The Table with the Ocean View

Diego bought us a super-beautiful, hand crafted dining room table (with 8 lovely chairs) for the apartment. It's stunning. But it's so nice - and we don't have any place mats or table clothes - that we're a bit afraid to eat at it. I'm definitely not interested in setting Luis there to eat, and to smear applesauce and drip water and crush cheerios on it. So instead, he eats at the small glass table, which I have moved over by the window. We both like the view. Here, Luis is enjoying a nice apple & banana puree. The lighting isn't so great for appreciating the horizon, but you can make it out to the right of Luis's noggin. This view is one of the first things I will get used to here! :)

Ashley's Here!

This isn't such a good picture of Ashley, but it does show that she is here with us in Mumbai (24 hours later than scheduled). Her original flight from London to Mumbai had a broken heater in the cargo area, so Ashley got bumped. I don't have any details of her extended stay in London, but I hope that she got to eat some fish n chips, have tea, drink a warm beer and see some rain.

Diego met her at the airport and escorted her through cargo and customs. She was a brave girl, not looking at all scared when she was off-loaded. Everyone in cargo was a bit shocked by this dog with blue eyes. When Diego let her out of the crate, they were also a bit surprised at how well she listened & obeyed (things like sit, stay, come here, in the car). The head of cargo teased Diego that Diego's life would be much easier if his airport staff was so obedient! :)

It's been over 4 years since Ashley didn't have a dog door to let her self outside. Living on the 7th floor is a big change for her. Babu, our kind of Guy Friday, will walk Ashley once or twice a day. Luis and I will also get her out once or twice a day. And right in front of our building is a small grassy area that is great (if not a little small) for frisbee-ing. I think (hope?)that Ashley will settle in nicely.

One of My New Friends in Mumbai

The view out our living room is the Arabian Sea. For 180-degrees. It's really beautiful and soothing. Both Luis and I enjoy watching the water. We also have lots (I mean LOTS) of birds that fly around. There are a bunch of ravens. Some doves. A family of 6 or so green parakeets. Other birds that I don't know the names of. But by far, my favorite are the hawks. They do fly-by's in front of my window all day long. The way they sort of float on the ocean breeze is a bit mesmerizing. I can't tell how many there are. I've seen 4 of them together at once.
Yesterday, I looked out the window to the balcony (the rear of the apartment, which over looks not the ocean). A hawk was sitting on the railing, just watching me. I wish, wish, wish that I'd had my camera - he was stunning.
One thing about the hawks - they make me a little bit glad that we didn't bring Muffles. Those claws look BIG!

More Long Nights

This started out as a picture of Luis sleeping in the middle of the day. But at the same time that I started shooting (pictures, of course), he started to wake up. We've had three long nights in a row now. Luis is having a tough time adjusting his body clock. By day, he is sweet, happy-go-lucky self. He eats and naps on schedule. By night, he is awake, but tired and cranky. Last night, he was up from 11p until 2:30a. I guess the good news is that he's getting back to sleep earlier - the first night it was 5a and the second night it was 4a.
Alison, my sis-in-law - who has transported her three babies across lots and lots of time zones - encourages me to give Luis a week to sort himself out. I am trying that. The result is that I'm just as tired this morning as I was on other mornings - but I'm feeling much more zen about it all.
One good thing about being so tired is that it seems easier to reset your body clock.

Full Disclosure

A quick post to up the honesty factor of this blog:
It's 5a, and Luis is lying in his crib crying. He's been awake since 1:15a. I've been awake since 1:16a. Diego and I have tried rocking, singing, cuddling, snuggling, walking, bouncing, cooing, talking, nursing, more rocking more singing, more nursing and more cooing. Not so much luck. He's exhausted, but can't settle enough to fall asleep.
To add insult to injury, Diego and I are both tired, but unable to sleep (and not just because of the crying baby). Sigh. It couldn't all be perfect.

Stacking Cups Make Any Place Feel Like Home...

... even Mumbai!

Mary & Luis go to Mumbai

Two pictures from our trip - one on the people movers at Dulles and the second on our flight from London to Mumbai. Luis was a great travel companion. He slept about 1/2 of each flight - and was agreeable and happy for the other half. Not surprisingly, Luis charmed the flight attendants on all three continents.

