A loving family

I dont think Neil and I ever really thought of ourselves as a "family" until we had Sailee. When we used the word 'family', after marriage, it always was in some reference to our parents and Tejas. Even after we brought Chewie home, we felt like parents to him, but we still felt too young and too free to call the 3 of us a family. I cannot quite articulate why. But this year when ordering our address labels for our holiday card, it felt really appropriate to say "Ozarkar Family."

I have always heard people use the phrase 'loving family' and never thought twice about it. But recently, I have noticed how much the word love is thrown around our house, and how much love I feel emanating from all of us to each other. Watching Neil become a father has been really fun. He is, in all his glory, the goofiest, most fun and adoring dad I can imagine a little girl having. And how they do adore each other. Neil can just look in Sailee's direction and with even a small glance or change in facial expression, she lights up like a Christmas tree. With me she snuggles. I am the one to cuddle her and sing her to sleep, and it's like clockwork every night. Chewie has become more attached than ever. Getting by on so much less attention, he never misses an opportunity to nestle himself as close to me as possible and I just know his heart breaks a little every time he thinks he might initiate a game or chase or tug-of-war, and then he sees me bring out a bottle of milk for Sailee. And he is ever so patient and accomodating, most days. To compensate, Neil and I surround and smother him, often simultaneously, with four-handed attacks, kisses, and squeezes as much as we possibly can. And so go our casual and crazy evenings and weekends, which I cannot get enough of.

To use the phrase "loving family" doesnt begin to describe the joy and love that want to leap out of my heart when we are together, or even when I am away. Having grown up as an only and lonely, I feel so grateful and fortunate to now be able to feel so surrounded, so needed, and so tangled up in love.

Sailee is 6 months now and is more discreet at times and more boisterous at others, depending on the audience. She is slow to warm up, and prefers to meet an outside person from afar first, observe and decide it's okay, and then chatter and command attention. She is taking on a persona so unlike and unrecognizable from the little helpless munchkin we welcomed into the world 6 very short months ago.  I look at her face and see myself, almost a reflection of my own baby pictures, which is an odd feeling having been an only child that didnt look much like any members of my family. She is quite the puppy enthusiast, always with one eye on Chewie and regardless of whether she is engrossed in a toy or crying and cranky - one glance at Chew and we are laughing and snorting and forget all our miseries.

These are some recent shots of our bundle of fun.

On New Year's Day

Getting ready for bathtime

Love our daily tubtime!

Sailee and Chewie bffs

With our new friend



Daddy's hilarious



Hook em!

Chewie love