The Mother in Me

My Ameer is Finally Here

2011-12-28T20:23:00.000+02:00

My new bundle of joy, Ameer, arrived to this world on the 4th of December 2011 at around 18:45, 18 hours after arriving at the hospital. I was 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I didn't see that coming that soon, but it was a great surprise and a great relief indeed :D

My mom was supposed to arrive from Lebanon on the same day, so hubby had to leave me to pick her up from the airport. Yes, I was left all alone in the delivery room when I was expected to deliver my baby at any moment. I felt bad, really bad, miserable to be more specific, and I cried and cried.. I felt so unlucky for not having any family or friends around, especially at such moments. But finally mom arrived a couple of hours before delivery, she came directly to the hospital and stayed with me the whole time while hubby had to stay outside with Kareem. I almost had a breakdown when I saw them coming and thanked God they made it before the baby did. Otherwise I don't know what would have I done without them. After delivery I forgot all about what I've been through, and felt that I'm the luckiest woman EVER for having such a mom, hubby and children. May God protect them all, amen.

Ameer is such a gorgeous baby mashAllah. He spends most of his time sleeping, giving me enough time to sleep, do housework, spend some quality time with his brother, and even go out. This time, I feel more confident and more comfortable in dealing with a newborn, since I've been through all this before.

Kareem loves his brother, but he's a bit jealous of him, which is quit normal and expected. We're trying to give him as much attention as before, if not more, so that he doesn't feel any difference, still he goes crazy sometimes when we give the baby some attention.

My heart just melts when I look at my boys. I can't thank God enough for having such a bliss. Alhamdulillah :)

Kareem Going to School

2011-09-21T10:01:00.000+03:00

Sunday 18-9-2011was Kareem's first day of school. He's still too young for KG1 (3 years two months old), but we thought that he can manage, at least academically, but socially we were not sure, still decided to give it a shot anyway.

We've been preparing him for this day for a long time, telling him about school and all. We prepared him to the fact that parents don't stay with the children at school and all that.. Still we've been dreading this day for months now. We were sure that he'll cry his eyes out when we leave him at school because he's very attached to us, and is not used to be left with strangers for a long time now, especially that I've been jobless for more than a year, and he stopped going to the daycare since then.

Surprisingly, he was very confident and excited on the first day of school. He did not cry at all. On the contrary, he was very happy and wanted to go there over and over again. On the second day he was also excited to go again to school. BUT on the third day he started nagging that he doesn't want to go there anymore! When I dropped him at school, he cried. Today (4th day) he also said that he doesn't want to go to school, but thankfully he didn't cry. It was me who cried this time. I've been holding my tears and struggling to stay calm and strong since the first day, but I couldn't take it anymore. I'm very attached to him, like he to me, and I'm not used to stay at home without him, it feels sooooo empty without him running around the house all day. Even when I worked for around a year and a half, Kareem used to stay with me in the nursery of the school I used to work at. We used to go together and come back home together, we were under the same roof and I could check on him at any time. So this time it is different, and more difficult, and being pregnant makes me even more emotional about the whole matter.

But what can we do. This is life and sooner or later he has to be given the chance to learn how to deal with things on his own. His teachers like him, and he seems to like them too. He's a good boy and actually makes me proud.

I keep checking the time and asking myself what is he doing now? Call me silly but I really wished they have a camera in his class to allow me watch what he's doing all day. Kareem, my precious, May God bless you and protect you always.

Its Blue again!

2011-08-10T13:30:00.001+03:00

Well, e7em e7em, I hate to admit it but my feeling totally betrayed me this time. Maybe because I've always wanted to have a daughter, I kept having dreams that I'm holding a baby girl, which convinced me that what's growing inside my tummy is a girl. I even started to think of girls names...and was waiting impatiently to make sure of the gender to start buying pink stuff.... until it was time for an ultrasound that showed that I'm having a baby "boy"! I was shocked, to be honest, not that I don't want a boy, or that I object on God's will, but because of that "feeling", I was almost convinced that it's a girl. I'm still having those dreams by the way..

Anyway, alhamdulillah, I'm not sad or unsatisfied, God knows I love him and want him as much as I've wanted a girl. The good part is that Kareem will have a "brother", which is cool. Kareem already calls him "akhoni".

And by the way, I'm halfway there, 20 more weeks to go..

It's Kareem's Third Birthday

2011-07-12T00:12:00.003+03:00

Kareem is a bright boy mashAllah. I'm speaking from a teacher's point of view not a mom's by the way ;)
In the past year, I've been spending some time every now and then teaching him stuff. He can now identify all the English alphabet, uppercase and lowercase. He can count to 20, and read numbers up to 100. He can name most of the colors and shapes in Arabic and English, the names of most animals, birds, vehicles, things, etc... also in both languages. I've just started introducing him to the Arabic alphabet. He recites four short Quraan surahs by heart. We do crafts every now and then, and he enjoys it. I think that his favorite toys are puzzles and trains. He likes balls and bicycles of course, a typical boy. His favorite dishes these days are spaghetti and french fries. He likes vegetables and fruits, thankfully. He's all ready to go to school after two months!!

My baby isn't a baby anymore. He's a big boy now, and is going to be a big brother soon inshAllah. Kareem turns three years old today. I can't believe how time flies! I still think of the moment I first laid my eyes on you as if it was yesterday. I can't tell you how much I LOVE you, how much I'm grateful to have you in my life. You're my joy and pride, the most precious gift I've ever had. God bless you my dearest. Happy happy Birthdaaaaaaaaaaay, MWAAAH

Kareem and the Expected Baby

2011-07-06T07:52:00.000+03:00

When we told Kareem that we're expecting a baby, he didn't get it at first. It was important to let him know that there's a baby inside mommy's belly so that he stops kicking mommy there. We were really concerned that he might hurt me or the baby with his boyish way of playing, so that he becomes more careful.

When he finally got it, he was surprised and pleased, and of course more careful not to hurt the baby. He said that he loves the baby and wants him to come soon to play with him. He keeps checking my growing belly and asking: there's a baby in there, right? I love him and he loves me, and we'll play together. He sometimes acts funny about it. Like once he saw me patting on my stomach, I often have a stomach pain :(, so he got angry and said "Mom, don't do that! You'll hurt the baby!" :@ haha

Once he was playing with his baby toy when he looked at me and asked: there's a baby in your belly just like this one, right? Yes dear, that's right. Then, let this one, pointing to the toy, enter your belly as well to stay with the other baby.

