A New Game with the Keys

Luis has loved playing with our keys for many months now. But on Friday, he decided that he should try unlocking the dresser with my house keys. I have no idea how he came up with this, but it was pretty amazing to watch.

Diego & Luis Enjoy the Weekend Together

We had a great weekend at home, as a family. Diego, who is still not quite on India Time and was up VERY early each morning, got Luis first thing in the morning and let me (and Ashley) sleep in. While I only made it to 7:15 the last 3 mornings, it was still a treat. But even better was watching Luis & Diego spend the weekend together - running around the apartment, playing hide & seek, snuggling on the couch, splashing in the pool and just really getting to know each other. Diego was gone for 10 days, and that seems like a long time in Luis's world.

enjoying pizza together

The Most Offensive Commercial I've Ever Seen

[Alternate Title: Why We are Leaving India]
The commercial opens showing a young woman, a five year old boy and an unseen infant (crying quietly in a make-shift bed/hammock). The mother is cooking chapattis over an open flame on what looks like a piece of steel mesh that is used in concrete slabs. The young boy is reading a book by firelight. The mother pushes the make-shift bed/hammock to sooth the fussing baby. Each time she reaches to turn the chapatti, she burns her hand.

After a few rounds of this, the five year old gets up and walks over to a pile of construction materials. [It is now clear that this is a family who lives on the street, near a construction site. Unfortunately, this is VERY common occurrence here.] The boy gets a piece of wiring and fashions it into tongs. He gives it to his mother with a wry smile. She turns it over in her hand a few times before realizing what it is. Then, she smiles sweetly at her son, who has resumed reading by fire light.

What is this commercial for? An NGO (non-government organization)? A not-for-profit group? No. It’s for a wire maker.

Their slogan? Wires that do not catch fire.

Daddy's Home!

Diego got home late Tuesday night from his travels. The next morning, when Luis woke up, I brought him into our bedroom and asked him who was in the bed? He looked over and his entire face lit up! He ran over to the bed, climbed up and jumped onto Diego. It was a great scene!

It's been fun, all week, watching Luis and Diego play together. And, honestly, it's been nice to have the help again!

Diego brought Luis this shirt from Peru. It says Te Amo Peru - I love Peru.

Luis is 16 Months!

I really feel like I was just writing the "Luis is 15 months post"; where is the time going?? His measurements are (approximately) 33" (90%) and 26lbs (65%). I admit that compared with last months stats, this means he is 2" taller and lost 1/2 lb. But I think it paints a general picture: he's a tall, lean kid. He's had very little teeth development in several months (he stopped at four up top and four on the bottom). Today, I could feel very clearly that on the top he's got two incisors and one molar totally poked through (though it's only small pieces that have cleared the gums). And on the bottom it looks like the two incisors are close to breaking, but haven't yet. Between his mouth and the heat, we do a lot of frozen smoothies and Popsicles these days.

I find it more and more difficult to talk about Luis in summary kind of terms, especially in this kind of "milestone" post. It used to be "he's sitting up" or "he's eating bananas". But as he becomes more complex and gets more personality, it's much harder to sum him up. He likes to climb up onto things. He's tried to climb onto Ashley's kennel, tried to scale the wall (to reach the window sill) and tries to climb into the bathtub. And he likes to look in thing - inside a draw, in an envelope, in the closet. He is not yet eye level with the kitchen counter (they are much lower her than in the US), but he can get a pretty good view of what is on the first 12" of counter top. And he can get his little hands on about the first 6" of counter top. He LOVES to pull stuff down, so we all must be more vigilant about what we leave on the counter and how close it is to the edge.

Luis likes to look at books on his own for a bit - but then will usually bring it to me to read it to him. He especially likes books with peek-a-boo flaps or touch-and-feel books. It's funny to watch him trying to look for the "lift flap" on a non peek-a-boo book. He is just learning how to throw things - which is fun when its a plush ball or toy, but not so fun when it's a bath toy. Once he masters throwing, Ashley will definitely be his new best friend. In the tub, he most likes to pour water from one container to another, or over his head.

Luis is (finally!!!) taking to doing sign language. And while his signs aren't exactly right, he can articulate that he wants MORE and that he needs HELP. He can also say PLEASE. I am working on MILK and WATER (the two beverages he enjoys). After that, I need to study up myself on some new words. As for actual words, he has expanded his "what does the animal say?" vocabulary to include the cat and Ashley. Note dogs (in general) say WOOF WOOF or BOW WOW or even ARF. But Ashley says [pant pant pant pant pant]. As for actual words, I think the only one he has mastered is BOOM and he uses it very appropriately (like when he pulls a bit stack of books off of the shelf).

