Snapshots from our Christmas

"Santa's Candy Cottage"

I had a hard time letting the guys help me decorate this one.

Samedh's "Baby Jesus toys"

For once, the camel is not on the roof and the sheep is not off riding in a train car...

" Santa really did bring M's (M&M's) for Samedh's mouth!"

Samedh and his cousins on Christmas Day

Me, Liz, Joe and Dena in Mom & Dad's new sun room

I rarely have time to post these days, so here are a few pictures from our Christmas celebration at my parents' house. And as luck would have it, Samedh just woke up from his late afternoon nap, so I'm off again. Poor guy - - he was diagnosed with a sinus infection and ear infection this morning, so he's not in the best mood at the moment. At least he had a great Christmas...And Santa did bring the M&M's he asked for:)

Portland Favorites

According to Samedh, Mt. Hood is where Santa lives.

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach (Oregon Coast). Samedh calls this "Big Daddy Rock".

Wooded area surrounding Pittock Mansion, Portland OR. I loved the mossy trees!

This is the view from our friends' dining room window.

Samedh with Maya. Who needs mistletoe?

Portland Bound

I know I haven't posted for quite a while, and now it will be at least another week before I can post again. Our family is off to Portland OR tomorrow to visit friends. Samedh is really excited and so are we. One of the activities I promised Samedh is to visit the Children's Museum in Portland. We went to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum for the first time a couple weeks ago and Samedh loved it! Now we can try out the one in Portland. From the picture above, it looks like Arthur's World is visiting Portland at the moment. If we see Arthur and friends next week, then we won't have to worry about missing them when they come to GR in late January.

Once we're back, I'll do my best to post some photos of our trip. Our Christmas cards are also signed and stamped and will be ready to mail once we return next week. All I need now is to find the perfect family photo to include in the cards. We're confident that we'll capture the best photo somewhere in or around Portland.

Favorite Fall Photos

Ok, so I had to add these photos too. I can't tell which are my favorites. I showed them to Pankaj last night and he loved them too. Our little boy is growing up! It's hard to believe that he's been a part of our family now for one year (he left Bal Vikas on November 21, 2006). Time certainly does fly!

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We are looking forward to our first Thanksgiving dinner at home (last year's was spent in Mumbai and the holiday is not celebrated there), followed by a trip to Portland, OR to visit our good friends Jay and Judy and their daughter Maya, who was born in May. Samedh keeps telling me, "Going to see Baby Maya." And, "Play toys." I keep reminding him that Maya will only be 7 months old when we visit, and she doesn't walk yet. She'll have some toys, but not the kind Samedh is expecting. Maybe I'll have to sneak a car or two in his suitcase. One fun thing Judy and I have planned for this trip is to dress the kids in matching Christmas pajamas and have their photo taken by the tree. Samedh and I bought the pj's the other day and they are really cute. I just hope Samedh will sit still with Maya so we can get a couple pictures of them together.

Fun in the Leaves

Just had to share these photos of Samedh from the other day! It was warm and sunny, so we took advantage of not having to wear a coat...It's just hard to keep him sitting still for a photo. Earlier in the week, I bought this outfit for Samedh at a local consignment shop. He recently outgrew his only pair of khaki dress pants, and needed something for the upcoming holidays. The entire outfit, shoes included, was under $20. I'm also proud to report that the turtleneck Samedh is wearing is a size 24 month! The sleeve length is perfect (he has long arms like me), but it's a little long on his body. That's ok though, because the longer shirt just helps keep his pants up around his waist!

Our Diwali Celebration

On Saturday we celebrated Pankaj's birthday and Diwali with my family. Even Baby Justin came to join in the fun, although he slept most of the time. We had a nice big meal of spaghetti and meatballs and had cake and ice cream for dessert. We didn't light fireworks this time, but we did incorporate the tradition of Bhaubeej gift giving which is typically done on the 5th day of Diwali. Since Samedh's cousin-sisters were already visiting on Saturday, we had Bhaubeej a little early. Samedh gave each one a small activity book and chocolate caramel candy. Then the little guy wished them a Happy Diwali. Samedh is supposed to vow to protect them, but he'll understand that more as he gets older (and bigger). Right now, the "mother hens" are very protective of him:)

Earlier on Saturday, Pankaj, Samedh, and I attended Lakshmi Puja in Grandville. We arrived just in time for the cultural program and songs, which Samedh enjoyed very much. We had a small lunch before we left, and Samedh helped himself to one of the bananas that had been blessed by the priest who performed the puja.

Happy Birthday, Happy Diwali!