The funniest one so far was when he said yesterday: I also ate a baby, just like mommy did, it's here, inside my tummy. OMG, the boy thinks that I ATE a baby hahaha

Kareem is about to turn three, in less than a week :)

Pink or Blue?

2011-07-06T07:32:00.000+03:00

I'm fifteen weeks pregnant now. We haven't discovered the gender of the baby yet, as during the previous visit to the doctor the baby refused to reveal his/her goodies :D . Maybe we'll be able to know in the next visit. I'm one of those people who prefer to know the gender of the baby early. I don't know why exactly, maybe it has to do with the bonding thing or something, beside other things like shopping and names :D

Anyway, I have a "feeling" that it's a girl! Let's wait and see if my feeling is right this time too.

Kareem will have a brother/sister

2011-06-15T14:19:00.000+03:00

We're expecting baby number two. I'm 13 weeks pregnant. My due date is on the 20th of December, 2011. Praying for an easy delivery and a healthy baby inshallah.

Zeeroteen and Oneteen

2011-02-07T16:34:00.002+02:00

So Kareem already identifies the numbers from zero to ten, but after teaching him the numbers eleven to twenty, 10 becomes zeeroteen not to mention that 11 is oneteen!

بدّي أفرح بشبابي

2010-12-12T15:37:00.005+02:00

Kareem came to me once and said:" Mama, bedi afra7 bi shababi".

I was like, HUH??? Come again please! What have you just said???? o_O

Kareem: "bedi afra7 bi shababi!"

My God! What I heard was clear, no way to be mistaken, bedo yefra7 bi shababo??

I cracked up before remembering that it's that song on toyor el jannah that he used to watch in Jordan!

But for God's sake, among all the songs that he knows, why on earth did he choose this sentence in particular??

I still laugh my heart out every time I recall this incident.

Cookies

2010-12-12T15:18:00.002+02:00

Kareem went to the kitchen and found me cutting biscotti logs. He asked: "Mom, what are you doing?" I said:" preparing cookies". He opened his eyes in disbelief and started crying. "I want to make cookies, I want to make cookies with youuuuu." He was sooooo mad, sad, and disappointed. I couldn't stand the looks in his eyes, and the tears, as if he was trying to say: HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU BAKE COOKIES WITHOUT ME!! THIS IS BETRAYAL, BACKSTABBING!!

Actually he's used to prepare cookies with me, cutting and decorating, he enjoys it. He couldn't believe that this time it wasn't the ordinary cookies that we usually prepare together.

I felt guilty, calmed him down and gave him a piece of biscotti to cut. He started cutting and eating, with tears still falling from his eyes, he said: Hmmmm, LATHEETHAH.

He drew a smile on my face, and his. :)

بهدوووووء

2010-09-21T21:35:00.003+03:00

Kareem was playing today, preteding, and talking to his toys when I suddenly heard him saying: bi hodoo2

Huh? bi hodoo2? Never mind, I thought to myself, I must have misheard him. But he repeated it, bi hodoo2. Then I burst out laughing, wak ya maf3oos, where do u get such expressions from? bi hodoo2 2oltelli?

So, here's another word added to his "fos7a" dictionary. However, the most common fos7a word that Kareem uses is فقاعات (bubbles). He loves to see foqa3at, and to blow foqa3at, and to listen to the foqa3at song on Bara3m channel. And when he sees bubbles anywhere, especially at Early Learning Center, he gets all excited and starts screaming foqa3aaaaaaaaaat foqa3aaaat. I, myself, am not familiar with this term, 2al foqa3at 2al.

Good Boy

2010-09-16T20:32:00.005+03:00

I was working on some tracing sheets with Kareem, and while explaining to him how he's supposed to hold the pencil and join the dots I said: hek, emshi 3al 5a6! So he stood up and literally walked on the paper. Meshi 3al 5a6, lol

Kareem turns Two

2010-07-08T16:22:00.003+03:00

Kareem is growing and so is my love for him :)

My sweet boy will turn two in 4 days! July, 12, 2010 (but we actually had a party last month before he left the nursery :)

He speaks very well mashallah compared to his age.
He can count to 10 in both Arabic and English, knows a few colors and shapes, and can sing many nursery rhymes and children's songs in both languages.
His favorite show and favorite character ever is Barney. He also likes Dora, Obi, and Thomas, but Barney is number one.
His favorite dish is stuffed vine leaves. He eats it with passion actually, No wonder! :D He also, like most toddlers his age, likes rice with yogurt (loz laban), and french fries with sabbab (Ketchup).
He has many friends, they all love him, and he's the favorite of many of them.
They describe him at the nursery as the "classy" boy. Yeah right! See how classy he is at home, haha
I love to spend sometime watching him, do nothing but watch him, while playing, eating, sleeping... my most precious moments :)
I love his smell, even when he stinks :D
I love his smile, his laugh, his voice..
I love his eyes, especially when he laughs, I love his tiny mouth and nose, his cheeks are so edible and so are his toes, I so want to eat him alive!
I love how he runs to hug me
I love it when he kisses me saying 7abeebi mama, and when sympathizes with me and insists to kiss el wawa if he saw a tiny cut or sth. on my skin.
I love it when he starts singing spontaneously while playing and then hides his face with his hands when he discovers that we're listening to and watching him.
I love it when he's in a good mood and asks us to play some music so that he can dance :D
I like (and hate at the same time) how independent he is! He chooses what he wants to eat,and recently what he wants to wear, what he wants to watch or listen to, and where to go!
I like how clean he is, his hands have to always be clean even if he hasn't finished eating yet.
I love it when he learns and says a new word.
and I can go on and on...

Still, I hate how clingy he is sometimes and refuses to leave me even for five minutes.
I hate it when he gets sick
I hate it when he's moody and fussy and all my attempts to please him fail
I hate it when I lose my temper and yell at him or even adroboh diddeh on his hand
I hate that he learnt at the nursery to be possessive, and refuses sometimes to let anyone touch his things shouting: ELE (it's mine).

