Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Dubai! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was extra special this year :) I finally got around to decorating the house and Ram was able to bring me back some holiday decor from Houston to top it all off:

Christmas Eve tradition: PJ's

We had Christmas Eve dinner at our place with our friends. Unfortunately, a few backed out last minute so we were stuck with a 12 lb turkey with just the 3 of us! Needless to say, we will have plenty of food to eat over the next few days. We had a lot of fun with our White Elephant exchange:) Some people do nice gifts when they do White Elephant, but we like to do funny/gag gifts:

Santa and Reindeer that poop chocolate

We spent our 70 degree Christmas Day opening presents, sky ping with family and watching Four Christmases:) Riya got some awesome gifts this year. Nothing tops baby's first Christmas! 

Check out Riya's site for the full set of pics. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Looking forward to what 2014 has in store for us! 

Holiday Cheer

For a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas, they sure do go all out for their ex-pat population (or so I thought). We attended the second annual Dubai Christmas Festival this weekend where they showcased local eateries, christmas market, an ice rink, fake snow and Santa's grotto to name a few. Now if the malls would just catch on and sell more than just trees and ornaments, it would be the perfect holiday season!

Sadly, the Festival was a huge disappointment. The biggest disappointment of all was waiting in line for 45 minutes to get a picture with Santa only to be greeted by a 15 year old bean pole of a boy dressed as Santa. IT. WAS. TERRIBLE. Not to mention that we had to pay for the visit and we had to take our own picture! No professionalism what so ever.  I'm glad Riya is too young to understand these things. If I was a little kid and I saw that Santa, I would be questioning his existence for damn sure.

The Christmas Market that they boasted about at the Festival was also a let down, but I anticipated that. Since I don't have any holiday decor and couldn't find much, I had to get creative to make our house festive.  Ram is going to Houston the week before Christmas and comes back on the 23rd, so I was able to at least order the stockings and tree skirt that I loved. Too bad I have to wait until Christmas eve to display it. In the meantime, I was able to get a wreath outside and create something for our mantle (pending the stockings). So I found this craft shop and picked up some wooden letters and foam trees. Add a splash of glitter and voila:

I would have liked to do something a little more inspired, but given my limited free time, this will have to do! I'm currently working on our tree, at this pace, it should be ready by Christmas Eve! Ha.

Another thing I've been focusing on is establishing holiday traditions. Now that we have started our clan, I want to make the holidays a memorable event for our kids as they grow up. I never really had any traditions growing up aside from waking up early on Christmas morning and opening presents in our PJ's while scarfing down deviled eggs. So here is the list of traditions I plan on incorporating every year:

1. Christmas Box- every year on Christmas eve everyone gets to open their box which will contain new PJ's and an activity or game to do that day.

2. Elf on the Shelf- until Riya is old enough to understand this, I think I will have adult fun with this one;)

3. Christmas Scavenger Hunt- the weekend before Christmas spend an afternoon to search the city for all things Christmas related

4. Christmas Crackers- this is a UK tradition that I fell in love with and since Aberdeen holds a special place in our hearts, it will always be a part of our Christmas celebrations. It also makes for a great stocking stuffer! They even sell fancy adult crackers here where the "toy" is a wine opener, key chain, etc.

5. Advent calendar- I want to do some sort of countdown to Christmas, I really like this picture of Santa claus with his beard is the countdown:

So far I'm happy with that list but am looking to add. What are your favorite traditions?  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Dubai. We're spending another year in another country that doesn't acknowledge this holiday, but oh well. Today my in-laws left. So now it's just the four of us…

It was an exhausting week but at the last minute, Ram and I decided we are going to make Thanksgiving dinner. For the next month I am doing a dairy, nut and berry free trial to benefit Riya. Poor baby's digestive system doesn't seem to be able to breakdown the enzymes right now and it has already helped get rid of some of her splotchy skin. Needless to say, this new diet is not exactly holiday friendly, especially in Dubai where we don't have many specialty food stores. It's amazing how many products have traces of dairy!!! I never knew. But I keep telling myself, this diet will help me lose those last few pregnancy pounds, so it's a win-win.  And I figured, today was as good as time as any to have that first drink. Ahhh it tasted so good. And I found some tobacco free molasses so I could smoke some shish :)

Love me some Belgian Ale!

It was a mad scramble at the grocery store to put together a diet friendly meal. I managed to find rice "milk" so I could make mashed potatoes. And we couldn't find ingredients to make gravy or stuffing from scratch, so we were stuck with the instant options, which actually turned out decent. Of course there was no turkey (we could have ordered one from a restaurant if we wanted to feed 12), so we decided to roast a chicken. It was very easy. The hardest part was the fact that I couldn't make my fav pumpkin cheesecake or pecan pie for Ram.  And since there was no way I could make a dairy free dessert, Ram was stuck picking out an apple pie from the bakery.

