Eid Mubaraq!

Hi, i will like to wish everyone in Nigeria, Saudi and the whole world a wonderful and splendid Eid. Normally on Eid, we cook a feast but for some reason,this time around, i did not feel like doing a lot of cooking.
A quick recap of the day, studied all night then prayed fajr, started cooking, finished cooking, watched John Q on MBC4, Mr came back from night duty at the Hospital informed me that he's on duty again at 3pm, served his food, took the ice cream he bought for me, the whole family slept, was woken up by a call from Nigeria(bro in law wanted to skype). Spoke to Mr's family on Skype, got dressed to take family pictures, Mr left for work and I am here right using my social media hour before i start studying again.How was your Eid? 
 I leave you with pictures of me and my family!

my sweet lil Zahir!

Zahir & Daddy!

Me!

Me closeup!

Me full length!

My Traditional Nigerian Wedding Day Picture!

A brief introduction about me, my name is Bilkis, i am a Nigerian currently living in Saudi with my husband(a medical doctor) and my son(born in March, 2012). I am a Lawyer turned full housewife turned blogger you can check out my fashion blog here. Here is a picture of me and my husband on our traditional wedding day

Here is another one!

Stay tuned for more about me pictures.Bye!

New Beginning!

It's a new beginning for my blog. From now on my blog will be random, meaning i will write about anything that comes to my mind as a Nigerian living in Saudi. I will try to identify the similarities/differences between the two countries. For example being a wife, raising a child and other aspects of my life.
Basically, my journey as a new mom living in a new country will be documented here.

THE PAST THREE MONTHS!!!

I have been away from this blog for the past 3 months and a lot of things has happened,in June, we visited Nigeria where Zahir got to meet all his family members for the first time, we also attended my bro-in-law's wedding ceremony and I was supposed to write my Chartered Secretary's qualification exams
(which I missed). We had lots of fun and we were spoilt silly by everyone. We came back to Saudi Arabia a day before ramadan started, we also met a lovely Nigerian family with whom we have become quite close, we ve visited them twice and they also came over to visit and brought us some Nigerian foods that I thought we couldn't find here.
Zahir recently turned 6 month on the 3rd of september and that made me realize how fast he is growing up and how slow I was in updating this blog so I decided to make a quick post about his recent achievements. So here we go:
He can now say babababa which you keep saying over and over again
He can roll over both ways
He just recently discovered your toes
He scoot backwards instead of crawling forward
He just started his own little adult food( which he totally hates)
And a lot of other things
Also, he loves watching Tom n Jerry and being read to.
He loves being held by his daddy
He loves when we hang out with other people.
These are stuffs that my blogger blocked brain can come up with for now.
PS: I had to take down the pictures from my blog because of some issues with some bloggers using other people contents without permission,since most of my pictures are personal and they are not signed,I decided to remove them not use pictures again

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY TO ZAHIR!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

So this year, my humble self, joined the league of mothers and it sure feels great to know that very soon Zahir will open his mouth and call me 'mummy'.
Dear Zahir, now you recognize me, my face, my smell and my voice and it gives me so much joy when I see the happiness on your face anytime you see me( even if it is "my milk factory is here" that is going through  your mind)


Yesterday you turned around, from your stomach to your back, for the first time.All these your firsts i.e first smile, first turning around, first laughing out loud just proves to me that I am doing things right as a mother.
Thanks for making me experience this journey called motherhood through you because now I sure love, respect and appreciate my own mother more.
I pray that we get to celebrate many more years of mother's day together eventhough, a mother should be celebrated everyday.
I love u my dearest lil Bubba!!!

To my mum, thanks for being you and loving me unconditionally.
To all other mums out there, keep doing the world's greatest job!!!

ZAHiR'S BIRTH STORY (PART 2)

I sat on the chair thinking of what to do, then about 10mins later, I heard Femi come in, apparently, he also had a change of mind about waiting till 8 pm, so he left the office.Immediately, I took a shower, checked my hospital bag and we were on our way to the hospital,by the time we got downstairs, I had stopped feeling any pain but we still proceeded.

When we got to the Labor ward,I was checked for dilation and effacement and I was still at 1 cm,then the Dr did a scan and she asked if I knew the sex of the baby(I said NO). My urine and blood sample  was sent downstairs to the Lab, then I was hooked to a fetal monitor while a drip was also set up,by that time, I was scared, so i asked what was going on when Femi was told to go and buy as many bottle of fruit juice as possible for me to drink. The Dr asked if I felt the baby move that day as much as i used to,I said no but I felt him move on our way to the hospital after I ate banana and drank water.She told me that i had low blood sugar, so I need to drink as much sugary juice as possible( I was thinking whao,I finished a large pack of chocolate 2 days ago). 

