men are funny creatures

i wonder why it is that men get so intense when doing things! today was the last day for putting together *stuff* for the baby's room... altho this was the car seat we were experimenting w/ while making sure it fit properly into the car, was buckled down properly and such, so it wasn't like all the rest of the times where we (ok, most of the time - HIM) were actually reading directions while putting together something.

putting together things has tested my resolve in more ways than one. i'm either not any good at it or get sorta manic crazy at making sure that every piece is precise, so, needless to say, i've been in a state for the last couple of weeks while all things baby related were being put together, getting sorted and such, and i've been driving hashim crazy. i think he's probably on cloud 9 over the fact that everything is finished and he doesn't have to put anything else together. well... at least until about 4 mths. then he'll be tested again when it comes time to put together the highchair! ;) and it looks complicated....

the first time my mania started was when he was putting together the crib. i actually found myself wondering "can he do this" and then i did the dreaded and said it, which isn't a good thing to do... take it from me, girls! needless to say, i was told to go to the bedroom and leave him be while he put it together... so... i went to the bedroom, reluctantly, and eventually fell asleep. i remember waking up several times over the next several hours and upon hearing the noise coming from the baby's room, figured that he was making progress or finished and had started on the other items.

well, i guess after about 5 hrs or so, i decided to sneak back in there and see where things stood. and... what did i see? the crib was still on the floor in pieces but at least the sides were up. he was mumbling to himself and had gotten help from the guy who works for us. holding each side while trying to fit bars in between to hold it together is something that's difficult for one person to do, i found out rather quickly because what did i do upon seeing the mess on the floor?? me.... well, i started making one comment after another - asking all the worst questions like "are you going to get it together", "do you know what you're doing", and the worst... "boy, it sure has taken a long time and it still isn't together". this is the one that got me the death look and the one that shut me up fast... again, i was told to go to the bedroom and to leave him alone. i argued a little and stated my reasons for wanting to stay, but if i wanted the crib to be put together, and you know i did, i knew i had no choice but to leave. so, even though it killed me, i left.

off i went and pouted for a while in the bedroom... all the while wondering if it would be put together today or was there something wrong w/ it. the guy at the store said it was rather simple, but it didn't look simple to me and it sure was taking a helluva long time! i'm a hard sale on these things, especially when they look really difficult and probably because i'd never be able to do it myself, BUT... believe it or not, i think it wasn't but 30 mins to an hour after that and the crib was together. he showed me, now didn't he!

i'll have to admit, if it was up to me, i would have never been able to do it. i get stuck w/ the slightest of things - when trying to read directions - so i'm happy that he's become so handy in this way. :) (i now even have a "honey do" clip on the fridge for those days when i'll need something done... i wonder if he'll ignore it! ;) ) and sometimes when i'm not all manic, we actually work pretty good as a team and i'm highly complimentary... it's just hard, in the state that i'm in, to remind him of these little juicy morsels. he still reminds me of how hard i was on him that day ;) but you know, the way i look at it, isn't it better to be a perfectionist to make sure it's done properly than to be like "well, it looks good, so what if it sways here and there and looks like it's about to fall apart".... ;)

this crib was the toughest, i think, of all of the things or maybe once you become a master of these sorts of things, it all goes rather fast. i'm not sure, since the only thing i put together was the mobile for the crib, and you wouldn't believe how long that took me and he never said a word! he's now put together the crib, stroller, bouncer, changing table, swing and has put up shelves. he put together the swing a few days ago and i think it took him all of 20 mins.

what is that old saying, "don't bite the hand that feeds you".... coz if you do, then things don't go as smoothly as one would like.

i'm tellin' ya, he's quite the expert now... but you know, i don't know why i ever doubted it. he's put together major equipment in his studio more than 5 times and i'd NEVER be able to do that... all those wires, tables and such. phew, wears me out just to think about it. so, why did i ever doubt him?

well, i've learned my lesson. but i still don't understand why guys get so dang intense.... so what if they're getting questions and advice from a woman who knows nothing about putting things together! ;)

so... i'm off ... i must go and bow to thy master! ;)

The Contender

Does anyone watch this series? I do on occasion. Tonight I happened to catch it, and after the two fights tonight, it's down to the semi-finals w/ just three fights left.... then the winner gets something like 1/2 a mil or something at the end.

Tonight's fights were good. I find that I always feel really sorry for the loser though and tend to tear up after the fight is over because the guy wanted it so bad, but didn't get it. Tonight was no exception... altho the two guys who won were really good.

I've always like boxing. I remember watching Mohammed Ali and loving him. I even had a record that had a song on it about him - something like "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, that's why they call me Mohammed Ali". I can remember watching Sugar Ray Leonard and others when growing up - we'd always watch all the fights on TV. I loved all the Rocky movies too - altho I haven't watched the latest one... but have heard that it's not too bad.

