Yep, He's Mine

It's been ages! But I'm back, and still in one piece, so I figure I ought to update my blog before it's too late!

Let's see.  Where have we been the last few weeks? Um, EVERYWHERE!

For one, Nana went out of town to meet her newest grandson (my NEPHEW), Ibrahim Kareem Monib.

Photo Credit: Nazia Abbas

Cute, yeah? I know, I'm jealous I haven't gotten to meet him yet either! But he'll be coming to Texas mid-June to meet his aunty and new cousin, inshaAllah!

Well, with Nana gone, we spend a lot of time at home--an on Skype.  Yousef needs his daily dose of Nana!  One day, we had called her on the laptop, and I stepped out of the room for a minute. I came back to find Yousef looking like this:

I laughed too.  He was really into their conversation! And he's learned a new word:

"eekom"--> (assalamualaikum=peace be upon you... the way muslims greet one another). It's adorable mashaAllah.

In the last three weeks, Yousef has also gone swimming twice.  He hasn't been since we were in Egypt in August 2010, so this was first time swimming as a walking (and too brave) toddler.  He had a BLAST! My friends and I headed over to Nana's house (who was out of town still) and we took him swimming.  The water was a little cold to begin with, so the first few minutes were difficult for us both.  BUT, he quickly forgot the cold and began splishing and splashing everywhere!  His favorite thing to do was stand on the step in the spa (me behind him) and sword fight using noodles with my friends. Here is a pic of Yousef in the pool!

Well, Yousef also went swimming with daddy yesterday while I was at a baby shower for a friend.  Dad says that as SOON as he pulled out the spray sunblock, Yousef starting whining like he was afraid.  He turned around and in an instant, Yousef was gone! He had gone all the way to hide in my dad's closet because he didn't like how cold the spray was last time we swam!  He started whining again as soon as dad found him.  Poor baby.  Guess the spray was a bad idea after all, I'll go get some lotion.

Finally, another highlight of the past few weeks was Yousef's "performance" at a friend's wedding ceremony.  The ceremony was held at a mosque in Sugar Land and we took Yousef with us.  He enjoyed walking back and forth between his dad, grandfather, and myself.  He also had no problem calling out "mommy" in the middle of the sheikh's speech! I was so embarrassed and went to go get him. But had a hard time keeping him in one spot (yep, he's mine!).  He found his aunt eventually and was playing with her. He wasn't obnoxious or loud (and our ceremonies are not quite as formal). Just super cute mashaAllah.

Later after the ceremony, he went to spend some time with my friends Mariem and Yasmin while we went to a celebratory dinner with family.  He apparently had a blast! But my favorite part of the night was when I had asked him what he did with them, he proceeded to babble in his Yousef-talk for 20 seconds and ended with "kha kha" <--insert snoring sound here!  He was trying to tell me that they were making snoring noises to try to get him to go to sleep! HAHA!

I'm really enjoying these last few precious days alone with him, which is why I need to wrap this post up!  I'm due in 16 days, pray for me! But I'll leave you with this:

I know Yousef is my son because:
-He likes to lick peanut butter right off the spoon.
-He loves to read.
-He seems to get ear infections without fever (Nana says I did too).
-He loves to be around people.
-He loves NANA!

Bubush n Raspberries!

Hello cyber world!  Sorry it's been so long, but with finals at school and current events I've been rather busy.  But after a few days of rest and relaxation I'm ready to blog again!

Yousef and I have been spending the last few days at home together.  With his dad busy at work and taking classes, we've been spending a little too much alone time together!  It makes for loooong days, sometimes stressful.  But I find myself falling in love with this little guy more and more everyday!  With the impending baby on the way, I'm cherishing all the time we have to spend with one another, when I've got nothing else to worry about in the world but him!

I've been telling Yousef about the baby since I found out (I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand what I really mean).  But he does enjoy pointing to my stomach, saying baby, and kissing it.  I taught him to do this, but now he does it on his own.  Anytime we're sitting on the couch he likes to lift my shirt to kiss my belly and give me the occasional raspberry on my belly.  This makes us both laugh for the next ten minutes, so he does it over and over and throws his head back in hysterical laughter.  How precious :)  Last night my husband and I were sitting outside in the backyard with Yousef (can ya say HECK YA for the awesome weather these days?).  Mohamed (my husband) leaned over to feel the baby and give her a kiss.  Yousef. Was. Jealous!  He quickly pushed his head away and gave him the dirtiest look!  It was soooo funny!  We laughed and laughed as he did it over and over again.  I'm wondering if he's protecting me, or if he's jealous that dad (whom he loves so dearly, probably more than me!) is giving someone else attention.  I'm interested to see how he'll be acting once she's here.  Boy oh boy.

