Le Avventure del Piccolo Rajiv

We are moving

2009-06-25T10:21:00.002-04:00

Il blog cambia casa! Il nuovo indirizzo e' http://duefratellini.blogspot.com/ .

To celebrate the new arrival, we are moving to

http://duefratellini.blogspot.com/

The page is still a work in progress, but it will be up and running soon. See you there!

Announcement

2009-06-24T10:19:00.004-04:00

Our son (name still under debate, so let's call him "Piccolino") was born yesterday night, June 23, at 9:41. I am just posting a few pictures here, a more complete account of the events might follow later on.

We succeeded in having a home birth, so Piccolino was born on our old trusted futon in our living room. The large night gown covered blob in the picture is the mom :).

Dad cuts the cord...

... and Piccolino gets his first check up. He weighs 7 lbs 8 oz (3.4 kg) and measures 20.5 in (52 cm), if I remember correctly.

There he is, warm and cozy!

And here are the two amazing midwives who helped us out during and after the birth. Piccolino is a bit hard to spot here, but he is snuggled next to his mom.

Appu con mamma e papa'

2009-06-22T10:38:00.004-04:00

I haven't been posting for a while, but we have been really busy. There has been some major renovation going on in the house and maybe one of this days I will post some pictures of our lovely new attic. We have also made some rushed last minute arrangements for the birth, thinking somehow that Rohan/Rowan would decide to appear early, but of course here we are still waiting for him. In any case, we are ready now (right...).

There are loads of things I can say about Appu, he has really amazed us in the last month. He has his favorite cartoons now ("Kippo", and sadly "Dora"), his favorite book characters ("Gossie") and he has his preferences on almost everything. He knows what jacket he wants to wear, if he wants one at all, and so on and so forth. He loves puppets and has a lot of fun impersonating various animals. He remembers some words from his favorite books and fills in the blanks when mamma is reading to him. He can can more or less count from one to ten in both English and Italian and he recognizes the numbers when he sees them written (this is making his dad suspect that there might be a brain inside, after all... :) ).He is very very cuddly, as if he knew that these are the last days he gets to spend as the only cuddly baby in the house.

So, since I happen to have a couple of pictures of Appu with his parents - even a very rare one with the mom, self-taken of course, because who would do it otherwise - I thought this would make a nice last post pre new baby (says the mom who keeps hoping for labor to start... now!).

Isn't he so so so cute? And very tanned - sorry achamma!

Names - again - II

2009-05-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

A significant number of people whose opinion we value has suggested the name Rohan instead of Roan (or Rowan). As a matter of fact, that was our initial idea as well, but then I proposed we modified it to Roan to make it easier on the Italians who notoriously mess up their 'h's. I didn't even know the name Roan actually existed, but since it turned out that it does (and the variant Rowan is even the name of an actor that S greatly admires) then it seemed settled. I also like that Roan/Rowan comes from the name of a tree - now I couldn't tell you which one, but something that grows in Ireland and has red berries on it.

I guess Rohan is still a possibility, but in the last decade lots of babies have received that name in honor of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's shadow would always hang on the little one.

Anyway, I think we will put aside Niccolo', for the reasons I already mentioned. I don't think most people could pronounce it right and I wouldn't enjoy having him called Nick by all his friends. Nonna Laura seems to be very excited about the middle name Ernesto (her mother was called Ernestina, after an older half brother Ernesto who died in World War I, so lots of family history there), so we might keep that.

At first I really wanted an Italian name for this baby, but if we end up living in India I don't want one of them to always feel that he fits in less than his brother because of his strange name. I know it is not a big deal, but this is the kind of stuff that sometimes matters to kids, so why risk it.

So:

Roan Ernesto Ashok?
Rowan Ernesto Ashok?
Rohan Ernesto Ashok?

Names - again

2009-05-25T22:08:00.003-04:00

Please vote:

Roan Niccolo' Ashok
Roan Ernesto Ashok

or Rowan (S. claims it is pronounced exactly as Roan, but my Italian instinct to pronounce the letters I see makes me suspicious) with the same middle names.

or Niccolo' ... Ashok - and please feel free to fill the dots.

I think we are quite in favor of Roan/Rowan at the moment, but not so strongly that we won't have changed our minds by tomorrow morning of course. It does however have the advantage of being easy to write and pronounce and it cannot be shortened into some dreadful American like nickname. My favorite name Niccolo' doesn't satisfy any of these requirements, so maybe it is time to abandon that idea. Thoughts?

By the way, cheer up! Only one month to go and then this name agony will be over. :)

From "Miano"'s Camera

2009-05-25T10:17:00.007-04:00

Un po' di foto scattate da Emiliano nel corso dell sua visita.

Our friend Emiliano has left yesterday and we already miss him a lot. Here are a few pictures of Appu taken by him during his visit.

The first ones were taken on the sidewalk in front of the house. We have been all trying to teach Appu to pedal, but he doesn't reach the pedals very easily, so he prefers to propel himself with his feet or be pushed - "push!" is one of his new words.

Sul marciapiede davanti a casa. Appena esce Appu si lancia verso il triciclo, ma non ha ancora imparato a pedalare, nonostante gli sforzi congiunti di Miano e dei genitori.

Appu with Papi on the couch is a classic, but always nice.

This one instead is from our day trip to Toronto. Mommy drove the car on a scary highway for the first time and we spent the day with Emiliano's friend Gaetano and his family. In the picture we have little Clara and Rajiv very seriously examining their books.

Questa e' una foto della gita a Toronto di lunedi' scorso. Abbiamo passato la giornata con un amico e la sua famiglia. Qui vedete la piccola Clara con il piccolo Rajiv, molto seri e concentrati sulla lettura.

Here we are back in Waterloo, at the children section of the local library. It is a great place for kids and there are lots of toys and activities, with cozy cushions to "read" and relax (as if a two year old knew what that means...).

Questa invece e' la biblioteca di Waterloo, nell'area dedicata ai bimbi.

In the next picture it is Papi again, and someone is ready for bed...

... but not tired enough that he can't produce a smile for the camera...

The last two pictures are from dinner a couple of evenings ago. Rajiv and his dad disappeared from the restaurant for a few minutes and came back with a new friend. We called him "Pingu", but Appu seems to prefer the name "Picu". It was love at first sight. Unfortuntely Appu had a bad cold last week and Pingu seems to have got the worst of it, but thankfully he claims to be machine washable, so he might go for a swim one of these days. It is the first toy that Appu has picked himself, by the way, and mommy is so proud of her big (but sssmalll, if you know what I mean) kid!

Nelle ultime foto fa la sua prima apparizione pubblica un nuovo amico, il pinguino "Pingu" (o "Picu", come dice Appu). Rajiv lo ha scelto personalmente e lo porta quasi dappertutto.

Tutto il compleanno minuto per minuto

2009-05-18T23:04:00.011-04:00

(A Truckload Of) Pictures from Appu'a birthday!

The day starts slowly, with breakfast on the couch, a soft blanket and a favorite video.

La giornata comincia lentamente, con colazione sul divano, una morbida coperta e uno dei video preferiti.

But soon enough little Rajiv is ready for action!

Ma presto il piccolo Rajiv e' pronto a fare sul serio!

This week Emiliano is staying with us, so we wait for him before opening the gifts.

Questa settimana Emiliano e' nostro ospite, quindi lo aspettiamo per aprire i regali.

Dad shows Appu how to use his new harmonica. Little success so far, but we are working on it...

Papa' fa vedere ad Appu come usare la sua nuova armonica. Con scarso successo, per ora, ma ci stiamo lavorando...

Buy wait, what is that in the bigger box? CARRRR!?! Let's open it right away!

Ma aspetta, che cosa c'e' nella scatola piu' grande? CARRRR! Macchinine! Apriamola subito!

It is hard work, but our chief engineer doen't give up.

Time to get dressed, holding the CARRR very tight of course.

E' ora di vestirsi, senza mollare la macchinina un secondo, naturalmente.

It's cold outside, so we head for the most obvious indoor playground we can think of. It's going to be lunch at McDonald's.

Oggi fa freddo fuori, quindi optiamo per un parco giochi al coperto, cioe' McDonald's.

Healthy food first...