On the flight from DC to London, I made the mistake of reading when Luis first went to sleep. Approximately 10 minutes after I turned the light out to sleep, Luis woke up crying. The good news is that he settled back into sleep very quickly. But he wasn't in his car seat, he was curled up on me. I did sleep a bit, but not very well. On the second leg, Luis slept about 5 hours and I slept about 4. It was a life saver.

Ashley - Ready (as ever) for International Travel

Ashley left VA yesterday, and arrives in Mumbai tomorrow. The trip's a bit longer for her as she spends ~ 12 hours in London. There aren't words to say how relieved I'll be when she arrives safely tomorrow. Check back for an update (and keep your fingers crossed for her).

Life at the Rimicci's - Take Two

On our way out of town, Diego, Luis, Ashley and I spent two nights at Sarah's (though she was only there for one of them). It was a bit chaotic, but I love being with the Rimicci's: they are so generous with their love and their friendship that it fills my heart to be with them.

There are about 1o weeks between Matthew and Luis. For most of Matthew's 5 months, it's felt like a big difference. But as Luis and Matthew ate dinner together on Saturday night, they seemed a lot closer in age.

On Sunday, JF and RC came over to help us get our luggage out to Dulles. While waiting (very patiently) for us to finish stuffing things into bags, JF & RC got coerced into playing a game of Hullabaloo with Will. It's in the same game family as Twister, but made by the people who make Cranium. I didn't actually see the game in action, but both Sarah and Diego howled with laughter as they watched Will, RC and JF. I'm sorry I missed it.

Luis & Sandy

We spent almost 2 weeks in Annapolis before heading out of town. Luis sat with the grownups while they ate dinner each night. Luis sat next to Sandy and they had a good time together. It's hard to say who entertained whom more. Let's just say they were fast friends...

It was a sad goodbye on Thursday night, when Sandy said goodby to Luis. (It would have been sad for Luis if he had any idea what was going on.)

Catching Up - Diego Came Home (USA)

Diego arrived back in the states on Wednesday. It was good to have him here and Luis COMPLETELY adores him. Luis watches Diego's every move and lights up whenever he sees Diego. The gene that says, "That's my Daddy" has definitely kicked in!

Diego was tremendously helpful with the last packing push. I had everything sorted out into these messy and precarious piles. Diego watched Luis for two days while I sorted and stuffed things into bag after bag (after bag after bag).

We ended up with an armory of LL Bean bags. I think they should do a commercial about us. There were 3 XL duffels, 3 L duffels (1 on wheels), 1 Med. duffel, 1 hard case, 1 briefcase on wheels, 1 diaper bag and 1 back pack. In this picture (in our apartment in Mumbai), you can see 4 of our bags.

We Are HOME!!!

I am a bit too tired to try to be funny or witty or nostalgic right now - so I'll just be factual. We arrived in Mumbai this morning, Tuesday, at about 1a, Mumbai time. The trip was easy and uneventful and Luis was a trooper. We couldn't have asked for a better journey.

Luis is asleep in his room. I am trying to ignore the desire to empty ALL of the suitcases now - as it is 4a. I have no idea what time Luis thinks it is, nor how long he is going to sleep at this time. So I'm thinking I should work on some shut eye myself.

PS - Luis liked Business Class.

Luis's 1st Self-Inflicted Bruise

No - it's not the big red dot on his forehead, that is a bug bite. If you see the little scratch over his eye - that's it. Luis was trying to climb over a couch pillow that was on the floor. He's pretty good at getting up onto something, but the downhill part is still a bit much for him. On this particular occasion he face planted into a stacking cup scratching and bruising his eye.

I was a particularly prone to getting hurt when I was a child (my step dad called me the Master of Disaster). After seeing Luis's bruise, Sandy petted him very sweetly on the head and said, "I'm very sorry Luis, but you inherited some pretty bad 'getting hurt' genes." I'm afraid Sandy is probably right...

Which Toy Do I Want?