All in all I think it turned out well for a last minute meal. Take a look:

My pretty little helper:)

And so we could feel more connected to home, we threw on one of the Friend's Thanksgiving episodes:)

This was the year they did Thanksgiving flashbacks

So much to be thankful for this year, but most of all we are thankful for the light and joy Riya brings in our lives. She still manages to put a smile on my face during her 2am feeds. She's a keeper:)

'Tis the Season

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is around the corner! That means we have been living in Dubai for almost a year. And it looks like we will be here until 2015 at least. I'm thankful we don't have another international move this year, but at the same time was hoping we would be able to explore living in another country next year…I know, I'm getting greedy:) 

These days I feel like a hamster running on the wheel. Going, going, going but never seeming to accomplish enough. I think it's safe to say, that feeling will last until Riya goes to college. Yippe. Now would be a good time for the world to perfect the cloning process. I would like to sign up please. 

I'm so excited for Riya to experience her first Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even though she probably won't remember it, I want to make it special. Since we've been married, we haven't had a tree or decorated for the holidays for one reason or another. That ends NOW. I know I'm in the wrong country to cultivate my new found holiday spirit, but dammit I'm going to try! 

I'm surprised to hear that they have a big Christmas Festival in December with an ice rink and fake snow and everything. Done. And this weekend one expat group is having a Festive Fair. I really hope I can find some cute holiday ornaments and decor. I sincerely regret not picking up any ornaments on any of our European travels…I mean we even went to a Christmas market in Prague. What the hell was I thinking?!

In other news, baby girl is starting to sleep a little longer at night. Do you know what that means???? 

That's right, my first drink is around the corner! 10 months, 1 week and 5 days sober…

Lessons from A Newbie

Happy Due Date to me! I cannot believe that I could have still been pregnant till now. I also cannot believe I have a two month old baby. It still weirds me out referring to Riya as my daughter. Look at her trying to hold her bottle already! She's growing so fast...

So far I learned quite a bit, and I'd thought I'd share, so here goes:

1. Sleep trumphs all. Yes, even showering.  

2. Rush Hour. I always feel like I'm rushing through everything now. This is especially true when it comes to eating or running an errand. Since I have to keep Riya on her schedule, I find myself devouring my meals in less than 10 minutes or rushing through the grocery store to make it back in time for her next feeding (and forgetting items along the way). Feels like I'm always racing against the clock.  

3. Watch out. It doesn't matter how fast you change her diaper, she will still manage to pee on you. I thought this was an issue for boys only…

4. Talk is cheap. I suck at baby talk y'all. My mom puts me to shame. For some reason, it just doesn't come naturally to me. So instead, I give Riya real talk. Like how she needs to meet Prince George and make him fall in love with her. You know, the important stuff. 

5. Milking it. I faced some horrid feeding challenges half way through but now those dark days are behind me (I hope). It's oddly exciting seeing how I have the ability to supply food for my baby. And in case you're wondering, no I have not tried my milk…

6. One step forward and two steps back. It's hard to get excited when she sleeps an extra hour at night or stays awake after every feed one day because by the next day we're back to square one. And I hear that for pre-term babies the milestones don't begin until after their real due date. God help me. 

7. Swaddling sucks. But it's the lesser of two evils. I rather her fight the swaddle for the first half hour than have her wake herself up from her hand hitting her face halfway through her sleep cycle.

8. Eight is not enough. Unless you plan on doing laundry every day (which it still feels like I do), eight of everything (blankets, burp cloths, bottles, etc) is not enough. 12-15 is more like it.

9. Let it out! Burping requires both skill and patience. After 6 weeks, I finally acquired both. I feel like an expert now, thanks to Riya.

10.  I have 5 visible gray hairs. Enough said. 

Tomorrow's my mom's final day with us. One month flew by! It's going to be an adjustment not having her here, but my in-laws will be coming in on the 18th, so can't wait for them to meet their granddaughter!

Flash Friday

Happy Friday everyone! We decided to take advantage of the cool morning air and take some outdoor pictures of baby girl. I created a website for Riya that you can log into and view anytime you want. The site info is :

https://riyaaiyer.shutterfly.com

Password: september12 (if you are a shutterfly member, you can use your your shutterfly password instead)

I hope to be able to update the site several times a week. The entire shoot from today is on there, but in the meantime here are some of my faves:

Happy Halloween!

Hope everybody had a fun Halloween! I'm sure the partying will continue for everyone this weekend. This is the first year I don't have a costume or anything planned. So it begins...

Last year for Halloween we were lucky enough to spend it in Scotland, where this fun holiday originated. We partied and boozed it up with our wonderful friends from the 'Deen. Oh, the memories...