Prima si mangia...

... and then weee!

... e poi si va sullo "scivo".

Mom got a workout too, climbing up with Appu to the highest slide and protecting him from the exuberance of the bigger kids. Then it was time to go home and nap.

We don't have photos of the afternoon, but it involved some time playing at home and a short visit to the bookstore to browse and play with the train table. Our friend Chanda brought us a pie in the evening, but Appu seemed disgusted by it, so the parents and "Miano" had to sacrifice themselves and eat it all. :)

Dopo il parco giochi, dove la mamma si e' fatta onore difendendo Rajiv dagli attacchi dei bimbi piu' grandi lungo la scalata verso lo scivolo alto, siamo andati ha dormire. La giornata e' poi proseguita con giochi in casa e una breve visita in libreria per far giocare Appu con i trenini su un bellissimo tavolo con i binari. La torta c'e' stata, portata dalla nostra amica Chanda, ma Appu l'ha rifiutata categoricamente e cosi' abbiamo dovuto fare questo sacrificio e mangiarcela tutta noi.

We conclude with a very boring video of Appu moving a track back and forth on his new road set. Only redeeming features of the video are a short but remarkable singing performance by Emiliano and a guest appearance of Appu's granparents on Skype.

Concludiamo con un video girato la mattina subito dopo l'apertura dei regali. Appu gioca con il suo cicuito nuovo e i nonni gli fanno gli auguri tramite Skype.

Get ready:

2009-05-17T07:38:00.002-04:00

The terrible twos start...

...NOW!

Happy birthday little "terrible" Appu!

Buon compleanno piccolo Rajiv!

Let's try again:

2009-05-15T23:11:00.002-04:00

Rowan Niccolo' Ashok?

Birthday alert

2009-05-13T09:42:00.003-04:00

Il compleanno del piccolo Rajiv si avvicina! Speravamo di festeggiare con un picnic nel parco, ma sembra che Domenica sara' l'unico giorno freddo della settimana. Sob...

Little Rajiv's second birthday is rapidly approaching and is finding the mom completely unprepared. A new cool toy has been wrapped and set aside (as if we didn't get him new toys all the time, anyway: I doubt that he will notice the difference), but no other preparation has been made. I am really bad at this and I confess I was hoping that the nice weather we have been enjoying recently would allow us to celebrate Appu with a nice picnic in the park, which is probably what our little one would enjoy the most.
However, please take a look at the weather forecast:

See that temperature dip? Right on Appu's birthday date? Sob...

How does it sound?

2009-05-09T12:39:00.002-04:00

Niccolo' Ashok

Note that Niccolo' is pronounced with the stress on the last 'o', like you would in a French word for example. Clear as mud? Well, the pronunciation issue is one of the things that worry us about the name.

But mostly, we are not sure if the name goes well with the last name. Opinions?

Another point is: will the brothers find a way to feel treated unevenly over this? Like: why didn't I get an Indian name too, or vice versa. More opinions?

As an Indian alternative we have considered Nikhil, which has the "nic" sound that the mom likes, but I don't feel so good in giving again a name that has no Italian history. Anyway, thoughts about Nikhil?

Ok, I think you have enough homework for now. More later. :)

It's a boy!

2009-05-07T11:07:00.003-04:00

Or so it seems... the ultrasound technician said it was quite clear. (This should disprove once and for all the flat belly/ pointy belly theory.)

Of course now we are having second thoughts about the name, so suggestions are welcome and we will keep you updated on our indecisions.

E il responso dell'ecografia e'... e' un maschio! Un piccolo fratellino per il piccolo Appu. Siamo di nuovo indecisi sul nome, quindi suggerite pure.

Bellies

2009-05-04T09:26:00.003-04:00

This was belly #1, the first and original, 2007. Six months and a half along.

Pancione #1, 2007, sei mesi e mezzo di gravidanza.

This is belly #2, as of today morning. Seven months and one week. Let's forget how huge I am and instead focus on the joy of being finally able to wear spring clothes. Even here, winter eventually comes to an end!

Pancione #2, questa mattina, sette mesi e una settimana di gravidanza.

Tough life

2009-04-25T18:02:00.004-04:00

Il piccolo principe si era appena svegliato dal suo riposino pomeridiano, un po' di cattivo umore e probabilmente affamato (non sia mai!). Con prontezza abbiamo messo in atto le misure di emergenza: comoda postazione sul divano con coperta a portata di mano, video preferito con la mucca, orsacchiotti giganti (entrambi soprannominati PA-PI per qualche strana ragione), pasta col pesto avanzata e riscaldata ma non troppo (qui trovare l'equilibrio giusto e' un'arte). Aggiungiamo poi un servizio fotografico completo e la possibilita' di fare varie smorfie e rivederle sullo schermo. Vita dura eh, piccolo Appu?

Our little prince had just woken up from his afternoon nap and he was dangerously cranky and hungry from having almost skipped his lunch. Emergency measures were immediately taken: comfortable seat on the couch with blanket at hand, favorite farm-themed video (COW!), giant teddy bears (PA-PI!), left-over pasta with pesto (PAS!) reheated but not too much (otherwise it's OT and then one has to spit it out, right?) . Add mom taking pictures, giving the chance to try different poses and grins. Tough life, don't you think?

Conversations before bed

2009-04-18T10:47:00.003-04:00

Appu- NEEN!
Dad- Well Appu, for someone who spent the first year of his life saying GU, you could say GREEN, or at least GEEN.
Appu (happy)- NEEN!!
Dad- No no, Appu. GEEN.
Appu (still happy)- NEEN! NEEEN!!
Dad- G-G-G-G... GEEN!
Appu (very happy)- G-G-G-G-G!!
Dad- GA-GU-GU-GA-GU... GEEN!
Appu (ecstatic)- GA-GA-G-G-GU-GA-GU... NEEN!

Bye Bye Bed :(

2009-04-14T19:22:00.001-04:00

In preparation for the arrival of the new baby we have decided to substitute our trusted Ikea futon bed with a king size bed (american terminology only, maybe? it just means a larger bed). This was an absolute necessity if we are to sleep in four in the same bed. Already now most of the space seems to be taken by just one person, with the other two pushed to the edges of the bed. No need to say who that person is... Anyway, as of tonight, we are sleeping on a regular bed, like everybody else. No more mattress almost on the floor, with frame as mere decoration at 3cm above the floor. I feel sad, although Appu and S. don't seem to share the feeling.

In memory of the older bed (Picture from 25/02/08, ages ago!):

We have a winner!

2009-04-06T19:05:00.004-04:00

Abbiamo pensato al nome per un maschio e - ci dispiace nonna - il nome non sara' Atticus. Che cosa ne diresti invece di Niccolo' Kabir? Attendiamo commenti.

We are still a bit undecided about the girl's name, but for a boy we would like to propose

Niccolo' Kabir Ashok

Comments?

The Great Canadian Spring

2009-04-06T13:21:00.004-04:00

This however, should be the last big snowstorm of the season. Soon Appu should be able to start riding his "carrrrr" more regularly.

La primavera ha fatto una breve apparizione e poi ci ha lasciati sotto la neve. Presto comunque non ci saranno piu' ostacoli tra Appu e la sua macchinina rossa!

Note: These pictures were taken today morning. Since then many more centimeters of snow have accumulated and we don't seem to see the end of it. But as I said, this is the last one, so cheer up!

Time to empty the memory card

2009-04-05T21:31:00.006-04:00

Un po' di foto dell'ultimo mese e mezzo circa. Nelle prime due siamo a Torino e Appu indossa felicemente le bellissime scarpe verdi della mamma.

The first two pictures are from our Italy trip last month and Appu is happily walking around in his mom's beautiful green shoes.

Ancora a Torino, Appu con il suo papa'.

Do we need to comment on this one?

Le scarpe di mamma hanno tanti utilizzi, per esempio possono servire a contenere la collezione di macchinine. Purtroppo non ho una foto di Appu in queste scarpe, ma vi assicuro che lui cammina benissimo anche con i tacchi alti.

Still in Torino, mommy's shoes put to a more creative use. Appu liked to wear these ones too, but regrettably I don't have photographic proof of it. Nor do I have pictures of the party here in Canada when a girl made him wear her high heeled boots...

