In Which Saavan Does Not TP A Single House...

Saavan, upon the realization that by walking around wearing the costume, he'll get free candy.

Last week was Halloween, the Saavan first in which he had some understanding of what was going on.  Getting Saavan into a costume was an ordeal - we had convinced him that he wanted to be Curious George, and as such had arranged to borrow the monkey costume that our friends' daughter had used the previous year.  Unfortunately, at the Halloween party at Saavan's day care on the Thursday before the actual day, Saavan saw one of his classmates wearing a Cookie Monster costume, declared that HE wanted to be Cookie Monster, and refused to put on his sweet monkey costume.  This was disconcerting for a three reasons: 1) it meant that he didn't participate in his class Halloween party, where all the other kids were dressed up - it was so cute you'd want to kill yourself; 2) Saavan is usually terrified of Cookie Monster - he freaks out whenever he sees an animated Cookie Monster doll at Saajan's house, and has woken up on multiple occasions complaining that Cookie Monster is scaring him in his dreams (I know, it's adorable); and 3) we had no time to procure a Cookie Monster costume two days before Halloween. Fortunately, we were able to salvage Halloween by doing what any good parents would do in that situation: we showed Saavan multiple episodes of Curious George on television, brainwashing him into wanting to be a monkey.  It worked - on Halloween night, Saavan was dressed as an adorable monkey, who may or may not have been Curious George. 

 Idli and Sambar, with Special Guest Ishan!

Saavan went out trick-or-treating with his partner-in-crime, Saajan, and Idli and Sambar, disguised as Curious George and a dragon/dinosaur, were a huge hit.  (Saavan and Saajan were also briefly joined by their new buddy Ishan, who was rocking a very scary shark costume.) They were easily the tiniest trick-or-treaters around, and their costumes repeatedly elicited "OH MY GOD THEY'RE SO CUTE!" exclamations from moms handing out candy and all of the middle-school kids dressed like characters from Glee. 

 Pre-trick-or-treating joy-riding.

What was even better was that Saavan was totally into the Halloween spirit, which was no guarantee given his boycott of the daycare Halloween festivities.  Each time we reached a house, Saavan would sprint up to the door (sprinting being relative, given that he has tiny legs, was in a monkey costume, and has a tough time scaling stairs), knock, and yell "trick or treat" before anyone actually opened the door and gave him candy.  (Again, everything about this holiday is fricking adorable.)  And he never got tired - no matter how late it got, he wanted to stay out and hit more houses.  Which was fine with me, because I love candy.*  Saavan is a Halloween dude.

Curious George and Dragon want your candy.

*Segue into a devastatingly sad story.  Neha gave Saavan a tiny monkey bag that we had gotten as a birthday party goodie bag in which to put his candy, because the bag matched his costume.  But the bag was the worst.  It was too small, and though we didn't realize it until later, was constantly leaking the candy that we had collected.  At one of the houses we got a full-size Whatchamcallit, the king of the candy bars.  By the time we got home, it was gone.  I was heartbroken, and still haven't recovered. 

In the 'burbs, Halloween decorations are serious business. 

On a related note, until this Halloween, I'd found myself mostly ambivalent about our move to the suburbs.  Halloween here was no joke.  Lots of houses went crazy with decorations, including 1 house that had an 8-foot Frankenstein in its front yard, and another that had a projection screen playing clips from scary movies while everyone was out trick-or-treating.  It was intense.  But what made it totally awesome, and for the life of me I could not possibly expected, was that many of the houses on Halloween night were giving out candy for the kids, and beer for the adults.  It was one of the kindest, coolest gestures I'd ever experienced.  Had I been mentally prepared for it, I could have used the opportunity to get drunk.  But my mind was just too blown at that time.  But I've learned my lesson.  Next year Saavan and I start trick-or-treating at noon. 

It's Not "Da Da Da Da Street"

Awesome photo courtesy of Aarav's pops.

