Good day to all our friends and family !!

Once again, an update to the blog is long overdue, but as I always say: better late than never :)

For those of you who have been following the "Puranik Saga," I'm happy to report that we made it through the storm in one piece, and we're now surrounded by calm winds and a bright, warm sun. The last 8 months have been the most trying of my life. Dirty politics in my last practice shoved me to the ground and kicked me while I was down, but my family was there to help me back up. I set up my own private practice in LaPorte, Indiana (1 hour outside of Chicago), and I'm proud to report that it's a resounding success. In just the fourth month of practice, the clinic is at full capacity and we're already planning on expansion. Charlie worked tirelessly throughout her pregnancy as my office manager and poor little Nyah went from having a stay-at-home mom to being a latchkey child. Not to mention . . . the hard work and support of my parents and brother. Fortunately, though, it was a short term sacrifice that's paid dividends.

The clinic was on auto-pilot just in time for the arrival of our son (Kaden Rhone Puranik). Charlie went into labor early Saturday morning (5/9/09) and delivered 3 hours later!! There was barely enough time for her precious epidural :) In spite of the scurry, everything went perfectly. Kaden is healthy and happy.

Charlie and the kids have been at home all week, resting and bonding. Kaden is eating like a champ and sleeps for hours on end. Nyah's been adjusting very well. She finally has her mom at home again, and hasn't been the least bit jealous of the new arrival. In fact, she's nothing but loving and tender with Kaden - always giving him hugs and kisses. There's only been one bump in the road - Nyah has been insistent on sleeping with us in our bed for the last two weeks. We think she just needs a little extra attention these days, and we're happy to give it to her. I suspect she'll be back in her room within a month.

So, enough chatter. Here are the pics everyone's been waiting for.

******* Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge ********

Here's Nyah, enjoying the last few weeks of being an only child :)




Here are several pics of the family enjoying a beautiful day at Millenium Park:









One week later, Kaden arrives:



Nyah meets her brother for the first time:



Precious moments between a Mother and her son:

Bonding at home:

LA BELLA VITA . . . .

Well Hello Strangers . . .

It's been quite some time since we've sent out an update . . . and A LOT has transpired since then. First off, sorry about the delay. The last several months have been quite hectic in the Puranik household. Due to a number of reasons, I decided to hang up my stethescope here in Warsaw, IN. I've left my former group and am now in the the process of setting up my own private clinic. While the transition has been quite an ordeal, things are moving along quite nicely at this point. The clinic is going to be in La Porte, IN which is in the northwestern corner of the state. I'll be my own boss, we'll be closer to Chicago, and the long-term potential should be worth the short-term inconvenience . . .

Since our last update, Nyah's been to Italy, celebrated her first birthday, learned to walk/give hugs/give kisses, and trick-or-treated for the first time. She clearly understands much of what we say to her, but still has little to no vocabulary - Ma and Da - that's about it. She's very independent and wants to do everything without assistance . . . this becomes quite the issue during mealtime. Her personality is becoming more well-defined everyday - I would describe it as finicky, playful, affectionate and outgoing. What a fun age - we can't wait for her to talk and start having conversations with us . . .

********** Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them ************

She's about 16 months now, and looks totally different than she did as a baby . . . slimmer, more defined features, and hair that 's totally out of control:







She's been running around and getting into everything. She goes from one no-no to another (her favorites are the fridge and the lazy susan) . . . all day long . . . and as quickly as her little legs will take her. In spite of needing constant attention to make sure she doesn't kill herself, she's an absolute angel. She's a very happy child and has a playful, silly personality.








Back in April, she enjoyed her first trip abroad as we spent a week in Italy. She travelled very well . . .



hanging out as we dined . . .



sleeping as we strolled . . .



and playing with her cousins . . .



A couple months later, we celebrated her first birthday with a back-yard-bash at grandma and grandpa's . . .







Here she is as Tinkerbell. She picked up the idea of trick-or-treating pretty quickly - only in her version, she actually goes INTO everyone's house . . .



