At least he's reading while I fold :)
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Daddy Goes Back to Work
I realize that I should probably pepper the slew of recipe posts with some actual baby posts, because you know this is a blog about babies. At least that's what I was told.
The shutdown is done!! And daddy (Jay) went back to work! Both good things...
But this morning, our little guy spent a good 20 - 30 minutes after daddy left, crawling around the house saying "dada dada" looking for his dada. It was a little heartbreaking.
And I realized that I was back on full time poopie diaper call.
As the day went along, we enjoyed a play date with our new moms group friends. And the day seemed to be getting along just fine.
But when quitting time came, and daddy walked through the door. Little Kubs's eyes lit up as he raced to get his daddy. Because he missed me. And I'm sure my eyes lit up just a little too!
Moments like these make my heart melt as I realize that I have an amazing love-filled little family.
The shutdown is done!! And daddy (Jay) went back to work! Both good things...
But this morning, our little guy spent a good 20 - 30 minutes after daddy left, crawling around the house saying "dada dada" looking for his dada. It was a little heartbreaking.
And I realized that I was back on full time poopie diaper call.
As the day went along, we enjoyed a play date with our new moms group friends. And the day seemed to be getting along just fine.
But when quitting time came, and daddy walked through the door. Little Kubs's eyes lit up as he raced to get his daddy. Because he missed me. And I'm sure my eyes lit up just a little too!
Moments like these make my heart melt as I realize that I have an amazing love-filled little family.
Shutdown Foodie- Day 5 and 6: Tacos, Meatballs, and Garlic Bread
Today you're getting a two-fer because well tacos (the lazy way I make 'em) just isn't a recipe.
Tacos
So our tacos aren't fancy by any means. Our tacos are the ground beef with a packet of seasonings and lots of side dishes. Sometimes I switch it up and do shredded beef or chicken or fish or shrimp. But more often than not, taco night is ground meat (beef or turkey).
Our go to seasoning packet is.... Trader Joes! They make the best taco seasoning packet hands down. Full of cumin, and cayene, and garlic and yumminess. It does have salt, so that is a drawback. But I use about 1 - 1.5 Tbsp per 1/2 lb of meat. Oh and a tablespoon of tomatoe paste.
Our favorite sides are: guacamole, cilantro lime rice (saute 1 cup of rice in 1 Tbsp of oil, when fragrant and lightly browned add to rice cooker with 2 cups of rice. When rice is hot toss in 1/2 limes worth or juice, salt and cilantro. Sometimes I add a little sweet corn), and fajita mix. I like a little cheese and sour cream. Oh and plenty of salsa! I love that taco night takes about 20 minutes to get on the table and it's so customizable! Plus who can deny the satisfaction that comes when the taco shell crunches! It's crunchy, spicy, creamy, fresh, cheesy goodness!
If you're a taco lover, with kids who love tacos, or you just enjoy a good kids book, check out: Dragons Love Tacos.
Meatballs
Nothing fancy here. But I'll take a home made meatball over a store bought one anyday.
Ingredients:
1 lb meatloaf mix
2-4 cloves of garlic, zested
1/4 onion, zested
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp tomato paste
a good squirt of ketchup
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1 jar of sauce
Mix everything together, just to bring it together. Don't over mix- it leads to tough meatballs. If the mixture is too wet, add some bread crumbs to dry it out. But not too much.
Form your meatballs. I like to cook mine for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven, then pour on the sauce and put them back in for 10 more minutes. Some people like to fry them. Others drop them in sauce on the pot. Do what calls to you.
Garlic Bread
1 loaf bakery bread (or home made if you're into it)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, or combo olive oil and butter
2 - 4 cloves of garlic, zested
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
parmesean cheese (optional)
sprinkle of paprika
Cut your loaf in half.
Mix the butter, zested garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and parmsean cheese. Spread on each loaf. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color. Throw in the over until the broil setting until toasty brown.
Tacos
So our tacos aren't fancy by any means. Our tacos are the ground beef with a packet of seasonings and lots of side dishes. Sometimes I switch it up and do shredded beef or chicken or fish or shrimp. But more often than not, taco night is ground meat (beef or turkey).
