Already in Kindergarten

We just went to Yosemite again last month--but Sachi is now a few years older, and reading & subtracting!
It made me realize that time is passing too quickly, and I have to start documenting before my own alzheimer's sets in. Sachi has turned into a responsible big sister, dedicated student, and has an unstoppable zest for life.  She is more amazing now than ever.  I love my little nearly toothless offspring.

My Muse

Sachi and Ayan have made it hard for me to take a bad picture. This picture is of Sachi frolicking near the icy water in Yosemite. Granted, it is also hard to take a bad picture in Yosemite.

I am inspired to learn photography now, and will be taking my first lesson with Anil's Pentax DSLR this Saturday.

It is time to dust off this four year old camera, and put it to some good use!

Sachi's first day of Preschool

Yesterday was Sachi's first day of preschool. In many ways, it was a testament to what we have been feeling for sometime...Sachi has grown up, and is very independent.

She left our house early yesterday morning with Anil who dropped her off. Upon getting to this new and unfamiliar place, she didn't look back, and hardly said goodbye to Anil. I picked her up at the end of the day (5pm), and the teachers were gleaming about how well she did, and were amazed at how confident, social, and comfortable she was.

While this marks a huge step forward for Sachi, I can't help feeling a trace of sadness in all of this. I just have to enjoy the fact that she still likes spending time with me. Who knows when that is going to change too...

This photograph is now what hangs in her cubby at preschool.

Princess & Ballerina Complex

Sachi wants nothing more these days than to wear a dress...and to be a princess or ballerina.

Every morning, she wants to put on a dress or tutu. Most days we have to refuse her request---but she still wears a dress with a skirt underneath it to create a full skirted look. She said she is able to spin better that way.

Now Sachi is enrolled in a ballet/gymnastics class, and has an annual pass to children's fairyland. I figure these are the two places she can wear a tutu and a princess dress, and get away with it.

Sachi's Great Grandmother passes away

Sachi's great grandmother, Vasundhara Patwardhan passed away at the ripe age of 93 on September 2nd, 2010. Fortunately, she and Sachi got to meet in 2009 in Pune, India. "Panji", as Sachi calls her, was very enamored with Sachi's carefree spirit, dancing, and soft feet.

Sachi's brother, who will be born in a few weeks, unfortunately will never get to meet a living great grandparent.

Here is some more information on Vasundhara Patwardhan, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_vasundhara-patwardhan-passes-away_1432953.

She was an eminent Marathi writer, and had written many short stories, essays and radio plays.

A Brother-feeling more real

Today we did a 4D ultrasound, and got to see a better view of this little guy growing inside me. Unfortunately, he was not expecting company or an audience so he was sort of intent on relaxing--but the ultrasound tech tried desperately to wake him with pushing, prodding, wiggling, and pumping me with fruit juice.

Although he was not as active as we had hoped, we did see him moving around a bit, rubbing his eyes, and cracking a little smile. It was precious. Sachi, Anil, Reva and Maneesh and my Parents were here to witness the demo live.

Both Anil and Reva fear he may have what they term "The Nimkar Nose". This fear was also cast upon Sachi once upon a time, but her nose is just fine. Poor guy is not even born yet, and people are already criticizing!

Salon Toes

Sachi's tastes have quickly elevated.

She had her toenails painted for the first time by her grandmother(Aji) in San Diego a few months ago. We tried to get her polish right, but it quickly chipped and a few of the nails were not really perfect. So Sachi often complained about how her toenail polish was all messed up and chipped. So, I figured, let the experts handle it. I took her to the salon for a proper polish. In the past month, she has been to the salon twice. First she wanted pink nail polish, and more recently, she wanted a green with sparkles.

I have to admit, they do a pretty darned good job for $3 a visit--so it is one luxury that I am willing to indulge her with. Besides, her toes are so extremely cute! We enjoy the polish as much as she does.

Things I don't want to forget

I am nearly 6 months pregnant with Sachi's little brother, and am just wanting to fully relish my experience with Sachi before we start redirecting the focus on the new baby. Here are some of her milestones/memories that I don't want to forget:
3 months: Babbling secrets in an unknown language
6 months: First solids, started with sweet potatoes
8 months: First sign (milk), First tooth, and first word (mama)
10 months: Crawling with chunky thighs
12 months: Moved into our first house
13 months: Walking slimmed down my little toddler
14 months: Learned to feed herself (starting with grapes)
15 months: Stopped Nursing on her own
18 months: Had her own bed to sleep in, but mostly slept with us

Now, 29 months: She is the love of my life. She is a bright young woman with a razor sharp memory, firm negotiation skills, and a great sense of humor. She generally gets more books read and more sweets than I promise. She is also great at turning the tables on us regarding discipline. The other day Anil asked for one of her Gluco biscuits, and she firmly responded, "You can't eat junk all the time." She's right.

Sister or Brother?

Today, we went for our much awaited 5 month ultrasound, and the answer to the boy or girl question became very clear...crystal clear.

We are having a little boy. Anil and I are very excited and will now start on the path of looking at names, and figuring out what kind of fun boy decal we can add to the new "kids" room.

However, Sachi didn't take the news as well as we hoped. She really wanted a sister.

Just a year ago..

