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Home for the 2019 Holidays

written by Parita Leave a Comment

It’s not too late to talk about our time in Atlanta, right? I hope not because I’m doing it!

So, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, we spent the days leading up to Christmas and a few days after in Atlanta. And if I’m being honest, this was one of my favorite trips home since Kaiden was born. HE was just the best – fun, playful, and just so damn cute! Even my mom agreed that this trip was fun because he was in a good mood 99% of the time.

So K and I flew down to Atlanta the Friday before Christmas. The flight was ok, as in Kaiden didn’t nap but he was fine (just a little seat kicking, but I’ll take that over a meltdown/tantrum). My parents picked us up from the airport. It took us almost 2 hours to get home! Atlanta traffic is no joke!

Our days at my parents’ house were filled with no real schedule but lots of good food, lots of playtime, and lots of fun! I was also able to squeeze in a couple of friend dates – dinner with some of my close college girlfriends and coffee with one of my besties!

We also squeezed in a visit with Santa at the mall. Get this, it was the same Santa as last year! Also, when asked what he wanted for Christmas this year, Kaiden said ‘yogurt.’ HAHA! Where do they come up with this stuff?!

We left my parents’ house on Christmas Eve and made our way over to Vishnu’s parents’ house. He actually arrived late in the evening that day, so Kaiden and I got a few hours with his parents until then.

We celebrated Christmas at Vishnu’s brother’s and fiance’s place, Niel and Neelam, with my parents, my in laws, and the majority of Neelam’s family. We ate some delicious home cooked food and sang karaoke. It was a blast!

The rest of our days were spent hanging out around the house and eating more yummy food!

I attended a cookie exchange party at my best friend Roshni’s house one night. So much fun! I made The Table of Spice’s eggless chocolate chip cookies. This is what dreams are made out of, people!

The next morning, we headed back out with K in tow to visit with Alina, Roshni’s baby girl! She was born back in September, but I hadn’t had the chance to hang with her yet! She’s just THE cutest!

And that pretty much wraps up our trip home at a high level! I’m so glad I had another week before work started back up because I definitely needed a vacation from our vacation!

And now we’re days into 2020! How did that happen? Let’s make it a great one!

How did you spend your holidays?

Written on January 8, 2020 Related:Family, Friends, Holiday, home, Uncategorized

Time at Home + Q&A with Ba and Dada

written by Parita 2 Comments

We are back in Chicago after a fun week in Atlanta where we spent time with my parents, my grandparents, my in-laws, and my brother-in-law and his girlfriend.  We also got to squeeze in a little friend time here and there.

We also attended my best friend’s baby showers, both of which were so special and fun.  Well, the official shower on Saturday was not so fun for me because Kaiden was being a stage 11 clinger.  But it was nice to see so many old friends. 

We played, we ate, we slept (!!), and now we’re back to the grind!

One of the other things I made time for was ‘deep’ conversations with my grandparents.  I wanted to take advantage of the one-on-one time I had with them to ask questions about their childhoods, their families, the marriage, motherhood, fatherhood, etc.

To be honest, I think they had more fun with this than anyone else.  Their faces lit up whenever I’d ask a question.  Makes me wish I had started doing this sooner!

I thought I’d share some of the more interesting things I learned.  And hopefully, this inspires some of you to do the same with your grandparents/older aunts and uncles. 

My grandmother’s overall message was that when you get to be her age you won’t remember the hard times. Only the love and fun you experienced.  And this is coming from someone who’s had her share of not-so-good times.  She said she honestly doesn’t remember the bad times in detail because she chooses not to focus on that.  “At this age, what good does that do me?”  Love my ba!

Growing up, neither my grandfather or my grandmother lived lavish lives.  There was always one person in the family who worked and brought home money to take care of everyone else.  My grandfather is one of 13, and my grandmother is one of five.  However, cousins and other relatives often lived with them too.  Essentially, the money coming in had to be stretched to feed everyone.  In fact, my grandfather recalled the days where they studied by candlelight.  Electricity was a want and not a need in those days!

With that being said, I also learned that ba’s father worked in a fabric mill, and my dada’s father owned a small restaurant in their village.

