Ilia Raiszadeh

Finding a school

2008-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

My parents are losing their heads over finding a good school for me in New York next year.

I can count from one to one hundred. Do you want to see the video?

Sakura Park

2008-06-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

We went to Sakura Park for a picnic.
I liked the cherry trees.
We played soccer.

Birhday soon

2008-06-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

I am turning four soon. Any one wants to come to my birthday party?

Ilia in 2008

2008-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

2008 is the year that I will turn four years old. I know this because I used to say: "I am three years old, next year I will be four years old". Now it is next year, and I am ready to be four years old.

I went to a New Year's Eve party with my daddy. Lola was there too. I danced with almost everyone in that party. I love music and dancing. I learned how to turn when dancing.

I can count in three languages from 1 to 10.

Jay's Birthday Party

2007-12-03T21:58:00.001-08:00

I went to Jay's birthday party. He is now three years old. Jay is my best friend at the school. I am sad that he had to leave our class and go to another school. Last week, we went to the children museum with our mommies and had a great time. We have two special games that we play: one is called "fishies" and the other one is "stupid things". Both are fun and important games.

I hope Jay and I can continue to remain friends.

Oh, you can see Ms. Mira over my shoulder. Isn't she happy?

Ilia goes to a 9th Ave Diner

2007-12-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I went with my daddy to a diner on 9th Ave. I had a toasted bagel with one egg on top! That is how I ordered my breakfast. I have to say the waffles my daddy ordered look a lot better, but after a while I started tasting the egg and realized how yummy it was. I ended up eating the whole egg and half of the bagel. I also had one glass of milk. Oh, I love my new black and white sports jacket!

New York sky is fascinating

2007-12-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

I am in Central Park in New York, with my warm clothes on, because it is getting really cold these days. This is the after hair cut photo that I had promised. OK, I agree with you, the hair cut didn't do much damage!

Being myself

2007-11-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken before I had the haircut. I wanted you to see it before I post an after photo. It is getting cold in New York these days, and we had a few flurries of snow today, but when this photo was taken, we had a few minutes of golden sunshine.

This week, I had a cold and didn't go to swimming pool. As we say, it is not a running pool, it is not a sitting pool, and it is not a sleeping pool. It is a swimming pool. So I go there with my daddy and learn how to swim.

Ilia gets a hair-cut

2007-11-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

I got a hair-cut two days ago. Some of my daddy's friends were saying I shouldn't get one but I knew my hair was getting too long. So my mommy gave me a nice hair-cut at home. It was interesting because my daddy got a hair-cut on the same day without telling me, and when I asked him where he got his hair-cut, he said he got it at a barber's shop.

Now I am sure you want to see photos of me, but can you wait a bit?

Trip to the fire station

2007-11-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

We went to the fire station! It was really exciting. This is a photo of a photo of me, trying a real fireman's hat on. Ms Mira is helping me try the hat. We also get to go inside a real fire truck. It was great!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

I was a fire chief at this year's Halloween. We had a parade at our school, with my friends from all other classes, the fireflies, the bears, the fishies, and of course, the giraffes!
At first I thought about being "Blue" from Blues Clues, but that was hard when I didn't like to go into a costume store, so I decided to be the fire chief.

Looking to the sky

2007-11-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hi! Yesterday was the New York City Marathon! We went there and cheered Jessica, who finished her first Marathon and posted a good time too. I have a lot of photos that I will post later.

Here is a photo of me, looking to the sky.

Curly hair

2007-04-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

My daddy has been my dedicated photographer. But this photo of me and my mom was not taken by him. It is taken by Ed Jones, a great friend and an accomplished photographer. When we were in Ithaca, we went to one of his shows at Cornell, and it was great!
Ed once drove us (Me, daddy, Kevin, and Avril) to New York City and back in his car. That was when Kevin and I invented the fun game of "where did the hand go?"

Back to blogging, from New York

2007-03-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I am am back, after the longest of delays in writing. Thanks to all who asked about my absence.

Here are some updates in my life:
1- I have moved to New York City.
2- I used to be a "Cornell baby", now I am becoming a New York baby.
3- I miss my friends in Ithaca.
4- I call the subway "cave-bus".

How have you guys been doing?

Where was I?

