Author: nainadg

Blogging...Mommy Style
Baby Boy, Mommyhood, Toddler, Travel

Gorillas

nainadg

While in Columbus, I found out that our hotel was very near to the Columbus zoo and decided to check it out. It was a really hot day and we had very little time so we only decided to hit up a few exhibits, but turns out even that was too ambitious. It was very very crowded and it was almost impossible to get close to the exhibits.

However, the Gorilla exhibit was fairly deserted when we got there and I was able to let Bun out of his stroller and run around. It was one of our favorite parts of the zoo trips. The other favorite was a little animal show they had where they had rescued dogs, cats and some animals do fun tricks.

Bun recognized the gorillas as monkeys and made his monkey noises but he kept pointing at them and saying “baby baby.” I don’t know if he feels some sort of kinship with them but watching a mama gorilla cuddling a baby, I definitely felt a connection. I’m not saying, I recognized her as my long lost ancestor or anything like that but I could relate to the maternal feeling even in an animal. The way she groomed her baby by nibble on his face was almost identical to how I almost can’t help myself and nibble and nuzzle on Bun’s cheeks, nose, ears any chance that I can. It really reinforced my belief that a mother’s love is probably one of the most primal feelings we have, perhaps even more so than the preservation of the self.

Okay, so I guess this post got kinda sentimental- not where I had originally intended it to go.

Fashion, Mommyhood, Toddler, Wedding

The Wedding Guest

nainadg

This wedding guest aged 19 months arrived at the wedding right after naptime and a sippy cup full of milk. He would not let go of the sippy cup, so his poor mama could take some pictures of his cute outfit.

He tried to sing Happy Birthday during the processional. (Bun thinks all parties are birthdays).

He missed the entire ceremony because his mama had to take him out to the lobby so other people could hear the bride and groom and not his singing.

He ran around the entire reception so his mama did not have a chance to really have meaningful conversation with the bride, the groom, her cousins or any other guest.

He ate his Chobani yogurt and refused to touch the kids meal (which I’m sure was not cheap). This was even more mortifying because we were sitting at the host’s table.

He clapped at inappropriate times during the toasts and kept asking about the flower girl (the cutest 2 yr old ever and Bun’s first crush)

He pooped the biggest poop of his life right when the dancing started and his mama wanted to shake her booty, but instead had to change a gross diaper that left her smelling like poo. {And not even your blood relatives will come near you on the dance floor after that}

But he looked so damn adorable and cute and goofy that his mama was super happy that he was her date after all.

*** I wasn’t able to get very many good pictures of him at all since he just wouldn’t hold still and I couldn’t manage my indian outfit and chase after him very well. I’m going to see if my mom got some good ones (maybe even one of me) and post them.****

Mommyhood, Toddler

16 months

nainadg

Everyday I ask myself where did the time go? Bun turned 16 months old in April.  April 09 he was just a little pink line on a stick. We hadn’t even officially named him husib yet. I hadn’t even imagined this little boy in my life.  This much happiness is incomprehensible even as I experience it.

Bun has grown so much in the past few weeks. He is constantly adding new words to his vocabulary. This month my favorite additions are Uggs (Eggs) and House. He also really understands his relationship with people. My parents were in Philadelphia this week and Bun would say “Deee” and “Babu” everytime the phone rang or he thought someone was at the door.

He really is turning into my little helper these days. He understands when I ask him to bring me something and will often go looking for a specific toy. He is no longer just happy playing with whatever I hand him. He is definitely his own man.

The most obvious personality trait that I have noticed in Bun is that he is a very cautious toddler. He is not fond of climbing up and down stairs and he is still not sold on the idea that slides at the park are fun.  A friend of mine told me that this will all change as he grows bigger and stronger so we’ll see if he gets more fond of heights in a month or two.

Bun is also thriving in every other way. He is a great sleeper these days and nap times are great 90% of the time. He is still a fussy eater, but he will now occasionally eat fish in stick form and chicken in nugget form. The boy is a vegetarian at heart, a vegetarian who doesn’t like veggies. Just like when I was a vegetarian.

Best part of 16 months: The unsolicited hugs and loveys ( a lovey is when he blows a kiss).

Worst part of 16 months: I think we are entering the dreaded “terrible twos” I have encountered my first big parking lot tantrum.

Friday Flashback, Mommyhood

{Friday Flashback} Mothers Day Past

nainadg

Last spring was not a good time for my family. Its not something that I want to talk about on my blog but I was depressed enough that I didn’t really blog about a lot of big events last year.  Anyway, I have been thinking about Mothers Day a lot this year and I thought that I had better post the only picture i have from Mother’s Day last year that has both Avi and I in it. And in spite of everything that was going on at that time, I did end up having a fabulous mother’s day with my little family.

Avi and I last year on Mother’s Day 2010 at Alivia’s in Downtown Durham. We went there for an early dinner with my parents. Bun is 4.5 months old in this pic and still had the very worried expression he has now.

