Adi's doting grand-parent moments.

With every passing day the bond between Adi, my parents and my sisters is growing beyond words. It's amazing how the human mind identifies and associates with bonds from such an early age. Posting some loveable moments of Adi and his favorites...

Eating an apple with Dumma

Massage time with Dadu-bhai

Masti with Mashi

We share a speacial bond with Mesho

Evening at the park with Pinni & Mashi

Dumma-Adi moment... :D

Full-on pampering!

Dadu-bhai & Adi moment... :D

How much fun is that!!!

At times I wish I can hold onto these moments and not let if whisk past so fast.
Why does growing-up need to come to a human being so soon? ...

The Solitary Reaper- William Wordsworth

Behold her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound; Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt; More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?-- Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay, Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work, And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more

About the poem:
"The Solitary Reaper" is a ballad by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and one of his best-known works in English literature. In it, Wordsworth describes in the first person, present tense, how he is amazed and moved by a Scottish Highlands girl who sings as she reaps grain in a solitary field. Composed in 1805, the poem was first published in Poems, in Two Volumes (1807). Each of its four stanzas is eight lines long and written in iambic tetrameter, with a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-c-c-d-d, though in the first and last stanzas the "A" rhyme is off.
'"The Solitary Reaper" is one of Wordsworth's most famous post-Lyrical Ballads lyrics. The words of the reaper's song are incomprehensible to the speaker, so his attention is free to focus on the tone, expressive beauty, and the blissful mood it creates in him. The poem functions to 'praise the beauty of music and its fluid expressive beauty, the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling" that Wordsworth identified at the heart of poetry


Structure & Synopsis:
"The Solitary Reaper" begins with the speaker instructing us to look upon "Yon solitary Highland Lass" who is "Reaping and singing by herself". Thrilled by her song, the speaker compares the girl to a nightingale whose "melancholy strain" welcomes "weary bands / Of travellers" to "some shady haunt, / Among Arabian sands". Yet he does not understand the words of her song (presumably they are in the Scottish Gaelic language), and impatiently cries, "Will no one tell me what she sings?" He wonders if the subject is of "battles long ago" or of commonplace and universal things ("familiar matters of to-day"), perhaps "some natural sorrow, loss, or pain."

Then he dismisses his own musings -- "Whate'ver the theme," he says, "the Maiden sang / As if her song could have no ending" -and refocuses his attention on the song. He listens, "motionless and still", before finally mounting the hill and leaving the solitary reaper, still singing, behind. Though his ears cannot hear the song anymore, the sound of the Highland Lass's music will forever be a fresh and evocative memory in his heart.
Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy, and his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge had visited the Scottish Highlands in 1803. According to Dorothy's diary, solitary reapers were not an uncommon sight. And in a note to the 1807 edition, Wordsworth acknowledged his indebtedness to his friend Thomas Wilkinson's manuscript from a tour of Scotland.

Some other popular poems of William Wordsworth:

1. Daffodils
2. The Sonnet

What Montessori Really Looks Like

This article articulates the sentiments of Montessori training with such a aplomb. I enjoyed reading through and thought i should share it with all my friends.

What Montessori really looks like...

Playing 'Mumma' all the way...

Finally, I have been able to make that crucial decision of quitting. Never thought it could be so tough when I got back to work exactly a year back post my maternity break. Adi had just turned 1 and I thought life is getting back into some kind of predictability but surprises come in all sizes!

To be able to sit and jot my thoughts with such clarity in itself is a big leap in faith. I cant wait to go bug watching with my lil boy every morning at the park. Feels like I have turned over a new leaf again.

It does call for a lot of courage but truly I am happy that I can do exactly what my being wants to do... be a mother!

So from an extremely confused state of mind to a much clearer one I move on to take the challenge of my next life... :D 

4th july, 2010. Adi turns 2!

Adi turned 2 on 4th July. His birthday was first celebrated at Peace Montessorie with his friends and teachers. As a ritual, he carried a globe in his hand and circled along the blue line signifying the earth's journey around the moon. A large candle (aka the moon) was placed at the center of the room. He cut the cake and shared french fries as a treat for his friends followed by loads of pampering from his grandmom and aunt.

We visited the temple on the 4th. Adi had a time of his life with his grand parents as well as his aunts.

We had a fun party planned in the evening with a magic show, lots of games and yummy food for all our friends and family. It was a good get together with almost 100% of our guest list landing up. The kids enjoyed the magic show and they loved the tatoo's!

 

Finally it was time to open the gifts! I thought my baby would be exhasted after the day long chaos but he was an entertainer. Amazing where they get all this energy from. I simply attribute it to the heightened sugar levels in his system from the evening! 

This marks the end of my baby's funfilled birthday! I am so looking forward to being part of this milestone year and will keep posting our 'Mumma-baby' moments as well.

Sar kiyea pahaar by Strings

Sar kiyea pahaar by Strings

Tracking the terrible 2's...

I am prepared for the worst through this milestone year and man is it already coming true!!! Adults being driven up the wall... who ever said its exaggeration.
My son has been demonstrating very strong points of view for a while now but with his 2nd birthday behind us suddenly he seems to assert his positions very firmly.

We had to equip him with rain-gear last evening when we went out for a stroll because he refused to be carried and insisted he wants to get wet!
The story doesn't end there; since now we were ready for the rain we were happy n filled with glee while getting wet and in the process our jammies got wet with the rain water that seeped in through the gum boots. Finally when it was time to remove the raincoat out sleeves of the night suit were wet too! So as distressed set of parents we walked back to the raincoat shop and this time around picked up a dry set of night clothes!!!!

Oh not to miss a couple of hours before this incident Adi went down to play in the evening with his bicycle. I was amazed to see the alternate use of the trainer wheel. My son and his friends were using the wheel as their steering wheel. The 'vroom-vroom' vocals added to the excitement even more...

With his skills growing at such rapid pace I got excited and now have re-arranged my baby's shelves so that I can help him develop his fine motor skills as well as help him with his organisational behaviour. Have been advised by a lot of books as well as his school on these tricks. Hope they work!

Adi's also showing a lot of keenness towards music especially percussion. Thanks to all our family and friends he has been gifted with a lot of musical instrument which I know will help him bond with the art form. As for his spacial interest in percussion I am sure that the percussion set will keep him intrigued as well as engaged for a while to come. Thanku Ahaan, Shlok, Mathi n Metho! :)

Finally I have a task at hand to get Adi to begin using his activity books, the colours, the puzzles and read to him all the beautiful books (a gift I so deeply cherish and subscribe to be part of always). This is sure to keep him going for the next whole year! Was very thoughtful of all our friends...

So with renewed gusto for this wonderful milestone year "here I come"!!! :D

4th of July, 2010

24 months of motherhood and more to come...

Never realised the depth of what it meant every time my Mom said "wait till you become a mother"! Always left me wondering whether she hates the feeling, loves it sooo much that it hurts or is confused about it...

9 months into holding life inside of me and 24 months of actually nurturing it and I can somewhat put a finger to the statement.

Adi turns 2 this Sunday and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to unfold this wonderful side of life. Milestone reached but my head is reeling with thoughts of the future, challenges of the present and bewilderment of the past not to mention frustration of handling the terrible 2's too!!!

Looking forward to the next year and all the wonderful experiences it's set to unfold.

A short note from a proud Mumma of a 2 year old... :D