Vedasri Siddamsetty

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,

An island of fun!

India

Brighter than the brightest rainbow,

There’s a myth for every known struggle,

Chirping birds and meditative silence!

Egypt

Crusty Cairo is a backdrop,

For the pyramids, camels and human livestock,

A wonder that is inexplicable!

Sri Lanka

Avocadoes by a large dozen,

Luscious green thicklet of folk lore,

A kingdom of Galle!

Thailand

Islands of endless emerald wonder,

Big cities with quirky cabs hardly surrendered,

The beauties of Chiang Mai!

Nepal

Spirituality is not in meditation,

But in long walks and tiring treks,

In the lofty Himalayan peaks!

Cambodia

A temple so very old,

That holds the might of stories told,

Poverty and ashen human genocide!

Indonesia

The mythology of epic Ramayana,

An empire of Gado-Gado, and the gorengs,

Reverance like never ever before!

Malaysia

Twin towers that perfectly balance,

A nation hosting a myriad of wealth,

Islands and cities of cheer!

Its a jolly day of soirees

one of squeaky noises

as with perfect choices

and wonderful voices

 

a day of firm reckoning

adulthood past beckoning

the future keenly forgiving

all the known misgivings

 

the loves very defining

many a sublime lining

knowing all the finding

thats are chiefly beguiling

 

life’s a bountiful platter

of peals of endless chatter

when the heart’s lighter

with mirth only mightier

 

for good feels, feels good

much like knocking wood

for all that we should

there’s little or more could

 

such joy in going by the flow

there is no need of a show

for in all the heres and knows

there’s no joy like pure snow

 

a chill here and a sun there

putting to rest all the care

the ups and down of fray

with neat nets of snare

 

for what is meant to be

no matter what we see

will come by with a key

and bring down the knee

 

 

throw caution to the wind

with a couple or one friend

with hugs and kisses send

love to every near and far end

 

there is so much happiness

in laughter and prettiness

twinkling of fluttering eyes

forgetting all the weary sighs

 

listening to a merry tune

from morning to noon

swinging all may to june

and forgetting the soon

 

slowness and calmness

make one a highness

for there is no less

however much a mess

 

the new chapter just begun

full of frolic, a dash of fun

and the shines of the sun

at the twist of thirty one!

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!!

Looking Forward To: The Baby the baby the baby!!

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. 

#awesometwosome #sheetlucomestotown #instax #iwant

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!

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. 

#twinning #winningcombinations #redandgold

33 weeks! Losing my centre of gravity has been the most happening thing this week, plus the beginning of the waddle! Between a whale and a penguin the empathy for animals of all kind has been on my mind this week. But if that means having a whale of a good time then it’s more than fine by me. It brings me to the notion of happiness and all things bright. It’s all literally in our own very heads, the conscious decision to be however we would like to be. Hakuna Matata or not! When asked what was the secret to his great health my 90 year old cousin grandfather said it was due to spending hours on the tennis court, playing, winning sports championships, staying on his feet all day and keeping away from complaining peeps. Oh well! All those tennis years inclusive of knee surgeries and a rather selective bunch of friends. Injury seems to be the price that vigorous exercise imparts for the all its other benefits. Sigh! Gain shouldn’t come with pain. Or so I believe. But either which way suffering is measured and hopefully set off by something that is worthy much.

Baby B: 33 Weeks

Baby’s size? 17.2 inches

Girth: 39.5 inches

Plus: 14.0 kilograms

Maternity clothes? Yes! Bored already!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Getting harder by the day. Or should I say easier. So very unpredictable.

Best moment this week: Finishing up with the IV has got to be the best moment of the week. Needle pokes et al 😐

Movement: A nudge here and there, much stronger and harder.

Food Cravings: Pretty much turned off by food (!) *exasperated*

Gender: No idea!

Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =(

Wedding Rings – on or off? On!

Happy or Moody? Happy! Content! Feelings of plenty!

Loving: Stretching. Stretching. Stretching.

Reading: Rest. Pregnancy by Nutan Pandit.

Watched: The Crown. Whole two episodes.

Compliments: On my gorgeous abs!

Acne: Terrible, unyielding, painful. Darn!

Drawing: In my head. Still so so lazy to put it on canvas.

Dreaming of: Nothing this week. Or rather nothing that I remember.

Looking Forward To: A week of rest and solitude. Spending time with my favoritest person. 😊

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. 

 

#earlysignsoflife #heartwarming #canyousee?

32 weeks! The beating of a little heart has some more tangible elements this week as we looked into the scan of the little bean. Pouting lips and constant movements were such a highlight making me tear up as usual. Tears of joy or overwhelming emotions or well simply gratitude, it always happens to me in the Scan room, I can’t help but break into tears feeling overtly sensitive when I see the scan of the B on the screen, trying to decipher limbs from the abdomen and head from the face. It’s such a glorious feeling to have life moving inside you, its absolutely exhilarating. And to see the feeling in visuals I am left speechless, every single time. The human body is honestly nothing short of a miracle, and the very fact that we wake up every morning is something to be greatly thankful for. When in Moral Education class in school, the Nuns said that it’s a miracle that we ever wake up every morning, lauding that its something to be grateful for, I used to laugh finding the notion very funny. But now I understand what they meant. The human body is fragile yet robust, strong yet sensitive, grateful yet expecting. As I am filled with gratitude I am told that I will need to take Intravenous Fluid to set right some altering levels. Dreading the needle pokes am unnaturally worried, as usual, yet bravely go get the drips in, another 4 to go I tell myself, while the Mother says this is just the beginning! So much so am suddenly believing that eating right, sleeping right, exercising right, thinking positive is more important that anything else in life. All that chocolate indulgence, the lure of fried foods is not something to be proud of. Health is definitely wealth. And health is about moderation, about balance and about being clean in eating, living and being. While pain is not gain, I absolutely think so, respecting the human body and not exploiting it is the least we can do for a great being. Feeling good is extremely important and enjoying life is the basic premise. For life begins with and in the human (err especially woman) body! 😀

Baby B: 32 Weeks

Baby’s size? 16.7 inches

Girth: 39.0 inches

Plus: 14.0 kilograms

Maternity clothes? Yes! Missing my usual clothing preferences now.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Has been oh-so-elusive mainly due to the difficulty in finding the right or even remotely comfortable position for sleeping.