Katkotati, I can't really express how precious you are to me and how much I love you. May God protect you and keep you healthy and safe.
Happy birthday darling! Many many happy returns of the day, FA3ESSSSSSSSSSSSS

Khalto Diana

2010-06-24T15:47:00.003+03:00

Guess what Kareem is calling me these days.
Khaltoo Dianaaaaaaaaaa, khalto Dianaaaaaaaaaa
He heard his cousins calling me that, so he liked the idea :D
Kareem is almost two years old now.
Am I back to blogging? Well, I hope so but I can't promise. I miss this place so much.

beeb beeeeeeb

2009-12-05T20:03:00.003+02:00

As I mentioned before Kareem was sick for a while and I was extremely worried about his complete loss of appetite. He used to refuse any kind of food even the things that he usually likes and heartily eats. I tried different methods and different kinds of food to encourage him to eat, but in vain. He lost weight of course and the doctor said that everything will be OK soon so there's no need to worry. I couldn't of course but remain worried.
The other day, I was so desperate that I decided to buy him a doughnut, I wanted him to eat, anything, healthy or not, el mohem yakol, ay shi. And I thought that a doughnut would be tempting enough for him to take a bite or two. When I handed it to him, he took it, (OK that's a good sign since he refused even to hold the food back then , there is hope that he may give it a try, and then he will like it and eat it all, and I'll be very happy and this will make my day... and everyone will live happily ever after :p)
All these thoughts ran through my head like a flash while Kareem was examining the doughnut, and we were waiting eagerly for him to start eating, yalla.. bismillah.. but instead of putting it in his mouth he started turning it left and right, like a steering wheel, saying: beeb beeeeeeb

What Scares Kareemo

2009-12-05T06:04:00.005+02:00

We took Kareem for his "second" haircut yesterday. And for the second time, he cried his eyes out. A boy just his age did a haircut before him and didn't cry at all. He was busy watching barney. Although Kareem LOVES barney and was dancing and enjoying the show while waiting for his turn, he couldn't sit still and all the attempts to distract him and convince him to relax and watch barney went in vain.
Did I mention that the first time I felt that Kareem needs a haircut I did the haircut myself? :D w 3ainkon ma tshoof sho kanat el nateejeh, HILARIOUS :D.. literally zigzag cause he kept moving his head. Yeah, I'm blaming it all on him, 3ala asas I'm a good hairdresser :D bas tab3an 7arramet.

Kareem is also scared of the sound of the vaccum cleaner and of shower heads, he never allows me to give him a bath using a shower, so I use a bucket :S and everytime I try to use the shower head which is more practical and easier to manage he starts screaming and trembling. I don't know what to do about it!

Biddi

2009-11-30T21:57:00.003+02:00

Kareem has learnt the word biddi and it became the most frequent word that he uses these days.
Mama, biddi may (water), biddi byebye, biddi beeb beeb, biddi baba, biddi bish (potato chips), biddi koko (biscuits), biddi, biddi, biddi...

Random Thoughts

2009-11-30T20:48:00.002+02:00

I feel so sorry and guilty for neglecting this blog. But what can I do? I have no time AT ALL to update it :(. However, I posted something here that included some updates about Kareem.
Anyway...
-Kareem is sick, he's been sick since a while actually. Cold and fever every couple of weeks. I know it's normal, and it happens to all children, but I hate to see him weak and cranky. And I'm worried about his loss of appetite.
-He talks a lot :D (Of course we understand a word or two) and repeats anything he hears. He is sooo CUTE mashAllah. I can barely stop myself from biting him.
-He's been a very peaceful and ahbal baby, and I was worried about that cause he never shows any attempt to defend himself whenever another baby attacks him or does anything wrong to him. Until out of a sudden, there was a HUGE change, he not only knows how to defend himself now, but he's the one who starts the fight sometimes :S
As much as I wanted him to stop being ahbal and learn how to defend himself, I don't feel comfortable about the whole matter anymore because he kind of zawadha. He's saying (and doing) too much "diddi" these days, even to us, me and his father. And I don't know what to do about it! I've been told to totally ignore him and things will get better by themselves. But I just can't, I need something faster and more efficient.
Struggling with behavior and displine already, eh? :D

Barefoot Kareem

2009-02-02T20:57:00.002+02:00

It's been ages since I last wrote anything here!
Anyway, Kareem now enjoys playing with his feet. No more shoes for him cause he takes them off :D. He even takes his socks off!! The other day a man called us at the supermarket, he was saying something and pointing at the floor, we looked to find out that Kareem threw his socks there, lol

Lately, he not only plays with his feet, he puts them in his mouth and starts sucking his toes, hahaha, and he looks so cute when doing so :D

Starting Solids

2008-11-19T10:13:00.003+02:00

Although it is advised not to give solid foods to babies under 6 months, I believe that some can be ready to move beyond milk-only nourishment at 4 or 5 months, depending on some signs of course.
I was planning to introduce solids to Kareem when he turns 4 months and see whether he's ready or not. The other day I was eating a banana and Kareem was looking at me when I suddenly thought, ok well, why not give it a try NOW :D so I mashed a little piece of the banana, about one tablespoon, and put a small amount in Kareem's mouth. At first he looked curious, as if trying to discover the new taste and texture, then he got excited and gave me signs that he liked it and wanted MORE, lol. The next day I got him rice cereal and I've been feeding him about one tablespoon a day and will increase the amount gradually. So, Kareem is ready and absolutely loves this new experience.

Four Months

2008-11-12T00:20:00.000+02:00

Kareem has turned four months old today. He now recognizes his mom and dad. He goos and coos and laughs out loud. He keeps watching his hands, playing with them and of course sucking them, sometimes both of them at the same time :D . He has just started reaching for objects and clasps his hands around them. Yesterday he was fascinated by the colors of Quality Street chocolates and was urged to snatch a piece and put it in his mouth!
Kareem now rolls over, one way, so I can't leave him unattended anymore. He loved it when he rolled over for the first time and got all excited. He LOVES to sit up, supported of course, enjoys and prefers the sitting position to lying down. He also enjoys his everyday walk with mom and dad.
Kareem is not a sociable baby anymore! He got used to being alone with mommy all the time and doesn't like it when we have guests or go for a visit, he gets fussy especially when he finds himself surrounded by strangers who want to take a look or take pictures.
Mommy is thinking of introducing solid food to Kareem sometime soon to see whether he's ready to have solids or not yet. For some reason, she thinks that he is.
Mommy says that Kareemo is a good boy, although he gives her some hard time sometimes. She keeps ef3asing him and eshfoting his cheeks! :D My precious little angel, happy four month birthday! God bless and protect you. Love you, love you, love you, love youuuuuuuuu

He Cried Himself to Sleep

2008-11-11T08:55:00.003+02:00

So, since ever we came to this country, Kareem's sleeping habits have changed. Instead of getting better, they got worse! Why? Because he got used that whenever he wakes up at night, I rush to pick him up so that he doesn't cry and wake his daddy up. So instead of waking up one time at night as he used to do before, he now wakes up like every couple of hours, just like newborns!! This is making me really exhausted and sleepy all the day, and it's all my fault.