Luis still loves to work with the people who work here. He brings the broom to Parvati, brings the water pitcher to Vikram, brings Ashley's leash to Babu. When Shabina is here cooking, he almost always hangs out in or near the kitchen. The other day, Pauline, Parvati, and Shabina were all here at the same time (typically, Shabina comes later in the day, after Pauline & Parvati have left). Luis was visibly confused about having his three favorite ladies all there at the same time: he wasn't quite sure where to go or what to do. The broom is still a beloved toy, but he's added the "arm" piece of the vacuum cleaner into his highly-prized toy list.

Last week, Diego was packing for his trip to Amsterdam (business conference) and Lima (high school reunion). The suitcases were out for a couple of days - and that became the new favorite toy. He pushed the smaller bag (which Diego did not take) around the apartment for days. I felt a little bad when I finally got around to putting it away.

Luis loves to give Ashley dog biscuits. Luckily, he has not yet figured out how to open the Ziploc back that holds them. When that happens, both Luis & Ashley will be very happy. Unfortunately, Luis also seems to enjoy the biscuits and he sometimes gives chase across the apartment preferring to chew on the cookie himself rather than give it to Ashley.

A typical day for Luis is as follows: 6:45 gets up, plays and enjoys a pre-breakfast glass of milk. Breakfast consists of applesauce and bread w/ jam. We used to go for a walk in the morning, but with the heat, we haven't done that this week. So now, we play in the apartment, dance, read stories, etc. until nap time at 9. Luis sleeps until about 11. After a small snack, he goes down to the garden for a play and then comes up to the balcony for a "swim". Lunch follows shortly, a bit more playing and back to sleep for a 1-3 nap. The late afternoon is much like the midday and often includes another swim and another play in the garden. Dinner comes about 5:30, then bath, a little more play and off to bed at 7p (though often he asks to go down earlier)

Some Like it Hot (but not me)

In the last week, the weather has made a strong turn - more heat, less wind, more humidity. In short - more unpleasant. I find the heat almost unbearable. One of the things I used to really like about life here was all of the walking I could do: I walked to the market, walked to friends' houses and walked (with Ashley & Luis) along the promenade. Now, I barely want to walk out the door! As you can see from this picture, it was 96.4 degrees outside at 4:00p yesterday.

I know that it will get worse - even more heat, even less wind, even more humidity - in the next two months (until the rains come mid-June). Unfortunately, because I know I'm leaving, I'm not sure I can steel myself up for this kind of weather. I fear that I'll be spending A LOT of time inside over the next four weeks...

Shabina & Luis Play Dress Up

Today, Shabina wrapped Luis up sari-style in her dupatta (the scarf that is worn with the Salwaar suit). Luis wasn't so keen on the idea - but looked pretty cute!

Crate Training?

It's a little bit hard for me to believe, but the movers are scheduled to pack up our apartment here in Mumbai one month from today. One month. Wow! Time goes so fast. I remember clearly when it was only one month until the movers were coming to the house in Falls Church..

In preparation for the move, and for the journey home, I got Ashley's crate out of storage. I wanted to give her plenty of time to get used to it so that when it's time for her to spend 20+ hours in it, 16 of which will be sitting in the belly of a plane; well I want her to feel as comfortable as possible. Today Babu brought it down from storage and Luis helped me get it all cleaned out. I put a blanket in it, and positioned it prominently in the living room. Ashley showed almost no interest in it. Luis however, was FASCINATED. This is only one of a dozen pictures.

After Luis went to bed, I put Ashley's dinner in the crate to encourage her to go inside - and to start the association of the crate as being a "good place." Either she was particularly hungry or she has no residual fears of the crate. But she scarfed up her dinner, in the crate, in no time flat.

Curls

A couple of weeks ago, Luis's hair had gotten pretty long (and curly). Diego wanted to give him a short haircut, but I loved the curls. We compromised with a short on the sides & back, long on the top cut, which I thought was VERY CUTE.

I'm still not really sure why, but yesterday morning after breakfast, I gave Luis a short-allover cut. The curls are gone and I'm a bit sad. I know that the curls will come back, if we let his hair grow (which I will).

But I was also a bit surprised at how much the shape of his face has changed since his last short-allover hair cut...