He also points to the baby's clothes (frilly, girly dresses and such) and says "baby."  But for some reason I can't get him to concentrate and look at my belly when she's moving inside!  (who am I kidding, the kid's only almost 19 months old!).  Ok, that freaks me out. 19 months.  He will be 20 months older than him sister (inshaAllah, God Willing <--a saying you may see me write throughout my entries. Nothing happens except by the will of God, so I say it alot!).  Yes, so 20 months.  That means SHE'LL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT! Yikes!  And to think I feel so unprepared.

A friend was joking (she's due around the same time as me) saying "well, at least you know what you're doing!"  Well, yes, with a newborn, I do.  But with a newborn and a feisty toddler?!?!?!  THAT is new territory for me.  God help me. :)

I've been wanting to take Yousef to the zoo for a while now, but we just have not had the right weekend to go.  I'm hoping I get to take him sometime before the baby gets here.  I can't wait to see what he'll do!

We went to his doctor last week for his 18 month check up.  Everything is going well alhamdulillah (<--Thank God, I Will also use that frequently).  He is continuing to grow (mashaAllah<--what God has willed).  And he got four shots.  Poor baby, it was depressing to see him scream and cry like that.  Yousef rarely cries, he's a great kid mashaAllah.  I can only hope the little one will be as good as him!!! :P  Anyway, there should be no more shots until he's 4, so yay!

Some new things he's doing now:
-trying to blow bubbles
-saying "bubush" for bubbles
-taking me around the house and pointing to things he wants. occasionaly he assigns words to objects ("adoo" for fruits. "apol" for apple. etc.)
-playing with his new car ramp
-continuing to throw balls (and other objects) a little too well!
-still throwing his food on the floor when he doesn't like it or feels like he's finished. Lord. help me!
-putting on his dad's shoes and trying to walk around
-bringing me my scarf when he sees i'm getting ready to go out and says "bye bye!"
-sometimes he tries to put the scarf on himself
-carrying anything that looks like a purse on his arm and waving bye bye so i'll take him out!

There is much much more.  But I'll have to go be productive if I want to get anything done before baby girl gets here! Toodles!

A great resource!

Windows of Opportunity: Guidelines for Tricky Childhood Transitions

New words!

Some more words yousef says:

Teeta = titeena = pacifier
Oos = juice
Sasa = masasa = lollipop
Koya = kora = ball
Amo = uncle
Eeya = amira (aunt)
Dooda = radwa (aunt)

Plus he will copy any words we say... Even the bad ones!

Slippery Slopes and Slides

It seems like I'm losing a lot of battles these days.  I know that TV for children under the age of 2 is a big NO NO.  I recall once learning in my child development classes that it can be a huge risk factor for ADD (don't have that verified).  But I find myself resorting to cartoons every few days.  Yousef LOVES Sesame Street.  He doesn't seem to like Calliou or anything fully animated.  He loves the puppets on Sesame street (can't blame him!).

The first time I tried it was when I needed to study and he wouldn't leave me alone.  So I set him up with snacks in the high chair and turned on my laptop. The rest is history.  I also noticed he ate a little more when he was watching it (he already gives me a hard enough time eating!). I can BARELY resist it when he comes up to me and said "coon" because he wants to watch cartoons. So cute! I now only use it for no more than 30 mins at a time (well, per day, only 2 or 3 days a week) and if I need a mental or physical break. Or I just want him to eat.

Which brings me to the slippery slope part of my post.  Well, first we'll discuss his eating habits. Wait, WAHT eating habits? It drives me NUTS! I feel like a failure when he refuses to eat.  I absolutely HATE this phase.  All the things he once loved he won't eat anymore:(  His eating is very sporadic and limited.  He loves rice and molokheyya (egyptian soup we eat on rice), used to love PB sandwiches (now he just licks off the peanut butter), used to love broccoli (doesn't care for it much), and LOVES LOVES LOVES meat and chicken. Yousef also likes to eat yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal for breakfast.  Usually this is the only meal of the day he actually eats.

