Almost 6 mths

Can hardly believe that in 5 days, Naief will be 6 mths old!! Thankfully time is not really flying and both me and Hashim are enjoying watching him grow, discover and have fun.

Thought I'd put a cute photo up for all of you. Last week, we decided to fill his baby pool and take him for a dip for the first time. He cried a little but also enjoyed it. I think as time goes by, he'll really enjoy getting wet and swimming.

He's on the verge of crawling. I expect that w/in the next couple of weeks, he'll master it or it sure seems that way. This morning he was rocking back and forth while in the crawling position, and he moved his leg forward and then the other one, then fell on the bed exhausted! ;) So... looks like it'll be any day now.... :)

He's growing so fast. We have to take him to the dr. on the 4th to have his 3rd set of shots. I hope he doesn't get sick this time. Last time he caught a cold that lasted for a few weeks and it was so hard on him, and hard on me. I hated seeing him sick. I will tell you guys... for anyone who doesn't know, they have these great little suction things out there that pull the stuff right outta the nose. Great little gadget that is. Whenever his nose got stuffed up, I'd use that and wallah..he could breathe!

Anyway... I'm enjoying motherhood. Never thought I'd be one to say it... but here I am.

He's doing so many new little things. Every day you see something new. I love to watch him explore the world and realize things. Right now he's into cause and affect. He'll drop a toy and look right at me. I pick it up, give it back to him and he does it again. Sometimes he even laughs. He loves songs and will laugh when I sing to him. Do you think this is a bad thing??!! ;) lol

He knows who mommy and daddy are and will put out his arms to come to me... which I love. He adores Hashim.... and watches everything his daddy does. I've started looking around our room and the house... realizing just how much stuff we'll have to put up once he starts to crawl. In our room alone, seems like we'll have to strip it. Cabinets will have to be locked or child proofed.... tables (glass) will have to be put up until later... we'll have to get gates for the stairs... things you don't think about until you see how quickly he moves across the bed and grabs things, and how fast he grabs at a glass you're drinking from, or grabs from a plate of food that you're eating. He wants everything.... so I know that the house will need major child proofing before this little boy gets a running start on all that's breakable!

We've actually decided to have another baby. Can you believe it??? Well... or at least we'll try. I hate to say anything until it's actually happened... for I seem to jinx myself w/ things. I would love to have a little girl... but little boys are just as sweet, I'm finding out. This morning he actually gave me a kiss when I asked for one! :) How sweet is that??!!

Nice day everyone!

Is it hot or what?!!

What are the temps today??? What were they yesterday? It was 42 in Dubai yesterday (I believe), and, to me, it feels about that high here... but I have no idea really, but I know it's hot. Feels like a big hot sauna.... minus the atmosphere.

This type of weather gives me a headache... and they say that humidity is good for ya.... or at least good for the skin. I have yet to see the results of living in such humid weather... maybe one day.

What's been going on? One friend, Jane, from Lost in America, asked me a week or so ago about the voices in our house and what happened w/ that. Thankfully, since that time, I haven't heard another voice. We've decided to change the locks on our house, just in case... and since we heard that our last housemaid (the one who ran away) is living some place w/ her husband who, as we were told, is beating her and keeping her tied to the bed... we can't be sure that they wouldn't try breaking in or something. Altho, Hashim says that he doubts if they'll ever come over in this area again... and I agree.

I didn't mention that they caught the girl who worked for my BIL... the one who ran away w/ them... and then her sister turned herself in after her sister didn't come home. They were the ones to tell the family about Bali and the way he's treating his wife - before being deported. Who knows if it's true... I have no idea. I hope not though.

We've been house sitting for the in-laws who have been away traveling for the summer. My FIL, SIL and her son are coming back tomorrow. Thank goodness because it's really hot in this house. They have large rooms and it seems like it takes hours to cool them... and for me and the baby, well... it's horrible. Naief loves cool air and we always keep our house pretty chilly (he gets this from his momma), so his naps have been far and few between at present... and it makes both he and his momma cranky.... so it'll be a good day when we go back!!

I saw on the tube the other day where some footballer in the States was charged on dog fighting. They showed a pic of he and his dog... which is a Pit bull... and they were talking about how much he "loved" his dog. Yeah... ok. When you fight your dog w/ other dogs.... when does love for that animal come into the picture? This same guy has also been charged w/ what happens to the dogs that lose. They hang the animals, drown them or electrocute them... can you believe this?!! I can... and it makes me sick.

Honestly, I hope ppl like this go straight to hell and live the rest of their lives, before death, in absolute agony. I hope they get cancer or the worst things possible come into their lives, and are plagued w/ pain that no pain reliever will get rid of. You know, when I think about this kind of stuff... I truly want these ppl to suffer the same pain as their animals. Why not put them in a sport where they're torn apart by some large animals... maybe a mountain lion, real hungry lion or, better yet.. a hungry polar bear! Something that will cause serious, long, steady pain for a long amount of time. I know my cats like to torture their victims (birds and such) before killing them... they deserve the same. Seriously, I really hate ppl like this.

