Thomas the Train!

We went to go visit Thomas the Train today in Santa Cruz and Manav had a great time! We told him last week that we were going to ride Thomas and he was so excited this morning. We got dressed in his train conductor outfit that Nishant and Neha gave to him on his birthday and we gave him a little Thomas surprise that had his cap, whistle and medallion to wear.  He just loved it!  He walked out the door feeling like such a big guy, it was hillarious!  We took pictures the whole time and it was truly a wonderful day :) 

What's nice is that Manav is getting older and I can tell he appreciates these things.  It makes him so happy which made the entire day completely worth it.

AESCLEPION AURA READING

On Saturday Satish and I went to have an aura reading at Aesclepion and it was truly amazing! I have been wanting us to go as a way to celebrate our anniversary and have some questions answered regarding our move to Nepal. We both had our own readings in separate rooms where we were given the opportunity to ask three questions.  They spent 90 minutes with each of us and we both walked away feeling validated and what they shared with us, affirmed our decision to move.  My reading focused alot on new directions and entering a transformative phase in my life.  They said that I had alot of clarity around our decision to move but that there was some heavy brown energy that was entering and making it challenging to feel completely happy. This had to do mainly with leaving behind mama and papa.  They said that I was a woman warrior in my previous life and that I was relying on this energy from this previous life to guide me in my new life, my new role as a woman in Nepal, which I thought was very interesting.  They said that I will definitely be challenged in my role as a woman in Nepal, but that I will be doing good work, work I've always wanted to do. Another powerful part of the reading had to do with having another child and letting go of some deep rooted pain and guilt around Manav's birth.  They helped me release some of the responsibility I was feeling about Manav's birth and said that it was pre-determined for us to have Manav.  In fact the three of us have traveled together as spirits in a previous life...which to me makes perfect sense, especially when it comes to Satish and I.  Things are so easy with us and happened so immediately that it must be something that we've learned from being together before...  They invited Manav's spirit into the room and read his aura/energy and said that he has a very strong sense of self, lots of confidence and is very capable.  They said that his physical body does not represent how big a presence he has. His aura revealed alot of red which I'm assuming is symbolic of how vibrant he is.  It completely resonates with what everyone says about Manav.  I see people become so drawn to him and are completely charmed by him - from his teachers and therapists to strangers in a restaurant or the store. People definitely do gravitate towards him, and Satish and I have nothing to do with that.  That's all him, and even these telepathic people could see that!  They continued to tell me that they do see another child, a little girl (though the child may not actually be a girl). They said that I can start talking to her and invite her into this journey with us even though she hasn't taken a physical form yet. Having my IUD removed later this month and thinking very actively about having another baby, has in some ways allowed us to invite this second child into our journey already...it was just so wonderfully validating, all of it.

For Satish, the entire experience was not as intense or mind blowing as it was for me.  They did share some very concrete things with him that were completely accurate - such as being surrounded by women and that he must have been like a guru in his previous life.  It makes perfect sense because Satish is so calm, grounded, not affected by drama unfolding around him and is just very Zen. Much of that wisdom is brought into this current life of his.  They said that the first couple of years will be a bit tough for us in Nepal, but that financially we will be fine.

I had three people doing my reading with me, including one of the lead instructors for the center, and she was the one who assigned us to the different healers/readers.  I think she knew I had more work that I needed to do than Satish...  anyhow, it was a wonderful experience and we both were so glad that we did it.  It's validated our inner calling to embark on this move to Nepal and has allowed us to accept our family for the beautiful spirits that we are, individually and collectively.

 

Our Last Raodtrip to LA

Last weekend we went to visit Papa (we only got to see Mama briefly before she flew out Saturday morning to spend 3 weeks up north) and it left me feeling very heavy hearted.  I have been quite rational about our move, explaining to others how "yes, I'll miss my family but I'll come every year to see them, it won't be that bad" - I was obviously not ready to feel, until now...  Papa just looks tired and older every time I see him - which is to be expected and shouldn't be alarming.  I wonder if he's going to be ok...  His relationship with Manav is very special. Manav said he wanted to sleep with his Nana the whole weekend and they did sleep together, it was very nice :) I could tell Papa felt very special to know that Manav wanted to sleep with him.  They hung out in the backyard and Papa watched Manav do a puzzle all by himself and kept saying how smart he is.  One thing that is hard for Papa to see, is Manav falling.  He gets very concerned and is nearly in tears every time Manav falls or cries.  We are much more immune to it, but Papa seems to become more sensitive over time rather then less... But this week has been remarkable for Manav!  He has really hit some very significant milestones. 

This week Manav is truly, officially potty trained!  He is doing pee-pee and poo-poo in the big toilet with a pink Dora supported toilet seat cover and he is so proud of himself.  His diaper is consistently dry in the mornings when he wakes up. I think next week he will go to school in underwear and no more pull ups!  Even Kitty, his OT at CCS is so impressed with how fast he was potty trained.  I'm afraid we're going to have to buy him the guitar set we promised him.  I suggested a marching band drum that he can wear and he gave me a weird look and said, "no mama, the drum set with the cymbal"  geez, with the cymbal?!  Another very significant milestone Manav hit yesterday was riding the big slide down by himself, and enjoying it!  I did sit behind him, but we were a couple feet apart and I was not offering any support.  He really did go down all by himself, and he enjoyed it so much he wanted to do it more!  I thought I would never hear those words from him. It was so wonderful that he felt confident and safe riding down the slide.  Manav is able to get in and out of the car and his carseat without any help.  I've noticed that he can take his AFO braces and shoes off by himself.  And, for the very first time on Monday, he walked all the way from the car to the front door wearing his backpack!  He has not been able to do that at all because the backpack causes him to lose his balance.  It wasn't very full with a fairly empty lunchbox and juice cup, but it was huge for him, and he was so so proud of himself that it made my heart swell.  These are the things that I was trying to share with Papa over email so that he knows how significant these accomplishments are for Manav.

Leaving LA on Sunday was tough.  I was in a funk that day not knowing why until Satish pointed out that this will be our roadtrip to LA.  That just triggered the tears for me.  I think leaving Papa alone was also really tough.  Manav was quite upset when leaving saying that he wanted to stay with Nana and refusing to say bye to him.  It made Papa sad and it made me sad too.  I rarely cry in front of Papa, and I didn't want him to see me upset.  Kids are so honest and candid - it is quite refreshing to express genuine raw emotions.  Here I am trying to hide my heavy heart while Manav is just screaming, "No, I don't want to go, I want to stay here with Nana."  How the heck is this child going to say bye when we leave for Nepal?

Other than that, we're indulging in park playdates, dinners with friends, and low key weekends close to "home"...

Here's Manav riding the pink pony at Montclair Park with some of his best buddies Simon and Zoe.