My ba loved to study, but when it came time to further her education, the decision was made for her that she would stay home to help with the upkeep of the house.  Personally, I found this to be really sad because I know how smart my grandmother is.  She could’ve done so much if she was born in a different time.  I also know from previous conversations with my mom that my ba also wishes they had travelled more.  She wanted to see the world, and while they have been to London and different parts of the US, she knows there’s more than just that and wishes she could’ve experienced it. 

In that same vein, my grandparents had an arranged marriage.  They were introduced through an uncle or something, and while it wasn’t love at first sight, I think they both same something in the other which led them to agree to the union.  My ba did say that she didn’t feel like she really could’ve said no if she wanted to because of the way the introduction was made.  Again, it makes me so mad that women in that time had so little control over their own lives.  GRR!

Even though there is some regret for the things not done, I think my grandparents have had a pretty good marriage.  Their marriage advice to me was to compromise and approach my marriage with understanding and patience.  If you can do that, you’ll be ok.

They also said to always live within your means.  And finally, don’t ruminate on your past because you can’t change it.  You can really influence what’s happening right now.

So thankful for the time I spent with ba and dada and can’t wait to see them again so that I can bombard them with more questions!

Written on August 22, 2019 Related:Family, Travel

Weekend Rehash – Home Sweet Atlanta!

written by Parita 1 Comment

As I’m typing this post, I’m sitting at my parents house with my laptop in my lap and my feet propped up. It feels good to be home!

Is it just me or do you guys also feel a little more dependent when you go home? Like I run the show in some ways in Chicago, but when I’m home, I ask my mom for her opinion about every little decision.

Anyways, we’ve had a great start to our visit. Lots of outdoor play and delicious food.

Let’s backtrack a little and rehash the weekend!

FRIDAY

I know I sound like a broken record, but Friday started off in the usual way. As soon as Vishnu and Kaiden left for school and work, I headed down to our apartment gym for a quick workout. I then made my way to Trader Joe’s and Target.

As soon as I put everything away, I got a message from my sister giving me the green light to pick her up at Carmax. There’s a bit of a backstory to all of this…instead of retyping it all here, I’m going to direct you to today’s post on Instagram. So many emotions!

And here’s to my sister and BIL buying their first car together!

I quickly got my act together upon getting home and made food for the week for Vishnu – lasagna, My Heart Beet’s Butter Chicken, and rice. All set for the week!

I also packed on and off throughout the day. As I was putting things in our bag, I thought about unpacking and audibly groaned. Ugh!

The rest of the day/night followed the usual flow – playtime, dinner, bath time, reading/getting K to calm down, bed time, and a little downtime with Vishnu.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning started at 6 am because we wanted to be out the door and on our way to the airport at 7:45. Thankfully, we managed to do just that.

I plan to share my tips and tricks for travelling with a two year old (when toddlers get their own seats) in a separate blog post, but let’s just say our <2 hour flight had plenty of ups and downs. The downs mostly revolved around the fact that K wanted to sit in my lap vs. in his own seat. Not great when the seat belt sign is on.

Anyways, we eventually made it out of the plane, on the train, up the elevator and to my parents who were happily waiting for us. Then came the one hour drive home. Haha!

By the time we got home, I was so tired. I fell asleep on the living room floor! My mom woke me up in time for my pedicure appointment. #muchneeded

The rest of the evening included badminton in the backyard and Zheel’s delicious Spinach Dhokla that my mom and ba whipped up. A must try recipe if you’re a dhokla fan (and even if you’re not!).

SUNDAY

Kaiden was up and ready to go at 7:30 (YAY!!!). We played and hung out on the shaded part of my parent’s patio until my in-laws arrived. They came to spend the day with Kaiden.

Sunday can be summed up in one word – FUN and lots of it. With all four of his grandparents present (plus his great grandparents), Kaiden was getting spoiled from all sides. He danced, played, ran around, kicked balls, took a 1.5 hour nap…rinse and repeat!

Here’s to an even better week ahead! Happy Monday. 🙂

Written on August 12, 2019 Related:Family, Weekend

K 1st atlanta birthday ii

Baby K’s 1st Birthday Party in Atlanta

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I can’t believe Kaiden’s Atlanta birthday party is behind us now!  And only 18 days until his actual birthday.  Where does the time go?!

