Play and Pooltime at Vinita's

We had a great Saturday afternoon at my dear friend Vinita's house today. She lives in Virginia Beach and it's always a treat when she comes in town. Jaidan played with Kiran, (Vinita's son) Anya (Kindel's daughter) and Chloe (Camie's little girl.) Didn't get great pictures today because I was playing referee between Jaidan and his friends. Jaidan has a train obsession and would tackle anyone who came within a few feet of his beloved toys. Only they were Kiran's toys and not his. Thanks Kiran, for being such a good sport!

There are many reasons I love my husband...

...and this is one of them:

Friday we were running around trying to get everyone ready for work/school and Manish made Jaidan's lunch since I forgot to do so the night before. Keep up the good work Daddy! :-)

Storytime at the Library

Every Tuesday, we go to storytime at our local public library. Miss Stephanie, the librarian, is a very animated lady who sings, reads stories, and occasionally puts on a puppet show. Jaidan usually never sits still for long, but enjoys himself - especially during the singing segments.

Puppet Show!

Dancing along to the music.

Miss Stephanie reads the story of the week.

These puzzles are always entertaining!

Enjoying a book before storytime began.

Splish Splash!

Over the weekend, we headed over to Jaidan's Auntie Tanya's pool and boy, was it fun! We splashed in the kiddie pool and then swam with the grown ups in the lap pool. We finished the day with a yummy pizza dinner. It was a perfect end to a perfect summer day. Thanks Tanya Auntie, we love you!

School Days

Jaidan is in a Mothers Day Out program at our local church for 2 days a week. He loves going to "school" and we love the program. His teachers are Miss Sherry and Miss Candace. I pack him a lunch and he takes it in his Spiderman backpack, along with his favorite sleeping buddy and blanket for naptime. I asked the program director to take a few pictures so that I can post them on the blog - hopefully I can get some with his classmates soon. He loves the swings and doing arts and craft projects. He makes me a proud mama bird!

Those first steps

Since I started this blog a little late, I am backtracking a bit, but I still wanted to include Jaidan's big milestones. We waited 17 months for Jaidan to take his first steps, so needless to say, we were pretty excited when he finally started walking. Parents would tell me, watch out, once he starts walking, he will be hard to catch! But actually, it hasn't been anything like that for us. He is so careful that he doesn't really run all over the house or anything. I think it's because of his cautious nature that it took him awhile to start walking in the first place!

A Hair-story Lesson

As you can see from previous posts, Jaidan got a haircut recently. But it's not just any haircut. Following the Shah family tradition, Jaidan's first haircut was actually a very special event that involved shaving his entire head. We had our friends and family over for a big party to celebrate this monumental moment.

We've heard many explanations, but didn't really know what the true religious and historical significance was as to why the head is shaved in such an elaborate ritualistic way. Manish found an article that explained it well: "According to the Hindu beliefs, the hair present at birth is supposed to represent unwanted traits from the past lives. In order to make sure that the child has no undesirable qualities of the past birth in this life, the head is shaved off to ensure a new beginning and a fresh start. Medically, it is said that shaving off the hair stimulates the cells and improves blood circulation to the brain. Some also believe that this gives the child a long life."

It was so wonderful and important to us that Jaidan partake in this tradition although I'll admit, Jaidan had some awesome locks and it was hard to see it go! I know, it will grow back. And though Jaidan looks adorable with the buzz cut, it's fun to look back at his long haired days!

Playtime with Avery

We had a fun filled morning as Jaidan's friend Avery came over to play. The kiddos read books, played with blocks, crawled through Jaidan's crawling tunnels and ate lunch! Jaidan even shared a few (not all) of his toys. We are definitely making progress. I think going to school is helping in the sharing department...

God's Own Country

This past January, we embarked on a true adventure to Kerala, located on the Southwestern tip of India, for my sister Nisha and her now husband Neil's wedding. Referred to as ‘God’s Own Country’, by its residents, Kerala was selected by the National Geographic Traveller as one of the 50 destinations of a lifetime and one of the thirteen paradises in the world.

Her wedding took place at Kumarakom Lake Resort near Cochin, India and we enjoyed gorgeous beaches, tranquil stretches of backwaters, amazing food and one spectacular wedding!

This trip was especially meaningful to us because we were able to celebrate with my grandmother (Maa) who had sadly passed away in May. I find great comfort in knowing that she was surrounded by all of her family one more time. And what a blessing that Jaidan was able to meet her.

What a difference a year makes...

These pictures were taken exactly one year apart. My little butterball has sure grown up! I remember last year thinking, "This kid doesn't stop eating!" And now, I am lucky if he will eat more than a few bites at each mealtime.

Petting Farm!

Jaidan went hog wild at the petting farm this morning! Some of the moms and kiddos in our neighborhood met up for a fun time meeting our animal friends. There were bunnies, goats, sheep, donkeys, and a cow - to name a few. Jaidan liked the bunnies the best.

The beginning

I am so excited to finally start this blog! Better late then never, I guess. After picking up Jaidan's baby book recently and realizing that I never got past the "first smile" entry, I realized I should find a different medium to journal his progress. Thanks for following along! Here are a few pictures from the early days. Looking back at these made me want another - until I saw my undereye circles from sleep deprivation. Maybe I'll wait just a little while longer... Isn't he cute?