Winter fun

This sight was just too cute not to post! Peter, Aaron and Nathan went out to play and shovel, while Anya Rashi and I watched the snow (and snowballs) fly from inside. Then I stuffed Anya Rashi into her snowsuit, hat, mittens, and boots. The result? A devastatingly cute (and completely immobile) little puffball of a girl!

The boys built a fort complete with two towers -- Peter has been reading them The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein, coincidentally . . . Anya Rashi took her first little sled ride, and walked down the street with me to deliver a thank you note to our neighbors.

She has been transfixed by falling snow when watching it from inside the house, and outside was no different. She was the quietest we've ever seen her, as she tried to make sense of the floating white specks landing on her cheeks and fluttering through the air around her.

One thought did cross my mind -- what would our nice hotel ladies say about having the baby out in 25-degree weather?! These were the same ladies who warned us not to give Anya Rashi a bath in Kolkata's winter (70+ degree weather, with lows in the 50s!!). It's probably good that they didn't see our outdoor fun. :o)

Firsts

We have experienced many firsts with Anya Rashi in the past week: first doctor visit, first immunizations in the U.S., first blood draws . . . first family bout of the stomach flu. So far, she has not caught the bug, but she did have a two-day fever following her shots, poor girl.

On a brighter note, she's having lots of other fun firsts:

First recognizable word: "shoe," which sounds like "dooooo," and is usually uttered rapturously as she carries pairs of shoes from her changing table to all corners of the house. I'll be lucky if I can find a matching pair in time to take the boys to school tomorrow!

First social worker post-placement visit: Anya Rashi is doing very well! Sleeping has taken a few steps backward since the shots, but we're hoping she'll recover within a few weeks.

First games with her brothers: Every night after dinner this week, Aaron and Anya Rashi play chase, with Anya in hot pursuit as Aaron tries (not very hard) to run away from her. As for Nathan, he likes to do dramatic play with stuffed animals (complete with every sound effect a boy can make) to make Anya Rashi laugh.

First favorite music: When Peter plays the Charlie Brown/Peanuts theme song on the piano, she goes crazy and dances all around the living room. Also, baby likes jazz! I've played her some Dianne Reeves, and she bops away to the faster pieces.

Other firsts: When asked how old she is, Anya Rashi holds up a carefully extended index finger. She also figured out where her nose is, and gleefully points to it (or in it) when asked. She's had her first trip to the library and the grocery store, too.

Other discoveries: the hallway nightlight, any crumb or scrap of paper on the floor (which instantly winds up in her mouth), the garbage can (ick), and two favorite books: Kipper's Book of Opposites and Oscar the Otter's Book of Colors. She also likes our Darth Tater and Spidey Spud potato-head accessories.