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.

Parent-Tot Swim Class

Last night, Grandma ("Bouma") and Grandpa came to watch Samedh in his swim class. They took plenty of photos, and Daddy came too with the video camera. Samedh loves the water, but gets chilly pretty quickly when he gets out of the pool. Tonight is our last class, and I'm sure Samedh will miss swimming with the other kids as he has for the past two weeks. But for the rest of the summer, there's always open swim at the pool. I hope to take Samedh there at least once a week. Then he can watch all the "big boys" do their fancy jumps and dives off the diving board. It's his favorite part of going to the pool, and some day he'll be jumping and diving with the rest of them!

A Happy 4th!

Here are a few photos from our July 4th celebration. We spent the afternoon at my parents' cottage, and enjoyed a few fireworks of our own at home that evening. Our favorite fountains were called Purple Rain and Mini Me. Samedh wasn't too sure of the ones that "screamed", but he certainly enjoyed the colorful sparks. We also lit several sparklers, but Samedh wasn't too impressed with those either. We also set aside a number of fountains and sparklers for when we celebrate Diwali in November.

Busy at the Beach

Our second visit to Holland State Park was much cooler!
Check out Samedh's new dune buggy...

Here we are enjoying the evening sun and sand at Tunnel Park in Holland.

Samedh could spend hours just digging and sifting the sand!

Another beautiful Lake Michigan sunset.
One of the many reasons we love living on this side of the state.

What We've Been Up To...

Fun on the playground at Helder Park.

Samedh & his cousin had fun creating a butterfly at the Farmer's Market.
Every Wednesday, the Farmer's Market features special activities and story time for children.

Samedh enjoying his first ice cream bar.

He likes them best when he can eat them his OWN way!

Father's Day

This Father's Day was special for Pankaj because he and Samedh got to wear the Big Guy/Little Guy t-shirts I bought for them LAST YEAR. (On Father's Day last year, Samedh was still living at Bal Vikas in Mumbai.) We ended up celebrating at my parents' house instead of their cottage because it was way too hot. As you can see from one of the photos, it rained really hard for some time, but quickly dried up and became hot again. After a delicious meal, I had Grandpa and Samedh pose for a photo by Grandpa's new vine. And Samedh and I posed for a photo as well, since I hadn't had our photo taken together on Mother's Day this year.

Watching My Garden Grow

In 2004, Pankaj and I began landscaping the backyard. We started with a couple of lilies, ornamental grasses, and two blue spruce trees. The spruce trees were a special addition, and were planted in memory of the Raja embryoes that were created during our IVF treatments that spring.

Each year I like to add a new perennial or two, and our island garden has really grown into a haven for birds and butterflies. Every item in the garden has special significance to me. There are three white birch tree stumps from my parents cottage (I've always been fond of birch trees), a sedum from Indian friends in Illinois, a third spruce tree from my Uncle Bernie (which was planted in 2005 on the birthday which three of my grandparents shared), the alliums I've always admired, and a star gazer lily that was given to our family when my Grandma Schultz died in 1999. The list of my favorites could go on and on...

The end result is to make our backyard more beautiful and private. Less grass to mow is a plus too! Our chain-link fence certainly helps keep Samedh from escaping the yard, but it's not very pleasing to the eye. In time though, our six arborvitaes, Rose of Sharon, and spruce trees will grow thick and tall and create the beautiful backdrop we've always desired.

The Beeps

Here are my favorite photos from our trip to Holland State Park last week Friday. Since our visit, Samedh cannot stop talking about the "beeps" (beach). We hope to go again very soon, and this would be the perfect opportunity for Samedh to try out the toy dune buggy I bought for him.

17lbs 4oz!

We had a quick weight check at the doctor's office this morning, and have wonderful news to report. Even though Samedh hasn't been eating that many solid foods, he still managed to gain a pound since last month's check. He is now a whopping 17lbs 4oz! I was so proud this morning, as well as shocked. I even had the nurse write it down for me so I would have proof.

Samedh's doctor also wants him to start drinking only Pediasure or toddler formula mixed with water from now on. No more "milk with extra bubbles" (whole milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast powder, and formula cocktail). We'll start this new drink as soon as he wakes from his nap. We may even try chocolate flavored Pediasure for fun.

After the weight check, we drove to Wyoming to visit Grandpa for an early Father's Day gift presentation. Grandma was on her way to work, but we got to say a quick hello. Samedh gave Grandpa his gift early because it needs to be planted. We got him a yellow mandevilla vine, and Samedh is so proud because he picked it out at Jonker's Garden the other day. Samedh likes flowering vines, so we bought two for our backyard as well. He especially likes the wisteria vine that grows on our fence from the yard next door. Actually, I think he likes the word "vine" more than the flowers, though. He likes to say "vine" all the time.

