Astrophotos
Who is my wife?
While talking with me, Ashwini always referred to V as “Aai” and she referred to me as “Dada” or “Daddy” while talking with V. We noticed a change during the last couple of days.
V: Just wait for a few minutes, Ashwini. It is too hot for you to eat. A: Can you eat it? V: No. It is too hot for me, too. A: But, your HUSBAND likes to eat hot.
She also referred to V as “your WIFE” while talking with me. At least, she is learning all the familial relationships properly.
Comet McNaught C/2006 P1
A new comet is in the sky, Comet McNaught. It is getting quite bright as it is rounding the Sun. It is visible to naked eyes just after sunset and before sunrise. Cloudy skies are not letting me see it. I am going to try again tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I'll have my own photos to share. Check out more information on Skytonight.com.
Here is a photo gallery from Spaceweather.com
Happy Feet and Don
Went to watch Happy Feet with Ashwini on Saturday. It is a beautifully made movie. The animation and music was great. The story was a little too advanced for Ashwini. There were quite a few chase sequences that were done brilliantly, scared Ashwini a bit. I usually don’t like Robin Williams, but he provided voices for a couple of characters very well. I guess I just don’t like watch his monkey-like antics on screen. Overall, an excellent movie.
Tried watching the new Don on Friday night. It was atrocious. Couldn’t finish it. I haven’t seen the original, but I am sure it was better than this new version. All the psychedelic colors and flashes seemed to hypnotize me and made me fall asleep several times during the first hour or so of what we watched. I just couldn’t get over Don wearing the silly tie (made with shirt fabric) inside an open collar shirt. Don’t waste your money on it, if you haven’t already.
Kids notes
– It just so happens that during 95% of our waking hours, all four of us are within a 20 sq.ft. area. Don’t know why we need a big house. We should move into a small one-bedroom apartment.
– Adit is walking all around the house without any problems. His walking style reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster and all my grandmas with bad knees.
– Adit has learnt from watching that you put the phone on your ear and say “hello”. He misses out that little detail about needing a “phone”. If you say “Hello” to him a couple of times, whatever he has in his hand goes to his ear. Yesterday, we had a big laugh when he started using a ball and then a drumstick as telephone.
– Ashwini is getting so good at learning new words and using grammar properly. Don’t know where she comes up with these things that she says, but they just amaze me. A recent conversation while we were driving home: A: Daddy, can you please stop the car? Me: Why Ashwini? We are very close to home. Can you just wait till we go home? A: No. I am tired of seeing you drive the car. You should stop the car and take some rest.
I almost drove the car off the road and into a ditch.
– Over the weekend, Adit and Ashwini actually started playing together in the playroom without our supervision. It doesn’t last for too long. It takes about 5 minutes before we hear screaming and crying, but it is a beginning. We have hope.
New photo smile
Ashwini decorating cupcakes for Adit’s birthday and sporting a new smile that she uses while posing for photographs.
Cricket: Sreesanth Swinging His Bat..... Dhoom Machale?!
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| "Cricket: Sreesanth Swinging His Bat..... Dhoom Machale?!" on Google Video |  |
| Cricket: This is the # 10 batsman Sreesanth, of India, responding to the South African Andre Nel's comment "Man, just don't swing your bat, have a heart to hit the ball", by hitting the very next ball for the maximum six runs and by showing his "heart" in front of Nel's face..... | |
Happy 1st Birthday, Adit!!!
Adit turned 1 yesterday. We had celebrations at home with just four of us and V’s brother who is visiting us. We made a cake and some cupcakes that Ashwini decorated very well. Adit was very happy to wear new clothes and play with his new toys and balloons. We have had a very eventful year and are glad that it is behind us.
Adit is doing all the age-appropriate things. He has 3 teeth and a few more showing signs of coming out soon. He is continuing to enjoy his favorite activity: chewing on things.
Note: All these photo were taken before the attack of Parag, the barber which happened a day before Adit’s birthday.
He is eating a whole lot of new things and will start drinking regular milk very soon. His vocabulary is increasing, but it still doesn’t contain many words that you or I use. He is standing up and walking as seen in the video here.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch Pump up the volume and you should hear Ashwini’s accented Marathi and Adit’s squeals of joy.
Two A's
Currently, I am in love with two A’s. Not those obvious ones… these are foods.