I'm not a girl that likes violent boxing like that movie Fight Club. Couldn't stand that matter of fact... cuz there's just something terrible, to me, about seeing grown men beat the living crap out of each other just for the sake of doing it. When it's a competition and they're wearing gloves, mouth pieces and it's overseen by a referee, then I'm good to go. But when it's two guys beating the living crap outta each other on the street or in a bar or something, then I'll pass.

Tonight both of the white guys lost. I knew they would. One was up against this Mexican guy who wanted the win really bad, and the other was up against this black guy who wanted to win more than anything. Made me think about boxers in general. Have you ever noticed there aren't many white boxers? I wonder why. Do they not have it inside of them .... that oomph that it takes to fight? I knew when I saw the white guy that was up against that Mexican guy that the white guy wouldn't win. You could just look at the Spanish guy and see the desire in his eyes. That white guy didn't have it. Same thing w/ the white guy up against the black man.

Now, in the semi-finals, there are three black men and one Spanish guy. There were lots of white guys when it started but they all lost. I wonder what it is. I see this in other sports as well... not just boxing. Have any of you noticed this? I've heard comedians joke about this.... I've heard guys at the office joke around about this... but I've always been fascinated as to why it is.

awake and wondering

well, it's 3:06 a.m. and i'm awake. went to the dr. yesterday morn. for my weekly and found out that the baby is engaged, which means that he's turned now and has moved into the birthing position. i could tell before we even went that something was different. i've been having mild cramping for 3 days now, so they monitored me yesterday for a while to see if i was having contractions and i was, but only slight ones - and it only happened twice so that's a good sign.

we scheduled my c-section for feb. 11th, but i have a feeling that i'm going to go into labor much sooner. if the way my stomach feels is any indication.... then it could be within the next few days. i don't know but the dr. did say that i could go into labor at any time. i hope not, but i can't see lasting two more weeks... but maybe i will.

i decided to get outta the house the other morn., so i went to visit my SIL at the kindergarten right around the corner from our house. as soon as i walked in, the lady who works there told me that i'm going to have the baby w/in 10 days. i'm like "no... i still have 3 weeks. there's no way that i'm gonna have the baby by 10 days." she said i must be having a big baby then.

now, after going to the dr., i realize she may be right. she's had 6 kids, so i guess she knows a thing or two about having them, but... i would have rathered she not say anything. there's a part of me that thinks she almost willed it upon me. i told my husband that i didn't like her saying that and wished she wouldn't have said it, but..... what to do. he told me not to worry, but here i am.... worrying and feeling like i'm about to have this baby!

my husband has decided that i have to stay in the bedroom and not walk around. even the dr. i saw yesterday who will do the anesthesia told me not to walk around a lot or do anything. so, i called my mom and told her. she said that it doesn't matter what i do because if i'm going to go into labor, then i'm going into labor and nothing will matter. so i'm sure that's why i can't sleep. all these thoughts are running thru my head. one is... how will i know if i'm going into labor. my mother says, "oh, you'll know." that's comforting. ;) another thing keeping me awake are the lists i'm making in my head of all that needs to be done prior to my going into the hospital. not a lot, but just enough to keep me awake obviously.

i hate being awake at this hour and not being able to do anything. it hurts to move... it's difficult to walk... i can't sit for long periods w/out pain.... being so limited is not my cup of tea. i feel like the whole world is asleep and i'm sitting here WIDE AWAKE w/ my mind going 100 mph w/ worry, anxiety, fear.... just too many things.

i guess i could talk about An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore's documentary on global warming or Marie Antoinette, which i watched yesterday. but, i'm not in the mood to go into the details of either... maybe later.

for now, i'll stop typing since i'm sure i'm keeping the hubby awake - this keyboard isn't as quiet as you'd think! and since i was able to get a few things off my mind... maybe i'll get sleepy. here's to hoping, right?!

She Wastes No Time

The good ole days must be playing hard on Hillary's mind because it hasn't been a week since putting her hat into the ring and she's already starting a smear campaign against Barack Obama.

And it's getting really ugly.

Apparently, when Barack was a small child, his mother married an Indonesian Muslim man and they moved to Indonesia. At the age of 6, he started school there. Well, not that this is a problem, but Hillary's camp has started saying that it wasn't any ordinary school but an Islamic Madressa - you know... they're making it seem like it's one of those kind of schools where they teach the kids early on to become Islamic militants and where the kids sit on prayer mats all day, praying and learning to recite the Quran word for word.

And... they're saying that he was raised by a Muslim father... ok... and the problem w/ this is???

I almost forgot... the school IS NOT one of these schools, btw. News agencies have gone there and spoken to students and also teachers, and the school is like any other school where normal subjects are taught.... isn't it ridiculous that ppl felt the need to go there and just make sure that Obama is on the up and up - that he was telling the truth. They just HAD to find out - but can you blame them. Lord knows we don't want no Islamic militant running for Prez... unbelievable. Truly, I'm beside myself on this one.

