Hello, Saturday.

Well, I've been slacking on this blog for a while. Sorry about that. I've recently committed to writing 300 words (minimum) each day on any of my writing projects but I've been doing way more than that minimum. It has been very consuming. Maybe more of those words will end up here but lately, they've been focused on trying to get to know people who don't actually exist...namely the people floating around up in my head that might have a story to tell. Writing this much makes me feel a bit like a person who's gone off their meds - you know, the kind of person who really shouldn't go off their meds. Yet, I have decided to keep going.

Today I attended a workshop - it was about parenting and human development (a lot on how the different parts of the brain develop in the first 18 years of life and the various stages we go through.) I came home to find Mangala Sadhu Sangeet Singh having a Bollywood dance party with the girls in the living room. And it rained today. So all in all, it was a really good day.

Also, it is my mother's birthday - Happy Birthday, Mom! Here are some pics from the last week or so:

Satvinder entertaining her sister with a mask she was decorating, one of many summertime art projects.  I found the mask to be a little creepy but Sukhjot just thought it was funny.

The baby is well into crawling now but what she really likes is standing. She takes little steps too, while holding on to things like this foot stool.


It is getting harder to get decent pictures because Sukhjot is always wiggling. Also she likes to grab the camera.  So picture taking usually results in a bunch of fuzzy pictures and me saying "Doh!" over and over.

Hey, look at my kids!

More often than one would expect, we end up doing video and pictures in our laundry room. Why? Because our laundry room is also my "office" - where my desk and computer are. And often the camera is around there somewhere too. So please ignore the ugly laundry room (a.k.a "Kewal's office") and enjoy the kids.
Video of the Girls

Other Blog Posts: July 14 - 22

Here is the last of my Spirit Voyage posts. Now I'm appreciating a bit of a breather on the writing for a few days. That might mean more pictures and kid updates here. Possibly. :) I'm pondering some fictional writing ideas - something I haven't done in years. I'm just seeing where Spirit leads...

Mantra Chanting: Top 5 Mantras for Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal Yoga: Meditations for Pregnancy
Prenatal Yoga: 4 Yoga Poses to Use Daily
Prenatal Yoga: Approaches for Conscious Pregnancy

In case you were wondering...

I finally painted the belly cast that my friend, Selena, made of me when I was pregnant with Sukhjot. It was a fun project.

Satvinder likes to sit inside this foot stool/storage box. And now she likes it when her sister is in there with her...

even when the face grabbing starts.


First of all, it is temporary. (It will disappear within a few days.) Second of all, it ain't easy to dye a six year old's hair. But Satvinder is enjoying her days as a green head and I'm enjoying her enjoyment.

The Gift

I haven't written here much lately because all my spare moments are filled with other writing. But today - TODAY - I had an experience that just busted my heart right open and I have to share it. I got to witness parents going the extra mile on an issue I hold dear.

A few months ago, I began pumping extra milk so that I could donate it to babies in need. Before I even became pregnant, I knew I wanted to share my milk because it is just such a miraculous, superior, perfect nutrition for babies. There is nothing that compares. Nothing.

I was not able to donate through a milk bank, which was my original plan, and hadn't connected with anyone who needed milk so I didn't keep up with the pumping. But I had about 50 ounces in my freezer, ready if there was a need I could contribute to.

Today my friend, Katie, emailed looking for breast milk for her friend who had a baby a few days ago. This family is amazing. Due to a medical situation, the mom is hospitalized and temporarily unable to give her milk to the baby. Meanwhile, Dad is caring for the newborn and older child and, in the midst of it, they are coordinating ways to get breast milk for their baby. Dad is driving around town to get donated milk from people while taking care of the baby.

I can only imagine. Those first weeks after birth are insanely intense and exhausting. And that's when everything is totally smooth. All you want to do is relax and enjoy your new baby. This family has so much on top of that and STILL they are going to such effort to make sure their baby gets the best. Most people in this situation would go straight to formula, thinking it is a comparable substitute. But it is not - not by a long shot. The next best thing is to use another mother's milk. And this family is doing what it takes to make that happen.

I am overjoyed that I got to do something to support their efforts. This kind of parental love and dedication is so inspiring. What a gift to witness. It is just beautiful and it makes my heart sing.

And now, back to pumping I go.

