Ketan's new noises

Ketan has been learning all sorts of different sounds he can make... Here is an example. All I can add is that it is clear he is all boy.

Photosession

Okay, I know, I am extremely biased. But could this kid get any cuter?

I'm 5 Months Old!

Oh Christmas Tree

Its that time of year again. Anju and I revive our tradition--started at our engagement--of the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Ketan was a big help this year. He really go into it:



Nice tree....nice tree....

Tummy Time Ain't So Bad

Ketan actually seems to enjoy being on his tummy for a little while now...even with the goofy scenery.

Big Smile!

I was teaching Ketan how to say his vowel sounds the other day, and he thought it was hilarious!

Yummy....

Ketan took his first bites of cereal today! And, of course, we videotaped the whole thing to share with everyone!

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone is having a terrific Halloween!

Like Mother....Like Son

You decide.....

Tummy Time

Ketan has really improved at tummy time lately! It's amazing how much he learns in just 1 week. At first, he would complain a ton, but lately, if we spend some time on his side first, he doesn't complain at all! Check out how good he is doing. I think we have achieved 90 degrees!

He always has the funniest expressions while he is doing his tummy time. Here he seems to be saying "oh.... i'm really not sure about this!"

After tummy time, we try & reward him by playing his favorite games. Here, Greg is playing with his feet. What a cute father & son moment!!!

Mr. Mom

Dad is in charge now! (scary, huh?)
I have taken over baby-sitting duties starting October 1st when Anju went back to work. I got a slow introduction because Anju only was at the office that one day that week. Last week, she started her full routine with M-W in the office and Th-F partial work days from home. I would say I'm slowly gaining some confidence that I can keep the wheels on (i.e., continue growing baby). The most important thing is to always have a bottle ready for the hungry baby. Ketan doesn't like to wait for food anymore than his father. He is actually pretty easy to take care of because he is such a good sleeper.
So, up until last week, it was all about the bouncy chair for entertainment. You can see him in action here:

Since then, he is getting interactive and working on his hand/eye coordination. He has a ways to go, but he is certainly enjoying the process...

3 Months and Counting....

Ketan's Smile

It's official... Ketan is smiling. And I have the pics to prove it!!! :) Of course, his smile was directed to the entertainment on his bouncy chair, not at me... Oh well, I'll take it!!! Gotta love those cheeks...

Ketan is 2 months old today!!!

Happy Birthday to our little guy!

Ketan enjoying his Playgym

Holy Toledo!

Recently, Greg, Ketan & I travelled to Toledo to visit my family & attend Neelima's wedding. Ketan did great on the flight & he pretty much slept the whole way. We had a fantastic time. Below are a couple of pictures, but we have a ton more on our Flickr page (link is to the right).
Enjoy!

Grandma & Grandpa rock!

Last week, Grandma & Grandpa Wiese made the trip down from Columbus, NE just to meet little Ketan. We really appreciated all of their help as well! Maynard fixed a bunch of little things for our house (including helping Greg paint his shed in 100 degree Texas heat), and Janet spoiled us with baked goods, took care of Ketan & painted a toybox for me! She even made Ketan the beautiful quilt below! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

Superbaby

A milestone

(posted by Anju) This morning, I woke up at 6 am to a total surprise. Ketan had his last feeding the previous night at 10 pm, went to sleep at 12 am, and didn't make a peep until 6 am in the morning! This means at only 5 1/2 weeks old, he went 8 hrs between feedings & I got 6hrs of uninterrupted sleep! This was probably a fluke occurence, but it made me really hopeful that more restful nights are somewhat near.

Here is a recent cute pic taken by my mother-in-law, Janet.

Doctor's visit

Check out how Ketan's tummy is growing! We went to our 1 month doctor's visit yesterday & he weighed in at 10 lbs (50% percentile). I feel like it is such an accomplishment when he packs on the pounds :) What a cutie pie :)

Happy Birthday Ketan!

Today, Ketan celebrates his 4th week of life! I can't believe it! It's gone by fast, but I can't even remember our lives without him. Look at how much he has already grown:

Ketan, Day 3

Ketan Day 28

Thank You Nani!

My mom left yesterday after spending 3 weeks with myself & Ketan. She was so awesome and helpful. She taught me Indian nursery rhymes, sang to Ketan, and took care of everything in the house. On top of that, she was great company, and had so much useful advice after 3 kids of her own & 6 granchildren. Before she left, she did a small pooja (Hindu religious prayer) to bless our new gift. Thanks, Nani! We love you!