This is when Bun was still Husib and lived in my belly, so I guess he is technically still in the picture. This was J and my 1/2 mother’s day celebration. We went to play mini golf and  arcade games.  I was 7 weeks pregnant and I was giddy, scared and so happy. My 7 week pregnancy blog post is here

Food and Drinks, Funny, Toddler

Cheftestant

nainadg

While Bun was napping this afternoon, I walked into our kitchen and found this.

Apparently he had picked out ingredients from the pantry and filled his wagon with it. I like that it looks like it could be ingredients for a middle eastern dish- chickpeas, tomatoes, cumin, oregano and chicken broth. And also the ball, an essential component of any great dish.

Your quickfire challenge is to make something with these ingredients in 6.35 minutes. Top Chef Masters Season 23 here comes Bun.

Toddlers are funny. Yeah.

Holidays, Toddler

Easter! Easter !

nainadg

I am an Easter Newbie. I didn’t grow up celebrating easter because unlike Christmas it somehow didn’t spill out into the global secular diaspora. Although I do remember getting Good Friday and Easter Monday being a holiday at school but it was mostly a spring break of sorts.

So egg dyeing, easter bunnies and baskets were very foreign to me.  But this year, it was all different.

We dyed some eggs. Bun didn’t really care for it too much but J and I had a lot of fun

Our favorite easter activity was to go to a Easter Egg Hunt at the Horace Wallace House in Chapel Hill. The house is the office of the Chapel Hill Historic Preservation society and is situated in one of the prettiest corners of the triangle.  Unfortunately, the day was rainy and cloudy and muddy, but we still had a lot of fun at the hunt

OMG!!! Ugggggs as Bun would say.

He doesn’t say OMG but he does say Ugggs for Eggs

He was very serious about recycling the eggs, he didn’t really want to put them in his basket

Trying to open Ugggs

You can see some of the details of the Wallace House

Where’s Bun?

I let him taste un watered down super sweet lemonade.

After most of the legitimate participants had finished the Egg on a spoon race, they opened it up for all the babies and latecomers. So Bun decided to participate

That meant , I had to hold his arm up and walk alongside him

He did go around the full course though and only dropped the egg 4 times.

Holidays, Toddler

Bun Meets Bunny

nainadg

I was really nervous about taking Bun to see the Easter Bunny this year because our Santa experience was such a fail. But the last few weeks Bun seemed to be interested in walking by the Easter Bunny court at the mall so I decided to go ahead and arrange the visit. While in line the three people in front of us had to leave because their toddlers had more sane reactions to the giant bunny and wanted to have nothing to do with it. I expected the same from my son, but instead I got a Bunny fanboy

 I have this photo on our fridge and Bun loves to walk up to it and babble at the easter bunny and make his little bunny noises.

 It was a meeting of two very old friends, he waved and did his high pitched Hiiiiiiii at the bunny unprompted by me.

This is his “Can you believe how lucky I am” face.

My favorite moments however were the ones when he finally got to walk up to the Bunny after waiting in line. He waved Hi and was “nice” to the bunny , which is essentially Bun trying to pat him. He also tried to give him a hug and inquisitively looked up and down the giant creepy creature and I literally had to drag him out of there because we were holding up the line. I personally don’t get it but Bun is quite taken with a giant rabbit.

Holidays, Love, Toddler

Oh What Fun

nainadg

The last week has just flown by in a flurry of very very happy moments. J, Bun and I have been busy participating in easter activities and hanging out with family and friends and I have not had a moment to capture it all for my blog.  Bun got to visit the Easter Bunny, we dyed eggs, went on a Easter Egg hunt, played at the park and had a cookout. Some of these were so fun that they need their own posts.

Bun365, Love, Mommyhood, Toddler

Because

nainadg

Some afternoons are just magical.  Simply because its spring. Because there is sunshine. Because I’m outside with my little family.  Because my boys are looking so handsome. And because they are smiling at the camera at the same time. Because a little boy is playing with a ball with his daddy. Because sometimes you don’t need a reason to be happy.

Because This picture of Bun and J looking at each other makes my heart feel all squishy

Because This picture of him looking at me makes my heart feel double squishy.

Because its impossible to not be happy while playing with a bouncy blue ball

Because these guys make it so easy to be happy

Capture the Everyday, Family, Life

{Capture the Everyday} Modern Technology

nainadg

Writing this post made me realize, I have not blogged this week at all! Yikes! But I love this Meme so much hosted over at Adventuroo that I make it a point to blog on most Thursdays.

Capture the Everyday from Adventuroo

Fact 1: I have family all over the world

Fact2: I’m not a phone person

Fact3: Facebook lets me stay in touch with my peeps scattered all over the world without having to have awkward phone conversations. Clarification- the awkwardness is all on my end. See Fact 2.

Facebook has allowed me to be involved in my cousins lives and families and through Facebook they are watching Bun grow. I cannot imagine life without it. Cheers FB!