Almonds and Apricots
Dried apricots are my favorite anytime snack. I am always looking for opportunities to substitute my usual meals with Almond butter with apricot jelly sandwiches. Yummmmm!
Holiday cards
I wasn’t sure if I would get time to make cards this year, but te deed is done. If you’d like to receive a card, please send your address as a reply. Replies will be screened and noone but me can see your address. Friends who have sent me a card will automatically receive one, you don’t need to reply. :)
Halloween 2006
With all the trouble that followed Halloween this year, I forgot to post photos of the spider, the blue dog and the pink kitty (cousin Priya, who was visiting).
Celestial gatherings
Early morning on Dec. 10, 2006, there were two groupings of celestial objects worth noticing. Jupiter was close (within 1 deg.) to Mars and Mercury. Jupiter and Mercury are clearly visible in the picture above. Click on the link below to see a closeup with longer exposure and legend. This was my first ever Mercury sighting. I was very happy about that. I can tick off that one thing from my lifetime-to-do list.
Moon was very close (within 1 deg.) to Saturn. I remember seeing a Saturn occultation a few years ago which was very cool.
color of the sky = winter cold blue
One of the most beautiful things about winter.
Camera: Nikon D70 Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000) Aperture: f/1.8 Focal Length: 50 mm ISO Speed: 200 Exposure Bias: 1/3 EV Filter: Polarizer
Another Ashwini conversation
Location: In the car while going to school.
A: Aai, I want Daddy to drop me at school. V: But, he drove you yesterday. It is my turn today. A: No. I want him to drop me everyday. V: Why? A: Because, Daddy is my favorite parent. V: Can I be your favorite parent, too? A: I am sorry Aai, but you cannot. … … If you want, you can be Adit’s favorite parent.
Ashwini, the foodie
Saw an article in Parenting magazine (or something similar) about what children from around the world eat. They listed three C’s that American kids live on: Cheerios, Chicken nuggets and Cheese. Ashwini being an American kid, likes these things, but she also eats a lot of different things.
Breakfast:
- Cereals: Cheerios, Kix, Froot loops, Mini Wheaties, Chex
- Pancakes and waffles
- Buttered toast, english muffin, bagel
- Donuts and muffins
- Yes, poptarts, too.
Lunch/Dinner:
- Pasta
- Jam sandwiches (No peanut butter due to allergies)
- Meat sandwiches
- Chicken nuggets and fish sticks
- Grilled Salmon
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Quesadillas and tacos
- Soups and chilli
- Veggieburgers
- All kinds of veggies: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, soybeans, corn, black-eyed peas, carrots, roasted peppers
- All kinds of fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, peaches, nectarines, grapes, mango, cherries, lychees, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
Snacks:
- Various salty crackers, graham crackers and animal crackers
- Various dry fruits: raisins, apricots and dates
- Jello, Ice cream and fruit popsickles
- Indian snacks like chakali, papad and bhakarwadi
Ashwini likes to eat several Indian dishes and asks for them to be made: Khichadi, Pohe, Upama and Toop-Sakhar-Poli are her favorite.
She likes to drink her milk without addiing anything to it. Loves to eat plain as well as flavoured yogurts. Likes to eat cheeses. She wants to go to Whole Foods for grocery shopping to taste all different kinds of cheeses that they have out for tasting. :) Due to her nut allergies, we kept her away from chocolate and candies as much as possible. She is getting interested in candies like Starburst, Skittles and malted chocolate balls recently, especially after Halloween.
We have been really fortunate to have a kid who eats a good variety of foods and is willing to try new things. Hopefully, she will influence Adit and he will be a good eater like his sister too.
It's the wrong trousers, Gromit!
One of the best films ever: Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
This clay animation won the Oscar in 1994 for the best animated short film. I always wanted to see it and finally had a chance to see it tonight. Must watch the others in the series. They are available on DVDs. I think Ashwini will like them, too.
Speaking of clay animation… here is another nicely made short film Horn OK Please, by Indian and Irish animators.
A bedtime conversation
Ashwini: Aai, I'll tell you a secret in the morning. V: What is it? A: I'll tell you in the morning. V: Come on... tell it now. What is it? A: If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise. V: That's OK. Tell me now. A: But, I can't. It is not in my brain right now. It is outside... blowing bubbles.