 hour flight will be interesting enough as it is.

Brooke's Baby Shower

2008-11-29T21:24:00.002-07:00

This is the baby blanket Brooke made for Jehan. It's so pretty!

Such a cute pregnant girlJehan is a real party animal!Brooke got such cute clothes :)

Merry Christmas from Florida!

2008-11-28T21:30:00.004-07:00

Since we're all togther for Thanksgiving, we're doing Christmas while we're at it :) Jehan's first!

The Christmas tree is a Key Lime tree. Very cute!
Jehan got a Christmas book with lights and music from Nanna. He loved it!

Happy Thanksgiving from Florida!

2008-11-27T22:36:00.007-07:00

We mixed the turkey stuffing in Brooke and Bracken's plastic cauldron.

Little Bracken's Bump

2008-11-26T17:54:00.003-07:00

Proof that she's pregnant!
I had to come to Florida to get this picture! :)

Jehan was great on the flight. He spent the last hour smiling and cooing at everyone who would look at him.

Twilight

2008-11-25T00:29:00.003-07:00

So I saw Twilight on Sunday and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I think Rob Pattinson may be the second best looking guy in the world, after Firdosh of course :) Basically, everything I thought was going to be painfully awkward turned out to be fine. Can't wait to see it again ;)

2008-11-24T12:57:00.002-07:00

Twilight Quiz

Pathetic, aren't I? :)

Such a cute hat!

2008-11-23T12:48:00.002-07:00

Brooke's nursery is going to be so cute!

2008-11-22T23:10:00.007-07:00

We're painting it while we're in Florida next week. I'm so excited! I might have to redo our nursery :) Just joking, our nursery was way too much work to paint again until our fourth kid at least... which means that will never happen! I've been working on making the stencils and they are adorable. Here's what I'm going from:

We're also doing the monkey, gator, turtle, and elephant. Yippee!

Stupid trophy wives

2008-11-21T22:34:00.006-07:00

in over sized trucks talking on cell phones and not paying attention to driving! We were up at the outlets and this stupid lady in a Dodge Ram 2500 with a lift backs right into us. Firdosh dodged her the first time she tried to back into us, but then she pulls back out of the space she doesn't fit into and rams right into us. Firdosh pulled into the space next to her and we see she's on her cell phone and Firdosh is like 'what's up, you just hit us' and she's like 'what? I didn't see you there, I didn't hear you honking, are you sure you didn't run into me?' and we were like 'no, it's pretty hard to run into someone with the side of your car. You backed into us and get off your damned phone and look in your damned mirrors before you back up.' Well, we only actually said the first bit but we were thinking the rest and then some. People like that you just want to slap some sense into and I think they should not be allowed to drive such big pieces of equipment because they are a menace to society. Luckily she didn't hit us very hard and didn't do any damage that we could see. She probably thought she hit the curb. With that big of a truck up against our little Sentra it could have been a lot worse. There were a few seconds there I was ready to jump out of the car and throttle whoever was driving... they hit the side of the car Jehan was in and I was pissed for a few seconds there. I told Firdosh to not get too mad, but really I was trying to calm myself down. By the time I got out I was ready to be nice, but then she either started acting like nothing happened or she really didn't know she had hit us, either of which really pissed me off again! It's been a long time since I've really wanted to slap someone silly....

2008-11-20T23:15:00.009-07:00

Jehan got mad when I took his toy away tonight before bed. Apparently that's a developmental milestone! I wish he could have waited a little longer for this one, like until we come back from India.

Tonight I didn't have to stay with him while he fell asleep. I just left him in his crib and he fussed for a minute and I haven't heard a peep since. Last night he slept ten hours straight and the night before he slept eight. If he keeps this up I'll be really happy, but of course we're traveling for pretty much the rest of the year and I'm sure he won't stick to this schedule. Great timing! Now I know what could have been if we'd stayed home.

This morning he was sitting on the bed letting his big buddha tummy hang out and I wanted to take a picture. But as soon as the camera came out, he sucked it in. It's still cute with all the wrinkles though!

Jehan is starting to sit

2008-11-19T22:03:00.002-07:00

He still isn't very stable so only on the bed and with Mummy nearby.

He's been a real trooper with his cold. He's had a snotty nose (see picture) so sometimes he can't breathe while nursing and gets frustrated but otherwise he hasn't complained at all. I was so worried about his first cold and it turns out it was nothing at all :) I love when that happens!

I need some help!