Le altre foto invece sono tutte dal Canada, fresche di ieri.

The remaining pictures instead are from Waterloo, and specifically from our kitchen, taken yesterday.

Appu gioca co il suo "tu-tuuuuuu" (sopra) e con la sua "bak" (sotto).

Appu plays with his "tu-tuuuuuu" (above) and with his "bak" (below).

E questo e' tutto per ora. Saluti dal Canada innevato.

That's all from now. Greetings from frosty Canada.

Le prime Superga

2009-04-05T21:12:00.002-04:00

La caccia al nome e' ufficialmente aperta!

2009-03-21T11:29:00.002-04:00

(English below)

Sembra che per una serie di imprevedibili circostanze non avremo la possibilita' di sapere se la piccola nocciolina che si prepara a vedere la luce sia un maschio o una femmina. La risposta a tra tre mesi... Quindi dobbiamo essere preparati con ben due nomi. In linea di massima vorremmo una combinazione di nomi indiani e italiani per un maschio e invece nomi inglesi e italiani per una femmina.

Qualcuna delle nostre idee:

Nicole Laura Ashok
Nicole Audrey Ashok
Nicole Martina Ashok
Audrey Anna Ashok

Federico Rahul Ashok
Niccolo' Abhay Ashok
Nicolas Kevin Ashok
Kevin Guglielmo Ashok

etc...

I commenti sono benvenuti, anche da parte dei lettori silenziosi che non si sono fatti mai sentire :)

---------------

It seems we will not be able to find out the sex of the baby before the birth this time, so the little peanut needs to be ready with two names. Probably we would like to stick with Indian and Italian names for a boy, but English and Italian for a girl.

I really like the names Nicole and Audrey for a girl. So we thought of the following possibilities:

Nicole Laura Ashok
Nicole Audrey Ashok
Nicole Martina Ashok
Audrey Anna Ashok

For a boy, if we want to lack imagination we can go with

Federico Rahul Ashok

Otherwise,

Niccolo' Abhay Ashok
Nicolas Kevin Ashok
Kevin Guglielmo Ashok

are also on our list. Sujay really likes the name Abhay (or however else you like to transliterate it), but it seems too difficult to pronounce to keep it as first name.

Comments are welcome, although they will probably be disregarded in the end, but you can try... ;)

New Appu Words

2009-03-21T10:02:00.004-04:00

If you want a chance to read the table, please click on it.

Cliccare sulla tabella per ingrandire.

Back home

2009-03-12T08:05:00.003-04:00

We are back in Canada! The temperature is acceptable, the snow is thin and the house is still where we left it. We had a better than expected trip by plane, so we cannot complain. Internet is again available and fast, so I can venture to promise more posts coming soon...
Bye for now!

Sadness

2009-02-25T04:17:00.004-05:00

Siamo in Italia da una settimana. Questa e' una visita che non avevamo in programma, ma purtroppo mia zia e' stata molto male ed e' morta lunedi'. Siamo riusciti ancora a vederla e a passare un po' di tempo con lei. Sono contenta che lei abbia potuto rivedere il piccolo Appu, a cui era gia' molto affezionata. Il funerale e' domani e poi saremo in Italia ancora per un paio di settimane.

As I had mentioned previously, we traveled to Italy last week to see my aunt. She died on Monday, but we still got to see her for a few days. I am happy that she could meet again little Appu and see how well he is growing, because she loved him very much. The funeral will be tomorrow and after that we will need to stay in Italy for some more days, maybe a couple of weeks.

Oh no....

2009-02-07T22:54:00.006-05:00

...I cut Appu's hair!! :)

Primo taglio di capelli casalingo ad opera della mamma. Non un gran che'...

Appu dice...

2009-02-04T12:39:00.003-05:00

As an amateur linguist, here is a report on my ongoing research with a young subject exposed to 2+1 languages (the Malayalam language being for the moment not assimilated, it seems). This is Appu's established vocabulary at 20 months and two weeks of age. When more than one word is commonly used for the same object I have included both. Words spoken only once and never again or spoken in presence of unreliable witnesses have not been included.

The Peanut and other things we cannot know

2009-02-03T23:50:00.007-05:00

I haven't given any official updates about my pregnancy yet, partly because of superstition perhaps, but the time has come to draw some attention to Appu's sibling to be, which for the moment will be referred to as "Little Peanut".

Some of you might have noticed that some new tickers have appeared on this page. In particular, on the right you can see a pumpkin in a patch of grass marking the progress of the Little Peanut towards birth. As the ticker says, I am now a little more than 19 weeks along in my pregnancy (note: for those who don't know, the total number of weeks will be 40).
I went yesterday for my mid-pregnancy ultrasound and the Little Peanut seems to be doing well. I haven't received the full report yet, but the ultrasound technician seemed happy. The Peanut was kicking actively to fight the intrusion of stuff being pressed on my belly, so it seems we have another spirited child on the way...

I am referring to The Peanut as "she" just because the Italian for peanut, "nocciolina", is female, but we don't know the sex of the baby yet. I would have loved to find out during this ultrasound, but the technician was not moved by my pleas and refused to look. That is really a big disappointment, no matter what the sex is it would have made me happier to know it. I could start thinking about the name and I would have something happy to communicate home, where good news of any kind are badly needed.

Unfortunately things are not going well in Italy. My aunt is very sick and is at the moment in a hospital with terminal prognosis. I will be travelling to Italy soon to see her and take care of lots of practical stuff. Unfortunately nobody knows how much time she still has or whether she is conscious and aware of her condition or not. It was all very sudden and it is a very frustrating situation.

Appu will be travelling with me and we don't know how long we are going to be in Italy. The only sure thing is that I am expected to be back in Canada by the beginning of March at the latest. Sujay might join us in Italy at some point if he gets all his documents in order in time.

Good times

2009-01-30T01:12:00.010-05:00

A few snaps of Rajiv and his big cousin Jaydev from our trip to Coorg. The rest of the pictures were all taken with chicha's camera and as usual I can't wait to see them. Hint hint... :)

Seguono un po' di foto di Rajiv con il cuginetto Jaydev - quattro anni! e eroe di Rajiv. Le foto sono della settimana scorsa, durante la gita a Coorg, "la Scozia dell'India". Purtroppo di paesaggi in queste foto non se ne vedono, ma non erano niente male!

Aha, we meet again!

Faster and faster on the red chicken... A real challenge, worthy of serious sport photography!

Tired?

Of course not!

But enough pictures already!!

Bye bye ciuccio

2009-01-30T00:39:00.002-05:00

By an unexpected turn of circumstances, our little Appu seems to have abandoned his soother, the famous green ciuccio that has appeared so many times on this blog.

We lost both the soothers we were carrying with us during the recent family trip and when we finally returned home little Appu refused to find comfort in the spare soother. So far, the first and only real ciuccio - me! - seems to be enough for Rajiv. Is this the end of an era?

Photo from daycare

2009-01-21T01:17:00.003-05:00

As usual I have a huge backlog of pictures to post.

Let me start from this one we got from the daycare center where Appu goes in the mornings. This one was taken on the day before Pongal and hence the semi-traditional dress. I think Appu should wear those things more often, they suit him. If only they weren't so difficult to wash...

Appu is having a good time at daycare it seems, but I feel a bit bad for him. Just as he gets used to a new place we move him again... I hope he doesn't mind too much, at least for now.

Blog links update

2009-01-14T23:39:00.003-05:00

Please note that the link in the sidebar has been updated and now points to Shal's new blog at wordpress. It is a bit late for advertising, but those who haven't done so yet should go and take a look...

Appu fa pratica con il cucchiaio

2009-01-14T22:57:00.004-05:00

Little Appu practices eating his beloved plain pasta with olive oil using a spoon.

Ecco il piccolo Rajiv intento a mangiare la sua amata pasta in bianco usando un cuchiaio (!!!!).

And naturally he is proud of his accomplishments.

Felicita' e' un cucchiaio tutto per me...

Sometimes it's easier to go back to the old methods...

Ogni tanto si ritorna ai vecchi sistemi...

... and then we need a little bit of help.

... e allora serve un po' di aiuto.

