It’s been almost half a year since my heart has been out and about beating in the chest of my little one. There is no sentence that sums the feeling of being a mother. Especially of an infant. I do hope in good time (read when the boy is married) I will be ready to finally let him go to a young lass, but till then he’s all mine! (and the husband’s ofcourse 😅)
Pouring all my energy and attention on my little one I do have a few observations to make on motherhood. From a tiger mom to a chill mom, from a happy loaner to super protective I have oscillated many a scale to the pride of some and much to the chagrin of others. Definitely wiser here is a piece of my mind.
1. Your happiness is in your pocket. And you’d better keep it that way.
2. Better safe than sorry. There is nothing called over-prepared.
3. Respect is not negotiated. It is earned.
4. You cannot please everybody. Including yourself all the time.
5. There is such a thing as sticking your ground. And emerging victorious.
6. Honesty is the best policy. Even if the truth kills you.
7. Follow your intuition. Especially as a mother for your child.
Well seriously! The romanised hindi literally translates to, I have Mom. (and that makes all the difference, thereby tilting the world in my favour) I am my Mom’s biggest fan, cause after all she brought up (with ample inputs from Dad) my most favourite person 😉 As I make great efforts to be the best version of myself, here’s a cheer to my coolest, smartest, funniest, boldest, wisest, happiest and hence prettiest Mom! Her superpower? She can find humour and laugh at anything brightening up the dullest of days.
Mom you are lit
always such a hit
There’s no decree
you cant set free
Setting an example
giving us a sample
Of how to perceive
give and receive
To be in jest
or else in rest
The passions set
in all earnestness
For in celebration
we forget to ration
Thats a good way
making us sway
Living it up fully
never once unruly
In every chance
taking on romance
A reason to dance
or simply to prance
Teaching to read
and planting the seed
Editing the write
making it right
Critiquing the art
setting the start
Charging creativity
with every activity
Finding potential
in diverse cadential
Sprinkling a special
in all essential
Making sure I love
every bit of now
All questions met
with answers set
Making me believe
in amore faati
Life’s a breeze
So joyful and free
with my Mummy
As busy as the bee
as happy as the sea
as strong as the knee
as calm as the chi
as wise as the duree
as game as the oui
as easy as the breeze
as perfect at the brie
For I strive to be
what you are to me!
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p.s these are my favourite photos in my favoritest of places, The Butchart Gardens. #happyplace #victoria #canada #happymothersday #everydayismothersday
Presenting to you all very happily a splendid Haiku (or so) in the 5-7-5 new-age format of my top 25 countries. This is again a no-picture post, coz am hoping the haiku poems will whip up a lovely feel for you. If you have happened to travel to the following countries then give me a vote out on what your favourite was at the end of the post. Love and best wishes as always!
Switzerland
In the land of edelweiss
Bright springs and strings of snow white
Sheer joy and swiss bliss!
Germany
Perfect time and fine precision
Proud loud joy thats beats any deliberation
Tantalising senses through its Black-Forest!
France
Of fine taste and fashion
With Picasso, Eiffel and Napolean the Great
Setting always a pretty Seine!
Belgium
Luscious chocolate and crispy fries,
Chandeliers, glassware, fine dining and crystal glazing,
Football fever, Snowy and mohawk-ed Tintin!
Russia
A mysterious air not forsaken
With fiery starry eyes and steely ambitions
Strong willed with untarnished gild!
United States of America
Laughter is sacred they say
With sunshine, mirth and merry they sway
A party in the USA!
United Kingdom
A language so wonderfully sublime,
With royalty and a dash of lime,
Stiff crisp upper lip no less!
Italy
La dolce vita they say,
A good life isn’t too far away,
David, pizza and pope array!
Vatican City
Swiss guards orange and blue,
Chapels cast over with a million hues,
Of Christianity and love amore!
Spain
Tomatoes paella pair the salsa,
While Gaudi whips up a nasty Sagrada,
And Columbus stirs up adventure!
Portugal
In wine they clearly trust,
No matter how the masts may rust,
For many a lighthouse entrust!