2006-05-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I have been away for a while. Or should I say for a very long while? You should ask my parents why I haven't updated the weblog for so long, but the good news is I am back. I will put up photos that cover events, adventures, and milestones of the past seven months.
For now, here is a photo of me dancing with two lovely ladies, Ananya and an anonymous but very energetic girl at the Students with Families party at Cornell. Note: My mom organized the party for me.

Hello to everyone again

2005-10-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

My dear fans, friends ,and family,
I am back again! I have been very busy enjoying various activities during the last days of summer but as you can see, I have not forgotten the importance of writing to you and getting feedback from you. I have a lot more pictures and stories, please stay tuned.
Love you guys :-)))

Naturalists

2005-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

Children love nature. They love watching the birds fly and listening to the music of life coming from everywhere.Everything moves in a beautiful dance and makes us full of wonder and awe.

Learn to see the world through the eyes of a child and you will see beauty and truth in everything.... (trying on new hats also helps -sometimes- ;-)))

Conservationists

2005-10-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

I think we need to respect all living creatures beause nature is the mother of us all and it is full of beauty and unexplored places. I have been thinking a lot about this recently, because I have just started learning the names of wonderful animals and reading about many exciting places. I cannot wait till the day I can travel around the world to see all of them.
Could you please take care of them until we children can take the job from your hands?

Shall we dance?

2005-10-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Although the wedding was fun, at times I really wanted to go out and explore the new place. So here I have come to see the surroundings, and my mommy has run after me to make sure I don't get into the street. Maybe she is trying to explain to me that it is dangerous to be out there, but it looks as if we are ready to do a formal dance.How artistic, isn't it?
I have to tell you, we stopped the traffic that day.

Alison and Calixto's wedding

2005-10-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have finally attended my first formal wedding. It was so much fun.
Well, actually it did not start that way! The wedding was in Long Island, which is 5 hours away from my home in Ithaca, so my parents woke me up in the middle of the night and put me in my carseat. I am a real gentleman otherwise I would have become much more vocal in expressing my dissatisfaction!!! We got lost a few times on our way, and by the time we got to our hotel we had only a few minutes to get dressed.

Now guess what? My dear mommy realized she had forgotten her dress shoes, and as my daddy suggested that she could wear her sneakers with her red dress she started to cry. These grown-ups are funny....Finally, my dad found the address to the nearest shoe store and we all went there and mommy bought herself new shoes.(I think she really likes buying shoes because as you can see, it made her very happy!)

We danced a lot and had a lot of good food, and all the people admired my new dance moves.I think I like weddings, next time I will make sure daddy has all his maps in the car and mommy ...all her shoes ;-)))

By the way, the person beside us is my auntie Avril, she closes her eyes in all her pictures but she is always nice and smiley. I hang out with her sometimes.

some thoughts

2005-09-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Who says children don't think about the wonders of this world? Who thinks we don't understand when things aren't as they are supposed to be? Believe me, we understand your feelings even before you do acknowledge them yourselves, and we can see the world clear and true, with all its beauties and defects, as God created it. We are very strong creatures. You can count on us.

reading is fun

2005-09-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

This book is my very favorite.It's title is "who is my mommy" and it is about a kitten who cannot find her mommy in the barnyard and keeps asking everyone if they're her mommy, and finally finds her mommy because her coat is brown and fluffy just like hers. I love the ending when they cuddle up together.
If you are looking for good, educational, fun reading, this is the book for you.

another tough game!

2005-09-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

As always, I accompanied my parents to another tough soccer game, this time they were playing for their own team called "Nutrition United" (if you have got any ideas for a better name please tell them ;-))) Uncle Neal here was trying to explain the team strategy to me but I couldn't make much of it...maybe nobody else did either because they lost in the end anyway?!!!

Ithaca child!

2005-09-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, here I am. As you can see on my very cool T-shirt, from Ithaca,NY. We were at the Buttermilk falls. I was disappointed at first to see there was only water and no real buttermilk coming down, but it was still great to jump in and splash about.

Why am I laughing?

2005-09-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

Well, my mom had this leaf of grass in her hands and was trying to blow in it like a whistle, and the poor thing made such an obnoxious noise I just couldn't resist. It was soooo funny :-)))) I laughed and laughed and laughed....

DVDs taste funny

2005-07-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried them? DVD's taste funny...!

Now this is useful reading

2005-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Now this is useful reading material.

I give up!

2005-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Ok,I give up. This stuff is too complicated.

Let me see...