It's Diwali...
It's also Pankaj's birthday, so we had lots to celebrate today. We put up lights inside the house and out, and added a few diyas and lanterns. Our first blessing of the day came when we returned home from running errands (Pankaj took the day off). Friends of ours left a beautiful Diwali card and gulab jamun sweets on our front porch. Samedh looked at the sweets and immediately informed me, "I need this." It was right before lunch, so that wasn't happening. It wasn't until later in the evening that we all sampled them. They were delicious!

Later in the afternoon, the three of us drove down to South Haven for lunch at Clementine's. The last time Pankaj and I had been there was right after we accepted Samedh's referral. On that day last year, we brought our referral papers and Samedh's photo along and the "three of us" had lunch. Samedh enjoyed the restaurant, especially because we were sitting pretty close to a huge moose head mounted on the wall. He loves moose, elk, and deer (I just dread the day when I have to explain to him how they got up on the wall...)

In the early evening (it gets really dark early these days), Samedh and I stood among all the lights on the front porch while Pankaj lit two fireworks fountains. We only lit two so we could save more for tomorrow when my family comes to visit. After we came back inside, Samedh did some Diwali crafts and colored a Lakshmi, Hanuman, and Shiva with his crayons. I glued the Lakshmi to colored cardstock and we'll display that tomorrow for our Lakshmi Puja at home.

We'll also be attending the Lakshmi Puja sponsored by the West Michigan Hindu Temple tomorrow morning in Grandville. The temple is still under construction (only about 70% complete), so everyone still meets in the banquet room at a local hotel. Samedh is excited to go, and asked if there will be flowers, diyas (lights), and songs. I assured him there will. It's cute to hear him pronounce "Lakshmi puja" - - he calls it "Lucky puja". Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity and brings good luck and fortune to all in the new year. So he's got the "luck" part right:)

Welcome Little Guy

We are happy to announce the newest addition to our family, Justin Daniel. His proud parents are my sister Liz and her husband Marcus. Baby Justin was born on November 2 and went home from the hospital on Sunday. Samedh was excited to visit Justin at the hospital and at home, and kept asking if he could "play crayons and cars and trucks" with him. Once he saw how small his new cousin is, I think he realized that it will be some time before the two boys play anything together.

Bob the Builder...

Just some of our photos from Samedh's first Halloween...

We really didn't know what to expect this year, so we kept the costume simple and easy. Samedh is a fan of Bob the Builder and his team, so we gave "Bob" a try. Samedh's only denim overalls are shorts, so instead of buying a longer pair, I just put his jeans over the top. He didn't seem to mind. Then I decorated a $1.49 plastic hard hat with Bob the Builder stickers he got for his birthday, and tied his toy hammer to his belt loop. Sorry, no tool belt this year! I don't think Samedh would have liked wearing a tool belt anyway.

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Samedh never really had candy before, except for M&M's once in a while. We weren't even sure if he'd like getting candy. He got a big candy bag full of stuff from our next door neighbors, and we quickly discovered that Samedh doesn't really like sweet-tart or sour candies. He's simply a chocolate guy, though he did like the taste of strawberry Nerds candies.

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Our first big stop for the evening was to Samedh's friend Sam's house. Sam is our neighbor and he will be 2 in January. We brought him a small plastic pumpkin full of chocolates. Sam gave Samedh a big Tootsie Roll and a sucker. Samedh was more interested in playing with Sam's toys. He and his family were going to their church's "Trunk or Treat" event, so we didn't stay long. Samedh really thought we were at Sam's house to play, so he got really upset when we had to leave. Next stop was Jerry and Kelly's next door. That's where Samedh got the big bag of candies! Then we were off to Grandma and Grandpa's house so Samedh could "trick or treat" at their house for the first time. He even helped Grandma hand out candy to the kids who came to the door. (We have that on video and I'll try to post it later here or on Samedh's blog.) All-in-all, Samedh had a great first Halloween. There were some "spookies" that he didn't like, but as long as he had a chocolate in his hand, he felt much better:)

Namaskar, Mamma's Car

Namaskar is a common way of greeting one another in India. We tried teaching it to Samedh recently, and the result was not what we expected. Samedh calls me "Mamma", which we pronounce as "Mumma". So when we say namaskar, he actually hears "Mamma's car".

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We decided to try teaching him Namaste instead. That didn't work either. As you'd probably guess, Samedh says, "Mamma stay". For now at least, we are happy that Samedh knows how to fold his hands, bow his head and make the gesture correctly.

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I also started teaching Samedh how to pronounce our last name. He got the "Raja" part right immediately. He is still working on putting the whole name together though, and currently refers to himself as "Samedh Raja-rocks".