Our go to seasoning packet is.... Trader Joes! They make the best taco seasoning packet hands down. Full of cumin, and cayene, and garlic and yumminess. It does have salt, so that is a drawback. But I use about 1 - 1.5 Tbsp per 1/2 lb of meat. Oh and a tablespoon of tomatoe paste.
Our favorite sides are: guacamole, cilantro lime rice (saute 1 cup of rice in 1 Tbsp of oil, when fragrant and lightly browned add to rice cooker with 2 cups of rice. When rice is hot toss in 1/2 limes worth or juice, salt and cilantro. Sometimes I add a little sweet corn), and fajita mix. I like a little cheese and sour cream. Oh and plenty of salsa! I love that taco night takes about 20 minutes to get on the table and it's so customizable! Plus who can deny the satisfaction that comes when the taco shell crunches! It's crunchy, spicy, creamy, fresh, cheesy goodness!
If you're a taco lover, with kids who love tacos, or you just enjoy a good kids book, check out: Dragons Love Tacos.
Meatballs
Nothing fancy here. But I'll take a home made meatball over a store bought one anyday.
Ingredients:
1 lb meatloaf mix
2-4 cloves of garlic, zested
1/4 onion, zested
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp tomato paste
a good squirt of ketchup
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1 jar of sauce
Mix everything together, just to bring it together. Don't over mix- it leads to tough meatballs. If the mixture is too wet, add some bread crumbs to dry it out. But not too much.
Form your meatballs. I like to cook mine for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven, then pour on the sauce and put them back in for 10 more minutes. Some people like to fry them. Others drop them in sauce on the pot. Do what calls to you.
Garlic Bread
1 loaf bakery bread (or home made if you're into it)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, or combo olive oil and butter
2 - 4 cloves of garlic, zested
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
parmesean cheese (optional)
sprinkle of paprika
Cut your loaf in half.
Mix the butter, zested garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and parmsean cheese. Spread on each loaf. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color. Throw in the over until the broil setting until toasty brown.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Shutdown Foodie Day 4 - Pork Vindaloo and Shrimp Byrani
Indian cooking is work. It's chopping, grinding, roasting, frying, simmering and so much more. And it's damn delicious!
If you're Indian, you probably have a good number of "mom" recipes. The ones that pull out all the stops and require at least 2 trips to the store. I love my mom's recipes and I make them whenever I am very homesick. But I am no where near as adept as my mom as throwing it together seemingly effortlessly. It usually takes lots of time and effort.
And then I discovered two saving graces (I'll save the second for later). The first is Madhur Jaffrey. She writes Indian cookbooks. And don't be mistaken, some of her recipes can require lots of time and effort. BUT she has one cookbook called "Quick and Easy Indian Cooking" and all the recipes in it are just that. Kid you not most recipes I use from her book get me kitchen to table in 30 minutes- for both a meat and a veggie. I use a rice cooker for rice so that doesn't count. If the recipes take longer, it's usually simmering/pressure cooking time where you can do something else. I love this book! I went from making Indian food once a month-ish to every week. Get the book and thank me later it will be the best $15 you spend! with regard to Indian cooking anyway..
Oh and the best part: Each recipe is prefaced with a lovely anecdote about Madhur's life. If it weren't for the picture and the type, you could almost swear she was you grandma passing down tricks to keep a happy well fed home!
Note: I know I'm Indian and I should have ground ginger and garlic paste ever at my disposal. And once upon a time I did. Now whenever I need ground ginger and/or garlic I just use my trusty microplane zester. So much easier!!
Also, I steam veggies in the microwave and add them to dishes to save time on cooking.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp oil
1 small onion. cut in half rings
6 cloves garlic
1 1/4 lb boned shoulder (pork or lamb) cut into 1 inch cubes
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 potatoes, skinned and cut into 6 large pieces each
You can use a pressure cooker or a deep nonstick pan with a lid for this.
Mix the mustard, cumin, tumeric, chili powder, salt and vinegar and set aside.
Put the oil in your pan and add the onion rings. Cook until brown. Then add the garlic and saute for a minute. Next put in the spice paste followed by the meat. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes and add the coconut milk. Mix well.
If you are using a pressure cooker, add 2/3 cup of water, seal the cooker bring up to pressure once, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
If you are using a nonstick pan, add 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 60 - 70 minutes.