Other Blog Posts: July 2 - July 13

Here's the latest posts I did for the Spirit Voyage blog:

Intuition: Learning to Trust the Inner Knowing
Mantra Chanting: Using Mantra with Children
July Themes: Unique Opportunities, Challenging Times
Yogic Tips for Keeping Cool this Summer
Developing the Person Inside the Parent
Mantra Chanting: Raising the Vibration at Work

Kids this Week

Satvinder egging on her sister's crawling practice. "Come'ere baby!"

Can you see Sukhjot's post-nap hair fuzz on that one side? I love it. I had to take this picture quick because as soon as Satvinder sees that the baby has a hair out of place now, she's wetting it and patting it down. She is a very attentive and particular hair stylist for Sukhjot.

We are continuing to re-arrange things in the house. The most recent change was putting our mattress on the floor so that when Sukhjot dives off the bed now, it won't hurt her. This meant that all the stuff under the bed had to go somewhere and in a house with no storage, that meant into that big box in the picture.

When we pulled out the box, Mangala Sadhu Sangeet Singh discovered a flashlight and the missing Harry Potter book. That box was Satvinder's "Reading Club". As you can see, she was not very happy about us taking it over for storage.


Kitchen sink bath! Soap bottles, sponges, and nearby paper towel holder...beware of the little grabby hands.


I got these chalk board wall stickers, which are pretty cool. Satvinder got right to making notes on them - writing things such as the "acktivaty of the day"

4th of July

Here are a few pics from our 4th of July. Some friends had a party with a big, blow up water slide (I didn't even know there were such things) and the kids (and some dads) had a blast on it. The water and their shady yard (lots of pretty fruit trees) kept it amazingly pleasant to be outside. Afterwards, we came home and watched fireworks from our front yard, which has a great view of the show that a nearby country club does.

 

These two are just a couple weeks apart in age.

Mermaid pinata was filled with candy, bubbles, and pirate accessories.

Ladder to the big water slide

7 Months

Haiku for Sukhjot
She moves like lizards
proud chest, attentive, alert
but warm, sweet and soft

Sukhjot is 7 months old today. A week ago we could put her on a padded area with pillows around as barriers. Now she plows over those barriers like an off road vehicle. She's not exactly crawling but she gets around. She gets around fast. Don't turn your head because she'll be diving off the bed. And if you like wrestling then you'd love trying to put a diaper on this wiggling, slithering, rolling little child.

Is it common for babies to trill? You know, the vibrational sound you can make if you roll your tongue against the front of your upper pallet - kind of like a motor sound? Sukhjot does this all the time and it, apparently, fits any emotion. There is a trill for happy, sad, angry, bored. Anytime is a good time for trilling.

This baby constantly moves her hands and feet. Non-stop floating arms with delicate, wispy flicks of her wrists, fingers play imaginary keyboards, toes flex and curl. If she's awake, she's moving.

And the smiles. Oh God, the smiles. Just. Oh God. The Smiles.

She is 7 months and wonderful.

Sukhjot plays with toys now. She loves this rattle.

Again with the rattle.


This is a highchair seat we got for Sukhjot. Satvinder loves to sit in the baby's stuff.  (She didn't really want me to take her picture.) Satvinder is a hilarious big sister. On the drive home from Flagstaff she made up a song to sing to the baby, who was being pretty vocal (as she often is):
Close your eyes! Shut your peep! Because I'm trying to sleep!

They are the natural mix of sisterhood: sometimes annoying each other but obviously sharing a love that is amazing and beautiful.  They keep me in awe.

Other Blog Posts: June 21 - July 1

Here are my most recent posts from the Spirit Voyage blog. Today the Kundalini Yoga: There’s an App for That! post was published and people got excited about that one. They didn't get excited because they actually read my post - they got excited because they read the title and did not read the post. People thought it was about actual Kundalini Yoga apps they could get for their phones. I can just imagine the disappointment for those that actually read the post: "Ooooo! Kundalini Yoga apps for my iPhone?! (read read read) Ohhh...darn. It is just somebody writing about actually doing yoga..."

So you've been warned. The post about apps is not really about apps. I was just making it sound like the iPhone app commercial because I guess I found it amusing. Poor disappointed iPhone users...

Anyways, read on, friends!


Pranayama: Top 3 Breaths for Pregnancy and New Motherhood
Mantra Chanting: Aad Guray Nameh for Guidance and Protection
Honoring the First 40 Days of Life
The Other Person is You: Reflecting on the Reflection
Mantra Chanting: Cooking with Mantra
Kundalini Yoga: There’s an App for That!
Mantra Chanting: Ang Sung Wahe Guru