2005-07-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Let me see...is this mommy's thesis or daddy's new research proposal?

Conducting practice

2005-07-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

Birds like to sing and people like to chat as they come and go, and I like to pick up a stick and pretend that I am conducting an orchestra in the open air.

Discoveries

2005-07-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered two very different creatures:ants and airplanes! I look for this little black dots on the ground and try to follow them to their home, but they always get me lost. And sometimes I hear strange sounds from the sky and as I look up, there go some black dots as well. They are so high and so fast.I wonder if they are going to meet my red balloon?
(By the way, my mom apologizes for having her back to the camera here, apparently she did not know she was being photographed)

Trying something new

2005-07-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

My dad and I decided to try some new looks that day, and this was one of them. What do you think?

walking without shoes

2005-07-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

Just to give you and update on my walking...I like to run out of the house and walk without shoes. I don't understand why grown-ups are so obsessed with wearing them. Can anyone explain?

Ilia in training

2005-07-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here I am in yet another cool hat, practicing driving. I love to move the wheel and play with the buttons and sticks, but I know that I have to wait and let my mom and dad drive for the time being.

Berry fun

2005-07-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

We went berry picking to Grisamore farms just outside Ithaca. It was so much fun.I could pick blueberries and eat them on the spot. We also picked some sour cherries which were my mom's favorite. By the time my parents finally decided to head back home I was so tired I had fallen asleep in the car, so they went to the raspberry section and picked some more. Yes, you guessed right, we went back the next week ;-)

The story of my red balloon

2005-07-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

We went to an outdoor concert at Cornell and heard some really cool swing music.I danced with my mom on the lawn. They gave me a red balloon which I really liked, but it was so naughty it wanted to run away from me all the time. My dad wrapped its string around his finger so that I could play with it better. It stayed there for a while, but got tired again and as we were picking our things to go home for the night, pulled itself away and soared high in the sky. I was really sad for a second , but didn't cry at all because I felt happy for my balloon. I hope it can meet some other balloons up there in the sky.

We are all a team

2005-07-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

This is Dryden guys! You can always see us babies on the side of the field cheering for our parents. I have been working on my ball handing skills recently myself.

My soccer mom

2005-07-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

And this is my soccer mom, although she is the one palying and I am the one watching her. My parents always feels happy after the game, and that is why I have been very supportive and haven't given my parents too much trouble while they are playing...that is, as long as one them always stays out with me!
Is that too much to ask?

This is called a "blast-off"

2005-07-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a very progressive baby, and I have already started taking swim lessons at the local Y. I still don't like to put my head under the water, but I enjoy watching other infants a lot, and jumping up and down and singing with my teacher. My favorite activity : one, two, three...blast-off!!!

Official announcement

2005-07-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Dear all,
I would like to hereby officially announce that I can walk on my own now. I decided to do this just a few days after I turned one year old, while my mom was out shopping and my dad was taking care of me. He is now boasting that HE has taught me to walk, and my mom is totally upset about this!
I prefer not to take side in these kinds of arguments, but I will make sure to plan my next big development to happen when they are both present, just to avoid future disappointments. What do you think?

It gets hot on the soccer field

2005-06-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

I have started attending my parents' soccer games more regularly now that the weather is nice. I mostly sit outside and clap for them when they play well, or turn my head and pretend that I have not been looking when they miss. It is quite entertaining.

My second first birthday

2005-06-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

This is my second birthday celebration at our daycare center together with 3 other kids who are born in June. Isn't that cool? I think it is very nice to have more than one birthday, or maybe even have one everyday. I have to discuss this with my parents.
But can you see what I am doing? It turned out that all the other parents didn't mind if their toddlers stuffed their noses in cake and frosting and turned their tongues green.So my parents had to let me have it too, and even keep up a good face about it too. Doesn't it teach you a lesson? ( I sure have learned mine ;-))

Missing you all

2005-06-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

Although there were lots of friends and family with us to celebrate my birthday, I know that there were some of them-including my grandmas and grandpas-who could not. I know that most if them live far away, and I am putting this picture here to remind all of them that no distance is too far. " There is no such place as faraway-Door va bas nazdeek".

My birthday guests (continued)

2005-06-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

And here is my famous and handsome Amoo Arash whom you may remember from last year's posts. He was a classmate of my parents in Medical school in Iran and is such a Ba Hal person. We went to Treman Park where there is a huge waterfall and he jumped in the water and even tried walking up the waterfall. I may want to be like him when I grow up.