Japan
Zen and the artful refraining,
Comes from many a decade of understanding,
And hours of consistent winning!
Kenya
A lion here, lioness there
Knee height grass that provides ample shade
Bright red shawls and ware!
Canada
A sweet trickle of maple,
And drizzle or so of white snow,
Cheery faces and billowy throws!
Bhutan
By measuring the subjects’s happiness
The king surmises a quality of living
While meditating monks bring serenity!
China
Walling in or walling out
There is beauty in every little brow
Utterly matchless and certainly delightful!
Singapore
Glitzy, pricey like none other,
Its innovative, youthful and cutting edge forever,
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
#storkarrives #with #the #bundleofjoy
39 weeks! Well not really complete, but short of two days the little bean decided to pop. He chose a perfect Sunday and the mid-morning hours. Just like going to work he started business at 10 am and came out a little before lunch-time! Having declared ofcourse that he (or I) were ‘too posh to push’. How much ever I tried positive thinking, prenatal yoga to stir the odds in favour of a normal delivery, there were other plans. All for the best. So au natural may well not be the best option available in life, and that’s when we would rather thank technology. A statistically low complication, and some amount of pain later here I am with our bundle of joy, jotting in the last post of OMB! A parting wisecrack, one for the road, “There are things we cannot control, and thank God for that”. As I give up control on aspects of life, I have just finished reading, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. The takeaway from that book – Buddha recommends that we follow a non-pursuit of achievements or of feelings, instead what we could pursue is to “know thyself”! While I bury myself in endless diapers and lullabies, thank you for following my blog. Its back to business for now 🙂
Baby B: 38 Weeks and 5 days
Baby’s size? 19.6 inches
Girth: 40 inches
Plus: 17 kilograms
Maternity clothes? Yes and colorful ones now.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Full of dreams and breaks.
Best moment this week: Chilling and reading, putting my feet up and intermittent duck-squats!
Movement: A poke here and a nudge there!
Food Cravings: Aloo 65! Nice and spicy with all the scrumptuousness of Aloooo.
Gender: Its a Boy!!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin and on the forehead scarring away. Darn!
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? Anxious! Calm! Exhilarated!
Loving: Music and dancing. Can’t do much though.
Reading: Born Free. But didn’t really read much.
Watched: The sunset, for like a week.
Compliments: From the doctor, on not looking pregnant at all. And yes, nice dress she said too.
Acne: No new eruptions!!
Drawing: Some pretty Sunflowers.
Dreaming of: A bony baby girl with beautiful hair.
Looking Forward To: Life with the royal babyness!!!
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
#thebrood #colors #vibrance
38 weeks! To arrive at one thing to do in life is extremely difficult, especially if you are one with a myriad of interests. However then, one would believe that happiness or enjoyment could be the moral compass to guide one all the way through life. This week was an ode to feeling, to learn to do as one feels and to follow the heart as and how it leads in consultation with the brain of course. As you do, so you feel or rather as you feel, so you do! With two weeks to go for the full term I find myself very calm and relaxed. Its as if the transformation of all the nine months are finally coming to an end. It is a much needed transformation as one prepares to bring a new life, to steady oneself to understand the responsibilities and tumultuous changes that they may all bring. If there was one goal in life it would be that of loving oneself! The festival of Kites, Sankranthi saw a rather fun Kite festival with professional fliers hosting up an array of kites into the blue clear skies. What fun! With Mary Poppins on my mind I couldn’t help but play the tune ‘lets go fly a kite’ on repeat in my head!! There is so much to do in this world, so much to see and enjoy that a zest for life, true appreciation, creativity, usefulness and giving one’s own uniqueness an expression are only but a few ways of harnessing the power of living.
Baby B: 38 Weeks
Baby’s size? 19.6 inches
Girth: 40 inches
Plus: 17 kilograms
Maternity clothes? New patterns, cuter options!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Those very merry blissful hours!
Best moment this week: Putting on make-up after a while! Dressy eyes look and feel so good 😀 and yes, all the laughing this week came with! What joy.
