Tidy House

It is likely that our house has never looked this neat or dust-free or smelled so much like Febreeze. At least that's a positive for having to put in so much work for an Open House.

The day itself was pretty uneventful. This is not true for Kelly, who with Ethan, both left the house by 11am and stayed at a friend's house while I remained at home waiting for potential buyers to walk through the door and check out our home. Kelly had her hands full with Ethan and everything imaginable that could happen with a 5-month old's bodily functions happened at this time.

Poor, Kelly. Noomie was just too much but I'm glad you were around this weekend to watch over the little guy!

The Open House started very slowly. Well, it never really "picked up" either, though a few folks strolled in to have a peak. Two couples were especially "impressed" by what they saw, though not sure if any of them will result in a serious offer or not. Still, it is early days, and I am by no means going to rush this process. It was a good experience, and I am looking forward to doing it again, but this time with much more advertisement ahead of time.

Open House

Tomorrow we are having our first Open House, Saturday, March 3rd from 11am to 3pm. There is still much to do around the house to get it in top shape for showing. But a lot of leg work had been done ever since my mom was with us, and so I can only be thankful I don't have quite that much left to take care of. Still, caring for a 5-month old, and preparing for an Open House do not go together. One inescapably results in disorganization and (not so cute) little messes everywhere, while the other requires meticulous and painstaking effort to reverse (the former). They simply don't go together.

Fasting - Day One

Boy am I hungry!

The first day of the fast is always so tough. I wasn't even fully aware of the time this morning, until Kelly, who had already been up to feed Ethan, and then to pump (breastmilk), called me to "get up!" I still had plenty of time until sunrise so I took advantage of another 10 minutes or so of sleep.

Kelly was not impressed, but I am just not a morning person, and I am not 100% healthy as well. I don't believe I am sick enough to excuse myself from fasting though, but I had already made up my mind that I was not going to have a huge breakfast. Instead, I ate a yoghurt (strawberry), banana and a Propel drink (Gatorade family of drinks). I said a prayer, and Kelly read a writing on the Fast, and she was off to work, while I headed back for my pillow.

I managed to get another hour or so in, before I was woken up by Ethan's "baby talk" he was making to himself, emanating from the baby monitor that was positioned close to my side of the bed.

Ethan had slept nearly 12 hours straight last night! It would have been longer but Kelly wanted to feed him a little bit before going to work. He's been sleepig more since, waking up to have his feed, playing with me a little, and then dozing off again.

Ethan also "spat up" a couple of times, and although this is not unusual and quite normal for babies actually, the volume he dispelled the first time was quite a bit more than he normally produces, and he did this a second time after his second feed, just before we went out for a brief walk around the neighborhood.

I don't think his milk is sitting well in his stomach and taken together with how much sleep he is wanting, I can only assume he is not feeling 100% also.

I am not too worried though, since he is drinking quite a bit, and so he is well hydrated. Plus, a lot of sleep never hurt anybody either :-)

Well this blog entry afforded me just enough time to not feel that hungry anymore... though just saying this, I could really do with a juicy burger right about now.

'Fast' Approaching

Today is the last day of Ayyam-i-Ha (sunset Feb 25th - sunset Mar 1st): a time when Baha'is prepare for the upcoming month of Fasting, give gifts to family and loved ones, and celebrate with friends and do acts of charity and service. This year has been a little overwhelming during this time, and so our family's Ayyam-i-Ha activities have been a bit limited. Last night, Kelly and I made Sholezard (a yellow-colored Persian rice pudding which contains sugar, saffron, cardamon, almonds, rose water and garnished with cinammon and pistachios) which we hope to deliver to 8 neighbors/households/families in our street who have been very loving and thoughtful and provided meals and gifts for Ethan when we he was born.

We don't do a whole lot in our own neighborhood - as a family unit that is (myself I do some) - and with us moving this summer it only felt right to give thanks and celebrate this year's Ayyam-i-Ha by giving back to these lovely souls.

