Fifth Floor

Well, we went there with Anu and Salil who kindly drove down from San Carlos. I had an awesome night. The food was OK - the best thing were the dessert - chocolate which really doesnt say much for the place. its located well on the fifth floor:P of hotel palomar. www.hotelpalomar.com Had to wait 2 weeks for my 8 o clock seating which kind of built up the appetite but dint live up to my expectations. Melissa Pirello definitely let us down yesterday. Staff was excellent.

Left R with Amanda who had to push us out the door cuz we were getting late:)

Well here is a foto of the lil munchkin!

Riya in the Kitchen!

 


Well, she is growing up and I couldnt believe that the child banging away on the kitchen utensils was the same one who was content to be in my arms all day long.

She is 8 mths now and growing up too fast. I miss her babyhood :)

She was with the nanny today and quite comfortable with her. I missed her so much but she seemed to be having a fum time and was content with Christine. Brat!

So, thats a little peek into the future and I dont know if i like it. :(

I already miss my baby. 

I realized yesterday that if i ever shop these days its for Riya. I think she is more fashion conscious then i am with my sweats!!


Took this foto yesterday and sent it to adnan who replied back :


 


"
this must be the first time a woman has ever sent me a picture of
herself with a weighing scale : )
thanks for brightening up the day.
-a." 

Stressed Out!

 


What with Riyabeing very cling after the Arizona trip and A's upcoming busines trip. its just been really hectic and stressful which meant I took a week off from flying school to regroup and get things in order. I also decided to get a mother's helper 2x a week for a cpl of hrs so that i can get some sanity back into my life.

Here is Riya in one of her new found moods. 

Demo 2006 -- Tribute to Pheonix, Arizona

Riya's first plane ride to cheer on dad at his second Demo appearance..




The trip began well and with so much stuff to take with a baby -- i am so glad A was there! How much stuff can one baby need. I totally overpacked for her but was stressed that i would forget something ! in the end the only thing i forgot was my facewash which means it was a pretty damn good job of packing -- if i do say so myself. Here is Riya at the ariport looking soo pretty - ready for her first trip on the plane! !


Alan came over the day we left and it was soo good to see him. he is such a nice thorough gentleman. this is a snap i took of all three.



I was in Arizona when I was a child - a family trip to see the Grand Canyons or something. I really dont remember much abt it so i was really looking forward to being there. Riya and I got to see Scottsdale, the Borgata, the heard museum, the botanical gardens, w got lost and almost went to the desert :)!! Overall, we have a great time. We were there to support the team of Riya.com but had wnouhg time to get some sightseeing done!




Riya and I got to see Munjal and Papa in action. It was totally awesome -- they all did sooo well and got the Demo God award too :) I dont have a foto of them together but here is one with Ben on stage witH A. You can see the whole presentation here -- http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2006/63025.html



The Four-Diamond Pointe South Mountain Resort was ok. Found an amazing outlet mall there and shopped :) Also, found a place which made a great sundae!

I do have to say that I am GLAD to be back. Riya was pretty clingy the whole trip - i guess, i never realized how much a baby likes her own space. She is usually pretty good abt going to places but at this point she wanted nothing to do with her father or any other person other then Mom! sigh. it got a little hectic.

However, A and I did manage to sneak away for our first night out wthouht the baby!! yeahhh!! Should have asked the waitress to takea foto of us but waited till we were strolling abt when the notion struck us! The food was good and the company excellent!




Riya had her first swimming experience in the pool when A and I took her - she loved it. here are a few fotos.






One thing they do know how to do well in Arizona is make great margaritas which everyone enjoyed and build awesome roads. After CA roads they were a revelation. I would consider moving there just for the pleasure of driving onthose roads. Here is one with Tara who has done such a good job on the new UI. See what I mean abt the margaritas :)




There were so many friendly faces and i guess the Demo gods were kind to Riya (no pun intended) -- all in all a good trip.

Munchkin in Preschool

 


Oh God!! I finally started researching the preschools - thanks to Amanda for getting together and making me do this - its insane. there are so many of them its just a PRESCHOOL!!

i dont no where to even start but at least we have some stuff to go on now.

it was lovely to just relax and chat. THOUGH i was super tense abt riya going down but she did !! yeahhhh!!!

phew. 

 


I went to the first ggmg play grp today. it was lovely. we had a fun time. we were running late since R decided to take an extra long nap. met christy who i was soo sure i had seen before. turns out we had been to her place when they were selling it and ALMOST bid onit. SMALL world. she was such a picture of grace.ia m glad we went.

here is a picture of sebastian one of the lil ones we met. he looked so adorable on the floor - i had to clck this! 

