Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho Back to FRRO We Go

It is that time of year again. Our visas are set to expire in a few weeks, and that means our annual trip to the office of frown and scowl with a side of bureaucratic disfunction is around the corner. Last night we took the boys to get their new visa photos and they did great. They both sat up straight and looked right in the camera. Lets just say this visa photo was a lot easier than their first.

The photo shop we use is right around the corner from where we lived before having children. We walked around our old neighborhood while the photos were being printed and remembered how nice it was to live away from work. We both miss the privacy of living outside the compound, but because of the clean water we have to stay where we are.

We have taken many visa photos since arriving five years ago, and we always get a kick out of the result. The photo man is a pro at photo editing, and he made me look eighteen in my Chinese visa last year. The boys are no exception to getting a little touch up. Even though they have perfect skin with no blemishes the photo man lightened up their faces and practically made them white babies. We both laughed when we saw them and so did our visa agent when I told them the photo man used skin whitening cream on the boys!

I was in Singapore last week for work related training. I love Singapore and would live there in a heartbeat. There are easy to walk streets, bars, restaurants, shopping, public transportation, clean air, and most of all organization!

Dreaming...
The grass is always greener...
Goa in two weeks...

Chad

Love and Hate

Our contracts were due the day we returned from winter vacation. It was a little harder decision this year, but we signed up for year six in Delhi. The love/hate relationship continues.

Two of the coping mechanisms that we have developed are traveling and buying rugs. Last Friday we attended a rug party and came home with two new rugs.  These two pictures hardly do them justice.

50 years old from Bukhara (now in Uzbekistan)  

90 years old from Maharashtra 

Love (and hate),

Chad

Nine Months

Man oh man we have come a long way. It is down right shocking to think our babies are nine months old already. Here are some updates... and some color pictures from our summer photo shoot!

Ezra is fearless and can't sit still. He is always on the move. He loves to be up on his feet, and every time we put him down he is pulling himself up with the biggest smile on his face. A few days ago he escaped from the Bumbo seat and used it as a walker to move across the floor. While in the crib he is walking around the sides by holding on, and starting to let go with one hand. We are expecting him to take off running really soon.

Cedric is gaining speed across the floor. He prefers to use his arms to pull himself around though. He doesn't really use his knees to crawl traditionally. He is really happy to be on the move and turns around to make sure people are watching. He is also pulling himself up, but isn't all that excited about it just yet.

Both boys really like to float around in the pool. We had a nice swim session yesterday to escape the Delhi heat. We also made a trip out to Saket to one of the fourteen Mothercare stores and finally found high-chairs that are not plastic. The boys loved people watching at the mall and really enjoyed the day out and about.

We are busy working on travel plans. Douglas and I both have work trips planned. I am going to Singapore next month and he is going to Munich in mid-October. I have also just finalized our trip to Hong Kong for Doug's 30th birthday! Then in November we are escaping Delhi for a few days to avoid Diwali (loosely translates to chaos and noise). My mother is going to meet us in Istanbul and then come back to India with us for two weeks over Thanksgiving. Then lastly we are working on winter break travel plans to a beach in South East Asia that we have not yet visited. I will let you know if we find one!

The teeth tally is Ezra 3 and Cedric 2.

Family Photo Time

"Take my picture!"

"Look what I can do!"

"Are we done yet?"... "I'm out of here!"

Chad

It's in the Bag!

So, we're still getting ready. And just when I think we've bought the last thing that we need before the babies arrive, I walk through the nursery, and I immediately think of at least four more things that we have to have.

This weekend, we've been doing our final loads of laundry. Washing everything with natural cleaners (mostly a mild solution of vinegar and water), and packing the diaper bag to take to the hospital whenever we get the call. I know that some of the following things won't be needed. But, I figure it's nice to start practicing packing the bag for what we will need on days when we go out for a few hours.

Mostly, I followed this list for things to include in a diaper bag.

