Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Our afternoon

Today we decided to go to Toys R Us to look at the car seat that we have because we couldn't figure out how to lengthen the shoulder straps and to see how long we can use it because Naief is getting big and it seems, to me, like he's outgrown it.

So we head over to the Seef area, park and go inside. I was surprised to see that they've added a Babies R Us area and it has all sorts of developmental toys and such... tons of stuff actually. We also found a Bahraini girl that worked there and she actually knew all about the car seats and was soooo extremely helpful. That is a first and her pleasant attitude really made me rethink that store.

We found out that his car seat is good until 9 mths, altho... if his feet are touching the seat, then it's time for a new one. Since they are, I think we'll have to invest in a new seat w/in a few months. We did find out how to extend his shoulder straps and I found out that our stroller has an easy closer system that I didn't know about and she also showed me how to lower the seat, which I couldn't figure out to save my life. She was so helpful and showed us all the different car seats and we'll probably go w/ one that'll last him thru to age 6 when we buy the next one.

After Toys R Us, we decided to go over to the mall and went in thru Marks & Spencer. It's the first time that I've been to this store... and I've lived here for 4 years! Yeah, I don't shop like I used to... but I really liked this store. When we first went in, we noticed that off to the left of us was a food section. Hashim said that he didn't realize they carried food so we headed over to check it out.

It was all organic or pretty much and I loved all of it. They had tons of really interesting teas and I picked up an English breakfast tea and wanted several others but decided to wait, and then we looked thru their sauces and decided to try a spinach, asparagus and ricotta cheese sauce to put on pasta tonight. I also got some apple, raisin & cinnamon breakfast bars as well as cranberry and orange bars... I can't wait to try these. They had so much stuff there and I wanted to take a little of everything home w/ me... but instead of scaring the hubby, decided to get just a few items until the next time! ;) Oh yeah, they had all kinds of yummy sounding crackers and I just love cheese and crackers, so the next time, I think I'll try many different varieties of these.

And.. as we were walking thru the store to find a cashier, I saw sooo many cute things that I'd just love to have. Gosh, I haven't been clothes shopping in too long and since I'm starting to lose the weight from my pregnancy, new clothes sound rather appealing.

As we were walking thru the mall, we came across the new Play Station 3 so we stopped to check it out. There were a couple of guys playing in front of us and when they left, hubby stepped up and I couldn't help but be amazed at how realistic the game was. Matter of fact, I had to stop watching because I was getting a bit sick - sorta like motion sickness. For any of you game addicts out there... if you haven't seen the new one of this... you're gonna love it! I can only imagine how the hours will pass when Naief gets older and he and his father start playing these games....

I walked over to Mothercare as he played and they had some of the cutest summer clothes for little boys. But seeing that Naief is only 3 mths, I find it hard to buy anything that he'll outgrow within a few months... especially when it costs more than a cute outfit for myself... it's amazing how expensive kid's clothing is!! But... I'd love to have at least one outfit for 3 - 6 mths... just in case .... you mother's know how it is! :)

It was really nice to get outta the house and go walking around the mall. The only thing is... my back still starts to hurt, rather badly, after so long, so I find that I have to leave or take meds to calm it down. Tonight was no exception. I read on the internet weeks ago where some women continue to have back pain for years after having c-sections... I wonder why that is.

Well, dinner is ready and I'm hungry and it smells good. Can't wait to try the new sauce. Before I go, thought I'd leave you w/ a cute pic of Naief from his bath today.

13 comments:

The Moody Minstrel said...

Wow...you certainly have a good selection of foreign chain stores there, don't you?

I remember when the first Toys R Us came to Japan back in the mid 90s. There was so much hub-bub about it. Now they're all over the place. I used to work at Toys R Us during my summer and winter vacations in my college days, so it was fun to go there just to reminisce.

Marks & Spencer? I wouldn't mind having one of those nearby. Then I could keep a steady supply of chutney! :-)

Um Naief said...

moody, there are some good stores here, but i'd love it if Toys R Us was as big as some of them in the States. this one isn't huge but they have a really nice selection of items, and since they've just added the Babies R Us, I'm quite pleased. :)

This was a first at Marks & Spencer. I loved the store.. can't wait to try some of these other items.. and I saw the chutney's as well. My mom makes homemade chutney... all kinds of varities and they're delicious.

Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

When you visited our blog I didn't recognize your name at first! Good to hear that you enjoyed the day shopping. What a beaut picture of your son. He is bonny.
I went shopping for my granddaughter recently. She is four but I bought size 5 and 6 and they did fit her. Not many cute dresses for church in our shops - mainly tops and jeans.
Keep up the cheerfulness and enjoy your young family.
Wendy

Sabra said...

That picture is just too damn cute for words, Naief's Mommy! He is simply precious. I'm headed that direction - will be there on Wednesday and Thursday - DH has a golf tournament. Will e-mail you to let you know where we are staying. Would absolutely luv to catch up with you - meet you and your beautiful little baby Boy!

Munther said...

Oh baby n looks sooo cute in the picture ! It seems that he enjoys bathing which I don't think many babies do or was I thinking of cats ? :P

Regarding marks and sparks ;) I've always fancied their fancy food section while I was at the UK and believe me the one we have here is nothing compared with the ones over there ! Quite expensive for students too and to avoid shopping there I had to convince myself that its a place for old folk :D :P

Um Naief said...

wendy, what is bonny? yeah, i just decided to change my name. i first put my real name and then decided to put the um naief... i like it better. :) they have a wide range of things for girls here - tons of clothing shops... and more than i thought for boys. i'd love to buy some outfits, but can't see spending any amount on anything w/ him being so young and growing so fast.

sabra, i'd love to get together. just let me know and we can do lunch or something, if you'd like... on either wed. or thurs.

munther, he does like bathing. at first he hated it and maybe all kids do... not sure. and yes, cats hate the water, unless you start them young as kittens. then they'll tolerate it... but you don't really need to bathe cats like ppl thing here. they bathe themselves pretty much. i liked the food at marks & sparks - cute name by the way. reminds me of the name we had for neiman marcus in the states. called it needless markup coz it was soooo expensive. but... i can see where you brain washed urself into believing that it was a store for the old folks... coz it could get rather expensive shopping there all the time.... but the store here it's so small it'd be hard to do a lot of shopping there.

Me said...

Little Naief is so adorable! I love the picture :-) I'm sorry about your back pain...I have been reading that one theory about the back pain is that it might be related to the epidural or spinal block (i'm assuming you had one with the c-section)...but I dont know how accurate that is.

Um Naief said...

reem, thank you. i read that women who have c-sections have back pain for a long while afterwards... some for years. i don't know if it was the epidural, but i'll mention it at my next appt. and see what the dr. says. a friend of mine said that it will prob hurt for a year. i hate back pain... especially because it makes it hard to carry the baby for long periods, which i don't like.

Ixchel said...

awwwww naief is the cutest thing ever.. as for marks and Spencer its my fav store for underwear..They are soo comfy and last for almost forever.. i always feel guilty going into the store though because every saturday, all the profit it makes they send it to Israel.. but hey, i just make sure i dont go on saturdays!

Olivia said...

Oh! Since I started working it seems everyone has picked up the blogging pace and now I have to catch up!

I am so excited that you have M&S. I shop there ALL the time. I'd love to tell you about the stuff I eat, but your store may not carry all the things I get here.

They do a delicious hot smoked salmon soup, yummy bruschetta toast, deelish crab gratin (goes well with any of the crackers you mentioned). Their kettle crisps are great, their bread, yoghurt, desserts, especially the lemon ones...and so on....

Um Naief said...

memo, first, thank you! i think he's pretty dang cute too. :) you know, when i went to M&S, i was looking at their underwear... they have some nice stuff. i saw sooo much i'd love to buy... i could probably dream about it! ;) i hope to go back at some point and get a few things. too nice to pass up!!

olivia, ummm, i'll have to take a list of the things you mention here and see if they have any of it. it's a small little area there, so not sure how much they'll have, but they had quite a bit. they were stocking the freezer section when we went, so i'm looking forward to seeing what all they have. i love this store. i'm so glad i took the time to go in there. i haven't been shopping for anything in such a long time and am looking forward to going there and buying myself a few things. :)

Olivia said...

I heard once that M&S was the world's top lingerie seller, and yet they don't seem to have a world presence like...like....(no Not Wal-Mart, there must be something else...)

Um Naief said...

olivia, well.. i think of victoria's secret... because they had many nice pieces... sorta felt spellbound for a bit! ;) and what impressed me the most was how large their lingerie section was... but hey, maybe it's because i haven't been shopping in so long that everything looked big! :)