Kavi and Uma's Corner

Uma Laughing Sleepily

2010-11-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

I know I don't blog on here regularly anymore, I've been posting more videos and pictures on my facebook page, and emailing them. However, with my new Flip UltraHD video camera, the files are too big to email out anymore, so I'll probably just do it here since it can support it.

Here's Uma sleepy and talking and laughing. Of course, Kavi needs attention constantly, so I'm trying to interact with him while filming Uma!

Uma Grows, Kavi Leaps!

2010-08-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Smile for the camera, Uma-zooma!

A big milestone for Kavi, today - he finally jumped off the ground with both feet!!

He seemed a little delayed in being able to get this, but he finally did it today!! Yay!! I told him that once he could jump and get both feet off the ground, there's lots and lots and lots of cool things Daddy can teach you:

So, anyways....

Well, Uma has her moments when it comes to breastfeeding. Sometimes she falls asleep, other times she flat out refuses and pushes away! Today she did a bit better with it.

Of course, she senses when it is my turn to feed her, because I feed her with the bottle, which is a lot easier for her. When I hold her, she all of a sudden gets alert and starts smacking her lips, and squiggles around ready to eat. WAIT - you're not supposed to get like that with the daddy!!

She wasn't as easy of a baby as we thought she was going to be! Now she is finding her voice and will cry a lot more when she feels necessary to communicate.

And Kavi hasn't been regressing much and handling things fairly well...

Hey, you're too old for that, buddy!

Uma's First Week Home

2010-07-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

So Uma's been home for a week! Lot's going on. We need sleep. She needs to be fed every 3 hours. And it is such that Nisha and I both need to wake up because our process goes like this:

1. We wake her up (b/c she won't wake up on her own!), and change her diaper, which makes her more alert.
2. Nisha breastfeeds her until she passes out/takes no more, which usually lasts for 10-15 minutes.
3. Then I bottle feed and burp her, while Nisha pumps.
4. Change her diaper again, b/c she will invariably have an explosion in her diaper during her feed.
5. Sleep, then repeat.

She is a very quiet and chilled out baby! Much moreso than Kavi when he was her age. But I wanted to capture a moment of her crying, because you don't really hear it all that much!

She had her first check up with her pediatrician, Dr. Hargrave. He was very impressed with how well Uma eats. She was pretty much back to her original birthweight after she lost some weight in the hospital (pretty typical). He said most babies take a couple of weeks to regain that, it took Uma 6 days. Go Uma!

Last week, Nisha's mom was here to help, this past week, Nisha's youngest sister, Kruti, came to help us out. She has been tremendous. We will definitely miss all the help we've been getting!

Kavi's been enjoying having all these relatives come by to help out. This past weekend, his cousins, aunt, and uncle from San Antonio came to hang out.

Starting Sunday afternoon, we're on our own! Yikes!

Enter Uma! Kavi's sister

2010-07-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not have noticed, the title of this blog has changed from Kavi's Corner, to Kavi and Uma's Corner.

Uma Patel Rahman was born Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 4:53pm, at Seton Hospital in Austin, Tx. She was born at 5.3 lbs and 17 inches.

Her due date was August 16th. She was 4 weeks early, and came at exactly 36 weeks. So, she is considered a preemie. And let me tell you, she acts like one!

I can see it now - she is not going to be overshadowed by her older brother and his grand entrance into this world.

So it was all timed in a very interesting way. Nisha's mother and brother came the day before, and they drove by the hospital just to see where it was and to make sure everyone knew how to get there just in case. And without knowing that they did that, I did the same thing on that day with Kavi after I picked him up from his daycare.

My biggest fear was that Uma would come right when I was teaching our kids summer camp, because I have no replacement for the days I teach, and I would miss her birth.

So it's Wednesday, the very next day from when Nisha's mother came (and stayed over night). I finished summer camp. I had a schedule private lesson right after camp. Right towards the end of that private lesson, I got the phone call from Nisha's mother. I told her I'd be right over.

Now, this person I was teaching had 3 more steps to learn to finish the routine she'd been working on for months. She said that if I had to go, that we can just finish up next time.

I thought about it for a second and said, "No, you're too close to the end. It won't take but 5 minutes to finish." So I risked it, and made sure she got through those last 3 moves and could do it by herself.

The minute I finished, I was like, LATER!!

Do you think I went straight to the hospital?