But most importantly, our little Rajiv has learnt to pose for the camera. And he thinks this is his best pose:

Ma soprattutto, il piccolo Rajiv ha imparato ha mettersi in posa. E secondo lui, questa e' la sua posa migliore (mi ricorda un po' mia sorella devo dire...):

Riprendiamo le comunicazioni

2009-01-05T11:48:00.003-05:00

We have been in India for about a month now. Unfortunately in this month there was never a moment when none of us was sick, and hence the lack of blogging energy. Right now I am feeling well though, so it is a good time to get started again.

A few quick updates:

Appu has a new word. He says "ca" for "car"... but also for "light", "cup", "I'm hungry", etc.. :)

He is now able to walk up and down the stairs on his own, with one hand on the wall or the railings, and he is very proud of this new skill, all he wants to do is going up and down the stairs. He had a lot of fun with this in Calicut after Christmas, at his grandparents' house.

The Calicut trip was also a lot of fun because of the cousin Jaydev, who is now one of Appu's favorite little people.

By the way, the only picture I can offer you at this point is from the first day in Calicut, early morning, just off the train. Someone was not tired...

Siamo in India da circa un mese ormai. Vari piccoli ma fastidiosi problemi di salute ci hanno perseguitati fino ad ora, ma adesso stiamo tutti bene e non ci sono piu' scuse per trascurare il blog.

La foto che vedete sopra risale alla prima mattina a Calicut, 27 Dicembre. Il piccolo Rajiv ha apprezzato moltissimo la casa dei nonni, con una lunga scalinata da percorrere avanti e indietro fino allo sfinimento (sa fare le scale da solo!), un sacco di giocattoli del cugino Jaydev, e soprattutto... il cugino Jaydev in persona! Il cuginetto ha quasi quattro anni, ma non disdegna la compagnia di un devoto ammiratore un po' piu' giovane. Si sono divertiti un sacco insieme, a parte qualche breve momento di disaccordo subito risolto. La presenza dello zio Vijay (fratello di S., detto "chicha" dai piu' piccoli, che lo adorano) e' stata la ciliegina sulla torta.

Altre novita':

Pian piano Appu comincia a dire un paio di parole comprensibili in mezzo ai lunghi discorsi in una strana lingua aliena che non abbiamo ancora decifrato. Oltre a "ba" o "pa" per "ball" (o "palla"?) adesso dice "ca" per "car". Naturalmente gli stessi suoni sono anche riservati ad un sacco di altri oggetti, come lampada ("ca"!), cereali ("ca"!), e cosi' via.
A Calicut c'era una fotografia di S. e i suoi fratelli e Appu indicava la foto e poi indicava S. e diceva "pa!". Poi pero' indicava gli zii, mostrava di riconoscerli nella foto e diceva "pa!". Anche il tavolino su cui c'e' la foto e tutti gli altri soprammobili sembrano essere "pa"...

Saremo in India fino ai primi di Marzo e cercheremo di mantenere il blog attivo senza altre interruzioni. Buon anno a tutti!

Art time

2008-12-01T21:08:00.008-05:00

In questa puntata, il nostro Appu disegna con i pastelli. Non si sa bene quando sia successo, ma improvvisamente il piccolo Rajiv sembra essere capace di stare seduto per un po' di tempo a fare cose tipo giocare con le costruzioni, sfogliare dei libri e farseli leggere, o disegnare. Ovviamente assaggia anche i pastelli, ma molto meno di una volta, e soprattutto... non gli piacciono! Li sputa! Evviva!

Today we had fun with crayons. As some of you know we have been more or less confined at home for a few days because I had tendinitis and we have had to come up with ways to pass the time. Fortunately this coincides with a new phase of my little one's life in which he suddenly seems to have a decent attention span - he even lets me read to him... So today we sat down and made pictures for more than an hour (!!!).

I put on the floor the top of an ex Ikea coffee table and we used that as art station. He sat on it for the whole time, it was amazing. In fact he sat right on his "canvas" for the whole time, I think it might be the beginning of a new art wave.

As I said, he likes to sit on his work, hence only half gets colored, but the result is quite attractive (says the mom...).

The happy artist!

Morning madness

2008-11-26T10:42:00.008-05:00

These photos were taken today morning before daycare. We were chatting with S. on Skype (notice the laptop on the table) and Appu was demonstrating his screaming and climbing skills to the dad - you might observe that the climbing performance was not documented by the photographer, but the screaming one was.

A casual observe might think that this is just a chaotic kitchen, but everything in fact serves a purpose. Please notice the rice-cooker box on the floor, strategically located so that little Rajiv can step on it and look at his dad on the screen - and scratch it if that's what he feels like doing. The box is also absolutely necessary to climb on the little booster seat on the chair, and from there the sky is the limit.

Why is the packet of instant noodles on the floor? Well, there would be a beatiful answer to that too, but unfortunately the time at my disposal is too short to write it.

What would you do if somebody were taking pictures of you? You would try to assault the photographer and run away with the camera, no doubt. Appu feels just the same.

More exploration of our kitchen. Please note Appu's personal pot on the floor, he likes to put in the cabinet and then take it out again. You might also wonder if that blue object is in fact a baseball bat. It is. Appu uses it sometimes to play his little piano.

After a last almost successful attempt of the subject to get at the camera, the photographer retires for the day.

We are thankful to Emiliano, but especially to Ilaria I suspect, for Rajiv's outfit.

Celebrating 18

2008-11-18T15:10:00.008-05:00

Il piccolo Rajiv compie un anno e mezzo! Per festeggiarlo abbiamo raccolto un po' di fotografie scattate nell'ultimo mese o poco piu' in momenti tipici della vita quotidiana di un kunjappu.

Our little one is one year and a half now! This gives me the perfect excuse to unload here a bunch of pictures that I was keeping aside for posts that I will never have time to write. They were all taken in the past month or so and they do capture a lot of appuness, I think, if pictures ever can...

Winter travel

2008-11-08T09:39:00.006-05:00

The blog is back after a sad incident with spilled soup that has kept my laptop at rest for some time...

A quick update on our future movements:
S. is leaving on Monday to go back to his job in Chennai. He will reach on Tuesday night Indian time. Appu and I will follow at the end of the month, with a two day stop-over in Torino to say hello to the grandparents. We will be in India for three months, then we will return to Canada in time to see the bears coming out of hibernation...:)

We are a bit worried about how Appu will take these three weeks without his dad and we wish it were December already. On the bright side, it seems there will be a lot of snow here next week, so maybe little Appu will have fun outside. It is time to try on the new snowsuit!

First words

2008-10-23T21:49:00.004-04:00

Little Rajiv is beginning to form his first real words and it is a fascinating process.
It is a bit difficult to keep track of his vocabulary, because sometimes he will use one word one day and then never again. For example he said his name - "Appu" - a few times, with a strong American accent by the way, but just when we were getting all excited about it he dropped it. Sometimes he makes vague "m" sounds that could be interpreted as mommy requests, and occasionally he will say "mamma", but now he hasn't said it for a while.

The one word we are sure he understands and speaks himself is "ball" ("palla" in Italian). He has a toddler sized soccer ball and if I ask him for the "palla" he goes around and looks for it. He also looks for it immediately if he sees a picture of the ball in a book or on his alphabet blocks. For a while he was saying "ba" or "pa" for it, but now he seems to have settled for "bai" or occasionally "pai". If he sees the picture of the ball he screams "bai!" and then we go to find it.

He probably thinks there are many other things he says, in his cute tonal babbling, but unfortunately his his parents don't get it. Sorry Appu, please don't give up on us... :)

News

2008-10-17T19:46:00.001-04:00

Colour blind parents

2008-10-08T10:22:00.002-04:00

Apart from making a fashion statement, I am posting this so that everybody can admire the nice sweater that was knit by aunt Zarina especially for our little hero. Now that his drooling has subsided a little it is safe for him to wear it...

Prego notare il fantastico golfino, fatto a mano dalla zia Zarina. Naturalmente lei non sospettava quali abbinamenti avremmo osato...

Spaghetti

2008-10-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

It's getting cold around here...

2008-10-03T09:51:00.003-04:00

Note the completely off-centered picture due to dad's request not to be in it...