See... what did I tell you guys - ppl aren't open minded in the States. They are racist - even more than they'd like the outside world to believe, and, to me, this shows it so clearly. If they weren't then why even bother checking up on this. Why not go w/ what Obama says. He said it wasn't that and that he wasn't raised in that way, but they didn't listen.

I guess that's why there's been such an issue over his religion. Every body's been talkin' about how Obama wasn't always Christian - oh gosh, Lord knows we can't have a non-Christian in the Oval Office.

I had issue w/ that one as soon as they mentioned it because I personally don't see the problem. Who cares what religion he is. Isn't that what America is about? Freedom? Hasn't everyone been saying how tolerant we are of other religions?? Me, personally, I don't think so.... because those hardliners and religious fanatics will make sure that this continues to be a HUGE issue in the press.

Who the hell cares if he's Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist or what. It's his life and that shouldn't be a factor when running for President, but someone will run this into the ground and make sure that all of those church goers KNOW that he was raised a Muslim - even tho they haven't come out and said it.... but they have said he wasn't raised a Christian - but they do mention that he converted - hallelujah...!!

It's a shame that these games have already started.... it's so early, but I guess when it comes to Hillary and her backstabbing ways, so much time has already passed and I'm sure she feels like she's way behind. She sure wants to wipe him out fast, doesn't she... I wonder why!???

This all makes me sick. I had hoped that this time would be different, but I'm obviously very naive. I can't believe that I even thought for a minute that it would be different because it's ALWAYS the same. This crap starts and that's all they focus on. Now, Obama will have to spend tons of money and time deflecting this crap when he should focus all of his attention on the issues at hand. I like this man and even though he's really new to the whole game and has only been a Senator for two years, I was really hoping he stood a chance... now, I'm not so sure.

This also shows me that Hillary isn't a good candidate either. Her husband was like this when he ran, and it appears she's no different. Too bad.

But hey, I can't even vote so what do I care... and since I live here now, why am I getting all bent outta shape? Lord knows that the American people don't want no Muslim in the White House... I'm surprised they even elected one as Senator..... but that's different, right?! - and I'm not talking about Obama... he's a Christian, remember.

Live and Learn

Years ago, a friend of mine passed on an interesting little book to me. The title is Live and Learn and Pass It On. It lists sentences, basically, of people aged from 5 to 55 sharing what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff. It's a small little book, but has 159 pages of these little jewels. Here are a few and then I'm gonna add a few of my own at the bottom. I'd love to hear some of yours as well. Since life is different for all of us, I'm interested to see where it has taken you.

First... from the book... and these are random pullings from the book:

1) I've learned that untold treasures are found in the imagination of a child. - Age 30

2) I've learned that when you judge others, you are revealing your own fears and prejudices. - Age 49

3) I've learned that when I drop a slice of bread with jelly on it, it always lands jelly-side down. - Age 33

4) I've learned that my mother sometimes laughs so hard she snorts. - Age 7

5) I've learned that if there were no problems, there would be no opportunities. - Age 19

6) I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. - Age 41

7) I've learned that being a success at the office is not worth it if it means being a failure at home. - Age 51

8) I've learned that humming a tune when you're upset can ease your mind. - Age 14

9) I've learned that when Mommy and Daddy shout at each other, it scares me. - Age 5

10) I've learned that when bad times come, you can let them make you bitter or use them to make you better. - Age 75

ok, here are just a few from the book. And here are a few of my own....

1) I've learned to be careful of what you wish for because it might just come true.

2) I've learned that life, indeed, is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you're gonna get.

3) I've learned that it makes you a better person to say that you're sorry.

4) I've learned that I love to spoon and snuggle with my husband at night.

5) I've learned to not be afraid to try new things... that way I don't look back and have regrets.

6) I've learned that I really like to walk barefoot in cold grass.

7) I've learned that life is too short to worry about getting wet in the rain.

8) I've learned that you can eat too many dark chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing!

9) I've learned that I would have rather taken piano lessons than baton twirling lessons.

10) I've learned that there are instances when you shouldn't be completely honest.

Well, this is my list. I can't wait to hear some of yours.

The race is on

Goodness, goodness... Mrs. Hillary Clinton has made it official. She will now run for President. I knew it would happen - it was only a matter of time.

I like Hillary, and I think it's interesting that she's wanting to be on a first name basis w/ the voters... a strategic move on her part and one that, I feel, will make her seem more down-to-earth to many ppl. In her web video, it shows her sitting in the living room on the sofa w/ a nice lamp behind her... very common... don't you think?

She's a smart lady, that's for sure. I wonder if she'll be our first woman President??!! It could happen.... and wouldn't it be funny to see Bill as the First Man/Husband!?!! I sure hope he doesn't do anything stupid and keeps his willy in his pants... because that could make or break her in the eyes of many. But knowing Hillary, she's probably given him a good talkin to.... but... to think about it, I think he's been on pretty good behavior for a while now, and I think he knows better than to mess this up for her.

