Warm Weather = Play Time at the Park

With the temperature at almost 70 degrees outside today, we decided to take advantage and get in some play time at the park. Plus, Maya did not seem interested in napping at all, so we figured the play time would tire her out too. And we know that she enjoys the park; but really, what kid doesn't?

We started on the swings:

Then we climbed up some stairs:

 

 Finally, we played on the slide:

 

Maya enjoyed all of it, though my camera and photography skills are not good enough to capture all her smiles while she's moving that quickly!

Adventures in Teething

So, Maya has 12 teeth now - four incisors on the top, four on the bottom, and all four molars. I thought we were done for a while, but apparently not; I guess her canines are coming in now, or more molars. Given her recent habit of chewing on me, I'm not venturing into her mouth with a finger to check on her gums. To help her out, we've been giving her various foods to gnaw on, such as carrots:

And corn:

She was very enthusiastic about the corn and ate it with gusto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwnsdBP83Z4. I'm glad she's a good eater, but I'll also be glad to not be chewed on anymore.

Glad to Not Be Traveling

With all the snow in the Northeast and all the travel delays at airports, I'm really happy that we're staying put in Houston for the next few days. Hopefully by the time we get back to our house, most of the snow will be melted away! At least, that's what happened last December when we missed a snowstorm, so maybe our luck will hold for a second year in a row.

Today brought another visit with old friends:

These triplets have grown up so fast - we first met them when they were little babies, and it's a bit weird to see them holding my baby! I know I sound like an old lady when I say these things, but I just can't help it. We all enjoyed the visit, as evidenced by Maya's smile:

It's great to spend time with people who are so warm and caring.

Catching Up with More Old Friends

Maya has been adjusting really well to all the people, the timezone, and everything else that's a bit different here in Houston. This includes catching up with more old friends, many of whom we saw a year ago during our last trip here. We had brunch with one set of friends:

As usual, meeting up with this group involved lots of tasty food and lively conversation! Thanks to Raka Auntie and Rhea for preparing such a delicious meal.

In the evening, we went to visit another set of friends:

Maya got another set of presents - thank you Biva Auntie and Parveen Auntie! We thoroughly enjoyed all the delicious food, catching up with everyone, and even did some dancing and tennis on the Wii.

Quality Time with the Grandparents - Part 2

We've arrived in Houston after smooth travels to visit a new set of grandparents who are thrilled to see Maya. There's also an uncle and auntie who were awaiting Maya's arrival and greeted us with even more presents - she is such a lucky little girl:

In addition to opening lovely presents from the Husains, she was wearing a new striped hoodie that was also a present from the Martins.

After all the present opening, Maya practiced her walking skills by pushing a stool around the living room: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7VYMdx_Fc. Maybe one day she'll walk on her own!

Catching Up with Old Friends

On this trip we've had the chance to catch up with old friends, some of whom we only see once or twice a year. While on the road, Maya entertained us all with some spitting and farting noises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIO8YTjZV8A.

Yesterday we got to hang out with the delightful Jaspal & Vandana, who cooked us a delicious dinner. Of course I managed to not take enough photos, though I did get one of Maya with their pretty tree:

Today we hung out with the Martins, big and small. We had some tasty pizzas at their house, and spent some quality time playing together:

Birthday Celebrations Galore!

Every time we make it to San Jose for the holidays we have so much fun celebrating my family's birthdays. My dad's and sister's birthday is December 21st and my mom's birthday is December 22nd. We did a special Indian birthday lunch for my dad, then an Italian birthday dinner for my sister:

My sister and I cooked dinner the next day for my mom's birthday, and we had a bunch of old family friends over that night:

We also got a small (and delicious) cake for all the birthdays:

Lots of Giggles with the Kulkarnis

We continue to enjoy our time with the Kulkarnis, now including Chethu Auntie who arrived today. Here's a video of Maya giggling at a new game that consisted of her binky flying through the air toward her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cloFN0WNhX4.

She has also been enjoying mealtimes with all the delicious food and attention for her. Here's a video of Maya dancing in her high chair, even losing a shoe in the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iPz5CrAkSo.

Maya did look a bit worried when her Chethu Auntie was feeding her:

 But the food must've tasted pretty good because she didn't look too worried a minute later:

One of the best parts of vacation is that Hyder and I get to spend more time with Maya too. Here she's reading the newspaper with him:

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

Today brought another holiday party - the eating, drinking, and merrymaking continued from yesterday! This time we remembered to take some photos, especially since the hosts of the party had a beautiful Christmas tree in their home:

Earlier in the day we stopped by the school where Ajji works and hung out with her co-workers:

Another fun day!

Quality Time with the Grandparents - Part 1

So, we made it to CA without too much crying on the plane. We also did not do much sitting or sleeping, so that was pretty tiring. But it's worth it to see how happy the grandparents are to see the munchkin! And she loves hanging out with them too:

 
We also went to a holiday party in the neighborhood - Maya enjoyed the food and the great Cuban music. She was dancing up a storm as usual! We were having too much fun to take photos or videos, but we'll try to take some tomorrow at our next holiday party.

A Lucky Little Girl

We really are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends in our lives, especially since our families live far away. This is never more obvious than at the holidays, when we enjoy the company and generosity of our friends. Maya spent some time today opening presents - many thanks to our friends Marilyn & Ken, the Wade Family, and the Summers Family for all their lovely gifts:

 We had a great time at a housewarming party hosted by the Summers Family (more photos here):

 We also enjoyed a delicious brunch with our neighbors Ken & Marilyn:

 And we were so glad to catch up with our friends Maribeth & Khalid at their special holiday card-making party, during which we wrote messages to patients at a nearby hospital:

Falling Behind

I have to admit, I've fallen a bit behind with blogging. Things just get so busy around the holiday season, and even though I am not Christian, I still love this time of year. I am a sucker for Christmas decorations, Christmas cards, Christmas cookies, and on and on. But, I've gotten most of my Christmas cards mailed out, and I'll do my baking this weekend, so now a bit of time for blogging.

Maya and I couldn't wait to open our first set of presents from our good friends Sidney and Andrew, so we went ahead and tore into the gift boxes last weekend:

 Maya was thrilled with her gift:

 And a side benefit, we ended up with a nice new playpen for Maya:

Hah, just kidding of course!

In other news, Maya seems to have learned another new word: "Bah." I'm not sure if she means bath or bye, because she uses it when she's in the bathroom looking at the tub, and when we're leaving daycare. Maybe one day she'll learn to speak English...

Dancin Machine

I know I've posted links to other dancing videos but I couldn't resist posting one more. This time I captured her little tush groovin in time to the music. Too cute not to share!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfIa5EWTKjY

Gettin Ready for the Holidays

Last weekend we did our 2nd annual Husain Family photo shoot. We are lucky to have such a patient friend who is also such a talented photographer. Big thanks to Rachel for taking over 70 photos of us in various locations around our house!

Here are a few of the test shots:

And here's the winner:

Now I'm working on addressing, stamping, and writing messages for the almost 70 cards I plan to send out! Why yes, I am a bit insane.

Catching up on Artwork

Just like any parent, I think my kid is ridiculously talented. Singing, dancing, painting, you name it. Maya's Halloween and Thanksgiving artwork was on display at daycare for a while, and now it's proudly displayed on our fridge at home:

Clearly, she is on her way to producing great art.