As Saavan's vocabulary continues to increase and he starts to put sentences together, he's also becoming far more intelligble to the average human being.  Slowly being phased out of his repertoire are the very babyish words that Neha and I understand, but which befuddle most.  The clearest example : the word "sesame," as in "Sesame Street."  Since his second birthday, we've allowed Saavan to watch a little bit of Sesame Street each day, and he loves it.  (Actually, he loves one specific episode, in which the Count turns over his "counting booth" to Elmo and Abby because the Count needs to attend to an "emergency counting crisis in Minneapolis."  As a sidenote - get your act together, Minneapolis.)  He always asks to watch it, but until very recently, referred to the program as "Da Da Da Da Street."  (I don't know why.)  We always help him with the pronunciation, slowly pronouncing "Ses-ame" so that he can follow along, and finally, a light appears to have gone off, and he now clearly and correctly announces the word.  More than that, he now constantly reminds us that "it's not Da Da Da Da Street.  SESAME Street."  Because he thinks we might forget.

It's good that Saavan is improving his pronunciation, but also a little sad that his baby words are disappearing.  Soon they'll all be replaced with  slang from him and his friends that Neha and I will not possibly be able to comprehend and sentences dripping with sarcasm and disdain.  Good times!  With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to catalog some of Saavan's baby words, lest we forget them in the future and he stops reminding us that it's not "Da Da Da Da Street." 

"Go Bool!" = Go Blue!  (He says this a lot because the University of Michigan is the best)
"Appy" = Airplane
"O-yok" = Yogurt
"Chee tik" = Cheese Stick
"Ah-goo-gah" = Animal Crackers
"Lighigmakey!" = Lightning McQueen (if you don't know, go watch Cars)
"Appy-ca" = Helicopter (that's a tough word, thank you very much.)
"Cadeedaha" = The Cat In The Hat (Saavan's current favorite book)
"New Yolk" - New York (Saavan says this specifically when he wants to watch the "Empire State of Mind" video.  It's one of his favorite songs, all but confirming that we're horrible parents.)

I've now realized that there are far too many of these for me to actually catalog, and there are a ton that I've already forgotten.  Which is terribly depressing, but also a good excuse to stop here. 

In other Saavan-related news, this past week we travelled up to Vermont with Saavan's buddies, Aarav and Kavi, and and also their parents.  The boys all had a great time, and it's awesome to see them interact now that they're getting older and can actually, um, interact.  I mean, check this out:


Video courtesy of Kavi's dad.

Those boys are ring-around-the-rosie pros!
The other great thing about travelling with Aarav and Kavi is that Aarav's dad is a pro photographer, and Kavi's mom is a semi-pro photographer, which means that I can post awesome photos of the trip without having to actually take any.  The picture at the top of this post is one example.  Here are some others:

Chillin' on the swing!

Upon learning that our lakehouse had no internet access.

Kavi maintains his death grip on his buddies in all photos.

Awesome artsy shot that could only have been ruined with dad's presence.

Posted just because it's awesome.

Same reason.

Group photo.  So, um, dudes still roll up their pants like that, right?

There's plenty more photos where thoses came from!  Check them out on Kavi and Aarav's blogs.  (But remember, always read this one first.)

October entry done!  This one's for you, Daddy Chokshi.

This New House...

The Baby Vohra on his last day in his first-ever home.

A few months before Saavan was born, I hypothesized that one of the best indicators that a person had officially graduated from "child" to "adult" was when he or she moved from an apartment into a house.  I made this observation right around the time when we rented our first-ever townhouse.  At that time, boy did I feel old.  Two months ago, we moved out of  that townhouse, and into a single-family home further outside the city.  Now I REALLY feel old.  I also feel kind of sad.  But not because I feel old. (Although maybe also because I feel old.)

Moving out of our townhouse turned out to be a pretty momentous event.  That old townhouse was the house to which we brought Saavan home from the hospital.  It's the house in which all of his amazing early events took place.  It's where we first bathed him, where he rolled over for the first time, where he ate his first solid food (though not nearly enough), and where he started walking and talking.  It's the house in which we could always take him out on to the balcony off of our bedroom to stop him from crying.  It's the house in which he learned to get up and down stairs.  It's the house in which he constantly climbed into the dishwasher and took out all of the utensils (he doesn't do that anymore).  And it's the house in which he spent hours sitting in the kitchen bay window looking down at the street below.  One block away from that house on the left was a park to which Saavan loved to go and watch dudes play basketball.  One block away on the right was a Barnes and Noble, to which Saavan loved to go and play with the Thomas the Train set in the Children's section.  Two doors down from us lived a friendly couple with a big French bulldog named Rex that Saavan loved to see, although when Rex got too close, Saavan would freak out.  (Saavan identifies all random bulldogs we see now as "Rex".)  The location provided him with constant entertainment.  So naturally, that townhouse, which I originally ridiculed for being "rickety," will always have a special place in our hearts.