We also wrote cards describing a little what this time of the year means to Baha'is (similar to what I wrote in the first paragraph of this blog entry).

Having said that, the Fast starts tomorrow! And every year, I feel the month of Fasting approaches faster and faster (pardon the pun.. and pun) or that I am less prepared year after year. So much for preparation for the Fast during Ayyam-i-Ha, eh?

This mean, tonight, I must go to Sam's and buy my usual breakfast itmes: sausage links, egg, milk, yoghurt, and that's probably all. A good healthy breakfast - or at the very least a hearty one - is the only way to get through the daylight hours (sunrise to sunset) without eating OR DRINKING. Undoubtedly, as is the case for me, I forget out of habit that I am fasting and do at times slip and sip some water. Usually this happens in the first day or two of fasting. My body adapts fairly quickly thereafter.

It doesn't help however that I am falling sick with a cold (as of a couple nights ago, but last night was the worst). Nevertheless, there are several exceptions (or exemptions??) to the Baha'i Fast. You do not fast if you are: a pregnant/nursing woman, under the age of 15 (age of 'maturity'), sick, travelling long distances (9 hours or longer?), etc.. etc..

Baha'i "months" are 19 days long (and there are 19 of them during one year), totalling 361 days, plus the 4 (or 5 during leap year) for Ayyam-i-Ha makes up the full calendar days. So, the month of Fasting starts sunrise on March 2nd and ends sunset on March 20th.

March 21st is Naw Ruz (or nawrooz) which is the Persian/Baha'i New Year - coinciding with the start of Spring!

So HAPPY FASTING everyone!

Love to all.
Max

First "Night" With Ethan

Tonight is my first night with Ethan. Kelly is working at the VA hospital overnight, and, well, this is the first time I'll be with Ethan for a full 24 hours by myself. The day went as usual. Nothing to eventful thank God. He had his 4 feeds, and a bunch of poopy changes. He had his usual naps which was great to see (the sleep training paying off that is). And now he is in his own crib asleep, though not sure when he will wake up. He went to bed around 8:10pm, so should last until around 4am hopefully. Baby monitor is on so I'll have to be quick to prepare his milk when he starts to stir and cry at night. Unlike mama, warm milk is not always at the ready.

So I'll sign off for tonight. Here's a picture of Ethan I took a couple of days ago, and some today. We went for a long walk today and visited Primrose preschool and daycare. So fancy. I only wish such quality schools were in Blue Ridge too.

Well anyways, safe trip to NZ Shar and fam!

New Family Portrait(s)

Fits Of Giggles

Ethan laughs histerically as Kelly prompts him on, while preparing his night time bath. The stuff we live for.

Ayyam-i-Ha Party

Our usual Ayyam-i-Ha party at the Mostaghimis was a blast. The usual suspects were there: the Kozlows, Kuglers, Afsharis, the wonderful hosts the Mostaghimi family. But this year our dear friends Scott and Rosa as well as my ex-colleague from the Wong Lab, Hiro, were able to make it. The Tamaddon family whom I am getting to know more and more were there, and they had their precious (ninth!) grandchild named, Roshan, who was simply the 'light' of the night (the name Roshan actually means 'light' in Arabic (or Farsi??) ). Well anyways, we had the traditional gift exchange, and the Kozlows scooped me of my Pottery Barn pint glasses (set of 4). It was the classic tag-team trick, with Mahin stealing her husband, Steve's, chocolates freeing him to steal any others' gifts (and of course it was planned he would take my glasses for his wife). Ooooohhhh, that was clever indeed. You see, Mahin could not steal it herself from me, since I had taken it from her (the rule of the game). Well done friends. Well done. Well and so we got home, exhausted, well fed, and still needing to bathe Ethan. In preparation for his bath, however, Ethan was obvious delirious and well past his bedtime also that he was just in fits of giggles (see previous blog entry, video). And oh how the sleep training has helped. Without a bit of fuss, Ethan was putting himself to sleep by himself, as I drew his blanket close to him, turned his monitor on, and closed his room door. In a few days, I should be able to kiss his forehead and whisper "goodnight" to him, without causing a stir or risk waking him. :-D

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha all!