 First off, doesn't our diaper bag look sleek and masculine?  It does, right?  RIGHT? Obviously, we're both highly concerned with that.  Here is the list of what actually made it into the bag:

• Four Dr. Brown small size bottles
• Extra nipples with different flow
• Two formula dispensers
• Two receiving blankets
• Four Carter's preemie size onesies
• Four Gerber's newborn size onesies 
• 8 tiny diaper
• 2 full body suits
• 4 burp cloths
• 2 pacifiers
• Wipes
• Changing pad
• Baby-safe insect repellent wipes
• Re-usable bag for soiled cloth diapers
• Plastic bags for disposable diapers
• Diaper rash cream
• Extra washable bag for soiled outfits
• Hand sanitizer

Yet to be purchased and added:

• Thermos for bottle water
• Formula

Alright, expert parents (especially parents of multiples), what did I forget? What do you include in your diaper bags? Please add your comment below.

Cheers, 

Douglas 

Nursery Reveal!

After months of anticipation, we finally completed all of the major work in putting our nursery together. We are really pleased with the results, and can't wait to introduce our kids into their space.

There were two big challenges in designing this space. First, not knowing whether we're having boys, girls, or one of each. So, the colors needed to be more-or-less gender non-specific. Second, our nursery is not very big. Fitting two cribs, a changing table and a love seat into one space took a lot of trial and error.

Our nursery has been a work in progress for about a month now. Actually, the germinal idea for our nursery came from two baby blankets purchased way back in the spring by Mary, one of our greatest friends here in Delhi. The blankets, in delicate crimson and grey, were block printed with beautiful designs. Something just seemed to click with both of us about the colors and the design (both of my parents are Ohio State grads, so it's possible I was conditioned to love those colors from a very young age).

The baby blankets came from Anoukhi in Khan Market, a store that sells beautiful textiles of all types.Next came a beautiful Indian rug, brought to us by Lordson's Carpet. If you are in Delhi and are looking to purchase your next family heirloom, you should look up Mr. Lordson.

'

Then we added in two natural wood cribs and a changing table from Mothercare. While we were hunting for cribs and carseats we found four paintings of common modes of transportation in India: bus, rickshaw, bicycle and taxi. Up close, you can see that each of the paintings is a group of small word typically associated with mass transit in India.

Next, we spent a ridiculous amount of time hunting for the right fabric to match the crimson in our carpet (which matched the crimson in the baby blanket). We finally found the right texture, color and pattern at Lal Furnishings in Sarojini Nagar Market. This really fun market has been transformed over the years since we've been in Delhi into a great one-stop place for all you could possibly need in India. Prices are still lower at this market than many of the other markets in Delhi.

We owe my boss, Susan a big thanks as well for helping us Feng Shui the placement of the art in our nursery.

 

Then we added some fun, soft things. I got the sleep sheep in the US, and Chad got the pandas on his recent trip to China (Yes, we know, you're not supposed to put stuffed animals in cribs... but they're fine for now. And, they're super cute!)


Finally, we added four soft pillows from my new favorite store in India, Maspar. The blue, off-white and the green bring out the non-red colors in the rug, and soften up the room quite a bit. We we're also lucky to acquire a love seat from one of our co-workers whose family has outgrown it.  It will be perfect for those late-night feeds when we just can't make it back to our own bed.

So, finally, after all of the tailors, carpet sellers, carpenters, delivery people and painters have come an gone, this is the end result. And we are really pleased with how everything came together.  But, now, we are SO ready to have our kids here with us that it's hardly bearable!

The Top Five Top Ten Things We Don't Need

Today at lunch, I got accused of being a frugal midwesterner (this was after I told the people at my lunch table that our financial plan for sending the twins to college was to have one go first semester and the other go second semester and then have them swap notes). In honor of that, I decided to start researching the things that we aren't buying. I think this is going to be my favorite post in a while. Here are the lists of things you don't need, and here's our score for what we're not buying.

This first list comes to us from the blog Simple Mom, and includes things like shopping cart covers, diaper pails and baby lotion. Out of the whole total of this list we are not buying 5/ 8.

This next list is one of my favorites that I've found so far. It comes from CBS Moneywatch and includes the truly ridiculous, such as: jeweled pacifiers, baby cable television, and baby perfume. Of these unnecessary things, we are not planning on purchasing 9/10.