Saavan and Elmo in their preferred location.

We moved into that townhouse two years ago because we realized that with Saavan on the way, we needed more space.  As it turns out, that's the same reason we moved out.  (Wait, I mean because we need more space.  Neha is not pregnant.)  At 2 years old, Saavan runs around like crazy, and there was only so much room for him in the old place.  That's not a problem anymore.  The new place has plenty of room for Saavan to run around, and although there's no longer a Barnes and Noble within walking distance, there's enough space for Saavan's grantparents to have bought him his own train table. Check it out:

It's almost as good as Barnes & Noble!

When we moved into the old townhouse, I joked that we had officially made the move into suburbia.  I was wrong.  Now we've moved to suburbia.  We're surrounded by single-family homes on all sides, all of which have kids' toys in the front yards and Weber grills in the back.  It's more than a mile to the nearest metro station, and walking to a restaurant or bar is totally out of the question. Know what we can walk to?  Saavan's elementary school.  It's just down the street.  Holy crap.

 This is what suburbia looks like.  On the brightside, there's now plenty of room when Dada and Dadi come to visit!

The new place is pretty great though, and Neha and I have already taken to doing "yard work."  (Saavan has also taken great joy in pulling weeds.  Seriously.)  Saavan may or may not have a crush on the three-year old who lives a few doors down from us.  And while I haven't yet knocked on any of my neighbors' doors to borrow some power tools, I anticipate doing so very soon. 

The new house allows Saavan room to kick back on the front porch with Nanu, cross his legs, and eat a stick of cheese.

Our new place is without a doubt, confirmation that we're all grown up.  Still no minivan!  Though Aarav's parents got one.  I cannot lie.  It is awesome.

 This picture just because.

Manu Mama Discovers Video Dating For Toddlers – Do We Stop It?

Saavan and the author, both wearing dorky hats.

[Ed. note - to provide Saavan with a true glimpse into his life during his toddler years, I have invited guest posts from people Saavan will consider his annoying relatives extended family. Now taking the stage, "Manu Mama," one of Neha's closest childhood friends, and Saavan's go-to resource for any questions regarding hair transplants (Because Manu is a doctor who performs them, not because he's a recipient)]

While Anuj is knee deep in unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, and trying to plug the proverbial hole in the dam that is his bleeding bank account, I have been offered the honor of being the first guest blogger on Baby Vohra. I’m trying not to let it get to my head. [Ed. note - he's technically the second guest blogger, but first since Saavan was born, so it's still pretty major. It's not like YOU'VE written a guest-entry.]

I was lucky enough to be able to coordinate a national Board Exam with Saavu’s 2nd Birthday, and thus have been able to stick by the Manu Mama promise of being there for every one of his janam dins so far. In fact, spending a week with the little man was absolutely the bomb.

I learned much about the strapping young toddler we all know and love over this extended visit of mine. He has, shall we say, extremely discerning tastes in food. A tougher critic on dinner entrees than Tom Colicchio and Padma. There’s apparently only one edible brand of Macaroni & Cheese (and it ain’t Kraft), and cereal is the pinnacle of culinary achievements. Who knew?? He has also confirmed several universal food truths…ice cream is the ultimate cleanser of the palate and cheese can be eaten by the truck full.

You’ve seen his musical side, thanks to his mother’s influence. He loves his sports…football, ”batty-ball” (a name the NBA should seriously consider adopting for the sport), soccer, and swimming, thank’s to his dad and his Har Mama.

But Saavan is finally getting his priorities straight: cars and girls. Saavan “The Man” Vohra is evolving right before our very eyes. He treats us to this preview of his driving skillz while riding in his car seat. Watch for his one-handed steering move at the end of the clip!



Check out Saavan’s first road trip:



Granted, the only chick he tried to pick up was his Mom, but he did make a wicked get-away in reverse…

Saavan has also made strides in making friends in the digital age. It began 6 months ago when I innocently showed a video of Saavan’s first birthday to my friends’ 19-month and 3-year-old little girls in Alabama. This was simply a distraction technique initially, but quickly Anaya and Misha began asking for the video by name: “Saavan’s Birthday”. It began a daily obsession…to the point where denying their request to watch the video would inevitably lead to floods of tears.