Someone asked me if he snacks a lot.  Honestly, I'm not sure I know the answer to that question.  I tried the whole "no snacks so he'll get hungry" thing but it was hard.  And it didn't always work.  So he DOES snack a bit (veggie chips, peanut butter crackers, raisins). I try to keep it healthy.  Well, I do. No more comments on that. :-P

Anyway, the true slippery slope we are on is drinks.  He barely wants to drink water.  And thanks to many people around him, he LOVES pepsi and cokes.  I really wanted to avoid this for as long as possible.  I NEVER give it to him willingly or in his own cup--it's only sips here and there.  But what he also likes a bit too much is juice.  TOO MUCH SUGAR! And when he does drink water, it's rare or straight out of the bath tub (gross!).

Ok, I'm starting to think this post is whiny.  I don't mean to whine.  I'm just expressing my concerns of late and honestly looking for any pointers!

Anyway. On to the slides part of our post.  Islam and I took Yousef to the new park in Mont Belvieu  (small town east of Baytown--yes, my Houston friends, there is life beyond Baytown!!!!).  It's a really nice park and he had a BLAST!  It was my husband's first time to really go with us to the park since the weather's just now getting lovely and Yousef didn't quite get the whole park thing when he was younger.  We had a picnic at the park and played for almost and hour and a half.  Here are a few pictures I took (I tried messing around with the camera to get some good shots, but I don't have skills YET) :)

such a neat swing!

slides are my favorite!

dad, you're so awesome!

mom's favorite shot!

"but i don't wanna leeeeave!"

out like a lightbulb after a good play and a good cry

mommy loves you!

Ok, toodles for now!  Can't wait to start a new week and have more adventures:)

Addendum: my first edit! (using my mac, nothing special... let me know what you think!)

They are Here! They're REALLY here!

No, the post title is NOT a display of excitement.  It's shock and awe.  What am I talking about, you ask?

THE. TERRIBLE. TWOS.

Whoever discovered the trend of kids being bratty and so unbelievably annoying was a smart person.  I guess it helps to have a label on this sporadic and quite draining behavior.  It helps me feel I'm not alone and that I"m not cray.  According to psychology, my 17 month old (almost 18!) will begin to act this way around this time.

What is "this way"?  Well, autonomy, for one.  He wants to do EVERYTHING HIMSELF.  Which would be welcome if he was good at it.  But hey, he's learning so I have to foster that.  So I allow the cereal at breakfast to be spilled onto the highchair tray and eaten off, even if it's with his hands.  At lunch, flying boiled carrots and peanut butter sandwiches are NOT a reminder that I'm living in a warzone--just that I'm living in the home of a young toddler "finding his way."

Then there's the tantrums.  We haven't quite reached the peak of the tantrums, but they sure have started--just yesterday in fact!  Yousef is not only finding his way, but also his voice--and consequently losing it.  The throaty cry when he doesn't get what he wants (or when grandpa leaves our home) is starting to become a norm in this house--in JUST TWO DAYS!  I mean seriously, who finds their voice that fast?  :)  Well, I know he means well, but this is where it gets really hard.

I mean, I'm stuck in between a rock and a hard place--do I give in and spare myself the headache?  Or do I let him stick it out until he realizes he's not getting his way.  OF COURSE I'm an advocate of the second.  It seems it would be a faster way OUT of the terrible two's, I'll just have to go out and buy me some more Tylenol.  The hardest part about this, however, is convincing others close to Yousef that it is OK to let him cry it out.  He will not be scarred for life if he doesn't get to watch a music video on my cell phone, nor will he resent me for the rest of his life if I deny him a piece of chocolate.  He simply needs to learn discipline, respect, and patience.

I am bracing for this new adventure in raising my son, with a heavy heart knowing he's "all grown up" (trust me, I know we still have a long way to go, but in his short short life, this is a HUGE step).  But I also face it with determination (hopefully unwavering) to stick to my guns.  I know, I know, choose your battles is wise.  But I guess I'll have to weigh my options to see which battles are worth fighting.

