India 2011

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our trip to India. Enjoy!
Rohan playing chase in the park. I think this is my new favorite picture of the kiddo. I can't wait to print it out and frame it.
My grandmother.
Josh and Rohan in the park. All the green made me miss summer.
Slide = favorite.
No infant swings in India; we had to do it the old-fashioned way.
More greenery.
These karangis were filled with a savory cauliflower fillings. They are basically Indian empanadas/crack.

The zoo in Bhopal is a reserve enclosed by a walking path. You simply walk around the reserve and catch glimpses of the animals. Lots of joggers and bikers, and there is a great view of the lake. Perfect for some early morning exercise. The next day, we let Chingu walk it, and he did the whole 2.5 km on his own!
Some of the aforementioned bikers - Divya and Tanvi!
Rohan reading with his Priyu Moushi. I used to read to her when she was only a few years older than Chingu!

Ebelskivirs!

After years of longing, I finally bought the filled-pancake pan from WS. Yes, years.

When my sister was in town a few weeks ago, we made apple-filled pancakes. While the recipe needs some tweaking, these were perfect little bits of apple and dough. I am looking forward to trying a savory recipe soon. Onion jam and brie maybe? Chicken and potatoes? Chili-filled corn cakes?

snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!

In case you haven't heard, it's been snowing in Boston. A lot. Like, a lot a lot.

In lieu of whining, here are some pictures!

These are some shots of Davis Square in mid-January. We had to get Chingu's passport application in, and both Josh and I had to be there for the application process, and since we both couldn't go to work due to the storm, we went to the post office instead! Family fun all around.

Then, two weeks later, we got the passport but needed to get an Indian visa (the visa adventure is another story altogether...), and I needed to go to Government Center for the birth certificate. Of course it had snowed recently, so I took some pictures of downtown.

and now for something completely different

My posts have been pretty sappy lately. Family shmamily! Bring on the men!

Here are some pretty pictures of Matt Bomer, my TV boyfriend, from last months GQ. I stumbled upon them in a waiting room last week. Enjoy!

A funny thing happened on the way to DSW

Saturday was an odd sort of day. I woke up with Rohan at 6, hung out with him all morning with my mom and then got ready to leave for a book club/shopping trip outing.

Book club was meeting in Harvard at 11:30, and I had yet to start the book... so I got to Harvard around 9:45, hit the bank for an errand, and then went to the Coop so I could at least sound like I knew what I was talking about at book club. (I got through about half).

Then off to Russell House for brunch! It was amazing - food, company, discussion, everything! Nice work, ladies!

Then off to the river bank with a friend to watch her cousin row in Head of the Charles! It was the perfect fall day; crisp, sun, boats and boats of arms and more arms. I digress.

I was meeting a friend at DSW at 3, but had to run to the tailors on Newbury to drop off my winter coat (torn lining). As I headed back to the T after the 1:15 race, I thought I had plenty of time to grab some coffee before stopping at the tailor. But then I got a call from my mom; she was at Charles/MGH with Rohan! Hmm... I could meet them at Charles and then we can all walk through the park to Newbury. Perfect!

Then off to Newbury! Oh wait, Rohan needs a snack. Off to L'Aroma for his favorite food: quiche that I did not make. Ugh, the line was insane, my mom was frazzled, I was officially late.

Then off to DSW! Shop, shop, shop. Macy's! Shop shop shop. I got boots!

Then, I WAS going to go home, help with dinner and the bath, and then drive back into the city to meet another friend for a late dinner. But her ride was going to pick her up soon after I called her (she was about an hour away), and I was already in the city, so I figured I could kill an hour by finishing my book club book.. Why cab it home, just to turn around and drive back into the city? Off to Back Bay Social Club!

Two hours later, I finished my book and my friend arrived. Dinner at 8, home at 10:30. Up at 3 to help Rohan through a coughing fit. Back to bed at 3:30, up at 7:30 on Sunday.

The whole day was kind of a blur. I was hopped on caffeine, my sneakers were rubbing away at the heel, I was sad when I realized I may not see Rohan all day (but I did, hurrah!), I was overwhelmed by all the shoe options at DSW and was disappointed when I didn't find anything there (but I did at Macy's, hurrah!), and by 8, my eyes were tired from the day and reading by candlelight at a bar for two hours. While I joke about going to bed at 8 and how awful it is getting up at 5:30 every day, how tired I am all the time, how we never get to do "couple" things anymore, and how we are tethered to Rohan's nap and feeding schedule, my day of freedom made me miss it so much. It was a taste of my old life, and I had a lot of fun, but part of me wished I was home to pick up the peas Rohan had thrown on the floor, and hear him laugh as he splashed in the tub, and sit on the couch with Josh and my mom watching Lost DVDs.

College was fun, New York was way more fun, moving in with Josh was amazing, and making new friends in Boston and hanging out with old ones kept me balanced in my married life. Then buying a place and getting pregnant hit a switch I didn't even know I wanted. Or needed. Marathon days like Saturday give me space, and perspective, I need.


View Larger Map

Sunday was bliss. Playing with Rohan (I taught him how to kick a soccer ball last week!), more Lost while Rohan napped, grocery shopping, and, for the first time ever, Rohan seemed to want to hang out on the couch and watch TV. After some flipping around, we settled on "Planet Earth" for two whole hours. He loved it so much; I can't wait to take him back to the zoo. A perfectly lazy day on the couch to help me recover from time away from the family.

Sharon Springs!

Last month, the book club book was "The Bucolic Plague", a nice little read about a couple from Manhattan, who happen upon a tiny town in upstate New York, where they buy a farm/mansion on a whim. The book talks about the immense amount of work that went into the farm, the money troubles they endured during the recession, the reality shows that came out of their situation, ("The Fabulous Beekman Boys" on Planet Green) and the strain all this took on their relationship.

At last month's meeting, one thing led to another and we decided to take a day trip up to Sharon Springs to drive by the farm, eat at The American, and stalk some gays. Oh, and do some apple picking while we were there (just like the Beekman Boys!)

The trip was a success! About 10 minutes into lunch at The Black Cat, we saw the author of the book walk in. Eyebrows went up and arms were nudged. Drea whisper/sang "Bye Jooooosh!" as he walked out and he heard her! He turned and waved and we all sat in shock and then dissolved in giggles. Good times all around.

We saw Farmer John at the Mercentile, and the girl at the counter said Brent was in the back! Two more down! Then, when we headed back to The American after apple-picking, Doug held court for a captivated audience. While we were there, Michelle called! That's almost the whole cast of the book! If we saw Martha Stewart, we could have died happy.

We drove by the farm/mansion and took some pictures like good little stalkers. (For the record, we weren't the only car parked across the street...)

Below are a handful of pictures from the trip. For a full set, click here

The carrot cake at The Black Cat.
The back patio at The American.
Fall decorations in the town.
The front porch at the Mercentile.
A run down house we stumbled upon.
The Mercentile front porch with a mini goat topiary.
Apple picking!
More apple picking!
Old school gas pumps at the orchard.
The Beekman Farm barn.
The Beekman Farm Barn.

Channeling Conan

My son needs a haircut. Badly. He got a little trim at my mother-in-law's yesterday, but I heard he was a wriggly monkey and they couldn't get it all.

His bangs were out of control on Friday. I felt the need to share.

I love the last one - my little fatty boombalatty.:)

Monkey cake!

So instead of waxing poetic about the big one-year milestone, here are a few pictures of the cake we made! I could go on and on about how awesome Rohan is doing, and how much fun this age is, and how much he is learning and growing by the day, but I just don't have the energy. Dude, toddlers hare exhausting!