Leapin' Lizards!

In India, having little lizards in your house is just a reality that you have to learn to deal with. My husband loves to point out to me that they do eat lots of bugs, and therefore we probably have way less bugs, which probably is true. So it's taken me awhile, but I've learned to be somewhat okay with the little "exterminators" in our bathroom, the occasional one in our living room, and even in our kitchen as crazy as that sounds (provided they stay far, far away from anything I want to eat, or cook in the future, which they surprisingly do). Even though they've never once even so much as offered me cheaper car insurance! But, in my bedroom? Completely.different.story!

A few days ago I discovered one of our little friends in our bedroom floor. Shortcake was so fascinated and amused by him. She scared him behind some other objects in our room and I couldn't really do anything about him, nor did I really have a plan as to what I should do at the time. Then last night I saw him again under my nightstand. I tried to scare him toward the door, in hopes that I might successfully get him to run out of our room, across our dining room and out the front door, a lofty endeavor, I know! He of course, ran in the exact opposite direction that I tried to get him to go in and JUMPED! I can't remember if it was at this point that I started screaming or when I discovered that there were actually not one, but TWO of them. Nonetheless, I remembered my trusty broom and went to get it to attempt to relocate the little guy.



I think that my big red broom was pretty intimidating because he got really still and would barely move. I persisted though, and it paid off. Somehow I was able to get the little guy all the way across our dining room and out our front door! I kept telling him that he needed to just go and never come back, out loud! Of course, just as I am having an all out conversation with a lizard and prodding him with my broom like a crazy lady, the security guard of our building's wife walked by. I'm sure she thinks I'm absolutely nuts now, if she didn't already that is! My one solace is that she speaks almost zero English and couldn't understand exactly what I was saying. But then again, do you really need to have a great command of English to understand that a crazy lady is chasing a lizard with a broom?! I think not!

Anyway, I got him safely outside to freedom and that is where I hope that he will stay, and not decide to come back and bring friends. Oh yes, and the other one got away, so yes, I still have one lizard living or at least visiting my bedroom from time to time. I'll save that one for another day and just keep praying he doesn't get in our bed between now and then.

Mundane Monday... a little late

I really love being able to chronicle my week with cell phone pictures. It's great for my terrible memory. I'm really bad about friends asking me what I've done this week, or even that day and I totally blank out because I'm so caught up in the moment to moment, chasing around an almost 2 year old! I wouldn't trade it though :)

With her BFF. She loves this stuffed monkey so very adorably much.

Our neighborhood security guard just taking a little snooze.

Ice pops all the way from America, mmmm!








Not sure what she was trying to do, but the following sequence looks like a yoga routine. Meet Shortcake, the yoga instructor:

Ok, let's start off with the cobra. Holding toys in your hands is very helpful.

Move into downward dog...

Cool down.

Done!

Happy Monday :)

Seven Street Sweepers

The other day when I took Shortcake down the street to play at the park there were some ladies having their breakfast at the usual Indian hour of about 11 o'clock. They are ladies who work sweeping the streets in our neighborhood, by hand with a little straw broom. They wanted to see S and called her over. She went right over to them and played catch with each one, throwing her little Finding Nemo ball to each woman, one by one. They were all laughing and thought it was so funny.She then proceeded to go around and shake hands with each of them. Then she wanted to sit with them, so they laid out a little towel for her to sit on, really sweet of them.

As we were leaving she turned and waved to each of them and blew kisses in a really dramatic way. Which of course elicited many high-pitched "oohs and ahhs." She had them eating out of her hand :)

In India, street sweepers are considered low caste and the profession is viewed as one of the most undesirable, since Indian streets are very not clean. I love how a small child recognizes them as what they truly are, people, just like you and me. I love that she made their day by stopping to acknowledge them and be friendly to them. Judging by the smiles she brought to their faces, I'm pretty sure they loved it too.

Mundane Monday

Strutting her stuff with her sidewalk chalk. I love her, A LOT!

