Riya's Birthday Bash

Riya's birthday party theme this year was "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" I thought this theme was especially fitting considering the year we've had. One obstacle after another, our 3.3 lb baby has come a long way. From worrying that she wasn't staying awake long enough between feeds (oh how naive I was) to wondering when she would roll over and crawl. From anticipating her first tooth to watching her feed herself. And now we wait for the day that she takes those first little steps all on her own. Take your time, baby girl, we are in no rush!

The first year really is a magical, unforgettable, all consuming love, and the ultimate test in patience. I'm both happy and sad it's over. It feels like the longest days of your life, but they are the shortest, most precious years.

Alright, enough of the sappy stuff!

Lucky girl had 2 parties this year. An early one in Houston with family and then one in Dubai with our Dubai family. Riya had a great time spending her birthday with all her loved ones.

Here are some pictures from her birthday morning:

"What, I'm ONE?!"

The Houston party. We hired a professional photographer and got some awesome family photos:

Cousin love :) 

First time eating a sweet! 

The Dubai party:

These are all the places Riya has been! Okay, okay, some of those were during our baby moon :)  

Her new toy:) 

Round 2!

Flash Friday

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby Riya! We are making a fuss and throwing her a party so will share details next week. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our photo session with our birthday girl:)

Destination Wedding: St. Maarten

We headed out to the Caribbean on Wednesday, August 20th, to begin a weekend full of family togetherness, beautiful scenery and to witness the Daniel nuptials. I've only been to the Bahamas so I was excited to see another island in the Caribbean. The island is divided in 2 parts: the Dutch side and the French side. We stayed on the French side, which was the more relaxing part of the island. The view didn't disappoint. It was beautiful to see the mountains and ocean and we all enjoyed beach and pool time on our first full day.

Riya finally meets her Masi (Aunt) and Masa (Uncle)! 

That evening was the welcome dinner.  The guest list was small, a cozy 38. The theme of the night was "How They Met." In the spirit of that, our side did a video skit and we also did a few ice breaker games including mad libs. Who doesn't love a night of games?! It was a great way to get the conversation going and to meet everyone.

The forecast for the next morning was rain, rain rain, so the couple had to change their plans of having the wedding on the beach and instead made it semi-indoors. The wind was pretty strong that day, but you can see a sneak peak of the ocean in the background. The backdrop was still unforgettable.

In Hindu weddings, a married couple (usually the parents) gives away the bride by performing opening ceremonies. My sister asked Ram and I to give her away. We were honored. Sadly we didn't capture this part(!!!) but it was fun. I can't believe we married a couple. Feel free to line up folks, the Aiyers are now in the marriage making business!

Send off in a Harley. Not too shabby! 

Later that day they performed a Christian ceremony. Luckily the weather cooperated and we witnessed a beautiful courtyard wedding.

Then it was time to dance the night away!

Sadly Ram had to leave early with Riya both nights so I missed him dearly. This was the first time we attended an event of any kind with Riya, so it was definitely an eye opening experience. We kept taking turns to watch Riya and make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. It was extremely hot on the island and most of the public areas were all open with only fans to cool. But Riya was a trooper. She got to meet lots of family and we are thankful they got to see her as a baby.

The majority of the group was staying till Monday, but we left Sunday. We really wanted to check out another island, St. Bartes, but after inquiring with the hotel it would have been an all day affair. Since we had Riya, that was not a possibility.  So we spent our last day enjoying the island. My mom graciously agreed to babysit, so we did some more pool hanging with the group and at night we went out (well some of us didn't make it cause we can't handle daytime drinking...ahem Shilpi and Emily...haha) The Dutch side is the party side, so we hit it up to check out the nightlife. As a special treat for my gambling addiction, Ram found out there was a casino so while most of the group decided to bar hop, Ram, my brother, my cousin and I spent the evening gambling:) And oh what a good night it was!

There were way too many pictures to post on the blog, so if you want to see the full album, please click here. 

Congratulations Shilpi & Jake! So glad we were able to share this one of a kind weekend with you all! Hope you're having a blast in Greece!

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!!!