Farewell, Mr. Toad

It was a lot of fun taking care of Mr. Toad this summer -- watching him metamorphose into a toad, and then grow from being miniscule to being merely tiny.


I was so attached to him that I thought about getting a larger aquarium and keeping him all winter. But it was tough finding enough food for him to eat. I'm sure fruit flies are yummy, but Mr. Toad needed more to fill his belly, and finding bugs and worms that were just the right size for him was surprisingly difficult. As the summer went on, it became clear that it was time to let him go so that he'd have enough time to establish himself before winter set in. Shami, Ollie and I decided to let him go near a small pond in Sapsucker Woods.

Here's our cute little guy leaving the nest. I hope he'll find lots to eat and be a fat and happy toad.

Taughannock Falls with the Grandparents

It is very special that Oliver can spend time with all four grandparents. This weekend we all drove out to Taughannock Falls State Park. There is a look-out point above, and then a nice wide flat trail below, great for wheels, leading to the base of the falls. We all enjoyed the sights and the amazing weather. Due to a lack of rain, there was only a trickle of water over the falls, but it was spectacular nonetheless.

The Falls, cut by ancient retreating glaciers. Compare the same view from last fall. And here are the steep stairs to walk down to the lookout point.

Dadu and Thamma, Papa Dadu and Nainai.

Three generations of Chatterjee boys, and Ollie with his dad and Thamma.

Below the falls, Ollie with his mom and grandmother.

After the waterfall, the creek runs over a rocky bed and empties into Cayuga Lake a short distance away. Shami, Ollie, and I wandered down to the shore after the grandparents left for home. We skipped some stones across the water, absorbed some of the peace and quiet, and then drove home ourselves. It was a nice outing.

Nainai and PapaDadu's Anniversary

Oliver's Ithaca grandparents had their wedding anniversary in early August. To celebrate we invited them over for a sit down Indian meal. Several dishes were whipped up, and Oliver's Thamma spent the day making a special payesh (rice pudding) for dessert. Ollie offered to taste-test it beforehand to make sure it was good - just kidding - but Thamma gave him a taste anyway. It looks like he liked it, doesn't it? Never trust a picture! It took a lot of effort to coax that smile out of him. But he did have some fun playing with it on his tray.

Ollie joined us at the table and it was a lovely dinner. And everyone (except Ollie) agreed that the food, and especially the payesh, was delicious!

More July photos

We had a nice visit from Oliver's uncle Ian, Aunt Wei, and their kids Eamonn and Molly. It was great to see them. Wei spent some one-on-one time getting to know Oliver, which was wonderful. Ollie loved having Aunt Wei read to him!

While they were in town, Shami engineered a fantastic Indian banquet and we had the whole family over. As usual it was crazy, chaotic, and exhausting, but well worth the effort!

We haven't seen very much of Oliver's cousins this summer. But with Eamonn and Molly visiting from Canada they decided to all stop over one day to put on a spur-of-the-moment concert for Oliver. It was quite a scene! Ollie especially liked Kieran playing his Saxophone.

We've tried to get out of the house each weekend with Oliver's Thamma and Dadu. Here are a few photos from some of our July excursions:

At the Ithaca Farmer's Market, and walking through the Cornell herb and flower gardens.

At the once-a-year Ithaca Artists' Market, and at a quilt show at the Johnson Art museum.

Here is a photo of Ollie with all four of his grandparents on the museum's deck, and one with his dad from an upper floor with Cayuga Lake in the background.

And a few more pictures just for the fun of it:
Here's Ollie swinging with his grandmas and cousin Kieran, and getting a math lesson from his grandfather.

Finally, here's Ollie getting cuddles from his Thamma.

Thamma and Dadu

July 19th was a very big day. It was the day Oliver's grandparents arrived from India for an extended visit. Oliver's grandfather (his Dadu) hadn't seen Oliver since they visited us in Sydney when Oliver was a baby, less than a week out of the NICU. Oliver's grandmother (his Thamma) came to Sydney by herself in September of 2008 to mark Oliver's 1st birthday with us. For both of them it had been a very, very long time since they'd seen Oliver - or us for that matter!

Through the magic of video chat, Oliver has been able to see his Thamma and Dadu from time to time over this past year. It is hard to know exactly what he comprehends, and what he remembers, but it was clear that the moment he saw them arrive at our door he knew they were special. He felt comfortable with them right away and was all smiles. Their friendship has grown more and more each day. Ollie, with his love of words and silliness, loves it when they talk to him in Bengali. He laughs hysterically, especially when his Dadu throws in some arm movements! It has been wonderful to have them here, and it just breaks our hearts that they don't live closer. They will stay until mid September, through Ollie's 3rd birthday, and the start of school for Ollie. The time will fly by.