Giovanni's Arrival!

Giovanni's first nap with his father and older "brother" Topher.

Asleep at the hospital... practicing some boxing maneuvers on himself.  

Our first outing as a family- a walk in Lodhi Gardens.

As most of you know by now Giovanni arrived in the early morning of December 6th.  Just for fun I went through labor and then "opted" for an emergency c-section as he never descended from up in my ribcage (called an "obstructed labor").  Giovanni emerged perfectly healthy with a full head of hair weighing 8.8 pounds.

I am afraid I do not have the time to write in great detail about all that has happened in the two weeks since our son arrived, nor do you really need/want to hear the details on breastfeeding, pooping, umbilical cords falling off, etc... I will spare you that.  Just know that Paolo and I are finding ways to cope with a very big challenge but even the sleepless nights and long crying bouts cannot dampen our moods when we look at this little creature.  He is, at least in his parents' eyes, a wonderful gift.  

Many have asked how Topher is handling his little brother.  Some even speculated he would be jealous or feel replaced.  As always, Topher rose above expectations and has remained the noble and gentle creature he has always been.  Giovanni's crying lures Topher near so he can attempt to calm him with his tongue (the licking is sweet though he is perplexed why it does not stop the crying!).  Topher is reluctant to leave a room if Giovanni is in it and even sleeps on the side of the bed closest to the bassinet.  

Look soon for more pictures and perhaps even more interesting text. In the meantime, happy holidays to all.  XOXO.  Clara, Paolo, Topher & Giovanni 

Birthday and no baby...yet!

"Happy Birthday, Madam!" From left: Sebastian (cook), Ram (security guard), Johnson (driver), Victoria (Sebastian's wife and our housekeeper) and Paolo (nervous father-to-be) singing to the birthday girl....



We are still waiting for this baby to make his move. So far he seems quite content in his little swimming pool...safe from terrorists, cold weather and mosquitoes (yes, those last two somehow exist at the same time here in India!). Today is my birthday and Paolo and our staff are busy making it a special day for the "roundy" lady on the couch. Flowers are all over the house, a special rice dish is simmering and a chocolate cake is cooling.

At some point we PROMISE to have news for all of you. He cannot stay in there forever, can he?

In the meantime, keep checking back. Thank you for all of the well wishes, especially those of you who were worried about us after the attacks in Mumbai last week. For the geographically challenged (believe me, I understand!), Mumbai is quite far from New Delhi- a two hour flight- but we still were unsettled by the savageness of the attacks and that they were clearly targeting foreigners. We are hoping this will prompt India to take a harder look at its security measures. This is a wonderful country in many ways and is certainly resilient. Take a look at Jon Stewart's Daily Show for a funny (yes, believe it or not, it is!) take on the attacks. Here is the link:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=210920&title=Mumbai-Tragedy

Warning: This is not for children's ears!




Off to eat cake.... Hugs to all. Clara

Still Waiting....

We are one day past the due date.... Nothing happening so far.  Paolo thinks our son has decided to stay in his warm cocoon in light of the global financial crisis and terror attacks in Mumbai.  Smart move, I say.  While we wait we are trying to prepare Topher for the arrival of his new brother.  Hope to have news for all of you soon!

November 21st: Time is running out!

Topher has really enjoyed our nap times lately- the belly pillow is his favorite spot to rest his head, though he finds the punches and kicks rather perplexing!

A little cuddling.... We hope Topher is not too disturbed by the new brother he is about to meet.  So for now we are trying to give him as much love as we can, much to his delight.

Topher likes to watch Seinfeld DVDs with us, though his view is usually blocked by whatever he has crammed in his mouth.  

Here is the huge Belli Belly- about to burst.  This is me at 38 weeks...nearing the end at last.  

The excitement should begin any day now, so this may be my last post before you finally get to meet our little fellow.  We have packed our bags, practiced the drive to the hospital, rehearsed the breathing exercises, and read dozens of parenting books.  In other words, we are barely prepared for all of the wild changes that are about to hit us.  

The due date is not for another 9 days and doctors here are very reluctant to allow women to go beyond their due dates.  Induction is standard treatment here.  We are resisting this and would like to have our baby decide when he wants to make his move.  If he wants to wait a few days or so after November 30th, we do not see what the urgency is, especially since all of our checkups have shown he is still thriving.  So maybe he will be a December baby?  He might want to avoid the 4th as I doubt he would really think it was "cool" to share a birthday with his mother!

