An awesome 2010!

During this year I have posted about me, my family, and my daily life.

This is intended to be a journal so that after many years I would remember all these details that made my life so beautiful/hard/frustrating/amazing and above all, full of memories to remember.

As this year approaches its end,

I’m not sure how to resume it.

Ghadi is three years old now, so definitely our relationship is much more different.

The first year was a year of learning… everything was new. It took me long time to cope with the new baby and to have some time to myself…

Ghadi's Echo at 22 weeks

 2 weeks before delivery!

 6 days old Ghadi!

 first visit to Abu Dhabi, 5 months old!

first winter!

First steps!

 The second year was full of struggling, trying to have some control on the toddler who is eager to learn everything, to test our patience, and to capture every single virus from the nursery! A toddler whose greatest fun was to tease us, to do the not-to-do stuff, to say the famous “NO” as a reply to almost every request from us. A toddler who enjoyed time-out and demonstrating tantrums at every occasion!

But I cannot also deny those two years were full of amazing memories as well…

When he first started to talk, I thought: aaah, this is how parents forget all the agony and exhaustion of the first year… when they hear those little words, those attempts and those expressions, there couldn’t be anything better!

but nothing compares to what we are experiencing now.

A three year-old boy, full of affection and love,

Enjoying the pre-school and every single outdoor activity we share…

Riding his bike, playing basketball, baseball, bowling and enjoying all kinds of musical instruments.

Sharing great moments of crafting, reading stories, singing and dancing together.

Definitely this is what make parents forget the terrible-TWO-years-old-stage…

Expecting number two would be the best part of 2010,

My sisters visits and all the good times we spent together are also to remember!

Moments like watching Ghadi riding his first bike, enjoying the Eid gifts, getting into the school bus for the first time are unforgettable.

A French course, reading books more than I did  in the prior couple years, going more to the movies, and starting this blog were my achievements for this year

Now the big question:

My resolutions to 2011?

- Peaceful delivery then quick recovery (physically, emotionally and socially!)

- Trip to Berlin to meet all my dear friends living there

- The typical goal everyone would mention: Eating healthier And Practicing sports (even if it’s a 15 minutes walking daily!)

- Getting a really Big Bookcase for all my precious books stacked insanely everywhere at my house

- Organize (home, digital photos, old stuff, etc, etc…)

And of course I have other goals, which are somehow too personal to publish, and which have spiritual aspects, hoping that I will be able to achieve them all.

May Allah guide me through all the coming years

to do the best for me, my family, my friends

to be worthy the loving and caring I’m receiving every day of my life,

and to thank Him day and night for all this blessing  

A pleasant day at the kitchen!

Last week Ghadi insisted on making Biscuits aux Chocolats with mommy,

and he wanted to HELP!

It was fun 

and I must say he was behaving well and he applied all my instructions exactly!

Wearing the Flag!

We used to wear our flag this way when we were little on Independence Day...
and it is just so sweet to see this boy wearing it the same way we all did!
well, with his way of expressing his joy of course!!!

One of the greatest Weekends ever!

 

We spent last weekend at West Bekaa Country Club, and i may say, it was an amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing trip!

Autumn season was present, with all its manifestations... Those we miss in the big city...

red leaves... soft wind moving trees... Ghadi didn't stop repeating autumn songs he learned at school:

Asfar asfar war2et el khariff (yellow, yellow are autumn leaves)

Asfar asfar war2et el khariif

3a mahlak 3a mahlak yaaa hawaaaaa (slow down oh wind)

...

Promnons nous dans les bois!

During The Eid Holiday (which was one full week, spent with my family, at home, relaxing and just enjoying the amazing autumn weather), I decided we should do a trip to "Baabda Reserve".

I found about this place on internet, I read that it's the nearest forest to Beirut (in fact it's less then 15 min away from home) and it's a green valley with a healthy path as they call it, leading through the forest...

I was eager to show Ghadi the real nature, since we are reading lots of stories now about forests and animals... And I was sick of those small parks/gardens we keep going to.

So I just packed some snacks and we headed there on Friday morning...

Adha Eid - 2010

This Eid was somehow special

Ghadi is more aware than ever

three years old is just awesome!

We woke up early, he went with his father to the prayer,

then we wore the new clothes and enjoyed opening all those gifts!!!

So You Think You Can Dance?

I, personally love this TV program, 

but really

nothing compares,

to my favorite 

hip hop dancer!!!!!