Last night he woke up three times, and in the forth time he didn' t want to go back to sleep. I tried for more than an hour to put him to sleep, and the moment I put him in his bed thinking that he finally fell asleep he feels that he's not with me anymore, wakes up and starts crying wanting me to pick him up again. Until I got really mad and thought to myself, Kareem is four months old now, isn't it time for sleep training? I think it is, and I'm gonna act immediately! So, I left the room, where Kareem was just about to start nagging and protesting, and went to check out some online articles that I've read before about baby sleep training. I had to reassure myself that what I was about to do was right. I have to teach him healthy sleep habits, to soothe himself to sleep, and sleep through the night, or at least not to wake up every couple of hours! This of course needs courage, patience and strength. I had to listen to his cries that were getting louder and louder and hold myself from picking him up immediately. I only went in every couple of minutes to pat and reassure him. It was heartbreaking to hear him cry like that, but I kept encouraging myself not to surrender and to be stronger and more patient, especially that I know that he needs nothing but being held. The process took more than half an hour, and Kareem finally fell asleep on his own for the first time. As much as I was glad that he did, I felt so sorry and guilty and began to cry myself, lol
Today morning, I kept kissing and hugging him asking him to forgive me :(
I know that this method needs consistency and once we started it we need to stick to it, and it's supposed to take a week or so until Kareem gets accustomed to fall asleep by his own and thus the mission of establishing good and healthy sleeping habits is accomplished. Please God help me.

Naughty Kareemo

2008-10-22T09:21:00.001+03:00

Yesterday Kareem didn't want to leave me alone, he kept nagging all the time wanting me to pick him up. When I didn't listen, he started screaming and crying. At first I surrendered to his tears, they make me weak and guilty.. Then I decided to leave him cause I had to cook. His screaming made me nervous that instead of cutting the veggies, I ended up cutting my thumb. It was really difficult for me to continue preparing the food with an injured finger.

Kareem also woke up at about 3:30 am to eat, and decided not to sleep and was in the mood to play and laugh out loud. His laughing woke his dad up who stayed awake until he went to his job. I guess Ammar is thinking seriously of sleeping in the living room from now on :D

Kareem and Mom in Abu Dhabi

2008-10-20T09:15:00.008+03:00

I've been worried recently about flying with Kareem and kept praying that he doesn't cry much and make a scene on the plane. I also did my best to get him accept the bottle which he hates sooo much. We struggled for weeks until he eventually accepted it. Unfortunately, on the plane, and before taking off, he decided that he doesn't want to eat from the bottle at allllll! and the moment I put it in his mouth, he started screaming. I didn't know what to do. I gave it another try and again he started screaming. He was hungry and I had to come up with a way to feed him. Once he was full, he fell asleep and spent most of the journey sleeping. So, in general, Kareem was a good boy except for the bottle and screaming part.

Yesterday I was all alone with Kareem for the first time, with no one to help.. no baba and no teta. Kareem is not used to stay alone or leave me alone :D and I was wondering what am I supposed to do now that I have more responsibilities. But again, it was easier than I expected. I managed to do some housework and cook. I'm trying to make him get used to stay alone while I'm busy doing something, it breaks my heart to hear him crying but since he doesn't need anything except being held, he nags a little bit and then stops. With time it will get easier I believe.

Off to Abu Dhabi

2008-10-14T13:13:00.003+03:00

Kareem turned three months a couple of days ago and it's time for him, and me, to leave Lebanon and go back la 3end baba :) We're flying on Thursday to Abu Dhabi this time. Kareem is sad that he's leaving teta... I've never seen my mom so attached to anyone as much as she's attached to Kareem, and never seen her love someone as much as she loves him. To be honest, I regretted that I came here to give birth cause leaving now is much more difficult than anytime else. Everyone is asking her sho ra7 ta3mli hala2 now that Kareem is leaving, and she answers "3adi, Allah ysahel 3alehon". I know that it's not 3adi and that she will miss him so badly... but what can we do, ces't la vie.

Yummy Hands

2008-09-28T16:20:00.000+03:00

Kareem has recently discovered his hands. He spends much time playing with them, crossing his fingers, unintentionally grasp anything that comes close to them, and the worst part is that he puts them in his mouth and start sucking them! No matter how I try to keep his hands away from his mouth, he puts them back!
He still doesn't know of course that they're part of his body and that he can hold things with them, but he finds them amusing, a new thing to discover and play with.

For the first time in history

2008-09-21T16:40:00.001+03:00

Kareem slept six consecutive hours, and so did I!
WOOHOOOO

قده قد الفارة

2008-09-17T17:47:00.004+03:00

كريم صوته عالي على ما يبدو، مش عارفة لمين طالع!! بس مؤخرا اكتشفنا انو لما يبكي أو يصرخ (مش بالضرورة يصرخ يعني زعلان ممكن يصرخ وهو مبسوط، أو لما بدو ياني بصرخ بصوت عالي) صوته بيوصل لعند الجيران، كل يوم بقولولنا سمعنا صوت كريم الساعة الفلانية  و هو عم بيصرخ

فضيحة هالولد، قده قد الفارة وصوته مملّي الحارة

Two Months

2008-09-12T19:50:00.000+03:00

At the hospital, when they brought Kareem to me, I didn't know what to do with him, didn't even dare to hold him. I'm not used to deal with newborns and always thought that they look funny and weird with their puffy eyes and wrinkled skin.

I stared at Kareem in amazement, like a kid who has just received a new toy and still has no idea what to do with it and how it works. I thought that he looked so cute, even with the puffy eyes and wrinkled hands. Everybody was encouraging me to hold him but I was scared and thought that he was too small and fragile to hold! I was afraid that I might hurt him or something. But eventually I forced myself to hold him, carefully.. and cautiously...
Is this the same creature who has lived inside me for nine months? Subhan Allah!!
So finally we met. It took us some time to get used to each other. I thought that I was such an ignorant mother who didn't know how to handle her baby, and I felt guilty about it. I didn't even know how to change his diaper, I remember that once I woke my mom up in the middle of the night because I couldn't figure out how to change Kareem's diaper by myself :D . I used to get extremely worried and panic whenever Kareem cries thinking that I must have missed something or done something wrong. I've always felt guilty and blamed myself about it until I found out that crying is just the way babies express their needs, it's their only language, and sometimes they cry just for the heck of it! I had lots of things to learn. I can say that the first month was extremely difficult, lack of sleep made me exhausted and drained all the time.No baby blues though thank God! I didn't know that being a mother can be this hard. Now I understand why is it so great to be a mom and why we must appreciate our mothers.