As for Delhi life, the weather is truly delightful these days- cool crisp air that has everyone breathing easier and finally pulling out long sleeved shirts and vests.  Topher spends his time rolling about in the garden and digging endless holes in the new plantings, much to our gardener's amusement (yes, we hired him because he does not seem to mind the dog interventions and deposits!).  Sebastian is busy baking cinnamon bread, bagels and anything else we desire. He is also working on his pie recipes in preparation for next week's holiday. We even have a turkey in our freezer ready for Thursday!  If we end up celebrating Thanksgiving in the hospital than he will wrap it all up and bring it to us there.  We have been warned that the hospital food is truly horrible (isn't it always?) so we are glad to know Sebastian will be taking good care of us, as always.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  Keep a look out here for baby news coming soon.  Warmly, Clara

Nov 9th. 3 weeks to DUE DATE!

Here I am with the rest of the pregnant women in our prenatal class.  This was the only class Paolo missed!

I am sorry that there are no more pictures this time, but Paolo has our camera in the US!

What a fun week it has been to be an American living in India! Our cook Sebastian greeted me on Wednesday morning with his wide grin, "God has helped!  The good man won!"  I am so proud of my country's decision on Tuesday, and everyone around me seems so optimistic and excited about the changes ahead for the US.  I like to think all of the horn honking I have been hearing these last few days are Indians cheering on our Obama bumper sticker, but I think the honks are just the usual chaotic traffic noises.  It comforts me to know that when we move back to DC there will be quite a different crowd in the city.  No more Texas crowds (no offense, Mom and Dad!) and cowboy boots.  Naturally I am eager to see what kind of puppy moves into the White House.

My due date (Nov 30th) is now exactly 3 weeks away.  My belly is huge, the baby room is basically ready, Paolo will be back from the US in 5 days and Topher remains blissfully unaware of the momentous changes coming.  I am still feeling well and remain active though I definitely tire more easily and rarely stay awake past 9PM these days.  With Paolo away, of course, I can go to bed whenever I wish!  Yesterday I visited the hospital where I will deliver.  The worst part about it is that the traffic getting there is a nightmare- we will certainly have to leave in plenty of time to make it there.  Otherwise the facilities are very nice and the rooms well equipped and clean (this is saying a lot since standards of cleanliness here in India are quite low). 

The last few weeks have been busy for me.  I have found it hard to have Paolo away at this point in the pregnancy but he has been wonderful about calling and has been very busy picking up baby supplies (4 suitcases now!).  Having still quite a bit of work to do has distracted me and the time Paolo has been away has gone very quickly.  Sebastian and Victoria continue to take excellent care of me- making sure I have plenty of healthy things to eat and that the house is running smoothly.  I am really so spoiled by them.  

Topher is also a fantastic distraction.  He needs constant attention from ball throwing to cuddling.  Our daily early morning walks continue to be a favorite part of the day for me.  I have even begun wearing a sweatshirt in the morning- the first long sleeves I have worn since March!!  The air is cool now in the mornings (low 60s), though not terribly refreshing due to the air pollution that descends upon the city once the heat disappears.  Oh well- nothing is every perfect, is it?  We had two memorable visits to the lake this past week.  Last Monday I threw his beloved rubber ball into the middle of the lake and it promptly sank.  I should have suspected this was going to happen as it had become very cracked and waterlogged after 5 months of lake swims.  Poor Topher swam around in circles in the middle of the lake for an hour trying to find it.  I was finally able to coax him back to shore with a bamboo stick.  He played with it half-heartedly and carried it home with his head hanging low.  Once we arrived I pulled out a brand new version of his beloved ball and all was right with the world once again.  He carried it in his mouth the entire day and even slept with it that night.  If only all of life's troubles were so easily solved.

Our second lake incident occurred two days later.  Topher ran ahead of me once we entered the park (no leash laws in India!!) while I was busy reading emails on my phone.  Suddenly I heard children's laughter and women's frantic voices.  As I raced (well, waddled, really) to the lake I came upon a large wedding group watching a ceremony take place in the water.  Early morning (it was 6 AM) ceremonies are quite common here but this was the first time I had encountered one at "our" lake.  Topher seemed not to notice everyone around him as he sat in the water next to the bride and splashed about swatting at his ball.  Needless to say the ceremony had been interrupted by this intrusion.  I was horrified and quickly lured Topher away with a biscuit I had in my pocket.  None of the wedding party seemed upset by Topher's visit and some were even giggling as I dragged Topher away- no swimming for him that day!

I will try to write again next week and include more pictures- maybe there will even be one more belly shot for those of you who can bear to see such a sight!  Paolo and I hope you are all enjoying the fall weather and that those of you in the US are looking forward to Thanksgiving.  We actually have a turkey on order from an organic farm south of Delhi, though who knows if we will be home to eat it!