On a final note, Nyah will have to enjoy the last few precious months as an only child as Charlie is now 12 weeks pregnant with our second!!



She's doing well so far. A bit nauseous and tired, as she was with Nyah, but seemingly more manageable this time. Wish us luck for the next several months . . . by the time our next update is sent out, my new practice will be well under way.

Until then . . . .

Hi everyone:

Hope all is well. We've had a long winter here in Indiana. Lots of snow . . . lots of sub-zero temperatures . . . lots of colds and flus . . . but we're hanging in there. It seems like Nyah's been sick for three months straight. Just as we think she's turning the corner, she gets another bug. I think we're finally out of the woods though . The whole family has been healthy for the past couple of weeks, and we're very much looking forward to the spring and summer.

Nyah's really developed a lot since our last blog entry in December. She started crawling about a month ago!! Here's our video of her "first steps" (click the play button - bottom left):



It took her a couple of weeks to really master it, but now she's cruisin'. Just like that, she requires so much attention. We can't just sit her in front of a bunch of toys and leave her alone for an hour. Nyah and I learned that the hard way. I was working on the computer a few days ago and Nyah was hanging out with me in the office. Before I knew it, she crawled into the foyer and went head first, down the stairs to the basement (never mind that we have a baby gate that I left wide open)!! I think I'm out of the running for Father of the Year. She recovered and doesn't seem to be holding a grudge. I can't say the same for Mommy . . .

Aside from such growing pains, Nyah's doing great. She's become quite interactive and very talkative:



Following are some recent pictures for your viewing pleasure - don't forget to click on the picture to view the full size version:

Chillin' in her sit-and-play:



Taking a bath:





Swimming lessons:





Simply hanging out:





On one of her sick days:



Developing a fetish for bags, like her mom:



Put a sock in it!!



Sitting naked with Grandma:




That's it for now. We're off to Italy for 10 days in April!! Nyah will be returning to the motherland- that's where she was conceived. TMI for some, I know - for those interested however, we plan on going as three and coming back as three and a half!! Upon our return, we have a number of weekend trips to visit family and friends. When things start to settle down again, we'll send out another update.

Until then, ciao bella!!

Here's to a great new year !!

Hi everyone,

Hope the holidays are treating everyone well. Everything is great here in Indiana. As the months pass, it becomes more and more apparent that my practice is going to flourish, which makes us realize that we're likely to be staying in Warsaw longer than first anticipated. This is not what Charlie had in mind, but she's adjusting well and is starting to get socially involved in the community.

Nyah is doing wonderful. She's a real sweetheart . . . verging on perfection!! She let's us know in her own way when she wants to eat and when she's ready for a nap. She usually turns in for the night around 7:30pm and sleeps straight through until 7:30 in the morning. She makes us nervous to have another; if you believe in ying/yang, the next is bound to be a terror :)

Now on to the good stuff . . . . .
Remember to click on the pics to see the full size versions
Enjoy . . . . . .

Nyah had her first Halloween. She was a pea in a pod :) She tolerated the costume for about 5 minutes . . . then made it very clear that she was over it:



Nyah has learned to roll back and forth, but doesn't do it much. She won't stay lying for more than 5 minutes - she much prefers sitting up:



With the right toys in front of her, she'll sit up and play by herself for up to an hour:



Here she is showing off her very first lengha, compliments of Grandma:




And here she is, showing a little personality:






Here's Nyah's impersonation of the Gerber baby:



Thanksgiving marked Nyah's first experience with solid foods. As you can see, she loves her sweet potatoes:





She's not quite as fond of green beens, to say the least (hit the play button at bottom left to view the video):



Here's Nyah, hamming it up with Santa Claus:



And opening her very first Christmas present:




That's all folks. Hope you enjoyed the update. We'd love to hear from those of you that we haven't spoke to in a while. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and have a great start to a new year!!

With love,
The Puranik Family