Durga Puja

Yesterday we joined our local Indian community in celebrating Durga Puja. This event was sponsored by the West Michigan Bengali Association, and friends of ours were part of the coordinating team. It was a beautiful festival, and a first for our family. Essentially, this festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, and is centered around the goddess Durga. One of Durga's children is Ganapati, or Ganesha. He is the god with the elephant head, and happens to be Samedh's favorite. Samedh enjoyed going up to the altar numerous times to see Ganapati Bapa (or "Bapa" as he calls him). He'd fold his hands in prayer and simply say, "Thank you, Bapa." Samedh seems to have a natural reverence about him, and it is our hope to continue sharing these special occasions with him so he can learn more about the Hindu faith.

Happy Adoption Day!

Today we finalized Samedh's adoption in court. It was a very special day for our family, and we've been waiting since June to finalize. Samedh's time with "Mr. Judge", as he calls him, went very well. He likes to talk about "pounding the camel" (gavel) and how "Mr. Judge signed papers." My parents, Uncle Bernie, and my sister Dena and her girls were present in court. My nieces Julia, Olivia and Kaleia were invited up to the judge's desk and he let them pound the gavel and proclaim, "We're adjourned," to make Samedh's adoption final. The court video taped the hearing for us, and we are excited to watch it in the coming days.

After the hearing, we had a small party at our house to celebrate the occasion. Neighbors, friends and family came for dinner and cake and ice cream. My first attempt at decorating a sheet cake turned out pretty well. Samedh originally asked for "orange cake with purple frosting", so I did my best to honor his wishes. We had Pillsbury Funfetti cake (Samedh is a big fan of the doughboy) and I decorated it with purple and orange flowers and balloons to match.

Our next big steps are to apply for Samedh's US passport and Indian visa so we can be ready to travel to India in Jan/Feb 2008. We'll also be making a visit to the Social Security Office to apply for his social security number.

A Day at the Pumpkin Farm

Here are some of our photos from our recent trip to Klackles Orchards in Greenville, MI. Yes, that is a camel in the first photo! A local farmer takes Shalamar, his 9-year old camel, to local farms and events. Shalamar is also the star of their live nativity at Christmas time. Samedh was eager to ride the camel, and still talks about it today. He also enjoyed the pony rides, "pumpkin train", picking apples "right off the tree", and the delicious Honey Crisp Apple donut he and I shared at the end of the day.

Happy Birthday Samedh!

A collage of photos from Samedh's 2nd birthday party

Three buddies relaxing after a long day of partying...

But moments later, they spring back to life!


Saturday was Samedh's 2nd birthday. We celebrated with friends and family at a local restaurant, and then joined friends for dinner later in the evening.

It was an entire day of celebration, beginning with our small family puja for Ganapati, as Ganesh Chaturthi (his birthday) also fell on September 15 this year. I attempted to make modaks, an Indian sweet typical in Maharashtra where Pankaj and Samedh are from originally. Modaks are steamed dumplings with coconut, sugar, raisins and cardamom inside. They are a favorite sweet of Ganapati, so I thought I'd give it a try. I grated 2 coconuts myself, only later to discover that Meijer carries fresh grated coconut. That would have made things a lot easier...Maybe next time. Friday night, Samedh left some modaks and glazed donut holes out for Ganapati Bapa (he just calls him "Bapa"), and the next morning Bapa left him some gifts as well. This is a new tradition we are starting for Samedh on Ganesh Chaturthi. The idea is similar to leaving cookies and hot cocoa out for Santa on Christmas eve.

Samedh's party went from 1-3pm, and then my sister Liz and my parents followed us back home to open a few gifts. Shortly afterward, we joined some friends for dinner at their house. Our friends from Novi were there as well, and the kids had a great time playing together. It's almost like the party never ended for them. Except in the middle photo above, where they temporarily took a break. The whole day was very special, with old friends and new, and lots of family. It was the ideal "first birthday party" even though Samedh was turning 2.

Raksha Bandhan

Yesterday was Raksha Bandhan, and Samedh celebrated with his cousin-sisters. Raksha Bandhan means "bond of protection", and this Indian festival celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters visit their brothers on this day, and tie a silk thread (called a "rakhi") on the brother's wrist. They say a prayer for the brother, wishing him a long and happy life. In turn, the brother gives a small gift to the sister, and vows to protect her from all harm.

We invited my sister and her family over for an Indian dinner last night, and each of my three nieces made Samedh a rakhi to tie on his wrist. The prayers/wishes were simple, such as, "I'm glad you're my cousin." Samedh didn't really vow to protect his cousin-sisters, but he did have fun handing out the gifts. Each cousin-sister received a purse-shaped beaded & embroidered silk picture frame (made in India, but purchased locally at Michael's). Everyone had a good time, and the girls really enjoyed dressing up for the occasion. They wore bindi's, kurtas, and their special scarves.

