Khala M and Ray are visiting so we’ve been very busy. S Khalu is sticking around only until Fri evening so we’re taking him around town, letting the kids bond and run wild while also packing and prepping for our trip next week. We’re traveling for my brother-in-law’s wedding in India and we will be back midway through January. It’s going to be a crazy, fun and mad few weeks so I’m not going to be able to update here. I’ll be back with more stories and s

When I look at Noob, mostly I see that all the efforts I’ve put into the care and feeding of her are paying off. She’s kind, sweet, has good manners and so on, even if I say so myself. All stuff that I worked hard to teach her, to make sure she learns and knows. But then once in a while I’ll catch her doing stuff that I do but don’t want her to do. The latest in these things is my socially-awkward-situations laugh. You know the one I’m talking about? It’s what

A few days ago, I was walking with Sooni in my arms when he put his head down and pulled himself even closer and I thought to myself, aww, what a perfect fit. He fits right into my arms. My arms were made to hold a teeny, tiny one year old. And then I started to feel sorry for myself that the Noob’d outgrown my lap and my arms. She’s so big and heavy now, mashAllah, that carrying her is a workout in itself. And then the next morning, I carried Noob to the washroom and she did the sam

I’m talking about Hasan’s routine. Before we left, we’d finally settled into some semblance of a routine – I knew when he napped, mealtimes and bedtime and so on. Then Hajj happened and Sooni, who’d never fallen asleep with anyone but me, suddenly had to contend with doing so for seventeen days. He stayed up every night past 1 AM until he was so tired, he fell asleep standing. My mom, my dad, my brother, my two brothers in law – nobody could do anything to cha

When you go from one child to two, there’s bound to be comparisons. She talked sooner, he’s so much sharper than her, she potty-trained earlier too but he grasps so much more than she ever did at that age and so on. And it really tugs at your heartstrings as a mother. Because both your children are awesome, they’re both so special that you don’t ever want to have to compare them and let either one be seen in anything other than the softest, glowiest light. With Noobie and

Z and I got back on the 23rd of the month, and the whole plane ride here and while waiting for the luggage to arrive, I couldn’t contain my excitement at finally seeing the kids after seventeen days apart. We’dtalked to Noob every single day, and she kept me posted on the events in her life. There were no tears, no when-are-you-comings and no why-did-you-g0s. My parents, brother, and brothers-in-law went all out in showing the kids a really good time. Most days they were too busy hav

We were such geese when Noob was a baby, sentimental and silly – she never wore hand-me-downs, wore mostly pink and purple and everything was brand-spankin’-new. A lot of those gorgeous, expensive outfits, she only wore once or maybe twice. With Sooni, he’s got lots of hand-me-downs from his cousin Ray, wears Noob’s pink and purple onesies, sleeps on her princess pillow and outgrows stuff just as fast, if not faster than Noob did. Because second and third children always

1. I sprained my neck. OW. 2. Hasan took his first few independent steps yesterday. I thought that he’d be like Noob – take a few steps and then nothing for a few weeks or so, but no, he’s steadily increasing his speed and distance. My baby’s growing up! 3. I’ve been dropping and picking Noob up this past week and it’s been interesting to sit there with her and watch her interact with other students. We made the right choice in picking this school – I lo

So a few days shy of the target I’d set myself, Hasan has weaned himself. I was feeding him one time a day and yesterday, when I offered to feed him, he just turned his head and crawled away. Surprisingly enough, I’m not as heartbroken as I thought I would be. Maybe we were both ready for it, Sooni and I. I’m getting used to enjoying my freedom, getting used to a different schedule. Only one thing hasn’t changed – he still wakes at night! This weekend, we’ll b

I expected tantrums and problems this morning, but there were none. Noob woke up happily enough, got dressed and even got on the bus without a single, I-don’t-want-to-go. I breathed a huge sigh of relief because I couldn’t even sleep well last night from all the stress. I had dreams where Noob was being singled out and bullied on the playground, of her crying quietly while the kids played ring-a-ring of roses around her and what not. Sometime around 1 AM, I even got her out of her be