Our First Winter is Coming!

We had our first real snowfall in Ottawa last night (the night before Halloween). The kids got to wake up this morning to a wintry wonderland - we decided to take them for a walk today to give them their first real taste of cold weather (it was zero degrees Celsius today in Ottawa).... they didn't seem to mind.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks. We are finally settled into our new home and the unpacking is happening at a steady pace. Mommy and daddy try to make the most of their time by dividing and conquering, but it has certainly been an exhausting week.

The kids are slowly adjusting to their new home - they had a few rough nights this week with the new surroundings and have spend most nights in our bed with Geeta and me clinging onto the sides in search of more real estate (and we have a king size bed). It's getting squishy in the Gera family bed as the kids are getting bigger and demanding more space.

This past weekend, Besrat and Michael came to visit us before they return home in Dallas, Tx. Michael was born on the very same day as the triplets - the kids played together during the day on Saturday and had a ball together. The kids also had visits this week from Efim and Jessica, Rob and Amanda, Sumit Thaya (aka uncle), and Meena Aunty - it's so nice having friends living in the same neighborhood!

What's new?

Kailen is so close to crawling...he's on all fours and goes backwards but not quite crawling forwards. He's screaming a lot these days and is quite demanding. We're not quite sure where Mr. Koala went but we're hopeful he'll be back next month.

Jaiden is testing out some new voices and is getting quite good at the 'imitation game'. His new favourite phrase is 'wa wa wa wa'. Watch the video below and you'll see where he may have picked that up ;) When he goes to bed you can often hear him over the monitor saying it.

Ariya is becoming a bit more vocal these days especially when her brothers fall asleep. She seems to thrive and become alive when she gets one on one time. She is becoming quite the night owl and often starts yapping away as mommy, daddy, Jaiden, and Kailen are fast asleep. Ariya is also quite the messy eater and is known to spit food at the feeder and even rub her food into her hair and eyes (definitely not fun to clean her up after).

Playtime with Michael

Best buddies

Halloween costumes!

I'm a messy eater!

Me Too!

Riding in the Big Ship...

Jaiden's 'Wa wa wa's'

Ariya - the acrobat

8 Months Old!!!

The babies are eight months old!

This last weekend we hit the Gatineau Hills for Fall Rhapsody. The babies got their first experience in the Gatineau's, a place where mommy and daddy love to visit. We enjoyed all the beautiful fall colours and walked through the forests....it was so much fun! It was also lots of fun going with our cousins Rohan, Rhea, and Sonya.

Some recent pics...
Fall is here!

Daddy and Princess
Mommy and Princess
The three of us love the fall just like mommy!
Kailen
Ariya Bella

JJ

Our Cousins

Jaiden Jaan

Sumit 'Thaya' (aka uncle), and Anu 'Masi' (aka aunty)

Family Pic

We love nature

KK (aka Kailen)

JJ

Mommy giving us a lift

Bella Baby

Just the three of us

Daddy and JJ

Nanna (aka Granpa Uppal) and Bella

Jaiden

Our friend, Rebecca

Settling back home in Ottawa

It's been one week since we all moved back home to Ottawa. The kids are adapting well and are embracing their cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. There is definitely something positive to say about having family around - the kids are getting a lot more attention and social interaction then what they're used to and it is really healthy for them.

What's new?

All babies are now showing their first signs of crawling. It's hard to say who'll be the first to succeed. Ariya can already squiggle backwards, while Jaiden has figured out that he can get across a room by rolling over and over. Kailen is sticks his butt in the air and tries to move his legs; i'm sure he's not more than a couple of months away. It's so amazing to see the babies starting their journey toward mobility! On the flip side, mommy and daddy are quickly learning that we need to pay extra attention now since the babies are getting mobile: yesterday daddy took his eyes off Jaiden for 5 mins and found that he had rolled half way across the room and was chewing on an electrical wire!...Lesson learned for 'The Daddy'!

'The Mommy' is doing well and is pulling double duty - she's been extra busy since we're without a nanny at present. Geeta interviewed a number of candidates this week and we are optimistic that we'll have someone to start within a couple of weeks. We're crossing our fingers that we'll find someone like Sarah (our former nanny from Toronto).

Only two more weeks to go until we get our house. We are really looking forward to having more space for the kids.

