Celebrating Baby’s Firsts – First Visit to Grandma’s House

By Sandy Avvari Nayani @savvari & online at: Milkandeggs.wordpress.com

Aarti at Nani’s House

Aarti with Nani

Recently, I shared the significance of celebrating my son Ronin’s first Canada Day. He’s now two months old and it’s been amazing to see how much he’s grown since day one. We’ve been celebrating his physical milestones and his first moments along the way, as everything he does is new and exciting to him. It’s been fun for my husband and I as well as we’ve had a chance to see some everyday things through fresh eyes thanks to him.

For example, we’ve visited my in-laws many times over the years but culturally, one of Ronin’s big firsts was his first visit to his grandparents’ home, to be officially welcomed by my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

To mark the occasion, my mother-in-law performed an aarthi ceremony, a Hindu ritual where a lamp prepared with a wick soaked in oil, ghee (clarified butter) or camphor is offered. Offering aarthi is considered to be an act of worship, respect and love. It’s performed to mark occasions, welcome loved ones and also to seek blessings from God.

The birth of a baby signals all of the above so our first visit to my in-law’s house with Ronin was a significant occasion, as a new family member was being welcomed into the home. When we pulled into their driveway, my mother-in-law was waiting for us at the door, dressed in a beautiful sari, holding an aarthi plate.

My father-in-law was also with her and they both look so proud and excited. We stepped into the house with Ronin and placed his carseat in their front hallway, so the aarthi ritual could be performed. She lit the lamp and rotated the aarthi plate in a circular motion in front of Ronin, while saying a prayer for him and for our new family, to bring good luck and ward off any negative energy. I was happy to get some great photos of this milestone with the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 camera.

It was light and easy to use, especially since I had to crouch down to get shots of Ronin in his car seat and to capture shots of my mother-in-law, as she was also crouched down to the baby’s level. I also used some of the tips I received from Canon Canada’s Plan Your Baby Moments Facebook app, it’s been a great resource for photo tips and tricks to capture Ronin’s first moments, especially since the tips have come from award-winning baby photographer Stephanie Robin.

The ideas she’s put together for Canon have been immensely helpful, as I’ve been able to easily get the shots she’s suggested simply by following her steps. Here’s my gallery of shots of my baby moments! You too can capture your baby’s first moments using tips and tricks from Canon’s app by visiting: Yourbabymoments.ca or at: 

This post was done in partnership with Canon Canada.

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