 

When I saw changing table on here, I thought this list might make me start questioning my midwestern frugality (we are waiting on our changing table to be delivered as we speak). But, when I looked at the rest of the list from the consumer webazine Savysugar, we did OK. We are not buying 9/10. So far our score is 23/28 items. We're doing OK.  

Here's an interesting list from VegFamily (the magazine for vegan family living-- no, we're not vegan). While we don't plan on buying any disposable diapers, I have a feeling that at some point, we will break down on a trip or in a car and buy something that we can throw away. This is the second list that includes baby lotion. Hmm... I actually thought we needed that! Our score for not buying: 3/10. Ouch!! There goes our thrifty average!

And finally, here's a list from the British site iVillage. We didn't do very well on this one. In our defense, a couple of these things (like the Moses basket) are available in Indian markets for really cheap, so it hardly counts. And, seriously, who doesn't buy toys for their newborn?!?  Our score, not buying 4/10. 

So, the grand total is not buying 30/48 things? Is that sufficiently stingy for two guys from Indiana? I hope so! Cheers to everyone for a great weekend. Chad and I are headed to Amritsar with two good friends. This may be our last trip without babies. That's more than a little weird to think about! 

Two-Hundred Days

I noticed the fishbowl is showing we have been pregnant for two hundred days. That is really cool. I remember when the thing said two hundred more days to go! It is hard to believe that we are racing to the finish line already. Time has just flown by. The nursery furniture arrived yesterday. The cribs were bungee strapped to the top of a auto rickshaw. It would have been a baby book worthy picture for sure, but the camera was upstairs. Better luck next time.

One crib is assembled, and the other one was missing the package of nuts and bolts. My guess is they flew out of the box while the tuk-tuk was racing across Delhi to our house. They should be bringing another set of tools tonight to complete that set up. The changing table/chest will be delivered some time this week.

Things are taking shape around our house. It is getting more and more baby-fied by the day. It is fun to go baby shopping. We spent both Friday and Saturday evenings at the mall. It was pretty awkward walking through Saket mall with two empty car seats though. I could feel people watching us and thinking: 1: "Where are the babies?" 2. "Where is the mother?" That was just my perception... but maybe they were all saying "Look at those cute gays who are obviously about to have the best time in their lives!"

We are traveling up to Amritsar for Doug's birthday on Friday with two awesome friends. We have wanted to go up there since we arrived in India, so let's hope the Golden Temple doesn't disappoint!

Chad

Protecting Sweet Things

In the absence of our babies, our newly purchased carseats had to protect some other sweet cargo on the way home from the mall. 

We are happy to report that our "buns" made it home just fine.

In other twin news, this slightly cute/slightly frightening food for thought from Twiniversity.

Cheers,
Douglas 

Shopping Foibles

Sometimes living in Delhi is unreal. Wait, scratch that. Living in Delhi is unreal a lot of the time. Pretty much any time that we go outside of the four gated walls of the compound on which we live. I was driving to the mall today to do some scouting for cribs and drove past an elephant walking the other way amidst the deluge of traffic. That actually doesn't happen too often in the city, but I counted it as a much needed sign of good luck, especially since I broke a Ganesh statue on my desk at work the other day. How do you give a proper burial to a Hindu god?

Anyhow, once I got to the mall, I found what I needed to find. Sort of. There are approximately six different MotherCare stores in the greater Delhi area. Last night, Chad and I went to one and found a crib that we liked, but not in the finish that we liked, so I was basically scouting around for the store that would have two in stock with the proper finish, and I found what I was looking for at MotherCare #2. Unfortunately, though, they didn't have the correct carseats. So, on to MC #3, which happened to be hidden away in the mall next door (yes, literally, next door).

Somewhere, on some security footage stored in some back room at Ambience Mall in Delhi, there is now a picture of a crazy white boy taking down the car seats from the shelf and trying out his carseat/stroller adaptor to assure proper fit with the aforementioned carseats. And then, there is footage of said white boy being unable to remove his stroller/carseat adapter from the carseat. And, finally, there is footage of him being surrounded by two slightly perturbed, slightly amused Indian workers finding the now very red-with-embarassment caucasian, and helping him remove his apparatus.

