Happy 3rd Birthday Iman!

When your child has a birthday it's a great time to reflect over the past year and realize all the countless things she has learned and how she has enriched your life.

Thank you Iman, for adding so much love and laughter into our family. We love you!

What goes around comes around...

On a normal day Iman's TV time is limited to 1 hour. An episode of Barney and an episode of Dora is all that she's allowed. But of late, things haven't been normal in the house, because of which we've been slipping, and Iman has been watching more TV than we would like.

On several occasions I have said to her... "If you watch too much TV, you'll turn into a TV and then I'll have to put you on the wall and watch you all the time."

Mind you, this isn't taken as a serious threat in our house. She finds it really silly and funny and gets a great laugh out of it.

So yesterday, I was watching something on TV and Iman came to me and covered my eyes. When I asked her why she did that, she replied in a VERY serious tone...

"You're watching too much TV, if you watch too much TV you'll turn into a TV and then I will have to put you on the wall and watch you."

Oh great. She's using my own words against me.

Size Zero

Pregnant women can enjoy their bump while it lasts. But once that baby comes out... the pressure to get back into shape is on!

The worst part is that the post pregnancy woman probably looks the worst that she ever has. You've got flab hanging from your tummy, even though the child is out, your child bearing hips are still in tact, your face retains the swelling, the bags under your eyes are like two black holes and the worst by far... you gave birth to a 3kg baby AND the placenta, there is no more amniotic fluid and your uterus is back to size, but you've only lost 7kg from the weight they took at the hospital when you went in for labor (in comparison to the 17 you gained during the last 9 months)

To add to my woes, there are absolutely NO clothes made for post-pregnancy. For the past 5 days I have been searching for a top to wear for Iman's 3rd birthday party. I have been to 3 sales and a handful of other stores. All I need is something cute and trendy that covers my still prominent child bearing hips.

But no avail! Dubai is stocked with maternity outlets which carry sizes for all kind of bumps. They add that oomph to your already curvy figure and make you look good. Then there are stores that cater to proportionate women. There are small sizes and big sizes, but no sizes for my still prominent child bearing hips... Are there no un-proportionate women out there?

Cute-iful!

Iman has always been a self admirer. Once in a while we find her combing her hair in front of the mirror, and declaring that she is so beautiful! We also get to hear comments like...

My hair looks so nice.
My clothes are very pretty.
I am so beautiful.
I'm a princess.

The list goes on...

(Obviously we don't have self esteem issues in this house :)

Today, she decided that there were no words in the English language to describe her. She dug out a twirly dress from her closet, put it on, did a little turn for me and said... "Look mommy, I'm so cute-iful!"

I thought she made a mistake, so I said... "You mean beautiful?"

And her reply... "No mommy, not beautiful -- cute-iful. That means cute AND beautiful."

Happy Mother's Day

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent,

I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough ... . to ask where you were going, with whom,

and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room,

a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes.

Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions

even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . .

to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all.

I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic

that motivates parents, you will tell them.

For all you mom's and mom's to be out there... Happy Mother's Day!

Omair, thanks for the beautiful evening.

And thanks especially for making it special for my mom as well!

What's in a name?

Choosing the right name for your child is the biggest responsibility. There are so many things to consider... not to mention, this is the identity you are creating for your child before they can make one for themselves.

I am a firm believer that the name has to "grow" with the baby. So, when I was 3 months pregnant with Iman, Omair and I had gone through baby names like there was no tomorrow. Since we didn't want to find out the gender of the baby, and we didn't want to wait until the baby was born in order to find a name, we ended up settling on 2 names, one for a boy and the other for a girl. Omair had really taken to the name Iman and I had chosen Rayyan. Since we had a girl, Iman was welcomed into our lives.

This time around, we found out that we were having a girl at week 20. So we were name hunting since then. There were many that made the list... Ayzah, Jennah, Riham, Amal, Myra.

The chosen one was of course, Ayzah.

Why this and not any other? I don't know. I've always felt that naming my children is a HUGE responsibility. The name has to suit them as a baby, as a school kid, as a teenager, as a college student, as a colleague, and as a spouse. Let's say, I am looking for something classy that will grow with them.

We had come across Ayzah when my sister was pregnant. At the time she chose another name, but Omair and I really liked it, so it stuck in our minds. When we found out that we were going to have a girl, we tried to look for other names, but this one just kept making the top of the list.

And when we welcomed our second born into the world, Ayzah just seemed like it was her name.

P.S. Ayzah is more commonly spelled Aizah. And it means noble. I have also heard that Ayzah was Hazrat Ali's (RA) daughter, but I have no real proof or confirmation on that.

Just when you think you have things in control...

I've realized that when you're raising children, you can never settle into a "comfort zone". Everytime you THINK you've got it all figured out, the child throws a curve ball your way and you're feilding is all off.

I am a person that oozes organization. I MUST have things under control. I need to know what's coming next. So when I started on my journey as a mother, it was natural for me to try and find the flow of things. It wasn't long before I realized that raising children is a constant form of education. You NEVER stop learning, because they never stop changing.

When Iman was born, every few months, when I felt like I had her all figured out, she would change her pattern and I would be back to sqaure one.

In my natural contsruction, this was the most frustrating thing, becuase I felt like things would never settle down. But I came to learn that embracing the constant change is was keeps mothers alive. Although failure to establish patterns can be frustrating for people like me, it's the value of growing and learning that becomes the new routine.

A Thousand Different Faces

Whenever people hear about a newborn, they instinctively ask... "Who does the baby look like?". I never really understood this, because babies really just look like babies. But it's funny, how an adult can look into the face of a 2 day old a declare that... "She's taken JUST after her father!"

I can never see resemblance between parents and children, so normally I steer clear of these conversations. The funny thing is that children will change a thousand different faces over the course of the first few months. So really, who can make that call at just a few days?

Iman, who was born a spitting image of Omair, now apparently looks a lot like me.

Ayzah, as everyone has told me, is a total copy of me. So much so, that when my mom holds her, she tells me that it feels like she's gone back in time and she's holding me again.

As the days pass, I try to look at both Iman and Ayzah to find resemblances of me and Omair, but I have come to realize now that both of them have their own faces, and no matter how many similarities others may point out, it's not just their face, but also their personality that really adds to who they are.

P.S... and yes, Ayzah, even at 2 weeks has her own personality, she's a feisty little devil!

Massage and Therapy

I have a lady that comes in the morning to massage me and Ayzah. It's something cultural that we have done for the first month after delivery.

The "massage lady", as she is known in our home, is a wise old woman who has been doing just this for years. She's elderly, but wise. And during the time that she is massaging me, she talks to me. Asking me about what is going on at home, how I feel about raising a second child. What my problems are and how I am handling them.

She also offers words of wisdom. Wisdom about how to handle Iman during these changing times. How to work around the kids and continue to have a relationship with my husband, and how to steal those moments in life for myself.

I get a massage and therapist to talk to.

More value for money than I had thought.