Margarita Night Out!

What an amazing time - just relaxed and promised not to talk abt our children. Well, that was one rule that dint work but i dont think anyone minded which is what i love about this group of people that i have recently met. they are such a warm loving set of people!!


I am really glad Tamar and Lisa came out and kudos to Veronica for skippng the class to be with us.. i feel speeeeshal :)

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall!

Well, I guess you aren't a seasoned mom till you have had some accidents. Today, Riya managed to roll off the sofa bed. I had turned to the computer for a second and off she went - i turned back just in time to see her dive head first! *sob*

i think that visual is going to be etched in my memory for ever. I was terrified that something horrible had happened to her but thank God she is ok!!

I was reading a Nore Roberts book and came across this quotation - who says you dont gain anything useful from romance novels :)



Youth fades; love droops,
the leaves of friendship fall;
A mother's secret hope outlives them all."
~By Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894

January Play Group at the Khan Residence: A Success!

DSC02629, originally uploaded by riyas mommy.

Had tons of fun! It was awesome to see so many babies congregated in one place! Realized I am going to need to abby proof the house soon!

Fell in love with all the new babies. Riya had fun with her usual posse - Sophie, Mikelina, Jaden and Jake!

Where does the day go?

Now that A is away - i am beginning to appreciate him more! the one hr that he takes care of Riya in the morning was a life saver!
Its 9 pm and i wonder where the day went?

Day in Review:

2:30 AM - Riya wakes up - hungry. feed her. both of us fall asleep while feeding her.

4:AM - she makes her presence known by kicking me. I indulge her for a few minutes and then realize she doesnt look sleepy at all. Put her in the crib in her room with toys. get back to my room put the monitor on and go back to sleep.

6:30 AM. something woke me up. i go to her room shs is just gazing into space wide awake and freezing cold!1 she has managed to kick all her covers off! i totally forgto to put the heater in her room on!! damn damn!! i rush her back into bed with me. rub her hands and warm her up. she doesnt seem to care while i go thru oodles of guilt for leaving her in her room and going off to sleep! We have a talk about not scaring me like that again.I BF her and then I put her under the mobile for 10 min (i sneak back into bed ) but she lets me know 10 min are all iam going to get. I then try to be extra smart and put her in teh swing. 20 minutes in that and now she is crying ok ok. i guess this isnt going to work out.

7:45 AM - we are in the kitchen. she is happily banging on the high chair. i am barely up. craving the tea A used to make. i give her oatmeal and mix egg yolk in it like the super baby food lady suggested (i was up late reading that book) she takes one taste of it and decides she doesnt want breakfast (i dont really blame her but hey, i am the parent - mine tortured me with their food choices and i am allowed to do the same to my daughtera nd egg yolk it is! ) but oh no! she has different ideas! no egg yolk. i give up! i go and make just oatmeal but by now she thinks oh no! i am not havng anything resembling this gunk. tightlipped she just moves her head away whenever the spoon comes anywhere near her mouth! Great! so, then i try vegetables at 8 am and yes, she is ok with that Hallelujah! We have arrived!


8:15 AM - Wash up, change diapers, change clothes. check email. its 9 am and she is sleepy

9 :00 AM - she goes down for a nap. longingly, i look at my bed and then have breakfast and go in for a shower --

9:30 AM she wakes up and cries. i rush out of the shower - drag a bouncer in teh bathroom and finish my bath (why did i decide to wash my hair today of all days?)

Get out put her in the high chair while i clear up the kitchen. its 10:30 -- i had to be at the library for her story telling session - oh well so much for that. K calls - i was supp to come over to her house this morning. We leave by 11.

Riya loves being there with K. Happy and just so social with her! I am thrilled that she took to K so easily she is such a warm and loving person and i guess Riya sensed it also! She followed her around the whole time we were there. its 12:00 and she is ready for naptime and i rush home for her nap!

12:45 -- she is fast asleep in her crib. again, i look at the bed and then think of trash day which is tomorrow and laundry day which is today! *sigh*

• load dishwasher,
• unload dishwasher
• have lunch,
• put in laundry,
• take trash out,
• bring up laundry,
• open mail, do I ever get anything nice?
• pay bills, damn parking ticket!
• call doctor for her appt,
• post ad for nanny
• run references for a nanny
• think about starting a babysitting co op - hmm
• research babysitting co-op
• have lunch while returning calls.