Italian family

2008-10-01T10:37:00.008-04:00

When you thought they would not come anymore, here they are: a few pictures from Italy!

In the first two our little hero is at my aunt's place, playing with her super-cute puppy shaped cushions. Appu loved my aunt's house so full of little glass objects and every sort of expensive and very fragile things... - we had to be faster than lightning to keep everything safe. In spite of that apparently now she misses him. Go figure... :)

The next pictures instead were taken at the airport the day we left.

My mom had a great time with Appu. They went to the park once while we were busy at the university for S's talk and apparently she demonstrated baby somersaults for him and even got him to try it once. Unfortunately we do not have pictures of that. Here they are together in a more quiet moment.

We end with a family picture. After several attempts and pictures we better not make public, I managed to trick my dad into smiling. Here we are!

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures with my sister, we will have to remedy it next time.

Poked... :(

2008-09-26T19:47:00.002-04:00

Today morning we went to the doctor for Appu's 15 months vaccines (just a bit late, as usual - that's us... ). He didn't have much fun but seems to have recovered fine. He is also teething though, so we might have a rough night ahead of us, we shall see.

At the doctor's our little one was also weighed and measured. He weighs around 10.5 Kg and is 84 cm "tall". In case you care, he is in the 25th percentile for weight and in the 75th percentile for height: lean and tall, in short!

In other news, I found my camera and memory card reader today. They weren't really hidden, but somehow we couldn't find them and that is one of the many excuses for why there have been no pictures posted for ages. What excuse will I find next? Stay tuned...

Foto con la sposa

2008-09-11T14:16:00.003-04:00

As some of you know well, one of the main attractions of our trip to Italy was the wedding of our friend Emiliano. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures, so we are counting on the generosity of the newly weds to gift us some. For the moment we have been given permission to post this picture of our little Rajiv with the bride Ilaria.

The smashing kurta that Appu is wearing was shipped from India by Appu's grandmother, so let us take this chance to thank her again! And hopefully she will not mind when we will tell her what happened to the matching pants during the long day of celebrations....

Daycare update

2008-09-10T16:13:00.004-04:00

Rajiv si sta trovando molto bene al suo nuovo nido "casalingo". Va da una signora di nome Sally, che guarda lui e tre o quattro altri bambini a seconda dei giorni. Da quando abbiamo cambiato nido non e' piu' triste di salutarci al mattino, che sollievo!

Today Rajiv and I had our longest separation so far. We dropped him at Sally's house at around 9 and we picked him up at 3:30. Apparently he was fine, he napped easily at the same time as the other kids and didn't cry at all. He really seems to enjoy this new daycare solution and this is such a relief.

There are three or four other kids there, depending on the day. They are all older than him so he has fun trying to imitate them. For example there is a small toddler sized slide and after seeing the other kids he is now sliding down on his own, without help. Mommy is so proud...

He is going to be at Sally's every day from now on, until our next big trip in December. We are so happy that this seems to be working out!

Appu loves balloons

2008-09-09T12:20:00.000-04:00

Back to Canada

2008-09-08T08:13:00.003-04:00

We had a good trip back, we slept a lot last night - with the exception of a certain somebody who tried to get up around 5... but we made him see reason :) - and now we are about to drop our little one at his new daycare for a few hours. A few pictures of our trip will be posted later.

Home

2008-08-31T14:47:00.003-04:00

We are in Italy visiting Appu's grandparents. Unfortunately we no longer have an internet connection at home, so this will probably be the only post until we go back to Canada next Sunday.

Our friend Emiliano got married on Thursday, it was a very nice ceremony and Appu was admired by most people present. Of course, the parents almost collapsed with exhaustion trying to keep up with him while he was running around like an energizer bunny. More details and pictures will follow.

Haircut!

2008-08-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

Ieri Rajiv ha ricevuto il suo primo taglio di capelli. La prima foto e' stata scattata in uficio poche ore prima dell'ora X e i riccioli sono ancora visibili. Il salone dove siamo andati e' specializzato in bambini e Appu si e' divertito un sacco: per il taglio e' stato seduto in una sedia-macchinina con un bel volante da far girare e davanti a lui c'era uno schermo con dei cartoni animati.

E' andato tutto liscio quasi fino all'ultimo, quando Appu ha cominciato a voler scendere dalla sedia. Ma ormai era quasi fatta ed e' bastato un po' di intrattenimento da parte dei genitori per permettere alla parrucchiera di completare l'opera! Alla fine Appu ha anche ricevuto un palloncino blu, del quale si e' completamente innamorato. Verso il fondo potete vedere il risultato finale, la sera a casa. Niente piu' riccioli... :( ...per un po'!

L'ultima foto non c'entra ma non potevo resistere al piccolo Appu nella scatola di plastica...

Appu with mom, already mourning the upcoming loss of the beloved curls...

We went to a place called "Cookie Cutters". They have chairs shaped like various vehicles - Appu got a green car - and they show videos while cutting the hair. It was much smoother than we had anticipated.

At the end Appu also got a blue balloon, that has been his joy ever since!

Here you can admire the final result, but no fear, the curls will be back! (mommy hopes...)

And for added cuteness, little Rajiv decided to sit in a plastic box. How could we not take this picture? :)

Yesterday night's picture, just like that...

2008-08-13T13:21:00.000-04:00

Happiness is...

2008-08-02T12:50:00.005-04:00

... being fed yogurt by your dad while wearing your new red shoes.

Happiness is also getting the yogurt all smeared on your face, of course...

..,but dad is quick with the napkins!

Older picture: the little elf

2008-07-26T23:18:00.004-04:00

This is from before we moved, one of the last days in the old house. I forgot to post it earlier, but it is S's favorite and so here it is...

Questa e una vecchia foto, scattata uno degli ultimi giorni nell'altra casa. L'avevo dimenticata, ma e' la preferita del papa' di Appu e quindi eccola qua...

La nuova cuginetta e' arrivata!

2008-07-26T13:56:00.003-04:00

La bimba di Nandu e Niddhi e' nata oggi a Calicut. Il nome non e' stato ancora scelto, ma le diamo il nostro benvenuto e facciamo le nostre congratulazioni alla mamma, che purtroppo ha dovuto subire un parto cesareo. Auguri a Niddhi e speriamo che possa andare a casa presto con la sua bambina!

Appu's Wonderland - The Movie

2008-07-26T13:39:00.000-04:00

Appu's Wonderland

2008-07-21T23:49:00.006-04:00

Family time at the park at the end of the day.

Niente di meglio di un'oretta al parco per concludere la giornata!

Bits

2008-07-14T23:10:00.004-04:00

Sorry, there doesn't seem to be time for proper posts these days, so bullets will have to do:

Rajiv has learned to clap his hands. Now if we clap, most of the times he claps back. I know it's a basic skill, but mommy is amazed!

Rajiv ha imparato a battere le mani, dopo vari mesi passati a cercare di insegnarglielo. Adesso se uno di noi batte le mani lui ci imita felice.
We think he might be getting some words, apart from "mamamama". Yesterday we noticed he was saying "bukbukbuk" while holding a book and his babysitter Kristen confirmed that she also heard suspicious "b" sounds in presence of books. So it seems that little one is starting with English. What a disappointment... I mean, great!

Il piccolino sta iniziando a dire qualche pezzetto di parola. In particolare ci sembra che stia cercando di dire "book" ("libro"). Vai Rajiv!
By the way, Rajiv is happy with the new babysitter and so are we. She helps us out for a few hours three times a week and will stay with us until the first week of August. After that we have a very promising home daycare lined up, with a lady called Sally who was recommended to us by our neighbours.

Rajiv ha subito fatto amicizia con la nuova babysitter Kristen. Lei ci dara' una mano fino alla prima settimana di Agosto e poi Rajiv iniziera' pian piano ad andare ad un nuovo nido che promette molto bene. Speriamo!
In the meantime the work on the house goes on. We painted our bedroom, a major effort that involved working late at night while little one slept and camping in the living room for about a week to avoid the fumes. The color turned out to be quite different from what we expected, but we like it (and even if we didn't we would repaint).

Next big project: dishwasher installation. We managed to remove the old one yesterday night. Now all we have to do is remove the small dead mouse from behind the cabinet and install the new dishwasher. That should be fun...

