You can bring a horse some water, but. . .

Kieran's love for horses continues. He hasn't stopped saying "neigh"since the moment he heard it. We bought him this rocking horse prior to the adoption. One day we decided to check out a well known antique market nearby. We've never looked at antiques before or since that day but when we saw this horse, we just knew it was something we wanted to have. It came from India and the carvings in the wood are really nicely done. I despise plastic toys so it was a great way to have a large toy for Kieran that we loved to look at. We are so grateful that Kieran appreciates it too - even if it isn't for the same reasons.

Kieran finally acknowledges that not all animals say neigh. Trust me - that took a while. However, he remains on a vigilant watch for any sign of a horse no matter where we are.

Here he is giving his horse some water. Too bad, his thirsty puppy was also waiting for that bowl of water.

And that will be enough water for the horse. . . I guess Kieran will drink the rest.

Oh yes we did

What an emotional but wonderful day it has been. Though I lost my voice making 150 or so calls yesterday to get people to the polls, I can't think of any cause more worth it. I volunteered for several days and did some canvassing but I always end up thinking that I should have started earlier. Obama didn't carry Georgia but I guess we knew that was unlikely.

How refreshing it will be to have someone who is intellectually curious and who is concerned with facts. I know that the most important quality that George W lacked is one thing I think Obama excels at - LISTENING! George W always said he didn't get caught up in the facts (a sentiment echoed by McCain with his selection of Palin.)

What I admire about Obama is that he is decisive but open minded. Bill Clinton said that when dealing with the recent economic crisis, Obama consulted several financial experts. He asked them to tell him what was the right thing to do. Selling the idea to others would come later. I'll bet that George W never said anything like that. Bye Bye Bush.

YES WE CAN

I've been a little preoccupied with the election lately. While politics may seem to be off topic, it has been such a significant part of our lives for the past 8 years that we couldn't exclude it from any journal of our lives. Kieran will grow up knowing that his parents wanted the best for him and that must include creating an environment where he is safe, educated and open minded.

When we adopted Kieran, it was with the hope and intention that we'd be able to provide a great life for him. George W has tied our hands in many ways and we feel compelled to do what we can to make things better. What George W has done to this country is beyond heartbreaking.

Our unwavering support for Barack Obama stems from our desire for Kieran to see that consistently working hard and taking the high road really can pay off. George W inspired those who didn't work hard, didn't try to do what was right and didn't accept responsibility for their mistakes. Barack Obama provides the hope that we can get through the mess George W left us. Better days are ahead. . . IF we all start making better decisions. In my opinion, voting for Barack is a step in the right direction.

Pumpkins and Ponies

We just returned from a trip to Long Island to visit my parents. Santosh is working in Boston during the week and made it down to LI to visit us for the weekend. My mom planned a visit to White Post Farms for us all. Kieran had a great time. He enjoyed the moon bounces, the pumpkin patch, the slides and the petting zoo. However, the real reason we went was so that Kieran could see and ride a pony. Kieran is really fascinated by horses. A few months ago we taught him that horses say neigh. He hasn't stopped saying it since. He loves to wear horses on his clothes and one day when he had a plain shirt on and I had a little Ralph Lauren horse, he pointed at it and said, "neigh" and then looked at his shirt. I told him he didn't have a "neigh" on his shirt today and he started to cry! A few days later, Ralph Lauren had a huge sale and we are stocked up on "neighs" for the winter.

For a while Kieran also insisted every animal said neigh. Now he has admitted that cows, ducks, pigs and lions do not all say neigh and is back to reserving this just for horses (and anything that looks like a horse - so for now a zebra or pony have to be "neighs" too.) Strangely, Kieran has no interest in saying the word dog. He loves Durban but has no interest in calling him by his name. Durban doesn't bark much either so I think telling him that dogs say "woof woof" seems like a lie since his dog certainly does not. I really expected Kieran to fall in love with dogs since he has such a wonderful best friend in Durban. How many dogs will lie still so you can climb on them to reach what you need? So for now, Kieran's favorite "pet" is his rocking horse.