While I didn't get kicked out of MotherCare #3, I definitely left with my tail between my legs, and some sweat stains underneath my arms. And proceeded to go to the biggest sporting goods store I've ever seen in India, hoping beyond hope that they would have baseball gloves (Chad and I have a softball game tomorrow, and my blistered hand hasn't recovered from practice last weekend). I found tennis gloves, and while bent over looking at them, my rear bumped into a golf bag full of clubs, which bumped into another and then, like dominos, the bags just kept falling over.

Not my day for shopping, as evidenced by the half dozen department store works I left scratching their heads about what had just happened.

Ah, incredible India! How will we ever live anywhere else and manage to stay awake?

Cheers,
Douglas 

Twenty-Eight Weeks

We are twenty-eight weeks pregnant today. So happy to be here and are hoping for ten more weeks of baby baking. We received a doctors report yesterday and everything checked out normal. Surromama is doing fine and taking it easy at home. We will have an ultrasound on October 1st and we hope to be present for that special screening.

I was in Shanghai last week for a technology conference. The irony of going to China for a tech conference and not being able to access things such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube didn't escape me. I didn't think the government restricted internet would get to me, but it did. Without Google you can't answer the important dinner question like "How old is Tina Turner?" Other than those unanswered questions, my colleagues and I had a great time exploring the city and doing some shopping. I couldn't resist buying two panda bears for our twins.

We are going shopping to buy our nursery furniture tomorrow. When I announced this at the lunch table yesterday everyone volunteered to come shopping with us. It feels great to live in such a supportive community.

Let the shopping begin!

Chad

The Weekend and a 24 Week Update

Today I worked the ground in my garden plot and planted several seeds in pots on our terrace. Once those get going I will move them down into their official home in the community garden. If I plant them directly in the plot now, chances are the monsoon rains would wash them away. This is my first garden so with a little luck we should have lettuce, spinach, spring onions, radishes, carrots, eggplant, and peppers very soon.

We had a good meeting with our doctor yesterday. Our surromama is doing great. She is having normal everything, weight gain is good, and is not experiencing any discomfort other than concern of how her body will look after the twins are born. She sounds all together happy which in turn makes us very happy. The doctor will not let her go beyond 38 weeks, and advised against traveling too far from Delhi after Diwali.

The carpet shopping continues as we now have a 50-year old carpet that was acquired from the tribal mountains near the Iran - Afghanistan border. Thankfully we didn't have to trek there to get it. According to the carpet man it was used as a window/door cover for someone's home. When guests came they would take it down, sit on it, and drink tea. Which is really cool if all that is true. We are planning to look at a few more pieces tomorrow before we seal the deal.

Our weekend is ending with chocolate chip cookies... I can't think of a better way!

Chad

It's Finally Friday

Let the good times roll!

Yesterday we crossed the 24 week mark in our journey to become awesome parents. Cheers to that! Seema had a routine checkup yesterday and we should be getting the official report before the end of the day. As far as we know everyone is healthy, happy, and growing.

We have not been in a baby store since we left America. I think we might have to have a shopping excursion this weekend. I am really excited to go buy everything and get the nursery set up. I have been trying to persuade Douglas into letting me put our stroller together, but have been unsuccessful so far. He is right... "it will just be in the way." Although maybe we could start off season training our labrador how to pull it?!?

On the work front, I got invited to a conference in Shanghai next month. This will be my first time in China and I am super excited. It is bound to be a good time since there are so many awesome people going along.

Last weekend we brought home four rugs from the carpet party. Three of them are a no-go and one of them I am starting to fall for. My big hangup is that it is really dark and our labrador shedder is really light; however since Douglas loves it I guess it is a keeper. The carpet man will come on Sunday to collect the three we don't want to keep, and probably show us more rugs. In the mean time we are making a run over to the competitor carpet man Saturday to check out his selections. Just in case we find something that we like better!

Happy hour in seven!

G-diapers and packing

Ready to head back to India today. Here's a picture of Chad and our supply of gdiapers before they were packed away (the diapers were packed away, not Chad). The tiny gdiaper size looks like it will be perfect for small babies. Can't wait to see them in action!