With Luis's new mobility and agility, he can go almost anywhere he wants (that is not more than 26" off the ground). He spends an hour at a stretch crawling across the room, pulling up on everything he can find, investigating toys (and things that he thinks could be toys but aren't) and putting as many objects into his mouth as he can. Here, he has crawled over to the toy box and pulling out things to play with, chew on and discard. He sat there for about 20 minutes.
Yesterday, it was almost time for him to nap, but he was showing no signs of being tired. I put him at the bottom of the stairs. He climbed the entire flight with no assistance (other than a hand to make sure he didn't topple over backwards). I took him to the bottom and he climbed it again. Luis was definitely breathing hard by the time he was done. And he went down quickly for his nap!

Another Milestone

So first, I have to say that this picture is a re-creation of an actual event. Yesterday morning, when I went in to get Luis up from his morning nap, I found him standing up in the pack n play. He was SO pleased with himself he was grinning from ear to ear. I have to admit that I was pretty pleased, too! Later in the day, I brought my camera down to the basement (where we are staying at Mom's) and staged this picture. Obviously, Luis is a whole lot less pleased at this moment.

Luis has the standing-up-in-the-crib thing down pat. He has been standing, peering over the side a couple times since. Always, he thinks it's very cool (or at least all of the times that he does it himself).

Camp Momma Croom - Second Session

My good, good friend Angela (who is referred to as "Angela, from Phoenix" even though now she lives in CA) and her children Clio (4) and Max (2) are out for a visit before Luis and I head out to Mumbai. Last time I saw Angela, Max was barely a bump in her belly. It's great to have her out, to meet Max, and to get to know Clio.

Annapolis

On Sunday, Luis, Ashley and I came out to Annapolis to stay with my mom for about 10 days. It is great to be here with her and Sandy. Both Luis and Ashley are settling right in.

A Lucky, Lucky Boy

There are many reasons why Luis is a lucky boy. That Sarah may love him as kindly and generously as she loves me is pretty high on the list!

Life at the Rimicci's House

Luis, Ashley and I spent most of last week at the Rimicci's house. Sarah and I were roommates a lifetime ago - and it was fun to be housemates again.

Sarah's house is big and warm and welcoming. But with a 5-month old, a 7-month old, a 4 year old and a dog ... well let's just say there were a lot of babies!

Matthew & Luis

Luis and Matthew are almost the same age - just 10 weeks apart. They haven't actually acknowledged each other's existence, but yesterday they were both playing in the baby gym. A few minutes later, Matthew was having some tummy time. Luis crawled over and started gnawing on Matthew's head. I didn't have a chance to grab the camera before the moment was over.
Someday, I hope that Matthew and Luis can have the kind of friendship that Sarah and I have!

Lots of Changes for Ashley

Ashley can be a wee bit of a nervous dog. These last several weeks of packing up have been tough on her. And while she has a pretty good vocabulary in English, she unfortunately does not know any words that would help describe "moving". She was a trooper, though and seems to be settling down a bit here at Sarah's house.
But just when she thought it was safe, I took her to the groomer's yesterday. Not only did they give her a good bath, they cut off most of her hair. I don't feel like these pics quite do it justice. I was a bit shocked when I picked her up, but really, she looks great. Both Sarah and Anthony, independently commented that she looks 10lbs lighter and several years younger. I think that for our stay in Mumbai, this will be her new look.

The Stairs

Luis discovered the stairs the day that we moved out. Not only did he discover them, he figured out how to climb them. The whole flight.
When people warned me that children grow up fast, I didn't realize that Luis would go from not crawling to crawling, pulling up and climbing stairs in less than a month!

Tia Jeanette

Jeanette came down from NYC this past weekend to help me move, play with Luis and lift my spirits (which were a little low from the moving process). We had a great time together - and she did help, play and lift. Dropping her off at the train station on Monday was a bit hard, and sad. Luis, Ashley and I will miss her tons and tons when we're gone. Maybe she & Uncle Eric will come to visit????

Why We are Moving to India

Several people have recently commented that on this blog it talks about when and how we are moving to India, but not why. So here is the (relatively) short answer:

Diego, an airport planner of ~15 years, was asked to come to Mumbai to be the Director of Planning and Development and to help in the transition of the airport there to being a privately run airport; it was previously operated by the government. (In the late '90's Diego worked on the privatization team of several airports in Argentina, before his work at Dulles and then Booz Allen.) The job in Mumbai is an exciting and challenging opportunity for Diego - a good reason for the move. But it is also an exciting and challenging opportunity for us as a family - another good reason.