Saturday, August 21, 2010

"Ta.......Ttt.....Ta......"




Around here, kitty-cat is pronounced "Tttt" or "Ta," depending on the occasion.

Here's Ronin enjoying the objects of his deepest affection. Pictured are Clyde, our grumpy tabby who's remarkably patient with Ronin, and January, our beloved foster cat who is the BEST CAT EVER and who really should stay with us forever as a result.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Ronin the one-year-old


Ronin seems to like movement and checking out the way things work.

He's totally into opening and closing doors and jars and containers.

Putting things in, taking them out, putting them in, putting on a top, and shaking the whole thing around in glee.

He's also always on the go.

He doesn't sit still, not even to eat. You can't read books to him now cause he's got no time for sitting if he could be exploring. He has to have an object in each hand, he needs to be investigating each one, and he has to be moving his legs and torso as well, so diaper changes and car rides are...invigorating.

He's obsessed with the 'gravitron' game at the local children's museum. The game's all about tubes and joints and gears and cranking balls up to watch them come down over and over again. It's a game for older kids, and he likes older kids, and he really likes gravity and watching things fall, so it's just his style.

It's one of the only times when he's relatively still. He staggers about holding a ball in each hand with mouth agape and his eyes bright with wonder and he watches the kids crank the balls up to come tumbling down over and over again.

The older kids say, "What's wrong with you, Baby? Why are you just standing there, Baby? Why are you holding two balls? I need those balls. Give them to me, Baby."

And happily (for now), he does, he surrenders the balls with no issue and watches them become part of the game and goes in search of two more bright balls to hold.

At home, he stands at the edge of our porch and tosses his toys off very carefully. I don't worry that he'll fall off himself. He's quite aware that the toys are making a leap that wouldn't be comfortable for him.

Instead, he slowly turns and feels his way down the porch steps with his feet, inching down till his toes touch the ground, and then he's off and running in the yard.

He has practically all of his teeth. At least four molars are in and canines are cutting, too, and he has his full front rack, top and bottom, with a little gap in front, just like his dad.

He's also strangely buff. I need to post a new photo of this guy (above is from March). He's got biceps and deltoids and lats all rippling under his skin. It's wild.

His only babylike attributes are bowlegs and a Buddha belly. Oh, and he speaks Baby, for sure, and he's still in diapes. Other than that, he continues to look like a slightly balding but wildly handsome middle aged man. Hmmm, sound like anyone else I know? ;)


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Happy Birthday, Attayya!


Happy birthday, Attayya!

This picture is old as the hills, but it's the one that's in Vasu's office; it's one of his very favorites of Ronin.

It pretty well describes the experience of playing with him every minute of the day!

Happy birthday, Asha! Big kisses from Mr. Ronin to his aunt and all the rest of his family in India.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Weaned! Walking! Molars! One!

One has turned out to be a big milestone for Ronin.

He started walking, then he started cutting molars, and now he's weaned. I keep trying to see if he wants to nurse and he's just got no interest whatsoever. It happened from one day to the next. He was a happy nurser on a Friday, and on Saturday, he'd decided no thanks. No thanks, ever again. Rather shocking.

My mom told me that's the thing about raising kids. You do one thing over and over and it feels like you'll do it forever. Nursing. Going to the orthodontist. And then one day, it stops, and you never do it again. We got our braces off and mom never saw Dr. Schonberg again.

If we have another, I'll nurse again, God willing. But for now I'm very, very happily putting away my nursing bras and gowns, packing them into a big bag to give to my friend Tiffany, whose boy will join the world this September.

It's funny, because I had just gone out and bought myself a new round of sturdy, supportive size D bras. Alas! I will be able to stuff them with socks and be Dolly Parton, or Nursing Caroline, for Halloween.

Oh, and apologies that this blog remains photo-less. The camera is somewhere....somewhere....it's somewhere around the house. I'll find it and photograph our little adult one year old soon.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Walking and such


I'd feel like the world's worst mom if I didn't mention that Ronin's walking!

He started a few days ago...maybe a week ago....not sure. Every day, he walks more and more and more. He's crossing the room now, and Vasu and I are realizing that we need to enjoy the adorable crawling as long as we can, as it's on its way out.

This is not a picture of his walking, nor is it a video, because I don't think we have one yet. We moved last week into our new abode and everything is packed away, and the walking's not really even newsworthy anymore...it just crept up on us and now here it is.

But he's standing here, and he's admiring a kitty on the other side of the door, and that's pretty cute, so it'll suffice.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A month goes by in the blink of an eye



Here Ronin is, enjoying the beautiful animal books that his aunt Kelly and cousins sent him from Atlanta for his first birthday.



Here, he's with his grandfather, learning about playing the tablas...



And eating some birthday cake...



And a birthday apple.



Happy birth-month, sweet Ronin. A thousand kisses to you and to all of the wonderful people and beings surrounding you.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Curfew update

So here's the post-script to the prior posting:

Ronin woke up at 5:30 a.m., shortly after Bagheera started his morning meowing.

Now it's 7:30 and R is starting to yawn for his morning nap...before we've even made it out the door to the farmer's market.

Ah, parenthood, thou art a master teacher of flexibility and patience!