Intanto il lavoro nella casa nuova procede. Abbiamo ridipinto la notra camera da letto - dormendo nel soggiorno per una settimana - e adesso ci prendiamo una meritata pausa dalla pittura. La prossima impresa invece e' installare la lavastoviglie. Ieri sera abbiamo rimosso quella vecchia e domani da bravi idraulici tenteremo di installare quella nuova. Le risate...

And now, for something completely different...

2008-07-05T22:30:00.003-04:00

...sunset on Mars! (courtesy of NASA - and Appu's dad who insisted on posting it)

Appu nella casa nuova

2008-07-05T21:55:00.006-04:00

Che cosa ne pensa il piccolino della casa nuova? Il trasloco ha portato grosse novita': il bagnetto nella vasca grande invece che in quella da neonati, le scale - in pochi giorni Appu ha imparato a salire, ma non ancora a scendere purtroppo, e molto altro. Ma la novita' piu' grande e' il mondo al di la' della porta d'ingresso. Quando vivevamo in un appartamento oltre la porta c'era solo un lungo corridoio, ora invece Appu sa che a pochi metri c'e' un mondo da esplorare. Come risultato, quando e' in casa raspa alla porta costantemente per essere portato fuori e si dispera quando e' ora di rientrare. Nelle foto potete vedere il nostro piccolo eroe in strada di fronte a casa.

Does Appu like his new house? I would say, yes. He is learning to climb the stairs, he is taking his baths in the big clawfoot tub instead of the small baby tub, but what he like the most is having a whole world to explore just outside the door. When we were in the flat he never seemed to be specially attracted to the front door, probably because there was just a boring corridor outside, but now he would spend most of his time outdoors and when we are inside he moans by the door to be let out. In the photos you can see our little Rajiv exploring the neighborhood!

Woo - hoooo !!!

2008-07-02T10:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we handed over the keys of the flat. No more going there every day to pick up "the few small things it was not worth asking the movers to take"... No more sorting through infinite junk and finding ways to fit it all in the car! From today on we can focus entirely on the new place.

Now, however, Appu is with the new babysitter, Kristen, and we are in the office trying to work. So enough with blogging and let's try to get something done!

House renovation

2008-06-30T12:00:00.006-04:00

Ecco le prime foto dei lavori in casa, scusate il ritardo. Le prime foto sono del pavimento del soggiorno e della sala da pranzo. Era molto rovinato e molto scuro. La settimana scorsa e' stato rimesso a posto (come anche il pavimento delle camere da letto al piano superiore) ed e' venuto benissimo. Abbiamo scelto di lasciaro del colore naturale, cosi' adesso e' molto piu' chiaro e luminoso. Appena riesco vi mostro le foto del lavoro finito.

Here are the first pictures of the house renovation, from lest week. More as soon as I find my camera...

The first two photos show the sanding of the hardwood floor in the living room and dining room. The floor, was scratched and looked terrible. It had also been stained a dark color, which we didn't like and the quarter rounds were missing so the perimeter of the room looked completely unfinished. We chose to keep the natural color of the wood, which turned out to be oak and the result is quite nice. The bedrooms received the same treatment, but the wood was damaged by water in a few spots, so the result is not as nice, although still better than before.

Le altre due foto invece mostrano le scale di accesso al seminterrato. Come molti di voi gia' sanno, qui abbiamo svolto la nostra principale opera di fai-da-te finora. Abbiamo tolto l'orrenda tappezzeria nera a fiorellini e abbiamo comiciato a mettere una carta da parati bianca con con vari ghirigori in rilievo che imitano un muro grezzo. Nele foto vedete il muro giallino che viene lentamente coperto, un riquadro ala volta, dalla carta bianca.

The other two pictures show the stairs that lead to the basement. This was our main do-it-yourself project so far. We removed some horrible black wallpaper and we substituted it with white textured wallpaper that imitates the texture of a plastered wall. In the pictures you can see the yellowish wall being covered by sheets of white wallpaper. Unfortunately we abandoned the work to focus our energies on the move, but we hope to get back to it and finish in a few days.

Not very thrilling pictures, sorry. More soon (?).

Over!

2008-06-25T22:30:00.002-04:00

At 10:30 PM the move is done (!!!) and we are relaxing at the office with free sodas - for the parents - and free screaming - for Rajiv. From tonight we have a new home, even though right now the chaos is a bit discouraging. Now showers and sleep, goodnight!

Ce l'abbiamo fatta, abbiamo traslocato! La casa al momenta sembra un magazzino, ma c'e' un letto che aspetta e al resto penseremo domani. Buonanotte!

Domani...

2008-06-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

.. si trasloca! E ora devo scappare perche' arriva il camion dell'Ikea, a dopo...

Tomorrow we are moving to the new house! Some of you have asked to see pictures and I promise to take care of that soon. Now I have to run though, because the delivery from Ikea could be any time now...

Bye bye Kelly

2008-06-24T08:32:00.005-04:00

This is Kelly, the babysitter I have often mentioned in the blog and who saved us from disaster in the past months. Appu really likes her and in fact he is smiling at her picture as I type this (too cute!).

I say "bye bye" in the title because starting next month she will not be looking after our little one anymore, although I am sure we will still have plenty of opportunities to meet. She is giving a try to freelance editing instead, while taking time to finish her novel. So good luck to Kelly - I will post a link to her site as soon as I find it again - and good luck to us in finding somebody else as good as her for our little Appu!

Questa e' Kelly, la babysitter che si e' presa cura di Appu di tanto in tanto da Settembre. Adesso Kelly ha deciso di dedicarsi a tempo pieno alle sue attivita' editoriali e al romanzo che sta scrivendo. Ci dispiace un po', perche' Appu le si e' affezionato molto, ma continueremo sicuramente a frequentarci. Nel frattempo, incrociando le dita, abbiamo forse trovato un'altra persona che ci possa aiutare e che ci ispira fiducia.

Quindi buona fortuna a Kelly con il suo libro e a noi con la nuova babysitter!

Peek-a-boo!

2008-06-15T23:20:00.003-04:00

Appu has learned to play peek-a-boo hiding himself behind a sheet. His technique could still be improved, but his parents find it irresistible!

Appu ha imparato a coprirsi la faccia con un lenzuolo e a riapparire all'improvviso per sorprendere i genitori. E i genitori sono pieni di ammirazione!

Happy anniversary to us!

2008-06-10T07:56:00.002-04:00

Due anni fa, in quest giorno...

Buon anniversario, mamma e papa' di Rajiv!

Bits

2008-06-05T23:13:00.003-04:00

We are insanely busy with the new house these days, plus there was a conference this whole week at our institute, so this should explain the lack of blogging. The most I can do at the moment is giving you a list of small things possibly worthy of note:

Many thanks to everybody who sent a gift or a card or good wishes for Appu's birthday. We are happy to know that so many people think of him with affection, it is a good beginning.
As for us, our birthday present for him was a wooden pull-toy, a cute snail with funny eyes. We bought this in Italy a few days before he was born and surprisingly managed to keep it wrapped until the night before his birthday. Almost as surprisingly, he is actually able to pull it. Ha, we laugh at the 18 month + recommendation on the box!
Another toy he got recently from us is an easily grabbable ball and he is learning to throw it. We are able to play with him exchanging the ball at least a few times, before he gets impatient and throws the ball away.
Other favorite games: peek-a-boo, hide and seek (I hide, he seeks), run-away-from-mommy-and-laugh-when-she-catches-me, and so on. As you might have noticed none of this involves sitting down and relaxing, I think we are going to get fit playing with him...
He is getting a bit more clingy. Today for example I was unable to leave him at daycare, because he would cry desperately as soon as I tried to leave the room. I think he is teething again though, so maybe that's why he needs some extra comfort.
Not that we would complain: we love his cuddly self!

Ordinary daily activities of a one year old

2008-05-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

Many thanks to all those who sent their birthday wishes for little Appu, either on the blog or otherwise. I haven't gotten around to writing an appropriate birthday post yet, saying all that is wonderful and irresistible about our little toddler, so I will try and summarize everything with a picture.

Happy first birthday piccolo Rajiv!