This year, I bought candy for the trick or treaters, but we didn't get any (probably because we were at an event) :/  We took Riya to the Golf Club to attend the Halloween event they hosted for children. Baby girl slept through pretty much the whole thing (lol) but it was nice to get out and socialize for a little bit. Here are a few of my faves from the event. I'm working on a share site where I will post videos and pics for family and friends to view whenever they want. Will share the link once it's ready :)

Motherhood

Hello blogosphere! I feel like it's been ages since my last blog, but it was only 2 weeks ago...these days I don't even know what day of the week it is or the date. The weather outside is finally starting to cool down, which means high 80's instead of 104, yet I'm stuck indoors. I'm hope soon I will be confident enough to take Riya out for a stroll on my own to get some fresh air. Right now leaving the house is a two person job...

It's been a month since Riya has been home and today she's 6 weeks old. Surprisingly, motherhood has been quite challenging for me. Something I didn't expect. Everyone used to always tell me I was a natural and I think that got to my head a little. Well, let me just say this, it doesn't matter how much practice I've had with other babies or how much research I've done, motherhood is KICKING MY ASS.

I'm so thankful that I have an extremely patient and understanding husband who has been the brunt of many hormonal driven tantrums and breakdowns by yours truly. Not to mention my selfless mom who has been picking up the slack for me and making sure I rest as much as possible. No one ever tells you how hard it is once you are home with the baby and the challenges you face will feeding her and working in some sort of sleep routine.  Every mother I know conveniently glossed over the challenges they faced in those first few months (thanks a lot ladies) and made it look so easy. Turns out this is the hard part. "Hard" doesn't even begin to describe my plight at the moment.

Anyway, if it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not. I'm just being honest about my experience. I feel like I could write a book. You know, talk about the stuff that no one ever tells you. But then maybe people wouldn't procreate....

So Halloween is upon us. One of my favorite holidays.  It will be interesting to see how this city celebrates Halloween. I have yet to come up (and attempt to get away to buy) a costume for Riya. Any suggestions? What are you dressing up as and doing for Halloween? 

Zero to Thirty

I'm going to try to be one of those moms that doesn't talk about her baby non-stop. But so far, I'm failing. I. AM. OBSESSED. Right now my world revolves around our princess, every 3 hours to be exact, so I really don't have anything else to talk about. Sorry folks!

I cannot believe that Riya is one month old today. It's amazing how time is managed as a mother vs a non-mother. Now-a-days, watching an hour long episode of a TV show seems like a huge waste of my time. I rather be sleeping or (gasp) folding her laundry. And it's also amazing how much I can accomplish in ten minutes!

Anyway, enough about my revelations for now. More on that later. Here's a snapshot of the best month of our lives:  http://youtu.be/qmHYEUTGawc

Grandma comes in town today and we cannot wait!

Welcome, Baby Riya

By now you know that Riya was born on September 12, 2013. She was born at the gestational age of 32 weeks, which is pre-term, but not a preemie. What's the difference? Preemies are born prior to 27 weeks and would need a lot more help breathing, eating, and basic functionality versus a pre-term baby. (Babies are considered full term at 37 weeks).  What a whirlwind the past 2 weeks have been! Here is my attempt at a recap.

Two weeks ago I went in to see the doctor for numbness and swelling. I knew they were symptoms of pregnancy but I wasn't sure if my level of numbness and swelling was normal. I was ready to just sit back and wait until my 34 week appointment with the doctor but Ram insisted that I just go in to make sure everything is alright. As we waited, we made a mental note to do another hospital tour that Friday. (We did one back in June but neither of us remembered anything).

So we met with the doctor and immediately she showed concern. I was shocked. She started saying my blood pressure was high, there was protein in my urine, blah blah blah, we are going to admit you to the hospital for observation for 24 hours. Wait....WHAT?!?! Both Ram and I were stunned.  Just 2 weeks ago my doctor told me I had a low risk pregnancy, aside from gestational diabetes. Now, all of a sudden the doctor was saying things like I will try to buy you days (not weeks) before we have to deliver baby girl.

Ram saved both mine and Riya's life that day.

My health was more at risk than the baby's and the only cure was to take the placenta out.  A million thoughts began running through my mind. I started going through my "To Do List" which was grossly incomplete and I began to panic. The baby clothes needed to be washed, my hospital bag was only half packed, the car seat needed to be installed, we needed to buy diapers & wipes, and Luca. What are we going to do with Luca?!

Two very long days passed and we were discharged with high hopes that we had at least 2 more weeks, until baby was 34 weeks old, before we considered delivery again. The minute we came home, I gave Luca a big hug and immediately started working on that "To Do List." Sadly, late that night I was re-admitted to the hospital. The following morning the doctor said it was time. There was no way we could wait another day without damaging my kidney and liver. I had 10 minutes to process the information. Those were the fastest 10 minutes I've ever experienced in my life. That was the first (and last) time I cried.