Nope! I had to pick up Kavi from his daycare. I tossed him in the car and put the pedal to the metal! I kept saying aloud, "Hold on, Uma! Daddy and Kavi are coming! Wait for Daddy and Kavi, Uma!" I said it so many times, that Kavi started saying it, too!

Do you think it was an ease of a drive? Nope! Even if the hospital was only about 3 miles from Kavi's daycare, every single light we hit was RED! *sigh*!!

I bursted into the hospital, and found Nisha, and they were still asking her tons of questions, while she was on a gurney. So I totally made it on time, and had some to spare.

What had happened with Nisha was that her placenta abrupted. An abruption means that the placenta detached from the uterine wall. She had high blood pressure while she was pregnant towards the end, and the high blood pressure caused the abruption. So she had a LOT of bleeding.

So, this was, in every sense, an emergency C-section. The doctors and the whole medical team remarked at how surprised they were at how calm we were about this whole situation.

Our response: Been there, done that.

So Nisha and Uma had to stay in the hospital, because Nisha's blood pressure was still high. Uma was fine. But Nisha's blood pressure wouldn't go down even after delivery, so they had to put her on Magnesium. Typically, they give you Magnesium while pregnant to slow the contractions down to delay the birth (that's what they did with Kavi - see the first post of this blog).

But this time it was about getting Nisha's blood pressure down. And after they give you Magnesium, they have to monitor you for 48 hours. Her pressure went down a little, but it is still on the high side.

On Sunday, July 25th, they discharged Nisha and Uma to go home. Nisha's blood pressure is still high, but they didn't give any medication for it, because they think it will go down on its own, eventually. Time for her to start doing Tai Chi regularly!

Kavi saw Uma on the day of her birth, when she was being wheeled to the nursery. It didn't really click with him who she was.

Kavi saw Uma again on Friday, in Nisha's hospital room. We brought him to her and said, look Kavi, this is Uma, your sister. And he looked for a second, and then looked in another direction and said, "TRUCK!!"

Now that they are home, Kavi is going through the adjustment phase of having a sibling. I feel for the guy, it must be tough. But, he's a tough kid. Look at what he went through to enter this world. Uma's going to be a tough little cookie, herself. She made her own grand entrance to prove her strength as well.

Okay, enough chatter. I'll get to the pictures and videos now!

First Time at McDonalds!

2010-03-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Kavi's first time at McDonalds. I got him a Happy Meal, and a "Number 1" for myself (Big Mac, Fries, & Coke). He took the top bun off of his cheeseburger, and then proceeded to devour his french fries. I fed him his hamburger, and he ate about 3/4ths of it. Not bad. He was somewhat ambivalent about the Yoda toy he got with his Happy Meal - he was more interested in chewing the cardboard box it came in.

This McDonald's was bizarre - there was NO drinking water! I went to the water tap at the soda fountain, no water. They even had a water fountain by the bathroom - it didn't work! So I decided he could drink Sprite. He tried it and HATED it! So, I ran back to the car to get his water bottle, and all was good.

Kavi Rocking Out!

2010-02-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

He loves the song "Figure 8" by They Might Be Giants:

Kavi's 2nd Birthday Party!

2010-02-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

Presents from MN!

2010-02-12T08:29:00.001-08:00

Some new videos of Kavi, finally! These are videos of him opening his presents from his family in Minnesota. By the time you see this, he will be 2 years old! Happy Birthday, Kavi! I can't believe it's been 2 years!
He's having his birthday party on Saturday, and we'll be sure to post some pictures and videos from it.

He Can Finally Say His Name

2010-01-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween - The Incredible Hulk!

2009-11-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

Kavi was The Incredible Hulk for Halloween this year! He liked his costume. We went to the Fall Carnival they had at his daycare, and they had all the kids run around in their costumes!
This year we got away with not trick or treating. I think next year, we may have to go.

Spoon & Alphabet!

2009-10-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, he's learning.

Harmonica

2009-10-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Playing the harmonica = learning to blow out.

Stronger

2009-09-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

He's getting stronger...

Translation, Please?

2009-09-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Kavi talking up a storm...if only we knew what he was saying!

Pencil!!

2009-09-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Very active and talkative! Before you say anything, don't worry, we took the pencil away, and we don't let him run with it. This was just a one time thing. :)

CAR

2009-09-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been a long, long time since I posted. We've been extremely busy, but I did want to post something. It's not great, but it's Kavi saying "Car" with a Boston accent, so it sounds like, "Cah".