The second month, however, was less exhausting. I kinda started to understand Kareem's language. He now cries less and has certain signs to express what he needs instead of crying. I'm enjoying him more and everybody is enjoying him. Friends and family, young and old, have fallen in love with Kareem. He became everybody's toy :D. They visit us more often not to see me but to see Kareem, and call us not to check on me but to check on Kareem. And I don't mind at all of course :D. Kareem is a sociable baby, he likes visitors, and mostly behaves in their presence.
Kareem is a stubborn baby, and very hyper too, mashallah! He gets bored easily and always wants new things to entertain him. He has his own rules, nobody can control him and this is making things hard for me. I'm a person who cherishes freedom, now I feel that I lost it all. I am no more free to do whatever I want at the time I want. My whole life is now devoted to Kareem, the sweetest and the most precious gift that heaven sent us.
Kareem turned two months old today! Happy Birthday Kareemo. May God bless and protect you my little angel. We love you.
and thank you for giving me a few minutes to write this post :D

Abu Ramadan

2008-09-01T16:12:00.002+03:00

Hubby is suggesting that our son, Kareem, should name his son Ramadan, so that his son's name would be Ramadan Kareem :D

Ramadan Kareem everyone :)

Ebni el Habool

2008-08-19T12:28:00.003+03:00

started hurting himself.
He always scratches his face.I cut his nails, yet he managed to injure his nose as well as his cheek!!
He was screaming like crazy, and when I hurried to see what's wrong, I found him pulling his own hair!

Kareem's First Smile

2008-08-09T21:05:00.000+03:00

Kareem is four weeks old. He has been smiling recently only while sleeping or just about to fall asleep. He looks soooooooo cute when he smiles and I always wonder about what makes him smile :D
Today, he surprised me with an adorable cute smile when I was talking and playing with him, and he was fully AWAKE!! Nothing can be sweeter and more heart melting than seeing your baby smiles at you for the first time! 7abeebi, he made my day! Can't wait to see more real and huge smiles Kareemo. 7ebak ana, mwaaah

Advice of the Day

2008-08-07T19:51:00.003+03:00

Never try to cook or bake anything unless you make sure that your baby is deeply asleep and is not likely to wake up any time soon, cuz when he suddenly wakes up and starts crying you'll end up missing an ingredient or something and spoil the whole thingie

Thank you Foof!

2008-08-07T13:45:00.000+03:00

Wafaa' made us this beautiful card on the occasion of Kareem's arrival! We decided to post it in our blog.
That was so sweet of you Foof. We love you. xoxo

Going Out for the First Time

2008-08-06T09:41:00.000+03:00

I've been told that I went out for the first time last week. I'm saying "I've been told" cuz I really had no idea that I did! Since I need a passport, we went to take passport photos. Unfortunately, I fell asleep before going out and remained so all the time. They say that I opened my eyes after various attempts to wake me up and the photographer took advantage of the moment and photographed me before I closed them and fell asleep again! Then they went to a friend's place and stayed for a while and I remained peacefully asleep during the visit until we went back home.

So, I missed my first meshwar! This is so unfair mommy! :@
Anyway, I heard that I'll be going out next week too (I'll be one month old) , to visit my doctor this time. I hope I don't miss that too!!

Pee Pee Time!

2008-08-03T19:02:00.004+03:00

A couple of days ago I peed on my mom while being changed :D
I did the same to grandma once but I kept the big surprise to mom. She felt a warm liquid pouring on her clothes from nowhere before she discovered that this liquid was nothing but my pee :D
She was shocked at first, OHHHH NOOOOO, but then she burst out laughing. You naughty little thing, shame on you!
Sorry mama, I tried to hold it in but couldn't :S :D

Delivery

2008-08-01T20:21:00.003+03:00

On the same day I posted that I felt some labor signs, the signs started to get better gradually. At night I felt some contractions, mild pain accompanied with heavy sweating. But the contractions were not regular and not painful. My friend suggested to take me to the hospital but I refused since I knew that what I was feeling were not the “real” labor signs.
Kareem was moving that night like never before, his movement was increasing intensively and I told mom: the baby has been moving since hours as if he can’t stand to stay in there anymore and wants to get out so badly :D .
I slept a couple of hours that night. I wake up at 5 a.m. and shortly afterwards my water broke!I wake my mom up and headed directly to the hospital. There were no contractions, no pain at all.. but I knew that I’ll be holding my baby in my arms very soon. I was excited… at last..the moment that I’ve been waiting for since nine months has came … my baby is on his way… five hours later, Kareem arrived. I lost track of time but I was told that he arrived at 11 a.m.
What I first noticed the moment Kareem was born was that he was clean with just a little bit of blood on his head. He didn’t cry at first, he was looking around him, kinda scared, not knowing where he is or what’s happening to him, poor little thing.. I was examining him… not believing my eyes… “how’s the baby?” the doctor asked. “He’s fine” replied the nurse. I got emotional, as usual, and my eyes teared up, El 7amdulillah ya rab..
Then, a sense of relief and peace suddenly took hold of me. They took Kareem to clean him and I was taken to my room. I couldn’t rest, couldn’t sleep… couldn’t wait to see Kareem, hold him.. tell him how long I've waited for this moment and how much I love him... and start my new role as a mother :)

Hello World!

2008-07-27T14:47:00.001+03:00

Hi everyone! This is Kareem blogging :D
I arrived to this world on Saturday, July 12, 2008, at about 11 a.m. I was supposed to arrive two weeks later but since I heard that mom was in a hurry and since I got bored in there I decided to come early. I am two weeks old now. Mom says that we must party and sing happy birthday to you tralala :D, she said the same last week too :D
Mom seems very happy and excited at my arrival. The moment I arrived she forgot all about her pain and the things the doctor and nurses were doing to her and turned her head towards me with eyes full of love and tears.
I love the songs mom made up for me. She usually hums them in the morning when she is still in a good mood. She says that I am the most adorable and the cutest baby she's ever seen! She's my mother you know and I wouldn't have believed her haven't I heard everybody else saying the same too, especially mom's friends. I'm glad that gorgeous ladies like me and think that I am so cute :D
I haven't met my father yet, he keeps asking for my pictures and videos, and I can't wait to see him.
Life is not bad so far, I spend my day mostly in sleeping, crying, and drinking milk. .. hmm sho kaman,OK that's it for now I guess. Since this blog was created especially for me, I'll be sharing it with mommy. Will be back later..