(Feb 8, 2008)

And Still More "Many Happy Returns of the Day"

On Tuesday, the postman tried to deliver a package, but I was out. On Wednesday, Anwar drove me down to the post office to claim my parcel. (Oddly enough, in my almost 8 months here, it was my first trip to the post office.) Lauren had sent me a birthday present! Apparently, Customs had opened my package and inspected the contents. This included opening the envelope that was inside. After inspection, the package is re-sealed with tape, wrapped with string and then wax seals are used at several places on the string. I think the wax seals are India's version of "tamper evident" packaging.
I am pretty sure that everything Lauren put in the package made it to me. But it took 24 days from posting to delivery. I'm pretty sure that 21 of those days were in India.
(On a similar note, Sarah sent Luis a package at Christmas that arrived a few days after we left -earlier than originally planned - for the US in December. When the postman was told that I would be out of town for a couple of weeks, he sent the package back to the US. I assumed that someone at the postal department was enjoying the PJ's that Sarah had sent. But, about 2 weeks ago, the package showed back up on Sarah's doorstep, almost 3 months after being sent back!!)

Watermelon Popcicle

My New Favorite Picture

Luis Gets Promoted!

Vikram's (The Gardener) daily visits are still very high on Luis's list of favorite things. When Vikram arrives, Luis runs (not walks) back to the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony. A couple of days a week, I let Luis "help" Vikram with the outdoor plants. Luis was could either hold the pipe (hose) when there was no water flowing or hold the pipe with Vikram. But last week, Vikram started giving the Luis the pipe when the water was flowing. It was - and continues to be - a very exciting for Luis.

Luis also waters the plants when he's playing with his pool in the afternoon. I have a slight concern that the plants on our balcony my drown in the next couple of weeks considering that they now get at least 2x as much water and some days 3x or 4x as much water.

Climbing, Flour & Ashley

Luis is climbing - or trying to climb more and more things these days. Here, he has climbed onto the coffee table. So far, he hasn't tried to climb out of the crib, though I suspect it's only a matter of time. He can't quite get himself up on the beds or the couches, though he certainly gives it the old college try. His newest mobility trick (though I don't have a picture) is turning in circles. Diego taught him that one. And he loves it. He can make about 3 or 4 rotations before he gets dizzy and plops over.

I'm not a big sand person. And just as well, we wouldn't be able to have a sandbox here in our apartment. But the closest thing I could come up with for a substitute was a Flour Box. I bought a 5kg bag of flour (called Atta around here) and filled up the biggest Tupperware box I had. I gave Luis a couple of kitchen gadgets (a tea sifter, a potato masher, and a plastic spoon). He LOVES it. Well, the Flour Box isn't as popular as the pool, but it gets a lot of use. In fact often Luis will go straight from the Flour Box into the pool. And, of course, sweeping up the flour at the end is almost the most fun.

Luis likes to play with Tupperware containers - as much when they are empty and come out of the drawer as when they contain Ashely's food and/or water. Usually, he likes to play with Ashley's water. But on Friday, he hijacked her food bowl and then fed her the kibble, piece by piece. Ashley had not taken much of an interest in the food until Luis did. Then, she dutifully ate every piece he handed her.

Luis & Some Funny Faces

Today, Luis, Pauline and I had a nice play in the garden. I found Luis to be particularly amusing, and thus took A LOT of pictures.

Who doesn't carry a broom when they play in the garden?

Kiss for the flower!

I didn't styly my hair like this - Mom did!

Hmmphf

Awwww Awwww (what the bird, and Luis, say)

More About The Kitties

I still go down most nights to bring some leftovers to the kitties. Now, they are usually on the lookout for me, and tend to come running when they see me. And sometimes, other cats come too.This afternoon, when Luis, Pauline & I were playing in the garden, both kitties were out napping on the front wall. So I finally have some pictures of the second cat - the grey one. I'm a little worried about how the cats will fare after we leave. Seems like it would be difficult to find someone to take over the feeding schedule...

(Too Many) Pictures of Luis

This is Luis's new outfit from Jeanette. I think it's super cute. And I think he's super cute. And I had a hard time chosing my favorites. But I did. A lot are my favorites...

What Time Is It?

Last night, the power went out for about 45 minutes (a rare thing around here). When it came back on, I realized that there is not one single clock in this house that had to be re-set. In fact, we only have 3 clocks in the house: one in the kitchen (that runs on batteries) and two that are part of an indoor/outdoor thermometer set (which also run on batteries). We don't have alarm clocks or clocks on the DVD player or even the microwave.
I don't know why, but this seems very strange to me.

