UBM Post 17 - Playing dress up

Mom-dad decided to surprise me and the daughter when we went home for lunch.  They dressed up this gentle child of mine in a beautiful yellow frock....the look made complete with a cute ponytail, in a matching hairband......ain't he just the cutest thing on earth :) :)?

Oh how delighted I was.....and for a second, I wished I had two daughters....how much fun would that be :).

It was such a different feeling.....seeing him crawl around in his dress....it made me so nostalgic of the daughter at his age, which was not too long ago!

As it turns out, both kids were wearing matching yellow frocks - and I HAD to click a picture to capture this precious memory :)!

I would like to profusely thank maa and paa for not just this moment, but for all the smiles they bring on my children's faces, and the joy they bring into their lives, day after day. They are upset if the kids don't sleep or eat well. They are upset if they can't take them out for their morning walk. They don't like it when the daughter is scolded or given a timeout. They never let me give leftovers to the kids. Mom wakes up earlier than me every single day to make a fresh meal for the daughter's lunch box. {I do that when she is not there but I take the liberty to sleep in while she is around}.

They could very well be enjoying their retired life to do things on their bucket list, chilling out and traveling the world. Instead, they are choosing to give me the most precious gift - the gift of their time - and for that (and much much more), I will forever be grateful to them!

Tough and Sad Times

The past few weeks have been rough....

On my family and people around me.....

First, a few weeks ago, the daughter's daycare provider and her family got into a road accident. They were struck head-on by a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the road. Broken ribs, broken bones, three people in three different hospital rooms which were all on different floors.....it was terrible. Yes, I helped out. Quite a bit actually. I was "asked" and "chosen" to help by the family, because they trusted me more than others (how I love that).

My rakhi-bro's wife fell down in her bathroom and injured her face. She got stitches, and it took several days to heal. My brother was also not feeling well at that time, and they went through a tough week of both being unwell. I helped them out too....little bit. Delivered a hot piping delicious meal the day this happened. Emotional support after that.

Then, one evening, I went down to the cafe at work to get my afternoon green tea. A friend who I used to play Racquetball with often before I had kids asked me if I had a few minutes to talk. I was told that both his kidneys have failed. He is looking for a transplant, and needed help from my huge network of friends and family here. He is a young man in his early thirties, single and was thriving, until this illness hit him from nowhere. I'm helping him out as much as I can.

Then my dad had an accident couple weeks ago and was hurt. Thankfully, it was nothing major....but what bothered me is that the person who hit him, chose to go check on his vehicle instead of attending to this 60+ year old man who had a scooter on his leg. Dad also called for help from a nearby panwaala who refused to come over and help saying "sir this happens everyday".

And today morning, I woke up extremely exhausted. The kiddo has a bad cold, and did not let me sleep all night. I had missed my dad's call last night so I thought I will speak to him and mom. I called our home phone and no one picked up. That is an instant cause of worry. We usually know if they are going out somewhere, especially in the evening. I called his cell, and my bapuji (dad's elder brother) picked up. Mom and dad got hit by a car (they were on a two wheeler, the person who hit them ran away but they have the license plate number) and got injured badly. They were in hospital when I called. Mom lost a lot of blood coz the ambulance took half an hour to get to the scene. She has several stitches on her forehead, and a fracture near her eye/nose area which needs further evaluation once the bleeding stops and swelling goes down. There are several other bruises and injuries that both of them got. I was profusely crying when I heard all this going on. I called my sister....told her everything. One of us is planning to head back home and be with them for few weeks, even though everyone is saying we are not needed and that they can manage. I even blocked my tickets to go tonight, but I have to get some tests done before I can leave, so I told dad that I'll wait a day or two before I make plans.

This is one of the times when I truly wish I was living closer to them. However, by no means it makes me feel guilty of coming to the US and having a career here, as I know that they are truly happy for the choices I made and the professional growth n success I was able to achieve so far here in this foreign country. Things happen....sometimes they are great, sometimes they are horrible. I hate people going on a guilt trip about the choices they have made just because something bad happened to them. Since I can't help them out physically, others are reaching out. An aunt has made plans to stay with mom and dad for a month - she is my second mom, and she's always been there for us. We have absolutely amazing neighbors as well - even though I hate the fact that I am not physically there for them, I know they are taken care of by some very compassionate souls.