Towards the end, toss your potatoes in a little oil and salt and steam them in the microwave. Once the curry is done simmering, mixx the potatoes in.
Enjoy with rice or rotis.
You'll lick your plate clean!
Shrimp Byrani
This is one of my mom's recipes. I make it pretty well, but I don't quite have my mother's hand. And I'm sure she'd have my head if I gave out her recipe en masse. If you desperately need to have it - I'll see what I can negotiate!!
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Shutdown Foodie Day 3 - French Toast, Drunken Noodles, Chocolate Pudding (kinda)
Oatmeal French Toast
So we all know that French Toast is yummy. It's that sweet gooey-ness and crisp buttery-ness and subtle cinnamon and nutmeg that just makes it tantalizing!
Home made bread takes French Toast yummy-ness and makes it better... exponentially The lesson here is you should try and make bread! King Arthur Flour's back of the bag bread is fairly easy and oh so yummy.
Ingredients
4 slices thick cut bread, a little old
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 - 4 Tbsp sugar, to taste
1 Tbsp Grand Mariner (optional)
butter
Mix the eggs, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. If you're using the alchy throw that in as well.
Let the slices soak up the custardy goodness on both sides. Heat the butter in a griddle and lay one slice down at a time (as many fit comfortably in your pan). Brown on both sides.
Serve with maple syrup, dusted with powdered sugar, or fresh fruit.
Drunken Noodles
This is another Cook's Illustrated Recipe from the 2013 Cooking for 2 Issue. I don't have the magazine in front of me, and of course it isn't online.
So the lesson here is: Go pick up this issue! You'll thank me later. I'm sure of it :)
Chocolate Pudding
This is another Cook's Illustrated Recipe from the 2013 Cooking for 2 Issue. I don't have the magazine in front of me, and of course it isn't online.
So the lesson here is: Go pick up this issue! You'll thank me later. I'm sure of it :)
If you really want this or the drunken noodles recipe and cannot live without them- email me. I'll dig up the magazine.
This is kinda a bust of a recipe update but tomorrow's will be nothing short of ah-maz-ing! People were licking plates after the pork vindaloo, multiple people. And it was easy enough to throw together for lunch! What is this magic you ask? Check back tomorrow.
So we all know that French Toast is yummy. It's that sweet gooey-ness and crisp buttery-ness and subtle cinnamon and nutmeg that just makes it tantalizing!
Home made bread takes French Toast yummy-ness and makes it better... exponentially The lesson here is you should try and make bread! King Arthur Flour's back of the bag bread is fairly easy and oh so yummy.
Ingredients
4 slices thick cut bread, a little old
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 - 4 Tbsp sugar, to taste
1 Tbsp Grand Mariner (optional)
butter
Mix the eggs, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. If you're using the alchy throw that in as well.
Let the slices soak up the custardy goodness on both sides. Heat the butter in a griddle and lay one slice down at a time (as many fit comfortably in your pan). Brown on both sides.
Serve with maple syrup, dusted with powdered sugar, or fresh fruit.
Drunken Noodles
This is another Cook's Illustrated Recipe from the 2013 Cooking for 2 Issue. I don't have the magazine in front of me, and of course it isn't online.
So the lesson here is: Go pick up this issue! You'll thank me later. I'm sure of it :)
Chocolate Pudding
This is another Cook's Illustrated Recipe from the 2013 Cooking for 2 Issue. I don't have the magazine in front of me, and of course it isn't online.
So the lesson here is: Go pick up this issue! You'll thank me later. I'm sure of it :)
If you really want this or the drunken noodles recipe and cannot live without them- email me. I'll dig up the magazine.
This is kinda a bust of a recipe update but tomorrow's will be nothing short of ah-maz-ing! People were licking plates after the pork vindaloo, multiple people. And it was easy enough to throw together for lunch! What is this magic you ask? Check back tomorrow.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Shutdown Foodie: Day 1 - Chicken Soup and Biscotti
Chicken Soup
Jay had the sniffles. I had already roasted chicken for the pot pie, and had some left over. And I bought egg noodles at the store that weekend. I love that fall means I can enjoy egg noodles again in soups and heart stick the bones casseroles.