Trail Blazers

Phew, it took some time to get out of the house, but once we did, it was nice and warm and sunny - perfect for a walk along the American Tobacco Trail near our house. But leading up to our walk was kinda like this: (1) put Ethan in stroller, (2) Ethan crying - don't know why?, (3) take Ethan out of stroller, (4) Ethan still fussy - why?, (5) see stain of poop through Ethan's clothes - aha, know why, (6) change Ethan's diaper, (7) hand wash Ethan's clothes so no poopie stains develop, (8) find new clothes for Ethan, (9) realize all clothes are getting kinda small for Ethan, (10) take out new "6M" clothes not worn yet, (11) dress Ethan, (12) find carrier to use instead of stroller and put Ethan in it, (13) Ethan fussing - what now?, (14) feed Ethan - did the trick!, (15) resume with carrier and strap on to dad, (16) Ethan spit up on carrier, (17) dad says, "ah, who cares, let's go for this walk already!"


So off we went. Ethan was so quiet and observant of everything - nature, trees, trail, other people on the trail, other babies, dogs ...

It had been some time since we had gone out of the house! It has been so cold lately, but starting to warm up nicely now.

Going to do this more often, hopefully in the future the preparation is less eventful :-D

The Big 5 Ooooohhh

Ethan is 5 months old today! He weighs in at approximately 15.5lbs (home scale) and measures 25 inches tall (height at 4 month doctor's visit). Daddy and Ethan are just hanging out at home, so can't write much. Will post more pictures soon!!

From Ethan: HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dear cousin, Carmel! I hope to be 3 years old too some day. THANK YOU for the wondeful Ayyam-i-Ha gifts and the beautiful bird artwork. I have it up in my room. I love you, Carmel!

Mom's Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA!

I hope everyone's doing well and that y'all are going to go out some place for a birthday meal! Wish we could have been there with you guys.

Here's sending you our biggest birthday HUG :-)

Love,

Kelly, Max and Ethan

"We'll See Tomorrow" ... Indeed

Yup, a couple of days ago was indeed a fluke with Ethan's sleeping... because yesterday was an absolute nightmare. It was so heart-wrenching to hear him cry for so long (30 minutes) and this was during the day. Papers were all over the floor since Kelly and I were also trying to organize our documents for tax filing, and so it was not a good day. Poor Ethan. Gosh I keep saying that. But guess what, today is again a magical day and he is doing super. Going to sleep on his own for his naps with little fuss. The noomie is such a goonie boonie. I love him so much. I guess I'll be expecting this up and down rollercoaster of emotion until he is truly fully sleep trained. The good news is our taxes are done and filed and we should be expecting a bigger tax return this year since we filed jointly for the first time and have a "dependent" to claim in Ethan. Tai, a Baha'i accountant who did our taxes was just Mr. Efficient. He knows all the ins and outs to get us the biggest return and he did it all in under an hour. Great business for him too, though, if all his clients came in and out as quickly as we did.

... Just ONE Night?

Ok, everyone, listen up, Ethan has fallen asleep on his own with only a tiny bit of crying. And in only his second night of "training"!!! All his naps today, too, were preceeded by only brief crying (1 or 2 minutes, certainly less than 5)... and some went down without a peep, so quiet in fact I had to check just to make sure he was ok. Sure enough, he was contentedly asleep in his crib. And to think just last night, his first night of sleep training, he cried for around 35 minutes. It was a very long and sad time listening to him cry, but all worth it now! I can't believe it, is he really transformed now and can put himself to sleep, or just a coincidence for tonight?? We'll see tomorrow!