We also saw Aunt Dena ("Donna") at Grandpa's. She had the day off and was waiting to pick up the girls from vacation bible school at SJV. We visited with Aunt Dena and Grandpa for a couple hours, but didn't stay past noon because it got too hot. It was near 90 degrees when we left, and it was 79 degrees in the house. After some begging, Grandpa put the air conditioning on, but it was taking too long to cool off the house. We just had to leave. I found it hard to breathe and Samedh was sweating bullets. We blasted the AC on the drive back to Holland and Samedh quickly fell asleep. Once we got home, he went straight to bed and has been napping ever since. When it gets this hot outside, we NEED the AC. Especially during allergy season. On Sunday, our entire family is going to my parents' cottage up north, and it's supposed to be another hot day. There is no AC there, and the yard is mostly sunny in the afternoon. We'll have to see how everyone does. Maybe we can cool off in the lake. I'm NOT a "lake person", but if the weather is hot enough, I just might be converted!

Keeping Our Cool

Samedh and I spent the afternoon in the pool, which sounds much more grand than it actually was. First of all, our only pool is an inflatable baby pool. There is no room for me, but Samedh always asks for me to join him:) Second, our only afternoon shady spot is in the front yard where all the neighbors can see when they drive home from work. It's about 90 degrees today, so I gladly stuck my feet in. We spent about a half hour outside, and it was very pleasant in the shade. Being in the direct sun is another story. It's supposed to be hot and sunny like this for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, Pankaj and I will be taking Samedh to Lake Michigan for the first time this summer. We've been talking about the beach all week, and Samedh is getting very excited to finally use his shovel, pail, and other sand toys. He calls the beach, "beeps" and reminds me that there are boats and "han" (pani, or water) at the beach. We'll be taking the camera along for sure.

Six Months Ago Today

This photo was taken at my parents' house on December 7, 2006 (six months ago today). Pankaj, Samedh, and I had just returned from our long trip back from India. All of us were extremely tired, Samedh and I were sick, and Samedh was trying to get familiar with yet another new environment. I may appear a little thin in the photo (a whopping 120lbs at that time), but don't worry, it didn't take long to put the weight back on. I'm about 15lbs heavier these days...

In the last six months, our family has experienced so much and we are so blessed. We've heard Samedh say his first word (Hi), seen him take his first steps, and have seen the addition of 8 new teeth (he currently has 12). He's put on weight and lost some, and then put it on again. He's grown 2 inches taller and his feet have gone from size 3 to 4 in no time at all.

In six months, the greatest development for Samedh has been his language. He is familiar with a few Hindi words (pani, topi, bindi), but we have chosen to teach him English first. To date, he has a vocabulary of 64 words and a few 2-word phrases that he's proud to show off. And he's not affraid to attempt words like "unbelieveable" and "cement". The pronounciation may be "his own" on some of these more difficult words, but based on the context I know exactly what he's taking about.

Now six months after arriving home in Michigan, the only concern we are seeing with Samedh is with food. Once solid foods were introduced, he gave up all Gerber baby stuff. Even one month ago, he was enjoying chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, 3/4 of a grilled cheese sandwhich, even 3/4 of a kiwi fruit. Now for the past couple weeks, he's dwindled down to nothing but milk and occasional Yo Baby Yogurt and grapes. His milk is full of calories, with a full packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast powder (French Vanilla) and 2 scoops of formula. We figure he's taking in roughly 1300 calories per day with liquids alone. But having no interest in food at all and showing no signs of hunger are very disturbing.

Although Samedh's doctor doesn't seem too concerned (afterall, toddlers are picky eaters), he has agreed to refer us to the Feeding Program at Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids. All of the paperwork was faxed to Mary Free Bed yesterday and we hope to hear from them soon about an evaluation appointment. We've considered the fact that Samedh may have food allergies or hypersensitivity of the mouth (he does tend to gag himself after meals), so any evaluation by specialists would be welcome at this point. We just want to give our little guy the best possible start in life, and good nutrition and healthy eating habits are key at his young age.

But we'll get through the food issue, so enough about that...

One of the best things about today is that we are now clear to have the court finalize Samedh's adoption in Michigan. We had to wait 6 months from the time we returned home, and also had to complete 3 social worker visits/post-placement reports before finalization could be recommended. Our final social worker visit was on May 21 and she was going to recommend finalization with the court after June 7. Today is that magic day. Now we just have to wait to hear from the court to see when we can schedule a hearing. Our preference is to finalize in court, rather than via mail, but that just depends on the court's schedule. We hope to know that answer within the coming weeks. We'll be sure to keep you all posted.

Well, thanks for checking in and reading my post today. They are certainly getting few and far between, and I rarely get a chance to play around on the computer these days. My hope is to ger more photos posted soon, and to Samedh's blog as well. In the meantime, I've been keeping excellent notes in my journal. And if I ever get a spare moment, I hope to share more...

Samedh's First Parade

On Monday, Pankaj and I took Samedh to his very first parade. Sure, it was only small-town Zeeland's Memorial Day Parade, but it still had all the bells and whistles that I promised would be there. There were tons of people, both in and watching the parade. Residents of the entire city and surrounding townships must have been present. And there were plenty of tractors, trucks and cars, which Samedh really enjoyed. Much more tractors than I expected, though. And Pankaj wasn't too thrilled with all the fumes.

This parade was exactly the same as I remember as a child. Even the same candy, and the same greedy little children pushing and shoving their way to the candy! The only difference was the use of cell phones, which obviously weren't around in the early 1980's. Everyone around us was on the phone - - either sending or receiving calls. Maybe they were just trying to communicate to friends on the other end of the parade route...