I would never know what it was like to go into labor. I would never feel the excitement that my water broke. I would never experience a contraction. Some people say I'm blessed that I didn't go experience those things. But I can't help but feel cheated. Don't get me wrong, the thought of labor scared the crap out of me, but it was still something I wanted to experience. I never imagined this was how my pregnancy would end. And I never expected to go home without my baby.

At the end of the day, I can't say that I'm sad Riya graced us with her beautiful presence. From day 1 she was a fighter and was breathing on her own. By day 10 she was maintaining her own body temperature and out of the incubator. The only concern was her weight. Baby girl is tiny.

Today would have been my 34th week of pregnancy. I didn't get a chance to do my bump shot, but this is much better:)

Yep, Riya came home today!!!! We are so proud of her and I finally feel like we can do this parenthood thing for real. I cannot tell you how obsessed with her I already am. She has truly changed our lives forever (and Luca's).

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...

A few weeks ago I began to panic. When I looked at the calendar and realized I only had 10 weeks (or less) before the arrival of baby girl, I felt wholly unprepared. I know first time moms will never be fully prepared to experience a newborn, but I still had 2 books on my ipad that I hadn't looked at. I kept telling myself, I have time to read those. Well folks, let's just say I feel like I'm cramming for a final exam.

At the very least I want to arm myself with information so that my "instincts" can kick in at the right moment. But another thought has been gnawing at me. These next 8 weeks will be the last time that it will be just Ram and I. (Luca doesn't ask for much, so he doesn't count in that department.) I feel like there are things we should be doing in these last few months to soak up some "us" time. Yet, night after night we find ourselves glued to the couch catching up on TV shows. Don't get me wrong, I know doing something mindless like watching TV will be something I miss in the near future, (and let's be honest, these days I can't really function after 9:30pm). But there is still a nagging "must do" list running through my head.

What to do in a city where it punishes you for being outdoors and offers nothing but eating, drinking & shopping? Now that the nesting phase is over, I need a new project. The expat activity groups don't start up again for another few weeks, so I'm starting to get really restless. (Why does school start so late here?!) I thing a Mahjong fix is in order...

One thing's for sure, I really miss traveling. I got so used to the jet setting lifestyle that I feel like I have an addiction- every few months I'm dying to explore something new. Of course we are already thinking about our first trip with baby in tow.  Should it be somewhere beachy and chill like the Maldives? Or should we just go for some adventure in Australia/New Zealand while the baby can't walk and talk? Decisions, decisions.

Pin-teresting Eats

I've been really busy in the kitchen the past few days y'all.  We haven't been good about keeping up with our weekly cooking dinner together deal since we moved to Dubai, so in an attempt to revive that, I suggested we make Paella on Saturday night. Ram was thrilled! Even though we just checked out Rosa Mexicana a few days before, we can never have our fill of Spanish/Mexican food.

Surprisingly the ingredients for the recipe looked very simple and doable. So as we I Ram cracked open a bottle of wine, we got started and chopped up all the veggies (thank god for the slap chop!).  I chickened out and bought frozen shrimp and mussels. I really was not in the mood to clean those bad boys. I don't think the dish suffered as a result either, so I'm okay with it:)

And here's the final product:

It was light and yummy, I would definitely make this again!

On Monday, I decided to experiment with fruit leather. Ram and I love fruit roll ups but they are loaded with sugar and crap and besides, they are not sold here. In an effort to find a healthier way to enjoy this treat, I found these 2 pins, one for Blackberry Mint and Strawberry. I love that you can control the sugar content in these recipes and you can even cut them out in any shape you like, which I'll be doing down the road for baby girl:) The best part is you can mix together any fruit combination you like.

Removed the seeds for both mixes

Before going into the oven. They both smelled really good.

I didn't add any sugar to the strawberry one and I only added about a tablespoon of honey to the blackberry one. I also didn't do the full 3lbs of each fruit, because I wanted to test it out first. I also read  that heating up the fruit on the stove before putting it in the oven will give it a shiny finish, so I experimented and only heated up the strawberry. Unfortunately, the oven process takes hours and the average was 4-6 hours. I have a gas oven, and I know from past experience that usually means to cut the cooking time in half. Unfortunately, by the 1 hour and 45 min mark, I was already too late. Both dishes were too dried out to even roll and crumbled at my touch:/

Exhibit A

I was SO disappointed but I plan to try again.

Tuesday night I decided to attempt Gumbo. Ram loves Cajun food and the only Cajun dish I have mastered is jambalaya. So I decided to surprise him and add a new dish to my repertoire (plus I had left over shrimp to use!). The ingredients are very similar to jambalaya with the addition of okra. Seemed easy enough. And it turned out great!

Slap Chop to the rescue once again!