Best moment this week: Being in water. Swimming. Such sheer joy. Always. This time giving up all hangups about the sun, straight hair or whatever!

Movement: Hardly, some kicks here and there, now very visibly of-course.

Food Cravings: Pretty much turned off by food (!) *exasperated*

Gender: No idea!

Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =(

Wedding Rings – on or off? On!

Happy or Moody? Happy! Content! Feelings of plenty!

Loving: The swimming pool!! The light blue water, the consistency of breathing, no glasses 😀

Reading: Mr Iyer Goes to War by Ryan Lobo, Screw it, lets do it by Richard Branson

Watched: Penguins of Madagascar, the movie.

Compliments: On my attitude to life and eyes!

Acne: Terrible, unyielding, painful. Darn!

Drawing: In my head. So lazy to put it on canvas.

Dreaming of:  Having a bony Baby girl, delivering etc. Such vivid dreams I tell you.

Looking Forward To: Getting the rest of them IV shots…and being done 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. 

 

#goofingaround #myloves

31 weeks! This week had me be in awe of the miraculous human body. Our bodies are up to so much mischief and are much more than what simply meets the eye. And the love for my body especially has grown over the last few months. The mind-body connection is especially one that we could totally be mesmerised by in totality. It is indisputable that we could control our body through our minds and our minds through our bodies. Have you ever felt agitated? Then try breathing deeply and watch as your mind aligns with the body in a matter of minutes, and your troubles floating away like little helium balloons into outer space. After a wonderful day goofing around with the bestie and her son, I was given my first lessons of Mommyhood. And it didnt seem too daunting so to say the least. Either way, if women have survived birthing all over the world, then so will I! Thats called belief in humanity or well maybe specifically woomanity! So far, all the love, pampering and care has been wonderful and I may well get superbly used to it. Exercising has never felt better ever before, as has sleeping, the two things that truly pamper our bodies! Food is only but an offering of nourishment. In the book Warren Buffet’s Management Secrets I read about how important it is to do what one loves, and when hiring, hire someone who loves what they do. Its so crucial and apparently the best rule to ever have or follow in life. The sheer love for a thing would make you enjoy and hence work with exceeding merit. Hence I have been contemplating on what I do sincerely love to do. Of all the zillion things I have tried out. The gay abandon that comes forth in escaping away, and living fully in the moment comes when you are off to far-off places, experiencing the sheer beauty and diversity in the world, engaging in active or adventure sports or basking away in glorious sunlight on a hammock by sun-kissed sands or the all-knowing mountain ranges. To experience different things and assimilate the wonder that is through sketching or writing home about it. Life appreciation, in two words. A very successful businessman, one who follows a certain path of spirituality encompassing hours of meditation, integrity in life, non-violence in thought, word or deed, once told me that true spirituality is in surrendering yourself and embracing the tide of life. In that is true meditation. There is no need of religion, meditation, yoga or anything if one can truly master the art of accepting life and literally swimming with the tide. Life appreciators, I guess is what we need to be, appreciating the myriad of life’s offerings, even if once in a while we may sneak in a wish or two to the Lord! While one is pregnant am pretty sure one has a sense of divine connection and the true purpose of life comes blasting out in front of you. 😀

Baby B: 31 Weeks

Baby’s size? 16.2 inches

Girth: 39.0 inches

Plus: 13.0 kilograms (right there as yet)

Maternity clothes? Even the ones I got 10 days ago seem to be bursting at their seams. Phew!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Two days of slight difficulty in falling asleep followed by 5 of feeling like a sleeping beauty. My fav disney princess has firmly changed from Belle of Beauty and the beast to a cross between Aurora of the Sleeping Beauty and Ariel of the Little Mermaid.

Best moment this week: Being in water. Swimming. Such sheer joy.

Movement: Tumbling! The handstands and swift movements have clearly stopped.

Food Cravings: Anything in chocolate!

Gender: No idea!

Symptoms: Acne on the chin. Darn it. Just when I thought they were gone for good =(

Wedding Rings – on or off? On!

Happy or Moody? Happy! Pensive! Thoughtful!

Loving: The swimming pool!! I wonder now, how did I ever agree to leave my beloved pool, for further studies, for shifting countries, for moving cities! And then I reminiscence about all the cool pools I got to swim in.

Reading: Lanka’s Princess by Kavita Kane, The Vedic Way of Living, Warren Buffet’s Management Secrets, If youre so smart why arent you happy.

Watched: Want to watch The Amazing Race, my favourite show of all time.

Compliments: On pregnancy suiting me!

Acne: A lot of chocolate this week = chin acne. Time to bid adieu to chocolate now. I love thee, and hence I will not eat thee! – thus became my motto. And sad to say I gave in to temptation. Yet Again. Sigh!

Drawing: A little fairy with a wand et al!

Dreaming of:  None at all. Super blissful.

Looking Forward To: Getting off the grid. Finally and truly. Disconnected the blog from public view, getting off facebook (well albeit), twitter, and all else. Basically going back to the basics. I think social media is no good. For the brain, for the heart, for the psyche.