Houston, we have a tooth!

I’ve heard terrible horror stories about the nights before a tooth arrives, and I’m sure I will experience it someday soon but this morning while getting Nikhil ready for his bath, I see something white shining back at me.  Could it be a tooth?? I couldn’t resist.  I rubbed my thumb against Nikhil’s gums and sure enough it was sharp.  We have a tooth!!!  I couldn’t believe it especially since he slept like an angel last night and only woke up once at 4AM.

Nikhil has been “teething” since his was two months old.  The amount of drool is ridiculous.  I have to change his bibs or shirts at least twice a day if I’m not constantly wiping his mouth with a facecloth because they are just soaked, not to mention the biting.  We can’t leave home without Sophie, the Giraffe or his RaZ-Berry teether.  He always needs something to chew on.  You have to be careful he doesn’t grab a hold of your hand because your finger(s) or knuckle will end up in his mouth and it will hurt for sure.

Anyway, we haven’t been able to get a clear shot of the tooth yet but once we do I will definately post it.  In the meantime, here are some pics of Nikhil knawing on my hand and Sophie.

A record breaking year …

… for visiting the hospital.  2008 will definately be an unforgetable year but not only because of the birth of our first child but the number of times we have been to the hospital! I mean, there have been years where I was visiting sick relatives in the hospital on almost a daily basis but this is the first year that I’ve had to go in for either myself, my hubby or now, my son.

Let’s see.  We’ve been into Emerg 4 times this year, plus another time straight into Labour and Delivery.

1. It all started in January when I went into the hospital at 36 weeks into my pregnancy thinking I was in labour but I was wrong.  It was a bladder infection. 
2. Move onto February when I actually stayed in the hospital for a few days after the arrival of Nikhil. 
3. Then in April, my mom took a tumble on the basement stairs the day after I moved back to my in-laws house.  She had sprained her knee.  Not fun!
4. On May 12, Nikhil decided he wanted to cry his brains out for 5 hours straight.  Hubby and I (or anyone else in the house for that matter) couldn’t calm him down so we thought something was wrong.  We called Tele-Health and of course they advised us to go to the hospital.  So at 10PM, off we went.  Of course as soon as we get into the car, Nik stopped crying.  We thought we should check him out anyways and 7 hours later, the doc says – meh, probably just colic! WTF!
5. And my last emerg story happened yesterday – my dear hubby.  We went to my brother’s house to help move furniture.  I have no idea what my dear sweet husband did, but something must have got into his eye.  He had a really bad reaction and fluid started to build up in his eye.  So off to emerg we went AGAIN!  6 hours later, the fluid had gone down and the doc chalked it up to dust.  ARGH!

We’ve come to the conclusion that hospitals make you wait in the waiting room thinking that the problem will just cure itself.  And in our case, it has.  Oops!

I hope we don’t have to make any more trips again this year.  I don’t think I could stand another day waiting in that emergency room!

Brings me back to England

When we went to visit my Mama and Mami (aunt and uncle) in NJ a few weeks ago, my mami made some delicious cheese and onion pasties for lunch one day. It totally reminded me of my vacations in England and those yummy Gregg’s pasties. Mami passed along the very easy recipe but my sister-in-law and I decided to add a little twist to it.

Mushroom, Cheese & Onion Pasties

· 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely diced
· 1 1/2 cups onion, finely diced
· 1 large potato
· approx 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 1/2 tsp chilli pepper flakes
· 1 tsp thyme
· 1 tbsp olive oil
· 1 tbsp butter – salted
· Black pepper, Salt
· 1 pkg PC Butter Puff Pastry (2 10×10 rolls), thawed but keep in the refridgerator until ready to use
· 1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a pot, add water and potato. Bring to a boil and cook until potato is soft.
3. In a frying pan, add oil and butter. Once butter has melted, add garlic and chilli flakes. Sautee for 30 seconds, then add mushrooms, onions, salt, pepper and thyme. Let mixture cook down until onions are translucent.
4. Once potato is soft, drain water and mash potato in pot. Add cheese and mushroom onion mixture to potato. Let mixture cool slightly.
5. Remove the puff pastry from the refridgerator. Unroll and cut into 8 triangles.
6. Spoon 1 tbsp of filling into middle of triangle. Fold one end of puff pastry over to make a smaller triangle and pinch the edges.
7. Brush egg wash over pastry.
8. Place in over for 15-20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
9. Let cool slightly and serve. Great with sour cream.

Why do kids pick their nose???

Well, the answer is simple. Because when they are babies, their parents pick it for them … they’re learning from example!

So as most of you know, Nikhil caught a cold a few weeks ago and it’s taking forever for him to be relieved of his congestion. We’ve done everything from buying a humidifier, elevating his mattress but the only thing that seems to pull those suckers out is the nasty nasal aspirator.