Notes:
I used the same roasted chicken from my pot pie recipes.
I like broad egg noodles in my soup, but feel free to use whatever kind you like. If you don't like noodles in your soup, you can always substitute potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
2 -3 carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper
1 - 1 1/2 cups diced chicken
1 cup of noodles
1 - 1 1/2 quarts of chicken broth (Kitchen Basics, Kirkland, Trader Joe's, or Wegmans)
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot. Add your onions, celery, carrots, dried thyme and bay leaf. Cook until carrots are soft. Add peas and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and broth. Bring broth up to a slow boil then add noodles. Cook until noodles are done. Serve hot with tea.
I usually don't season my soup with much. If you get a good chicken broth that holds all the flavor you need. But if you want you can add some soy sauce for depth, red chili flakes for heat, or Italian seasoning for more flavor.
Biscotti
We had just gone to Costco and forgot to pick up biscotti. It's my morning guilty pleasure: a cup of coffee and 1 biscotti while Jay feeds Kabir his morning bottle. So I thought, I could make some.
I used an Allrecipe's recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/biscotti/detail.aspx?src=VD_Summary
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive because it's all we have at home)
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla (You could use almond, anise, lemon, whatever your heart desires)
3 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I used Sugar in the raw because that what we use)
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp ground anise/fennel (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.
When they cooled I drizzled them with chocolate. I'm experimenting with a lemon biscotti and sugar glaze. Some reviewers added chopped nuts to their recipes. It's very easy to customize.
There is a great video on Allrecipes.
Jay had the sniffles. I had already roasted chicken for the pot pie, and had some left over. And I bought egg noodles at the store that weekend. I love that fall means I can enjoy egg noodles again in soups and heart stick the bones casseroles.
Notes:
I used the same roasted chicken from my pot pie recipes.
I like broad egg noodles in my soup, but feel free to use whatever kind you like. If you don't like noodles in your soup, you can always substitute potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
2 -3 carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper
1 - 1 1/2 cups diced chicken
1 cup of noodles
1 - 1 1/2 quarts of chicken broth (Kitchen Basics, Kirkland, Trader Joe's, or Wegmans)
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot. Add your onions, celery, carrots, dried thyme and bay leaf. Cook until carrots are soft. Add peas and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and broth. Bring broth up to a slow boil then add noodles. Cook until noodles are done. Serve hot with tea.
I usually don't season my soup with much. If you get a good chicken broth that holds all the flavor you need. But if you want you can add some soy sauce for depth, red chili flakes for heat, or Italian seasoning for more flavor.
Biscotti
We had just gone to Costco and forgot to pick up biscotti. It's my morning guilty pleasure: a cup of coffee and 1 biscotti while Jay feeds Kabir his morning bottle. So I thought, I could make some.
I used an Allrecipe's recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/biscotti/detail.aspx?src=VD_Summary
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive because it's all we have at home)
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla (You could use almond, anise, lemon, whatever your heart desires)
3 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I used Sugar in the raw because that what we use)
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp ground anise/fennel (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.
When they cooled I drizzled them with chocolate. I'm experimenting with a lemon biscotti and sugar glaze. Some reviewers added chopped nuts to their recipes. It's very easy to customize.
There is a great video on Allrecipes.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Flying in on cloud 9!
Another new mom said the following and it could be any truer: "The days may be short but the months sure do fly by!"
Every time I look at our little guy, I realize he's not so little anymore!
He's 9 months old and coming in at a whopping 30 inches tall, and 20.4 lbs. (dad says 23 lbs 32 inches) (mom say 31 inches, 22 lbs) - we'll find out on Wednesday and I will update this with the real numbers.
Kabir enjoys picking out clothes by grabbing them and eating them. This is how he picked out his Halloween costume. In fact all kinds of things get eaten now! Our favorite things to teeth on are pieces of bread (pizza crust is a must!), rubber spatulas, cold carrots, and his mesh fruit thingy. Who needs traditional teethers?
Speaking of teeth, little man is sporting two little teeth on his bottom front row. He doesn't realize the damage they can do when chewing on toes, and mommy's or daddy's fingers.