Being back in Ottawa is definitely a change for all of us. On the positive side, it is really nice being closer to family and friends and we are enjoying mid-size city life and the tranquility and calmness of the surroundings. Fall rhapsody is in full swing and the city always looks so gorgeous with the trees changing colour - we are planing to visit the Gatineau's this weekend. On the flip slide, Ottawa traffic is a lot worse than when we left three years ago! Commuting to work downtown is a bit of a headache and daddy has resorted to public transit for now.

Jaiden...recently

Moving Day is Upon Us

Well moving day is almost here...sort of. We are relocating to Ottawa at the end of the work week and will be temporarily living with Grandpa and Grandma Uppal in Orleans (eastern suburb of Ottawa) until our home is ready. Daddy will need to come to Toronto once more during the month to receive the movers on the 23rd. We are getting a little painting done in our new home but hope to be living there by the 24th of October. We can't wait to be back living in a house where Jaiden, Ariya, and Kailen will have more room to explore, especially as they learn to crawl over the coming months.

We will miss Toronto!

We will miss our nanny, Sarah, who has been here with us from even before the babies were born. She has been pivotal in getting us through the last seven months and we aren't quite sure what we would have done without her. We hope we can find someone just like her in Ottawa...the search continues! We wish Sarah all the best with her job at Mount Sinai and her new nanny position! Thank you Sarah :)

We will miss our friends - everyone has been so supportive and helpful and we hope you come and visit us soon in Ottawa.

On the flip side, we will not miss commuting on the busiest highway in the world (Hwy 401), and look forward to a calmer pace of life in Ottawa (aka Otown) :)

Ariya and JJ

Jaiden and Bella Saturday morning

Ariya Bella

Daddy's princess

Kailen

7 Months Old!!!

The babies are seven months old!!

Time is flying by and the babies are growing up so quickly.

Jaiden can now sit by himself (see video below). He enjoys eating solid foods and is in the habit of testing out his voice. He loves to scream and sometimes it's almost like he is competing with himself on how loud of a shriek he can make. We have recently nick-named him 'tom-cat' or just 'cat'. He often sounds like some sort of feline critter. Jaiden also likes to flip up onto his tummy from his back side - he is getting so good at this. The only problem is that he hasn't figured out how to roll back onto his back-side...so he generally cries out for help because he gets stuck :) JJ is generally a much calmer boy than he used to be and he is no longer 60% of our energy :)

Ariya Bella is a little doll and daddy's little girl. She is full of smiles and greets daddy with an ear to ear smile and lots of excitement everyday after I get home from work. She's a little bundle of joy. Unfortunately, she doesn't like to sleep on time like her brothers and typically stays out for at least an hour longer nightly...which cuts into our much needed downtime at the end of the day. Mommy is typically the only one that has success in putting her to bed - she likes to be rocked and cuddled to sleep. Mommy sings to Ariya at night and that really does work. The Bella baby is also starting to talk a lot more now..in the past she was much quieter than her brothers and this is quickly changing! Ariya can also sit up now.

Kailen is not much of a Koala Bear anymore! He is vocal, and he loves to scream when he wants his way. Our calm koala is now becoming more aggressive - I guess he learned a little something from the old feisty Jaiden! Kailen is full of laughter and smiles these days. He is showing some first signs of crawling too - if you put him on his tummy he now puts his bum up and sometimes makes backward and side movements..can't wait for him to crawl. Kailen loves solid foods, and well...food in general. He typically eats the most! Kailen's favourite game is peek-a-boo and he is also ableto sit now.

Last weekend, we travelled back to Toronto from Ottawa and took the scenic ride home (Hwy 7). It was a nice drive until mommy and daddy realized that we didn't pack any diapers for the trip home. The poor kids had to suffer in dirty diapers until we reached the half way point in Belleville where we found diapers at a Shoppers Drugmart. That was one tough lesson learned for the future.

The countdown to our move date is fast approaching. We're going to miss T.O.!

Recent Pics...

Jaiden munching on Ariya's hand

Kailen caught in the headlights

Family pic

Ready for a Fall Outing - Ariya in her green dress

Sarah and JJ (Jaiden Jaan)

Mommy and her sons

Grandma Gera (i.e. Daddi) and Kailen (aka KK)

Grandpa Gera (i.e. Daddu) and Ariya

Jeff, Joy, Elodie and us

We love our diapers!

Puppy faces :)KK can sit now!...kind of

Tummy time
Daddi and her grand kids

Elodie and Ariya at playtime Sunday fun