Parenting - a wonderful experience!!

Her maternal grandfather use to call his wife Rani and she will repeat it the whole day. She started speaking at the age of eight months, she use to crawl in a very unique way. Where ever she accompanied her mom people will tell her mom you have a beautiful daughter. She weaned from her mother's milk on her own. She never irritated her mom, she never complained about anything. She was an apple of eye of her father and will look forward to cling to him when he will be home. She will be scared when someone calls her name while she is doing something with full concentration. She can have tears on a very small thing. She will say hi to everyone and does till date. 

Yes it is my and my daughter's story. Reet came into my life when my son Siddharth has reached to a stage where he does not needs my support for daily chores. He is turned into a very intelligent, sharp mind kid like his father. He can do his homework on his own, and his reading skills are simply marvelous. I feel proud when he tells me mume i am better than u in English, yes in maths you are very good.

I reinvented the wheel of deprived sleep, diaper changing, feeding the baby, potty training etc.. But somehow i am happy, blessed and contented with doing all this again. I am happy taking a back seat at my career. Sometime people complain about having so many holidays in school, i look forward to those moments with both my kids.

I want to enjoy each and every moment of this part of life called parenting. I want to be in complete love with this part where my daughter is just learning to speak few words and my son can write complete stories. For me the most beautiful time is when Reet affectionately calls her brother " bhayia"  i want to rejoice her first word "una"  which was followed by mume, Daddy, bye, de de, aaja.... 

I want to frame the moment when Siddharth reads me a story!! 

Life is fun filled, challenging, beautiful and adventure with two  of them around. Sometime it gets tough but then it reminds of the lines i read on the wall of the mother care store.

"For that wonderful, frustrating hilarious, serious, exhausting and beautiful experience called parenting" 

When i look at above picture, it reminds me that days will come when both Reet and Siddharth will be leading an independent life the way their parents has done. Till then i want to enjoy writing this blog and this part of life called parenting.

Family Picnic!!

This post is overdue by many days. On 26th jan this year, we thought of having a picnic with the complete family. Idea was to invite all cousin and Chachas, bua of Vivek . We never had this kind of an intended get together, so people were little skeptical.Vivek started this job of calling, but then he got busy into meetings. I took responsibility of the whole thing, thinking Vivek will feel happy and Siddharth will have good time knowing the family. I was also excited and little scared, as whenever there is something to do with fun and masti i get excited and sometimes go overboard. These things go well with the friends but with the family you need to be careful.

The work started with calling everyone, it was not easy to convince everyone, somehow it was done beautifully. Some cousin said yes some said we will confirm. In the end we came close to twenty in number, it was a day filled with fun and masti. It was day fun with the cousin we have met only in weddings, or on family function. 

It was a day leaving behind all the busy things and unwinding . It was a day to know each other and appreciating the qualities you posses as a person, to know your philosophy in life. It was a day appreciating and encouraging each other and bonding as one family. 

Here is the glimpse of the moments spent together, which is fresh as a sweet memory in my mind.

Reet Enjoying the open area at Nehru Park

Siddharth Catching Frees bee

All Time Captain

Reet with her Bua's

The best Chat papri in this world!! Specially made by Arvind Chachu

Champs at Kho Kho

The gang picture clicked by Siddharth Kalra

Yummy Food made by experts in Kalra Family

Champs of Football

Generation Next

Rachit Kalra the most handsome bachelor in the family

Tambola

Raghav Kalra in the thinking pose

Kalra Family at its Best!!

 

Surpises!!

I always love surprise gifts and my hubby knows about this and I remember the two surprise gift he has given me in the last few years. My first camera and a branded chain watch from his recent visit to USA.

You must be thinking she is bragging about the surprise gift, but this post is all about my little girl who is growing beautiful and giving me beautiful surprises on her journey. When i shared this to Reet's Gagan massi she said dont worry now everyday is a surprise. So i thought let me start by writing this post.

Last weekend i taught Reet how to put rings in a rod, and she surprised me by the speed she learned. I was so happy and amused that i wanted that time should stop at this moment and she should keep on doing the same. 

Initially i have to hold the base for her, and now if it falls also she correct it herself. Here is the small revisit thru the picture. 

 

बच्चों के छोटे हाथों को चाँद सितारे छूने दो,
चार क़िताबें पड़ कर यह भी हम जेसे हो जाएँगे..

Happiness!!

A question from my nine year old, inspired me to write this post. He asked me can money buy happiness. My answer was no, and his answer was yes. I have read long back that happiness is a state of mind, came true to me when i came to knew his happiness, for Siddharth it is one chocolate or kurkure which gives happiness. So money can buy happiness for him.

For me happiness is when i get a hug from my kids. When Siddharth tells me that he is proud of me that is the happiness for me.

Happiness is when i see them growing together, when i see them bonding with each other. When we have our dinner together. 

Happiness is when hubby makes breakfast for me. Happiness is when he understand me without telling him what i need the most.  

Happiness is when i write about my kids on this blog and read my older posts!!  

For Siddharth money can buy happiness, and i am waiting for the happiness on his face, when he will read this post and tell me mume money can't buy happiness!!