First Labor Signs?

2008-07-11T15:21:00.004+03:00

When I was told that there were no labor signs at all, I was upset.
Now that there are a couple of signs, I became very anxious, worried, impatient and restless...
The bad thing about delivery is that you never know when exactly it is going to happen, some signs may take place a couple of hours, days, or even weeks before real labor.

This is the first time I call my doctor. I had to ask her about some changes that I noticed. She said that these are good signs that labor is on its way and there's no need to worry. She also asked me to keep track of the baby's movement and in case I didn't notice any for a long time I should head to the hospital to make sure that everything's OK.
Mom is asking me to distract myself and just take it easy and wait until it's time.
So, between watching the fetal movement and trying to distract myself, I'm kinda confused.
Yesterday night I was hallucinating about the baby's diapers, lol. I woke up and found myself saying: newborn diapers packs, not the 6 kgs one, I want the 2 to 5 kgs pack :D

Week 38

2008-07-09T14:46:00.003+03:00

Two more weeks to go, or three, or maybe more (I hope not).
The doctor said that there are no signs that labor is going to take place anytime soon.
I felt bad, I was kinda disappointed by what she said; and I had abdominal cramps after visiting her. I know I know.. it's not my due date yet and I shouldn't have expected her to say anything else, but I just felt bad. I couldn't stand the pain that's supposed to be mild, to me this is not mild at all, I wonder how is it going to be during delivery, I'm scared already. I told mom that I won't get pregnant again, and I think that I will die during delivery, die of pain, lol. She yelled at me asking me to stop saying nonsense :D
There are times when I just feel sick of being pregnant, bored and tired of waiting...

On a side note,I stopped gaining weight since the beginning of the ninth month. I gained 13 kgs, which is normal and appropriate.

Oh No, Not Again!

2008-07-04T11:06:00.006+03:00

I was looking forward to give birth so that I can finally stop feeling hungry every couple of hours and return back to my normal eating habits. It's weird how I should always worry about getting hungry, and take precautions before going out so that my stomach doesn't start growling and I along with my baby start shouting: FEED ME NOW :D

Until I found out just yesterday that the dream of going back to normal eating still has to wait and won't come true anytime soon. Because if a pregnant woman needs to add 300 extra calories to her diet, a breastfeeding woman needs to consume 500 additional calories per day! :S

Grrrrrrr

2008-07-01T22:32:00.005+03:00

Mothers.. ya mothers... You were pregnant once, weren't you?! And you know how annoying and disturbing noise and mess can be to a pregnant woman!
So why do you come along to visit her with your unbearably naughty and noisy kids and turn her day into a living hell?!
When you have such uncontrollable kids, LEAVE THEM AT HOME for God's sake.. ana mish tay2a 7ali.. effttt
khalas, fadfadet :D

Random Thoughts

2008-06-27T14:36:00.005+03:00

- Today I was surprised at how my fingers look, they have swelled up! They look funny, especially that I have small hands and thin fingers, and the wedding ring doesn't fit anymore! :D
My feet have swelled up too, long time ago, and I had to put my old shoes aside and buy a new pair.
My face, however, hasn't changed yet, not a bit. Although I heard that the face does swell in the last month too.

- I feel so heavy, and I am finding a difficulty sleeping, especially in this hotttttttt weather. It's so damn hot and I can barely take a breath.

- The doctor said that I can start walking from now. My mom laughed and said: She's been walking since a loooong time, halkatna :D . It's OK, I feel much better when I walk. If I stayed a couple of days without exercising, my back and legs start hurting.

- The baby is growing so fast in the last month, mashAllah. Last week, he weighed 2.5 Kg, now he's 2 Kg and 800 g. He's gonna be a healthy boy, inshAllah.

- I started "packing" the bag I'm gonna take to the hospital.

- The doctor started lecturing me about the do and the do nots. She concentrated on the point that I shouldn't freak out and get tensed, because this won't help at all during delivery. The more relaxed I am, the easier the delivery will be... Allah yestor :S

- The countdown has begun, and I can't wait until it's all over. I hate waiting, especially when it's for a big event like this... having my first baby.

Pregnancy Humor

2008-06-26T18:34:00.008+03:00

أدعية المرأة الحامل

2008-06-22T22:00:00.001+03:00

من انفع الأدعية دعاء الام الحامل لجنينها و هو في بطنها وهذه مجموعة ادعية للأم الحامل
حتى يحفظ الله لها جنينها و يتم حملها على خير و يستحسن الاتيان بها بعد كل صلاة
*****************************
اللهم اجعله مسلما صالحا عابدا ذاكرا..حافظا للقران الكريم وممن يعملون به..
اللهم اجعله بارا بوالديه وأهله..
اللهم حسن خلقه وخلقه ..
اللهم أعذه من شياطين الأنس والجن..
اللهم سهل ويسر حمله وولادته..
اللهم أقر عيني به..
اللهم ارزقني ولدا واجعله تقيا ذكيا
واجعله سليما معافى ولا تجعل في خلقه زيادة ولا نقصان ..
واجعل عاقبته إلى الخير...
اللهم اصلح لي ذاتي وذريتي...
اللهم استودعتك هذا الجنين فحسن في خلقه وأخلاقه يا رب العالمين..
اللهم اني اسألك هون الطلق وحسن الخلق ..
اللهم آمين.....

********************************
- "ربِّ هبْ لي من لدنك ذريةً طيبةً إنك سميع الدعاء".
- "ربِّ لا تذرني فردًا وأنت خير الوارثين".
- "ربِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا، يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ من دعوة الإسلام، واجعله رَبِّ رَضِيًّا".
- "اللهم ارزقني صبيًّا حَنَانًا مِّن لَّدُنّك وَزَكَاةً، وَاجعله ربِّ تَقيًّا، وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيْهِ، وَلا تجعله جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا، واجعله اللهم يأخُذ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ، وَآته اللهم الحكْم صَبِيًّا".
- "ربِّ َهَب لَي غُلامًا زَكِيًّا، واجعله اللهم مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ ما كان، وأعِنه على الصلاة وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دام حَيًّا، وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيه وَلا تَجْعَلْه جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا".
- "اللهم اكتب له طولَ العمر، وحُسنَ العمل، وسعة الرزق، وسعادة الدارين".
- "اللهم ارزقه جمال الخَلق والخُلق، وقوة الدين والبدن، وسعادة الدنيا والآخرة".
- "اللهم إني أستودعك جنيني الذي في رحمي، أنت الذي لا تضيع ودائعك يا الله".
- "اللهم احفظ جنيني واحْمِه، وامسكه في رحمي,وأتم حمله على خير".
- "اللهم يا من أمسكت السماء أن تقع على الأرض وهي بلا عمد، أمسك ما في رحمي، وأتمم له على خير".
- "اللهم صوِّره في أحسن صورة ونجِّه من كل تشويه ومرض".
- "اللهم يسِّر حملَه وولادتَه ورضاعتَه وتربيتَه، واجعله مطيعًا لربه، بارًّا بوالديه، متعاونًا مع إخوته، نافعًا لأمته، زخراً للإسلام والمسلمين".
- "ربنا هبْ لنا من أزواجنا وذرياتنا قرة أعين واجعلنا للمتقين إمامًا".