Peace,

Douglas

So Much To Say

It's funny how sometimes you can go from having nothing to say at all to having so much to say that you don't know where to begin.

Let's see if I can hit all the high points and manage to keep your attention:

While we were on vacation last week, we got news that the 19-week scan had been completed and everything is looking great. During our 12-week scan, the doctor said that our babies were fat and fatter. Well, evidently that trend is continuing as our babies are already 9 and 1/2 ounces. Good to hear! Love me some fat babies!!

Then, when we got back to Indianapolis we made plans with my mom to go shopping. We felt like we needed someone to point out the things that were really and truly necessary and help us avoid things that you just don't need. Of course, grandma pitched in a little at the check-out counter, which was greatly appreciated. She figured that she'd get more bang for her buck sending presents for her grandchildren over to India with us rather than through the mail.

During our shopping trip we came to some decisions on things. After much research, lots of reading and many recommendations, we chose gdiapers as our cloth diaper we are going to use from the beginning (here is a brief intro to gdiapers written by my friend Lauren). They have a nice "new baby" package with diapers that we feel will be small enough to fit newborn twins. Also, they are not as pricey as some other cloth diapers. Who knows how successful we will be with our cloth diapering adventure, but we've made our initial choice, which just makes me all the more anxious to have our babies safe and sound and in our arms.

We also decided to take back a large supply of Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottles. We bought two of the starter sets, an additional three bottles and then some caps, cleaners and other bottle accoutrements. This brand is not available in India. Avent and Playtex and a few local brands are widely available in Indian stores. So, we figure we'd start with these bottles and then if the kids don't like them, we'll have choices in India.

We also scored some gently used Baby Bjorn carriers at about 1/3 retail price! That was super exciting.

All in all, we feel we got what we needed. The things we don't have (or aren't able to fit in our luggage), we will be able to buy in India. In general, prices in the US are 30-50% LESS expensive than prices in India for the same brands. For example, a tube of Decetin in India costs Rs. 1000 (about $12). The same size bottle in the US is about $4. Yikes!! So, if you are an IP going to India to pick up your baby(ies), just know that many, many things are available. But, you will pay for them, unless they are made in India.

A few more housekeeping items, and then you will be caught up.

Happy birthday to:

Jett and Dylan

Zoe and Ruby (very belated)

and Beau

We are headed back to India on MONDAY! So, the countdown has officially begun.

Cheers,

Douglas

Our First Purchase

It's official! We have started buying things for the babies. We are the proud owners of a 2011 Baby Jogger City Select Double stroller. Check out the video; it is pretty awesome. Major thanks to our amazing friends/colleagues that have extra luggage space. They have volunteered to transport it in addition to their luggage (which is no inconsiderable task!). But, that means we won't be able take it for a test drive until we get back to India.

Since it is already tomorrow is India, it is safe to say that we are seventeen weeks pregnant. Everything is quiet in Delhi, which is a good indication things are going smoothly. We believe there is a routine checkup scheduled for today/tomorrow (whatever-however you want to look at it. The time change is harder from this side of the world).

I spoke with our housekeeper this weekend to check on our house and our dog Jyoti. Everyone seems to be happy and Jyoti loves our new house. Apparently she is enjoying the sun on the balcony and people watching at the security gate. She said the monsoon has arrived and they are very happy for the break in the temperatures.

We are back in Indianapolis until Saturday, then we head out on our two week camping/hotel trip. We are having trouble finding campsites for the first two nights of our trip. We have procrastinated too long and might have to sleep in our car on our way up to Montreal. After two nights there we will head down to Maine, then Vermont for J & K's wedding, then visiting friends in Providence and Boston, then upstate New York (Douglas conferencing, Chad casino-ing), then a mad dash back to Indianapolis for one week before heading back to Delhi. Wow that is a mouthful and definitely a monthful!

Meanwhile, in utero, it is time for the body fat to start forming... unfortunately that NEVER stops. Douglas was at the gym early this morning trying to get rid of some of his baby fat. The babies are about the size of an open hand. The eyes and ears are almost in place, and the babies can move their heads, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes. That is so exciting I can't wait to see the next ultrasound pictures and videos from Delhi.