But anyways, Kelly wants to thank everyone who confirmed to me the importance of sleep training your baby. Because (she feels) without all this (and only going on her recommendation) I would not have felt this to be a good approach for Ethan. ("too cruel") .. But I am quickly a believer!

With Ethan able to put himself to sleep, we can do more around the house and for work ... oh, and for once, Kelly has not fallen asleep, putting Ethan to sleep, that tonight we can actually watch a movie!!!

Remember, Ma, all those nights just the two of us watching GG till late? Well, Kelly is awake too now!! :-) Yay!

OK, must watch movie instead of blogging or else Kelly will truly be bored and put herself to sleep... bye bye

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Celebrating this year in style, Ethan is wearing his Chinese outfit given to him by his Ah Ma. The hat piece is a tad big on him, but otherwise he looks just like a cute little Chinaboy (as Adeline called him in one of her comments). Thanks, Mom, for Ethan's outfit and Ang Pao (Hokkien, Red Packet).

This year is the Year of the Pig. (Adeline's year -- hope it's a great one for you!!!)

Kelly was telling me, tomorrow night will be Reunion Dinner. All family members come together for this one big evening, and this year, as usual, Kelly and Adeline will not be in attendance. There will be tons of good food, and some really traditional foods too, and everyone together. Hmmm.. I hope one year we could be in Singapore to celebrate with all the family and relatives there.

Please take some pics, Mom and Dad, and share with me, and perhaps I can post in another blog entry. Mic and Yuske, please have some (pics) of the boys (Junn and Ryu) in traditional costume/outfit if any.



We wish we could all be there, but know we are thinking of you.

Can't wait for December when we will all be together there. And perhaps you can all come and visit us in Georgia, if not this year, than in '08.

Love to all!

Sleep Training

The time I've been dreading a lot has come. This evening was the first night Ethan was put to bed on his own in his crib. It was pretty tough to take. I had already told Kelly I'd rather that she did this by herself. I can't take hearing Ethan cry, and to put him to sleep this way?

There are mixed views on this issue, but unless the mother is a stay-at-home mom, there really is little other option. And Kelly is the exact opposite - a very achieved, professional, career mom. And not just any career mind you; one that takes an absolute majority of your wakeful existence. And sometimes even more than this. So it's no wonder, though I am playing Mr. Mom, I don't pack the milk and Kelly must inevitably wake to feed him during nights.

And it is just too much to ask for Kelly to keep doing this before she (her body) starts breaking down. Her back is not feeling so great. And so Ethan must just get through this.

Oh, but how I hate to hear him cry so much!

Poor Ethan. My poor noomie. But my poor Honey too.

Time to pray and go to bed myself.

G'night!

Recent Ethan

Productive Trip

Firstly, many thanks to the Tidmans - Lee and Ray - for putting us in their Lake house and for being gracious dinner hosts.

Phew! What a whirlwind of a trip. Again. Not long ago, Amani and I made this same trip to Blue Ridge to look for houses. This time around, however, our agenda was quite laid out and precise:

(1) meet with Amy at Kaleidoscope Childcare Inc. at 2pm

(2) meet with Bob at Fern Valley at 3pm

(3) meet with Lee and Ray at 6pm

By the end of the evening on Saturday, I could find my way from the Tidmans primary residence, to their Lake house, to Fern Valley and back again, all in the dark. (and boy was it dark!)

We managed to secure an agreed upon purchase price for Fern Valley, which was the best thing that could have happened on this particular trip. Bob and his wife Linda, and son Cody, were very pleasant folk, and they made our visit and "negotiations" very open, positive and fair. Bob and I are still working to finalize a few details and loose ends on our purchase agreement, but a great big 'check' off of my list of 'things to do' can now be placed.

We have mixed feelings about putting Ethan in daycare. Kaleidoscope was OK, though I was not fully impressed. Ethan though was very much liking the place and was constantly staring and curious of all the arts and crafts that the children have made that were decorating the walls of the center. Their open-door policy for joining is convenient though, and the price, reasonable. (certainly cheaper than if we were looking for childcare, say, in Atlanta).