The words are coming. . and are accompanied by a touch of attitude!

Kieran's never been much of a talker. His sign language has always been fabulous, however. He easily signs things such as milk, more, eat, grapes, eggs, rice, cookie, book, shoes, dog, love, swing, diaper, bath, and several other words I'm not thinking of right now. He's always been very excited to learn new signs and loves that it often gets him what he wants.

"Mamma" came quickly, "dadda" did too but has been replaced with Ba for some reason. If I say, "Daddy's home" Kieran runs to the stairs, peers over and yells, "BA!!!" So it seems he really does know who daddy or dadda is but simply prefers to call him Ba.


Kieran said "uh oh" a long time ago but it never reappeared until a week ago. Now he says it every time something falls - even when he throws it. It's as if he gets it that we don't scold him for accidents (or 'uh ohs'.)

Sometime in July, Kieran developed a fascination with bubbles. We bought several bubble making toys and one day he just said it without prompting and hasn't stopped. He followed that up with "dirty" from a Dr. Seuss book on opposites. No interest in the word "clean" unfortunately. This is strange since he is very picky about the cleanliness of his home and often points out where I need to vacuum or where he or Durban have left a mess.

The video attached is from early August.

I was trying to get Kieran to speak on camera but was having no luck. I expected so much enthusiasm from him at the sound of the word bubbles and the reaction couldn't have been further from that. This is the first time he's said "NO" and it was in such a sarcastic and dismissive way that I couldn't help but laugh at him. It's as if you can tell he's rolling his eyes at me too.

Natural History Museum

Here are some photos taken at the Natural History Museum here in Atlanta. They had a great exhibit on Antarctica and there were lots of fun activities for kids. We couldn't resist dressing Kieran in the Penguin costume.

Memorial Day Weekend at Jekyll Island Resort

We had a wonderful weekend at Jekyll Island. Our friends Stacey and Matt were married at the Jekyll Island Club and it was really gorgeous. We hadn't seen Santosh's friends from Business School in a long time so we really had a great weekend. Though highly unusual for us - there were really no glitches along the way for this trip. Kieran even slept most on the way there and there was no traffic. We haven't seen a lot of the rural areas of Georgia either and our route was primarily on local roads. I'm shocked by the number of people who park in the middle of their front lawns. I've never seen that before. By the way, Pinetucky, Georgia is exactly what you'd expect it to be just hearing the name.

This was the first time we left Kieran with a babysitter and went out. It was a bit tough on him since he seems to be a little clingy these days. I think he was probably ok a few minutes after we were gone. Luckily our room was at the hotel where the reception was held so we were able to take him to the cocktail hour. Of course Kieran used this opportunity to beg for food so it probably looked like we've never fed him. I'm sure the caterers didn't account for a 17 month old eating 3 pieces of quiche by himself.

Since Kieran is an old pro at the beach, he was excited to play in the sand and get in the water. Never one to reinvent the wheel, he opted to "remodel" another child's sandcastle rather than constructing his own. Luckily that child had left already. It was his own Extreme Sandcastle Makeover but this version only focused on demolition.

We bought Kieran a little inflatable boat for the pool that was a lot more difficult to inflate than we had anticipated. He definitely enjoyed it though because it made him feel very independent

If only he did windows too

Woo Hoo - the neat freak tendencies are showing up more and more often these days. I found a way to modify the Swiffer so it is the perfect size for Kieran. Of course he stops playing with it as soon as I attach the cloth. So last time I posted, I think I was still frustrated that Kieran seemed to think that his toothbrush should be stored brush side down into the diaper genie. Well, he's continued to work on his sense of humor.

A few weeks ago, Kieran was trying to be helpful and he put a bag of small potatoes in my enormous purse when i put it down to pay for the groceries. He loves to rearrange whatever I put in the shopping cart. I was busy that day and the purse was already full so I didn't see them until I had finished running errands. So imagine me holding Kieran (by the end of any shopping trip - he's jumping out of the cart), I'm pushing the full shopping cart (oh and since I don't have time to work out - I park at the last spot and grocery store and push the cart uphill) and I'm carrying the purse of potatoes. He couldn't have put the cilantro in there? Not this kid.