2008-11-18T18:37:00.003-07:00

Jehan's baby book has a page titled "the world around you" for the day he was born and I don't know many of the answers. If anyone could help I'd greatly appreciate it :) Remember, this was back in May :)

1. Popular singers and musicians
2. Songs we listened to (I'll have to ask Firdosh for this one)
3. Famous actors and actresses
4. Blockbuster movies
5. Hit television shows (I think I got this one covered)
6. Sports heroes
7. Best-selling books (I'll put Twilight of course, any others?)
8. Fashion trends (this one I really have no idea!)

On another note, I might be the worst mother ever. Jehan quit rolling after the first few days of trying it out so I wasn't worried about putting him on the couch five feet away from me while I checked my email. I seriously turned around and heard a thud! He'd rolled right off! What was he thinking!?!? It's like a foot and a half drop and he only cried for a minute, but I feel like the worst mother ever! I will never never ever leave him anywhere he can fall again. At least I've lerned my lesson the easy way. One of my cousins fell off the bed and dislocated his shoulder when he was 10 months old, so it could have been a lot worse!

2008-11-17T22:09:00.006-07:00

I love this photo.

Jehan's first cold

2008-11-16T20:33:00.001-07:00

This week is going to be hell :(

Yet another getting to know me :)

2008-11-15T18:07:00.003-07:00

This is the last one, I promise! Thanks for filling a day, Amy!

1. Where is your cell phone(s)? On the dining room table.

2. Your significant other? My lovely hubby Firdosh

3. What color is your hair? Brown

4. Your father? Earle Wesley Richardson

5. Your favorite thing? Right now? I'd have to say Jehan sleeping... so I can sleep. I haven't been able to sleep much for three nights now, either because I've been wired or Jehan has kept me up. I'm tired!!!

6. Your dream last night? It was pretty weird. I was at Walmart I think and there was a reason for the following but I don't remember it now. I tried to pay for whatever I was getting by putting money in one of those candy things. I think the cash registers were broken and nobody realize it or something. It didn't give me any candy, I just kept putting money in but then after I'd put like sixty bucks in I realized it couldn't give me a receipt so I was stuck in the store. Then I woke up.

7. Your favorite drink? Water, or orange juice... or apple juice... or grape juice. I love juice too much!

8. Your job? Mom

9. Your dream/goal? Too many. First is for my family to be happy.

10. The room you're in? Family room, needs to be cleaned

11. Your fear? Losing people I love.

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I don't know where I want to be in one year, let alone six. I'll probably be done having kids by then (depending on how far we space them). Hopefully I'll be busy and happy, whatever I'm doing.

13. Where were you last night? Went to dinner at Pepper Bellies.

14. What you're not? in shape

15. Muffins? Way too easy to eat too many. My favorite are blueberry.

16. One of your wish list items? A spinning bike

17. Where did you grow up? Holladay, Utah

18. The last thing you did? Shopping, at Walmart. The cash registers were working and I made it home just fine :)

19. What are you wearing? A maroon nursing shirt and khakis

20. Your favorite TV show? Don't watch TV any more, but I wish I was up with The Office and 30 Rock

21. Your pet? Ally, she's a 13 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback I've had since she was 10 weeks old.

22. Your computer? Is sweet, thanks to Chris! Just wish I could use it for WoW.

23. Your life? is still a little tiring with the little guy. Otherwise I'm damned lucky.

24. Your mood? Exhausted, a little down right now. I'll feel better after a good night's sleep.

25. Missing someone? most people... or maybe I should say adults in general.

26. Your car? Nissan Sentra SE R. Red.

27. Something you're not wearing? Socks

28. Favorite Store? I don't like to buy things.

30. Your favorite color? Changes. Usually bright blue, what I call 'happy blue.' I think it's technically called 'metallic blue' in the auto industry. It's like sky blue but more intense.

31. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday, watching War, Inc.

32. Last time you cried? Tuesday Nov. 4th... I think.

33. Who will/would re-post this? Probably nobody :) Other people have interesting things to blog about.

34. FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER:
a) Smith's
b) Costco
c) you can tell I really get out, that's it
d)

35. FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME:
a) Firdosh
b) Amy
c) Michele
d) School, I'm still on their email list.

36. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
a) sushi
b) chocolate
c) lasagna, with garlic bread :)
d) mangoes, and pretty much any other fruit

37. FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW?
a) asleep
b) asleep on a beach in a really warm place
c) with friends/family
d) doing something (especially the above) with Firdosh

38. FOUR PEOPLE I THINK WILL RESPOND:
a) probably no one :)

Wishing for movies

2008-11-14T21:34:00.004-07:00

I totally thought I was going to get to watch some serious movies. Firdosh asked if we could watch a movie a couple of weeks ago so we went and got Iron Man and he stayed awake for the whole thing! I was so excited. I've hardly seen any movies since we started dating because it isn't nearly as much fun to watch movies alone and it doesn't make sense to drag him to the theater and pay eight bucks for him to have an uncomfortable nap. Then last weekend we got the new Indiana Jones movie, and he only lasted through the first half hour or so before he fell asleep. Next day we did finish it, but he wasn't at all enthusiastic about it. This week we got War, Inc. and we tried and tried and he just couldn't get through it. So sad :( I thought we were having a break through.

Skyline High 2000

2008-11-13T22:29:00.005-07:00

Here's another get-to-know-you thing from Candice. Keep 'em coming! We've still got way too many days left to go this month!

This one is about high school. My memory isn't very accurate for that period of my life... I've successfully repressed most of it.

1. Did you date someone from your school?

No

2. Did you marry someone from your high school?

No

3. Did you car pool to School?

Yes, with Stephanie on the way to school and sometimes hitched a ride home with Richard

4. What kind of car did you have?

My mom had an Isuzu Trooper I drove sometimes. I got my Mitsubishi Mirage after I finished high school but before graduation.

5.What kind of car do you drive now?

Red Nissan Sentra seR

6. Its Friday night...where are you (then)?

Most likely hanging out with Candice, Courtney, and Richard.

7. It is Friday night...where are you (now)?

Playing with Jehan, almost always staying home :(

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?

I was a waitress for a little while. It really sucked.

9. What kind of job do you have now?

I'm a mom

10. Were you a party animal?

Not at all.

11. Were you considered a flirt you think?

Most definitely not.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?

Orchestra one year, it was hell. Not my choice.

13. Were you a nerd?

No.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled?

No

15. Can you sing the fight song?

No way

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?

Mrs. Farr (European history), Mrs. Wood (art history), Mr. Talbot (biology), Mrs Ballard (world history)

17. Where did you sit during lunch?

In the hall by the trophy cases I think, with the friends

18. What was your school's full name?

Skyline High School.

19. When did you graduate?

2000

20. What was your school mascot?

Eagles

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?

Hell no!

22. was apparently skipped

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with?

Nope.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion?

Haven't gone to one yet. If I'm still living around here I might, but probably not.

First brush

2008-11-12T15:06:00.007-07:00

We brushed Jehan's gums yesterday. No teeth yet, just the gums. He didn't much care for it so it's good we're starting early. I read somewhere that you should start brushing baby gums 'cuz if you wait until they have teeth you'll have a fight on your hands. He agreed with me that the green toothbrush was much more fun than the blue one.

Firdosh took this picture of Jehan just after he fell asleep for his nap today. Similar to how he used to sleep when he was a newborn. It was so cute!

2008-11-11T18:46:00.007-07:00

I was wondering what position Jehan's legs were in while he was sleeping so I opened his baby bag to check. This is exactly the position he was sleeping in. He only opened his eyes because the flash woke him up.

I love this picture sequence

2008-11-10T23:17:00.005-07:00

Thinking about it.

Making sure we're watching.

Seeing how far he'll get with it.

But I wish I'd gotten the last one. It would have shown Firdosh's hand catching the bowl as Jehan attempted to throw it. This is the reason we need laminate flooring.

I'm excited to see Twilight...

2008-11-09T22:33:00.004-07:00

But I'm afraid it's really going to suck. I've seen a couple trailers and they look a little lame, but I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. But now after listening to the Rob Pattinson songs on iTunes (here's amazon), I'm really worried. I mean, his voice is all nasal and annoying and it was a really bad call for them to have him sing. Makes me worry about other decisions they had to make. Oh well, if my expectations are low enough, maybe I won't be disappointed.

What does spit up taste like?

2008-11-08T10:01:00.004-07:00

So I had Jehan standing on my stomach yesterday after he woke up from a nap and he spit up. Not just regular spit up but the projectile kind. I very narrowly avoided finding out what regurgitated milk, rice, and carrot tastes like a couple of hours into digestion. Luckily my mouth was closed but it got all over my face and the front of my shirt, and for lovely imagery, it ran around to the back of my neck and got in my hair and all over the sheets to boot. Lovely.