My birthday guests

2005-06-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

Here are Khale Shohre and Amoo Farhad who came all the way from California and carried with them lots of gifts for me. They even had something for my mom and dad, which was quite a relief because I was getting worried they may never stop playing with MY toys.

My first birthday

2005-06-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this was my 'first' birthday not only just because I turned one year old, but also because I had another one coming in just a few days! I will tell you about that later.
Here my mom served cake for all the guests, but I was only allowed to try a very small piece which didn't even have frosting on it. You cannot imagine how fussy these guys are about things I can or cannot eat, nobody ever thinks of asking my opinion too. But then I guess they have done a good job so far, and I am sure I can have much more freedom as time passes. Just wait and see....

Tavallodam Mobarak!

2005-06-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Attention everyone! It is my birthday :-) I will be born in-well- almost 7 hours!!! My mom and dad already had a huge birthday party for me on Friday. Lots of my friends came, and we had so much fun. I got many many cool presents, and my parents and I have been playing with them over the weekend (I am thinking of giving my red lobster squishy pillow to my mom, the poor thing likes it so much...she did not even get one small present for all her hard work!)
I just wanted to give you guys a glimpse of my Elmo birthday cake. Details will come later and yes, I know I have not updated my blog for three months. Just stay tuned :-)

Ithaca festival's parade

2005-06-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

The people of my town do a lot of strange things, but from what I hear it is pretty much the same all over the world. Here we were watching Ithaca festival's parade from the balcony of our friend Patricia's house. There was a man on a very tall monocycle, and in ballerina clothes dancing around cars. There was also a chain saw squad which freaked me and the rest of the babies present out. However, aside from all the weird stuff that was going on, I enjoyed the music and did my first dance moves, which made it a very important day for us.

Helping with the unpacking

2005-06-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

We moved to a new apartment at the beginning of June, and I watched as my parents were frantically packing and unpacking and moving huge boxes around. I thought they could use some help, so I started unpacking my toys and finding a place for them in the drawer under the TV. These days it is never turned on because my parents have lost the remote. I am wondering why?

The water fountain in downtown Ithaca

2005-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of my mom's favorite photos. She said some stuff about composition and point of view that made my dad (i.e. the photographer) quite happy. However, I like it because it has my water fountain in it. The fountain is inside a round pool with a stone wall where I can hold on to and circle and cirlce until I get dizzy. It is so much fun.
By the way, what do you think of our hats? Are we stylish or what?!!

Ilia's first adventure on the playground

2005-05-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

I have come to learn that every new thing gets some getting used to at first. You start with uncertainty and sometimes even fear, but if you persist, you will get the hang of it and finally enjoy the new experience to the fullest.
This was the case with me and swings. Now I can sit back and relax, and at times cheer for my parents who manage to push me so diligently. There is a Persian song that goes with it too: Taab taab abbasi....

At Ananya's house

2005-05-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Ananya and her dad. She is very nice and lets me play with all her toys. Her parents are very nice people too, they gave us crackers and cheese and watermelon, and even better, they kept my parents busy talking so that I could eat as much as I could and later crawl under their couch without being noticed. I got sort of stuck down there, but well, you don't need to hear about that. I think I like going to their house.

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

2005-05-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

Trying some sunglasses, I came to realize the whole world can be a different color. I have heard other infants hate putting on glasses. But I love trying them on. Especially if the frame is too large for your head.

Down in Ithaca, spring is in the air!

2005-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last time you saw this area, it was all covered in snow. Now it is springtime. I can finally enjoy some quality outdoor time with my mom, and do lots of activities under the sun. There is so much to see that I don't look at the camera anymore. But can you see my dad's shadow?

Learning to walk

2005-05-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Those of you people who walk every day, don't think it is easy to learn to walk. From early on, I was a noncrawling infant by choice. And this bothered some people. But it didn't bother me. I knew I wanted to walk. And I worked at it real hard, as you can see here.

A guy and a good meal

2005-04-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, let me confess. I am the sort of guy who enjoys a good meal -not that I am alone in this of course. Here I am at a Persian restaurant in San Diego where my mom and I were presenting a poster in the Experimental Biology conference. Both of us got quite sick ere, and my dad had to take me to the ER, but I still think it was worth it. You know, for the sake of the advancement of science (and maybe a good meal or two?!!)