Kieran at play

Here are some photos of Kieran at a local playground. They have lots of toys there so the kids love to go try out new stuff. Of course when we go out to buy the toy he was in love with at the playground - he wants nothing to do with it. Of course as a germaphobe, it's tough to watch him touching all these toys that have never been cleaned.

Kieran really loves the swing - the higher the better.





It's amazing that I was able to photograph Kieran in the car. As soon as I placed him inside, he tried to escape by crawling out on the other side (and since the door is not on that side - he tried to get squeeze through the window!)

Our little worker bee

So Santosh is away and didn't get a chance to hand over the photos from our trip! Someday I will post photos of our trip. Long after anyone is interested in them (including me.)
He was actually busy baby proofing this weekend. We had to put locks on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. In the kitchen, Kieran was constantly grabbing empty baby bottles and trying to drink them. It was so sad to see him trying to find milk in all those empty bottles. But of course we didn't want him getting into toxic chemicals in other cabinets.

It wasn't entirely driven by my own need to avoid feeling guilty that Kieran can't have milk all day. The bathroom locks were primarily necessary to prevent Kieran from stealing things from our drawers and putting them inside shoes. We have a lot of shoes and figuring out which lucky pair of loafers was hiding my much needed under eye concealer that day was getting tiring.

Here is Kieran trying to UNbabyproof.

While Kieran continues to refine his trouble making skills, he does seem interested in tidying up every once in a while. From what I've read, parents are supposed to encourage their kids to explore their interests and when they find something they like, practice makes perfect.

Hmm. . . bad outfit choice I think - it kind of looks like a mini janitor's uniform in this photo.

He's a Frat Boy already

"He is such a boy." We hear this all the time. Whether Kieran is burping at a restaurant while flirting with the waitress or giggling while he's passing gas as the babysitter holds him, this kid already has a lock on frat boy behavior.

Perhaps I'm just delusional about little girls, but they seem so much more refined even at such a young age. The other day, we caught Kieran sharing his toothbrush with Durban. Both of them just love to brush so it's tough to keep them from stealing the other's toothbrush. That was the end of that toothbrush. Then the next toothbrush went missing. Hmm. . . I looked in his usual hiding spot - inside Santosh's left Timberland shoe. I found a lipstick of mine but no toothbrush. I moved on to Kieran's second favorite hiding spot - the trash. Nothing. Later in the day, I noticed the diaper genie lid was open. When I went to close it, I saw the toothbrush planted firmly inside. It's as if he had the forethought to leave a little of the handle showing so he'd get full credit.

Back in February, we found Kieran walking around as he tried to drink from an empty lemonade carton. I swear males are born this way. I'm beginning to see the nature vs nurture debate a little differently. I know I didn't teach him these things! (As for Santosh, however, I still suspect he's egging Kieran on when I'm not looking.)

I work so hard to raise a compulsive neat freak;)

I get very excited when I see even the slightest hint that Kieran might be showing signs of neat freak behavior. He has to know I'm not impressed by this behavior in the photos.

What's going on at home these days

Well I still don't have access to all my photos from our trip. Once Santosh hands them over, I can post those. I also have to update the videos on here.

Kieran's been sick the past 2 weeks. He's had severe allergic reactions and we've been to the ER and the allergist with no luck. I'm obsessed with switching all cleaning products and keeping a food diary so hopefully we'll figure it out soon.

Poor little guy really loved his milk but it had to go for a while until we figure out what is causing him to get hundreds of hives and for his face to swell. Unfortunately, I taught him some sign language and he will not stop requesting the milk. He pumps his hand at me all day and even at strangers. I guess he thinks maybe they'll figure it out and help him.

Eventually, I think he's going to get carpal tunnel syndrome from doing this sign over and over. He's also really into the sign for bath. It should look like you were washing the sides of your stomach. Kieran's version is more like a modified chicken dance (and as with all of his dances, his feet never move - it's all about the upper body.) It's too cute to correct - especially since he giggles every time he does it or even when he sees the bathtub and wants to get in.