This will be a tough race because she's also up against someone that I feel could be a terrific President and that's Barack Obama from Illinois. I like what he stands for, his ideas, and think he could really help America get back on her feet.... if he were to take a seat in the White House.

I saw him on Oprah some time back and he's an amazing man. If you haven't seen his web video, you should watch it. Also, here is another video that tells you about the man, his life and his accomplishments.

This will be an interesting race, that's for sure. I just hope the candidates don't take it down the road of slur tactics, but instead decide to focus on the important issues facing the American population and the country as a whole. It's time for a change and I think both of these ppl can bring about positive change to America.

Dinner at Bohemia's

Outside of the restaurant, Bohemia, in Adliya. It was dark and this pic is blurry... and you don't get to see the whole bldg... but, it gives you an idea of the place.

This isn't the best pic of the outside of the restaurant... it doesn't show the height of the bldg.... and how cool it looks, but this is the best we could do when there were so many cars out front and a constant stream of traffic.

The dinner we had wasn't as great as I had hoped. The place was nice on the inside w/ light burgundy and teal colored walls, nice light fixtures, a beautiful old wooden door at one end of the dining area - if you know the doors in Muharraq, then you'll know what type of door this was... overall the ambiance was really nice. Drinks were good. I had a marvelous orange, banana and strawberry juice that was just incredibly delicious, and Hashim had the house red wine, which he seemed to enjoy. The waitstaff were courteous and knowledgeable, which is always good when ordering... but the food, well, it could have been a lot better, I think.

For appetizers, I had an avocado and crab meat mix on red cabbage, but it came out looking a lot different than I expected and the taste was just too strong on the fishy side, which I don't care for. I think it would have been better if they had used some lemon and other herbs in the mix, but... they chose a different route, and I think if they had put the mixture right on top of the red cabbage and put a dressing on top of that, it would have been extremely tasty, but as you can see, they brought out the mixture in halved avocado shells - not nice. Hashim had a calamari salad, which ... after he ate the calamari and some of the salad, I had the remaining- and it was delicious. The dressing was some type of balsamic mixture w/ lemon and maybe even a tad of mustard... w/ spanish olives, aubergine pieces (that were to die for), small little baby onions that weren't too crunchy and melted in your mouth, tomatoes, mushrooms and yellow bell pepper. ummmm... it was so so good.

For dinner, I had first wanted pasta and should have gone w/ that choice, but I let the hubby talked me into having salmon, which I figured would be good for the baby. So, I chose a grilled salmon steak with a creamy garlic and white wine sauce, au gratin potatoes and a veggie mix. Hashim decided on a t-bone steak w/ a creamy pepper gravy, french fries and a salad.

I didn't like mine at all. The salmon was way too fishy, which I can't stand - thankfully I had the gravy to dip it in. I only had a small amount of it and brought the leftovers home to feed to the outside cats! The potatoes were the best thing on my plate. I ate every single, delicious bite of those. They were rich and creamy w/ the added benefit of being mixed w/ an aged cheddar cheese. It delighted my taste buds.... ummmm... heavenly. The veggies were pretty plain. Hashim's steak was good, he said. He ate every single bite... but if I were the chef I would have chosen something different to go w/ the steak other than french fries. It seemed too much like a chain restaurant to me. His salad was very plain w/ lettuce, tomatoes and such thrown on a plate w/out a dressing and such. It was a bit disappointing.

We didn't have desert, since I had gotten a bday cake for the hubby at a great place called LiLou's. It's a dark chocolate cake w/ dark choc. icing, thin and crunchy dark choc. leaves on the sides of the cake decorated w/ gold veins, dark choc. flowers on the top in one corner, and a musical note sheet on the top - for affect.

The cake is just to die for. It has the best flavor, is moist and much bigger than I expected. It has a nice crunchy filling in between the layers that reminds me of rice crispies in some type of light and creamy glaze.... very nice. I will say, this place knows bday cakes!

At first, I was a bit disappointed w/ the cake. I was to pick it up at 10 and when I got there, they couldn't find it and it wasn't ready. They gave the excuse of their power being out that morning... but I had ordered it days in advance, so I was a bit miffed over it. I waited some 30 mins, when they told it would take 5 mins. When I got it, it looked nothing like - or rather the scroll on top - the picture they had shown me. It was then that I asked if they had just put the scroll on the cake and he said, "yes". The scroll didn't look like the picture and I was really pissed. After telling him that I was disappointed w/ it, I took the cake and hoped that the hubby would like it.