He turns on his favorite children songs, 

and starts dancing (well, not exactly dancing...but let's call it this way!)

every evening...

this is absolutely my favorite show!

Playing Football...

While playing football with Ghadi in our mini Corridor at home, he suddenly stopped and started pulling up his pants, I was confused... and he was trying hard, and it just didn't hold above his knees!

Then he came to me frustrated, saying: "mummy, baddi a3mil mitl 3ammo yalli byil3ab football!!!"

(I wanna look like football players!!!!)

I laughed so much..It was hilarious and I helped him, and then we had to stop every couple minutes to fix the pants!!!

I think he needs REAL football clothes, desperately!

G's sleeping mates!

Jamil took this photo of Ghadi sleeping peacefully with his two best mates:
Doudou
and the milk bottle!
(I think milk bottle should be stated first!)

The teddy is a gift from Linda, a very dear friend who lives in Germany
the first two years Ghadi wasn't that attached to him
but since he started preschool, Doudou had to sleep with him every night
he comes early morning to my room holding him
and when he feels frustrated he punish him putting him in the room all alone!
I love when he creates situations and play with this cutie bear
and I'm starting to hate the fact that he's so attached to the bottle! (it's not that he holds it every night, it happened only once) but he should really start drinking milk from the cup
And this is my next milestone!
not an easy one at all!!!

Amazing weekend at Batroun!

We spent the last weekend at Batroun Village Club

weather was great,

and we enjoyed the promenades, activities, swimming, feeding horses

and above all, we enjoyed watching our little boy going wild with nature and sports!

Unique Performance!

I just love it when my little boy sings the song I used to adore when I was at his age!!!!

Yes the Rahbani Brothers kids’ songs

And lately we were listening to those songs every evening, singing and dancing (and releasing energy so we can –he can- fall asleep early!)

His favorite song is “ 3ammi bou massoud”

he likes to sing it

and I love to hear him singing it...

what a nice formula!

 3ammi bou massoud “my uncle bou massoud”

3younou kbar w soud “his eyes are wide black”

Byakol ma byishba3 “he eats and never gets enough”

  3ammi bou massoud

 "- shou trawa2t lyawm ya 3ammi bou massoud????

  - akalet khamsin bayda, we shrebet barmil 7alib, w 16 sa7n mrabba...

w ba3edni jou3aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! "

Journey to the Teleferique!

Last Sunday we made a nice trip to the Teleferique at Jounieh bay north of Beirut

The weather was so nice and the company was great!

A vos marques, prêt, partez !

Achievements!

Some people learn

And keep on learning

And simply never stop

And jump from one wave to another, from one coast to another

Some people are simply satisfied with what they have learned…

And they stop

And they get stuck in a tornado

In the same tornado

I cannot be like this

And I cannot even explain my nonstop thirst to learn

Anything, and everything

And my new well of knowledge is something I have never expected!

The little boy

Who is just about to start discovering the real world around him

A three-year-old boy

Who was extremely happy today because he knew how to unbutton his shirt!

I was amazed

How such an evident action meant to him

And I have learned

That we should never take anything for granted

Even the smallest happenings

Could bring us immense happiness

And I started my day much better then yesterday

Having decided to enjoy it

To enjoy evident daily things

Like this new song of Feiruz

And the warm sunlight cooled by October morning breeze

and the simple fact that my son is able to unbutton his shirt!

 trying

 trying really hard  

determination

 and...

Victory!

when dads try to help!

Ghadi: mommy come play with me

Me (laying on the sofa in the living room after a really-long-day- and –just- preparing myself for a mini-nap): go ask daddy to play with you honey

Ghadi: No, I want You to play with me

Daddy (in an attempt to rescue me): leave mommy alone, she has pain in her back and has to lay down

Ghadi’s ears caught the word pain, his eyes are filled with tears in milli-seconds, now tears falling on his cheeks, tending his arms to me, shaking his head in denial and saying with the most sweet begging tone: “ no mommy, you don’t have pain in your back, do you??????”

And as if the whole universe will be reduced to the words I’m gonna say, as if his whole world depends on my reply, I  smile, get up, hold him in my arms saying: not anymore baby! Not anymore!!!!!

That’s what happens when dads try to help!

It ends up by mommy playing football in the corridor while daddy is watching football in the living room (with a wild smile and a spark of light on the upper  tooth----does it sound evil enough????)

"Ghazl el Banet" in the Mall morphed into "Tasteless Cotton Candy"!

