A new blog

I've started another blog which will focus more on writing and books. If you'd like to join me over there as well, I would be really excited! Christinadwivedi.wordpress.com

Life Lately: kids and writing

It's been about a year since I posted anything here!

 My life lately:

 Spending fun days at home with my two year old, with the occasional outing.

Having a second grader in school, where I wish I could be more involved, but since you can't bring siblings to most school visits, it doesn't work out well.

 In between the above roles of motherhood, my mind has been focused on writing. I am in the process of formatting my middle grade(typically for 8-12 yr olds) children's fiction manuscript. I should be done in a day or two. I have learned a lesson, you should really type it all in manuscript format to begin with! *wink*

I have edited it over and over, had five family members/friends read it (thank God!), and am debating what to do with it next. I'd love more readers, people I already know, but the time commitment of reading it is not for everyone. I haven't had to beg for readers, and I don't want to do that. I want it to be someone genuinely curious and tell me that they are available to read it, which is what happened with my wonderful first five readers. I do have other relatives ready to read it, but I want to finish the formatting first.

Right now it's at about 75,000 words, yes that many thousands! Set in a time like late 1800's, where electricity is rare. I have given Earth a different name so that I could create new country names and change the geography. The twist is that there is interaction with visitors from another planet, where they are a little more advanced. So imagine someone like Mary or Laura Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie) meeting interplanetary travelers, and what an advanced society would be thought of in the year 1899, for instance.

I love period stories, but I also love futuristic or space travel stories. So I sort of combined them in my fantasy/scifi story.

I hope I'll have more to share about it soon!

I've also been reading a lot. I try to read a couple books a month, at least. I read that it's important to read the genre you are writing in, even though reading outside of your genre is helpful too! I have been reading one middle grade book after another, with an occasional memoir or cookbook in between. One of my favorite places to be is in the middle grade section of the library.

Hello...!

Just a quick post here to say hi I am alive and everything is good! It's been so long since I wrote anything here. Life just got in the way! I still enjoy checking out some blogs but have lacked the desire to post much. If anyone stops by here from time to time, know that I am around, somewhere. ;)

I still like finding pins on pinterest. But I usually don't pin a million at a time. But I love browsing it still - you can find me there!

Follow Christina's board Coffee Please on Pinterest.
Follow Christina's board fashion ideas on Pinterest.

Alabama snow

We live near Birmingham, so we were part of the great snow debacle of 2014! We made it home that day, barely!!! Finally the next day, we got to actually enjoy the snow.

An Amazing Trip

We got home a week ago from a 23 day trip of a lifetime. We visited The Netherlands (several cities there), Koln, Germany and PARIS, France in Europe!! Then we visited my husband's family in India. I will probably share a lot about it over time! I know I googled for tips before our trip and I'd like to help anyone looking for tips now! Traveling with a baby can make things crazy but our kids did great!!

Magical times

Fall colors

I love fall! 

A photo from a pretty day at a state park on my birthday, over a week ago

The Moon

A lot goes on in life without being blogged about. But I captured this full moon picture a few weeks ago and I love it! Had to share.

5 months!

My baby is already 5 months old! I feel like I just talked about him being born on here.

D.C. - Baby's first trip

When Rajan was almost 2 months old, we booked tickets to take a trip to Washington, D.C. in June. It went very well! Babies don't have to stop you from traveling. He did great on the flights. A good test for when we visit my husband's family in India this Fall or winter.

We stayed four nights. We went to the zoo, museums, Capitol Building, White House, Chinatown, Lincoln Memorial, and passed many other important buildings. We had so much fun! We flew and stayed in a hotel near the White House. No car needed. We used the metro.

12 weeks old!!

It's been six weeks since I blogged. Wow. Now little Rajan is 12 weeks old today! It's so cliche to say but time really does fly.

Yesterday we spent time exploring two places we had never been. Turkey Creek Nature Preserve and Horse Pens 40. Both had some beautiful nature going on. 

6 weeks old

Yesterday was my postpartum appointment already! Everything is good. 

I am very thankful for my children!

Cuties

 Sweet brothers

Big bro!

little bro

smilie

3 weeks old

Already three weeks old, little man!

He's here!

Our little Rajan baby is here! He was born on March 4th. I had a scheduled c-section. It was quite an interesting week afterward, with our little one spending 5 nights in the NICU. That was hard. I got to stay at the hospital in my room for 4 nights, and then 5th night they let us sleep in the family room(like a little motel room) at the NICU. We came home, very joyfully, on Saturday(the 9th)! He didn't have huge issues, but some fast breathing, maintaining temperature, and oxygen level. And thankfully they resolved themselves in only a couple days. I have more to share and more pictures, but life with a newborn is busy busy! I love him so much though. :)

Final countdown

One week from today, I hope I will be holding my new little baby boy!
My c-section is scheduled for Monday at noon. Of course, who knows if I will go into labor before then! I can't believe it's just one week away until I get to see our new little baby's face.

 I have been in major "nesting" mode for weeks. So much is already set up and ready now. I just need to focus on regular household chores until we go to the hospital.

Can't wait to see you, baby boy!

Three weeks left. Birthdays and Baby Shower!

Technically, two weeks and six days until my scheduled c-section! I have been in nesting mode for weeks, even though the house is still not all put together nicely! I did organize closets that were overstuffed, decorated the baby's room, and put baby things away.

We also had our son's 5th birthday party at McWane Science Center the Sunday before last, and my baby shower was last Sunday! My husband's birthday is less than a week before Kavi's, so we had fun for that too.

As for my shower, my mom and sister (with some help from my dad) transformed their house into a cabin with a black bear/lumber jack theme for the shower! It was so cute!! They even asked the guests to wear plaid, so almost everyone did show up wearing plaid or flannel! It was so nice.

(with my sis)

Nursery inspiration

I know my blog has been pretty neglected with posts only here and there every once in awhile! Still, decided it was time to share more about what has been up lately!

We will have a new baby in less than 2 months! (a baby boy)

I have been in more of a nesting mood lately! With Christmas and New Years being over, I could focus more on baby stuff.

Yesterday my husband painted the spare room/office room/soon-to-be baby's room! It's a light minty blueish color. "Almost Aqua".

Source: homedepot.com via Christina on Pinterest

Here's some of my nursery inspiration:

Source: projectnursery.com via Christina on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Christina on Pinterest

Source: laybabylay.com via Christina on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Christina on Pinterest

Christmas

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We had a very nice time on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I am 30 weeks pregnant now, wow! Our little boy will be here before we know it.

Lights

 About a week and a half ago we went to Noccalula Falls for their annual Christmas lights display. It's fun to ride the train through the park, all lit up.

 Kavi decorated a big cookie, in the box

25-ish weeks

I have an official due date of March 9th, but an ultrasound due date of March 5th. They are staying with March 9th because it wasn't a full week's difference. But I will have my csection at around 39 weeks! I am not sure when that will get scheduled.

So I am either 25 weeks today or 24 1/2!

This picture was from my sister's cell phone on our Gatlinburg trip, I was about 20/21 weeks.

 This one below was from yesterday!