I don’t know who invented these things, but someone out there needs to find a better way to get those booggers out. Nikhil knows when I’m approaching his nose with the white bulb and squirms right across the bed to get away from me (and we have a king size bed). The experience is funny and frustating all at the same time. All we want to do is help our poor little guy breath again, but the bulbs are just torture.

Anyways, I came across an advertisement for a product called Nosefrida. You place the tube at the base of the baby’s nose and use the smaller tube to suck the boogies out of their nose. Yes, I said suck the boogies out. Gross, is exactly what I said when I first read that but Mukesh was curious so continued to look into it. Apparently it has a filter so you’re not actually sucking the booggers into your mouth. We have yet to purchase this, but after reading a bunch of reviews on thingamababy.com we may take the plunge. Anything to make our baby breath better.

Full House

We had a full house last week and boy was it tiring. Especially since we had just returned from a road trip. We had a total of 12 people in the house (9 adults, 2 kids (ages 12 and 10) and of course Nikhil. I’m still getting used to having a baby, let alone entertaining two kids but I must say we had fun. One day we went to Chuck E Cheese, and another day we went to Dave & Busters. My sister-in-law scored tickets to the Toronto FC game so she took them there one night, and then the movies another. I really hope they had fun, because I sure am beat.

Cooking for 11 adults sure ain’t easy either. Every time we had an Indian meal, we were making about 50-60 rotli’s (chapatti’s) whereas on a normal day we make about 25-30. On Friday night, my sister-in-law made Salmon with Mango and Red Pepper relish and Couscous. The recipe was passed on from my mother-in-law’s brother and is a favorite in our house, even with the non-seafood eaters.

Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
· Salmon Fillet – skinless, boneless (about 3 – 3 1/2 lbs)
· Corn Starch (2 tsp)
· Dill (2 tsp)
· Salt (1 /2)
· Black Pepper (to taste)
· Pepper Flakes (to taste)
· Lemon (2 tsp)
· Crushed Garlic (1-2 cloves)
· Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
· Nutmeg (to taste)
· Sugar (1/2 tsp)

Directions
1. Cut Salmon into serving pieces – and rinse with vinegar and cold water
2. Once drained mix and mix all ingredients and marinate for 30 minutes
3. Bake in a tray with parchment paper – 375 for 30 minutes

Mango and Red Pepper Relish
Ingredients
· 1 Mango
· 2 – 3 Red Pepper
· 1/4 cup chopped coriander
· 1 tsp cumin powder
· Salt & Pepper to taste
· 1 tbsp Olive oil
· Juice of half a lemon
· Pomegranate paste concentrated (Cortas) (optional)
· Sugar

Directions
1. Dice and mix all ingredients.

Couscous with Mushrooms
Ingredients
· 1 cup Couscous – Zinda medium grain
· 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, diced
· Fresh parsley
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 1 tbsp Olive oil
· 1 tbsp Butter – salted
· Black pepper, Salt and Sugar to taste

Directions
1. For one cup couscous take 1 ½ cups boiling water in a bowl and cover
2. Heat up oil, butter, garlic, mushrooms, salt sugar,
3. Once its cooked and mix with couscous

Our first cold :(

I remember when I was a little girl, my parents would get so upset every time I would catch a cold. They’d constantly remind (more like badger) me to dress warmly and make sure I’d wear my hat and gloves in the winter. Somehow, I’d still end up with a cold. As I got older, into my teenage years, I would try and hide the fact that I was sick but my dad could always tell because as he would say “your eyes look heavy”.

Well last week, for the first time I was in my parents shoes. My poor Nikhil got sick, and it just happened to be while we were on vacation!!! Late Wednesday night, he woke up screaming. We tried so hard to console him but nothing seemed to work. The shrieking just got louder and louder for a good half hour. Finally, I was able to calm him down by feeding him but I was so frazzled by the whole experience, I decided to have him sleep in our bed with us. That’s when I noticed his body was becoming extremely hot to the touch. Luckily we had our trusty thermometer. Over the course of an hour, his temperature when up from 36.8 to 38.5 Celsius. On a normal day, I think I would have completely lost it but somehow I kept my composure and got out the Tempra. Within a half-hour, his temperature went down but you could tell he just wasn’t the same happy baby over the next two days.

Nikhil is still congested and coughing, but he’s laughing and playing a lot more. My heart broke into pieces to see my little baby sick and not knowing how to console him. I think what made the situation worse was that we were in the US (and a 12-hour drive from home). We have medical insurance and all, but just being in a country where you don’t know what the medical system is like is very scary. Luckily, his fever didn’t stick around and we didn’t have to take him to the doctor while we were down there and because we drove, we were able to cut our trip short. To all the parents out there whose child has been sick, my heart goes out to you. I know it’s wishful thinking, but I hope dealing with a sick child gets easier.