So, early in my recent D.C. visit, I showed Saavan a video of Anaya and Misha…the interest was indeed reciprocated. Saavan would not start his day without watching that video the entire week I was there. He refers to the video only by “Anaya”…his now 21-month-old long-distance sweetheart. Watch as young love blossoms… eat your heart out Shaadi.com. [Ed. note - clip is long, but Manu assures you that it is "cute as hell." I agree, but I think all Saavan clips are "cute as hell."]



Note: We did ask that Saavan sing Happy Birthday for Misha’s upcoming 3-year birthday this month, but he wouldn’t leave Anaya out of his ballad….

Only time will tell where their relationship will go, but video chatting may be in their future…

Be careful Saavu…Indian girls are a handful, to say the least. I’m just looking out for you, buddy. Be good, stay strong, and you’ll always be loved.

Manu Mama, signing off.

Holy Crap, Saavan is 2.

Mom and Dad, totally into blowing out the candles.  Saavan, less so.  

In the most recent month in which I did not blog, Saavan turned 2.  This is preposterous.  Doesn't it seem like just yesterday when he was born and covered in goo and flicking us all off?  Yes, yes it does.  Holy crap.  And so we celebrated Saavan's second birthday with a party in a local park on a day in which the temperature hovered near 95 degrees, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and instead of cake, we distributed ice cream and popsicles.  Brilliant!  Fortunately, the park contained a sprayground in which all the kids could run around and stay cool.  All the kids of course, but Saavan, who turned out to be terrified of the water, despite our best efforts to get him in it:

On the bright side, it was a good excuse for Dad to run around in the water. 

Nonetheless, it was an awesome party, and we were lucky that so many of our friends came out to wish Saavan a happy birthday.  We were also lucky that no one melted.  (The popsicles all did.)

 Idli and Sambar (now both 2 years old!) check out the birthday spread.

In the year between Saavan's most recent birthday and his last, he has officially made the transformation from "baby" to "toddler."  (Well maybe not "officially."  I'm not aware of any formal demarcation.)  He has a characteristic little-boy-obsession with trucks and trains, he rides a little car throughout our house like a madman, and he has developed an impressive vocabulary.  Not only does he speak nonstop, he SINGS constantly.  Indeed, after his birthday party, Saavan broke out his greatest hits:

 

So there you have it.  Our baby boy is now less "baby," but he grows more awesome with each passing day.  (I assume the awesomeness begins to taper off around age 12.)  

Happy birthday Saavan.  It's hard to believe you're already 2, but I guess it's true - time flies when you're having fun. 

In Which I Attempt To Downplay Saavan's Little Bit Of Racism.

Tricyclin'

As we approach Saavan's second birthday (crazy), the boy's development is off the charts. He's a talking machine, and with a healthy vocabulary and memory he sings along with songs and reads along with books. He'll finish off song lyrics and sentences, which is pretty awesome. He's also a dancing machine. Don't believe me? Check out the video below, and prepare to have your mind blown at the 22-second mark:



Saavan has a charming personality and is super-friendly, and as a result, has made many new friends in his 23 months of existence. One of Saavan's best buddies is our garbageman, who stops by our place with his awesome garbage truck (Saavan's a HUGE garbage truck fan) every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (what can I say? we have awesome trash collection services). Each morning, Saavan sits in our big kitchen bay window and waits for his buddy, and when the garbageman arrives, Saavan gets all excited. Our garbageman, clearly the friendliest garbageman alive, alives gives Saavan a big two-handed waive in return, and honks the horn to his truck as he pulls away from our place. It's a great routine. And Saavan says "bye garbageman, see you later" (not necessarily that clearly, but he says it). I assume your heart is melting at the adorableness of this whole situation. If not, you're made of stone.

Saavan and Elmo, waiting for their buddy.

As great as this all is, it did lead to a bit of awkwardness a few weeks ago.  Our garbageman is black.  This particular fact would not otherwise be worth mentioning, but it's specifically relevant to this story. Neha and Saavan were returning from a weekend in Ann Arbor (in which we attended Nishi Mausi's college graduation and Saavan got to see President Obama speak!) and were at the airport.  Upon entering the jetway, there was a nice man at the door of the plane collecting carry-on bags to store underneath the plane.  This man also happened to be black.  Upon seeing him, Saavan exclaimed "garbageman!"  Whoops.

