Road Trip

Saturday we made our maiden road trip in our new van. We went to Kreider Farms in Pennsylvania for a dairy farm tour and then to Hershey’s Chocolate World. If I could summarize the whole trip in 2 words, I’d say – ‘Huge Success!’ I’m the kind of person who likes to plan every single detail for a trip and then worry every minute thereafter till the start, about all of the things that can possibly go wrong. None of my hypothetical problem scenarios came to life this time but I’m glad I planned for every kind of emergency because I was very relaxed by the time we started, knowing well that we were prepared to handle most everything that came our way. I did all the packing Friday night (with 2 kids under four, even a day trip required me to pack like we would be gone for a month. Most of them were the ‘Just in Case’ stuff) . I made some Idlis also Friday night, knowing well that there would be no time to prepare a hearty breakfast Sat morning. Everyone including Rhea hit the bed at 11pm Friday night but the kids were up and about at their regular time Sat morning. This made things easier as everything went as planned. Sean was super excited and kept asking ‘Are we going to the chocolate factory???’ about a zillion times.

We started almost on time around 8:45 (just 15 mins late) and made our first stop near Harpers ferry at a road side store selling home made brittles and freshly popped pop corn. We bought a huge bag of the sweet (with a hint of salty) pop corn. It was still warm from the kettle and all of us devoured it in 15 minutes. Sean had fun snacking on the pop corn and singing along the ‘Piya Bole’ song from Parineeta. He was thoroughly enjoying the drive. I thought he’d get really bored and jittery in the van for the long 3 hour ride but he clearly was having a great time. The drive was very scenic with apple orchards, vineyards and corn fields on both sides. Our tour of the farm was at 1:30pm and we got there at about 12:45pm with enough time to have lunch. Rhea was glad to get out of the car seat and stretch and we all had a quick lunch at the farm’s restaurant.

The tour was 1.5 hours and the farm is nestled in almost 4000 acres. There is a huge expanse of corn fields on either side of the roads as far as the eyes could see. We’re so used to just picking corn from the grocery store, it was a welcome sight to see it actually growing in the fields and ready to be harvested. There were 6 cars and we went as a convoy, the lead car had the lady from the farm who gave a running commentary over the local FM station. We got to see the cows ‘boarding house’ where they live and then the ‘vacation home’ where they spend the last month before their delivery, the nursery which housed all the calves, they also have a hospital for the ‘sick’ cows. We spent a lot of time at the carousal where the cows come to get milked 3 times a day. It was amazing to see how well they are trained to come in an orderly manner to get their job done. Sean had quite a few interesting questions like ‘Does the cow give ice cream?’. I had to explain that it gives milk and the ice cream is made from the milk. I think we will do more trips like this so the kids get to actually see and experience the simple facts of life which are so often and easily missed in the hustle and bustle of the ‘cocooned’ city life. We got back to the farm restaurant and were given a free sample of their ice cream which was such a welcome treat considering the sweltering heat. I wish Rhea could eat some too but she seemed happy and refreshed when I wiped her face with a wet wash towel.

A van full of chocoholics



Our next stop was at the Hershey’s Chocolate World – the one place our resident chief chocoholic Sean couldn’t wait to get to. The rest of us could barely hide our excitement either. Sean was a tad disappointed though when I told him they don’t sell ‘Starbursts’. That’s his favorite candy. As soon as we got in, we made a beeline for the chocolate factory tour and were promptly told that we couldn’t take our strollers in. So Aji and Achachan went and parked the strollers back in the stroller parking area. We got back in line and it took us about 10 mins to actually get into the lil moving cars that took us through a fun and wonderful tour of a simulated chocolate factory. At the end of it we were handed a free sample which we all gobbled up immediately. We then did our rounds through the big chocolate store where all the Hershey chocolates were displayed. It was a treat to the eyes and I felt like I gained a pound or 2 just seeing them all. We did some shopping and then ventured into the dining area. We couldn’t pass up the 'oh-so-fully-loaded' milk shakes and the ice creams. They were so yummy and so not figure friendly, but we decided we’ll worry about the bulge later. By the time we got out of there we were all on a chocolate and sugar high except for Rhea :)




We started our journey back and got home around 9pm. All of us tired but with huge grins on our faces – testimony to the memorable and fun filled day we enjoyed!

I have to add that Sean did not have any accidents this entire trip including a trip to the pool yesterday - We are all very impressed!!

Three well deserved cheers to our Seany boy,

HIP HIP HOORAY !!
HIP HIP HOORAY !!
HIP HIP HOORAY !!

Marching right along...

