Happy Birthday Ami!!!

Ami got a beautiful sunny day for her birthday. We headed down to the waterfront for the Rose Festival Carnival. Ami and I hit the swing ride. Now we are off to dinner.

Sunshine!!

The sun finally broke today after a couple of days of grey and rain. We rounded up the gang and headed into The Pearl district. This area just north of downtown Portland used to be a rundown industrial district before be changed over into a residential and commercial district with a combination of lofts, condos, and boutiques. Shrayen had a blast playing in the fountain at Jamison Park, where we ran into Aaron and Ella.



Ella and Aaron joined us for a quick walk around the Pearl. Here Shrayen & Ella jumped up on one of the large walls of an old warehouse.

After some ice cream, we headed home. The sun was still shining so Shrayen and I hiked a loop through MacLeay park. Shrayen loved the creek and couldn't take enough pictures. Below is one of our favorites in front a small waterfall. I didn't include a picture of Priya from today because she was in the stroller again and those pictures of her head in the stroller aren't so flattering!

Shrayen and Priya

Shrayen mustered up the courage to hold his little cousin. Shrayen likes to make fun of Priya's crying. He also likes to ask when her bedtime is if she we won't fall asleep. Don't we wish she had a bedtime!! Priya is being a bit of a brat these last few days as far as breastfeeding goes. Hopefully it is just a phase.

Shrayen and Nana (Grandpa) Arrive!

Ami's father (Priya's "Nana" or grandpa) and nephew Shrayen arrived from Houston yesterday. Priya was so excited to meet some more of her family. Sona is also excited because Nana likes to take her on long walks, and she likes to chase Shrayen around the house. We started by heading out to the Farmer's Market.



From the Farmer's Market, Shrayen and I took the streetcar to the lunch carts downtown where we all had some Falafal's.


After lunch, Shrayen and I took Sona down the hill to the park.


Finally, Shrayen, Ami and I went to the Portland Timbers soccer game. The stadium is close to our house and the games are really fun. Shrayen was really tired after getting up so early in the morning and the time difference.

But this giant red snowcone perked him right up!

Priya's First Tub Bath (Videos!!!)

I just figured out you can post videos on the blog. So, I figured what would be better than a couple of videos from Priya's first tub bath. The first video shows Nani (grandma) holding Priya as she gets ready for the bath. The second video shows Daddy drying her off. Enjoy.

Sweetpeace (finally!)

We bought this swing for Priya figuring it would bring us some peace and quiet times. After all it is called the Sweetpeace!!! It allows you to put the base in several different ways for different swinging styles. Plus it has variable speeds and all kinds of different sounds - songs and nature sounds. You can even hook up your iPod. I envisioned Priya rocking to sleep as the new Radiohead album lulled her into sweet slumber.

Well, she just wasn't having any of that. Everytime we put her in it she started crying. It was weird because the same rocking motions in our arms or other things (like the car seat) put her right to sleep.

Finally, after being up almost all morning, I got her to fall asleep in the swing! The sound of a gentle stream is making me have to pee as I type this but at least she finally fell asleep and is enjoying the swing!!

MacLeay Park Hike

We took Priya for her first hike today. We took her up the path of Lower MacLeay park which is right behind our house. She really liked the bumpy trail which put her right to sleep. Ami did a great job as well considering it has only been 18 days. But she might have pushed it a little too much today. The weather has been amazing this week (which explains the lack of new posts to the blog). Hopefully it will continue Memorial Day weekend and the following week as Ami's father and nephew are coming for a visit.

We also took Priya out for her first lunch outing yesterday. We went down to NW 23rd Street and the Laurelwood Brewpub. She behaved pretty well and we even managed to finish it off with gelato!

Sisters Sleeping

This picture was taken last night at about 4am. Sona doesn't seem to have any problems sleeping, even when Priya is crying. Priya on the other hand has a hard time falling asleep upstairs. The minute you take her downstairs to either grandma she falls asleep. Go figure.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day from these 3 proud mamas!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone. It is Ami's first Mother's Day. Although, she always did manage to at least get a card from Sona (the dog) each year. But this one is for real. Both of our mom's are also in town. So, it is going to be a great Mother's Day. Expect lots of posts and pictures today. Above is the brunch menu that my brother Chris and I are preparing for the moms today. Jealous?

Cans Festival

Banksy is a British graffiti artist who specializes in stencil graffiti. His work is often satirical and directed at politics, police, government, the established artworld, and celebrities. He is also famous for walking into major art museums (such as MOMA, the Met, and Tate) and putting his own creations right up on the walls with titles and seeing how long they take to be noticed and removed.

Banksy set up an art "exhibition" this past weekend in London called Cans Festival in which he and other stencil graffiti artists took over an unused tunnel. The tunnel walls and other props were then covered with their work, and everyone else was encouraged to join in with their own art at the festival. The result is some pretty amazing murals, such as the one above by Banksy. Check out a slideshow of photos from the exhibition:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/romanywg/sets/72157604852764513/

Album review: Time without Consequence - Alexi Murdoch

I am reviewing this album today for 2 reasons. One, it is one of our favorite albums. Two, it was the music playing when Priya was born (not by accident). Alexi Murdoch is a Scottish singer/songwriter who is now based in LA. His album Time Without Consequence was released in June of 2006. His guitar style and vocals draw obvious comparisons to Nick Drake (Pink Moon, VW commercial fame), as well as contemporary artists such as Jose Gonzalez.

The songs on the album cover all the usual emotions including love, loss, hope and desire. But many of the songs reveal vulnerability in both the lyrics and Alexi's voice. While the songs and Alexi's voice are melodic, it has many memorable moments when the instruments take the lead and his guitar work is complemented by the expanded band.

I found several of the songs fitting for the occasion: Breathe ("Keep your head above water and don't forget to breathe"), Wait ("won't you wait for me"), and Ami's favorite Orange Sky ("In your love, my salvation lies...").

Ami and I were lucky enough to see him in Seattle in a small club The Crocodile Cafe, which has since closed, and it was phenomenal. Check out his website www.aleximurdoch.com where you can listen to songs from the album.

First trip to the Park

After enjoying part of the afternoon outside, Priya was joined by Melba and Aaron. We all took a walk down to Wallace Park. It was nice to soak up the sun and see the whole neighborhood enjoying the day. The park was packed, with soccer games, softball games, and basketball games all going on. We just took it easy while Priya slept in her stroller. Sona kept a watchful eye on her and kept her safe.

Settling into the routine

We left the hospital on Friday around 2pm. It was sunny and warm when we left. After a quick ceremony upon entering the house, we all headed to the back porch, including Priya, for some much needed fresh air and sun. Priya really liked the porch, especially the flowers and squirrels. Later on we headed indoors for a feeding. We had been worrying about how the pets would handle the new bundle of love. But, as you can see above, everybody settle in nicely. The whole family gathered around for the feeding.

Last night was interesting. While I was forever grateful to be in my own bed after three nights on the pullout at the hospital. I was less than thrilled with the fact Priya didn't want to go to sleep after feeding during the night. Hopefully, that will get better with time.

It is amazing how much they seem to change everyday!

Priya's first bath

Here is Priya getting her first bath. We went with a nice little faux hawk. She is doing great and starting to breastfeed well. Last night was interesting. We were so tired (I know, what did I do? but I was still tired) and 15 minutes after we went to sleep she started crying. Stop laughing. My immediate thought was "What did I get myself into?". But everything they say is true. After getting over the initial shock of being woken up, once I held her I didn't mind so much. In the end she actually gave us a good 5 hours of total sleep last night.