Smile Encouragement & The Happy Dress

Having Satvinder in school all day is different now that I am not working full time. I always have plenty to do at home but things just seem so quiet. My funny companion is not here. I miss her but I'm happy to say that she is really enjoying school so far. I'm doing a lot of cleaning and clearing out - making room for baby but also just trying to get rid of the extra stuff that we don't need anymore. It feels good. I notice that when I let stuff go, other things that we actually need come into our lives (for example, cloth diapers!) I really believe (and am seeing) that you have to make room for things to come to you - you have to give in order to receive (and vice versa.)
Kids friends & baby Narayan: I had the pleasure of being at Narayan's birth and now am taking care of him sometimes while his mom treats her acupuncture patients. He's a sweetie and the kids all love him. He wasn't so happy here. It looks like Satvinder was encouraging him to smile - which didn't actually make him smile but it is making me smile right now.
Satvinder's "happy dress": This dress was first named the "happy dress" in Austin. One day when Satvinder heard she was going to get to swim with her Uncle Bill, she said, "Then I have to go put on my happy dress!" Today she announced, "It is time to show my school my happy dress." She's been wearing the happy dress a lot lately. I like that.

1st Day of Kindergarten!

School already! Not only that, but KINDERGARTEN. What? How did that happen? Isn't she supposed to still be my little baby?
Which, leads me to another indicator of time passage that has my head spinning: my niece, Kelly Ann, just turned 18 and moved away to college. What? Her birth was the first birth I ever witnessed (it was awesome!) and wait...now she's 18? Huh? 18 and got her nosed pierced. I had my nose pierced when I was 18 - I also had orange hair and wore lots of makeup. If it wasn't for that nose piercing, I probably would have been mistaken for Ronald McDonald.

Anyways, what's with all the growing up?

We are...

Back in Phoenix, settling in, and getting "back to it"...whatever that means. Satvinder starts school on Monday - I can't believe its that time already. Tonight Satvinder created a written and illustrated status update on our family.


"Mi mom's belly is bigger."
"Pitaji is sleepy."
"Oh and Satvinder is well."

Peek at 23 Weeks

23 Weeks of Pregnancy: Feeling good. Totally, completely in love with the belly and whoever it is that is in there. Lots of movement - one night after I attended 2 yoga classes back to back, the baby was moving so much, it felt like he/she was doing their own yoga class in my uterus. Satvinder doesn't let a day go by without talking to the baby and giving lots of kisses to my belly. According to general stats on pregnancy, we can expect that the baby weighs over a pound now and is 11-12 inches long. I'm trying to stop guessing if the baby is a boy or a girl (good luck with that, mind!) - sometimes I think I know and then I feel differently. I think it's time to quiet my mind on that issue and just let them BE a human being.

No matter what is going on, I feel so hugely grateful for Satvinder and this coming child, for my husband, for the opportunity to grow and be a mother and wife in this life. I am so grateful that things have fallen into place for me to have a break from the outward focus of a full time job, allowing me to focus on home and family right now. It is an absolute delight to me.

Peek at Austin

Right now we are in Austin and have been enjoying visits with lots of good people here. There's been way more than what I have pictures of.
Jayden and Satvinder "four wheeling" - it may have been a year since they've seen each other but you'd never know it...they started playing right away.
Mimi's birthday celebration - multiple pictures being taken at that moment
Mommas and little ones - us with Ravyn & Sufyan and Kisha & Lily

Peek at LA

I haven't been keeping up with the blog so well lately - but here's a few pics from our trip to LA at the end of July. It was a great visit (once again, more pics on Facebook...)
Long Beach
Satvinder at the Aquarium
with Adarsh and Liz
Liz and Jonny, our hosts for the weekend - at Laguna Beach