Fortunately, the man did not appear to hear what Saavan had said, and Neha was able to downplay it by asking Saavan if he heard a garbage truck outside.  Neha also insists that it's not as bad as it sounds, because the man was wearing an orange vest, and that our garbageman wears an orange vest as well.  Moreover, since then, Saavan has seen plenty of other black people, none of whom he's referred to as "garbagemen."  In light of these facts, and also the fact that Saavan is not yet two years old, I'd say he deserves the benefit of the doubt.  Still, it makes for quite the story. 

The chances that when he's older he'll hate me for writing about this are exceedingly high.  Don't get me wrong buddy!  You're the best!

Here's another video of Saavan gettin' his groove on at Sandeep Uncle's engagement party, and a some pictures from the last month:

Saavan's First Trip To Michigan Stadium.  Also In Attendance That Day: President Obama

Saavan and his Uncle Mike, engaged in a serious staring contest.

 Saavan and his favorite NYC buddy, Anisha.

Next, We'll Teach Him The Names Of All The Cabinet Members.

Still without regular home computer access, I attempt to appease the masses by uploading short video clips:

Technical Difficulties

I know.  I'm shocked too.  I assumed there would be a new entry by now.

So our home computer died, rendering me unable to fulfill my once-every-six-weeks blogging duties.  I feel terrible that I'm no longer documenting Saavan's growth with my pithy commentary, but I promise to return soon.  HP just has to send us a new memory card, which they've assured us is on the way.  In the meantime, feast upon this adorable picture above of Saavan post-Moose Tracks ice cream.  (Thanks to Aarav's dad for the great photo!)

And before signing off, one more photo of Saavan, last weekend on the Mall, taking in the majesty of the Capitol Building, and trying to fight of the massive crowds and pollen influx at the Cherry Blossom festival:

More to come!  Eventually.

Dr. Haircut

With my short, stylish hairdo, I have a tremendous sense of balance!

(Ed. note - last night, my dear friend Palak professed to having nothing but admiration for the "genius" - her word, not mine - of this blog.  GENIUS.  Just wanted to mention that.)

Two weeks ago we took Saavan for his first professional haircut.  (Not to be confused with my amazing head-shaving job last July.)  Immediately afterwards, I joked via a facebook status update that Saavan's reaction to getting his haircut was akin to how I imagined the Guantanamo detainees reacted while being waterboarded.  Of course I'm exagerrating.  I'm sure the Gitmo detainees did a much better job of maintaining their composure. 

Needless to say, the haircut did not go well.  We went to the mall near our house with the intention of taking Saavan to a kids' barber shop called "Cartoon Cuts."  Unfortunately and unbeknownest to us, Cartoon Cuts had recently closed, and thus we were forced to take Saavan to a quasi-salon in the mall taking in all the Cartoon Cuts refugees.  Though there were plenty of children there, the stylists weren't happy about it, and neither were most of the kids.  When it was Saavan's turn, he was immediately freaked out, and we tried to calm him down by having him sit in Neha's lap.  When that didn't work, I tried to hold and pacify him - while he was still in Neha's lap - to no avail.  Saavan was a constantly ball of squirming and screaming and sheer, unadulterated terror.  (I had taken our fancy camera and everything to document the momentous first haircut, but given the horror of the situation, pictures were out of the queestion.)  The stylist, who was far more patient than I would have been in her position, would repeatedly look at me and explain that she couldn't cut his hair while he was squirming like this.  Like I had any power over the boy.

Somehow, miraculously, Saavan's hair was cut, and this was the result:

Yes the photo is crappy and blurry, but we were all shaken by haircutting experience.

Though Saavan is smiling in the photo photo, I can't help but think he looks a little like Calvin, when Calvin's mom combed his hair for class photos:

The resemblance may be a stretch, but you'll never get me to apologize for including a gratuitous Calvin & Hobbes reference.

When it was all over, Saavan's haircut cost us $12.  I made the mistake of feigning shock at how expensive it turned out to be.  Though Saavan's stylist didn't stab me in the neck with her scissors, she clearly wanted to.  Which was understandable.  

Post-haircut train ride with mommy!

In news unrelated to Saavan's sweet new do, I have been making good use of our adorable new Flip camera.  Which means I can shun prose in favor of video clips.  Check out Saavan riding his stuffed elephant!