And with teeth we have to talk about eating. Bottles are still a battle. It doesn't help that he's getting stronger and will bat the bottle away and twist and writhe until you let go. He's getting better with solid food and is up to about 3/4 cup a day. For reference, when he first started eating he ate 1 -2 tablespoons a day! He has had lots of veggies and fruits. His grains have been mostly rice and oatmeal. I need to make granola and learn about barley. In terms of protein, he eats chicken, beef, fish, beans and lentils. He loves yogurt. He's also had dhaal rice and cutlets, idlis and dosas. And Mr. Independent needs his own spoon and sippy cup at meals.
All this eating has helped him grow so strong! He's crawling around the apartment now. He can get from the living room to anywhere he wants pretty easily. He's still mostly army crawling but he gets in a standard crawl here and there. He can pull himself up on people, and slide off the couch.
He loves his toys! He knows how to knock down blocks and punch through the big foam puzzle pieces. He has this one toy that push balls through these holes and they roll down the ramp he knows how to do that all by himself. He loves his sit and stand activity table. He has a prayer lamb that we use to say our morning and evening prayers. He also has a snow globe that we use to calm him down when he's upset.
Kabir has also inherited our love for books. No matter how distressed or upset he is, if you start pulling down books and reading he calms down. He listens so intently at story time and smiles and laughs at all the right places.
And just like his mom, Kabir is quite the chatty Charlie! From what we made up he can say: dada/dad, mama/mom, yesh, I did it, I drank juice, nigh nigh, and all kinds of other lovely gibberish. My favorite is when he wakes up and smiles seeing our faces, sits in our laps and says yesh, as if all the world is right just in this moment. And then with his sweet little hands, he grabs our faces to bring us close and gives kisses. There is no way to describe how these small moments make my hear overflow with the truest happiness.
We watch kiddo shows sometimes. Some of his favorites are: Any of Mo Willems read aloud movies, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dinosaur Train, Curious George, Arthur, and The Magic School Bus. We have play dates with other little ones. He has a little girl friend named Emily and a little boy friend named Demetirus and our playgroup has another little boy on the way. Kabir also enjoy hanging out at the park and playing with cousin Zachy and watching baby cousin Amy. At the park Kabir enjoys playing in the wood chips, crawling through tunnels, sliding down the slide, and swinging.
Our trip to Denver was pretty good. He was great on the plane, only stealing one pair of glasses, and patting one person's head. He napped for one hour and needed to be entertained for two hours. All in all the flight was great. He traveled well too! He took naps while on walks and slept through the nights at the hotel. He did so well, that we've booked another trip.
I hope you LA folk are sitting down while reading this because Kabir and I are coming to LA! We'll be there from Nov. 7th - Nov. 18th. Jay will be joining us from Nov. 14th - 18th. We're coming to celebrate Shilpa Akka's wedding and to spend time with our LA family. So let me know when you want to hang out! You'll have to check with my mom because I'm sure she has tons of plans for Kabir!
And finally pictures, in no real order!
love and kisses!!
Every time I look at our little guy, I realize he's not so little anymore!
He's 9 months old and coming in at a whopping 30 inches tall, and 20.4 lbs. (dad says 23 lbs 32 inches) (mom say 31 inches, 22 lbs) - we'll find out on Wednesday and I will update this with the real numbers.
Kabir enjoys picking out clothes by grabbing them and eating them. This is how he picked out his Halloween costume. In fact all kinds of things get eaten now! Our favorite things to teeth on are pieces of bread (pizza crust is a must!), rubber spatulas, cold carrots, and his mesh fruit thingy. Who needs traditional teethers?
Speaking of teeth, little man is sporting two little teeth on his bottom front row. He doesn't realize the damage they can do when chewing on toes, and mommy's or daddy's fingers.
And with teeth we have to talk about eating. Bottles are still a battle. It doesn't help that he's getting stronger and will bat the bottle away and twist and writhe until you let go. He's getting better with solid food and is up to about 3/4 cup a day. For reference, when he first started eating he ate 1 -2 tablespoons a day! He has had lots of veggies and fruits. His grains have been mostly rice and oatmeal. I need to make granola and learn about barley. In terms of protein, he eats chicken, beef, fish, beans and lentils. He loves yogurt. He's also had dhaal rice and cutlets, idlis and dosas. And Mr. Independent needs his own spoon and sippy cup at meals.