He did... and that's the most important thing, right?!! It was and is utterly delicious. I also bought candles for the cake and come to find out, they were magic candles that lighted back up after blowing them out. So... after singing happy birthday to my husband, he made his wish and blew out the candles. Not 2 seconds later, the candles were all relighting... and not only that, but they had some type of little sparklers inside... so it made it all very festive. :) After about the 5th time of trying to blow those babies out, we decided to read the back of the package which said you had to put them out in water! It was all great fun ... but he now wonders if his wishes will come true, seeing that the candles didn't go out... I wonder if that makes a difference! ;) I'm sure it doesn't... and I'm sure all his wishes will come true this year... I can feel it! :)

Well... this was our night out. I can't write descriptions about food like my friend, Olivia... she is the master at tantalizing your taste buds and giving you every scrumptious detail of what she ate.... but... at least you have an idea! :)

sleepless night

I got my first real taste of being up all night lastnight. I've had nights for the last few weeks of hardly getting sleep, but lastnight, I got pretty much zilch. Since we went to dinner late and I had a few glasses of water and some juice, I was up most of the night visiting the bathroom. At one point, I stumbled outta bed, could hardly see and told myself that this is nothing and I better get prepared for a lot worse. Not that it made it any better.... I just sat there wondering how I would cope. I've heard so many horror stories... weeks of sleepless nights.... not being able to think or function... and I sit and wonder how I will do it. I know that a woman's body, the mind... your physical self kicks into high gear and pulls you through it.... I just wonder, worry, ask myself if I'm ready. I've been told by a few, lately, that I won't be able to do it - but I know I will. I'm sure I won't be the life of the party for weeks, maybe even months, but... I will be able to do this. Maybe they had housemaids to take the baby... their mothers to take the baby... but I am the one who will take the baby in my case.

I can say that I know better today though. I will try to finish all my water in the early part of the day so that, maybe, I'll be able to sleep better tonight. If not for myself, for my husband. I kept him awake as well... I thought I was (even tho he said nothing), but this morning he told me that he didn't get any sleep lastnight and that he's really tired. I feel bad and don't know what to do other than possibly moving into the baby's room at night if it doesn't get better.

I'm just soooo tired. I feel sick to my stomach from being so tired and only wonder what it'll be like when the baby comes. It's bad enough that I can hardly get outta bed once I lay down, but now, on top of that, I can't sit up when trying to get outta bed or roll over w/out it being an event ... as much as you'd think that these things wouldn't be an issue... they are... they become just impossible. Lastnight, I think I repositioned myself while trying to rest ... well, maybe 30 or so times. I lay on one side until my arm goes numb, then I roll over - which takes great effort - and lay on that side until the same thing happens. Then I roll over again and again and again.

They say it's better to sleep sitting up. I laugh at this and wonder how I'd do that. I've tried propping myself up in bed w/ pillows but I can't sleep like this. My tail bone hurts like crazy and it just isn't comfortable. I'm thinking a reclining chair might work.... or maybe the sofa in the hallway upstairs. It has lots of pillows... but... when I have to get up at night, I can't imagine having to walk down the hall, in the dark - pregnant, going into the bedroom, making my way to the bathroom and then going back to the sofa. It just seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Maybe tonight will be different. Maybe lastnight was an isolated incident - but I don't think so. I think it's only the beginning to be honest. aaaahhhh.... sleep. You know, I heard years ago that this is God's way of preparing you for motherhood... and I do agree. I guess I'm in the beginning stages of my lessons!!!

happy day to you :)

It's his BIRTHDAY!!!

Oh man... another year has flown by and the hubby is feeling it... for it is his birthday today!

So... a BIG Happy Birthday to Hashim!!

I wish you every happiness, and I hope you get so many things that your heart desires and longs for this year!!

Tonight we're trying a new place called Bohemia's (new for us)... I hope it's good. He's been relaxing and working on a new look for his blog today.... and I've been kind enough to not make him do anything around the house - dang these birthdays! ;)

The weather has been perfect today - prob low 70s or high 60s, and tonight is looking to be nearly the same, which makes for a splendid day.... I also gave him some much needed time alone by having a long lunch w/ some friends, so he's really a happy camper! ;)

Anyway... I'll run for now.... and again, Happy Birthday my love!! :)

An interesting talk with my MIL and SIL

During this past Eid holiday, we went out to eat w/ my in-laws. While chatting w/ my MIL and one of my SILs, the topics of breast feeding and staying at my MILs house after the birth came up. I had already decided that I wouldn't be staying at my MILs house after coming home from the hospital. There are many reasons for this, but the thing w/ them is that they totally believe that the woman shouldn't be around the husband for 40 days after the birth. I disagree w/ this. I'm of the belief that my husband will help out w/ the baby and we will share things, and we'll both bond w/ the baby. Most ppl in this region don't believe in the husband helping w/ anything. He must have his rest and not be bothered w/ the slightest thing is the mindset of many or at least my in-laws - Lord forbid my husband not get 8 hrs of sleep a night or get up during a feeding!! Not just my MIL believes this, but each and every female in this household believes this.

