Summer’s about half way through. One year ago this time we were cooped up with a newborn. Now we’ve got a little toddler who could care less to be in our arms. Crazy how that works. Between loved ones and work, this chapter of life continues to move at a dizzying speed. Still, we’re stepping on the gas. Recording some recent moments here that have stood out since the sun came out to play.
Baby incoming
We are having another child 👶🏼. Baby boy due Christmas day! Someone recently joked that the world needs a messiah. Right now we are in second trimester. Pranitha is healthy and we are pumped. Soon we’ll have a trio of boys (wolfpack) roaming ‘round these parts between Sajan, Luka, and baby. It is wild to think that the Sajan only era is coming to a close. Our two kids will be 18 months apart.
One fun story about this pregnancy is how we found out. One night Pranitha takes a test and puts it under a towel in the bathroom for us to reveal together later. After eating dinner downstairs, we Facetime with her parents and continue that call up in the bathroom as we shower Sajan. At some point I start cleaning the towel and find the test, thinking it’s a thermometer. I see POSITIVE. I stare at Pranitha, gaping but neither of us can talk because the Facetime is still on. I’m thinking she knows the result, but she doesn’t. She thinks I’ve seen the stick but not the result. Afterwards I tell her I know, and only then does she look at the test. I found out she was pregnant before she did. We share a good laugh.
Sajan turns one
We threw Sajan a party at Jeevitha’s house on a sunny Saturday in May. Pranitha will not say it was a production, but it was. She planned bright and colorful decor which we stayed up late the night before putting up, and hired a team of chefs to make a stellar vegetarian lunch for the event. The event lasted all of two hours because that’s how long one year olds have between naps. Efficient. All four grandparents were present, a treat. Avi and Soumya flew down too, and we were lucky to have many Austin friends bless the occasion. It was warming to see the community we’ve made here in one place, including several young kiddos.
Some memories from the day that I want to keep with me:
Sajan’s smash cake, made by Titi, was anything but smashed. Instead Sajan carefully picked the blueberries off the cake and ate them. Pinkies up.
The evening of the family jumped in the pool and enjoyed pool time with Sajan, who seemed extra happy that evening. That night grandparents took care of Sajan and we went out to the bars (shots were had!).
We put together a little website for attendees at the URL sajan.party. It made it easy for people to record a moment on their phone and send it to Sajan’s email, which he can look back when he’s older. We got a few responses.
Instead of a gift, I wrote Sajan a song for his birthday. It’s called These Were They Days and I played a music video right after we cut Sajan’s cake.
Trips: Japan, California, Northern Georgia
Soon after his first birthday the three of us jetted to Japan, Sajan’s second international trip after India in December.
Japan was a dream with a young child. It was Pranitha’s first time and my second. What’s there to say about that country that hasn’t been said? The craft, the cleanliness, the food, the detail, the people. All incredible. Of course that included fantastic baby infrastructure, from elevators in stations to baby changing stations in malls to high chairs in hotels. As they say, no notes. Living there is another story, and the tension between the declining yen, the population issue, and poor prospects for young Japanese were palpable.
Our mental model with kiddo was one thing a day, and that part exceeded expectations. We covered lots of ground across Kyoto (5 nights), Kawaguchiko (2 nights), and Tokyo (5 nights) in that order. We even caught a glimpse of Fujisan’s peak during what was supposed to be a typhoon.
The Japanese loved Sajan (kawaīīīī is what they’d say = cute), and he displayed an equally intense affection back. Eating at restaurants was always a bit challenging given we had to trade off who would eat first and who would feed Sajan. Also he just… makes lot of noise and throws stuff. A breakfast buffet hack that I now swear by is packing the kids lunch at the breakfast buffet and storing it in the hotel fridge for later. Memorable Japan bites included the deeply flavorful vegan ramen at T’s Tantan (2x), iced matchas on the street, and warm soba in broth.
Japanese is a shopping heaven, and on this trip we focused on procuring handmade tea cups. We came back with a collection of 12, all made by different artisans around the country, varying in size, texture, and color. Those are now some of our most prized possessions.
Two domestic trips followed Japan, California and Northern Georgia. California for Nidhi and Srinidhi’s wedding, and Georgia for the 4th of July with our friends and old neighbors Saeid and Bronagh (close to a tradition; 3x make something a tradition).
It was Sajan’s first time in California, and for us a nice flashback to life in the Bay. Apart from wedding festivities, we celebrated Mom’s retirement at Terra, spent a day up in Oakland, and another down in South Bay. Something about grabbing Idli Express two minutes from our Airbnb in Fremont hit deep in the feels. And overall California felt blissful: the weather, the general pleasantness and polish. The wedding was a treat too, love and California summer winery vibes.
Airbnb has a neat new AI feature where you can augment your search with free-text. When thinking about where to meet out friends that live in NYC, we searched for “lakeside cabin with kayaks less than two hours from a major airport, option to drive to a National Park”. Which is how we found ourselves in Ellijay, Georgia, a town near the southern tip of the Appalachian Trail on the 4th of July. The weekend was filled with kayaking, tractor tours, and a lot of watching the World Cup Round of 32. Vince, the neighbor at the head of lake, put on a professional level show from his dock that we got to watch from ours. Sajan was fast asleep as America turned 250.
Summer fruit
We find ourselves gobbling on summer fruit. It’s the best part of the season. This is Sajan’s first year of fruit eating and he is absolutely loving it. Juice is dribbling. In what is has now become a summer tradition, Pranitha splurged on a crate of alphonso mangoes from Miami. Those have been eaten as is aplenty and also turned into ice cream by Jeeves, one of the best bites of the summer (topped with fresh mango and nuts, yum). Sajan particularly enjoys the seed of the mango (gotta in Kannada, we say pari). And he’s been enjoying pluots, watermelon, and peach. It’s a great feeling to watch him enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Homeowners
Earlier this month we bought our first home!
We’d been looking for about a year and closed the single day we had between our California and Georgia trips. The house is in Barton Hills, an established neighborhood in Austin near downtown. Our search took us around town and into the burbs, but Barton Hills won because it struck a rare balance of feeling both tucked away and right in the middle of the action. Already we feel exceptionally lucky; multiple neighbors have come up to our doorstep bearing cards and welcome treats. And we’ve probably met 20-30 people in the first two weeks just tending to the front yard because the lot is on a walking thoroughfare and everyone is curious who bought the home. The neighborhood has an extremely active list serv that’s been active since 2002. Over 53k messages have been sent and they are all searchable. So cool.
As we settle in, I’m excited for the following things:
- The fact that everything is editable is a feast for the imagination. We have begun scheming of secret doors and Roman clay and backyard shenanigans.
- As I told a friend, the house feels like a base to execute our vision and grand plans, not the vision itself. Onto making it a home 🏠.
Lows
Amidst some of life’s best, we experienced some deep lows the past six months too:
- The death of a dear young family member in Pranitha’s family
- Extended family drama
- A miscarriage
- A raging fire 150 yards from our home in the middle of the night. We got a 3am knock by police and were asked to evacuate immediately. It all came close to burning down.
- Traveling to/from India right as the Iran war began. Lots of uncertainty. Thankfully India was a safe place to be.
- Sajan was hospitalized twice, once taken in an ambulance.
- Someone in our network committed suicide.
It has felt like a uniquely bad stretch, but that’s what life is. There emerges a strong gratitude for what we have.