A big hug to all!  Clara

October 22nd: One month to go! Diwali and cooler temps at last.

Heading out for a prenatal visit.  Note our "Bark Obama: Unleash the Change" bumper sticker!

A shot of the nursery in progress.  Crib is covered in mosquito netting- a must here in Delhi as we are in the midst of a Dengue Fever epidemic.  

More of the nursery- we are stocking up on diapers brought by friends from the US- they are available here but wildly expensive.  If you are thinking of visiting us you may get roped into bringing a supply along!  We are also going to try to use cloth diapers as much as possible.  There is already more than enough trash here in Delhi!

And, as always, the requisite Belli belly shot.  Here I am at 34 weeks-6

 more to go!  Topher thinks it makes a great pillow and Paolo is wondering if my skin can stretch any further.  I just hope each morning that I can find an outfit that fits!

At out coed baby shower last week- Kelly is trying to guess my girth....

Baby shower project- everyone made us personalized onesies! Now we have quite a supply for the warmer months ahead.

Greetings to friends and family!  I hope you are all well. For those of you in the US I can imagine life is a bit frantic with the financial turmoil, and with election day and Halloween approaching.  We are a bit removed from some of that though I do get daily calls from Democrats Abroad asking if we have sent in our ballots (yes, for me, no for Paolo since he is not a US citizen! In fact, he was barely able to get a new 4-month visa to the US!). Halloween will be celebrated in full force at the Embassy and at school so I am hoping to get my sugar infusion next week.  Maybe there will even be some imported American candies (M&Ms???) as I am not a fan of the sickeningly sweet Indian candies available here.  Topher's cat costume is cleaned and ironed. 

This coming week will be quite an eventful one here in Delhi as the biggest Hindu holiday, Diwali, is on Tuesday.  Paolo will be flying to Italy that morning (2 AM- a "normal" time for international flights from Delhi) as I prepare myself and Topher for a long day and night of constant noise and fireworks.  This will be a day when I am glad Topher's hearing has weakened as I am afraid the blasts might disturb him otherwise.  This holiday has a similar build up as Christmas does in the US with gift-giving and massive shopping frenzies in the weeks leading up to the holiday.  Traffic, normally horrible, has really been unbearable these last few weeks.  Once Diwali passes, then, of course, Halloween hits so it is really a week of revelry.

As I said, Paolo leaves this week for a few days in Italy before he heads to the US Nov 2nd for 10 days of conferences and work at his "headquarters"  I am trying not to be too jealous of his chance to be back in Washington ( I did get my own chance to be there in June after all!)  and am only "punishing" him with a short (one page!) shopping list of things I would like him to bring back with him.  Some are practical (baby supplies) and others not (peanut butter, Halloween candy), but I reserve the right to be impractical and demanding now that I am entering my 9th month of "baby baking."

Paolo and I finished a two-week course yesterday on Lamaze and baby care, Indian-style.  Some of the advice and tips were very helpful while others made us raise our eyebrows every so slightly.  A suggestion for increasing my iron levels, for instance?  Soak a raisin on a glass of milk overnight.  In the morning eat the raisin and drink the milk.  That evening soak 2 raisins in a glass of milk, 3 the next night, 4 the following, etc...  Once you get to 9 raisins, repeat the process in reverse until you return to 1 raisin.  After this 18 day cycle of raisin chewing your iron levels should be high again.  Needless to say, we skipped this idea and instead I am relying on my prenatal vitamins and occasional steaks and burgers at the American Embassy!  We did learn a great deal about labor and how Paolo can help me get through it with lots of massage techniques/alcohol (for him!).  I enjoyed the massage practice quite a bit!  We also got the chance to meet other expectant couples in the class, including two who live right here in our colony.  All three of us are due right around the same time so we are happy to have discovered each other as we will be able to rely on each other for advice, sympathy and impromptu stroller walks in the 'hood.

Topher remains, as always, a source of laughter and love here in the house.  He is beloved by all of the guards now in our colony and we get greetings from all as we pass on our morning outing.  Now that the temps are cool in the morning ("only" 67 at 6AM today!) Topher has his spring back in his step and pulls hard the entire 20 minute walk to get to the lake.  It is funny to see how Indians react to this change in weather.  I finally put on a long sleeved shirt for these walks, but the guards are wrapped from head to toe in blankets and sit in front of trash fires to ward off the "deep chill."  This morning a man was jogging around the lake wearing a full ski parka!  Topher still avoids the mid-day 90 degree heat by planting himself under a fan for a long nap but comes alive once again by 6 when the cool evening breezes return.  Other than his hearing loss he shows no sign of aging (he will be 8 in February) and has been remarkably healthy even through the intense heat.  Ironically, it took bringing him here to India, land of parasites and "Delhi belly," to find a cure for the digestive troubles he had been plagued with since puppyhood.  Not a single incident since he stepped off the flight from DC in January!