Announcement

2008-05-24T12:18:00.003-04:00

This will partially explain why I haven't managed to blog much recently. (But no, it's not what you are thinking, not yet...)

In fact most of you already know it, I think, but for those who don't, here it is:

We bought a house!!

It's an old house that needs some work done, so we are spending most of our time selecting the tiles to go with the clawfoot tub and chasing contractors around.

We get the house next week and we will probably move towards the end of June.

Feel free to congratulate us...

Banff

2008-05-12T16:21:00.004-04:00

S. joined us last week and after only a couple of days we flew to the Rocky Mountains for a conference at Banff. It's really beautiful here and I will probably show you some pictures soon, but for the moment here we are, together with the other conference participants. By the way, the last one to the right in the front row is my ex advisor Emanuel.

S. ci ha raggiunti in Canada la settimana scorsa, giusto in tempo per accompagnarci ad una conferenza a Banff sulle Montagne Rocciose. Qui potete vedere me e il piccolino insieme agli altri partecipanti. Nota: l'ultimo a destra in prima fila e' il mio relatore di dottorato Emanuel (!).

Walking evidence

2008-05-03T21:35:00.002-04:00

In the first video Rajiv is taking a few steps in the living room - you can hear S's voice because we were talking to him on Skype.

The second video was taken later at night and you can already see some progress!

Rajiv rocks!

2008-05-03T09:21:00.002-04:00

I mean walks... All around the house, and he is so excited about it!

Aiuto, il piccolo Rajiv cammina per tutta la casa!

A bit off topic, but not too much

2008-04-30T08:55:00.004-04:00

For once, instead of telling you about something that little Rajiv has done or said - not much, in fact - I want to share with you something that I saw on Monday at the doctor's office. It was a neat poster and, power of Google, it only took a minute to find it online. I don't care much for the design, but I think it's a nice message.

Ok, enough with the feminist propaganda now, I have to go wash the dishes and prepare the lunch bag for my son... :)

High chair fun

2008-04-27T22:19:00.009-04:00

MMM... Cioccolato!

2008-04-24T15:22:00.002-04:00

Oggi Appu ha assaggiato il suo primo (piccolo frammento di) biscotto al cioccolato, ed e' decisamente piaciuto!

Today Appu has had his first taste of a chocolate cookie and he definitely enjoyed it!

-1

2008-04-22T12:23:00.004-04:00

11 month update:

Non mi sono dimenticata il complimese, sono solo in ritardo con il blog come al solito...
Cosa dire di questo bimbo che ormai ha quasi un anno? Le ultime novita':

Appu loves drinking water from a glass. He always laughs when the water touches his mouth. Sometimes he drinks, sometimes he lets the water in and out of his mouth, sometimes he just bites the glass, but it's always great fun.

A Rajiv piace moltissimo bere acqua da un bicchiere o se non ha sete, farsi rotolare l'acqua addosso. In entrambi i casi seguono sempre grosse risate!
He loves sucking endlessly on pieces of frozen bread - baguette and similar, sliced and frozen for his use.

Gli piace anche succhiare e mordicchiare pezzi di pane congelato, probabilmente per via delle gengive doloranti. Comunque anche non congelato il pane e' al momento uno dei suoi pochi cibi graditi.
He walks a bit every now and then, but he hasn't really progressed past a couple of steps at a time yet. (Note: I wrote that this morning and of course he immediately started walking much more!) However, he is beginning to enjoy talking longer walks holding mommy's hand, both indoor and outdoor - in the late but wonderful Canadian spring!

Il nostro piccolo Appu comincia a prendere gusto a camminare - da solo, pochi passi alla volta, o tenendomi la mano - e in questo caso non si limita a camminare, vuole correre!
He has figured out that if the door of a cupboard is closed probably the stuff inside is very interesting - or at least potentially very dangerous, which is the same thing. More baby-proofing to be done soon.

Uno dei suoi hobby piu' recenti e' aprire gi sportelli degli armadietti, specialmente se contengono detersivi, ma si accontenta anche di svuotare la dispensa all'occasione.
He now knows what are the things he is not supposed to do, like going in the bathroom or touching some electric stuff and he seems to try and do this things only when mommy is nearby, to be chased. He finds it hilarious and if I don't run after him immediately he normally pauses to look mischievously at me before making a run for it. Lots of fun for both of us!

Sa benissimo quali sono le cose che non puo' fare - tipo andare in bagno a mettere le mani nel water... - e tende a cercare di farle soprattutto quando sa che lo vedo. Gli piace moltissimo farsi rincorrere, anche perche' sa che quando lo acchiappo lo faccio piroettare un po' in aria, cosi' a volte se non lo seguo subito si ferma ad aspettarmi e mi guarda con occhi malandrini prima di riprendere la sua corsa. Questo e' uno dei nostri giochi preferiti prima di andare a dormire.
He has learned to raise himself on the tip of his toes to empty shelves that would be a bit too high or reach for things on a table. Endless possibilities here...

Non pago di tutto cio', ha anche imparato ad alzarsi in punta di piedi per raggiungere gli scaffali e i tavoli piu' alti. Qui le possibilita' sono infinite...

Mischief managed!

2008-04-15T12:12:00.007-04:00

Or, Little Rajiv And The Raiders Of The Recycling Bin.

Tutto tace e la mamma sta lavorando tranquillamente al computer, ma dov'e' il piccolo Rajiv? E soprattutto, quanta carta sara' riuscito ad ingoiare prima di essere scoperto?

Photos from Italy - Pasqua

2008-04-14T12:21:00.009-04:00

Easter pictures, at my parents' place featuring Little Rajiv, parents, grandparents, aunt, great grandmother and great aunt!

Photos from Italy - amici a due zampe

2008-04-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm back! After the long break imposed on us by illness and related laundry challenges - don't ask - I am now hoping in a couple of days to finish uploading the pictures taken in Italy and then move on.

So here we go.

The first two were taken in a cafe (in Via Po, just for the record) with my friend Andrea. Appu and his dad are playing with dad's new juggling balls.

Here instead we are at my friend Anna's lovely apartment. The other people - apart from the obvious - are Anna's boyfriend Paolo and my friend Francesca.

Next we have Rajiv with his grandmother. She is happily holding at first, until his interest in her necklace creates a bit of a concern...

Next two pictures are taken at our place. Rajiv discusses ducks with my aunt and a bit later my mom plays with Rajiv in one of her favorite positions. (She was a cat in her previous life.)

Last two pictures were taken at the park Valentino, during an improvised picnic.

Feeling better

2008-04-10T18:23:00.003-04:00

At least little one is, the mom will still need a couple of days probably. Anyhow, once again we have survived the terrible curse of the germ-sharing at daycare, what's next?

Stiamo meglio. Appu e' quasi del tutto guarito e anche io spero di essere di nuovo in forma in un paio di giorni.

Still sick

2008-04-07T07:56:00.002-04:00

Ancora ammalato, povero...

Un bimbo ammalato

2008-04-04T17:42:00.003-04:00

Little one is not doing too well right now. It's not clear what the cause is, but he has a fever and a runny nose and some vomit and diarrhea. He is also teething - tooth number four is out and my impression is that he might be working on number five and six at the moment. He started being sick yesterday, we didn't have a good night and the one ahead looks no different. :(

Il piccolino non sta bene. Un misto di febbre, raffreddore, vomito, diarrea, altri denti in arrivo e chi piu' ne ha piu' ne metta. Povero Rajiv e povera mamma...

Photos from Italy - amici a quattro zampe - un'aggiunta

2008-04-03T08:12:00.005-04:00

My aunt has finally found a playmate at her level! :)

"So when do you work?"

2008-04-02T20:34:00.005-04:00

Ecco Rajiv addormentato e raggomitolato nel suo box in ufficio mentre la mamma cerca di lavorare un po'.

My little cute kid sleeping soundly in the playpen we keep in the office, while mommy does her best not to waste this gifted time.

Photos from Italy - amici a quattro zampe

2008-03-29T11:42:00.008-04:00

More Italian pictures, this time with an animal theme.

There are three cats in my parents' home, but I only managed to capture one on camera, the bold and curious Peppino. He was a bit scared of Rajiv, but not scared enough to run away, so he kept at a safe distance studying our little one. The interest of course was mutual.

