Kala Raksha

At one of the coffee mornings, before Christmas, several groups came to sell their wares to us westerners who were dropping a lot of money on "Indian" christmas presents for our friends and loved ones back home. One group that particularly caught my attention was Kala Raksha. They had beautiful handmade games. One in particular, Chopad (the original Parchizi), really caught my attention and I bought two. (I later ended up ordering several more from them which were then delivered by courier, as they are located up in Gujerat.) When Jules was here in February, we stumbled upon an exhibit they were having in South Mumbai. There, I bought a quilt for Luis, a purse for me (and one for a gift), a change purse, and a skirt (for Sarah). All were hand made and in the traditional style of Kutch (a western region of India).

With the notion that once we leave India we are most likely not coming back, I am suddenly feeling sad that I will not be able to email my friend Nilesh at kala Raksha to order another Snakes & Ladders to give as a birthday or christmas present - or any of their other fine products. So, I made one last big order. It arrived today and I was again so pleased by how lovely their things are. I tried to capture this in some photos. I'm not sure I've done them justice. I am posting small pictures, but you should be able to click on them to see a larger version.

Chopad (Parchizi):

Checkers:

Snakes & Ladders:

I also ordered two quilts (Mom ordered one, too). Below is one of mine and one of hers draped over the sofa:

I will miss these kinds of items when I leave India. I will miss being able to buy things like this from a show where the actual artisan is present and can talk to me about the piece. Sigh.

[If any of you blog readers are interested in anything you see here, there is still time to order before I leave - email me]

Pauline & Luis

(we are really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really going to miss her. REALLY)

Not Even Sure How to Title This...

New Tricks

This morning, Diego and I were talking at the table and Luis was cruising around the room. He wandered off into the "Little Room" (the office, which leads to the balcony). He never gets into any trouble in this room, so we give him the space to explore. After a few quiet minutes, I walk over to check out what he's doing. I was a bit shocked when I found him.

He climbed up there all by himself. To see how he did it, I set him on the floor. Sure enough, he scrambled right back up. This time, he promptly tumbled out the back of the chair. (I caught him.) Life gets more interesting every day...

For afternoon snack, most days, Luis has a mushed up banana and plain yogurt. About 2 months ago, we switched from mushed up banana to sliced banana. Over the weekend, I tried holding the banana and letting him take bites. This was a big hit. Today, I let him hold the banana. Ohhh boy. It was like he'd won the lottery.

All the while, I was encouraging him to say "nana" for banana (three syllables seemed like too much to ask for). And he did! It might be his first real word. Though, can "nana" count as a Real Word if it's not really a real word?

Just Some Pictures...

Family Lunch

Yesterday, I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch (for everyone) and decided that we should sit together, as a family, at the table. So instead of using the tray that goes with the booster chair, we pulled Luis up to the table. He loved it! And I loved having him there.

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)