After his first experience with Ice Cream, I was so happy to see him tasting another delight: the first Cotton Candy! or "Ghazl el Banet" as we call it!

In fact, it was also MY first "fresh" cotton candy at a mall...Yes, when I was young we used to buy it from pass by vendors at Manara Corniche, and to be honest, that had a much better taste!!! this one has almost no taste at all!

Along with what we called "karabij", "grilled corn" , " ka3ket 3assriyyeh" & "Foul w 7amod", we Always bought them from street vendors and it used to be SO good!

But the weird thing is that I can not imagine my boy eating those things... from that street!

Though it was normal for us, now all this seems "Unhealthy, harmful or even risky!!!" when it comes to my boy!

Am I being unfair? should he go through same experiences I enjoyed when I was little, am I being too protective? over- protective?

I'm not sure, but what I am certain of is one thing: I still remember the taste of those yummy grilled corns!!!!

Happy Birthday Ghadi!

Three years ago, exactly at this time, 16:20, I was giving birth to the boy who became the center of my world, the source of my joy and the inspiration of my whole life…

Eight months before that date, I discovered I was pregnant. We spent two nights with our eyes wide open, the idea of having a baby was as beautiful as frightening!

The world will not be the same, our life will not be the same…

The days went smooth and delicately we saw the baby grow from an alien-looking fetus to a complete baby inside my belly, and at the end of the eighth month he decided it was time to kick it and see the world we used to describe while he was inside…

Yes, he wasn’t patient enough to wait for another four weeks, and so it did happen when we didn’t expect it…

And he was born, on Friday, Ramadan 16^th, September 28^th, a healthy tiny 2.6 kg baby…

My dear Ghadi…

I held you in my arms and you were so tiny I couldn’t kiss you, or hug you, but you opened your eyes and you looked at us…

Then after all family members and friends left, your dad and I asked for you, and the nurse brought you, and we starred at you for long moments, celebrating every wink, every breath and even that little smile we thought we saw!

These were our first moments as a family together!

The dialogue u should never have with a 3 years old!

**Ghadi in the sitting room, holding his cup upside down, waiting impatiently for my reaction...   **
- Behave like a good boy and stop spilling water from your cup on the floor
-  I’m a naughty boy… look (spilling more water!)
- Are you? Fine, so today you will be punished no more TV, or Jello, and you will stay in your room
- But I’m a good boy!!! (tears beginning to appear, whining tone, and holding the cup well)…
- (sigh) ok, now you admit you are such a good boy, it is ok… I will see if dad will let you watch TV…
- (in a low voice) I’m a nauuuughty boy…..
-  (sigh…pretending not to hear)
- Mommy, look… I’m a nauuughty boy, I’m spilling water!!!! (with a spark in the eyes, and a wide smile!!!)
- (breathing deeply)… that was your last chance…now u will have time out

**time out** sitting on the chair, crying, yelling, hitting his hands, then screaming… then I hear something like: I won’t do naughty things again (ma ra7 3azzib!!!)

I go and ask him to repeat what he said cuz I couldn’t ge it through the flood of tears…

He looks at me

Then he says:   I’m naughty boy!

I call for jamil to handle the situation before i get a break down...

same scene, repeated...

result: two frustrated parents, spoiled Sunday morning, and one angry 3 years old!

(2 weeks later):

 - Look mommy, I’m naughty boy (I’m spitting on the floor, licking my hand,drawing on the table, etc…)
- Noooo, I’m sure you are Not like that so stop doing this
- No no, I’m naughty, I should be punished
- I said I know you are my lovely boy, so STOP doing this and act like you should, I will not punish you
- Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m doing bad stuff (3am 3azzib)
-  It’s ok, now I will play with you because you are so nice, go get your cars
- Really? We will play together?
-  Sure… **hug**  you know how much I love you???

      no answer, he runs to get his cars, and get involved in some other play at his room....!
           Much better ending
           Everyone’s happy!!

First Day at Preschool!

Ghadi started preschool yesterday

Yes, we finished the nursery stage and began a new one

A stage that will shape his life for the next 15 year. Therefore choosing the school was not easy at all.

It all started in December 2008! Yes, we made a list of schools we found suitable, sent registration forms and did interviews… it sounds so absurd and so surreal now, I know, for a barely 2 years old!

But here we are

Last week we went for two days, 2 hours adaptation

As expected Ghadi went along well, played and enjoyed his time.