His party was super simple and super fun (not that I’m biased or anything)…for the adults!  Kaiden was a little overwhelmed and cranky, so I’m not sure if he had as much fun as we did.  Regardless, it was a wonderful few hours that I can’t wait to tell him all about when he’s older.

We decided to host the party at my parents house since most of the guests live in the northern suburbs.  If I’m being totally honest, I’m not a great party planner.  I’m horrible with details, decor, etc.  I’m more of a party planning project manager.  Haha!

The menu was no frills (duh) but delicious – a variety of Costco pizzas, chips and salsa, and salad.  K’s cake was from Costco too, and man was it good!  Highly recommend checking out Costco for all your party planning necessities! 🙂  We didn’t end up ordering a smash cake for this party, and it probably worked out for the best given K wasn’t in a very smashing mood!

K 1st atlanta birthday ii

Anyways, the Georgia heat was full force this past Saturday, so my parents had a tent put up in their backyard.  Decorations included a few balloons and a cute banner.  #notapinterestmom

I didn’t plan out any games or anything like that because…well, K’s 1.  But over the course of 3 hours, I think people really enjoyed chatting, eating, and hanging out.

A few of my favorite moments included catching up with family and friends I haven’t seen a long time (since my Atlanta baby shower!), sitting outside and laughing/chatting with our friends, and seeing K go crazy from a sugar high (mangoes + ice cream).  He literally made 100 laps around my parents living room.  It was hilarious!

K 1st atlanta birthday

If I’m going by my measure of success (energy, love, laughter, etc.), Kaiden’s first Atlanta birthday party was a huge success!  While our birthday boy wasn’t his happiest most chipper self, I think he really loved being the center of attention.  Both Vishnu and I are so thankful for our parents, his brother and his girlfriend, and all our family and friends.  Every single person added something special to K’s day!  I can’t wait until he understands how loved he truly is.

Next up…baby K’s 1st birthday party in Chicago!  I just placed the order for his smash cake and the cupcakes today…so excited!

P.S. Did I also mention I’m a horrible picture taker? [We have pictures from the party but none that don’t show K’s face.]

Written on June 11, 2018 Related:Baby, motherhood, Parenthood, Uncategorized

Christmas 2017 baby boy

Baby’s First Christmas

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Baby’s first Christmas was super fun…and a little scary!

This was a special trip for many reasons – Kaiden’s first visit to Atlanta, his first Christmas, etc.  The only missing piece was Vishnu. 🙁  But we made sure to FaceTime as much as possible so Kaiden didn’t ‘forget his daddy.’

Christmas 2017 baby boy

As far as celebrating Christmas goes, we don’t do so in a religious sense, but culturally, we are all in!  I’m sure Kaiden was a little confused by all of his boisterous and giddy family members opening presents and yelling over one another!

Because my sister and Adarsh flew out on Monday, we decided to celebrate the holiday a day early on Christmas Eve.  My MIL and BIL drove over to my parents’ house in the early afternoon and spent the day with my parents, my sister and BIL, Kaiden, and me.  My FIL ended up having bronchitis and was unable to join us.  A TOTAL and COMPLETE bummer.

We started the fun by opening presents.  My BIL was our designated Santa, and at first we went person by person, gift by gift, but then we had to restrategize because K looked sleepy.  We handed out everyone’s presents and opened them all at once to save time.  To ensure we included EVERYONE, we FaceTimed my FIL and Vishnu.  Chaotic and fun all at once!

Christmas 2017 tree with presents

For dinner, I made Green and Panang Curry.  Totally forgot to snap a picture, but they both turned out great (in my humble opinion…ha!).  We ended the meal with my MIL’s banana, pecan, chocolate pie.  Yum!