All this eating has helped him grow so strong! He's crawling around the apartment now. He can get from the living room to anywhere he wants pretty easily. He's still mostly army crawling but he gets in a standard crawl here and there. He can pull himself up on people, and slide off the couch.
He loves his toys! He knows how to knock down blocks and punch through the big foam puzzle pieces. He has this one toy that push balls through these holes and they roll down the ramp he knows how to do that all by himself. He loves his sit and stand activity table. He has a prayer lamb that we use to say our morning and evening prayers. He also has a snow globe that we use to calm him down when he's upset.
Kabir has also inherited our love for books. No matter how distressed or upset he is, if you start pulling down books and reading he calms down. He listens so intently at story time and smiles and laughs at all the right places.
And just like his mom, Kabir is quite the chatty Charlie! From what we made up he can say: dada/dad, mama/mom, yesh, I did it, I drank juice, nigh nigh, and all kinds of other lovely gibberish. My favorite is when he wakes up and smiles seeing our faces, sits in our laps and says yesh, as if all the world is right just in this moment. And then with his sweet little hands, he grabs our faces to bring us close and gives kisses. There is no way to describe how these small moments make my hear overflow with the truest happiness.
We watch kiddo shows sometimes. Some of his favorites are: Any of Mo Willems read aloud movies, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dinosaur Train, Curious George, Arthur, and The Magic School Bus. We have play dates with other little ones. He has a little girl friend named Emily and a little boy friend named Demetirus and our playgroup has another little boy on the way. Kabir also enjoy hanging out at the park and playing with cousin Zachy and watching baby cousin Amy. At the park Kabir enjoys playing in the wood chips, crawling through tunnels, sliding down the slide, and swinging.
Our trip to Denver was pretty good. He was great on the plane, only stealing one pair of glasses, and patting one person's head. He napped for one hour and needed to be entertained for two hours. All in all the flight was great. He traveled well too! He took naps while on walks and slept through the nights at the hotel. He did so well, that we've booked another trip.
I hope you LA folk are sitting down while reading this because Kabir and I are coming to LA! We'll be there from Nov. 7th - Nov. 18th. Jay will be joining us from Nov. 14th - 18th. We're coming to celebrate Shilpa Akka's wedding and to spend time with our LA family. So let me know when you want to hang out! You'll have to check with my mom because I'm sure she has tons of plans for Kabir!
And finally pictures, in no real order!
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| Vacationing is hard work |
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| Baby Selfie |
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| OoOoo leaves |
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| Now this is what laundry baskets are for |
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| Otto I don't think they can see us |
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| This football game is disappointing |
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| Nana! |
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| Oh! Hi Dad! |
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| I love being outside |
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| You guys really need to try this strap. So. Yummy. |
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| Bobo and Baby |
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| I don't think they can see me eat this napkin |
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| Butterfly nappies |
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| Dad! Bath time is private |
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| What a lovely great grandma Lawson |
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| Aunt Alicia |
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| 7 Months! |
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| Yogurt is so yummy |
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| En route to the plane |
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| Do we really have to eat more chicken? |
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| Oh look. Birds! |
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| Denver- City Hall |
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| So fun! |
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| So big! |
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| 8 months! |
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| Sippy cup! |
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| Ahh yea that's the stuff |
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| Look at my kingdom! I have conquered the coffee table! |
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| Selfie # @ |
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| So tall |
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| Dad, this is kind of nice. |
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| This is how you're supposed to drink milk |
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| Big kid |
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| Watching TV with Dada |
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| Parle G Biscuit |
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| I bet mom has no idea where he spatula is |
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| Swing? Yes! |
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| Dad, this is my space. |
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| Don't knock it until you try it |
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| Astroturf is not grass. |
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| Good morning! |
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| Doggie towel! |
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| Yes the slide! |
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| Weee! |
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| I have things to sell at the store. |
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| Uncle My check out my climbing skills |
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| Family park picture |
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| Oh that book was perfect for naptime |
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| I'm a Kubs and bear Kubs |
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| Fall family picture |
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| 9 months! |
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| Hat weather |
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| Costco makes me feel like this |
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| Hey mom the car is this way |
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| So serious! |
love and kisses!!
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