Time Flies

It's official: We are leaving Mumbai at the end of May. Diego and I have been talking about this for some time now. Well, now he's given notice at work, we've given notice to our landlord, we've given notice to our staff and we've requested quotes from relocation companies.

I have mixed emotions about this departure. Our time in Mumbai did not turn out to be what we thought it would be - or hoped it would be. For the most part, Luis, Ashley and I have had a fairly charmed life. I am convinced that Luis's entourage of doters and supporters are a big part of why he is so happy and confident. Ashley is the trimmest she's been in a long time and also the most active. I, for the most part, have settled in to life here and accepted all that it comes with.

Diego has had the harder time, managing things at work. It's a very different professional environment here. He's been sick quite a bit. Besides the horrific Pink Eye incident back in the fall, he has had several colds, chest infections, sinus infections and days of just feeling crummy. We have both worried about what would happen if Luis got really sick here as we have heard too many bad stories about the health care our friends have received. I worried about Ashley. We have all missed being able to spend time outside (because of some combination of rains, pollution, heat, and smell).

For all of this and more, we have decided to leave. The plan is to pack up the apartment the last week in May and ship our stuff back home (VA). Ashley, Luis, Diego and I will leave here a few days later and head back to the States. We are hoping to be able to take a month or two-long family vacation, maybe renting a house in Florida. As for our next destination... that's still up in the air. At this point, anything is possible (outside of India).

Luis - 15 Months (and one week)

It seems it's been a while since I've updated on Luis. He hit 15 months last week. His current stats are 31" tall and 26 1/2 pounds (those are both measured at home). I guess his biggest change/growth/accomplishment is his ability to pitch a fit. As he gets older and more cognizant of his likes and wants (and dislikes), he's also becoming more vocal about them. For instance, Luis likes to walk around with the plastic pitcher the Gardener uses to water the indoor plants. All was well & good until Luis figured out that when Viakram uses it, there is water inside but when Luis uses it, there is none. Upon discovering this, Luis THREW the pitcher on the floor, started crying and walking backwards until he eventually stumbled and fell backwards onto the floor. Then he really had something to cry about. Backing up and falling over backwards are two of Luis's main reactions to being upset or disappointed. Luis has figured out how to open the sliding glass doors that lead out to the balcony. Unlike some of his other accomplishments, he doesn't gloat and glee over this. Instead, he stealthily slips out the door and then hides on the balcony. He loves this game. So now, we often keep the door shut to the small room (which leads to the balcony).

Luis has started carrying things around. He's been carrying the broom for a long time, but he was actually using it to sweep. The last couple of days, we've been playing in his room before his morning nap. He'll reach in between the slats of his crib and pull out the blanket that Liz made. Luis also has this plastic snail that plays music (I swear, there are 50 songs in there!). He has long loved to hear the songs. A couple of weeks ago, he mastered pushing the button to make it play himself. Now, he takes the snail for a walk, pulling it behind him with the little string (thank goodness for marble floors).

And speaking of music, he loves it. He's figured out where the stereo is in the living room. When he wants to hear some tunes, he points at it and won't budge until you put the music on. Then, he likes to dance. Several mornings a week, we have a family dance party with Diego. Luis likes both being held and dancing (that means lots of spinning and bouncing and rocking) and standing and doing his own little bounce. As Diego said this morning, Watching Luis dance - never not funny.

Luis still doesn't really have any words (that I know of). But he is quick to tell you what the crow says (Awwww Awwww). And he has almost as many tricks as Ashley (and some of the same ones). He shakes hands, waves ta-ta, waves Hi (a different kind of wave), blows kisses, and gives the "Salaam" salute. He is usually good about delivering items upon request (Luis, please give Diego his wallet). And this morning, when I told him we had to stop playing with the broom because it was time for breakfast, he took the broom over the corner to put it away before coming out to his high chair. YEAH!! He still loves books and will pull them into the crib at the end of nap time (if I leave them on the bedside table). The pool is still very popular, as is bath time. With both, when the time comes to turn off the water, well, let's just say that it doesn't make Luis happy.

Luis has started to climb and scale things. He had a week or two (about a month ago) where he liked to climb onto the little table in his room. That passed and I breathed a sigh of relief. But this week, he's tried to figure out how to climb up onto his bookshelf and he's tried to use his Little People barn as a step ladder (though I have no idea what he was reaching for - it was alone in the middle of the floor). Once this week, trying to reach his pacifier which was in the crib, he held onto the slats of the crib and sort of jumped up.