दुम्प Truck

2009-07-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Apparently, he likes dump trucks and construction vehicles. The video speaks for itself:

First time in a swimming pool!

2009-07-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Kavi's first experience in a swimming pool! He was pretty scared at first and started crying, because I was holding him and gradually put him in. Then we took him out and let him just sit on the side and splash the water with his feet. Eventually, we started lowering him, and he was getting excited. But unfamiliar with this whole thing, he bent down and got water in his face and started crying again. So I had to have my hand by his chest at all times to make sure he didn't bend forward.

Then a 6 year old boy and his parents were nice enough to share some toys with him, and they were having a good time until the boy accidentally pulled on the toy while Kavi was holding it, thus splashing his face in the water again.

So, after soothing him, he walked around in the water towards the edge, and just let him observe everything. All in all, it was fun, and a good first experience, it'll keep getting better, and we know he liked it, overall.

This kid of ours

2009-07-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

He can make water sprinker sounds...not sure how he figured that one out, but apparently when Mommy makes purring sounds, it prompts him!

And now, some more pictures.

Mommy hydrating the boy -

Maybe the boy can do it himself -

Hey, not bad at all! Here it comes -

Uh-oh! And there it goes -

Oh well! Try again next time -

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

More pictures to come...
But here's a video for now.

new picture

2009-06-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

Toddler

2009-06-20T17:30:00.001-07:00

The boy got a new haircut from Mommy, and now looks like Daddy when he was a baby!

Communications

2009-06-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Kavi is definitely in a challenging phase. He can't communicate to us yet what he wants or what is wrong or bothering him. It is frustrating for him, and it is very challenging for us, and we are hearing horror stories from other parents with kids in this age, between 1.5-3...so thank goodness we're not the only ones with this challenge. It can get just downright frustrating. He's happy one second, and literally the next second he's screaming bloody murder!

He wants to do stuff by himself, freaks out when he can't, and freaks out even more when we try to help him.

And he keeps waking up at night screaming and crying for who knows what reason. Teeth coming in? Rash? Snotty nose? School & separation anxiety? Bad dreams?

Today he started full days in daycare. He goes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He did very well today! He only cries when I drop him off, and then the second I disappear, he stops. He cried a little when he went down for his nap (which he does that anyways at home, so no surprise there), and he didn't cry at all when Nisha came to pick him up. I think this will be very very good for him. And, I got a LOT of work done! :)

So here are some videos, of him in his diaper! haha

Here he is bustin' out some dance moves:

Here he is trying to tell me how everything was:

Annnnd, here he is most of the time lately:

More walking around

2009-05-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

More walking around and being silly!

It's been some time now...

2009-05-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting on here for quite some time! We lost our camera battery charger (which also takes videos).

Kavi's started day care half days, 3X a week, and will be going full days 3x a week in June. He's gotten all sorts of illnesses there, passing them on to us, and I'm sure there's more to come.

He's walking a lot, and talking a lot (not any real words other than "yeah!", but he does recognize things, and pronounce the first letter. If he sees a dog, he'll say "Duh!"

He hasn't gained much weight or height, so he's still around 18 lbs, 29 in. We're concerned about that, and will try new things to get him to eat more.

His developmental milestones are fine, though, which is good.

He's very intense, and very active. He's always the spaz whenever he's with a group of kids. I have no idea where he gets that from! haha
But the good part is when he's into something, he will really focus on it and study it.

I'll try to be better about the updates, but no promises. It's going to get busier and busier, I can tell!

walking!

2009-05-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

He's taking more steps these days! He walks like a robot right now...still needs to get comfortable bending his knees.

A Chip off the 'ol Block

2009-04-27T08:24:00.001-07:00

Or, as his SuperFoy (my sister) likes to say, "The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!"

All kinds of excitement!

2009-04-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

So here's Kavi standing around at his first "Mela" (Indian carnival) at Barsana Dham.

Here's Kavi taking his first steps on Friday, April 24, 2009!

Here's Kavi being a little too affectionate for her comfort, with his friend Lila in Palo Alto!

Mr. Giggles! and the Library!

2009-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

He woke up from his nap in a silly mood!

At the public library for the first time!

Some recent pictures!

2009-04-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

At a wedding reception (the same one where he said, "Yeah!")

At a park, walking with some assistance!

At that same park, swinging on the swingset.