So not fully decided on this issue, yet. Consulting the Tidmans, we may look into the option of a hired nanny, one in particular actually, who had worked with a couple that used to work at the clinic Kelly and I will be working. Having a nanny would mean many great things too: (1) hired help around the house, (2) Ethan would not be coming home with a runny nose all the time from being around other children so much, (3) consistency and recognition of the caregiver (compared to multiple staff which could be confusing to a young infant), as well as many other reasons.

I did not list all the positives for a daycare situation, not the least of which Ethan would be constantly stimulated by other children and adults and be exposed to resources for learning we may not have at home.

And with Kelly's Georgia license now done, things are moving nicely along (thank God) and we are making preparations for our timely employment and relocation come summer.

Georgia Medical License

Congratulations, Honey!!

Kelly's Georgia medical license was approved today!!!

Fern Valley

Almost there! We are a few steps closer to moving in to our new home in Blue Ridge, GA. Here are a few pictures of Fern Valley - a lovely, Japanese-inspired, eco-friendly, "green" house, about 200 yards to Lake Blue Ridge. No detail has been left out in this awesome Bob Chapin creation.

Now, time to focus our energies on selling our home in Durham...

Home With A View

Hi. Just a quick note. We are in Blue Ridge, GA for the weekend. Meeting up with a builder to see a house and also meeting up with the director of Kaleidoscope Childcare Inc. to check out their facilities for Ethan. We are staying at Dr. Tidman's Lake house which is right on a private cove on Lake Blue Ridge. Gated, and very cozy, the place has a rustic cabin feel with an amazing view. The place we are checking out (our potential home if it is God's will) is literally about 400 yards from Lake Blue Ridge also, though the other end, some 5.8 miles from the Tidmans. Fingers crossed.

Superbowl Party

For the fourth time in as many years, we hosted some friends over for a Superbowl party at our home. And although this year's party was much more low-key than previous ones, it was just a fun. Krishelle and Jessica were the main organizers this year. All we did was provide the place and the big screen to watch the big game.

A friend and colleague, Anita, was probably the most into the game. She is an avid footbal fan (with a great football IQ I must say) and her team, the Indianapolis Colts, prevailed 29-17 in a rain-soaked final in Miami. The first 14 seconds of the game proved to be the only real highlight for the Chicago Bears, when Hesler (?) made a 92-yard opening kick return for a touchdown - a Superbowl first! But as the game progressed, the Bears hardly threatened, and Grossman (Chicago's QB) was all nerves the rest of the way.

The commercials were a bit disappointing this year I thought. It seemed the theme was violence and machinery (you know, like big robots and factory assembly-line sort of machinery stuff). Every commercial. Not very original. I think the consensus best commercial was the Coke ad portraying characters in the video game Grande Theft Auto, but instead of hurting one another and committing crimes on the street, the characters share a coke, and love is shared all around.

I ate 7 corndogs.

Elyse and Larry also dropped by, as did Scott and Rosa. Actually, S and R had just got back from purchasing a new 42" plasma (for next year's game I'm sure). And so the torch has been passed - with us gone next year, party's at the Allen's home!

The Toddler's Creed

Kelly showed me this online and I thought it was funny (aka accurate, though Ethan is not yet a toddler... all things we can look forward to! Yay!) -

The Toddler’s Creed

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.
I am toddler!

Full-Time Daddy Duty

First day without Grandma and I felt like Vin Diesel in The Pacifier. And to think I only have one little guy to deal with, and he's not even fully developed his reach and grab skills yet.

Well, Ethan and I dropped off mom at the airport and she's now back in Toronto (much to the delight of the girls, Ellie, Carmel and yes, even Shar). I don't blame them! I totally already miss having mom around and the extra help and all the great meals - though mom cooked and froze enough homemade meals to last us at least one full week!