I finished the drip, fetal monitor result showed baby was ok and Lab result came out good.The doctor said it is definitely labor and asked if I wanted to be admitted or I will like to go home to progress.She also said I should tell Femi that we might end up having a csection(I rejected it) and said I will go home.Femi dropped me off at home then went back to resume his duty at work till 11 pm.As per the advise that I was given to walk up and down in order for labor to progress,I started pacing around the house and that was when the nasty pain started, by the time Femi came home, I was in tears but I refused to go back to the hospital( because I didn't want a csection)

Femi went to sleep and I was left alone with the excruciating pains,I can't count how many showers I took, some helped and others just made the pain worse. Occasionally, I will wake Femi to massage my back,by 3 am on Saturday morning,the pain was like 5-7mins apart and getting worse,that was when Femi suggested that we should go back to the hospital and I agreed.

When we got to the hospital this time around, I could not walk to the L&D ward so I was carried in a wheel chair by a nice Phillipino nurse.I was checked for dilation and I had only progressed to 2cm, the Specialist (Dr Poonam) was called and I was given another drip, when Dr Poonam came at about 4:30am she did a scan and saw when I was contracting(she said the contraction was too strong) then she checked again for dilation, I was only 3cm dilated.Then she explained that the baby is very big,that with the contractions I was having,I am supposed to start pushing the baby out but there was no space for baby to make the descent down the birth canal and if we wait further, the baby might go into fetal distress( fetal what??? Tu fi akwa) so the baby will be brought out via surgery meaning a Cesarian Section!!!!

I busted in tears cos my biggest fear just came true but then again I thought the baby's wellbeing is what matters so I gave Femi my consent and he signed the papers.

I was formally admitted to the hospital, I changed into a hospital gown, catheter was inserted( to pass urine) and by 5:50am I was wheeled into the Operation room, where Dr Poonam and the Anesthetist were waiting,I was given oxygen to inhale,I took 2 deep breaths and the last thing I remember was another contraction before I fell unconscious.

And my baby was brought into this world at exactly 6:00am on 3rd of March 2012, weighing 4.195kg, 21 inches in height and scoring 10/10 in his APGAR test!!!!!

P.S: Stay tuned for the post on my post delivery/Saudi hospital experience and my journey to recovery after being cut in half!!!

SWEET ZAHIR!!!

Mirror Mirror on the wall...Who is the sweetest of them all?

May Allah continue to make you a source of joy to the entire family...

ZAHiR'S BIRTH STORY( PART 1)

I am writing this post for me because one day I will like to tell this story over and over again to Zahir. At the risk of my memory eluding me in some years time,I decided to put my baby's birth story/my experience, into writing.

I had gone for a final prenatal check up at 36 weeks and I was told everything was fine,did a scan and baby was 3.7kg.when i got home, I decided to finish a pack of Toblerone chocolate that I had quickly so that I can start controlling my diet till my due date(shebi I still have at least 4 more weeks to go na) I was wrong fast forward to 38 weeks and 2 days,Femi left for work at 2:50pm then I decided to use the rest room around 3pm and I saw that I had lost my mucous plug,I quickly called Femi and told him what happened,he asked some question and told me not to worry. I dropped the phone then sprung into action i.e finished the laundry, mopped the kitchen and fixed my hair. After about 3 hours I started feeling some cramp like pain that was coming and going, I timed it and it was far apart,so I just slowed down to catch some sleep,this was wednesday and it continued like that, by Friday evening the pain had increased I called my Sis and told her, she said I should call Femi to take me to the hospital.Femi called me at 6pm by then I was already timing the contractions and it was 10-15 mins apart,I told him that he should lemme observe contractions till 8pm and call me back,as soon as I dropped the phone,I had a terrible contractions, then I became scared and regretted not telling Femi to come home immediately(I was outta credit on my phone)... To be continued!!!

MY EXPERIENCE AT THE MALL

Just want to share a recent realization about motherhood, it changes everything about you. The way you act, live and for freaks like me, the way you  think in emergency situations, changes as soon as you bring that lil one into this world. Something happened to me recently at the mall,Femi and I had gone to return Zahir's car seat because of some defects,while there, Zahir got hungry so I had to go and feed him at the female mosque,while he was feeding,we were alone inside the mosque,then I became really pressed to visit the rest room(needed to pee) and that was when the dilemma/confusion started. I contemplated leaving Zahir alone at the mosque while I go to the restroom which isn't far from the mosque, then some veiled Saudi women with unknown faces came in, (what if they steal the baby before i get back)I changed my mind.By now, I was wondering what to,do I walk all the way back to the eatery,where Femi is waiting for us, give Zahir to him then walk back to use the rest room. Or do I give the baby to the strangers at the mosque (to watch him while i pee)and risk them running away with my baby... You can guess the option I chose eventually...lol Xoxo

SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN AWOL!!!