In the States, yeah, you get help from your mother and such, but the husband is also involved, and I plan to raise our baby w/ the help of my husband - thankfully he agrees. I can't imagine if he didn't. I've told my MIL this, but it falls on deaf ears. She was the same when it came to imagining her son being in the delivery room w/ me. I heard all the horror stories of how he would never forget and it would never be the same and such. I dismissed it. But, now that I've decided to have a c-section, this won't be an issue, and funny enough, she is exhilarated at the fact that he won't be in delivery w/ me! lol

Well, I heard one story after another of all the bad things that can happen to the baby in the first few days and weeks after birth. Thankfully, I'll be in the hospital for 5 of those. But, it got to a point that I was somewhat scared and I guess she saw it on my face and again insisted that I come to the house after coming home. Yes, I know it'll be stressful on me to be by myself, but I know I can do it. I have that strength and I'm ready.... I don't need to go there and have things that I don't believe in told to me or insisted upon being done. You know??

Anyway, after this discussion, we went on to breastfeeding. I was then told that I should not breastfeed around anyone, INCLUDING my husband. That, if I did, it wouldn't be good for the baby to see this. Ok, what part of the baby seeing my husband come into the room will affect him and his life? I majored in psychology w/ an emphasis in child psychology, and never once did I study anything like this. So, I guess this is the problem w/ half or more of the world out there... they were breastfed in front of ppl.

Yeah, I understand not breastfeeding in public and this is something that I won't do because I'm just too bashful, but in front of MY HUSBAND???? She went on to tell me how my SIL (her daughter - who wasn't there at that point) never breastfed around her and that she insisted on her not doing so. Then my other SIL piped in w/ how she didn't breastfeed around her husband and would never do that. Well, she only tried breastfeeding for like two weeks, if that, so I don't understand the point really. Matter of fact, most of these ppl didn't totally breastfeed their babies because no one would spend the time needed to breastfeed, which I intend to do, even if it takes 2 hrs at a time, which they say happens. But, then they remind me how they breastfed for 2 years... how they consider feeding their babies for like 15 mins. breastfeeding... well, I don't get it, but maybe that's the life here.

Well, I told them straight up that I intend to breastfeed in front of my husband. No one said a word. I waited to see what or if anyone would try to tell me how wrong I was for my beliefs, but they didn't. And really, I don't care what they think. There will come a time when my husband comes in the room when I'm feeding, or when he sits w/ me at night - which is a great way for him to bond w/ the baby as well. And... what about the nurses at the hospital? Are they not supposed to see this either? phew... it all just is exhausting mentally. Thank goodness I do my own thing and plan to do so after the baby.

I was also told how I should start feeding the baby food at 2 mths. My MIL said she did this w/ my husband and the one SIL said she started feeding her baby bananas and such at two months. I'm not planning to do this. I will introduce food at 4 mths. I was also told how I should give some type of sugar water to the baby after he's first born in order to clean out his bowels and to keep him from being cranky... I've personally never heard of this and when I told my mom, well, she didn't know what to think.

But you know, I was talking to an Indian friend of mine and she said they believed the same. That you feed the baby sugar water for the first several days after birth - BUT... they weren't doing this and didn't believe in it. Her husband is a Pediatrician and doesn't agree w/ it... so I feel pretty good about not doing this.

So.. what are your thoughts?

yeah, ok, i'm a witch but w/ a "b"

for as much as i'm trying my hardest to control my emotions, some things just really erk me to no end and one of those is ppl not being clean. i can not stand for things to be filthy and for ppl to not bathe and such.

anyway, like i've said, i'm a clean freak and i expect that from the girl that is working for us as well. yeah, i know i said that i'd never get another person to work here, but we did. and right now i need it because i can't clean the house or do much of anything, so it's good that she's here... or at least i think so on some days.

today, while sitting downstairs and having breakfast, i started thinking about this girl, her room and the fact that she's taken some of my hair things w/out asking and is wearing them. this is something that the previous girl did and i'm not in the mood for that crap to start happening again. i haven't said anything to her about this and it's been happening for months now... i guess my logic has been why say something coz the hair thing didn't cost hardly anything, but really, when you look at it, it's the principle of the matter, not the cost of the item.

if she had asked me, i would have given her the hair clips... but she didn't. instead, she chose to take them from my stuff and wear them w/out asking. my husband says it's because i'm too nice to her and give she and her husband things... because of this she thinks she can take anything. i don't know what it is, but i put an end to it today.

i guess about two months ago, she and her husband (who works for my FIL) were living in the room downstairs (inside the house) which is our office. after seeing ants going in and out of the room from under the door, i decided to go in there and have a look at how they were keeping the room. mind you, i had told her to keep that room clean and since she has friday's off, to clean it on fridays. needless to say, i called my husband to the room immediately so he could see how they had been living. the room was beyond filthy. it was at this point that we decided to have them move to the room outside. you wouldn't believe what the room looked like. the small fridge we let them use was so dirty and something from inside had leaked all over the nice carpet i put in there and they hadn't bothered to clean it up so there were dead ants all over the floor that they had obviously killed but neglected to clean the crap from the floor, food was on the floor and under their bed, dirty plates were on the cabinets, ants were everywhere and it smelled bad.