Happy Halloween to all, and may all your Election Day dreams come true.  We obviously are rallying for Sarah Palin- the more Tina Fey impressions we can get, the better...who cares what horror she would inflict on the country!  Next month may prove to be an exciting time here in the Belli household (due date Nov 30th) so I will try to keep you updated more often as the big day approaches.  In the meantime, enjoy yourselves and write to me if you have not in a while- you know who you are!    A big hug, Clara

October 4th: Will the Heat Ever End??

 Here I am in our garden.  I had just returned from an ultrasound where the doctor estimated our baby to be about 4.5 pounds already!  He said, "Oh, I love seeing such fat babies."  Since I was nearly 9.5 pounds myself at birth it looks like I might be having an equally giant baby myself!

This is a neighborhood friend- the daughter of another WB family here in our colony.  She and her brother often come over to romp with Topher and to play Monopoly with me.

Would this "truck" pass your state's inspection? We passed this mangled contraption on the road this morning.  Only in India!

The heat continues without an end in sight- no fun when you are wearing a fur coat or "baking" a baby in your belly, so both Topher and I are sneaking naps in the air-conditioned bedroom whenever possible.  October has arrived with great revelry as this is the month of holidays and festivals here in India.  Gandhi Day was celebrated on the 2nd and Diwali, the Festival of Lights, will be rung in with bursts of fireworks on the 27th.  In between there are many other feasts and celebrations.  Tourists have also begun to arrive in Delhi once again now that the weather is (supposedly) more pleasant.  We have had quite a few house guests ourselves though now with the nursery in place we are reduced to only one guest room.  Topher enjoys the visitors, especially our last one who brought a beef bone from the US.  He was in heaven!

Paolo is travelling again- this time in Sri Lanka for 10 days.  He will return on Friday, October 10th.  This coming week marks the first anniversary of our wedding (October 7th) so we will have some celebrating to do this weekend when he returns! He will be in town for two weeks before heading to Italy and the US. For our DC friends and family, I hope you get a chance to see him when he is in town Nov 2-12th.

As for me, all is going well though I do spend an inordinate amount of time checking the Weather Channel website hoping to see numbers lower than 97 for daily highs.  As you read above I seem to be "baking" a rather large baby boy, which I suppose is not too surprising considering the size of his parents.  This makes me a tiny bit anxious about the actual birth but for now I continue to feel great and have developed only a slight waddle when I walk.   I am enjoying the prenatal yoga and Italian classes and am also busy with school and three volunteer projects.  The nursery is coming along and I am currently on the hunt for  a diaper pail- yet another elusive baby product here in India.  At least we get our trash collected everyday, so maybe this will not be such a necessary item.  Mom and Dad are proving to be excellent grandparents-to-be, busily shopping at Costco and everywhere else I send them in search of baby must haves and then filling out endless customs forms to get the boxes to me.  I am so grateful for their enthusiasm and patience and cannot wait for their visit here this winter to meet their first grandchild!  

I promise another posting soon- if and when the temperature falls below 90 there will be a celebratory posting and picture of me in my "cool weather" maternity clothing!  A hug to all of you, Clara

September 2008: Two months to go!

Welcome to the new Delhi Belli Baby blog!  I decided to enter the modern era and so will now be sending you news from the other side of the globe in this format....

We have now been back in Delhi for over a month and have settled back into our routines. Topher and I head off for ball retrieving in the lake and park every morning.  We are both pleased with the slight dip in temperatures over the last week.  It is almost, nearly, sort of, a bit cooler these days (94 instead of 98!).  Topher then spends the rest of the day on our bed with occasional forays into the kitchen to see what Sebastian is cooking.  If bread baking is taking place then he sets himself down in front of the oven door to "watch tv" as Sebastian says.  Nothing beats the warms bagels and cinnamon bread that he makes and Topher is always the first to taste test the latest batch.  

