بهدوووووء

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

قده قد الفارة

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

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

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 :)