Happy New Year (2020)

Hello Friends,-

As we reflect on the year 2019, last year has been a quiet albeit a fast-paced one. It has been a great year in many ways. The year started with Riaan celebrating his first birthday with his loved ones.

Shortly after he turned one, Riaan started walking and it has been a whole different story after that -- it has been a challenge to keep up with his energy. He is a happy baby and has a smile in his face most of the time.

We flew to Puerto Rico around the Memorial Day weekend which was our first major family vacation since Riaan's birth. Riaan enjoyed the beaches there and had a really good time playing in the sand.

The trip to Puerto Rico was just the beginning of an exciting summer. Following that we went to India for about a month --this was a very significant trip for us as this was the first time we went back home together after our marriage, and that too with Riaan.

We went to Columbus (Ohio) for a short time in August as we welcomed a new member into our lives -- Ria's sister became the proud mother of a baby girl on 14th of August.

During the month of September we had the company of Aritra's parents. They were visiting us for a month, mostly to spend more time with their grandchild. We went to the Finger Lakes region in New York, and to a couple of places around Philadelphia.

In November Ria's family drove down to Philly from Columbus. Ria's mom was also in USA visiting her sister. Riaan was super excited to find someone whom he could finally call "baby." (So far everyone around called him baby and now it was his turn 😃 )

To wrap up the year, Ria and Riaan went back to India during the winter break, and Aritra had the company of his childhood buddy who came all the way from India to visit him for a couple of weeks. While Ria and Riaan are spending quality times with their family home, Aritra took his friend to Vegas and Antelope Canyon for the Christmas Holidays. 

With that we wrap up our year in review and get ready to step into 2020. We have a lot to be excited about as we go into 2020. As we plan for an exciting year ahead of us we hope you have a great and exciting year as well.

Happy New Year !!

Lots of love.
Aritra, Ria, & Riaan. (January 1, 2020)

Happy New Year (2019)

Hello friends,-

It's yet another year coming to an end. As we welcome the new year and look for a fresh start to everything, it's a good time to take a pause and reflect on 2018: It has been a very special year for us in many ways. As I noted in my last year's blog, we welcomed Riaan into our lives on January 12, 2018. the year 2018 marked a new beginning for us as we started our journey of parenthood. The year saw the the transition from birth to 11 months for Riaan: he started rolling by month 4, sitting and crawling by month 6; now he is walking with support. He is a happy baby and smiles to the tune of the Bengali song "Maharaja Tomare Selam."

Timeline from 0 months to 11 months for Riaan (left to right, top to bottom)

Aritra's mother was visiting us since Dec 2017. She was here to witness the birth of her first grandchild. She stayed with us till the end of April. It was a pretty cold winter and a new experience for her as she watched snowfall for the first time through the windows. Even though she was pretty much stuck at home because of the cold weather, it wasn't too bad because she was able to spend more time with her grandson.

As Aritra's mother was about to leave for India, Ria's mother was here to visit her grandson. By the time she was here, winter took a back seat and it was Spring. During Spring and Summer we drove to a few places here and there, like New York city, Washington D.C. Downtown, Longwood Gardens in Philly, etc. In June, we took a short vacation and went to Canada to see the Niagara Falls from the other side of the border. Ria, along with her mom and Riaan, went to Columbus in August to visit her sister.

Aritra went back to India on August for a very short trip (roughly 2 weeks) to attend his sister's wedding festivities. When Aritra was in India, Ria had the company of her mom and sister.

With Fall came new challenges. Ria's mother left for India around the middle of August. Also, Ria was preparing to go back to school to teach in the Fall Semester, after nearly 3 months of summer break. Riaan was all set to go to daycare. The first few weeks of September were challenging, but things started to settle down pretty soon. We went to Columbus to visit Ria's sister during the Fall break. Thanksgiving holidays were pretty relaxing and boring. Ria and Riaan are currently visiting our families in India. They went to India on Dec 7 and will be there till Jan 12.

With that we wrap up our story for 2018. It was a quiet, nevertheless a very very significant year in our lives. All the groundwork has been done, and we look forward to an exciting year ahead of us. We wish the same for you.

Happy New Year !!!

Lots of love.
Aritra, Ria, & Riaan. (January 1, 2019)