I am a bit shocked (though happy) - Luis is still sleeping 16-17 hours in a 24-hour period; twelve hours at night and two naps. He's always been a kid who likes to sleep... Which is what he's doing now!

Many Happy Returns of the Day - Part II

Yesterday, after much waiting and anticipation and speculation that maybe the mailman was still angry with me, Jeanette's package arrived (almost 3 weeks after it was sent). It was filled with delicious goodies to snack on, a People magazine to read, and a ridiculously cute outfit for Luis.

We ate most of the cookies and most of the jelly beans yesterday. Such great treats; who could resist? Turns out, however, that soft bake cookies don't fare so well through a 3-week trans-atlantic, trans-europe, trans-indianic trip. They don't look so good, but they tasted just as good. Yeah. But also a little scary to think about what preservatives allow that to happen...

And last night, when Luis went to sleep, I lay on the couch and read the People magazine cover to cover (not that I've ever been a big People reader, it was just a nice diversion).

A super big THANK YOU to Jeanette!

Many Happy Returns of the Day

Wednesday was my birthday. Thomas, in a sweet birthday email, pointed out that I was born on a Wednesday, and said that he considers birthdays on the same day of the week the celebrant was born to be special. To be honest, I was a little bit dreading this birthday. Not because of the age (I turned 33) but because I was worried I'd be lonely. Diego was in the US. My two closest friends here, Mary Beth & Erika were both (ironically) in Jaipur with their families. So it was just going to be Ashley, Luis, and me. I don't often like to admit this, but Thomas was right and I was wrong. It WAS special and I was not lonely.

Diego called early in the morning from Atlanta to wish me a Happy Birthday. Then, Anita (Diego's secretary) and Anwar (our driver) both texted me to wish me "Many Happy Returns of the Day." When Pauline arrived, I told her it was my birthday. She shook my hand and also wished me Many Happy Returns of the Day. I was able to Skype with Mom, Dodie & family (who sweetly sang to me), Sarah, Jeanette and Angela. I got email messages from loads of family and friends. I even got a dedicated post on my family's NCAA Hoops Website. My Grandfather, who I think has been timely and prompt for most of his 99 years sent me a card in mid-February to make sure it arrived in time. I put it up on the fridge and waited three weeks to open it. With the uncertainty of mail delivery, it was in fact the only card I had. [I know there are quite a few on their way.]

I decided that it wasn't birthday without cake. I also decided that homemade cake beats store bought cake every time (I actually decided this more than a decade ago, and simply reminded myself of this fact). So I hopped in a rickshaw and headed over to Vijays Food Provisions to pick up a $4 Betty Crocker cake mix. Yes, to me, cake from a cake mix box is "home made". It's my birthday; I get to make up the rules.
Luis was eager to help with the stirring of the batter. And the flinging of the batter. And the dripping of the batter into the toaster oven (bet YOUR cake mix doesn't included those directions). Still, the cake making didn't go quite as planned, needing to substitute olive oil for vegetable oil (olives are a veggie, no?). And I couldn't find powered sugar for making the icing, so I had to put my big-granular sugar in the mixer. The first 2C up sugar I "powderized" wasn't actually so powdery, but I didn't notice until I'd poured it into the butter. Too late to do anything - except try to powderize more sugar to even out the granular consistency. It got better, but never quite right. In fact, nervous about the olive oil and the granular icing, I waited until almost midnight to have my piece. It wasn't the cake of my dreams.

Thinking of birthdays past - the surprise party Eileen McCarthy hosted for my 15th (maybe my most fun birthday EVER), my 19th party which cemented my now 14-year friendship with Sarah Saelinger (Rimicci), the party I threw for my 21st at BC (I won't reference the most memorable parts b/c this is a family blog - and because my parents read it, but for those of you who were there, you remember), Angela's icing mishap on my 25th, my 26th party for which Jeanette came from NY and Angela came from AZ, the bowling party Diego surprised me with for my 30th and the trip to Paris he gave me for my 31st - this year wasn't what I would have planned for myself. Not the birthday of my dreams.

But this life I have... My friends and my family. My husband, my son and my dog. All of the people here in Mumbai who are so kind and generous to Luis and Ashley (and Diego & me). The good health that I have and that my friends all have. All of the people around the world who love me. Those are the things dreams are made of. And I had all of that on my birthday on Wednesday. How could I be lonely?