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

Hi everyone :)

Hope all is well in your lives. Life is great here. I'm happy to report that my practice continues to grow strongly and we've settled in nicely in Small Town, America. My office is 4 miles from the our house and most days, I come home for a lunch date with the girls before heading back to work.

My day ends at 5pm and the evenings turn out to be very nice family time. We rarely go anywhere during the weekdays (there's nowhere good to eat in Warsaw), so we cook together and hang out at home.

Half our weekends are spent in Chicago and the rest are spent here with out-of-town guests. If you haven't made it yet, call us and start planning your trip . . . we'd love to have you :)

Here are some pics of Nyah hanging out at home:

About two weeks ago, Nyah started laughing out loud. She gets especially slap happy right before bedtime. Check it out:

Nyah recently went on her first trip (to LA to meet more family and friends). She did great throughout the trip. Both flights were packed but with a little creativity, we did just fine:

Here she is meeting her uncles Mark and Ken:

And cousin Polo:

Liz insists that kids love her!! We're not convinced:

Enjoying her first walk on the beach with Martin and Ilexa:

That's all folks!!

We'll be in touch again after Nyah's first Halloween :)

A big hello to all our friends and family :)

Nyah is the BIGGEST and BEST of all the recent changes in our life, and we want to share our bundle of joy with you (thanks to Beth for the great idea of blogging it). Our first entry in "A day in the life of Nyah" will cover birth to 3 months.

The first month was tough. Nyah had a hard time latching on since all she wanted to do was sleep. After she finally got the breast-feeding thing (around 3 weeks), she started getting "colicky." This lasted another 3 weeks but ever since, she's been a PERFECT ANGEL.

Charlie is doing great as a new mom (not to mention her new role as housewife) !!

My practice is going very well - better than expected so far.

Now to the important stuff . . . . . . . . .

One day old:



Anne Geddes ain't got nothin' on me:





Pure joy:





Nyah getting ready for her bath:



She really seems to like the water:





Enjoying the porch:





"Thank you - thank you very much ..."



Nyah's just starting to laugh out loud :)



Hangin' with Grandpa:



Chillin' with Grandma:



Watching her first cartoon with Uncle Rohit:




That's it for now. Nyah's getting ready for her first plane ride - we'll be going to LA to meet more family and friends. Stay tuned for updates and more pics/videos . . . . . .