Saturday, August 18, 2007

another one bites the dust!

why me??? here my hair is already thin... not like i can stand to even lose a few strands, but low and behold, my hormones are shifting and my hair has started to fall out. i sorta thought it might slow down by now, but it seems to be getting worse. a friend of mine who had her baby 2 mths before me, started losing hair at 4 mths, and told me it was coming out in the handfuls, but she has lush, thick hair... but she still panicked. now... i am. her dr. gave her some stuff for it, i'm maybe wanting some of this! ;)

well, my sister has left on a 9 day vacation to Yosemite National Park. i'm totally wanting to go. i wish i was there to go w/ them. she took katelyn camping at nine mths, in the freezing cold and she loved it! the pictures are adorable.... i think naief would really love it. well... maybe the next time. since they go every year and have a nice, big camping trailer now.... we could all tag along for a very enjoyable trip. now... only if me and the sis could stand 9 days together! ;) :0

i've decided to take a vacation to the States some time very soon. it's just gonna be me and baby traveling. i'm a bit terrified. i say that loosely, because i'm strong and know i can handle it, but there are pieces of it that sorta just freak me out. for one, do i take a stroller or carry him in a backpack type of harness while waiting for the flight, during layover and such. do i get an extra seat for him and put his car seat in the chair or do we get only one seat and he sits in my lap the entire time? do i get benadryl for the flight so that he can sleep or will it make him hyper, like some children? do i rely on natural physics and let him fall asleep on his own... because he has a tendency to cry when i'm putting him down until he falls asleep and sometimes it's fierce crying, so i can imagine what the other passengers (the ones w/out children - who have never had children) might be bothered.

should i care?!! it is my little one after all. i heard some time back where some airline made a woman get off the flight w/ her child because she/he kept saying "bye bye plane" or something and the stewardess got mad about it, complained, and they were made to get off.

imagine! i would throw a major ass fit. i have a temper.... i can only imagine it flaring at a time like that. i'd probably be barred from ever flying w/ that airline again! ;)

i'm also concerned about the layover and carrying the baby for that long on my back. if i don't take a stroller, then if he started getting cranky, i'd have to carry him in my arms... but hey, we could always find a nice place to sit down, relax and play until it was time for our flight.

and what about feeding him? you have to take all your bottles, formula and they can't give you sterilized water for the bottle... but they can warm water for you. which is cool... and would work nicely. and then i think about changing. some airlines have bathrooms equipped w/ changes tables on the doors, so that would be helpful. how about boredom and the fact that he wouldn't be able to move basically, other than around on my lap. i wonder how he'd handle that. would he cry a lot??

i'm also trying to debate about when i'd travel. my aunt, whom i haven't seen in .... gosh, since i was a teenager, is gonna be in Calif. to visit my mom in early sept., and i'd love to see her. but, then that means i'd have to leave at the start of Ramadan and wouldn't be able to spend Ramadan and Eid w/ the family and extended family, which is important to hubby, and it would basically be the baby's first holiday... and pictures would have to go in the baby book!! :)

so, if i stay thru, then i miss my aunt, but that always means i can stay thru two holidays. Halloween and thanksgiving. both are ones that i love. i think it would be great to take the baby in a little costume out w/ his 7 yr old cousin. gosh... how fun would that be! and then thanksgiving, well... it's been forever since i spent that holiday w/ my family. i think the last time was when my sister was just dating her husband... some 11 years ago! i'd look at coming back before Christmas... because have to put up a tree and decorations for the baby's first Christmas... and can't miss that w/ my husband. altho, i'd dearly love to have that w/ my family. but that would mean w/out my husband.... and since he's very important and our family life together has change drastically and is as important... i feel it only right to come back and do the whole thing here!

aaahhhh... the baby's first Christmas! :) altho, he won't remember it, there will be tons of pictures... and it'll be really nice. he'll love the paper... just like the cats! ;)

naief is cutting his upper teeth and has been having such pain w/ them. he wants to bite on everything and so he should. i give him as much as possible to satisfy that need, and on occasion have given him a finger, which i only regret when he bites down super hard ....