And this is where things got a little scary…

As part of our plan to transition K to formula, we’re essentially phasing out my breast milk and adding in formula until he’s 100% on formula.  Well, Christmas Eve just so happened to be the day he had his first bottle of formula, and let’s just say it didn’t agree with him.  When Kaiden woke up around midnight, I went in to check on him.  After changing his diaper, I lifted him up, and he immediately threw up a ton of milk.  My sister, who was in the room with me, called out to my mom, and the three of us ran Kaiden to the bathroom.  After giving him a quick bath, we got him ready for bed when he threw up a ton of milk again.  After another bath, we tried to put him back down, but he still looked sick, so I held him while my sister kept an eye on him.  Thank goodness because he threw up one final time (but a much smaller amount this time around).  I called the pediatrician, more so for my own peace of mind, and his recommendation of easing into the formula wasn’t much different from my sister’s (a pediatric resident).

Kaiden finally fell asleep (and stayed asleep) around 2 am.  My sister slept in the room with us just in case something happened.  Thankfully nothing did.

I have never been so scared in my entire life!  I know this is just the start of experiences like this one, but man…I will never forget the sight of all that milk pouring out of his mouth.

Kaiden’s doing great (fingers crossed!) now that we’re gradually phasing in the formula two ounces at a time.

As for me, my plan to wean off the pump is on hold for now…anything for my baby boy.  I’ll ease back into that when we’re in Chicago next week.

Other than that, I’m battling a pretty intense cold right now – sore throat and all.  Also, Kaiden and I are staying at Vishnu’s parents until Sunday (when my MIL, Kaiden, and I fly back to Chicago) and are looking forward to spending quality time with this side of the fam!

Well, from my family to yours, I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a fun and memorable Christmas holiday!

Written on December 26, 2017 Related:Baby, Family, Holiday, Uncategorized

Greetings from Atlanta

Greetings from Atlanta!

written by Parita 4 Comments

Honey, we’re hoooooooommmmmmmmmmeeeeee! 🙂Greetings from AtlantaKaiden, my dad, and I flew to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.  Thankfully, Kaiden did great on the flight – he slept for the first hour (give or take) and played/creeped on our seat neighbors iPad for the last 50 minutes or so.  Also thankful we flew in Saturday and not Sunday.  The Atlanta airport experienced a major power outage from about 1 pm onward on Sunday leaving passengers trapped and in the dark…literally.  My poor BIL was stuck on the tarmac for over seven hours (he flew home from Mexico).  Can you even imagine?  I can’t help but think about what that would’ve been like with a baby.  Not fun…that’s what!  Anyways, Niel is home now, and that’s what matters!

In true weekend recap style, let me share a bit more about what we’ve been up to the past few days…

FRIDAY

First and foremost, Friday included a visit from my friend Vijal.  She was in town for work and decided to stop by to see me and meet K.

The day also included MAJOR meal prep for Vishnu.  While I know he’s a big boy and can fend for himself, I wanted to ensure our fridge was fully stocked with dinner options for him.  His rotation is so unpredictable right now, and the last thing he wants to do when he gets home is prepare a meal (for one at that!).  So in true Parita style, I went to town and made three meals – butter chicken, turkey chili, and masala pasta with veggies.  Phew!

And finally, I did three loads of laundry and packed my little heart out.  Packing for me + K for two whole weeks was quite the feat.  Between me and my dad, we ended up with two large suitcases maxed out at 50 pounds each and three carryons.  Oy vey!

SATURDAY

Saturday morning included last minute packing and repacking, pumping, giving K a bath, etc.  Boy, how things have changed since our pre-baby days!

Vishnu dropped us off at the airport around 1:30, and we were somehow through security and at our gate a little before 2.  K and I went through security on our own since I have pre-check and my dad doesn’t.  And guess what…we survived!  It probably helped that I formed a game plan in my head ahead of time for how to get everything on the belt, including a car seat, caddy, two bags, and breast milk.  Kaiden’s cuteness also probably helped distract fellow passengers and make them less annoyed at us!

By the time we got home, it was almost 8 pm.  My mom prepared a feast, so as soon as K ate and I pumped, we sat down to eat.  So much yum on one plate…what I look forward to (almost) the most when coming home!

Because of the craziness from the day, Kaiden stayed up waaaay past his bedtime, which made for a very eventful night for his mama and grandma.  I lost count after a while, but I’m pretty sure he woke up no less than eight times in a seven hour period.  I don’t blame him though.  It’s hard adjusting to a whole new environment after a long travel day!