Dear Sandhya, someone loves you a lot! I hope you can pronounce his name, because I can't.

Dumpster across from the park that Shortcake normally plays in every day; the park, not the dumpster. Note the bicycle rickshaw that comes to get the trash and haul it away. Sorry earth, but a lot of my daughter's diapers are probably in there. Cloth just isn't cutting it anymore :(

Learning to play cricket in the park with some friends. These two boys are really sweet and patient with her. They are best friends, the same age, and have the same name. I'm sure it gets confusing!

Little miss INSISTED on putting on her swimsuit before going to have breakfast with friends. Mommy insisted on at least putting a skirt over it. She was not happy. Mommy won.

Here's to finding beauty in everyday life. Happy Monday!

Good Morning!

I saw this in the tailor shop neighborhood the other day. He's on top of another little shop there. I have no idea how he got up there...

Mundane Monday

I have been inspired by a couple other bloggers to do a regular (weekly, hopefully) post with pictures from a day in my life. I used Instagram on my phone since I always have my phone with me.

I sure am thankful for sesamestreet.org!

If there's one thing I've learned in India, it's this, blow dry your hair NOW, because you never know when the power will go out :)

I'm not completely dressed without my toe rings. One on each foot means that I'm married.


This is Mark's friend Sid in Friday's newspaper. He's an actor in the local film industry. I guess you could say it's our state's version of Bollywood. Several states in India make movies locally since there are so many different languages spoken here.

Who told her it was OK to get this big, this FAST?!

Construction going on next door to our building. They are breaking up a big boulder to lay a foundation to start building a house. It's LOUD. It's interesting to watch. Shortcake loves to sit and watch them work. They work hard. In the really, really hot weather. The other day one of the workers had a pet monkey on a chain. I have no idea where he got it. Shortcake got to see it. She thought it was pretty funny. Her favorite toy is a stuffed monkey that she got from her aunt on her first trip to the zoo while we were in America. Here, the zoo comes to us!



My most favorite meal in all of India! Steamed dosa, it's sort of like a pancake made of rice and lentils served with this spicy lentil and vegetable soup called sambar. It's delicious. It's pure vegetarian. It's actually considered a breakfast food. I prefer it for lunch but I could eat it anytime because I love it that much. This steamed version was invented by a very popular local movie star. He's a big deal around here. Steamed dosa is a big deal to me :)


We made a quick stop at my favorite local grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. It has just about everything I need to be able to cook a meal for my family. Qmart, I love you!


Shortcake got an Easter package from her grandparents. In it were two bags of what used to be M&Ms. Sadly, American M&Ms are not made to withstand the Indian heat. They ended up in one solid block by the time they made it halfway around the world to our doorstep. They still taste AWESOME! You just have to have a knife to chip them off before you eat them :)


Happy Monday!

TWO

Shortly after my previous post about not having a time frame for how much longer our adoption would take, we got one. Not the one I was hoping for. We were told that it's going to be TWO years. This is not what we were expecting to hear! We were really hoping that it could be sooner. It seems like such a long time, but when I look back on how long we were waiting for Shortcake, our little miracle, it now seems like nothing. It was all worth it. I'm sure that's what I'll say when the next two years of our lives have come and gone. Looking back, when we hold our new little one in our arms, I can't wait to whisper in his or her ear, "you were worth it all!" Makes me think of this little lovely. I'm sure every mother feels this way. I already feel this way about a baby I haven't even met, who now with the new time frame hasn't even been born yet. I felt this way about Shortcake the minute we found out she was on the way. They are worth it all. Whatever it may include, sleepless nights, endless paperwork, having my fingerprints taken more times than your average criminal. I know it truly is worth it.

On a happier note, to go along with the theme of two, here are two of the cutest little things I've ever seen :)

Love this girl! Love those piggytails! Love that her friends at the park picked flowers and stuck them in her hair! Cuteness!!!