Meet the artists

On March 2, the boys' daycare hosted an Annual Goddard School Art Gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  In preparation for this event, teachers helped students in creating wonderful art pieces that family members could purchase with donations.  We attended this last year's formal event and we excited about this years event. It's a great occasion to dress up the boys, mingle with other families, and enjoy some great art!  Here are some pictures from the event:

The boys all dressed up!

Just arrived at Blackstone Country Club

Grandparents and Ashu Bhua joined!

Our first artist...the catepillar made with his palms and fingers (center picture)  was a personal favorite!

Our second artist...the Andy Warhol-esq picture (to the right) was a personal favorite. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Diwali! Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year (Did I Miss Any?)

Mommy said she was really tired after the holidays so I decided to help Mommy out and write the next post. Happy New Year to everyone. It was my Ashu Bhua's big birthday on New Years Eve.  We dressed up all fancy.  I wore my new hat and we went to eat at a nice place.  Ashu Bhua seemed very happy.  Later my Ashu Bhua and Masi went to a party while Mommy and Daddy stayed home with Kavin and me.  Daddy let us do some sparklers but then I had to go to bed.  Maybe next  year I can stay up and watch fireworks.

Blowing out candles with Ashu Bhua

I am happy to report that Christmas was a huge success!  Luckily, I was able to fool Santa (and my Dadi and Nani) into thinking that I was a good kid all year because I got lots of cool gifts this year! I got this big thing that I can write with chalk on and play with magnets.

I got this other big cloth thing that I can crawl through.  I got lots of puzzles and books too. I even got a new pizza toy! Kavin got some toys too but I don't know why.  All he ever does is sleep, eat, and poop. I at least put my toys away and help mommy and daddy. But Santa must have found out that sometimes I'm naughty because he left me clothes too.  I guess I'll have to try to be better next year. I even left Santa two cookies this year.  Oh well!

Me leaving Santa two cookies on Christmas eve.

The night before Christmas we went to my Rom Bhua's house.  My other Dadi and Dada were there.  So was my Thayaji and my Didi Maya.  It was so much fun.  I got a puzzle and a police car!

For Christmas we went to another Dadi's house.  My parents call her Anita Aunty. She has two kids, Arron and Angelee and a really nice mommy too that everyone called Bibi. I liked them all. The food was so yummy.  And they played this game where you have to stack blocks and knock them over. It was fun.

Mommy said I have to put in more pictures of Kavin so there!

Later after Christmas I went to California to Nani's house.  It's the place that you have to go up, up in a airplane to get to.  Then you land.  Then Masi comes and picks you up. I got to play with my cousins too. Sean, Jai, and Shiv. They are all boys like me and Kavin.  They kept playing with my toys though but I am learning to share so I guess that was okay.  This is where I got that big cloth thing that you can crawl though.  I think it's called a tent and tunnel. It's really neat.  You have to come to my house and see it.  Mommy and daddy love it too.  They keep looking and it and saying it's so big. 

Before Christmas though, we had Diwali!  Diwali is like Christmas but only better because I got to play with sparklers with some of my friends. It was so cold that day so we were only allowed to play in the garage but we still had fun.  Lots of people I don't know came over to my Dadi's house but they were all nice. They all wanted to hold Kavin too.  It was his very first Diwali! Kavin seemed to like it even though I don't know since he can't talk.  You see, when babies are born, they can't talk.  Only when they get smart like me can they talk. I hope Kavin gets smart.  Mommy and daddy seem like they get tired of me talking to them all the time.  I don't get them.  At first, they tell me to talk and then now they keep telling me shhh all the time.  Parents! The strange nice people at Diwali left me some nice gifts too. I hope I see them more often!

My daddy and my Kavin

Dadi helping me with sparklers

My friend Sonya and I playing with pops. 

And I almost forgot another holiday...Thanksgiving! I went up up in the airplane and then landed. A huge long car came to get us.  Nana and Tej Mamaji were inside the car. There was a lot of room in this car. Thanksgiving is when I learned gobble-gobble.  Turkeys go gobble-gobble.  I got to feed Rocky turkey.