Rhea has been busy conquering new milestones this past week. No she hasn't started marching let alone walking yet, in case you took the title literally. But she has been tackling milestone after milestone this past week thus making huge strides in her developmental acheivements...

Karate Kid

Beginning this week she has been showing off some neat karate moves - real cool chopping moves with both her arms.You would be fooled into thinking that they wont hurt you because she is smiling all the time she's at it but if you happen to get too close to her you'd go OUCH!!! coz they are painful!! Sean learnt it the hard way and is now very cautious around her esp. when he tries to play with her hair while drinking milk. I think she's just excited now that she has discovered both her hands and legs and can now hold onto both her toes with her hands. She does it with so much ease I cant help but wonder and wish if I could borrow some of her flexibility.

Real Food = Yummo!!!



We gave Rhea her solids for the first time yesterday. We gave her a spoon of organic rice cereal mixed with formula. Her initial reaction was hilarious. She had this funny expression where she knew that she was fed something other than milk like always but she couldnt quite figure out what. She was trying to suck on the spoon like she does her bottle and was a little frustrated in between that there was a break between getting food in her mouth unlike the bottle here she has a steady stream of milk flowing from start to finish. But overall she loved it and she seemed to keep wanting more but we wanted to take it slow and make sure since it was the first time that she doesnt have any allergies. She did fine yesterday so today maybe she can have lil more than yesterday.

I shall post pictures soon..

I’m a big kid now!

Sean has been doing such a fantastic job getting potty trained. I thought it deserved a separate entry in my journal! So this is sort of a brag fest about how much he has surprised us the past one week and how proud all of us (and that includes Apapcha, Ammachi, Dada, Mamma and baby) are about how far he has come. Whenever I saw the Huggies commercial where the kid gets potty trained and shouts ‘I’m a big kid now’ – I’ve pictured Sean doing the same and I’m glad he has reached that milestone. GOOD JOB SEANY !!!

Its been hardly a week since I stacked away all his ‘Pull Ups’ and gave him an ultimatum that its time for him to switch to wearing underwear full time. He has been a good sport. We’ve had a few close calls and some minor accidents but on the whole he is doing great. He has stayed dry every night from the get go and has gotten very good with timing. Now, we don’t have to be behind him as much reminding him that it maybe time to use the potty again.

He is very happy that he is wearing an underwear and will pull down his shorts and show off his favorite Thomas underwear. Its so cute. He has been asking me ‘Where’s my Gift ?’ when I get back from work – the one that we promised to get him for this achievement. I should get him that this weekend.

Little Miss Socialite

Rhea is almost 4.5 months old. Wow! How fast time flies…One can see how the different aspects of her personality are evolving everyday. The one thing that hasn’t changed is her cheerful disposition at all times. She started this smile fest when she was 3 days old and continues to delight us to this day. Her smiles are what gets me thru the night feeds after a long day at work. Ammachi calls her ‘chirikudukka’ and Appachan calls her ‘Smiley’.



She has also become quite the socialite. Sunday mass is when she does all her socializing. Mostly me or aji will be holding her unless she is asleep in her car seat (this is becoming more of a rarity these days). She just goes on and on babbling to the folks in the pews behind us. If there are kids behind then she will be at it non-stop. There has been couple of occasions esp. during sermon time that I had to hold her facing forward so that the people behind can pay attention to the sermon.

One of Sean’s buddy who lives down the street had a baby brother last week and his dad brought the baby out when they were playing in our yard. We took Rhea to meet her new friend. I was very curious to see her reaction. Well, she barely even noticed the baby. I don’t think she is old enough to recognize another baby and be curious about him/her or maybe because it was dinner time for her and she was beginning to let us know that she was starving!!! It’s the only time she will fuss or get mildly cranky so I made our conversation short and headed to make her ‘Dinner’.

Yesterday we had Anishchayan for dinner and I made Roast beef with boiled baby potatoes and roasted carrots. We had some grilled chicken also. Sean enjoyed the biscuits and had some of the chicken. He is doing really well with potty training. We have been out and about quite a lot this weekend and he has done well. Hopefully we will be liberated from the ‘Pull Up’ world pretty soon.

I made this draft entry on Monday. Got around to posting it only today (Friday).So in some sense you are reading some ‘Old’ news. I’m trying to make my entries more regular.

Special Bond!