Take a look at our new stroller:

Cheers,

Chad and Douglas

Week One In America

We have taken the States by storm, and have left blogging in the dust. Most of my major accomplishments involve eating oversized meals from my favorite restaurants. I quickly realized that my line dancing skills have deteriorated while living in India. I couldn't keep up with the floor on Friday, but I am confident my ability was not effected by any pre-dancing libation.

Here are a few of my observations from the first week:

- it is very calm, quite and peaceful here

- the ninety degrees everyone is talking about is not all that hot

- our queen sized bed is awesome

- portion control at restaurants is out of control

- I love reality TV and HGTV is the best channel ever

- I am not as good at driving as I used to be

We don't have any baby updates; however I have made it my duty to go to every baby store in the region. I have to say I am a little disappointed at the lack of gender neutral items. The search is still on for gay parents and twins literature. Any recommendations are appreciated.

Chad

Our Baby List (please comment!!)

Chad and I hit up every Baby store in Delhi yesterday. Well, not every one, but most of them. Thank god the weather was cooler than usual. This past week has seen temperatures as high as 114. Yesterday only made it up to 90. We could have worn sweaters!

Our shopping goal was to get a better idea of how much things cost in Delhi and what is available. The great answer is there is SO MUCH that is available. Case in point: our friends at work who got pregnant in the Fall and just had their baby a few weeks ago have not been to the US at all this year, and feel totally comfortable with the availability of baby products in Delhi. The only thing we didn't find was a really solid twin stroller. There are a few side-by-side models available, but no tandem strollers, and the side-by-sides that are available feel flimsy. So, we are waiting until we get to the US to purchase a stroller. Then, when we get back in Delhi in late July/early August, we'll get what we need here.

Our list has been edited by 3 ex-pat parents who had kids here in Delhi, and 1 soon-to-be parent also in Delhi, and one parent whose son is graduating high school this week. She's lived all over the world. Then, I sent the list to my mom and sister (both expert parents), and then I am including some Indian prices and store availability (MC is MotherCare, M&M is Mommy and Me and W is Wieners - we went to M&M and MC at Select City Walk and Wieners at GK II's M-block market ).

Absolutely necessary

Diaper Bag - We want more choices, so we'll probably buy in the US

Changing Pad to carry with you (Rs. 1000 at MC)

Pack and play (Rs. 5000 at MC)

Receiving blankets (lots of choices and prices at all stores)

Carseat (Rs. 11000 at MC - maxicosi brand)

Kid's sunblock - US

Natural mosquito repellant - US

Infrared thermometer (Rs. 3400 at M&M)

Baby asperin - US

Sheets for the crib - If we get the crib at MC, will get sheets here too. Size is peculiar.

Breathable pee pad - (Rs. 500 at M&M)

Elastic mosquito net - (Rs. 800 at MC)

Bottles, orthodontic nipples (many choices available, mostly Avent, but NO orthodontic nipples - will buy in the US)

Pacifier - (many choices available, mostly Avent, but NO orthodontic nipples - will buy in the US)

Rice Cereal - (Rs. 425 Gerber brand available at W)

Onesies - (Many available, including premie baby size at MC)

Cloth burping diapers - Will get a pack of these in the US

Mylicon gas drops - US

Baby wash cloths - available at MC

Bottle brush - (Rs. 300 at MC)

Swaddlers with velcro (available at different costs at MC)

Diaper rash cream (4oz desatin Rs. 425 at MC)

Baby nail trimmers (many available at all stores)

booties/socks (many available at all stores)

Mits ( many available at MC)

Soft towel (many available at all stores)

Baby monitor (Rs. 3499 at W)

Natural baby lotion/cream/oil/soap (if natural is desired, get in US, Johnsons is widely available in India)

Electric baby swing (Rs. 3800 at W)

Liked it and used it, but not totally necessary

Baby carrier front and back (Rs. 2500 at MC - Bjorn Organic also available at M&M for Rs. 5500)

Exersaucer (Rs. 3400 at M&M)

Boppy Pillow (Rs. 1000 at M&M)

Bouncy seat (Rs. 3800 at W)

