for me thus far i would say that my parenting style is "whatever works".

because seriously, all kids and their personalities are different. and often it seems that once i find something that really seems to be working, my munchkin changes on me!

so our trip to india is definitely changing up a few things for me on the parenting front as well...and probably pushing me more towards attachment parenting at the moment.

at home in the US, jia sleeps in a pack-n-play bassinet by our bed. so we actually packed it up and brought it over with us with the intention of keeping things the same here.

well, we turns out that we don't have space for anything of the sort here. so that was a big waste of luggage space! co-sleeping it is!

co-sleeping gets a super bad rap in the US due to SIDS. which is definitely scary. but some people say that if you're not a super hard sleeper or going to bed drunk or something, then sleeping with your baby is actually the safest option, since you can monitor them more closely, so i can totally see their point. i think a lot of the hard and fast rules are just made because of careless people...who are generally the exception.

so jia's been bunking with us here, and it seems to be working out! we're used to having our pups in bed with us, and jia's becoming much more mobile and interactive, so i'm not too worried about her at this point..plus she seems to enjoy it! hopefully it won't be a habit that's too hard to break later though! haha.

also, i've been baby wearing...a LOT!



i already enjoyed baby wearing quite a bit in the US, but here there isn't really a place for strollers at all, so baby wearing is much more full time!

before we left i bought a baby k'tan breeze off my friend, and it's been the best thing ever!!

we had a moby wrap and a more structured carrier, but both of those just seemed way too hot to use in india. jia doesn't like being strapped on if she's too warm.

not only is the k'tan much cooler and breezier, but it also is so much easier for travel, and so much more versatile! i can just wear it around my neck like a scarf when she's not in it, and i regularly carry her in about 3 different holds in it! she loves it!

at home i do cloth diapering, but with out our regular laundry system here, that just wasn't an option. so we're in disposables for this trip. and i gotta say, wow, i really miss cloth! the cloth diapers have already proven to be so much better at poo containment, if you know what i mean.

people say that with your first child you're much more paranoid about germs. and i'll admit it. even at home my radar goes off if i hear someone nearby coughing or something. but being with a baby in india has turned me a little bit germ-a-phobe i'm afraid...which is quite a challenge here! haha. i feel like mr. monk with a wipe on hand after every interaction...and it's funny to see my indian husband almost more paranoid than i am! haha.

i'm just thankful to be able to exclusively nurse her on this trip. it gives a lot of peace of mind to me, and comfort to her.

anyways, i'm hoping over all that this time will be good for teaching both us and jia some flexibility. it's definitely our first big adventure together!

ok, i'm not a sporty person.
i can't even get interested in football or baseball.

but today i was glued to the tv during the world cup cricket final.
amazing game. wonderful show of real teamwork and determination... i'm so proud of india!


congrats for winning the 2011 cricket world cup!

if anyone is married to an indian, then cricket automatically becomes a part of your life.

no, not the insects.

i mean the sport. if you still don't know what i'm talking about, just imagine the mother of baseball on crack. in india its almost closer to being a cult than entertainment. let's just suffice it to say that indians are passionate about their cricket.


and when india plays it's arch rival...pakistan... that just takes the crazy to a whole new level.
especially if it's in the cricket world cup semifinals!

which is what happened today.
which is why i stayed up all night to watch cricket for 9+ hours in a theater with my husband and desi friends!


thank you to india for making it worth my while, and thank you pakistan for playing a truly great game! both sides should be proud.


now we're off to the finals...which india hasn't won since 1983!
i think i should get instant wife points for knowing that... :)

here's a little something just to give you a taste of going around town in an auto rickshaw...
and trust me...this is pretty tame compared to a lot of rides i've had! haha.


i think rickshaw drivers here would be awesome at video games.

this has been the week o'indian weddings for us!


i must say i've enjoyed it greatly.
indian weddings are kind of like bollywood movies.... colorful, exciting, extravagant, dramatic, and crazy long! haha.


but i've loved being pampered with mehendi, eating an insance amount of amazing food, dressing in sparkly clothes, and dancing like a crazy firangi!

good times!

greetings from india.

this is my third trip to india, so you'd think i'd be a pro by now, right?
hehe, ok, maybe not.

even if i'm mentally prepared, india is always a slight shock to the system.

i once heard rick steeves, the famous travel guide, say that india is his favorite place to tour...
because it's the most of opposite of any other place he's visited.
and that man has visited a lot of places!

but to me that's a good way to describe india. opposite world.

i've been to my fair share of places as well...i'm no rick steeves, but i've seen a bit in europe, south america, and even africa...and i must say that india is still strangely unique.

i think it would be fair to call it a land of contradictions.

there are many things about india that are very beautiful, and there are many things that are very ugly...and these things strangely often go hand in hand.

i'll tell you what i mean...

the sense of community is amazing...the extreme over population and lack of privacy is not.

the importance of respect is beautiful...the disrespect towards the lower classes is sad.

the strength of family is powerful...the family drama and politics would rival a soap opera.

the way people here are in tune with more nature and natural health is fantastic...the extreme pollution and environmental stress is a major problem.

so you never really know for sure how you feel about something here. everything is a double sided coin it seems. though maybe it's like that a bit everywhere?

anyways, that's my perspective...at least from the big city of mumbai. i know things have varied a bit in other parts of the country that i've visited.

i've had the fun this visit so far of meeting up with some friends that we know from the US here. we've gotten to be tourists together, so that's always fun. the other day we actually did sort of a 26/11 terrorism tour...inadvertently. haha. we pretty much visited all the sites that were targeted by terrorists a couple years ago.

the gateway to india/taj hotel (they're right by each other)...



there were some cute little girls dancing with the navy band in front of the taj on the day we went...i think it might have been for some kind of 26/11 week memorial.


this is in front of the leopold cafe...one of the spots that got shot up. on our other camera we got some pics of some of the bullet holes that are still inside...kind of eerie... good food though. :)


we also went by the oberoi, though i forgot to get a pic of it.

anyways, i shall leave you with this typical indian street scene. 



crossing the street here is an art. :)