Movement: A poke here and a nudge there!
Food Cravings: Mysore Bajji! Ate a whole batch and felt the heart burn literally!!
Gender: No idea!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin and on the forehead making their way out.
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? Calm! Happy! Calm!
Loving: Music and dancing. Can’t do much though.
Reading: The Art of Joyful Living, and hence all the motivational posts 😀
Watched: The Post. What a fantastic movie!!
Compliments: On looking like a doll!
Acne: On a positive note, lets just say no new eruptions!!
Drawing: On AutoCAD after what seems to be a while!
Dreaming of: My Grandparents. Precisely trying to take a selfie with them!!
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
#lilmicomesvisiting
37 weeks! Life is for the living. So after months of reflection, the ruling is that one could possibly live in alignment and is the greatest gift of all. And as one marches to one’s own beat whatever it may be, it’s such a pleasure to live and be. Be your own they say and truly that is the best life ever. #marchtoyourownbeat #danceto yourrhythm
Baby B: 37 Weeks
Baby’s size? 19.1 inches
Girth: 40 inches
Plus: 16 kilograms (a reduction!)
Maternity clothes? Missing the crop tops and shortie shorts now!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Those very merry blissful hours!
Best moment this week: Rendered a piece of my mind to a really dumb and wannabe person. Standing up felt so good!
Movement: Warm embraces! And some tugs. Especially felt when I cook.
Food Cravings: Cinnamon sugar french toast.
Gender: No idea!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin and on the forehead. Totally unwanted!
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? A sense of foreboding, knowing that something is coming!
Loving: Music and dancing. Can’t do much though.
Reading: Quotations!
Watched: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.
Compliments: On yummyness of the food I made.
Acne: A blasphemous new one on my forehead.
Drawing: Some ideas for the ‘building for a billion’ competition.
Dreaming of: Nothing this week. Or rather nothing that I remember.
Looking Forward To: Hitting the books again after a break! Finalizing on a centre. Finally!
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
#happyhappy
36 weeks! The time to pop begins now and lasts for the whole month. The final weeks of pregnancy is almost like a flashback and I can’t help but reflect on all the whole nine months. It is but a spiritual journey to have a baby, to be a Mom! However I have learnt several lessons over the last couple of months, some bitter truths and other sweetest facts. The quotes that stuck with me are one, that if you have good thoughts they shine like sunbeams through your face and you will always look lovely and two, enthusiasm is the electricity of life! Armed with good thoughts and enthusiasm, life is but sheer joy. Such moments of relaxation and reflection further make one’s interests in life rather clear. There is nothing like sheer objectivity to know your mind, and there is no greater power than the knowledge of one’s mind! Apart from architectural work, I’d like to travel to one new country every year, be active every single day, fill my head with good thoughts that shine through my face and arm myself with electrifying enthusiasm on the majority of moments. While I now brace in body and mind for one of the greatest miracles of life, am suddenly feeling very wise. The strong let go and accept life, control is the respite of the weak. So while I digest all the revelations that relaxation have brought to me, there is one other scientific fact that I’d like to share. It has been studied that a relaxed person cannot experience pain. How wonderful then. Instead of resisting lets relax into life, at its every stage brimming with good thoughts and electrifying enthusiasm! Godspeed to all of us.
Baby B: 36 Weeks
Baby’s size? 18.7 inches
Girth: 42 inches
Plus: 17 kilograms (ouch!!)
Maternity clothes? The long dresses, stretch leggings combined with long hoodies – for winter is here!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: A day well spent with ample exercise equals to great sleep. Period.
Best moment this week: New Year’s and some glorious music!
Movement: Warm embraces! Now’s when I feel the hugs from inside. Warm and cuddly!!
Food Cravings: Cheese!!
Gender: No idea!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =( Uff!
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? Happy! Fearful! It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Loving: Sleeping.
Reading: Quotations!
Watched: Reign. Yet I am addicted.
Compliments: On retaining my face structure!
Acne: A blasphemous new one on my forehead.
Drawing: Lilies and Zerberas!