Mobile (Rs. 1000 at MC)

Wait and get it later (well be back in the US when the kids are 6-7 months old)

High chair (Rs. 6000 at W)

Jolly jumper seat (buy in US)

Sippy cups (widely available in India)

Plastic plates (widely available in India)

Swimming diapers (widely available in India)

Swimming shirt (widely available in India)

Plastic bib (widely available in India)

Oral gel (available at the US commissary in India)

Baby toothbrush (widely available in India)

Baby proofing stuff (widely available in India)

Robeexs soft shoes (buy in US)

Bumbo seat (my sister used this instead of a high chair)

So, what do you think of my list? We'll most definitely buy everything from the absolutely necessary list. We will be weighing the higher cost in India of some of these items versus the inconvenience and baggage allowance of flying and decide what to buy here and what to bring from the US. Keep in mind that the current exchange rate from US$ to INR is 1 to 44.5. Not good.

Obviously, big things like cribs and a changing table we will be buying in India. But, like I said, I was disappointed by the twin stroller options here. And on that matter I need any advice you have (tandem? side by side? brand?).

We've got one more week in India and then we're out of here for 2 months.

Cheers and Happy Post-Rapture Sunday!

Douglas

Retail Therapy

Spring break is coming to a close. For the first half of the vacation, we headed up north to Dharamsala and ate as many momos as we could get our hands on. Having lived in Delhi for most of three years now, we find that leaving Delhi is almost a requirement every couple of months. Going up to Dharamsala was a very hassle-free trip and it afforded us some great sites as well as some semi-fresh air.

The second half of our break was spent here in Delhi. We recuperated our lab, Jyoti from the kennel (a.k.a. puppy camp) and have had some quality time with her. Then, today we hit up our two favorite malls, The Promenade/Ambience Mall at Vasant Kunj and Select City Walk/The Metropolitan at Saket. I guess, technically we hit up FOUR malls today, but Indians love to put malls so close together--actually, right smack dab next to each other--that I don't think they count as separate malls, even though you have to go outside to get from one to the other.

I am not usually a mall rat. Neither is Chad. But, this was retail therapy with a point. We wanted to start scouting out what baby things are going to be available to us in Delhi, and what do we want to cram in our suitcases and bring on the plane when we come back to Delhi after summer vacation. We found our new favorite store; or, as Chad says, "We found our winner, winner chicken dinner." Mothercare will be the motherload for all our baby needs in Delhi. And, the runner up in the contest is Chicco. Interestingly enough, there was a Mothercare store (I can't say that I feel very affirmed by the name of the store) both at Saket and at Vasant Kunj. The one at Saket was a bit bigger, but not as nicely organized. The one at Vasant Kunj had better organization but not quite as much merchandise. Similarly, there were Chiccos at Saket and at Vasant Kunj, and both were of similar size/layout.

Mothercare had almost everything I can imagine that we will need: clothes for newborns, even some clothes for premies, blankets, hats, sweaters, bedding, bassinets, cribs, mattresses, reusable diapers, changing tables, baby toiletries, strollers, car-seats, bibs, nipples, bottles, sterilizers, steamers and baby food makers, safety items (household baby-proofing items), carry-cots, bathtubs and car seats. I am sure that I am forgetting many things that they had in the store.

If you are an IP and are afraid that you are going to forget something in your home country, and are afraid to shop in Delhi, this will be the place for you. Furthermore, the prices at these stores didn't seem exorbitant. I haven't been to a baby store in the US, so I'll keep you posted on what we find when we get back to Indiana, but, the prices at the mall in Delhi for baby things seemed reasonable. The rule of thumb for shopping in India is this: local goods are CHEAP, and imported goods are REALLY EXPENSIVE. So, for example, when buying electronic items in India, one can expect to pay 1.5 to 2 times the cost of the same item in the US (Macbook Air that I'm coveting in the US is $1000, and in India is $1500). But, I can have the tailor come to my house, measure me, and copy my linen pants for a quarter of what they cost me at Banana Republic in the US.

