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...

SO MANY THINGS TO BLOG ABOUT...

First of all,I have been away for awhile(before I hit the 20 weeks mark in my pregnancy)and I have so many things to talk about.My problem is that I am a lazy writer but I really want to keep this as a journal for my baby.
Today I hit the 27 weeks mark in my pregnancy journey and I decided to blog about what I have been able to achieve in my pregnancy checklist.
1. Did a medical examination and everything seems to be fine.Alhamdulillah
2. Bought a lot of baby cloths i.e bodysuits and sleepsuits to last for 3 months
3. Started kegel exercise, in preparation for labour
4. Been consistent with my prenatal vitamins etc

I know I still have a long way to go i.e hospital bag et al but I am proud of these small things that I have checked off my to do list
FIY,this baby is a martial artist,the kicks I get are so strong....xoxo

THIS IS THE LAND OF WASTAGE

Table water is really very cheap here,sometimes you can even get it for free i.e at petrol filling stations where they gift it to you courtesy of the fuel you purchased.That's a very good thing abi? now my problem is the recycling culture they have here with regards to containers especially table water containers,once you finish the water you have to throw away the container because it cant be refilled when you buy another one.
In our household of two adults,each container lasts us about 3 days so we use an average of 10 big gallons of water per month which leaves me with 10 useless empty water gallons.When i got here,i used to keep the containers by the kitchen door and my husband will go out with it and come back with another filled with water.Stupidly, i thought it was a refill until he told me that he throws them away before buying another one.
Here is a picture of the useless containers...

POSSIBLE FIRST SAUDI FRIEND

So I got a good/scary news today,the wife of my husband's Saudi friend wants to meet me. The good news is that I am so excited about making my first friend since I got here(a native at that),however the scary news is that she doesn't speak English and I don't speak Arabic. I guess now you feel my anxiety.
I have made up my mind to learn as much basic Arabic as I can learn on the Internet in preparation for this good/scary meeting...wish me good luck and I'll keep you guys updated as events unfolds....
Xoxo....