Dirty Little Feet

I've quickly come to learn that the messier a substance is, the more my little Penelope enjoys it- whatever "it" may be.

She will crawl around the house looking for something to get into. Opening cabinets to discover what may be inside, grabbing vegetables, peeling away skins of onions, taking chomps of raw potatoes only to realize she doesn't like the taste. When I'm not looking she even tries to crawl faster, I believe as an attempt to make a quick getaway to the next little disaster she can muster up around the house. Making her way to the bookshelf to pull books onto the floor, remove their covers, bend and rip pages, chew on the bindings...sigh...

Never satisfied with the many plastic "baby-safe," "approved," "guaranteed-to-make-your-child-intelligent" types of toys that she has; Penelope much prefers the dangerous lifestyle. Attempting to climb the stairs, then crying for someone to help her when she's stuck on top of the first step. Making her way to plugs, cables, wires, outlets, sneaking her way behind the t.v....double sigh....

We have some planters on our porch where we grow herbs and various flowers. One of Penelope's favorite pastimes is sitting in front of those planters and digging her hands into the dirt and pulling at the leaves of the plants. She is so perfectly content just sitting with her little hands buried in the soil, occasionally pulling out handfuls to examine the dark matter. If I don't watch her closely she will happily shove handfuls of soil into her mouth as well...triple sigh...

I could spend my days chasing her around the house saying "no" to this and "don't touch that," and of course if it is dangerous we are quick to keep her away and try to teach her what a dangerous situation is. Or I could very well keep her pinned up in her pack-n-play with a handful of toys to keep her occupied and confined. But there is nothing that makes me happier at the end of the day than seeing my little girl with messy hands and dirty little feet, knowing that she spent her time as she was supposed to; playing, exploring, learning, tasting, touching, feeling, discovering, growing...happy sigh...  :)

Daily Reminder

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, student, homemaker, wannabe athlete there are constant demands of things to do, research, learning the best ways to live your life, improve your life, prepare for the future etc. Life can be overwhelming. You know the feeling, don't you? It is so important to remind ourselves that we are but human and all we can do is our best. Leave the worry, the stress of the unknown, and do what you can with what you have where you are.

That Awkward Moment When...

"Wait, what was I saying?"

Yeah, this is a common line that has been coming out of my mouth for the past couple of months. In fact, if I had my own tag line, maybe I would claim this one.

I have been battling sleeplessness with my little one, and at ten months, its GETTING TO ME.

We are a cosleeping family and it has worked for us up until recently...something just isn't working anymore and little P cannot sleep longer than a couple of hours at a time. It's gotten to the point where she is waking almost every hour throughout the night...though I can never remember exactly how many times she woke the night before because I'm too darn tired to keep count.

Can you imagine not sleeping an entire night through for ten months straight? Its the pits.Needless to say I have turned into somewhat of a zombie at home. Going about my day playing with Penelope, taking care of household to-do's, keeping at my studies...all the while I'm forever in a state of forgetfulness. Did I pay the cable bill this month? Wait...do we even have cable? Or...Have I showered yet today? *sniff sniff* Nope, doesn't seem like it...Well then, when was the last time I showered?

 My husband is constantly calling out my brain farts.(Sidenote: I'm pretty sure 'brain fart' is his favorite American slang term...mind you, he knows more American slang than I do and he chooses 'brain fart' as his most commonly used).  At least once a day I hear him say something along the lines of, "don't you remember (enter any random fact, memory, birthday, anniversary, my own daughter's name, etc. here)? Oh you must be having another brain fart."

We are trying to remedy a solution as quickly as possible. Until that day comes, I thank the good Lord for the little things in life that keep me in check, such as calendar event reminders on my iPhone, double and triple shots of espresso, drivers that kindly honk behind me to let me know the light has been green for over two seconds, 5 minute power naps, and horror movies that make me too scared to sleep anyways (oh wait...).

ZZZZzzzzzz...

Proud Mommy Moment

I was finally able to snap a video of this! Penelope just started to pull herself up to standing position on her own and I had been chasing her around trying to get her to perform her new trick for the camera so I could send it to Abhi at work. ;) hehe. I realize this is just one of many small milestones, but its the little moments of growth like this that should be celebrated!

Lessons From A 10-Month Old

A couple of my own observations as we went about our daily business...

1) Sometimes we have to bump our head once, twice...even a thousand times before we realize how to maneuver ourselves, how to know our bodies, or how to make a change.

Penelope is crawling all over the place and continues to hit her head on all kinds of objects again and again; the same table, the same wall, same corner. Finally today I saw her observe her own surroundings and move her head around the corner of the table. I don't know what it is that finally 'clicked' but sometimes it takes a good few mistakes to finally move in the right direction.

2) Stretch,reach, kick and wiggle your way to what you want. Within reason (no, I'm not saying to kick and scream your way to the Twistee Treat just becaue you want ice cream right now...but if you must go, please get me a gorilla cone).

Often times Penelope will be sitting contently in my arms and will suddenly spot something she needs to have. Right away. This little girl will reach out, bend over, lay flat, kick her little legs until she gets whatever silly object she was going for. Leaving me barely able to hang on to her while her body dangles in the air. But Penelope isn't looking at the floor, she's looking at her goal.

3) Observe and be amazed.

I love catching Penelope when she's in a state of wonder. To her, everything is a miracle. She will lay on her back and be entertained by the movement and grasping of her own fingers. She will grab a handful of dirt from our planters and then stare at her closed fist full of soil, looking at it, see it in her hand, feeling it between her fingers and let it go. Then do it all over again with the same amazement.

4) Move to the Rhythm. Which rhythm? Any rhythm you darn well please!

Penelope is a serious mover and shaker. She is always dancing! Whether people are watching her or not, she bounces her little body and shakes her head to the beat of the music. Even if there's no music, she finds a beat and goes with it; whether its the sound of a nail file moving back and forth or even the sound of a skipping rope hitting the floor again and again, I catch her bouncing away with a silly little smile-she really doesn't care where and how she dances, she just does what feels right.

The point is, don't be afraid  of the things that make you weird, if that's what makes you happy; Penelope and I like to sing out loud, even if there aren't words, just silly screeching sounds-make your own heart happy.

“A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” -Paulo Coelho

I'm Back! With News.

I have come to my page over and over and over again trying my hardest to pull fancy words out of my you-know-what. Something special to say, a funny topic to comment on, even a good segue from my last posting (almost 2 years ago, living in India!)...but guess what? I've got nothing! SO I will leave it at that-a big two year gap between my last post and now, hoping to fill in for lost time as my writings continue. A TRILLION changes have happened; good, bad, ugly, and brilliantly beautiful-all to bring me to life in the here and now.

My family is facing a deployment- a year's separation between Penelope, Abhi, and myself. If I were writing the story of my own life I would never put this kind of family separation in writing. I would keep the pen far away from the pad, lock it up, throw away that god-awful key and keep my husband close and tight every single minute of my life. BUT, as life would have it-I am not always in control of my path- though it is my choice to make the most of what I am given. And I have learned from experience that God's plans are always better than my own-as cliche as that may sound. Its true! The best things in my life have always come from the plans that I never would have made for myself. My best moments in life were thrown at me, snuck up behind me, blasted in my face, or have shocked me with surprise- these are the life-changers, life-improvers, and strengtheners.

So we will move forward one step at a time, with wobbly legs (just as my sweet baby tries to stand on her own), and though we may fall and tumble from time to time, we still move forward. We roll, crawl, stretch out and scratch our way forward, as watching little Penelope has taught me. In the end we get there, in a better place and in better shape than when we started.