Homeward Way

Howdy folks! It only took us about a week to get back into our routine here in Dubai, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to catch everyone up while Riya is napping.

At the beginning of August we boarded our flight to Houston on Qatar Airways. Ram's company hooked us up with Business class tickets. (Riya is so spoiled, she doesn't even know it yet!) I've never flown Qatar before but it is super nice. And on our way back we were on the Dreamliner with free wifi and our own cubes. But anyway...

We were dreading the 16 hour journey to the States with our mobile child but Riya put our minds at ease almost instantly. She did not sleep much, which bothered me more than her. Rather she was happy to go back and forth between my lap and Ram's and then loved playtime on the floor. Thanks to my friend Leila for letting us borrow her yoga mat, Riya was all set up!

However, our easy-go-with-the-flow-baby went on strike the minute we were on US soil.  It took her about 4 nights to get over her jet lag but after that, she was not happy sleeping in a pack n play. I can't say I blame her. Who would be comfortable going from a mattress to a 1" mat to sleep on? So we bought her a crib with a bumper, which helped but every night we were plagued by 4-5 wakings and each time taking 30 mins-1 hour to get her to go back to sleep. I had no idea how affected she would be by the change of environment.  But I also think the fact that she was teething and potentially going through a nap transition (dropping 2 naps to 1) made it borderline nightmarish.

Sleep aside, Riya enjoyed meeting family and friends.  Our family and friends were so happy to have Riya home. Riya definitely enjoyed playing with her cousins for the first time and hanging out with all her aunts and uncles.

My mom thought it was a good idea to teach her how to climb stairs! (Thankfully, she's not trying to do that here).

The last time we were in the US I was six months pregnant, so this time around I made sure to enjoy all the beer food establishments I missed out on. I was in Tex-Mex heaven. (Thankfully I sweat out all the extra poundage in St. Maarten for my sister's wedding! More on that in a separate post). Tex-Mex coupled with weekly trips to Target and getting to see friends from all over, made coming home just the break that I needed. Sadly, we didn't get a break from the scalding sun, but having my mom around to babysit and cook made it an even trade.

Riya's just a few days shy from her First Birthday and we are throwing her a party. I cannot believe my baby is turning 1!!!