SUNDAY

Because of the aforementioned long night, my parents told me to go back to sleep after my morning pump session.  And sleep I did…until 11 am!!!  MUCH NEEDED!

A couple of hours later, Vishnu’s parents arrived at our house to see their grand baby!  The day included lots of playing, pizza, and catching up.  At one point, I looked over at Kaiden playing with all four of his grandparents and thought, “How blessed are we?”  It really is the most magical time of the year!

Thankfully, we experienced far fewer wake up calls (~4) and a more restful night of sleep.

And that brings us to Monday and the beginning of a fun week – visitors, lots of nani/nana time, my sister and Adarsh arriving on Thursday, Christmas Eve fun, yummy food, etc.

Happy Monday!

P.S. One of my goals is to be better about taking pictures for the blog!  And I’m not waiting until the new year to start. 🙂

Written on December 18, 2017 Related:home, Travel, Uncategorized

Gel manicure - Atlanta

End of 2016 + Hello 2017

written by Parita 3 Comments

Happy New Year!  I hope you celebrated the end of one year and the beginning of the next with loved ones, good food, and lots of laughter.  We sure did!  More on that in a minute.

I was hoping to start the week with a new post, but luck would have it that the blog went down right after Christmas and didn’t go back up until yesterday.  I decided to switch hosts at the end of the year but didn’t take all the right steps to ensure a smooth transition (oops!).  All in all, it was a kind of expensive error that resulted in some downtime.  Lesson learned!

Anyways, before I delve head first into 2017, I want to reflect on the very end of 2016, specifically our trip to Hawaii and our time in Atlanta.  I’m going to start with Atlanta first because the Hawaii posts are going to take some time to write.  So much to share!

As I mentioned in my last post, I flew to Atlanta last Tuesday (Vishnu joined me on Thursday night) to spend some time with my parents.  Overall, we had so much fun cooking and eating delicious food (let’s be real – my mom did most of the cooking and I did most of the eating!), shopping, etc. Vishnu and I also got to spend some time with his brother and his parents which is always nice.  We spent NYE with Roshni/Samir, Naveen/Shaylee, and a few other new friends.  Honestly, it was the perfect way to ring in the new year – new to us restaurant with delicious food, great friends, LOTS of laughter…what more could one ask for!

I didn’t take too many pics for the blog, but here are a few to showcase all the fun…

Gel manicure - Atlanta

I started my trip with a stop at the nail salon where I got a MUCH needed pedicure and manicure.  No clue what the color on my hands is (I only know it by #44A), but the color on my toes is OPI ‘Liv” in the Gray.

Indian sweets for pooja

I helped my mom make a number of different Indian sweets for a pooja (religious ceremony) her and my dad hosted at the house on Friday.  The pooja was fantastic and very inspiring.  A great way to end the year!

New Years Eve at Cooks & Soliders

The 2016 NYE gang!

Yorkie

We also got to spend time with this cutie, my brother-in-law’s girlfriend’s dog!  I LOVE HER!

Green Enchiladas

My mom made a couple of trays of her famous green enchiladas while I was at home.  She also sent me home with tortillas, the sauces, and a recipe for the filling, all so I could recreate her masterpiece for my sister, BIL, and Vishnu.  And recreate I did!  SO DELICIOUS!

Vishnu and I arrived back in Chicago on the 1st.  And thankfully, we had a ‘free’ day since we didn’t start work until the 3rd.  We organized the apartment a bit, did laundry, went grocery shopping, etc. before the work week officially started.  I’m now convinced that we need to schedule in a buffer day after every vacation.  It helps SO much!

I’ve been reading so many posts and messages about people’s ambitious plans/goals for 2017.  It’s super inspiring on the one hand, however, for the first time in a long time, I’m taking the opposite approach.  I definitely have things I want to focus on this year, but instead of jumping into the deep end, I’m taking it ‘one day at a time.’  Anything, not everything is my 2017 mantra! We do have an entire year after all!  More on this in upcoming posts.

Well, with that, I hope your year is off to an awesome start!

Written on January 4, 2017 Related:Family, home

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