Introducing the Bottle

We introduced the bottle to Ketan for 1 of his feedings on Sunday (about 2 and a half weeks old). He was leery at first, but since he is such a good eater (like his parents), it only took about 5 seconds for him to figure it out. This will let Ketan learn that there are other sources for food and will eventually give Mom a break.

Good luck to the Redfields!

Our neighbors, Seth & Kaethe, recently moved out East. Before they left, my Mom whipped up a great Indian meal for all of us to wish them bon voyage.

At the dinner, Ketan got to know their 3 month old son, Owen, a little better. Can you believe how small 3 week old Ketan looks like compared to 3 month old Owen? This first 3 months is going to be exciting to watch Ketan grow!

Check out the proud papas below:

We had our 2 week pediatrician appointment today and everything turned out great. Ketan weighed in at 8lbs 11oz. That is a 23oz gain in only 17 days! Not bad....
btw, keep checking the flickr link on the right for recent photos.

Stretchin'

Friends and Food

We are fortunate to have so many friends dropping by to see Ketan. Its a great break for Mommy and Nani. Some even bring food! This helps a lot as Ketan is demanding lots of attention. Thanks to everyone...
Angela & Will met us at Central Market:

Miss Ashley came by with baby Bella:

The Kiehler girls also came by to play with Ketan:

Miss Lauri:

Ketan is learning to socialize from his Nani. He can't quite keep up with her, though....

Photos, Photos, Photos

Here is a link to our flickr page with all of Ketan's first photos. Enjoy!

Tour Time

Ketan and I watched some Tour de France yesterday. He was really excited about it and even wore his "My Bike is Fast" onesie. Unfortunately, like most things, it made him a little sleepy:

First Doctor's Appointment

We took Ketan to his first visit with the pediatrician today. The best news is that he is back up to his birth weight and beyond after only 5 days. He measured in at 7lbs. 7oz. which is 3oz. more than at the start. The only bad thing is that we had to go get some of his blood drawn so that they could measure the extent of his jaundice. He doesn't look too bad, but they were just being cautious. Its hard to watch your baby scream as they squeeze blood out of his tiny foot. Oh well, at least he looked cute:

Ketan's Birthstory

Ketan arrived 1 week earlier than my due date (Born on July 9th, Due on July 16th). I am grateful that he arrived early. As you can imagine, I was getting uncomfortable being pregnant in the middle of July in Texas!

I actually started feeling labor pains at work. It was supposed to be my last day in the office, but it got cut short because I wasn't feeling well. I wasn't sure what I was feeling - I thought it was just normal pregnancy pains. Anyway, I went home after lunchtime & napped for several hours. I thought the pain had passed when Greg came home from work. So, Greg took off to get some exercise. Just after he left, my contractions really started kicking in. Eventually my water broke at around 6 pm. I called Greg to come home, and he started making his way back from his bike ride. I snapped a picture of Greg when he got home. He doesn't exactly look ready to take me to the hospital to have a baby, does he?

We headed to the hospital & that's where all the activity started! After a long night of progressing through the labor, Ketan was finally born on Wednesday, July 9th at 8:05 am (7lbs 4 oz, 20 1/4 inches long). Here is the first video and some of the first photos we took:

As a preventative measure, Ketan did have to go to the NICU at first to get a round of antibiotics because of a slight fever I got during the delivery. The poor little guy had an IV in him for his first 48 hrs. I think his Mom was more bothered by the IV than he was.

Between tests for baby & mom, visitors & paperwork, it was a real whirlwind at the hospital. Thankfully, we had a wonderful level of care & Ketan built his strength really quickly. We were blessed at the hospital with many visitors & good wishes from all our family & friends. We are so appreciative of everyone's support!

Don't make fun of us, but when we took him home, we were nervous about his head moving around in the car seat, so we rolled up a receiving blanket around his head as extra support. He turned out to look like a Sheikh, and gave us a good laugh, so we posed this picture

We finally started for home on Friday afternoon (July 13th) and that's when our fun really got started!

Introducing Ketan Joseph!

Ketan came into the world at 8:05am today, July 9th. He is a healthy 7 lbs. and 4 oz. and is 20 1/4 inches tall!