Dreaming of: Nothing this week. Or rather nothing that I remember.
Looking Forward To: 2018! And all the cheer it’s going to bring.
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
#merrymerry
35 weeks! Now showing quite apparently I do get those sympathetic looks and polite questions from passer-bys and random acquaintences. With the baby expanding and taking up all space, the internal organs seem to be rather cramped with no space to even keep food down. Such are the intricacies of concocting a while new human being! While a much elaborated conflict resolves in my head this week, I have gotten utter clarity in my being. It’s the season of cheer and more so the season for some reason and introspection. Looking inwards and hence onwards is all the ammunition we need in life. Life as we know it is much too wise and can conveniently sort itself out rather abundantly. And that is itself a reason to be jolly!
Baby B: 35 Weeks
Baby’s size? 18.2 inches
Girth: 42 inches
Plus: 15.4 kilograms
Maternity clothes? Yoga pants and oversized shirts are so much more fun now. Its time to strettcccchhh!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Very very elusive.
Best moment this week: Santa Claus and Christmas ofcourse!
Movement: A flip here and a nudge there mostly.
Food Cravings: Plain wholewheat bread. Soft and tender. Still on it.
Gender: No idea!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =( Uff!
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? Happy! Fearful! It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Loving: Sleeping.
Reading: The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary.
Watched: Reign. Yet I am addicted.
Compliments: On retaining my face structure!
Acne: Dormant and threatening.
Drawing: Pulling out the canvas today and banishing the laziness for good.
Dreaming of: Nothing this week. Or rather nothing that I remember.
Looking Forward To: 2018! And all the cheer it’s going to bring.
Oh my Bump! is my weekly chronicling of this little pie baking away, and a sharing of the ebbs and flows of being two at a time. Its a wonderful journey of rising and falling hormones, the beating of two hearts, and a huge sea of change to the body. It’s love and life all the way.
34 weeks! A week of a nasty cold, doctor visits and a wonderful scan. No feeling beats that of seeing a little baby fully formed on the screen in almost life-like proportions. The beating of the heart, lungs, kidneys and what not. All of the organs work in tandem together to make one whole person, none more important that the other. It’s not all about the heart or the head either, it’s the two of them in varying proportions and orders. They are so remarkably interconnected and have a mind of their own, to survive, to beat out the odds that it is utterly amazing to witness the insides of a mini-version orchestrating in all it’s glory. Wonder why we dont have ultra-sound scan videos of adults. Just so that we can see how hard our bodies work and how well they know to figure stuff out. Constantly adapting to temperatures, conditions that we subject them to all day. Sometimes a walk in the park is all what the body needs, some nature time, some me time, and some time to get in touch with it’s maker. There definitely has to be a maker, and a bit more worthy that Swiss too, considering the precision! A medical scan is all it took to reinstate firmly my belief in God. The thought in the mind is a chemical reaction, and its all the same whether we automatically dictate our thoughts or manually inject chemicals into the body, and that is quite something. SO while I suddenly am filled with gratitude towards my own lungs, heart, hands, head and what not, I make up my mind to live out the life and it’s purpose joyfully. It’s a miracle they way our bodies work! And giving them all anything but amazement, joy, happiness, love and gratitude will be so utterly unfair. Thank you lungs, heart and all the other crew who work tirelessly in making me me. 😀
Baby B: 34 Weeks
Baby’s size? 17.2 inches
Girth: 42 inches
Plus: 14.7 kilograms
Maternity clothes? Yoga pants and oversized shirts are so much more fun now. Its time to strettcccchhh!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Can I just bribe my body into slumber!!!
Best moment this week: The Scan! The Scan! The Scan! Absolutely hearted every single moment of it.
Movement: To *baby music* (never even knew that was a genre!), religious bhajans, slokas.
Food Cravings: Plain wholewheat bread. Soft and tender.
Gender: No idea!
Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =( Uff!
Wedding Rings – on or off? On!
Happy or Moody? Happy! Content! Feelings of plenty!
Loving: Stretching. Stretching. Stretching. Cat poses, cow poses. Thank God for Yoga!