Maybe, I ll go to bed now.. Hmmm… I go lie down and 2 minutes later a wail comes. Princess is up. It’s 3:15

3:15. Change diaper, feed her.
3:40 we go out for a walk to union – end up buying a few toys for her at Mudpie (K’s suggestion)
5:00 PM – back home and time to feed Riya. She decided to feed herself. It’s a mess everywhere but she is enjoying herself and I love watching her have fun with this! Change her diaper again – eeewwwwwwwwwww!
6:10 PM – she is already sleepy! And getting cranky! By 6:30 she is fast asleep.

I pick up the place, bake cookies for my new neighbors who just moved in. nice couple.
Brought laundry up. Took last of the trash down, brought the trash bins out
Called references for nanny – no one was home. I guess – 8 :00 pm is not a good time to call for this.
Called Azhar
Replied emails
Started writing blog at 9:15 and its 10 pm. I missed my flying class today cuz there was no one to baby sit R. oh well!
I am off to bed!

Cianora – is that even the right spelling ? I am too tired to look it up.

*5 min later* damn it must be the wrong spelling cuz I couldn’t find it anywhere!

Marcy's Baby Shower!

 


Well, we made it to Marcy and Vadim's baby shower! It was lovely to see Anu with her kids who are soo well behaved (riya - pay attention)


Had fun - missed A who is on a business trip. Riya was entertained by Maya and Jay! Here is a pic that I love :) 

Riya Hosts Playgroup for CPMC Posse!

We would love to have you over a play group on the 12th of January at 2 pm.


Please email us through the group (unless I know who you are) for directions :)

Hope to see you!

Zainab and Riya

Two teeth and counting..

 


Yeah! Riya has cut her second tooth ! We are soo proud of her :)

All this holiday cheer and with christmas, hannukah being made such a big deal - i wonder what is going to happen when Riya grows up and i tell her we dont celebrate EITHER?

I mean, I like the whole festive look, the concept of hot chocolate and a tree adorned with ornaments - it gives you a nice snug and warm feeling. How can Eid ever compare?

So, my friend Sana came up with a suggestion. Give the kids a present on C-day saying its from Santa but make a BIGGER deal of Eid(which is 2x a year) -- new clothes, presents and the traditional money. that should get them excited :) 

Upon us all a little rain must fall..

It's raining, it's pouring;
The old man is snoring.
Bumped his head
And he went to bed
And he couldn't get up in the morning.

It's been raining the whole day. I love the rain -- I wish I could just snuggle in bed,read a book, sip hot chocolate and listen to the raindrops falling. Unfortunately, Motherhood has to take precedence and my daughter, the energizer bunny, has learnt a new game - 'i throw - you pick'so, we shall go and play!

Rain, rain, go away;
Come again another day;
Little Riya wants to play.

Six Months!

Wow - where did the time go? Half a year old. 17 years and 6 months away from college. Mommy isn't ready. To get you jumpstarted on college - Papa got you this blue jacket which has a math equation on it. You weigh 13 pounds and 11 ounces and are just over 25 inches now!

Quest for the perfect Mommy shoes

Now that I am a stay at home mother and more likely to be seen pushing a stroller and carrying Riya around -- i figured it was time to pack in the manolo's (no i dont own a pair but sounds better then saying via spiga doesnt it?) and look for a pair of *gasp* flat shoes.

Never would I have thought this day would come when I would have to pack in my shoes (lovingly wrapped in linen)-- awaiting the day that Riya grows up and I can totter after her in my heels.

The search has begun...

Riya.com

So, how many people can claim to have a famous product after them? Not many - at least not that I can think off and NO! Apple the computer company was NOT named after actress Gwyneth Paltrow's baby *sigh*

To continue.. my husband and a few friends namely Munjal and Burak started a company 7 months ago and its gotten to be pretty hot stuff :) whats HOTTER - their product is named after my daughter - Riya *drum roll please*

so do check out Riya - the software that is :)

i think its kick ass!! it's about image recognition in your photographs :)

PS. if you can think of any more products that were named after people - i would love to hear about them :)

Flying and Aerodynamics

I am not sure why I ever thought I would like flying! I don't understand the first thing about aerodynamics! but here I am chugging away and actually loving it :)

Had my third class today and LOVED it. The instructor Dan is awesome - i lucked out since he really enjoys teaching and loves the subject and that comes through but every tuesday right before my quiz of the week - as i juggle Riya and the FAA Prep test book - i wonder.. why am I doing this to myself?