he's walking now in his walker. i take him downstairs w/ me in the mornings and while i'm doing dishes, cleaning and such, he walks around squealing at the cats and babbling non-stop. i love this time. he gives me kisses now when i ask for them... ok, not every time, but at the best times. his hair is growing in... and GUESS WHAT???!!!!! it's blond! everyone's amazed and, you know, when he was born that was the first thing i told hashim, "he has blond hair"... but then, it was dark.... but now, it's blond. so so cute.

we saw my husband's aunt the other day at Geant and she told us that hashim had blond hair when he was little. hashim had told me this already but i refused to believe it. she told me that her son, who was w/ her, had also had blond hair.... and his hair was now a dark brown. hashim's is really dark... basically brownish/black... so i figure that when naief reaches 7 or 8, his hair will start to turn darker. i was born w/ white blond hair.... and kept it until i started getting around that age... but it was always dark blond or dishwater blond, as it's called, until in my 30s. now, it seems that most of it is turning grey, so i dye it whatever color i want! :)

anyway... that's about it. except, the baby is crawling full scale now and gets everywhere fast. he's starting to pull himself up, but hasn't accomplished it... so i know there are many things to be done here. i've already started moving things so that he can't get to it. he also wants to eat most things we're eating and insists on drinking bottled water, when i'm drinking it. he LOVES it. it's cute to watch.

that's about it. i've been super busy.... now i see why they say that motherhood is the hardest job on the planet. it's nice though because he's getting bigger and it's easier to get things done. i can only imagine how it'll be once he starts to walk. cleaning and running after him... well, i can think of a really great benefit... might finally lose the baby fat! :)

sweet day and sweet dreams!

16 comments:

Islander said...

about the travelling bit, check ahead with airlines.. they usualy give u an emergency exit seat if you have a baby, and theres this cradle like thing that fits on the wall infront of u so he wont have to be on ur lap the whole time.. theres alsoo a bit of space so you can sit him on the floor and let him crawl a bit, if ur neighbours dont have a problem with it..
iv seen alot of mothers who give thier kids medicine to make sure they fall asleep during the journy, but id recomend u try it on him first.. u wouldnt want him to be hyper all of the sudden..
i'd definatly recomend taking a stroller, so you dont have to carry him on your back the whole time,and ud also have a place to chuck all ur things..

my uncle had blond hair when he was a kid too.. but it darkened as he grew up.. hes bald now, so i guess it doesnt matter lol

Olivia said...

Hm, have you heard of Nioxin? It's a range of hair products that my mother used for her thinning hair, and after she was recovering from stress-induced alopecia after the divorce.
Now her hair is thicker than it was before menopause.

***

By the way, thank you for your sincere comments and encouragement on my blog regarding the move. Gee, I will really have to get in gear and do it as so many people here and there are waiting for me.

With my old friend (more like sister!) Vanessa on the case in Houston, I have to! She can inspire a statue.

A parallel to you and yours sis in Yosemite, when Vanessa recently went camping in Yellowstone I was SO envious!
But because we were not born as sisters, we get along like most sisters ought to :P

***

have you ever tried a shot of chamomile tea in naief's bottle? Knocks them out, as does a rub with lavender lotion. Of course, if benadryl doesn't make him hyper, then that's a sure fire way.

***

i can't believe you haven't spent a holiday with your family in 11 years. What a dilemma though, because you have the pull of your Bahraini family and the religious holidays being Naief's first.