Paolo is traveling extensively these days though he is able to make it home most weekends.  Last weekend he was in Ladakh with his best friend Angelo who was visiting from Italy.  I was unable to go as the high elevation would not have mixed well with my growing belly so I missed the chance to stay up all night playing chess and drinking yak butter.  Oh well, maybe next time.  They came back from their adventure in awe of the beauty of this region where they saw magnificent Buddhist monasteries and went rafting down the Hindus River.  Their flights there and back were a bit frightening (Ladakh has the highest elevation airport in the world!) but the 32 hour bus ride option from Delhi was even less appealing.  Following the weekend away Paolo immediately flew to Calcutta and after this weekend at home is leaving for Bangalore tomorrow morning for another week of work.  The following week he is off to Sri Lanka and later to Italy and the US.  The good part of all of this traveling (besides the miles)? Once our baby arrives Paolo will be able to stay put in Delhi for quite a while- a welcome change for all of us.

And how am I keeping busy while Paolo is flying here and there? When I am not napping with Topher or eating Sebastian's cinnamon bread (ah, pregnancy!), I am keeping out of trouble with continued consultancy work at the American Embassy School and with a very intense Italian class I am taking four nights/week.  Since we want to raise our son to speak both of our native tongues I felt it might finally be time for me to get serious about learning Italian.  As those of you who watched me struggle with French (yes, I was the one whose performance on the placement test at Dartmouth after 6 years of study at the Erie Day School and Groton put be right into French I!), you might be amazed that I am actually attempting this, but so far so good.  I am in a class of 28: 27 Indians and me.  The others are highly motivated as all are hoping for jobs in Italy so we are going at a furious pace.  Perhaps the next blog will be written entirely in Italian.  Get your dictionaries ready...

As for my pregnancy, all is going very well.  I am nearing the end of month 7 and, as you can see above, have a soccer ball expanding in my belly.  Our son is very active and seems to enjoy kicking, punching, poking and hiccupping.  Other than painful right ribs I have no complaints and am feeling very well.  Those endless discomforts/symptoms/aches listed in What to Expect When You're Expecting?  I seem to be missing out on those parts of the experience, for which I am most grateful.  I am also lucky that our upstairs neighbor, my best friend in Delhi, gave birth to her son this week and so I have a built in tutor/model for all of the millions of newborn questions I will soon have.  Barbara, a German ex-pat, and I have the same obstetrician and she delivered at the same hospital I will be using, so it was reassuring to know that everything went well for her, though I know I will not be in labor for only 2 hours as she was (yes, this was her second baby).  In preparation for our son's arrival I am taking prenatal yoga twice a week and will soon start childbirth and babycare classes.  When in town Paolo will attend these with me.  We need all the help we can get!  And when I am not napping/eating/balancing on one foot/conjugating Italian verbs?  I am busy preparing the nursery, which is quite a challenge to do in India.  No Babys'R Us here...or internet shopping!  I have been lucky to find some items through other ex-pats and my parents have been incredibly patient with the lists of items I keep sending them of things I simply cannot find here.  Luckily for me this is their first grandchild so their enthusiasm is high!  I promise to send pictures of my work so far in the next posting.

So where are the glimpses of exotic Delhi in this update?  While Italian classes, elementary math issues, crib searching and an expanding belly are dominating my life at the moment, it is never possible to forget that we are living in this vibrant, chaotic, overwhelming city.  We are heading now into the most pleasant season here, with cooler temperatures and plant life blooming.  This is truly a green city with trees, parks and flowers everywhere you look.  Yes, Delhi has more than its share of filth, squalor and heart-wrenching poverty yet there are also places and sights of stunning beauty.  And then there are the bizarre sights that still startle me even after 8 months here:  The enormous bulls lying in the middle of a busy roadway calmly chewing their cud as cars, busses, rickshaws and bicycles swarm around them, the families of 5 riding on one motorcycle and, well, who can miss the ear cleaners?  The other day I had a taxi for a few hours taking me around town as our driver was busy taking two of our houseguests sightseeing.  As I emerged from a market I had to wait by the taxi as the driver was in the midst of having his ears cleaned.  This is something that needs to be seen to be believed, though preferably not directly after eating lunch which was unfortunately my situation.  The roadside ear cleaner pushed

a wad of warm wax (yes, warmed in his mouth!) into the driver's ear with a pair of  tweezers that were at least a foot long and then swirled the tweezers around inside.  He then extracted the now filthy wax and smeared it onto his shirt sleeve to show the driver all that he had extracted.  My stomach's reaction to this display prevented me from watching the cleaning of the second ear.  Needless to say I declined the man's offer to do my ears next.  This makes me feel less guilty about my Q-tip habit!  

For now, ciao from Delhi!  I promise another posting soon.  Feel free to write to me with your own updates as I am always eager for news from all of you.  And those of you who have not written in a long while?....maybe I can get this earcleaner to make a housecall or two...

Warmly, Clara