Nisha took this picture, and got a lot of compliments on it. Very professional looking!

Our first family zoo visit, at the San Antonio Zoo.

Do you really think we look alike??

Kavi Gone Bad! But in a cute way!

2009-04-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Erupting into maddness!

Not a happy camper!

Interrupting Wedding Vows, by saying, "YEAH!!"

Not enjoying his first zoo visit!

Shaking the gate!

YEAH!!

2009-04-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

All he does these days is say "YEAH!!" Which is better than saying No all the time! haha

Nature goes straight to the mouth!

2009-03-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

We all went out and hung out at a nearby park, and of course, Kavi starts putting leaves, dirt, sticks, and grass in his mouth. I suppose this is how babies bond with nature!

He's a Pistol!

2009-03-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

This guy is such a ham and a hoot!

Kavi being mellow

2009-03-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted. But, I'm sure you understand! :)

This is Kavi when he's in a "calm" mood! haha

Get up Stand up

2009-02-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

Stand up for your rights.

The Kavi.

2009-02-23T15:17:00.001-08:00

He is very drawn to my guitars.

smiles and giggles

2009-02-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

He has 6 teeth!

Walker, Texas Ranger!

2009-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you Moti Masi (Sunita, Nisha's older sister) for getting this!

Multipurpose!

The baby is turning into a boy

2009-02-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

He's learning! Today he said his first real word which was "This". And, he did this today:

Here are some birthday pictures:

Happy 1st Birthday, Kavi!!

2009-02-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a year since this little boy was born!! More to come later!

Cracker Jack!

2009-02-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

This Kavi-boy is a hoot! I can't believe he's going to be 1 on Thursday!!!!

Look at that hair!

2009-02-07T01:14:00.001-08:00

We're stalling on giving him a haircut, because we are very attached to his baby hair!

He's been hanging out with more kids, recently. Here he is with his friend Zia (Curly in the background). Apparently, the camera was pause for concern for everyone:

2 Poets

2009-01-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

Kavi and Ozan hanging out. Ozan means "Poet" in Turkish! So, we have two poets hanging out.

Glasses Thief!

2009-01-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

Kavi just loves to snatch the glasses off of anyone's face, if he notices them. And, the boy is very determined when he wants something and does not sit still.

Oh, and at the end, he hits the space bar and that stopped the video recording. I guess he had enough of being filmed!

Is he the next Bruce Lee or what!

2009-01-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Dragon returns!! Wooo-wasa!!!

Always busy

2009-01-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

Kavi is always investigating something. He never spaces out or just in a daze. He is always figuring something out, constant curiosity.

Here's Kavi trying to chew Mommy's gum.

Kavi with Muneezeh, who volunteered to babysit Kavi so that Mommy and Daddy can go to the movies!

Chasing me!

2009-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

San Antonio!

2009-01-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Rides!

2009-01-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Jumper!

It's a Small World!

10 mo old Baby Lifts Weights!

2009-01-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

Kavi lifting a 3-pound dumbell:

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T21:47:00.000-08:00

Kavi celebrates New Year's Eve with a dance!

Happy 2009! Kavi's going to become a 1 year old in about a month and a half! :)

I Couldn't Resist!!

2008-12-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

OK, we said we weren't going to do presents or anything for Christmas, but I couldn't resist!

Um, that's Curly's present, Mr. Kavi!

Tis the Season!

2008-12-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for hoodies and Christmas lights on 37th street!

Cheeky!!

2008-12-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Champaign, IL!!

2008-12-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Kavi spent his Thanksgiving and his Anaprashan (Rice Feeding Ceremony) in Champaign, IL! His SuperFoy, FowaJud, Samira-didi, Saji-dada, and Savita-didi all drove down from Minnesota to hang out with us! (My sister, brother-in-law, and their kids)

Part of the Ceremony is the Rice Feeding - it symbolizes his first solid food:

And then the other part of the ceremony is where he chooses objects that represents his destiny:

He picked a flashlight and a pencil, perhaps showing others the way with his writings (after all, his name does mean "poet"), but really they were two long objects for him to bang around with, so he's trying to tell us that he's a drummer at heart! haha

He also had another milestone on the trip - he started pulling himself up into stand position! So now he loves to climb everything.

Thanks to his Saji-Dada, he had some Indian clothes that could sort of fit him. The ones he has are still too big. Kavi's still very much on the small side. But, the kid is strong. Really strong! And a spaz!