Ilia attends a scientific conference

2005-04-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

We went to San Diego, al of us, and I took part in presenting a poster. All distinguished professors stopped by, and said hi. I was very courteous, and tried to answer all their questions. This is Professor Pelto, and she really likes children.

NINE MONTHS OLD!

2005-03-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I am nine months old. Singing to life and its beauty ... Canto a la vida y su belleza ... Mikhanam baraye zendegi va zibayi hayash ....

Art Institute Museum, Chicago.

2005-03-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

We went to the Art Museum for a whole day and I looked at a lot of artistic works. My parents explained, or tried to explain, some of the pieces to me. And I had a good lunch in the museum cafe. Chicago is a windy city, so I was happy to be indoors anyway.

Ilia goes to Chicago

2005-03-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

I am becoming a true traveler. This time, I was off to Chicago. You can see me surrounded by three lovely ladies. They are my mom and two of her high school friends. They go a long way back, and they showered me with attention and love. It was fun.
I think the balloons were there to celebrate my arrival, or something like that. It was also the Persian New Year, and we had Sabzi-polo Mahi. Golnaz made it. Shakila gave me a green dragon, like the one walking on Cornell campus, and Golnaz gave a cute outfit as Eydi.
Eyde hamegi mobarak!

Dragon at Cornell

2005-03-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

There was big green dragon walking across Cornell campus. It was a friendly dragon and people were walking around it. I wanted to ride on it, but they didn't let me. It was funny, because this was a dragon that needed police protection. How lame can you be?

Blog maintenance

2005-03-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

I can tell you that maintaining this blog has been a lot harder than I had imagined, especially with the busy schedule of a baby like me. I don't mind writing about myself or including photos to back up my stories, but what takes the largest toll on my time is the proofreading. I am a baby after all and not so good in spelling. Anyway, the blog was delayed for a while and I had to back-date to keep everything in good shape. From now on, I will do my best to be more with you. Keep up with me!

Ilia and the art of blowing bubbles

2005-03-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

It all started in our local coffee shop one Thursday afternoon. My mom introduced me to the fine art of "blowing bubbles", and I have mastered it ever since. I love to blow bubbles into any type of liquid: water, juice, milk...I have even tried blowing bubbles into a spoonful of cereal, and loved the result! (though my mom regretted having thought me to do so in the first place, but that is her problem, isn't it?)
Would you like me to teach you?

Dad's office

2005-03-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

I am in my dad's office. It is a crowded one. Lucy is greeting me, and I am checking the place out. I am trying to figure out what are the fun spots to go for once I can freely move around in my dad's office.

Told you so!

2005-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

I had told you that I stare at TVs. Here I am in a Target store, trying to get as much TV as I can. It was a music vidoe, but I don't care. It was only a few moments before we moved on to check the PDAs. My dad is looking for a good Palm. Any suggestions?

Cold, cold weather.

2005-02-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

This is Ithaca in winter. It is really cold. I stay home with one of my parents and the other one goes to university. They take turns. It is fun!

Baby at the center

2005-02-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

A baby needs a lot of paraphernalia for safety and entertainment. For example, the pillow behind my is supposed to cushion and break my accidental falls that are become rarer every day. The toys in front me are ... well... toys to entertain me. I have a cloth book that I love to read with my parents. And the carpet is soft and colorful.

Under the sea!

2005-02-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

The scenes from under the sea and the farm are all Mom-made. I love them. Every time I come back to them, I feel I am at home. What I love most are the bubbles in the sea, and the face of the cow.

Me, Tiggy, and Pooh

2005-02-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

I like my Tiggy and Pooh blanket. It is so soft and fluffy. Lucy gave it to me when I was really tiny, but now I can really appreciate it. I play pick-a-boo (dalli mooshe) with it. I pull it on my face, hold my breath for one second, and pull the blanket away to see the world again and laugh like there is no tomorrow.

Can someone help?

2005-02-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

I try to find out what is going on inside these papers, but it is hard to figure out. I enjoy crumpling the papers, but my dad is worried that his unread newspapers are getting torn and my mom gets worried that I am getting lead poisoning.

Delivering a lecture

2005-02-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

I know that one of the important tools of a successful lecturer is the hand gestures. Here is an example.

Laundry basket is a second home

2005-02-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

It is a territory that is only mine, and I love sitting in it. It gives me the feeling of driving my own car, riding my own bike, or sitting where no one else can sit. Once my dad tried to sit in it. It was funny!