- ومن أفضل الأمور التي يجب أن تتحصَّن بها الحامل وتحرص عليها في كل حياتها: أذكار الصباح والمساء، فإن فيها نفعًا كبيرًا، وخيرًا عميمًا، وعونًا في أمرَي الدنيا والدين

The Penguin Walk

2008-06-13T16:57:00.000+03:00

I sometimes suffer from a backache that makes me walk with a waddle. When I was in Dubai, I went for a walk with hubby who looked at me and said: Oh, you walk like a penguin! :D I laughed so hard my eyes teared up. Couldn't imagine myself to be walking like a penguin, that's so funny, hehe
Now my mom calls me "Batta", but hubby insists that "penguin" is more accurate :D

I'm feeling heavy and tired these days, I'm bored already and want this to end very soon. I hate how impatient I am, and that I still have to wait for more than five weeks. This endless talk about labor and delivery is freaking me out. I understand that people are trying to help by giving me information and telling their own experiences but I just don't want to hear anything about this matter for the time being. I want to distract myself from thinking too much about delivery and the suffering I may go through. I keep praying for an easy and smooth delivery and a healthy baby inshallah.

Kick Kick kick

2008-03-04T13:41:00.001+02:00

You naughty little thing! Why do you always choose to wake up and start kicking only when your mommy is about to fall asleep?! Are you going to do that as well when you come to this world?
that was a little note to my boy :D

I started feeling those little kicks a while ago. At first it felt like a heart beating in my belly. Later on, the kicking became more clear and stronger. I remember that I was doing something when I felt a kick in my belly so I left everything and went to sit and concentrate to make sure whether what I felt was real or I was just imagining things. And there it went, a kick, another one.. it was real, finally :D
My mother saw me drawing a wide smile on my face, hek la7ali mitl el habla, she must have thought that her daughter went crazy hehe, so she asked what's the matter? I told her that I started to feel the baby moving and kicking. She felt happy and excited too :)

Don't mind what I said at the beginning of the post. Actually I do like these kicks, it's another way to communicate with my baby, I feel that he's telling me "hello there, na7no hona" :D. I love it when in the morning, while I'm sipping my tea, the baby starts kicking as if he's trying to say : good morning mommy, I'm awake too

It's BLUE

2008-02-26T14:46:00.000+02:00

I mentioned before in a reply to Batoul that I have a feeling, a strong feeling indeed that's it's a boy. So, I wasn't in the least surprised when the doctor told me that it's a boy inshallah, as if I knew it already. Subhan Allah :)

Time to start thinking of a name, eh? What do you suggest?

Emotional Instability

2008-02-09T13:38:00.000+02:00

I'm not a moody person by nature, or at least that's what I believe myself to be. I mean I'm not one of those people who wake up feeling bad, and just feel like crying or even beating someone up for no specific reason. When I feel bad, it's usually because something happened and made me feel so. Mostly I'm happy and optimistic. But I am a very sensitive girl, I must admit, I sometimes can be very easily irritated and hurt, and cry easily, that's why some people are usually careful when they deal with me :D. Still I am anything but moody.

But lately, I noticed that I've actually became moody! I sometimes find a big difficulty in controlling my temper and getting rid of strain and negative emotions. This makes me feel bad and guilty at times. I couldn't understand why is this happening until I found out that the unbalanced hormone levels are to be blamed for causing all this mess. Hormones change dramatically during pregnancy making the woman very moody, grumpy and overly emotional. A fact that many people, especially men, have no idea about. They think that she's only being na22a2a and daloo3a lol. What do they know about PMSing for nine months anyway? :p

Now I understand why they say that a pregnant woman needs all the care and support from the people around her (especially from the husband) during this sensitive stage. Thank God I have a very supportive family and caring friends who are helping me out through this phase. Being away from my husband is painful, I must say, but I'll do my best to make it not affect me much, if not for my sake, then for the sake of our baby.
So, guys, if you have any pregnant woman in the family, please be very supportive and nice, do not try to irritate her because you never know what her reaction might be :D. But in case this happened, lay the blame on her crazy hormones not on her. ;)

The First Seen Moves

2008-01-23T11:26:00.000+02:00

The monthly visit to the doctor is one of the most exciting things that a pregnant woman would ever do! It's more like a date with her beloved cute little baby to meet him and see how's he doing.

Yesterday's visit was the most exciting one so far. I could see my baby, who has grown so fast Mashallah, very clearly this time. I loved it how my sweet doctor was as excited as I am while showing me the baby's body parts, "here are his eyes, his ears... check out his arms and legs... this is his neck, and here's his backbone... and here are his toes.. see how's he moving." The cutest part that drove me to tears was when he put his hand on his cheek, he looked so cute mashallah! The sound of his heartbeat made me cry too. He was moving all the time, moving his arms and legs... I still don't feel these moves and kicks yet (but I was told that I will very soon).

But the naughty little thing couldn't allow us to know whether he's a boy or a girl. He was curling his legs up all the time and we waited for him to extend them but he didn't! I was very excited to know, now I have to wait for the coming months. I have to remember to punish him for that, LOL, kidding tab3an! :D

Expecting (5): A Big Change

2008-01-22T12:10:00.002+02:00

Along with the tiny new being that's developing inside you, a new feeling - that you experience for the very first time - starts to develop too. That is: motherhood.

An indescribable different kind of love tickles your heart right at the moment you perceive that you are a mother-to-be and brings with it those tears of joy. A feeling that keeps growing with your growing awareness of the existence of this unseen little intruder who came to your life suddenly turning it upside down!