Needless to say, I am so glad we found these baby stores because it will save us having to cart so many items from the US. Only two disappointing things about Mothercare (beside the name): first, I felt like all of the strollers were a bit rickety. We are a family that loves to walk. I can't imagine that this will change after we have children. While we live in a very nice part of Delhi with wide streets and some usable sidewalks, I don't think that any of these strollers would make it as an out-of-doors stroller in Delhi. Second, while they did have some clothing for teeny, tiny babies (preemies up to 5 lbs), there wasn't a huge selection. If it turns out that we are having twins, I imagine that we will need some itsy-bitsy clothes, and I think that we'll have to bring some clothes with us next time we fly from the US to Delhi. Fortunately, though, the store had quite a few outfits for babies up to 7.5 lbs (these clothes were labeled "tiny babies").

Chicco also had a decent selection of baby clothes, strollers, car seats, baby monitors, nipples and bottles and a few other odds and ends. The selection was much more limited than Mothercare, and they didn't have any clothes for preemies or tiny babies like Mothercare did.

We are so early in our pregnancy that we resisted the temptation to buy anything. But, it was a lot of fun getting out there and seeing what's available in Delhi. Our plan is to make a list of the things we'll need and then go fake-shopping at the end of the school year in about 6 weeks, which will also be near the end of our first trimester. We won't buy anything then, but we'll know what we need to buy in the US. Then, we head back to Indiana for June and July. We'll get all of the things that we can't get in India. Then, when we come back to Delhi at the very end of July (nearing the end of our second trimester), we'll move to a different (hopefully bigger) apartment and start to set up a nursery.

What a fun way to end Spring Break!!

Checklist Manifestos

Since the arrival of the good news from our surrogate, there has been a fury of internet related activity. It's like google meets surrogacy meets joy/worry beyond measure meets ADHD all at the click of a mouse. In the last 48 hours we have been researching (or re-researching, as these are all topics that have been infinitely researched in preparing for this process) fetal development, hospitals in Delhi, same-sex parenting guides, adoption laws, pregnancy characteristics and--my personal favorite--baby checklists.

Come to find out, there isn't much to do during the first trimester if you are the intended parent (our surrogate, however, has some work to do). Of course, most of these lists aren't targeted at gay men having a baby through surrogacy in India, so some of them aren't very helpful. But even some of these lists get the cerebral juices flowing even if they are only peripherally applicable. For example, here is a sampling from one first trimester list:

• Time to share the good news with your partner - check... we're both in the know.
• Find out what to expect from the first trimester - check!
• Learn what's in store for the first four weeks of pregnancy - check!
• If you aren't already, begin taking folic acid each day - umm... Our Surromamma is, so, check!
• Start keeping track of name ideas for Baby in your online Name Basket - Fabian, Fabian, Fabian!!
• Begin researching hospitals - leaning towards Phoenix, but we'll have to see what some of our colleagues who have had babies in Delhi say.
• Choose your OB-GYN or midwife - check!
• Schedule your first prenatal visit - check... or really, NA!
• Get to know the basics of fetal development - check!
• Figure out your due date - this will probably wait until the ultrasound next week.
• Stop smoking, drinking, and cut back on caffeine. Know what's safe and what isn't during pregnancy - giving up caffeine in the land of chai isn't going to happen, but we did both quit smoking this year.
• Begin a pregnancy journal - does this blog count?
• Connect with other women who are due the same month you are - Jeni, I think you're it. Everyone else seems either further along or already have had babies.

OK, so we've knocked off most of the first trimester checklist. Can we get started on the second trimester checklist? That one involves shopping and looks more fun!

On a more serious note, most of the early pregnancy information on the interwebs is about what can go wrong. And, while I believe it is helpful to know what the possibilities are, I am recommitting myself every day to remaining positive, and devoting my energies to the pursuit of becoming a more informed, better prepared parent and not to thinking about the endless things that could go wrong in the first trimester. Or, let me rephrase that, I are making it my daily practice to remain positive. This mindset is not the flick of the switch, its the continual movement in a direction of remaining open and optimistic about the possibilities that life holds for us.

Why?

Why did I just spend 30 minutes looking at cloth diapers? Our eggs are being implanted today. I think this is probably jumping the gun. Don't you?