So glad to hear you are enjoying motherhood. And thanks again for your faithful readership of my blog. :)

Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

Yes, check with the airlines on what they can do for young mums with a baby. I took my little kids on the planes a few times when they were very young and they provided a kind of cradle. Maybe take a stroller. They put things like that on a plane separately to luggage. Main thing is to have a great time, and relax, really slow down.
w.

poetic muslim said...

motherhood is harder then ruling the world! I realy enjoyed reading your post if only I had more times in my hand to read your other posts, I have another blog that I talk more about my life in it , erg www.confusedaboutlife.wordpress.com

'should i care?!! it is my little one after all. i heard some time back where some airline made a woman get off the flight w/ her child because she/he kept saying "bye bye plane" or something and the stewardess got mad about it, complained, and they were made to get off.'

i remember reading that on cnn ! how stupid ! must of been some wealthy bugger paid them to get them off the plane you never know these days .

about your hair I can give you an intresting recipe you may like to use for your hair to make it thicker . my hair is natrualt thick , but I still use stuff to maintain it , I have a 2 year old now my hair started falling out when she was 3 months , then it stopped . anwyay hun im gona try and read your old entries becuse im greatly intrested in how you managed it cos im ' supposedly iraqi' but I COULD NEVER LIVE WITH ARABS ! I find them extremly iritating . anyways hun this is going to be some essay if I continue

Um Naief said...

well, i've decided to possibly leave before ramadan. hubby's course was cancelled and he's looking to go to dubai earlier, which means i'd be able to go while my aunt is there, and still have both holidays. :)

i was sorta hoping to fly Gulf Air to London and then catch Virgin into LA, but Gulf stopped connecting w/ them and now connects w/ American, and I don't like them. so it's British Airways for me.

sunshine, i saw one of those cradles the last time i flew... they're quite nice. this woman's baby was so quiet on the flight. the space would be nice... and at least give him a stretch. trying the meds first is a great idea. when i find out for sure about the travel, i'll plan to see the dr. to get all the necessary stuff. i want the stroller... but let me pose this question. what if i have to go to the little girl's room? it can't fit inside the stall.. do i leave it sitting in front or do they have ppl to watch them at the door or something?! hmmmmm

olivia, i've heard of it. is it one of those that you have to take forever or your hair falls out again? don't get me started on menopause. i swear to you, the other day i was complaining of being hot while fanning myself and hubby looked at me and said "could it be menopause?!!" i thought i'd slap him! i'm like "WHAT??????!!!!!" he then laughed and said "it's a joke"... such a comedian he is. :)

i think houston would be a great fit for you. you love the place and think of all the restaurants you love and having a friend... well, i think that seals the deal. just think about all the thunderstorms you'll be able to listen to, and the smell... and the skies!!! the clouds!!! aaahhhh

and no, never thought of putting that in his bottle? right in w/ the formula?? i have some of it... might give it a shot tonight and see what happens. thanks.

you know, 11 years is a LONG time... especially for holidays. i'm realy looking forward to it...

wendy, do they take all strollers? mine is a larger type, but it folds in half. i thought that ppl took strollers on board, but then i wasn't sure. yes, i need to relax and am really hoping that this will be the right medicine. me and my sis tend to get on each other's nerves after a few wks, so i'm hoping that now w/ the baby, it'll have a different dynamic which will take the focus from us.

poetic muslim, hi! thanks for your other link. i look forward to reading it. i'm glad you like my blog.

you know, i thought the same thing about them making that woman get off the plane! i figured that someone didn't want to contend w/ it, so they did what any self righteous person would do and pay to get her thrown off.

i would LOVE the recipe. but... i have had super thin hair all my life, but just a lot of it. now... not even that. it's a bit frightening, actually... so please pass on the recipe. :) :)

most days... now.... i enjoy life here. but that doesn't mean that i don't have my days of not being able to deal w/ it. and truthfully, some ppl truly get on my last nerve and it's all i can do to be around them for an hour... there are many that i can't stand myself. ;)

Puppy said...

Ohhh its great that issue resolved, so you will be having US holidays there. When are you leaving?

That was a hard decision to take, when to go. I thought tickets for kids are free, isnt it?