My daughter saw me upset and crying today morning, and told me "Soddy mumma, it's okay" then gave me a hug and a kiss. She is also such a sweet compassionate soul......I'm grateful for her presence in my life.

Anyway, I hope this string of accidents and bad news stops for a while. I cannot take it anymore. I might be in India for some time....I'll know by this weekend. I'll continue to write here though, coz I feel it is the best way to relieve my stress.

Mom-dad US visit 2010 - musings (2)

I started my maternity leave 10 days ago, and time is just flying by. My friends and I thought I would be bored in the first couple days, and boy we were so wrong :).

Spending these few days off with mom-dad before the baby is a special gift. I cherish it every day. Last week, my sister was here too, as she had a week off from work....time flew by but we all had a great time together.

Last night, I made tacos for my parents...dad LOVES avocados, so he enjoyed them very much. I made salsa at home too since the store ones have onion/garlic which they don't eat.

We went to Ikea the day before yesterday...and picked up small things for them to carry back home. They both LOVE the store, and could spend hours in there. For me, I got my walking for the day done :).

Dad accompanies me for all the errands that I have to run - I enjoy driving him around town, and chatting with him on life in US. Sometimes we take mom along too...like the other day we all went to Costco and spent more than a couple hours there. We all love that store too!

We did BBQ in our backyard...it was a first time for mum n dad, and they enjoyed it.

We went to Apple Hill for blueberry picking...it was a hot day, but we had a great time. The best part was stopping on the side of the road near a cherry farm and "stealing" some cherries...before anyone could come and warn us or shoo us away.

We also go for a late night post-dinner walk around the community few days a week. The weather is just amazing at that time....cool with a slight breeze...and since we don't have many street lights where we live, the sky lights up like fireworks. If it's a full moon night, its an added bonus :).

Mom-dad also completed their first 5k walk last month. I thought they did remarkably well, as it was another warm morning. I hope to do another one with them in September/October.

We went to the Sacramento Rivercats Baseball game, and having never watched baseball before, mum n dad were trying to figure out the rules :). Then they watched a couple games on TV and understood the rules, and made sense of what they saw on the field. They found the game very slow and boring (just like me :))!

We enjoyed watching FIFA and Wimbledon during the last few weeks....and a couple of good Gujarati plays on DVD. Our family does not watch much TV, and I find that to be such a huge blessing.

We also play UNO/card games....watching mom play UNO is PRICELESS! She hates to lose, so she gets all tensed and worked up if she has too many cards on her hands. She feels very guilty when she forgets to say "UNO" with one card in her hand, even if it goes unnoticed by others :)! Pure bliss to watch her face during those moments!

Other than these activities, my daily conversations and quiet moments with them are something that makes me feel so content. It is extremely hard for me to see them grow old, and there are few things that I struggle with every single day. However, I feel extremely blessed to be able to spend this special time of my life with them.

Mom-dad US visit 2010 - musings (1)

Every morning, mom-dad go for their daily walk at around 6.30 or 7am. Hubby leaves for work around 7.30am. I am usually awake by 6am, but I stay in bed either reading, or praying/meditating, until mom-dad return home from their walk.

I know they are back when I hear the door chime. My bedroom door is usually closed, so every day, mom will slowly open it to check if I am awake, so that she can wish me good morning :). That first sight of her smiling face in the morning is pure bliss :).

On some days, dad will follow her, and they will share their walk experience with me - which route they took, which plants are blooming, any rabbits or birds or snakes they spotted, etc.

As I lay in bed, waiting to get up and start my day - I can feel their energy in me every morning. And I feel truly blessed to cherish these moments with them!

Africa se leke America.....

Today, as I write this.....

Dad is in Zimbabwe, Africa.

Mom is in Gujarat, India, Asia.

I am in California, USA, North America.

Three of us in Three different continents.....its sooper cool and sooper uncool at the same time.

Miss you ma-pa!