Some family pictures on Thanksgiving/Anaprashan

Kavi getting into his favorite toys, which are not available at Toys-R-Us

Kavi and his first sighting of snow with his Grandma

Kavi hitting his milestone in Champaign, Il

That was a lot of work for the week. Very tired.

Grab!

2008-11-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

He gets into everything!

Cracking Up!

2008-11-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Despite all his serious faces, the boy does crack up!

This boy

2008-11-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Going towards the music!

Babbling, ripping apart stuff!

feeding time!

2008-11-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yup, he's really easy when it comes to feeding....

...NOT!

Documenting the boy!

2008-11-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Kavi hit a milestone on Tuesday, he started saying "daidaidaidaidadai". I'll try to get a video of that soon.

Bruce Lee (Kavi) meets Han Solo (Noah)

Bruce Lee and Han Solo being forced into a photo-op.

Clean diapers = smiles

I gotted stuk und3r teh couch!

Baby holdings.

Ah yes, the buffet table.

First swing at his first Diwali party.

Oh no! Here it comes!

2008-11-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Kavi Lee

2008-11-01T00:08:00.001-07:00

Kavi's first Halloween! Big thank you to Bhavi-Masi for making the awesome Bruce Lee outfit!!

The boy as a cat

2008-10-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's a cat toy, but, it gets his attention, and that's what counts!

Jammin' Out!

2008-10-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

Seems like the tablas and the tambourine are his favorite toys lately! And they aren't even toys, they're the real instruments.

The boy's not crawling quite yet. He is spinning around in circles from the crawling position, but he isn't moving forward. His legs have high tone, which means, we really shouldn't be putting him in exer-saucer any more. He needs to learn to relax his legs some. He's getting better at it.

I'll try to get a video of him saying, "Ohhh!" whenever he's surprised, and also of him cracking up when we tickle him.

He still needs to eat more!

What chu talkin' 'bout, Willis!

2008-10-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Tapping into his Indian music roots:

Tapping into his American music roots...note the kicking back and lounging like a rockstar after the killer jam session:

Sitting upright, being studious and engaged in the material:

Trio shots:

One more:

That's all folks! See you next time!

pseudo walking!

2008-09-29T00:37:00.000-07:00

Must we scream so piercingly??

Can you PLEASE smile in one picture??

2008-09-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Kavi tends to not smile in his pictures.

Here's a step by step on how we got Kavi to smile in a picture:

Let's tickle your neck.

Well, that's not very convincing, mister!

Okay, but you don't look like Kavi here.

Better! But look up, we want to see your face.

Yay! Good one! One day maybe you can do this while looking at the camera, but we'll take this for now!

Water!

2008-09-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

He can hold himself up a bit, sort of! Bath time is a one-person job, now.

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this blog. Kavi is doing well...his biggest obstacle is that he fights his feeding! He does not like to eat. It is always a struggle to get this boy to eat anything. He should be up to 30 oz a day, but no. We're lucky if we can even get 24 in him.

He sleeps just fine. He sleeps through the night (knock on wood), and he's very alert, super active, extremely vocal...he's still not able to sit up by himself, but he's getting there.

Hopefully after this or next month, he'll be able to sit up by himself and crawl.
We just covered our downstairs floor with spongey jigsaw mats, so he can roll around as much as he wants.

So a few weeks ago, we took a little family outing and went to the Aquarena in San Marcos, which about 30 minutes away from Austin. Here are some pictures:

And here he is sitting in his new booster chair! In this picture, he kinda looks like me, when I was a baby:

Tons of Pictures!

2008-08-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

Video milestones!

2008-08-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

Laughing

Elmo

Shimmying

Walking w/Assistance

Sorry for the lack...

2008-08-13T05:45:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates!! It's been pretty busy for Daddy.
But that's no excuse!
There will be more updates tonight or tomorrow. But in the meantime, check out this picture of me trying to begin my journey of 1000 miles:

Water Water Everywhere!

2008-07-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I thought bathtime was supposed to relax you and make you more calm?

San Antonio!

2008-07-23T21:19:00.001-07:00

Boy, did Daddy ever miss out on a fun trip! Kavi and Mommy went to San Antonio for 3 days! Nisha's good friend, Anu, who lives in San Francisco, was visiting with her new born daughter, Lila. Lila and Kavi got to meet!

Kavi's Kruti Masi (Nisha's youngest sister), who also lives in San Fran was visiting.