Good luck with the flight arrangements. Sorry cant suggest anything, never flew with kid :)

poetic muslim said...

thats how I FEEL about woman I actualy turn the tv on because they honestly bore me (yawn)

they say to me are you ok ?
er yeah I was ok before I came to visit you , when i realized the world is filled with lame people ( offcourse I just think that not say )

heres the recipe - one egg
3 tbsp of olive oil
one squezzd lemon
1 tbsp of natrual yoghurt
1 tbsp of honey
mix all of this
then wrap your head in cling film ( yeah you will look silly ) you have to look ugly first to look prety :)
and then wrap it around with a hot towl .
you should leave it on for at least an hour , but the longer the better, it will with no doubt strengthen your hair trust me and it will definitly make its shine .
one other thing you can alter how much you want to put , depending on how long your hair is , their isnt much smell of the egg due to lemon which is good for strengthening the roots.
the science behind it .
tap in google natrual home remedy for your hair you will find more recips on their for your hair, one last thing before this starts to look like an essay . I also use the same mixture for my skin I dab it on to my skin with a cotton wool leave only after I have stemed my face so the pores are open .

Islander said...

im not really sure, but with some airlines like emarits u can get a sky nanny or something of that sorts.. (ha! i fly so much they should hire me for marketing purposes) its always better to check with the airlines while booking and inform them that you'r travelling with a baby.. and i dont think the flight attendants would mind looking after naief for a few mins while u pop in the ladies room ;)

Anonymous said...

My sister used to have this harness thing that the baby was strapped in front of her,she loved it saying she could go anywhere and talk to the baby at the same time?

Olivia said...

No, I don't think you have to use Nioxin forever. Let's hope.

Hehe, that was funny about the menopause. Don't worry, I have hot flushes too sometimes and joke with myself about it.

A lot of my friends are in Houston, most of the ones who hung out in university STILL meet up from time to time, nearly 7 years after graduation. Some of them are still involved in the university in some way or other, or others live in the area still.

I was surprised to find today that I have more people to network with in the US than I do here, that is how well I have stayed in touch with everyone...maybe deep down I knew...

I don't even care that Houston is hot. I'm just looking for a way of life now. But I'd like to use that as a stepping stone to Va/Md/DC, my favoured areas from long ago.

And yes, I do miss thunderstorms and sky and birds, and the way things perk up after a good storm. None of that 3-day-long half-hearted drizzle we have here.

...won't miss the pigeons, sod those rats on wings - we have so many living here because they use our balconies to court and mate and sleep and poo. The only other place in London where I've seen as many pigeons is Trafalgar Square.

Oh...sorry, I ranted!

Let me know how the tea worked on Naief, if at all. I ought to have asked Mum how much to put in!!! I'll let you know later.

Olivia said...

Ooh Sunshine mentioned Emirates airlines. When I was booking my Toronto-NYC tickets the other day, one connecting leg was offered on there and I was so tempted, but it meant I'd have to connect in some ridiculous place, basically going east before going west.

Why are flights with stopovers so much cheaper than direct?!?!? Gah!

Hehe, I ranted again ;)

Olivia said...

Formula with Chamomile Tea: 1/3 tea, 2/3 formula.

It's safe and natural and it works, she says.

Um Naief said...

olivia, i know this may sound strange.. but i have no idea really. do i make the tea first or put it in as the dry tea????

sunshine, as far as the stroller ... i meant during my layovers.. i was sorta freaked about how i would manage the bathrooms and such.... i'm still thinking of carrying him in a carry thing on me... but not sure yet!

and for the rest of you guys, i'll have to comment later, coz the baby just woke up, it's 9:35 pm and i need to put him back to sleep.

Olivia said...

Oh, haha! Sorry. Make the tea in a regular cup, as though you would for yourself, and then fill the baby bottle a third full of tea and the rest with formula.

And either keep the rest for next time, or drink it yourself ;)

Um Naief said...

olivia, i was just laying here in bed and thought... what a fool. here i'm thinking of putting ground tea in the baby's formula... obviously it's brewed tea....

and yes... maybe i need several cup fulls!

Olivia said...

LOL Tooners, did you slap yourself? Hahaha! ;) You must be tired...