We were just looking at pictures from our India trip a year ago. (This one is of Sachi at 14 months.) I realize all our vacation pics now are mostly funny or cute pics of her in different places. It definitely makes me realize how much we love our time with her. We do this thing where we ask Sachi, "Is it possible to love you too much?" And then she replies with a little smirk, "It is not possible". She is right. Even though she bugs and annoys me everyday, I love this little smoosh to tears. She is sleeping right now...which is often when my love for her is greatest (j/k).

Love at first sight

Ever since little Sachu met "Baby Meera", she has been all over her. She always wants to know what she is doing, and if she can hold her and kiss her. Sometimes she is a little rough with her, but she is learning. Mostly she is just really helpful and wants to make sure Meera gets what she needs. She has become Masi's little assistant for all matters related to baby Meera.

Baby Meera also seems to really like having Sachi around. Meera is starting to recognize and smile at Sachi, and has started to push her away when she gets too rough. Playing defense is the true skill set of the second child.

I remind Anita that now Meera is suffering the wrath that I suffered as a second child in the family. Don't worry baby Meeru. It is these things that will make you tough and able to handle what the world has to throw you.

Sachi's getting a sibling

Little Sachi is about to get the best present ever...a little brother or sister! We are about 10 weeks along did the ultrasound today. We didn't get the best image since this one was punching, kicking and moving all around. But we did get a nice little glimpse of the face, and hands, and feet.

Sachi is going to be the best big sister come September 2010! She is already excited and knows "Mommy has baby inside tummy."

Happy birthday Sachi--you got a cousin!

Meera Esha Barot was born in Mumbai on December 12th, just a few days before Sachi's birthday. While she will not meet Meera for a few months, soon she will see that Meera was the best birthday present she could ask for. Her mommy and daddy say she is lots of fun, and definitely a night owl--just like Sachi. We have to watch out when those two become teenagers, and they are sneaking out late at night behind our backs.

So everyone is wondering--do Sachi and Meera look alike? Here is a picture of both of them a few days after they were born. You be the judge!

The left image is Sachi, and the right image is her brand new cousin Meera.

My little girl

There is that time in a parent's life when they realize their little one is no longer a baby. I am both happy and sad to say that time has come for me. There is something about the way that Sachi looks and interacts now that identifies her as a "little girl". She is her own person now with a very distinctive personality, and her own set of desires. She walks with intention, and is always trying to strike up conversation.

I guess this had to happen...my little baby is growing up. Coincidentally, this is the age (22 months) when parents usually transition their child from a crib to a bed. We transitioned Sachi months ago from our bed to her own bed--but she still finds her way to our bed each night.

Barcelona

It has just over two weeks since Anil and I got back from our fabulous vacation in Barcelona. For one week, we were in one of the most alive cities in the world, without Sachi. We got to stay up late, sleep in, have relaxing multi-course meals, and walk all over the city. It was like we were dating again.

Of course we missed Sachi and even watched her videos every day. Meanwhile, she was at home with her grandparents, "Aji and Opa". She did really well while we were gone, and strangely held a grudge against Aji for a whole week when we came back--as if Aji had something to do with our disappearance. She has since warmed upto Aji again, and even misses her now.

The Sachi Lexicon

As Sachi is on the road to discovering new words, she has come up with a special lexicon--that only those with the trained ear can decipher. Here are a few words and their definitions...so you too can speak Sachi's language.

Ta-pope: Cantaloupe
Ta-toon: Popcorn
Tu-pid: Toothpaste
O-gurk: Yogurt
Da-ya: Daddy
Wah: Water
Ah-jeem: Icecream

I am going to be sad when she learns how to say all these words correctly. Her language is so much fun!

Play "Pretend"

Sachi likes to play a lot of "pretend" lately. Unfortunately this also includes trips to the potty. Just like her daddy, she sits there for a long time and thumbs a magazine. Man, I don't know who invented this whole reading on the pot thing, but I say just get in there, do your business, and get out!

She has yet to leave anything worth mentioning in her potty.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Lately Sachi has been quite the performer.
You gotta turn your head sideways to watch this cuteness!

First trip to Disneyland

They say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but I didn't get it until I went there with Sachi on my birthday. From the first ride (the merry go round), Sachi was in heaven. When the ride ended and I had to dismount her from the horse, she was screaming. I said to her, "Don't worry Sachi, we are going on so many more rides". After the first ride, we hit rides like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pinnochio, Alice's Teacups, It's a smallworld, and the ride through Storybookland. We mostly only stayed in Fantasyland, but man...it was fun. I want to go there for Anil's bday now.

Daycare Doldrums

This is a picture of Sachi while she was enjoying one week of an Indian Summer up here. I wish she looked like this now. Sadly, she is sick with a steady stream of yellow mucous running out of her nose.

She started daycare just three weeks ago, and in that time, she has contracted two different colds, and done a whole lot of crying. (This does not help the mucous situation) I kept her out of daycare today so she can rest. In fact, we are all sick. But, at least it is not the swine flu.

I am hoping she enjoys the interaction with the 5 other kids in daycare, but right now, all of it just feels pretty crappy. The worst is we live next door to the daycare, and I can hear her crying sometimes. I may as well just rip my heart out.