Nisha's older sister Sunita and her husband and 2 little boys (Balin and Arian) live in San Antonio, as well as her mother, father, and brother.

So it was a baby-crazy adventure for 3 days. Kavi did well, although towards the end he was getting fussy. I think he just wanted to come back home.

There were lots of great pictures and videos, here are some:

Kavi and Lila:

Kavi and Hansa-Ba (his maternal Grandma)

Kavi and Kruti-Masi (Maternal Aunt)...that's Anu-Masi and Lila on the right.

Kavi and Jett-Mamma (Maternal Uncle)

Kavi and Balin-Bhai (older brother)

Kavi and Arian-Bhai (older brother)

And now, some video of Kavi and Lila! Kavi has a lot to say. Lila likes to listen. Sometimes, that all you ever need in life, is someone who will just be there and listen and let you express yourself!

He likes visitors

2008-07-20T16:42:00.001-07:00

He's getting bigger! He weighs almost 11 lbs.

Kavi does pretty well with visitors, which is good. We want him to be comfortable around other people.

Excited!

2008-07-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

Kavi gets excited and is quite vocal sometimes, when you catch him at the right moment!

Weekly Update

2008-07-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like Sunday is the blogging day these days. I've been so busy that it's come to that...ah well.

So Kavi definitely knows when the camera is on him. He'll be laughing, smiling, giggling, just being silly, crazy, hilarious, and goofy...and then once the camera is pointed at him, he gets serious! In one of the videos, he follows the camera with his eyes. Maybe he's just fascinated by a big silver thing right in front of his face.

So the shirt he's wearing is a shirt given to us by my old friend Shawn Samii, who I've known since kindergarten. He told me to take pictures of Kavi once he fits into it, so here it is.

Kavi may be starting to eat cereal soon. Perhaps in a couple of weeks. Oh! Maybe later today I can get video of Kavi standing up with just a little bit of help. I swear, this boy is going to walk before he learns how to crawl!

Anyways, here are the Sunday morning funnies:

New Hat!

2008-07-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

Dig my new hat! (I have a crazy Dad)

Giddyup!

2008-07-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Here's Kavi scoping out Curly to be his horse. And then afterwards, he has a few things to say - with his mouth closed.

Bookworm!

2008-06-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

The boy's been lifting up his neck and reading a lot lately!

And, he seems to recognize his name:

Striped socks = happiness!

Concentration!

2008-06-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, Kavi gets so easily distracted that I think he may be showing early signs of ADD. But then, when it comes to beating up his toy, he shows INTENSE concentration.

Well, I guess he's a chip off the 'ol block. In general, I day dream, my mind goes all over the place, can never stay with one task for too long, UNLESS it is something I am passionate about - then I give it my full concentrated effort. Here's more:

Typical Sunday Morning

2008-06-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

Just havin some fun! Kavi actually hit another milestone, he can bring both of this hands together, like interlocking fingers, and fist in palm. However, I haven't been able to capture that moment yet. I will. In the meantime, here's some typical Sunday morning shenanigans we get into:

Kavi's Crib

2008-06-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kavi slept in his crib for the first time! Very exciting stuff. He likes it, it seems. More room to waddle around in. He kept getting stuck in his co-sleeper.

He's also been lifting his neck for elongated periods of time, just looking at stuff.

Happy 1st Dad's Day!

2008-06-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, no!

Oh, OK.

Ah, yes!

Kavi took his first trip to San Antonio to visit his cousins. He did very well in the car ride, on the way and back! He slept the whole 1 hour and 30 minute ride each way. His cousin Arian who is a year and a half was especially tickled by meeting Kavi...perhaps it was seeing someone who was smaller than him. According to Mommy, Arian started the toughening up process with Kavi already!

Arian and Balin gave Kavi a lot of their old baby toys that they have outgrown, but we're going to give them to him a little bit at a time, not all at once. It's a good thing, too, because Daddy tends to go a little crazy:

And now, some wee-deos!

We do feed him, I swear!

2008-06-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lip Smackin!

2008-06-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. Daddy started his new job and got really busy!

But Kavi and Mommy have been walking Daddy to work just about every day this week, because work is only a 20 minute walk from home!