while they were moving their things, i came across my glasses on their bed. these are my prescription glasses which had been in the kitchen. i took them and immediately asked my husband why they were in her room. he asked her husband and her husband said that they weren't using them... ok, if they weren't using them, then why were they in that room?!! i had obviously made the mistake of giving her husband prescription glasses from satiya, the girl that used to work for us, so maybe they assumed they could have the other ones... i don't know but i don't go for that stuff. this was the first of it. then, i saw one of my hair clips in her room, then she had taken several things off of the computer desk and was using this stuff for her personal use. as soon as i saw this, i took it back and put it back on the computer desk - but didn't say anything. well, that afternoon, i went in the computer room and the stuff that i had taken back was again missing. so... i told my husband and he asked her about it. she denied having it and pretended to not know what he was talking about.

what did i do? i went out to her room and asked for the items. she said she didn't have them and i told her that i knew she had them and to give them to me. she then went to the cabinet and took the items out. i took them from her and told her that these are mine, not yours and you can not have them. ok.. that was settled, or so i thought.

so, i guess for the last couple of weeks, she's been sporting another of my hair clips. every time i see it in her hair, it pisses me off, but i don't say anything. well, today when i made the surprise inspection of their room - for the main purpose of seeing if she's taken anything else of mine and to see if she has my other missing hair clips - i see that their room is absolutely filthy. as i said, we give her friday's off and i've told her multiple times to clean her room on fridays, which she said that she was doing.... but she is not.

when i went out there, for one, i could hardly fit through the door of the room. yeah, ok, i feel like a cow right now ... maybe even look like one too, but when you can't fit thru the doorway of a room... well, that makes you feel your size real quick and it did. but, believe me, i managed to get in there and i'm glad i did. (thought i'd add a little humor for all of your amuzement! ;) )
but, i couldn't get thru the door because they have sooooo much stuff all over the floor and such...

their trash can was completely full and there were ants coming out of it.... that was the first thing to set me off. and then, her husband, who stays w/ her in the room, has been smoking and putting his butts out on the top of the trash can and they don't clean it, so, not only could that cause a fire, but.... it was disgustingly filthy. then, they had old plates of food in there, which i've told them time and time again to not leave uneaten food or dirty plates in their room because it attracts bugs - and how ppl could sleep w/ bugs crawling around everywhere and such is beyond me. the carpet was gross and covered w/ crap... the bathroom, well, i could hardly get the door open but when i did, it's rather obvious that they don't clean the bathroom. the toilet seat was covered w/ fresh and caked-on urine. obviously her husband doesn't lift the lid to urinate and there was piss all over the top of the lid. now... you wanna talk about mad... well, this really made me mad. i wondered how she's going to the bathroom... does she sit down on that crap?!! they don't use anything to wipe - no toilet paper or anything, which i don't get, but, again, my husband says it's a cultural thing and something they're not raised w/... ok... i get that... but for God's sake, CLEAN THE BATHROOM.

i looked around for stuff... but, i was so angry that i didn't look in the cabinets or drawers to see if my clips or anything else was there. yeah, you might say it's an invasion of their privacy, but i'm to the point that i don't care. when you take my things w/out asking, then i feel like i have the right to look thru your stuff. call me a beeaatch if you want to and i'm sure they think i'm one, but, again, i don't care.

after squeezing my fat bod thru their doorway again and claiming freedom to myself, i came inside, went upstairs and immediately started telling her that i will not stand for her room to be dirty. (i don't yell.... i just get a real stern sound in my voice, which i think is enough) i told her that i have told her on many occasions that she is to clean her room on fridays and she isn't doing it. i told her that she is to go there right now, clean the trash, the bathroom and pick up everything that is laying everywhere in that room. funny how she never knows what i mean when i saw "now", but she understood me this time.

this is when i called my husband and insisted that he call her husband and send him to the house. when her husband arrived, my husband had also arrived, and i proceeded to tell her and her husband that i will not stand for that room to be a mess. i asked them if they live like this in sri lanka, he said nothing. i asked if they clean their house there and again he said nothing. i told him that i have told her over and over again to keep that room clean, and then i told him that i will not stand for them pissing on the top of their toilet seat and that this is their last chance to keep that room clean. he got a smile on his face, which pissed me off and i let into him a little more. he's a dirty person and why he can't lift the lid to pee is something i can't understand.

what i've done in the past, when she refuses to listen to what i saw and follow my directions is take things from them... like the DVD player we were allowing them to use. i told her that if she doesn't do as i say, then i will take the TV. this seems to work... believe me. because the last time, when she kept leaving the windows open and our cats would get out or the outside cat would get in, i'd ask her who left the window open and she'd swear she didn't do it... well, i know i didn't do it and the hubby didn't do it... so did the cats open the window???? this is when i got mad and took the DVD player. since then, the window has never been opened again, except to clean it and it's always closed properly.