No new dance moves in his repertoire yet but his initial choreography was so impressive that we still enjoy watching him. I have to post some video. He's got some moves that resemble driving a car, the twist, the Wiggles Emu dance and of course everyone's favorite - the 2 second nap he takes in the middle of the song (he just lays down very fast and then jumps up again.)

He takes no requests and while he loves us to imitate him, he is smart enough to know that Santosh and I are not the ones he should be getting dance tips from. So he continues to choreograph his own routines. In South Africa, he enjoyed watching the video of him dancing and even did exactly the same routine 'live' while we watched the video.

His other areas of interest these days include imitating Durban when he digs through the dirt, picking up spiders and bugs, grabbing Durban's puffy tail and his favorite - exploring everyone's nostrils. Today we went into a shop and the owner's dog was under the counter. Kieran bent down and immediately stuck his finger as far into the dog's nose as he could. We've stopped asking, "Kieran, where is your nose?" in public because he'd just stick his finger as far up his own nose as he could and wait for everyone's reaction.

Kieran at the Beach in Durban

Hysterical Bumper Stickers

Some of my favorites. I have to laugh about the mess we are in sometimes or I'll go crazy.

1. They Call Him "W" So He Can Spell It
2. We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
3. Bush, Like a Rock - Only Dumber
4. That's OK, I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
5. Let's Fix Democracy in this Country First
6. If You Can Read This, You're Not Our President
7. Hey, Bush Supporters: Embarrassed Yet?
8. George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight
9. America: One Nation, Under Surveillance
10. Bush: the End of an Error
11. Jail to the Chief
12. Bush: God's Way of Proving Intelligent Design is Full of Crap
13. Bush Doesn't Care About White People, Either
14. When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46
15. Pray For Impeachment
16. What Part of "Bush Lied" Don't You Understand?
17. One Nation Under Clod
18. 2004: Embarrassed. 2005: Horrified. 2006: Terrified
19. Bush Never Exhaled
20. At Least Nixon Resigned
21. My child is an honor student. My President is a Moron
22. George Bush: Not a Crackhead anymore

Back from the ER and it wasn't for Kieran

Well, Kieran and I are supposed to be back in Atlanta but yesterday was a tough day to say the least.

I ended up tripping on one of the large suitcases while carrying it down the stairs. I knew something was wrong when I absolutely could not get up. My mom finished packing the car in a hurry and I planned to try to get to the airport and ice the ankle on the way. I was debating whether I should go to the hospital in NY or wait until I got to Atlanta since my ticket was non refundable.

Fifteen minutes into the trip, we realized we had a flat tire so there was my answer. We then found out that we were on a State Parkway and AAA doesn't service breakdowns or flat tires on a State road - who knew? It just wasn't my day.

So we finally made it to the emergency room. Of course I had no proof of insurance since Santosh started a new job the day prior and I didn't have a card with me. Luckily everyone at the hospital was very nice and luckily it was only a bad sprain.

So now I'm resting back on Long Island waiting for the ankle to heal before I head back to Atlanta and our home with 6 staircases. Right now it's blue. I guess when it turns a lovely shade of purple, I'll know I'm closer to being healed. Right now it's too swollen to wear shoes or do too much.

Kieran has been strangely cooperative. It's been very odd. He's still running around but the worst thing he did was steal chocolate. Usually, he's trying to chew on electrical wires or something that really scares me.

We'll attempt another flight on Saturday.

Since I have to elevate my foot, I'll hopefully have more time to write about our trip tomorrow.

Can you spot what's wrong with this picture?

At first glance, it may seem like a photo of Kieran and I that was taken 11 hours into a 13 hour flight home from Dubai. You may wonder why I didn't spruce myself up at all? Well, Santosh just couldn't take it anymore. He was so disturbed by the covered BODIES behind us that he had to have a photo of it.

At one point in the flight, we got out of our seats and most of the people behind us had the airline blankets completely wrapped around their heads and bodies. It looked like we were transporting dead bodies back home.