Lots of family came over to see us.  We cut a cake for my Nana because he had turned 65.  I can't even count that high!  I can count to 10 but sometimes I forget 4 and 5.  Nana let me blow out the candles with him and we all cut the cake together.  Nana even let me eat some cake!

We also got to go to a place where they had lot of fishies.  I liked the big fish the best.  You can get so close to them and even touch some of them!

Nani with Kavin

One night, my mommy, daddy, Masi, and Tej Mama snuck out of the house to meet with their friends.  They were naughty! They should have been in bed. They thought I was sleeping but I know everything. I love the holidays.  I get to eat a lot of yummy food (my Dadi and Nani even let me have cake...shhh...don't tell Mommy!) and I get so many gifts. But I specially like the holidays because I get to see all my family...and hanging out with them is worth more than the best toy (except my Elmo doll).


Love,
Nikhil

Happy New Year!

Reflection

It's nearly Christmas and I haven't even gotten around to posting about Diwali or Thanksgiving!  It is such a busy time this time of the year.  One of my resolutions is to get better about the postings. I will catch up on Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Christmas but for this post I wanted to reflect on events this past week...

Last Friday, a gunman killed 20 children and 7 adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.  In July of this year, a gunman killed 12 people, some including children, in a theater in our own hometown of Aurora, CO, not more than 20 min away from us.  This year alone there have been over 15 mass murders ranging anywhere from schools to temples to malls and theaters. We were all shocked and we grieved for the victims but then we moved on and after a few weeks or months, these tragedies became a distant memory. But for the families of the victims, this will never be a distant memory and this holiday season will not be filled with joy and celebration. None of them woke up the morning of the tragedy and thought for a second that this would be the last time they would see their child, spouse, brother/sister, mother/father.  But it happened and they must now somehow find a way to rebuild their lives. For the rest of us, we should take a moment from our holiday celebrations this season to reflect on what it important in our lives. 

For Kunal and I, nothing is more important than our family, particularly our two little boys.  It is so easy for us to get caught up in day-to-day routine and forget to stop and marvel at these two little magnificent beings.  In their faces, in the hearts, and in their souls they capture everything that is right in this world.  Their innocence is so beautiful that all we do is strive to preserve it. When a tragedy such as Fridays occurs, it reminds us that we are fighting an uphill battle to preserve that innocence but it's a battle worth fighting and we will never stop.  And we're lucky that our boys have their grandparents and uncles/aunts fighting along with us too.  They will grow up and inevitably they will see and feel the pain & suffering in this world but my one wish for them is that not a day goes by that they don't also feel loved.

So this holiday season, sit down and have a chat with your mother/father, remember that your spouse is your best friend, laugh with your brother/sister and most of all, hug your children a little tighter and tell them everyday how much you love them.  Life is too short to let these moments pass by.

 

How Old Are You? I'm 2!

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...Nikhil is now 2! We held his birthday party on the actual day of his birthday, October 13. Close family and friends came to our home to help us ring in the terrible two's. Nani and Raj Masi flew in from CA to help celebrate:

Nani & Dadi with the grandkids

One of Nikhil's favorite shows is Barney & Friends so we hired an entertainer to dress up as Barney and entertain the kids with some classic Barney songs. He was terrified of him at first but as the songs starting playing, he started to really enjoy himself:

Wheels on the bus go round and round...

We did Wheels on the Bus twice as it's one of Nikhil's favorites.

If You're Happy and You Know It.

High Five at the end!

Nikhil and his new best friend

Barney and all the participants

Family picture with Barney

Then it was cake time.  Nikhil loves blowing out candles now (although he had to get a little bit of help from daddy).

Blowing out the candles

Cutting the cake

He was fed so much cake that I don't know how he went to bed that night!  The cake was chocolate (his favorite) with strawberry filling. Of course, he never complained whenever anyone came to feed him. :) 

Overall, Nikhil had a great time at his birthday party.  We are so thankful for all the family and friends who made it for the celebrations.  We're also thankful for the many emails and phone calls received from family & friends wishing him a happy birthday.  Let's hope the two's aren't as terrible as they say!