Now check him out watching the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies!  (We try not to let him watch television, but we made an exception for the wholesome, family-friend Olympics.)  I love how, in this video, Saavan watches and tries to comprehend and get into it, then offers some half-heartedly clapping and dancing, and then ultimately loses interest and goes to find a book.  That was pretty much my reaction to the Olympics too.  

Bang!  Another new blog post! 

In Which I Write About the Weather

Man if it gets any colder and snowier I'm going to have to slice open a Tauntaun.  

This past week, the Washington D.C. - area was hit by the Snopocalypse (a.k.a. "Snomageddon," "SnOMG," and "The Snotorious B.I.G."), the biggest blizzard to hit the region in over 100 years. I'm not one for hyperbole (not true), but it was the craziest snowstorm anywhere ever in the history of the world. (True.) Fortunately, the residents of our nation's capital reacted to the storm in a sane, rational manner. The Snopocalypse crippled the city such that the Federal government shut down for four full days while the city futilely attempted to dig itself out of the mayhem. As of today, one week after the first snowfall touched down, it still hasn't.

Family portrait on the planet Hoth.  (Multiple "Empire Strikes Back" references appropriate given extreme weather conditions.)

I tell you all this mostly for posterity - this was the biggest snowstorm I've ever seen, and if history is any guide, one that Saavan likely won't see again for a long long time. Given that I will force him to read each and every one of these entries (and to laugh at all the appropriate places) when he gets older, I thought he would appreciate me taking note. And posting all the pictures that I have.

Survivors in the aftermath of the Snopocalypse.

Damn you Snopocalypse!

The Snopocalypse also afforded all of us who lived through it an amazing opportunity: to stupidly put "Sno" in front of a variety of words when discussing the storm. It's snotally awesome. And in that vein, I'll take this opportunity to correct a glaring snomission in my last blog post.

Idli and Sambar partake in some healthy eating.

In my last entry, I noted that a few weekends ago was the first time I'd spent an extended period alone with Saavan, with Neha there to provide both physical and moral support.  And while I noted the variety of activities in which we partook to survive the weekend, I someone managed to forget to mention the invaluable assistance Saajan and his parents, A.C. and Sejal, provided.  They opened their home to me so that Saavan had someone to play with (remember, together Saajan and Saavan form the superduo "Idli and Sambar"), and  so that I had adults with whom to converse, and a seemingly unlimited amount of beer to imbibe.  On both Saturday and Sunday I was able to take Saavan to hang out with Saajan, and had I not done so, both mine and Saavan's heads may have exploded.  (Indeed, when the Snopocalypse shut down both my work and Saavan's daycare for a week, I invited myself over to A.C. and Sejal's on multiple occasions to help past them time.)   Check out Saajan and Saavan breaking it down to "Ring Around the Rosie."

Ignore the voice in the background singing.  It's A.C.


Saajan and his folks are the best.  Notwithstanding the fact that they're Texas football fans.

In Which I Realize I Need To Get a Blog Post Up Before The End Of January.

You left me alone with daddy for the weekend?  Don't you love me?

We don't really keep track of Saavan's monthly birthdays anymore (although he still say he's so many months old when people ask his age), but yesterday he turned 19-months old.  The "birthday" was significant not because of his age (although his second birthday is right around the corner; jesus), but because for the first time since he was born, I was home alone with him for the weekend.  I don't know why I hadn't spent an extended period of time on my own with Saavan until now (presumably Neha thinks I'm going to break him).  Don't get me wrong - I had been home alone with Saavan plenty of times: fed him on my own, bathed him, put him to bed, all without any real problem.  But never for two and a half full days.  I'm not going to lie - I was a little intimidated.  Especially because over the last month or so, Saavan had been particularly attached to Neha.  On a few days recently when I've picked him up from day care, he's seen me walk through the door and has rolled his eyes to indicate that his horrible disappointment that it was ME who came to get him.  And then he breaks out into a crazy tantrum and then I freak out and drive home as quickly as possible so that I can hand him off to Neha.  So I was nervous because I would be unable to hand him off to her this weekend.