We asked the flight attendant about this and she assured us they were alive - or at least they were alive when they boarded the plane.

These two people who are covered were like that most of the flight.

He'll grow out of . . . .being Asian?

While it is pretty uncommon for us to get any unkind comments, we obviously get a lot of strange looks from people who see the three of us together. Sometimes people look at Santosh, look at me, peer into the stroller and their eyes bug out when they see that it's a Vietnamese baby in the stroller. In the US, everyone seems to look away immediately or say something such as, "I assume he is adopted."

However, in Dubai and South Africa, we noticed that people often assume Kieran is our biological child and therefore assume he is some freak of nature.

One person has stepped out ahead as the front runner in terms of ridiculous comments. Yes - even better than those who have asked us if we will tell Kieran he is adopted. Even better than those who really seem to believe us when we say, "Yeah so who knew that when an Irish Italian girl from Long Island and an Indian guy from South Africa would have a baby, he turns out Vietnamese." Too many people seem to be trying to think that through and it isn't as enjoyable when they don't get the joke.

While flying from Johannesburg to Dubai, an Indian man came up to Santosh and Kieran while they were walking around the plane. The Indian man took Santosh aside and said (in a reassuring tone,) "Listen, don't worry about this. Our son also looked Asian when he was born and they grow out of it!!" 'They' refers to some Indian babies who are born with some subtle Asian features I assume. I know that's possible but Kieran is so clearly Vietnamese that it's hysterical that someone thinks it might just be something he might only be temporarily.

If there are any parents out there of Vietnamese kids who somehow "outgrew" their Asian-ness - please let me know!

We're Back. . .

Well it's been a while since I've posted. I've had a long list of excuses but my computer died and we kept thinking we'd be able to rescue it. We've now given up. We went from four computers to one in a matter of 2 weeks. Also, my connection speed while in Dubai and South Africa didn't even permit emailing photos so uploading was a lesson in frustration. I've also struggled with where to pick up since so much has happened and I feel like I need to recap. I think I might be better doing that periodically. It's too overwhelming a task.

So, that said - we are now back from our trip to Dubai and South Africa. It was a busy month but we all had a wonderful time.

We start every trip from JFK so that required Kieran and I to fly from Atlanta to JFK and for Santosh to drive Durban from Atlanta to my parent's home in NY. Durban just loves the car but Kieran hates it. Seventeen hours of Kieran howling would not make for a pleasant drive so Santosh happily drops us off at the airport and has a peaceful journey with Durban as he looks out the window the entire trip.

Well, South Africa was fun and all went well. I will post more on that later. We had a professional photographer meet us all in the park in Durban one day (Santosh hometown and obviously the inspiration for naming our Wheaten Terrier.) We are just combing through those photos and I will post soon.

Dubai was definitely not what we expected. First of all, we were excited to see Dubai since Santosh had the option of going there for work for a few months and we had wondered if that was the right decision not to go. Though Santosh and I are pretty adventurous and would live almost anywhere - Dubai was not the place for us. It is not nearly as exciting as the travel brochures claim.

We did have a lot of fun and because there was so little to see in Dubai, we were able to laugh at how ridiculous it all was. We were lost most of the time. Somehow I always seem to figure out street signs and menus when abroad. Well, I guess I was more accustomed to romance languages. Arabic squiggles are neither intuitive nor easy to decipher while driving 120 km an hour. I'm posting some photos now and will come back tonight to post the details of our trip. Kieran is calling. . . .

The only 7 star hotel in the world. In case you are wondering, we didn't stay here. We were at the Sheraton in Downtown Dubai.

The gold souks were on the other side of the creek calling me to come visit. So close but we never made it.

This last photo was from the Mall of Emerites that houses not just the Gap and Saks Fifth Avenue but both a Dunkin donuts and Kripsy Kreme (nothing like going halfway around the world only to find the places that are right around the corner) but it happens to have an indoor ski slope. It was rather impressive. Then again, there's nothing much to see in Dubai so I was easily impressed.