(Here you can also see my sister and my grandmother.)

Next, dogs. In the first picture we are at the apartment of Emiliano's father and you can see Emiliano, his sister Martina and the little supercute Babette.

In the next picture we are again at my parents house and Rajiv is cautiously making contact with Lollo, which is in fact the only animal towards which he has shown a certain fear...

Photos from Italy - family picture

2008-03-28T07:33:00.006-04:00

Ho un sacco di fotografie della nostra vacanza in Italia da condividere con voi. Comincio con questa perche' credo sia l'unica foto di famiglia che abbiamo, dovremo rimediare appena possibile! Siamo - ovviamente - in Piazza S. Carlo e la foto e' stata scattata da Emiliano (a proposito, grazie Emiliano per aver quasi completamentte evitato la gru in alto a destra).

I have a long queue of photos from Italy to show. I start from this one because if I am not mistaken it is the only family picture we have so far. We are in Piazza S. Carlo in Torino (S's parents might remember the place) and the picture was taken by our friend Emiliano. In case you can't see him, look for little one in my backpack :) .

Back to Canada

2008-03-27T17:28:00.002-04:00

We just reached home. S. should be in Bombay by now and will reach Madras tomorrow.

First step

2008-03-21T04:58:00.003-04:00

Just one single step - to the side, sliding first with a foot and then bringing the second foot to meet the first - like a ballerina. He is always quite graceful with his movements.

Another progress is that now he is able to stand up from squatting without holding on to anything. Yesterday he repeated the exercise a few times - up, down, up, down,... - in front of his speechless parents.

Ten months and three teeth

2008-03-19T03:49:00.004-04:00

I haven't had much time for blogging since we reached Italy, but I couldn't let little one's birthday pass without notice. He is now ten months old and the most recent milestone is biting: yesterday morning he left his first little - but deep - mark on mommy's finger. Lots of fun ahead...

He still seems to have some teething pain every now and then, but three teeth are out, or at least part of them. In fact if you could magnify one of the pictures below you could see them.

These photos were taken yesterday afternoon by dad while mom was browsing the children section of a bookstore (one of my favorite activities of late). For those who know the city, the marble floor is the one of Galleria S. Federico.

And after all that work, time to relax

2008-03-11T04:24:00.000-04:00

Here you get a glimpse at our bed-time routine.

Rajiv helps me pack - Rajiv mi aiuta a fare la valigia...

2008-03-10T22:26:00.006-04:00

Long distance relationship - but not for long!

2008-03-08T19:33:00.005-05:00

Rajiv e suo papa' chiacchierano su Skype
in attesa di rivedersi tra pochi giorni.

Rajiv and his dad chat on Skype.
Amazing power of communication technologies!

New Firsts

2008-03-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

Un po' di prime volte di questa settimana:

A few firsts of the past week:

Rajiv ha aperto e sfogliato un libro da solo e di sua iniziativa per la prima volta. I genitori, famosi topi di biblioteca, sono orgogliosissimi! Il libro in questione era un libro cartonato con fotografie di bimbi e dettagli di varie parti del corpo.

Rajiv has opened a book and turned the pages himself for the first time. The parents, world-famous bookworms, are extremely proud. The book was the DK My First Body Board Book, with photos of babies and details of various body parts.
Direi che possiamo ufficialmente dichiarare spuntato il primo dentino. Toccando la gengive si sente chiaramente che la punta e' uscita (si sente anche quando mi mordicchia le mani...).

I think this time we can safely say that the first tooth has come out. I have been able to feel the tip with my fingers for a couple of days now.
Rajiv ha indossato tutti i suoi vestiti, compreso il cappotto da inpiedi invece che sdraiato per la prima volta. Con l'aiuto della mamma, ovviamente...

Rajiv had all his clothes, including the coat, put on while standing instead of on his back for the first time.
Dopo averle fatto la posta per parecchie settimane Rajiv e' fnalmente riuscito a trascinare per terra la macchina fotografica della mamma. Speriamo che funzioni ancora, per il momento non ho avuto il coraggio di controllare...

After weeks of failed attempts Rajiv has finally managed to drag mommy's camera to the floor. Let's hope it still works, I haven't found the courage to check yet...

Ci sono sicuramente altre cose, se mi vengono in mente le aggiungo dopo.

There are certainly more things, if they come to my mind I will add them later.

The chase - this is a good one I think

2008-03-08T15:15:00.003-05:00

Here you can see what I have to deal with every time I try to take a picture of Appu.

And more and more pictures:

2008-03-06T08:42:00.005-05:00

More pictures

2008-03-05T20:23:00.005-05:00

Appu with his new favorite toy, the baby comb. Thankfully he likes to chew on it, otherwise it would have been a really useless purchase. Please note also his new smashing diaper cover!

And here another picture of Appu, also known as The Happy Crawler. I really like these two photos, I had a good shooting session.

So you see, he doesn't ALWAYS smile

2008-03-04T10:53:00.003-05:00

Questa foto e' di qualche giorno fa. This is from a few days ago.

Traveling soon again

2008-03-04T04:42:00.001-05:00

We will go to Italy next week, from the 13th to the 27th. We will meet S. there and we are all looking forward to it. Stay tuned for the pictures!

Ok, so maybe I was too optimistic...

2008-03-04T04:40:00.000-05:00

Rajiv is only now really getting better, although he still has a nasty cough that sometimes keeps him up at night. The tooth has gone back in (!!), but at daycare the "experts" response is "it's normal". Uhm... Anyway, the gums are really swollen, so they'll have to come out soon, there is no choice.

Rajiv ci ha messo un po' piu' del previsto a riprendersi. Ha ancora la tosse che a volte non lo lascia dormire, ma direi che finalmente si nota un miglioramento. Il dentino sembrerebbe essere rientrato (e' normale, a quanto pare, boh...), ma non potra' stare nascosto a lungo ormai.

Daycare arrangements

2008-02-27T18:23:00.003-05:00

In case you were wondering, these are our present daycare arrangements:

Monday - No daycare, Rajiv spends all day with mom
Tuesday - Rajiv goes to daycare: I try and drop him around 10:00 AM, I send some time there with him and reach the office by 11:00 for the weekly string theory seminar. I go back and pick him up at around 2:00 PM and then we spend some more time in the office together before going home.
Wednesday - We spend the morning at home and go to the institute for lunch (free buffet on wednesdays!), then we return home and wait for Kelly who arrives at 1:30. She stays until 4:30 and I try and spend some productive (almost too funny...) time in the office.
Thursday - Rajiv goes to daycare again for three or four hours. There is nothing scheduled for me on Thursdays, so I just drop him when we feel like it.
Friday - Kelly comes again in the afternoon to look after Rajiv while I attend the strings group meeting. She comes at 1:30 and stays until 3:30, more or less. Then I pick up Rajiv from home and we go back to the institute where we socialize a bit at the weekly wine and cheese event (neither wine nor cheese for us though, we just go there to hang around and look cute).

Weekend with mom, of course.

----- ----- -----

Per chi se lo stesse chiedendo, la settimana di Rajiv al momento e' organizzata cosi':

Lunedi' - Tutto il giorno con la mamma, a casa o in ufficio.
Martedi' - Al nido dalle 10:00 alle 14:00 circa, cosi' la mamma puo' andare al seminario di stringhe e anche lavorare un po'. Dopo il nido si sta ancora un po' in ufficio e poi si va a casa.
Mercoledi' - La mattina a casa, il pranzo in istituto (c'e' un buffet ogni mercoledi') e poi di nuovo a casa ad aspettare la babysitter Kelly. Rajiv sta con Kelly dalle 13:30 alle 16:30, mentre la mamma e' in ufficio.
Giovedi' - Nido, per tre o quattro ore, poi un po' di tempo in ufficio.
Venerdi' - Kelly sta con Rajiv dalle 13:30 alle 15:30 mentre la mamma partecipa al meeting settimanale del gruppo di stringhe. Poi vado a prendere Rajiv e lo porto con me in istituto dove socializziamo un po' al rinfresco di fine settimana.

Sabato e domenica con la mamma, un po' a casa e un po' in ufficio.