Hello y'all, I am so sorry for being away for so long. I have been studying for a professional exam which I will be writing next month in Nigeria. It has not been easy balancing motherhood(demands of a colicky baby) with being a wife and a self-studying student, the discipline was just not there, coupled with the fact that the last time I wrote a serious exam,was Law school Bar exams in 2008. I will like to quickly add an update of things to look forward to on this blog.... I want to write about the birth story of baby Zahir, hoping that one day, he will get to read it. My trip to Nigeria,up coming exams and a certain wedding ceremony that is happening after my exams. Things that I have learnt about pregnancy and motherhood so far. My vacation/travel plans in the nearest future...etc These are all the things I can think of right now...blog u soon!!! Xoxo

TO ZAHHIR!!!

Dear Zahhir,

 
I decided to dedicate this post to you since it's been four weeks(one month) that you joined us,now i feel like our family is almost complete(not ruling out a bro or sis in the nearest future). First of all, i give thanks to Allah for giving you to us(i will forever be grateful),this journey called parenthood has been very hectic, stressful, emotionally draining but above all,it is one of the sweetest job in this world.  I pray that Allah continue to make you a source of joy to me, your dad, the whole family and the rest of the world.May Allah bless you with good health,intelligence,brilliance and may he also make you a good Muslim so that you can fulfill you destiny in this world(and the hereafter). Amin  It's been four weeks that we started getting to know you and it seems like you have been with us forever.Sometimes, i look at you and i start crying(hormones i guess) because i cant imagine anything bad(God forbid) ever happening to you.I have never felt so responsible for anything in my life as i feel for you.  Yes, you cry a lot and it seems like you are always hungry but i am always happy to breastfeed you,change your diapers,give you baths that you seem to love so much and just hold you.There are some things i know about you now,like u getting impatient when you can latch properly on the breast, you seem to prefer sleeping on your bouncer to sleeping on your bed and you just love to be held by mommy and daddy. You also respond to your daddy's voice anytime he speaks and you love listening to both of us when we gist.Oh! and you love smiling at me.
 Sometimes, you cry for no reason,at these times, i just strap you in your bouncer and abandon you in the sitting room to self-pacify then when you have quieten down, i give u cuddles.  Recently, your dad traveled, so it's just you and i in the house,so we sleep on the same bed,you formed the habit of holding my cloth or my hand,just to reassure you that i am there,if i move an inch,you will wake up and start crying. 
You are already growing so fast, no wonder Aunty Mariam asked if you have started walking yet.Well, with the look of things, that might happen sooner than expected because you are attaining milestones meant for three months old babies at 3-4weeks.
 OK, i have so many things to say to you because one day,i hope you get to read this, but right now, you have started crying,so i have to pick you up.  One more thing..dad and i LOVE YOU so much....

Doctors appointment went smoothly!!!!

Baby's heart rate is normal
My blood pressure is superb
Ultra sound scan showed dat baby is doing fine...
Now the full gist,the first doctor I saw is a female consultant from Pakistan,she was very pleasant and interactive,she checked the baby's heart rate and asked several questions then she told her assistant to take my BP.
Then I went to see the sonographer, who is from Egypt, for ultra sound scan.He spent like 15 minutes poking my stomach then declared baby fine(90th percentile and measuring a week and some days ahead). Femi asked for the sex, unfortunately the doctor could not determine the sex cos the baby did not cooperate(guess we'll have to wait afterall)
By the way,it's just one big baby in there, not twins!!!!
That is the recap of my doctor's appointment yesterday and I shall leave you with more pictures of my big belle

BABYTHINGS!!!!

At almost 36 weeks, i decided to make a post of all the baby things that i have, so far.Please, note that we still have no idea what the baby gender is but for some wierd reasons,almost everything we have has an hint of blue in it.If this baby turn out to be a girl, she'll have to make do with alot of boyish stuff for the first 3 months of her life.
Without further ado, let the posts begin!!!

A place for baby to sleep(the upper part will be used as a bassinet then it'll be lowered as baby grows)

Bouncer!!!

A convertible car seat that can be used from birth till age 4!!!

 Baby cloths in 0-3 months with flannel receiving blankets,socks, hats and booties

Baby cloths in 3-6 months!!!

Baby cloths in 6-9 months!!! unopened and unwashed...

Towels, Bibs/Burp cloths, Grooming kit, First aid kit, washcloths, pacifiers, teether et al!!!

Newborn bath tub positioner, changing bag, toiletries!!!

Changing pad(without cover)!!!

Padded waterproof mattress cover, wipes and some nic nacs!!!

Wall arts made by yours truly for baby!!!

Hospital bag(almost good to go)!!!

AND

A parting shot of "Mama to be"....

Feel free to leave comments and come back for more pictures of my DIY(Do It Yourself) projects...
Miss Ya all...