Oh, I almost forgot.  A couple more words Yousef says:
-two
-titth (six)
-haat (give me please)
-go

That about wraps this post up.  This momma is TIRED as heck.  G'night all!

Mechanic Shops and Cupcakes

I'm looking for a place to record my memories.  I've started this blog to do just that.... If you're looking for profound mommy advice or deep thoughts, you are probably in the wrong place.  I've mostly started this to keep a record of my child(ren) growing up.  But you're thinking, well, Yusra, you're just 17 months too late?  Well 17 months late it is... you know as that cliche goes, "better late than never!"

A little bit about me: I'm 24, mother of Yousef (17 months), a teacher by degree and 2 years experience, a daughter to two amazing parents, a sister to four other wonderful ladies, a wife to my husband Mohamed, and an American-born-and-raised Egyptian Muslim. Phew, so many identities!  But overall, I see myself as a fun-loving person who is somewhat particular (yet so unorganized) and a lilttle competitive (taboo opponents would LAUGH at "a little competitive").  I'm a lot of thing, but this blog will mostly be about my life as a mom.

So, since I'm 17 months late, let's get you up to speed:

My son, Yousef, was born October 7, 2009 (seems so long ago!) at 11:30 pm.  The month that follows was, and still is, a blur.  I recall sleepless nights, random feedings, frustration, elation, mild relaxation (thanks grandma(s)!), and a strength in me that I honestly never knew I had.  Through the immense exhaustion, I found a part of me that was still glad to be waking up 4 or 5 times overnight to keep this lil guy happy and well-fed.  I felt so blessed and honored to have gotten this opportunity to care about something other than myself.  I felt that I had been entrusted by God with a responsibility so great that He says "Heaven is under the feet of mothers."  WOW.  I had been chosen (not planned) to become a mother.  Surely God would not give me a task I cannot handle.  So I decided to truck on, through the exhaustion and practical mental incapacity to ensure that I completed the job entrusted in me, to raise my son a God-fearing and productive human being.  By the way, most of you know, that's a lifetime job and I'm still being employed. :)

A few of Yousef's milestones and triumphs:
-He was lifting his head while we were still AT the hospital, mashaAllah
-He loved sleeping on his stomach (<--most Drs and magazines will warn you against this, but it worked for us!)
-He got his first tooth at 4.5 months (and the rest followed quickly after)
-He wasn't big on solid foods (even though I thought he wanted them because he was a hungry hungry hippo) until 6 months
-He started using sign language around 7 months (signs he knew and used: more/again, milk, bath)
-He walked at 12.5 months, two weeks after his first birthday

Things Yousef says:
-baba (first word)
-mama
-dido (gido=grandpa)
-tata (teita=grandma, dad's side)
 -nana (grandma mom's side)
-dadda (car, this has nothing to do with car in arabic or english, and even though he says "cai" and "bia" [arabiya=car in arabic] he uses it anyway)
-no, no, no (any explanation needed?)
-nano (sinano=teeth in arabic)
-dih (this)
-tany (more-started 3/28/2011)
-appa (pick me up)

Things Yousef can do/loves to do:
-Point to hair, stomach, hand, foot, eyes, nose, mouth, butt
-Play with cars (do boys come pre-wired?)
-Play with balls (again, prewired?)
-Likes to read books, understand when I tell him to put one book back and get another
-LOVES. TO. DANCE.
-Loves anything with buttons (cell phones, laptops preferred. special place in his heart for the IPad)

That's all I can think of now!

Let's see. Today is March 29, my mom's birthday.  We came to spend the day with her.  I stopped by Sugarbaby's cupcakes to get her a few cupcakes for the occasion.  As soon as we got out of the car, Yousef saw a mechanic shop across the street.  He pointed to it and started saying "baba! baba!" Those of you who know me, know my husband owns two mechanic shops.  I was amazed that he was able to recognize what a mechanic shop looks like in a completely different place and in a different context.  These lil guys surprise me.  Babies are way smarter than we give them credit for. 

Especially Yousef.  He knows how to manipulate people.  He knows who will give him what he wants and who will let him get away with ANYTHING.  I don't need to mention any names--most moms can relate!

Ok, I think I've written enough for my first post.  I'll be updating as often as I can--but it will be tough with two classes and baby two on the way (June 8, fingers crossed!).  I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing:)