You become a different person. You notice continuous changes in the way you live and the way you look at life... changes in your interests and concerns... in your plans and priorities... in your body, mind and soul... in brief: changes in everything!

Now, there's a human being growing inside you who depends wholly on you to give him all the love and care essential for his growth. You are ready to give him anything that he needs, and just do anything you can to keep him safe and healthy. You follow all the instructions and advices just for him... You are extra cautious and careful in everything you do and eat.. in every move you make.. for his sake. You educate yourself and read all the pregnancy books and articles that come to your hand because you want the best for him. Simply, you are now living for him. *Diana sings you are the reason, and everything I do I do it for you* :D

I look back at the day I went out with my two married friends who spent the whole time talking about their pregnancies, and about their babies, their food and the kinds of diapers they use. And even ended up exchanging diapers, not used ones of course :D. They bored me to death that I decided never to go out with married friends again! Now such subjects became my favorites. It became more interesting and more fun to chat with my friends' mothers than chatting with my friends themselves :D. My God! Look how I've changed!
At the mall, instead of checking the women sections like I always do, my legs take me directly and unconsciously to the baby's section where my heart melts when I see the babies and their cute adorable stuff.

There's a lot of changes and sacrifices.. A lot of concerns and worries and mixed feelings that every pregnant woman goes through. Still, I believe that this exceptional glamorous experience is worth every sacrifice. It is undoubtedly the most exciting and rewarding adventure of a woman's life :)

Originally posted here.

Expecting (4): My Health

2008-01-22T12:09:00.001+02:00

My mother always says that I’ve been a good girl ever since I was a fetus. She's usually surprised whenever a woman complains about her uneasy pregnancy or about her naughty children saying that she never suffered from such things. E7EM E7EM :D.
This to some extent used to relieve me knowing that girls do inherit such things from their moms. So, having a smooth and happy pregnancy like mom’s was something I looked forward to.

Unfortunately, my pregnancy turned out to be completely different. I suffered from almost all the awful symptoms that pregnant women may have from nausea, heartburn, food aversions and cravings, to moody swings and other things.

Even before knowing that I’m pregnant, I noticed that I can’t stand to smell any strong odor including my own perfume. This, later on, developed to a strong feeling of DISGUST. Any smell, even that of food, would turn my stomach. I couldn’t enter the kitchen for weeks! Entering the kitchen was like entering hell to me. As a result, I wasn’t able to cook. So, I used to force myself to eat some fruits- the only thing that my stomach could accept- and that’s it! At night, hubby would order fast food after spending much time choosing something that would't make me feel queasy.

Starving myself means starving my baby, a fact that I came to know later, and made me feel very guilty. I made my baby starve, I am extremely sorry but I didn't mean to wallhi :(

Believe it or not, I hated all kinds of coffee and chocolate, knowing that I am a coffee lover and a chocoholic. Now I can’t even stand their smell! Weird things happen during pregnancy.
This, however, is a good thing. Pregnant women better limit their intake or even cut caffeine out of their diets. Chocolate, too, will give me nothing but extra pounds, so I'm lucky I hated it too.

On the other hand, I craved the arabic bread, especially el saj (mar2oo2) and tanoor, which was impossible to find in Turkey. I also craved my mom's cooking. I wanted badly to eat Mlokheyeh although I don't really like it much, but as I told you the most weird things may happen during pregnancy. I wanted to eat wara2 3inab, kebbeh b laban and many other things... I made a list by the way :D I was daydreaming about eating them :D

Eating them is no more a dream now. I enjoyed (and still) eating mama's cooking. Thanks to her care and tabeekh, I don't starve my baby no more. You better thank ur grandma for taking good care of you, fahem? hehe The pills and vitamins prescribed by the doctor helped a lot in reducing the symptoms and increasing my appetite and I started gradually to get better. Now that the first trimester which is the most difficult stage is about to end, the unpleasent symptoms are disappearing thank God. And I feel good, both physically and emotionally.

Originally posted here.

Expecting (3): The Reaction

2008-01-22T12:08:00.002+02:00

OH MY GOD! My heart sank when I saw the result. I was stunned. didn't know what to do and how to react. The idea didn't really sink in! It was unbelievable! too good to be true!

Once I regained my senses I found myself crying... shedding tears of joy.. a mother? me? I'm not prepared to be a mother! Not here.. not now. I'm completely ignorant when it comes to pregnancy. The idea then freaked me out. MAMA HELP MEEE.

Ammar's reaction , just like mine, shifted from shocked to excited to worried especially that my health started to deteriorate. So, my return to Lebanon was unavoidable, where my mother can take good care of me.

Everybody was extremely happy to hear the news. I can tell that my mother was the most excited of all. Thanks to her, I regained my health, and I'm feeling much better now.

Originally posted here.

Expecting (2): Not Expecting

2008-01-22T12:08:00.001+02:00

We were not in the least prepared for a big event like this. Thinking of having a baby was to be postponed for about a year due to many reasons. I've always believed that any couple should wait some time before deciding to have children to make sure that they're really getting along so well, and that they're willing and ready to make a happy family together. Secondly, the first year of marriage could be the perfect (and only) chance for newlyweds to enjoy their new life together, go out and travel.. before becoming parents with all the responsibilities to worry about. And finally, in our case, we were not yet sure whether we were going to stay in Turkey or move to another country, so it was important to settle down first before thinking of adding a new member to the family.

Now that it happened, we can't but accept heartily and be very thankful for the gift that God has granted to us.

Originally posted here.

Expecting (1)

2008-01-22T12:06:00.000+02:00

I had to put an end to all the concerns and doubts that had been haunting me for several days. I must take action immediately! I was very tense but I tried to control my nerves as much as possible. I got dressed.. calmly.. looked at myself in the mirror.. stared into my eyes for a few moments.. looking for an answer to "can this be possible?".. but there weren't any...
I made sure that I had the paper in my pocket... and went out.
I could feel my legs shaking... and my heart was beating so fast that I had to stop, trying again to calm down... took a deep breath and moved on...
I looked around until I caught sight of the place I was looking for "Eczane"*. I walked directly towards it. Hi, would you please give me this? giving the lady the paper with the two Turkish words "Gebelik testi"*. She handed me the thing. Thank you I said. You're welcome :) she replied back. Oh, I don't believe it, finally I found someone who speaks English in this country! I thought to myself.
I hurried back home. Followed the instructions. and to my surprise the result was positive. I am a mother-to-be :)

*pharmacy
*pregnancy test
Originally posted here.