oh... and while i was telling him all of this to tell to her - because she doesn't or pretends to not understand most of what i say, i went up to her and pointed to my hair clip in her hair and told her that that hair clip is MINE. and that she is not to take anything else that belongs to me and asked, "is that clear?". i told her that satiya used to do that and that i made it perfectly clear when she came and was trained by this other woman NOT to take my things and here she has been taking my hair clips. i told her to keep that hair clip because i didn't want it, and that if she had asked, i would have given it to her, but that if she took anything else w/out asking, i would not stand for it. i should have told her that i would take the money from her salary, since that seems to work in making sure something is done properly.

so.... i guess about 20 mins ago, she came into the bedroom to clean our bathroom. i could tell from her sniffling and such that she had been crying... yes, i felt like a cad, but... if i don't act like that, they refuse to do as i say.... so... she went into the bathroom and i went in there after her. i lifted the toilet seat and told her that for now on she is NOT TO ALLOW her husband to pee all over the toilet seat. i asked her how she goes to the bathroom w/ the toilet seat covered in piss (this is the only word she knows in english for urine) and she just looked at me. i told her that for now on, her husband is not to piss on the toilet seat and that if he does, he will not be staying w/ her in the room any longer. we shall see what happens.

yeah, i'm a bitch on days... especially w/ my pregnancy, but because i was shown the true sense of what happens, if you don't say anything, w/ the last girl that worked for us, it has changed me and i won't go thru that crap again.

baby room pics

these are some pics of our baby's room. hubby painted shelves today that will be hung tomorrow and he's gonna paint the ceiling blue w/ white fluffy clouds this weekend.... i'm still trying to decide if we should add more animals or leave it as is... so maybe within a week or so, we'll decide. the beautiful quilt you see in the crib is the baby's quilt that my mom hand made for me. it's soooo sweet. it has numerous animals on it that she painted - horse, cat, duck, cow, pig, rabbit and a few others... so if you can't tell, i love animals. :) and i'm hoping that that love will be passed to the baby. and, i'm hoping that once i feel better, i'll be able to draw and paint a big vine w/ huge leaves on it above the door, and then paint his name either in the leaves or beside them... i think that'll be cute. we still have a few things to get for the room and for the baby... but at least it's starting to take a definite shape.... which is really exciting.

Out with the old, in with the New

Happy New Year everyone!! May you find every happiness in the coming year, and may the world be more peaceful.... I really hope for that.

Wow, this past year has flown by.... isn't it odd how the older you get, the faster time flies. I can remember being a young girl and just dying to be 15 or even 18, and gosh, the thought of turning 21, well, it was a day that I longed for.

Now, as I'm getting older, I cherish time more than anything and only wish it would slow down. I can only imagine how fast it'll pass with a baby! Here my niece is 6 years old and I can remember when she was a little baby, which seems like yesterday. My SIL's both have children around the age of 1 1/2 yrs., and I can remember them as tiny babies like it was yesterday.

The new year has been good so far. The hubby spent all day yesterday finishing up or doing the final touches on the baby's room, putting together the crib and helping me w/ all the little extras. It's so cute... actually quite adorable, I must admit. We did a jungle theme in the room w/ two colors of paint on the walls - tan on the top and green on the bottom, w/ the green going up and down like hills - it took him about 3 days to paint it and he did a fantastic job... not sure if I could have done better myself! ;) At first I thought we would try to draw and paint a jungle theme on the walls and I asked my mom to draw some monkeys for me (I'm not good w/ drawing animals), but wouldn't you know it - one of my favorite stores (Manazel) had boxes of all different types of decorating sticker schemes for children's rooms at their store and one just happened to be a jungle theme! I could hardly believe it. It's perfect and it looks so precious on the walls.

There is a tall tree where you can measure the height of the child - as he grows - and the tree has a monkey hanging from the top, there are huge leaves w/ big eyes poking out, a lion, tiger, giraff, turtle, birds, alligator, flemingo, paw prints, big bugs, elephant... just all sorts of animals that will allow for hours of imagination to play in the mind of the baby as he is growing up. I love it and I hope he does too!!

I even have a mobile for the baby's crib that is a jungle theme. It's so cute and goes w/ the room perfectly. We're gonna take pics to send to my mom, so maybe later today I'll post some online.

Getting it done has really helped me to feel more at ease. That room was a total disaster and I found myself getting all panicy over it, and now.... it actually feels like things are coming together. The birds are still in the room and we've decided to move them downstairs today and put them in the office. I hate putting them in there because the window is small and the light isn't bright, but for right now, it'll have to be ok. At least there's a window and we go in that room every day, so they'll have lots of interaction and such.... plus, it won't be as noisy as it is in the mornings w/ them right next to our bedroom.

Well... I hope all of you are having a wonderful new year, had lots of fun on New Year's Eve... and, if you're off, are enjoying the time. Bahrain is on holiday right now for Eid - so here's a BIG Happy Eid to to all of you as well.... gosh, I almost forgot!!

Happy day everyone!