Fortunately, the weekend went off without a hitch.  Saavan appeared to recognize my fear, and was therefore on his best behavior.  He's very kind-hearted that way.  And given all our time together, we developed a special bond.  We went to soccer, the park, Barnes & Noble to play with the Thomas the Train Set, and on Sunday, to Hooters to watch football.  All but one of those things are true.  I also learned a great parenting technique for all you new dads out there: "Moonshadow" by Yusef Islam (nee Cat Stevens) is the perfect song to calm a shrieky baby.  And it's an awesome song to boot.  You can thank me later. 

All in all the weekend with Saavan and I was fantastic, but for the fact that I forgot to change his diaper Sunday afternoon after his nap, and um, there was "leakage."  Upon seeing this, Neha immediately downgraded my performance from an "A" to a "B."  Dammit!

This adorable picture of Saavan chilling in the refrigerator (ha!) serves as a segue into the awesome but unrelated story below.

Did you hear the one about when Neha overslept and gave me a heart attack?  Let me explain.  Saavan's day care is in Arlington.  Because 1) I work in downtown Washington D.C. and 2) Neha works in Arlington and 3) Neha drives to work in our one car, Neha is generally responsible for dropping off and picking him up from day care.  (Sometimes I'll pick up and drop off, but it requires me driving into work and leaving super early to be able to pick Saavan up in time at the end of the day.)  Saav's day care closes at 6, and Neha usually picks him up right around then.

Last Friday I got a call at my office from the day care center at 6:30 p.m.  The center was calling because Saavan had not yet been picked up.  This immediately freaked me out.  Neha sometimes picks Saavan up a little after 6, but she had never been half an hour late, and if ever there is an issue that will prevent her from making it on time, she calls me to coordinate.  I called Neha, but she wasn't picking up her cell phone (this wasn't surprising - her phone is never charged, and even when it is, she rarely picks it up).  Not to get too dramatic here, but there weren't a ton of explanations for why she hadn't picked Saavan up yet.  Either 1) she was sleeping somewhere or 2) her head had fallen off.

To make matters worse, I had forgotten to charge my cell phone the night before, so I didn't have anyone's phone number.  Meaning I could neither 1) ask someone to go to the day care and get Saavan nor 2) go check on Neha at home.  Because I'm a man of action, I leapt from my desk and sprinted out the door.  I got on the elevator to go catch a cab out to the burbs.  Upon reaching the lobby, I realized I had no cash and had to run back upstairs to the ATM in our building, and it's accompanying $4 surcharge (it was a price I was willing to pay).  Then I ran two blocks down the street, was able to hail a cab (harder than you think) and told the driver it was an emergency and that he had to get me to Arlington as fast as possible.  Just look in the movies!  Unfortunately he looked at me like I was retarded, and explained that we were in downtown DC during rush hour and we weren't going anywhere.  Certainly not "quickly."  Still panicking point and still unable to get in touch with Neha, she finally called.  Surprise surprise, she had laid down for a nap and overslept, and was on her way to pick up the Saav-man.  ARGH!  Obviously, I was relieved that she was fine, but super mad about the fiasco.  Also because our evil day care center charged us a $50 late pickup fee.  Dammit!

Saavan deciding whether he's digging the snow.  He ultimately decided that he wasn't.

Because it's been a while since the last blog entry, I thought I should catch up my readers on the goings on over the last month.  As you can see from the picture above, at the end of 2009, Saavan enjoyed his first blizzard.  And by "enjoyed," I mean, "hated every minute of it."  He was not a happy camper, and it didn't help that I kept putting him back in the snow because I thought it was ADORABLE.  (It really was though.  I mean, look at him.)

Over the past month we celebrated Christmas.  And by "celebrated" I mean "missed a flight to Austin to hang out with Neha's family."  We did end up making it down to Texas two days later, and Saavan got to meet tons of new family, including his two favorite people of the weekend, Anjana Didi and Nitai Bhaiya:

Despite the face here, these were his favorite two people.

Christmas also means that I was able to buy myself a new gift: a tiny video camera!  Which means I can put up videos instead in lieu of text!  (Please note that I took our video camera on our vacation to Marco Island, Florida with Aarav, Kavi, and their respective parents, but I ruined the videos because I didn't know how to work the camera.)  But below find photographic confirmation that the trip was a blast:

Patron is the recommended tequila of "Parenting" magazine.

You can find great photos of our trip to Marco Island here and here.

And now the promised videos!

Saavan playing soccer (please ignore annoying commentary in the background):



Saavan babbling, and then reppin' the University of Michigan (watch until the end):


Blog entry complete!