Naina's Firsts: Diwali & Vacation!!

Skiing, sledding, snowshoeing....what more could a 3-month old ask for?

Well this 3-month old didn't quite hit the slopes, but she did venture out on her first vacation - a destination

 Diwali in Silverthorne, CO - located just in between Breckenridge and Vail.  

The flights both ways went smoothly - the only thorn in our side was the inconvenience of traveling on United again (remember back to my post from 12/22/07 for more on our United Airlines woes en route to PV).  

Naina was a real trooper.  She didn't complain when we woke her up at 4am to catch our flight.  Instead, looked around here and there, wondering what these "new" things called a taxi and an airport were all about.  She stayed awake, looking around with curiosity until we boarded the plane.  As soon as we settled into our seats, she drank her milk and fell asleep.  Next thing she knew, we were in line at the rental car company.  Perfect.

Once we reached Silverthorne, the elevation took a bit of a toll on all of us.  Poor Naina also felt the impact, and had a really hard time for the first 2 days.  An uncomfortable baby made for 2 very tired parents.  After 2 days of feeling helpless in trying to make her more comfortable, I was wishing we were back at home so things could go back to normal!!  

It was a whirlwind trip, so hectic, and I'm not sure I want to take another flight with Naina till she's old enough not to need so much "stuff".  Not because of her - she was a dream - so good on the plane - I don't know how we got so lucky to have such an easy baby!  But rather because it was such a hassle to travel in general - looking for elevators everywhere we went, gate checking a stroller & 

a car seat, getting all her milk tested at security, installing the car seat a gazillion times over, sterilizing the same 3 bottles & nipples half a dozen times a day, changing diapers in the airport, changing diapers in the car, doing laundry every day because we only packed

6 burp cloths that got used faster than they ever do at home.  It looks like we'll be sticking to road trips for a while :)

Things settled down in time for a nice Diwali celebration.  Naina's first Diwali was filled with lots of love and attention from several Ajis and Ajobas.  She got all dressed up and enjoyed being the center of attention!

 

The Sleep Saga

Naina's had some sleeping adventures since she arrived.  First she slept in the pack'n'play in our room.  Then we moved her to the crib in her room...but we slept in there with her.  Finally we moved back to our bedroom...but she came along with us.  

What's the current status, you ask?  Now we do a variation of all 3 - sometimes in the pack'n'play, sometimes in her crib, and a *lot* of times in our bed.  Here's how Naina and her Daddy look on most nights:

What's in a name?

Last weekend was Naina's barsa.  I was worried about getting through the ceremony that day if she was fussy, but she did great! In fact, she was even smiling while her aunts were performing the ceremony with her.  Phew!  

Now that she's officially named, hopefully Amit will stop referring to her as munchkin, little munchkin, tiny munchkin, and anything remotely similar :)  

Here's a pic of the big moment - Naina gets her name!

The day after her naming ceremony, my parents left after being our safety net and support for the past 3 months.  And boy was it a tough goodbye. Poor Naina struggled with the transition of one Aji and Aba leaving, and a different Aji being around.  A depressed 3-month old is heartbreaking - her appetite was gone, she stopped playing & smiling, and spit up nearly every entire meal.  It took about 3 days before we saw her smile again, and by day 5 she was back to herself.  Amit and I smothered her with tons of love and attention to help her through the transition.  Things seem to be getting better every day and she's back to her happy, giggly, perpetually hungry self.  Aba will be back in town next week for work, so she'll get to see him then!

We were all set to celebrate her 3-month birthday today...but she had a mind of her own.  Refused to nap all day, until she was as tired as could be tonight.  So in her birthday dress, off to sleep we went without our birthday photo shoot.  Hoping to take some pictures tomorrow and claim that they're from today!  Ssshhh, no one will ever know :)