Inner Peace!!

I love reading and i can read anything. If i can read and understand the first twenty pages of any book, i can read it. Though my inclination has been towards spiritual reading. 

Whenever this word " inner peace" had come i could not understand the meaning of it, i could not understand the meaning of being practical. Now after spending eleven years of a tough marriage and a mother of two kids, i know what these words mean. 

I have always been a free spirit and has done things the way i want, whether it is emotional or practical i have not even bothered about this. I have followed my heart. 

I trust people easily and always ready to lend a helping hand. Two years back, i went to Cochin alone, there sitting on the bench of a river i found my inner peace. I loved this feeling of inner peace. For me inner peace is the control on my thoughts. If i am in good mood or in a bad mood, it is me who is deciding that mood. My mood is not decided by the actions of others. 

I love this control of thoughts in me, i love this patience in me. I love this flow of thoughts in me. It has helped me to take the charge of my life, to handle the challenges my nine year old is constantly throwing at me, to spend the quality time with my one year old and to have a beautiful relationship with my 41 year old. 

O God give me the strength to accept the things i cannot change. 

Courage to change what i can and the wisdom to know the difference between two!! Amen!!  

Conversation with Siddharth part 3

Siddharth: Mama i get bored in the music class, didi only sings hindi songs. I want to sing westran songs. 

Me: Siddharth what do u do? 

Siddharth: Mama we play chopstick. 

Me: What is that? 

Siddharth: See we play with fingers, and when didi looks at us, we hide our finger. You know mama, girls also dont enjoy they talk, but u know talking is like singing and there are few kids who sings at high pitch so teacher thinks the girls are singing. Mama why do girls do talking all the time?? 

I think my little son is no more little now, he is grown up and doing things which we use to do in our college.. 

Life is moving fast, and with this fast world i am learning new things from my son.. Who i believe has entered into pre teen age now.. God Bless him with lots of love and patience.
 

Reets First Birthday!!

Whenever i look at Reet, she gives me different expression all the time. My heart knows that we have just celebrated her first birthday, but my mind does not believes it. How the time has flown and she is creating a new memory with me everyday and every moment that is fading the other memories from her. The one memory which is always there in my mind is the first word the doctor said when i delivered her :" It's a girl" My heart fills with so much of happiness and love when i remember this. 

I recall each and every day and every night spent with her since the day she is born. I remember the first night in the hospital, when she was showing discomfort every hour and the moment we patted her she became quiet. 

I remember her first smile, her first food experience, how she rolled on her back, her smiles in her sleep, how she started sitting with support, how she started getting up on her own. I cannot believe that she did all this when today she tries to stand, for me she is still the small baby i just delivered. 

I know she is one year now, when she calls me mama, when she runs away from me when i call her name. She can say few words like mama, aaja, bye, massi and jai jai.. I know she is one year when she claps her hands beautifully.

We decided too celebrate the first birthday of our princess in a very unique way, there was a hawan in the morning where only the family was invited. Plants with a note made from recycled calender were given as gift to family and friends. 

Friends join in evening and surprised with Cake. It was a beautiful cake. Reet enjoyed her first birthday with patience and love, she makes me feel proud of her. 

 

Here is a small revisit to how we celebrated her first birthday

In the morning, enjoying with brother

With the birthday note we made at home

Return Gifts

Enjoying moments with Nannu

Sitting quietly at Hawan

The Whole Gang

Four Musketeers

With Vasu and Smriti Bua

 I can stand now

Happy First birthday our princess!!

Happy New Year - 2013

I like that Christmas comes in the end of the year. When the year is ending, Christmas a festival of love, joy and warmth gives the message that nothing is permanent. Life is changing all the time, if the moments of happiness are not there, the sad moment will also vanish soon. 

This Christmas we went to park, Gagan my sister ( meri moonh boli bahan) invited us to the park, it was her birthday also two days ago. The dress code was white and red. It was good to see everyone dressed in red and white. I bought a cute dress for Reet for this occasion. Siddharth became the Santa and distributed gift to all. 

I like the way when we all get together and enjoy the moments, living behind all the tensions and sorrow. The energy we all create in that space remains in my heart and makes me feel glad all the time. 

Here are the few pics from the fun we had together. 

Reet and Siddharth at home with the tree and the Gift from Santa

Three Birthday People cutting their cake

The most romantic couple

The second romantic couple

Kho Kho Machine

 

Preparation for Kho Kho

Siddharth in action

Daddi in action

Daddi sharing a moment of joy with my best friend

Relaxing in Sun

Papas's KOKO

My best friend Cheenu and her loveable Son Ishaan

Pranav the Birthday boy

Reet with her first Christmas Gift and She got at first also

Massi Helping Santa to read the Message on the gift Santa wrote

Happy Santa after distributing all the gifts

Yo Yo Ishaan

The Whole Gang

When I reflect back in these pictures, I look forward to the new year with the energy from these moments.  I wish everyone joy and togetherness.I wish when both my kids grow up they can look back at these pics and remember the moments of joy they had together on Reet's first Christmas. 

I say the prayer for the coming year and many more to come:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.