I’ve always wished for Sean and Rhea to share the special bond with Appacha and Ammachi like their cousins Joe and Tom. Of course Joe and Tom have spent all their baby and toddler years with Appacha and Ammachi and all their summer vacations thereafter. I wasn’t sure if Sean will develop that same relationship or something even close since he has hardly spent any time with achachan and mummy. The last month has been a blessing. He has been staying at home and enjoying their company. He is so close to both of them now, if he doesn’t see them for couple of minutes he’ll ask ‘Where is my Appacha?’ or ‘Where is my Ammachi?’. He couldn’t pronounce ‘Appacha’ very well initially and used to say ‘Aacha’. Now he says Appacha clearly. His eating habits have improved vastly thanks to their prodding. He now has a proper breakfast and lunch. He plays with them and also hugs them when he takes his afternoon nap. I’m hoping he will learn to understand some Malayalam while they are here. Achachan and Mummy brought so many yummy ‘Naadan’ goodies this time like Jackfruit halwa, Jackfruit cheese, Dry banana, fruit cake etc to name a few and I was hoping that Sean would enjoy them since those are things you do not get here. It seems today they had the dried banana and he loved it. I’m told that he has been downing them like they are candy and in between all the chewing he asked them '(Can) I come to your house?'. Mummy said 'You’re welcome'. He also occasionally will go and say 'I love you Appacha/Ammachi'. Mummy told me this when I called home and my heart just melted. That’s just what I wanted for him. Am just so glad that he got to spend all this quality time with them and Thank God he got close to them so fast to enjoy their love and affection and reciprocate it. I can’t wait to get home these days to listen to him animatedly go on and on about the days activities. Rhea also seems to smile away in agreement and I know she couldn’t be any more happier. I feel so happy and blessed!

New Discovery

Its seems like Rhea has discovered her toes. From Monday(Jul 17th), she’s been trying to reach for her left toe and hold on for couple of minutes. Very cute. I’m sure she’s going to be thrilled when she discovers her right toe. 2 new toys to play. That’s going to keep her busy!!! I still remember Sean holding onto both his toes and chomping on them. Can’t wait to see Rhea do the same.

I also forgot to mention in my earlier entries about Rhea’s 4 month appt last Friday(14th). My poor lil darling got 4 shots. Dada and Ammachi were the brave souls who had to watch her endure it. She did fine though and was only fussy for couple of hours after. Below are her 4 month stats (this is from my memory, so I’ll have to recheck),

Height – 26 inches (50th percentile)
Weight – 15 lb 2.2oz (50-75th percentile)

She has reached all of the developmental goals for her age and were told that she could start solids in a month. That is going to be fun..i cant wait to see her reaction when she gets her first taste of solids. Sean’s reaction was hilarious.

She is so active these days and giving her a bath these days is getting very tricky because she doesn’t want to lie still in her tub. She gets all wiggly and when we turn her around to wash her hair she tries to stand up the whole time. She looks pretty confident about giving walking a try already. Well, maybe I should have a talk with her and convince her to put that off for some time.

Catching up

It seems like its been ages since I had a new entry…in my defense, it has been a rather busy few days around here.

Sports Mania

Last weekend it was all about sports. Saturday, Achachan went golfing with Anishchayan. He had a fantastic time. Thanks Anishchayan!. He was mentioning that if he continues to hit the greens often he would give Tiger Woods a run for his money. Sunday was the Soccer World Cup and Wimbledon finals. Soccer mania won over tennis craze and Aji, Sean and achachan went to anishchayans place to watch it on the ‘Big’ screen. Sean and Sarah got to play together both days. Even though they fight over the same toy pretty much every couple of minutes they are together they still have a lot of fun the remaining time. They played on the playset and took turns on the tricycle, did some coloring and enjoyed a popsicle. It was funny to see how they were navigating their way around the popsicle to catch all the drips. In the end we had 2 very happy kids with brightly colored faces.




Soccer Dad

Aji decided to adorn himself with the proud ‘Soccer Dad’ tag . So on Tuesday we went and got the Honda Odyssey. Aji gets to take it to work since he has a shorter commute. Sean absolutely loves the van. Even if he wakes up from his nap cranky, a trip to anywhere in the van is all it takes to make him his usual happy self. Rhea falls asleep the minute we pull out of our drive way and the major decision these days is ‘Who gets to sit on the last seat in the van’. Its a very comfortable ride for the person back there…the only catch being that it takes a heck of a lot of maneuvering to get there esp. with 2 car seats eating up a lot of leg space in the middle row. But we are all very happy that we can all go together. It makes every journey so much more enjoyable.

Shopping spree..

Yesterday after mass we went to the Leesburg outlet malls and Achachan and Mummy went on a shopping rampage. We spent almost 6 hours there. Rhea was a trooper and even though the heat was unbearable at times she was all smiley. Sean managed to sneak in quite a few rides on the kiddie fire truck. Both of them were completely drained by the end of the day. The shopping spree didn’t end there…Aji wanted to get the 50 inch plasma he has been eyeing for the longest time. So he dropped us off at home and he and Achachan went and picked it up. Anishchayan came over and helped unload and set it up. We absolutely love it. Now everything appears 3 times larger than earlier. We had WETA channel on and they were showing a program on Gorillas and it felt like we had King Kong in our family room albeit in a good way.