Well, we don't have a scale anymore, so we really don't know how much he weighs. All I know is that my hand starts getting tired after holding him up for a few minutes during bath time! haha

Since I've last blogged, Kavi's been to the mall (Barton Creek). It's funny, now that we have a baby riding around in a stroller, we notice everyone else who has a baby in a stroller too. And, we instantly look at their kid, you know, to see...um, I guess if our baby is cuter. haha I don't know why we must look, but we do!

Kavi also stopped by my Kung-Fu and Tai Chi class and got a chance to meet some of his future trainers!

COUNT BARFULA:

He's getting hard to hold steadily in our arms to feed:

That's all for now, I'll post some videos later.

Lift that neck!

2008-05-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Work those neck muscles! First time, not so good. The second time, he nails it!

And some commentary to follow, after a moment of gathering his thoughts:

Talk to Me

2008-05-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Kavi vs. The Lion

2008-05-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here I am, minding my own business. I get the sense that something is right next to me...

Oh my gosh! What in the world is this??!

Ah, it's a lion. He seems friendly enough, I suppose...

Hmm...I don't trust him completely. Why is he here? What does he want from me? Just don't get too close to me, OK?

AAAH! I said, "Don't get too close to me!!!"

That's it! One step closer, and I will smack you down! Bad lion!

Oh look, he's going around me...

OK. I can live with that. I guess I shouldn't always be afraid of big folks coming towards me. Sometimes, they can be very nice!

THE END. Photos by Nisha. Kavi weighs 8 pounds today!

It's been a while!

2008-05-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting the blog. Been pretty busy, but also, not all that much new stuff going on in the world of Kavi.

In the mornings he does smile more and sometimes even giggles, so I'll have to try to be awake to capture that (I usually pull the graveyard shift, so I don't see it as often).

Today his grandparents from Mommy's side came to say hi (and graciously fix our sink and other household stuff!). Nisha's Mom made him a thick quilt! He really loves it! It looks like the backdrop to the opening of the Simpsons intro. Not only is it comfy, but he also likes to stare at it, when he's in his swing.

Wanna know something gross? Sometimes he doesn't poop for a few days, and then he releases it all in one big "mother-load". Whatever works for him, I guess!

Nisha's been taking him out for walks quite a bit. It's either in his fancy-schmancy stroller, or the Baby-Bjorn. The sling I think is done. Doesn't quite work as well, and is a bit convoluted. $75 for a piece of cloth with a ring! These baby product companies are raking it in!

Here's some video from today:

The moods of Kavi

2008-05-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

Not a happy camper:

A content-for-the-moment camper:

DEFINITELY not a happy camper:

A pacified camper:

A snoozing-with-mama camper:

He is now 7 and a half pounds!

Kaw-Vee

2008-05-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

That's how Texans pronounce Kavi. Kaw-vee!

Some more randomness visuals...

My Dad and Kavi - 1st & 3rd generation Rahmans

His expressionless expressions crack us up!

Curly definitely enjoyed my parents' stay - he liked napping with my Dad

Kavi's new ride

Heh heh! Yeah, I still do that...

A little perspective!

2008-05-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

A few days old:

Almost 3 months old:

But he's still tiny:

Seven Pounds, Two Ounces

2008-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

He's growing. He's fitting into some of the clothes he got as presents! The boy can cry. He's starting to make some funny little squeeks and sounds, bordering on cooing.

My parents are here visiting, so it has been very nice having them around. It's very easy to get used to having other people cook for us and such! They love going to the international grocery store here called Fiesta.

Here are some random pictures:

Don't be fooled by this seemingly calm posture. He's actually about to explode.

Happy, right? The malleable baby face sometimes smiles before getting upset!

Grandma evaluates which genetic material has been passed on.

Rockstar! Seems like he was sportin' some 'tude, wearing this today!

Holy Cow the boy is STRONG!!!!!!

2008-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, so check out both of these videos! Bear in mind, gestationally, he's only a 2 week old.

The opener:

The main event:

What had happened was he did it once before while Nisha was wiping his mouth, and we were in disbelief. I thought maybe he had pushed off of Nisha's hand. So we put him back on his tummy, and lo and behold!

I'll say it again...
From the instant I layed my eyes on him when he was first born, I told everybody that he looks very strong, even though he's tiny.

Another milestone! Go Kavi Go!

Bouncer!

2008-05-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Kavi got a bouncer the other day. One more toy for him, expensive toy, that soothes once in awhile, but not all the time. Yesterday late afternoon he was actually acting like he had colic. He was non-stop crying, virtually unsoothable. He was hungry and tired and wouldn't eat or sleep. Just cry.