The Life of an Infant and Toddler

It's been a few weeks since I've last published so I thought I'd give an update on how the two boys are doing. Kavin is growing so fast. He already sleeps 9-10 hours through the night. If he cries, it's either because he's hungry, tired, or gaseous. He loves looking around at his surroundings and when you talk to him, he has the most amazing smile and he often makes noises back as if he's trying to communicate. It's amazing how much he's changed in just two months...

Kavin - One day old

Kavin - 2 months old

Nikhil is his usual strange self.  I say strange because he has the wackiest imagination and comes up with the oddest ideas. On a daily basis, he makes us laugh.

Nikhil's play creation (and taking Elmo for a ride)

Wearing mama's shoes (and not liking being photographed). Note the shoes on the wrong feet.

A day at the park

 Nikhil's skip

I get asked a lot how do the two boys get along.  Amazingly, Nikhil seems to love his little brother and even gets protective of him.  Everytime he sees him, he gets excited. Sometimes too excited. Kavin stares at him most of the time and often gets afraid at Nikhil's excitement. But as someone said to me, in a few months, there will be days when Nikhil will be only one who can make him laugh. I have a feeling these two brothers will get along well...

Introducing Kavin Rohan Mehra

Kavin was born on August 1, 2002 (his actual due date!) at 8:25am. He weighed 7 lb 12 oz and was 20 inches in length. He was born at the University of Colorado Anschutz Hospital in Aurora, CO on a warm Wednesday morning. "Kavin" is Hindi for handsome.

Kavin just minutes old.

Nikhil's Dadiji and Dadaji brought Nikhil to the hosptial for his first visit with Kavin. He was all smiles seeing his brother for the first time.  He must have thought Kavin was some new toy.  Even today, he likes playing with Kavin's hands and feet (and giggling as he touches them). 

Nikhil holding his baby brother.

Naniji arrived on the same day Kavin was born and together Naniji and Dadiji helped with Nikhil.  I'm sure he didn't even miss his momma when I was at the hospital with all the attention he was getting. :)

Kavin and I stayed two nights in the hospital and I was glad to leave and join the rest of my family at home. Not to mention, it was tiring having doctors and nurses constantly come in to check although they were all wonderful and I received some of the best care. As you can see below, Kunal chose the outfits for the home welcoming (University of Texas colors).

Arrived home from the hospital

Kavin has been a joy.  So far he's not fussy at all.  He cries only when he's gassy or needs to feed. He sleeps at night, waking only to feed. We couldn't ask for a better baby and feel blessed that we were given two wonderful and healthy boys.  We/re also blessed for our family who have all so readily offered and gave their help and support. 

1 week old

2 weeks old

Eviction notice delivered

Just wanted to give a little update on the new baby Mehra. My due date is next week Wednesday (just 6 days from now).  Everyone had predicted he would arrive early and he still may although he's showing little signs of wanting out.   Just to compare, I started experiencing contractions with Nikhil when I was 10 days from my due date and he was born 8 days before his due date. But as they say, you can never compare two pregnancies. My appoinments are weekly now and all of baby's vitals are normal.  So whether he's early, on-time or late, we should be grateful for normal. I'm not experiencing too many contractions and am feeling good (although tired most of the time). The baby is head down (in the right position).  Clothes have been washed, diapers purchased, and nursery room cleaned so we're all set and ready! 

Tomorrow is my last day at work and Nikhil's last day at daycare. Although I'm anxious for this baby to arrive, I'm excited about being able to spend some extra time with Nikhil before the new baby arrives. I stayed home with him on Monday and as tired as I was by the end of the day, it was wonderful to have quality one-on-one time with him. I worry how he's going to react to having to share his time with a new baby brother but I'm sure in time he'll grow to love having a brother. As always, everyone will be updated and posted about news of the arrival of the new baby Mehra!  Hopefully it'll be soon as I've just personally delivered him his eviction notice.