One small step for man but a giant leap for mankind

The title seems fitting in so many ways for this entry since so much in the past few days revolved around Sean’s astronomical interest with the space shuttle Discovery launch and Rhea working hard and conquering new milestones.

Rhea has started to hold onto things with her hand from yesterday. Its so cute to watch…she will grab her monkey rattle and have it very close to her face and she will stare at it for the longest time…its like she is spending all her energy inspecting the toy to find any defects. She has also started sleeping in her crib. We moved the crib from Sean’s room to ours on Tuesday and she is doing pretty well so far with the transition. She is hardly getting any ‘mat time’ these days because the moment mummy puts her down, Sean cheta appears from nowhere in a flash and is all over her. He means no harm and is trying to play with her but she’s still so small that its safer to have her perched up in our arms than down on the floor.



Sean is enjoying his summer vacation. He followed the space shuttle Discovery launch with a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Aji explained to him in great detail about the astronauts and their trip to space and earlier expeditions to moon etc. Since the launch got postponed couple of times due to bad weather the first thing he would ask everyday after he woke up was ‘Have the astronauts gone? Is the weather good today?’. We had some very interesting conversations with him.

Me: Sean, where do you think the astronauts are going?
Sean : To the moon (I clarify that this trip is to space and not the moon)
Me: How are they going to go there?
Sean: Astronauts are going in the space shuttle. I want to be an astronaut.
Me: Are you going to go on the space shuttle?
Sean: Aacha (appacha) and Aamchi and Dada and Mama and baby and me will go on the space shuttle. [Maybe when he grows up taking a vacation to space will be a reality].
Sean: Baby, you want to be an astronaut?

He is a little disappointed that she isn’t sharing his enthusiasm about all this and we tell him that she is still a baby and does not understand. I have to also assure him that she would definitely be interested when she gets older. He continues,

Sean: Dad, you want to be an astronaut?
Aji : I would love to.

On the day of the actual launch Aji happened to wear an orange T-shirt. Sean said – ‘Dad, you wearing the astronaut clothes???’. He had seen the astronauts in their orange suits earlier on TV. We had to wake him from his nap to watch the launch when it finally happened but he wasn’t upset at all and perked up immediately.

It just amazes me how his little mind works and how he analyzes every bit of information we share with him. It is interesting how he applies that in his thinking process and his conversations thereafter.

We’re hoping we can continue to nurture and fuel Sean’s new found interest for the space and beyond. It seems like a small step in the right direction now and we hope that it will culminate in a giant leap towards what his future holds.Meanwhile, we are still in the dark about what milestone Rhea is planning to attempt in the next few days…shall keep you all posted.

A stellar stage debut marks the beginning of a much awaited summer vacation ..…

Friday was the last day of school for Sean and they had the graduation ceremonies the same evening for older kids who were leaving to join elementary school. Sean made his stage debut on this occasion. Their class performed a song about fishing complete with actions and Sean did a great job. He remembered all the actions and the song and was very excited about the whole thing. Aji recorded the entire recital but we don’t have any still pictures…next time we will be better organized. I was stuck at work and missed it (still feel so guilty and disappointed) because his teacher never mentioned to us about their recital until Friday when aji went to drop him off. Hopefully she won’t make the mistake again.

So this month Sean is going to be at home with Appacha, Ammachi and Rhea. He is very excited that he can be home with the baby. Now only if he will start eating something…he is sooo skinny. I took him to the pool on Saturday and Aji is planning to do the same all this week. He loves it and it is so difficult to get him out of there so we try to take him couple of hours before closing time. That way when the life guards are collecting all the toys and everyone starts to get out he doesn’t throw a tantrum…

Rhea is busy rolling over and is as smiley as ever. But her giggles are the best. She would go on and on if you keep chatting with her. She is such a joy to watch. The past 2 nights she slept with me on the big bed. She wasn’t sleeping well in her bassinet and I have her in our bed till we move the crib from Sean’s room to ours. Hopefully she will transition well to the crib because I’m getting used to the sound sleep she has been treating me with the past 2 nights.

I’m slowly settling into a good workout routine-touch wood. I ran for the first time in more than a year on Friday. Did some cross training on Saturday and took it easy on Sunday. Got a run in today before work. Hopefully I can manage to workout atleast 3-4 times a week and shed these stubborn extra pounds that are clinging to me.