I came up with a new method that did work, but maybe it only worked because he was so tired and such. So I'm sure it probably won't work again, but it did last night. What I did was (of course) bundle him good, and hold him while I started DANCING! He actually enjoyed that and passed out. He slept good, for 3.5 hours. He took his full feed, and slept pretty decently after that as well.

So we'll have to see how today goes. If he acts like that again, I'll try dancing, and see if it works...maybe Nisha can videotape it, although I look like a total fool...all the more reason to videotape it!

Oh, and congratulations to Mike and Jenny Daab on the birth of their baby boy Keaton! Keaton and Kavi were supposed to be born about a week of each other...I guess Kavi got a little impatient!

So since Kavi had his unsoothable crying fit yesterday, he hasn't gained any weight. He is at 6 lbs 13 oz. Our rule is that we keep the newborn scale until he hits a solid 7 lbs.

Here he is in his new bouncer, which he will actually let us feed him when he's in there!

Self Soothing

2008-04-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

Nice hat! He weighed in today at 6 lbs, 10 oz.

He was a bit of a gremlin today. The boy just did not want to sleep today!

Nisha has her techniques to calm him down and make him sleepy, and I have mine. Hers is very nurturing and soothing. Mine is:
1. Bundle him TIGHT.
2. Put a pacifier in his mouth even if he doesn't want it. He'll get upset enough to want to suck on it.
3. Even in the bundle, hold his arms down so they can't move at all no matter how hard he tries to fight it.

Mine is not very friendly. Mine also doesn't create independence. I need to learn the real ways! Nisha's ways are really nice, and she's starting to develop that Mommy touch that I can't replicate.

Like how he throws that left hook at the very end?

Sorry it's been awhile...

2008-04-23T21:12:00.001-07:00

It's been a little busy here in Kaviland, so apologies for the lack of my usually high turnaround time for entries. Thank you for reading and checking in on us.

The boy's growing! Kavi's already outgrowing some of his clothes! Kind of surprised me!

Well, he's 6 lbs, 7 oz. Hopefully he'll be a solid 6 and a half pounds by the time my parents arrive this Friday.

He's been a little blt fussier than usual...hopefully that will improve. Everybody tells me I'm going to miss this stage of him being like this. I find this hard to believe...! I can't wait for him to be able to hold up his head and communicate with us!

Oh, Nisha got these nice Dr. Brown bottles that are supposed to really help with acid reflux and air getting in...and tonight Kavi made it clear that this evening he did not want the nipple from that bottle, he wanted the more rubbery, slower-flow nipple like he had at the NICU. Maybe it was just an evening time thing, because he took from the Dr. Brown just fine before. Picky picky picky!

Anyways, here are some random Kavi videos:

This is of him being put in a car seat, because he's supposed to be sleeping, and we don't know what else to do with him! haha

Here he is getting a bath, cuz 'ol boy was filthy! You can only puke on yourself so many times before Mommy dunks you in a bucket.

Like Father, Like Son

2008-04-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

What happens to Kavi when he turns into a gremlin:

Our friend Asmita brought over an Indian baby swing called something like, "Gord-Diu". It usually works very well to help babies fall asleep...in fact, you'll rarely see cribs on India, but you will definitely see these Gorf-diu's all over the place. The West has not embraced this invention for whatever reasons.
We thought it was a sure thing for Kavi, and it did work for awhile, but if the boy's determined to be awake, he'll fight with all his might to stay awake. Here's a video of the brief sleep Kavi got from his Gord-diu before he turned into a gremlin:

No Longer a Preemie!!

2008-04-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

OOOOH!!
Today is Kavi's expected due date! So he is no longer "gestational"! And he weighed in this morning at, drum roll please....

.

...SIX POUNDS, ONE OUNCE!!

Yahoo!! We met and exceeded our goal!! Happy second birthday, Kavi! So for probably a year or so, he'll have two birthdates, February 12 (actual) and April 17 (gestational). Reason for this is so we can calculate developmental milestones correctly, adjusting for the gestational. But my guess is that since he is so strong and very determined, his actual age will catch up with his gestational age development pretty quickly. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, our pediatrician told us that he was already acting like a 2 week old, so hopefully he'll keep it up!

If you go back and look at the first few posts of this blog, and see his pictures of when he first arrived, and compare them to now, it's really great to see how much he's grown!