Reading: The Art of Happiness. again. Yes apparently a book that cant be reread many times is not worth being read even once 😀
Watched: Reign. But am so not the Netflix type. It offers little or no entertainment to me. Watching a bunch of trees gives me better entertainment. 😀
Compliments: On my hugeness! Well am determined to take it as a compliment.
Acne: Terrible, unyielding, painful. Darn!
Drawing: In my head. Still so so lazy to put it on canvas. Still Lazy.
Dreaming of: Nothing this week. Or rather nothing that I remember.
Looking Forward To: Christmas. And all the cheer!! 😊
Perched atop a rocky hill, the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad reaches up to the sky unabashedly. It offers a panoramic view of the city of pearls and a chance to live like the Nizam, the city’s most well-known dynasty who ruled for over 228 years in the city’s 400-odd year history. Today transformed to it’s erstwhile glory, it is Taj property where guests are treated to a gala time of luxury steeped in thoughtfulness, surrounded by delectable vintage pieces and food that would utterly surprise the Gods. As one of the most premium properties in the country it holds its fort in making a remarkable impression on its guests. Living life king-size is a dream and a rather wonderful dream at that. For one 24 hours at the Falaknuma is just that, a day like the king, relishing the riches and possessions of the king who was once the richest man in the world!
Making a reservation at this palace is a must as no walk-ins are ever allowed. Access into the palace precincts is itself keenly monitored and documented. Once in, the guests are asked to alight at the second line of defence for a horse-cart ride upto the main palace. Vehicles are kept away from the main palace, completely. The carriageway ride on the cobbled street in high incline is quite bumpy, but the scenery breathtaking. The carriage is preceded by a man carrying the Nizam’s coat of arms. Royalty quite begins right at that point. Alighting at the entrance, the welcome with a glass of refreshment if followed by the climb up to the lobby, rose petals showered from above offer a surprise welcome, and are a shower full of the sweet smelling flower with fragrance and visual delight enveloping the stairway. While one is yet taking in the sheer grandeur and beauty of the palace, one is welcomed into the verandah adjoining the sky room and later the main lobby of the palace. While the main palace has been restored to its original glory, the wings of rooms have been redesigned to offer world-class facilities all equipped for the modern times. The rooms are all tastefully done, while the suites do have an element of bling in terms of decor and finish. What with all the gold-plated sanitary fittings!
Some remarkable elements in the palace are the huge collection of books of the Nizam, his private den, the 101-seater dining table with cutlery et al, the ball room where all state functions were once held, the old dial telephone (the Nizam had the viceroy on speed dial!), the bath for the Begum and grand proportions of architecture that was inspired by travels across Europe, Italy in particular. The palace collections are very spectacular in their historical significance and workmanship. The man who originally built the palace was a wealthy businessman Vicar-Ul-Umra who was then the Prime Minister of the Hyderabad state. His indulgence in the palace is said to have bankrupted him, causing him to sell the building to the smitten Nizam. Shaped like a Scorpion in plan it was designed to mark it’s owner Vicar’s zodiac sign. Though the plan is not read while experiencing the palace, several other measures of how the city is framed is more keenly observed and felt. Falaknuma in literal translation means ‘mirror of the sky’ and the palace does just that. It reflects the clear blue sky in the day and reflects the dazzling the lights of the city below in the night. It offers a wonderful sight to behold day or night. While we lounged for a bit, walked around the main building in the afternoon, took the palace Champagne tour, heard nostalgic stories of the city, read up about the Nizam’s jewels in the impressive library, were entertained to Sufi music in the evening, watched a great DVD show at night (accompanied all with nachos and coke! so very thoughtful), gorged on Italian for lunch, Hyderabadi for dinner and a continental breakfast, swam and spa-ed in the morning, played a game of croquet in the early afternoon, returned traditional Nizami greetings of ‘Adab’, we were constantly made to feel nothing short of the Nizam and his Begum!
A befitting experience of Nizami royalty, all in the name of the king!
Vedasri Siddamsetty 