It was only the second time I drove with Ethan in his car seat in the back without a third person beside him. I always feel nervous in this situation and I did not have a suitable mirror installed to keep an eye on him. (now I do, after a short trip to Babies-R-Us, and quick installation to the back seat).

Amazing how mom can do everything and the house is still in order. By myself, I managed to feed, change, bath and put Ethan to sleep, but my time management skills are just not that great right now, that when I finally found some quiet time near his 6pm nap, I found the house almost upside-down (cold coffee half prepared left on the countertop; gym mat, two books, one wet burp cloth, stroller, and two hats on the ground; and a wet bathroom floor with changing pad, space heater, baby bath tub, desitin and bath products still out in the open). Ugh! I could not believe how much STUFF I took out to use (perhaps for Ethan's distraction, for feeding, for entertainment, etc..) and never found time to put back. Note to self: use his nap time to do all of this!! But I was so pooped myself, that his nap time, yup, was my nap time.

So mums and grandmums in this world, hats off, you're all amazing human beings.

I'm just glad Kelly has the weekend off :-D

Photo Session With Gran

Mom leaves for Toronto tomorrow morning, so this evening we had a special photo shoot with Ethan and his grandma. It was a spur of the moment thing, but we managed to capture some of our best pictures of Ethan with mum.

February: A Month Of Celebration

Several birthdays in the family this month: (over 25 yrs your age is undisclosed)

Feb 19th - Mum
Feb 21st - Carmel (3)
Feb 22nd - Ryu (1)
Feb 23rd - Sharon

And friends:

Feb 19th - Vipul
Feb 24th - Jarek

Then there are other dates for celebration:

Feb 2nd - Michelle and Yuske's 5 yr wedding anniversary
Feb 26th (to Mar 1st) - Ayyam-i-Ha (Intercalary Days)

We look forward to celebrating with you all from a distance!

Our love,

Ethan, Kelly and Max

It's Snowing (Again)

Our second snowfall of the winter!! Similar to last time, the snow is very light and no more than a couple of inches. But as usual, enough to have schools closed for the day :-D

I had a lot planned for today, but it seems some of those things will have to be postponed until a later date. Today, I was supposed to go out with Rob, my neighbor, who owns a truck, and pick up some more mulch for the backyard. Last weekend, Rob and I fetched some 2 tons of mulch which barely covered the front and side garden patches (mulched areas) as well as the bases of the trees in the front and sides of the house. Mom and I did the mulching and it looks ready for showing. (except the backyard which I was hoping to get done today).

This Saturday I have 3 people coming to see the house. We are not quite ready for showing, though the house is looking very neat and clutter-free which I love. Funny how it takes selling a house or preparation therefor to get the house really really tidy looking. I am now displaying signs of OCD though, since every misplaced mug or glass or free sheets of paper or unwanted mail littering countertops or furniture really peeve me. (THEY MUST BE PUT AWAY - OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND!) :-D

Well, today is mom's last day with us. She leaves for Toronto tomorrow morning, which officially ends the grandmother-assisted-childcare services in our household. First, it was Kelly's mom who came to help us out with Ethan from birth to 2 months, and mom for months 3 and 4.

I will be officially on my own, but I feel much more confident now, with Ethan having more control over his head and trunk and arms. Still, there is no replacing the extra hand around the house, and all the time Ethan enjoyed and developed with his grandma singing, reading and praying with him.

But no sooner after mom leaves, Kelly, Ethan and I are off to Blue Ridge for a second round of house hunting. I have done a lot of research since my first trip with Amani to the Georgia mountains, and so I have a better idea of what to look for and what areas to focus on, and ones to avoid.

In the time it has taken for me to write this blog entry, the snow has subsided, and only a light sprinkling of white powder remains on the lawn and on my car. The road and drive way seems clear enough... perhaps I may just get a few things accomplished after all.