India and back!!

Wow.....we actually have taken some time from writing here. Lil' Akhil has been doing great and we just got back from a nice long vacation. Paris, Bangalore....done, done. Akhil is now 6.5 months old and on the verge of crawling. He is rolling around and pushing himself up with his arms. After his six month visit with Dr. Vershagen......we realized our little dude was pretty underweight. 27 inches is a pretty good height, but Akhil is still hovering below 15 pounds. He is ready for Stage 2 foods.....whatever that means.

We'll be starting him out in day care this coming week. We're sure he will do just fine....but, it will be interesting to see how he reacts. Hopefuly, it's a seamless move and we'll be able to adjust, as well. :)

He is eating solids like a madman and absolutely loves gargling his milk and water. That's his naughty streak. But, it is truly unbelievable how 'low-maintenance' he is right now. *knock on wood*. This is such a cool age. He goes to everybody. He smiles all the time.

One thing that we have found out is his active-ness. Akhil kicks and kicks and kicks like crazy. He's a wildman when we put him down on the carpet. He's also starting to put himself to sleep....which is pretty cool. Well....let's see how the next few days go.....

Will you be my Valentine??

Little Akhil has had quite an eventful month. He's really developed his smile and we have plenty of pictures to prove it. Four months already...can you believe it?!! We took him to Dr. Vershagen for his 4 month visit and 2nd round of shots. Needless to say, he wailed and wailed for a few minutes.

He weighed in at 12 lbs 10 oz and 24 inches. Doc said he's lean and strong (i.e. not eating enough and clearly not a heavyweight or middleweight). He also started on solids and absolutely loving the rice cereal. What is this stuff? It's like pasty flakes.....can't I give him cocoa puffs??


He's also developing a bit of stranger anxiety. Can that happen this early? Well, he's always scanning his new environment and cries a bit until he loses his breath. Then, he decides if he wants to keep crying or fall asleep. It's pretty much a routine now....we're used to it.

We're still experimenting with his southpaw potential. He's progressed to sucking on his left thumb as opposed to his right. Now...we'll have to work on his high-fives. Right now....he just stares and leaves us hanging. But, we're all excited 'cause pitchers and catchers reported today!!

Akhil and his studio!!

Well, the beginning of 2008 has definitely been eventful. Akhil is growing up sooo fast!! He is cooing and awing at everything. It's great.....he laughs at all my jokes!! I'm liking him already. 3 months in the books.....wow!! It's gone by so quickly, yet we remember every minute detail about them. Let's see what's in store for the next three months.



Well, we started getting ready for our Big Trip in March. Tickets have been bought. Sri just got her visa for France. Akhil got his US Passport. Sorry...dude, can't vote just yet. We're a little worried about roaming through the Champs D'Elysees and climbing the Eiffel Tower with the little tyke. But, I guess we'll manage. Maybe the Baby Bjorn will help??

It's just so amazing watching this guy smile and chuckle at all our googling. We had a couple portrait sessions with the family. I'm pretending to act like a photographer these days. Sri got all dressed up and was looking diva-like!! I was playing around with my new SpeedLight flash and testing out the tripod, too.

We've already started the process of hunting for daycares and nannies. Man....is it expensive!! We'll have to get something in place by April. But, until then.....he's getting spoiled bigtime. I guess that's ok for now. I'm trying to favor his left hand so he can become a southpaw, but he is still going for his right hand first when he scratches his face or pokes his eye. I guess I'll keep trying......sigh.


His next doctor appointment is coming up fast. Uh oh....another rounds of shots coming.

New Years Rockin' Eve - ready for 2008??!!

We had a rockin' good time at the New Year's Eve party. It was 80s night at Casa Chandra and everybody, including Akhil, was dressed to impressed. Check out the photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/ranjeetrm/NYE2008!! We had a riveting good time with Pictionary, Operation, and checking out everybody's attire. We had valley girls, punk rockers, and lots of puffy hair!!

But, before we welcomed in 2008, there was a moment to remember 2007 in the video shown above. What a year it was.........will be a hard one to replicate....but, we'll sure try!!

Akhil slept through most of the festivities, but we can only guess that he is resting up for a big 2008. His kicks and facial expressions are frequent and massive. He is cooing and awing incessantly. We can only imagine what the next few months will bring........

Santa has some help.....

Akhil is getting bigger and developing some crazy cool expressions. He's starting to smile much more often and can focus on you for a pretty long stretch.

There were holiday parties, gift exchanges, and lots of tasty, unhealthy food. Akhil got plenty of gifts....but, avoided all the rich food. How can someone drink just milk all the time? You would think he'd ask for something different every now and then. Ah...the beauty of ignorance.

Sridevi and Rags were able to visit us. Akhil was super happy to see his aunt and uncle. We went down to Carmel and took a bunch of pictures.

AVC is getting super hyper and he packs some strength in his kicks. What an absolute angel!!

Let the holiday season begin..!!

Akhil is getting very close to all of us. He is finally starting to sleep a bit more at night. Sri is due back to work in a couple weeks. I have started back and feeling pretty sluggish through it all. So much more respect for mothers and fathers out there!! It's a tough job....but, one we'll never leave....that's for sure.

We found out that Sridevi will indeed be arriving...and, into Boston. Looks like they (Rags and her) will be able to visit us during Christmas.

I've been going nuts with my new Nikon d40X!!! I hope Akhil doesn't go blind soon with all the flash snaps I've been taking. Like most babies, he's pretty photogenic and never gives the same pose twice. Great fun so far.

This year...we did Thanksgiving at home and Sri and Mummy took care of the turkey. No...the bird, not Akhil!!! We looked for the smallest one around, but it still weighed more that our little one!!

Happy One Month!!!

So...i didn't know about the tradition of cigars after the birth of your baby. Well, all the more reason to celebrate then!! We set up a Cigar & Champagne party on 11/2 after a couple weeks of Akhil's arrival. It was almost a grand show n' tell....although most of the folks probably saw him already. Yes....we got some flak for bringing him out so early and subjecting him to all kinds of infection. But, it was definitely a cameo appearance and he was safe and sound very shortly.

We selected a pediatrician at El Camino hospital and brought Akhil in for an initial visit. All the vitals looked good and he was growing and getting bigger. Cool.....we were doing ok at home, then!! Little guy weighed in at a modest 9 lbs 3 oz. All that leaded milk sure is helping!!

He is also getting smart. The bassinet that we put in our room is clearly not as comfy as our bed or his crib for that matter. He doesn't last more than an hour before beginning level #1 of crying. I think the bassinet actually expedites his wailing, too. The diaper changing frequency has definitely increased.....which is a good thing. But, he is still carries the AV part of his name well.

Halloween was fun. We couldn't really find anything that fits him, so we got creative and drew on him. Yes, i know.....there's a voodoo doll out there with our features on it.....as retribution. But, I think Akhil will forgive us on this one....right?

We celebrated his one month birthday with a cupcake and candle. he looked at it with suspicion and awe...but, couldn't bring himself to blow it out. No probs.....little guy....we can help out!! Happy 1 month!!!