The need to be swaddled

2005-02-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

Swaddling a baby, or what is called ghondagh in Persian, is one of the time-tested methods of putting a baby to sleep. And my parents didn't use that for me until I started going to day-care. My teacher at day-care is Bronwyn and she helped me with my mid-day nap by putting me in a nice swaddle. Since then, my parents have used it too, though they use a large, but soft, blanket. Sometimes it gets hot in there, but otherwise it is cozy and nice.

Eating in style

2005-02-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying a piece of whole-wheat bread while carrying on a conversation with Mom. I can tell you that this was one of the first instances that I was at peace with the piece of bread I was consuming. Since then having bread has become a lot more fun. And bread being a nutritious food (sort-of), I often have it as a part of my meals.

Who needs TV?

2005-02-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

I stare at TV, and my parents don't like that at all. When it is on, and I am sitting in front of it, I focus my eyes on the running pictures and don't get my eyes off of it. They (adults) say that babies under the age of three shouldn't watch TV, so I am off TV for now, except for some silly Baby Bach and Baby Mozart dvds.
I don't think that bothers me at all, because I can find a lot of entertainment elsewhere, such as in the loose strings at the sides of the carpet I am sitting on. They fascinate me.

On being a baby

2005-01-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about being a baby is the short attention span. If something worries us, we cry like the worst disaster has happened. Mom comes to rescue, gives us a hug, and all is forgotten in no time. We might be smiling before you can count to two.

Blue pacifier

2005-01-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you enough about the relationship between a baby and their pacifier. My pacifier is blue and has a donkey design. I have another one that has a Winnie the Pooh design. I don't care much about the picture on the back of the pacifier. They tell me I have been able to "manipulate" and "adjust" the pacifier since I was three months old.

Mother and son in orange

2005-01-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

We are in Purnima and Jeetu's house, again. This time it is for the New Year celebration. There were a lot of other babies there, but they all went to bed early. I wanted to stay up late, and I did a little, but eventually I dozed off too. I liked the picture of mother and baby that is behind us on the orange wall.

Zebel khan!

2005-01-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

Do you know who Zebel khan is?
My dad says the shorts and the shirt I am wearing are like his outfit. I don't know how this guy is, but the way my parents talk about him, I have come to the opinion that Zebel khan must be a very important and illustrious personality. Now if any of you know more about him, I like to know about that.

Winter or Summer?

2005-01-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

I was born in summer, so that is one reason to love that season. I also like to go out in the warm summer weasther. But I also like the warm and cozy outfits of winter. For example, this one that I am wearing right now. As my dad says, "How cool can you be?"

You are my only hope!

2005-01-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

My dad keeps telling me this whenever I wear my hooded jacket. My mom asks him why he says that, and he mentions some guy called Obi-wan Kenobi. My dad says I look like Obi-wan and that someday I might be the only hope for Princess Leia and the whole rebellion. I really don't know what he is talking about.

In the middle of friends

2005-01-14T00:52:00.000-08:00

This was at Simeon's graduation party. How can I not be happy for him, earning his PhD and getting out of school? I wish my parents could both do the same thing before I start school myself.
And notice that Avril knows how to hold a baby.

Happy and dressed up!

2005-01-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Babies my age usually get extremely angry when they are dressed in formal clothes. Wearing a vest or a dress shirt might be beyond what an infant normally does, but this one night I seem to be really enjoying it. See how happy I am! I think my Mom is as happy as I am, but she is not showing all of her happiness. Why can't adults get as excited as us?

Too big for my brand-new snow-suit

2005-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I had this snow-suit for Ithaca's cold winters, but I never managed to get into it properly. At first I was too small for it, and next time I tried it, I was too big for it. My parents kept trying at it, but this was their atttempt. I fully cooperated with their futile trials, but as you can see it was no fun. Anyway, I liked the red color, but it seems the Fubu collection was not meant for me.

Another baby's "baby shower"

2005-01-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Gosh these adults are funny creatures! So I was invited to a "baby shower", which sounded like a lot of fun as I am a baby, and I love taking showers-specially if they have these telephone shower heads you can chew on. Well, never happened.
It turned out to be only a bunch of grown-ups having fun eating cake and looking at cute little baby oufits and silly toys for my friend Alex (who was,by the way, still waiting in his mommy's belly to be born).
Thank God there was this curious looking sofa for me to stretch my legs on a little bit. My mom called me Sultan Ilia, and I did not particularly mind. I was very comfortable....