Happy Independence Day!

Today is India's Independence Day, and we plan to celebrate by lighting some fireworks later tonight. Now that we have two Indian citizens in our household, we figured we should do something to mark the occasion, even if it's something small. Samedh still talks about the fireworks from July 4th, so I'm sure he'll be excited to see some again. (We'll be saving the rest for Diwali in November.)

This morning, Samedh and I attended a summer play group at a local park. They had songs that were new to us, and crafts and a parachute. I thought Samedh would enjoy the parachute, but he wasn't too sure about it. We also met another local Indian family there, whose daughter is 5 years old. The mom is friends with our India adoptive friends who live near Detroit, and they recently put us in touch with each other. It turns out that our families live only minutes from each other. It truly is a small world!

Still Waiting to Finalize

Samedh had his biometrics appointment this afternoon, so his name can be corrected on his green card. We submitted the I-90 form a few weeks ago before the fee increased, and got his appointment very quickly. Unfortunately, USCIS is not able to issue a new green card to Samedh until his adoption is finalized in the local court. Nevertheless, they still took Samedh's photo and one fingerprint in order to get the paperwork started. Once we receive the adoption decree from the judge, we'll mail it to our local USCIS processing office so they can complete the process and issue a new card. They've given us 87 days to provide the information.

The only reason we filed the I-90 in the first place is so Samedh's green card could be corrected so it matches his Indian passport. We are still hoping to travel to India in January or February 2008, and wanted to have Samedh's green card corrected before then. That seems to be the quickest and cheapest option for him to be "paper ready" for international travel. The other option, as suggested by the Immigration officer this afternoon, is to wait for the adoption to be finalized and then apply for a US passport. Not sure how long that would take, but then we'd also have to apply for an Indian visa for Samedh. More forms, more fees. I guess that's how it always goes. At this time, though, it looks like we'll just wait to hear from the judge and then get the green card corrected.

According to our local probate court this morning, they currently have a couple hundred files pending, so we are not to expect a quick turn around. It sounds like our local court may schedule adoption finalization hearings in November, during National Adoption Month. We don't want to wait that long, so have decided to finalize via mail. We still don't know when we'll receive the adoption decree in the mail, but hopefully it will be sometime this year. The biggest thing is to finalize this year so we can get the adoption tax credit on our 2007 taxes. If we have to postpone our trip to India by a few months, it's really no big deal.

Our Trip to Chicago

Here are some photos from our first family road trip to Chicago. This weekend trip was planned many months ago with the intent of meeting other families who adopted from Samedh's orphanage. Long story short, we were the only family who showed up. Disappointing? You bet. Embarrassing? A little; especially since I tried my best to coordinate the reunion. Would I ever attempt to coordinate another reunion? Not likely.

So we turned our "one family" reunion into a "Raja family reunion" and spent some good quality time with Pankaj's brother and his family. Samedh had fun with his cousins, whom he hadn't seen since May when they visited our house. The highlight of the weekend was our visit to the B.A.P.S. Temple in Bartlett, IL. The grounds were beautiful and the marble temple just incredible. Though we were not allowed to photograph inside the temple, we took plenty of photos and video from outside. Once inside the temple, Samedh was well behaved and silent (for the most part). He enjoyed seeing the marble statues of Ganapati (whom he affectionately calls "Bapa") and Hanuman. The evening was spent at a local park, where we joined about 2 dozen other Indian families for a neighbor's birthday party. It was so nice of my brother-in-law's neighbors to include us, and Samedh really enjoyed running around with the other children. He and I also had fun watching Pankaj and Uncle Subodh and the other dads play an impromtu game of cricket.

Our wonderful weekend ended with a visit to the ER for Samedh. Looking back now, it's not as bad as it sounds. We believe Samedh got bit by a mosquito at the park Saturday night, and had a bad reaction causing his eyelid to swell up. The doctor diagnosed him with "cellulitis", which is a bacterial infection of the skin. He's been taking antibiotics since Sunday night, and the swelling has gone down considerably today. Poor little guy could hardly open his right eye yesterday morning. And he is taking his medicine very well. The strawberry flavor helps a lot, but Samedh always tells me, "Docker" (Doctor) and "Nancy" (the nurse) whenever I take the bottle out of the fridge. I reply, "Yes, Dr. Golin and Nurse Nancy want you to take this so your eye will get better." Another plus with the medicine? The pharmacy gave us an orange colored syringe. Orange is Samedh's favorite color these days. Every little bit helps.