New Years letter for 2006 - written by Nandan

RHEA
Rhea is growing up fast, too fast. She knows to say her numbers till 100, colors and a few other words in spanish, write almost all the letters, say her prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary) among many other accomplishments.
She is an excellent big sister – she brought wash cloths for them when they spat up (which was quite a bit in the first 3 months) and brought toys for them to play with before they were mobile. She loved lying down between them on the mat on the floor.
She loves sitting in the crib with them and read to them (when they listen). Most importantly, anything nice that any of us say or do for Rohan & Ryan, Rhea remembers it exactly and does it herself for them at the appropriate time.
She has gotten much better at soccer and at catching the ball. She finally started pooping in the potty and also sleeping through the night w/o a diaper. She goes to ballet class and even performed with the others at a retirement home for Halloween. She has started coming out of her room by herself some days after nap and bed time too.

Hopes for 2006: For her to be able to put on her own clothes and be less shy in front of people and start on reading skills.

ROHAN
Or Baby A as we used to call him, has made a lot of progress. He had a fever in the second week of his life but recovered nicely. He initially seemed like the quiet one(Papa use to call him the gentleman), but we soon realized that he can yell as has as anybody when needed.
He is very efficient – he uses one name (Adda) for everybody and use to use one hand for a lot of tasks when he was 7-9 months old. He says Mama and Nana now too. He first learned how to open the entertainment center, then take out all the CDs and DVDs out of their jackets and has now learned how to open the faucet on our bathtub and let the water run. He has also learned how to use his toy chair to climb up onto the couch so that he can look out the window. It should all get more fun when he learns to walk!

RYAN
He was the scamperer even before birth. Once Rohan was delivered, Ryan scampered away from where he was supposed to be and it was a full 7 minutes before the OB tracked him down. He’s been scampering ever since. He learnt to crawl first and while Rohan would contemplate how to do things, Ryan believes in the adage that actions speak lot louder than words.
Ryan knows no fear, except the pressure cooker and the noise of the water when Rohan turns on the tap. That does not however prevent him from egging Rohan on turn it on. So when you are in our house and open the bathroom door, remember, the Army of Monkeys is on the move…..

FIONA
Not many 5ft 5in mamas can carry twins to almost full term, deliver them naturally and then return to their original weight in one week. That’s what Fiona did. So the start of 2005 was very busy for her. In all of our best interest Fiona had to stop working at Silabs. Of course they promptly offered her a consulting position and even paid her more than she asked for!! How often does that happen in America? That was how important she was to them. Of course raising kids is even more important and eventually Fiona had to stop working. They still call her occasionally.
Fiona has been active in the church choir, taking the kids of playdates and even found time to have a girl’s night out. She continues to teach Rhea as well, especially Spanish and reading to her.

NANDAN – He wrote this letter, so I (Fiona) wrote a little bit about him.
He got our green cards this year! He was a huge support when Rohan and Ryan were born and in all the following months, He did night feedings w/ me and let me sleep-in so many times I felt sick. He gave me an awesome 30th birthday surprise gift of a day at the spa. He is the best daddy and spends time playing with the kids from the minute he comes home, gives all 3 kids their baths and does not ever complain of having to do all this.
He’s been going to the gym a lot more and is very motivated to lose weight. He goes to the gym after work and putting the kids down to bed in-spite of being so tired.

Nandan’s Mom and Dad
All this could not be done if Mom and Dad were not here. They continue to help us a lot with Rhea, Rohan and Ryan as well as other things like cooking, cleaning and laundry. They are awesome w/ all the kids.
Almost 33 years of knowing Mom and Dad, and I still learn something new. I never knew Daddy knew how to whistle and juggle, and Mom continues to be tireless. And they are still taking up new challenges. Dad is an expert at feeding and burping the boys as well as brushing Rhea’s teeth and playing “pretend” with her. He and Rhea continue to have conversations but they understand each other now (most of the time).
Last time, Mom wore salwar kameezs, this time she started wearing pants. She has also become and internet wizard and is very fluent at writing emails. As always, she’s taken an interest in all the stuff I watch, including football. This morning I heard her talking about Vince Young’s strong character J

Fiona’s Mom and Dad
They were with us when 2005 started and without them here, we would have been in complete disarray. From day and night feedings, to putting the boys to sleep, cooking and cleaning, and taking care of Rhea, they did it all. There wasn’t anything they did not do. While Fiona was busy feeding they were such a great help to us. We will never forget that. Our hope for this year is to see them son and be able to spend some quality time with them.

For this year – 2006, I hope we all remain in good health. We will miss Mom and dad, and miss Fiona’s mom and dad too, not only because of how they all help us, and are so great w/ the kids, but also because we now realize how difficult it is taking care of kids, and imparting the correct values.