Pacifier and me

2005-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

When I was a little infant, I hated pacifiers. My parents offered it to me a couple of times, but I kept spitting it back and fighting it. But since a couple of weeks ago, I have appreciated how helpful it can be. At a certain level, you can think of it as a meditation tool. I use it to refocus myself. And it helps to have Winnie, the Pooh attached to it.

Taking a short nap with jungle friends

2004-12-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is where I have spent a lot of time; under the colorful arc with my jungle friends. They are a parakeet, a monkey, and another funny-looking but lovely creature. I used to just look at them for a while. Then I realized that touching them is fun too. So I started reaching out to them and pulling them toward me. It happened that my vigorous affection toward them caused a break in the mechanical working of their system. They are all paralyzed now and won't sing and dance for me, but I still love them and can take a good nap while lying under the arc.

Ilia goes to Washington, DC

2004-12-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't want to sound like a small-town boy who is impressed by the federal buildings in the DC. So let's have just this photo from me and my mom in the back of our car. It was really cold outside.

Baby on the big seat

2004-12-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

When we went to Washington, DC over the Thanksgiving break, we stayed with khale Bita. She had come to see me when I was just born, and it was fun to see her again. You can see I let her pose with me in an exclusive photo shoot and even rest her hand on my leg.

Two ways to have fun on a swing

2004-12-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

This is how I started to sit up in my swing. I used to just lay back in it and take it easy, but that was when I was really tiny. Since I turned 5 months old I realized that the world has a lot more to offer. See how I am trying to get a taste of the armrest.

Who is IR?

2004-12-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Of course that should be me. I love these blocks. You know the funny thing is that, I can't read yet. But I maintain this blog! Some poelpe find that odd, but historically little babies have shown themselves to be capable of unusual tasks, and I am no exception. Did you know that I am a middle initial too?

Riding with Mr Buzzright

2004-12-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

You remember my friend Mr Buzzright, don't you? He was my impeccable navigator on outdoor adventures with rosy cheeks. Here we are, off to another trip. I am usually very excited and ready for going places and seeing new people and things. The background is the neighborhood where I live.

Dynamic Duo

2004-12-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

At the risk of being labelled a spoiled Mommy's boy, I want to call this photo the dynamic duo and say no more.

Being held by new parents

2004-12-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

It seems I don't mind being held and entertained and attended to by other parents if they know what they are doing. Purnima and Jeetu are new parents to Ananya. She blogs too, and is a friend of mine. See how Jeetu is putting my shoe on my foot. Boy, is it fun!

Stranger anxiety? None whatsoever!

2004-12-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

I haven't experienced it so far. This is a photo of Christine and me. She is a new mom herself and studies at the same school as my parents. She knows how to hold me and make me smile.

Exersaucer or baby flight control panel?

2004-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here I am, standing in what they call the exersaucer, but what I view as my flight control panel. Unfortunately, the green steering wheel makes it look more like a big rig, but I can live with that. The tongue-out mode that you see doesn't mean I am a rude person, it just means that I am very excited and happy.

Partying

2004-12-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

I have been to a lot of parties so far. In my short life, I have been to two, yes, two wedding parties. This is one of the less formal but equally fun parties at my Mom's adviser home. From left to right, you can see Nishwara and her little sister, Niyusha (they are both close friends of mine), my Mom and myself, and Alex Donghan and his Mom.

Me and my lower lip

2004-11-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I try to see how my lower lip feels. I even try to make sure that it doesn't taste funny. When I do this, everybody thinks I am trying to make faces at them or to pretend being philosophical. It is just one of the many trials of infancy. Fun to do and fun to watch.

My first snow

2004-11-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Everybody is complaining about the cold weather in Ithaca, but I am really glad that I could see my first snow in my whole life so far at such an early date. Yes, it was November 9th when my dad and I ventured forth into the cold weather with no socks on and asked my Mom to take this photo for you to see. I was not cold.

Sleeping on flowers

2004-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

I sleep with outstretched hands. Do all infants do that? It is more comfortable, I think. I hate it when my hands are under a blanket or cover. I kick around until the blanket is totally away from me.
Oh, have you noticed the new hair growth on my head?