This picture was taken at the Baltimore Aquarium.
Nikhil absolutely loved seeing all the fishes, sharks, frogs, turtles and lizards.

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day everyone! I hope it was an enjoyable day. I was hoping to go see the fireworks tonight, but the little one just seemed so content at home, so we just decided to put him to bed. It’s funny how life changes after you have kids. Before you were always on the go, and now you’re in bed by 9PM.

Anyway, today was supposed to be my baking day, but since my allergies were acting up yesterday I didn’t get a chance to get all my ingredients from the store so I had to settle for making my Easy Chocolate Macaroons. These usually disappear as fast as I can make them in our house and since I can whip up a batch in 15-20 minutes (start to finish), it’s definately a household favorite.

Easy Chocolate Macaroons – kraftfoods.com website
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

• 2 squares BAKER’S Unsweetened Chocolate
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 squares BAKER’S White Chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups BAKER’S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut
• 1 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

Directions
1) PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and milk in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
2) STIR in remaining ingredients. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets.
3) BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set. Immediately remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

The next generation of birthday parties …

I remember the days where we used to get excited for birthday parties at McDonald’s, or Chuck-E-Cheese’s. The pizza, cake, games, ice cream and of course, the loot bags! Oh, the memories. Well yesterday, we were taken back in time when we attended a birthday party for the daughter of one of my childhood friends.

I don’t ever remember having a puppeteer, magician or an inflatable castle, but I do remember having as much fun as the kids did yesterday. It got me thinking about the next generation of birthday parties. I mean the parties our parents threw for us were great, but now we have so many more options! You can always choose to host your party at Chuck-E-Cheese, Gymboree or the Lollipop Club or have all the kids over to your house for fun-filled themed afternoon. After attending the party on the weekend, I have so many ideas running through my head that I could probably plan all of Nikhil’s parties to the age of 10 but of course my hubby isn’t letting me do that because I’m sure it’s because he has ideas of his own!

Here’s to the next 8 months of planning for Nikhil’s first birthday party

Happy 1st Birthday Anisha!

Hooray for Mother Goose

I have to admit, before Nikhil came along you would never catch me singing in public. 1) I can’t remember lyrics for the life of me and 2) you just don’t want to hear my voice. Thanks to the Ontario Early Years centres and of course, my little baby who loves me unconditionally even though his mommy has a terrible voice… I am now known as the Queen of nursery rhymes in our house. I can burst into song at any moment, and I must say I’m really enjoying it.

For those of you that don’t live in Canada, we get a whole year for maternity leave. Of course, that would make any mother happy and excited to be able to spend the first year of their baby’s life with them (24/7)! While I was happy, it was also very daunting. I thought to myself, how am I going to stimulate my baby? What will I do with Nikhil all day long? There is only so much goo-goo, ga-ga that you can do. Thankfully a friend of mine introduced me to the Ontario Early Years centres. For any first-time mom’s out there, these centres’ are amazing! Not only do you get out every day with your baby, you get to meet other mom’s and have some much needed adult conversation.

For the past six weeks, I’ve been taking an Infant Massage class. Each week we learned different massage techniques to help colicky and gassy babies, and just some simple techniques to help bond with your child through massage. Now I can’t swear this will work for every baby, but ever since we started these classes, Nikhil has been sleeping much better at night … waking every 4-6 hours instead of the usual 2!

I also go to their Infant Mother Goose program. It’s basically a bunch of moms and babies sitting in a room singing nursery rhymes and finger plays. It is so much fun and Nikhil, even at the young age of four months, loves it! Below is a group picture from the Heart LakeOntario Early Years centre.

Here is one of our favorite bouncing songs …

Ecka Becka Soda Cracker (bounce with baby on your lap facing you)
Ecka Becka Boo (lift baby)
Ecka Becka Soda Cracker (bounce)
Up goes you (lift baby)

Ecka Becka Soda Cracker (bounce with baby on your lap facing you)
Ecka Becka Boo (lift baby)
Ecka Becka Soda Cracker (bounce)
I love you! (hug)

Enjoy

ps. I have not been asked to endorse the Ontario Early Years centre. I just think it’s a great program for parents and children.

Becoming a Tailor Made Mommy

Inspired by a few of my close friends and family, I decided to finally start writing my own blog. I hope you enjoy.

After having my first son, Nikhil, in February – I realized what a wealth of information your friends and family could be. I’m hoping to share some of my insights on being a mom by writing about cool toys, products that I can’t live without (umm.. I mean, Nikhil can’t live without), recipes, and resources that I’ve come across that make life as a mom easier.