Which makes me think of the ppl who do this in Bahrain. It's a huge sport here. All underground of course... but I question how penalties aren't handed down to these ppl when they're caught. I've been at the vet's office countless times when ppl have been there w/ dogs that have obviously been in dog fights. I've questioned my husband on why the vet doesn't turn these ppl in... I think I've even ranted on here about it... but what good does it do when you have a society that doesn't give a crap about dogs... ok, not all, but a large majority see them as devils that need to be killed out in the open.

The other day, when we came to my in-laws for the house sitting, there was a dog out in a pen in the backyard. After close inspection and after letting him out because of his desperate need for attention, we discovered that it was a Pit bull. He was soooo sweet. I couldn't help but wonder if he would be fought at some time in his life.

Come to find out, my BIL was keeping the dog for one of his friends who was traveling. The dog, being a Pit bull, was so friendly... so I know they haven't been preparing the dog to fight as of yet. Maybe they wont... but I'll tell ya, I did ask my hubby, several times, to call his brother and inquire about the dog... as to whether his friend was planning to fight the animal and such. Hubby didn't... but if he had and if he found out that they did intend to fight the dog, I did tell him that I would steal away the dog and take him to the BSPCA w/out telling anyone... for I would not allow a dog to go thru such cruelty... never.

Yeah.. you guys may think me a bit crazy/strange... but I would do it. I even planned it out. But... the dog is gone now.. the owners came home and the dog was returned. Now.. I'll never know. God help him and maybe the ppl who own him truly love animals and would never allow such to happen to their dog.

At least I can hope.

Smiles everyone....

gaaawwwd, I hate flies!

What is up w/ the flies in this country? Never have I seen flies that don't go away and aren't afraid of humans.

When I was a young girl, I hated them so much that I would go outside, taking the fly swatter w/ me, and kill as many flies as I could in order to keep them from coming into the house..... yeah, ok... I was young... so bear w/ me here! :) I would spend hours killing them. My mom would always be home and I can remember her telling me on more than one occasion that it wouldn't make a difference, but it never deterred my determination. For I was the Fly Killer and proud of it!!!

Now... living here in Bahrain, I don't think I'd ever be able to swat one of these dang little creatures... they're so fast. Not only that, but they seem to withstand even the hardest swat w/ the hand.... so would they even be affected by the good 'ole swatter?

It's gotten so bad that I can't hardly stand to go outside and sit during the summer. They're always buzzing around me... landing on my clothes, my feet, my face, my hair, my arms... and don't get me started about how they worship the baby! There was one in our bedroom the other day and I couldn't kill it for nothing. Every time I'd turn around, it was on the baby's face. aaarrrrggghhhh... I hate them.

I think my big thing w/ flies is that when I was small, I believed that every time they landed, they were laying eggs - which, as you know, turn into maggots. So... every time I'd see one on a plate, a glass and such, I'd fear that they had contaminated whatever it was and such would have to be thrown away. Well... I'm still not sure about that or about what they're doing and why they feel the need to land on me and the baby or how they're always flying around the table when you're eating and no matter what you do, they won't go AWAY... and what's up w/ them always waxing their little legs.... such vile little creatures!

What's the key to getting rid of these things? They're not afraid, that's for sure. I will say though... I do have a few cats that love to kill and eat them. Our cat Ammie is a skilled fly killer. She eats them right up.... she and Petunia love them... makes me wonder what they taste like... kidding. ;) But I do kinda wonder.

anyway.... at least they don't bite.... but now that I think about it... I think I have been bitten by a few of them outside. I know the horse flies in the States bite big time... and it hurts.... are there horse flies here?

warm and fuzzies

Today was a really nice day. I went to the female bloggers meeting and had the best time. Time flew by and before I knew it, 2 hrs had passed and it was time to go home.... thanks for the good time everyone! Btw... you girls are really a nice group of ppl.

I've been thinking about my blog lately.... being bored and not knowing what to write, and then also feeling bad for things I've written in the past. Judging w/out ever giving a reason for the judgment. I've made comments about the way girls wear make-up here and their perfume.. not really thinking about how it might affect other ppl. The bad thing about life is that sometimes when you're exposed to really negative individuals who strive to leave a bad taste in your mouth.... no matter how much you try not to be maimed by it, that bad taste keeps building up and building up.... until you become sorta tarnished, I guess is a way to put it. You start to think differently, judge, and dislike a group of ppl based on past experiences. Yeah... not everyone is alike... I know that... but... I did find myself judging and disliking ppl based on the actions of a few.

I guess you could say it all started like this....

I had the great misfortune of meeting (in person and a few on the net) some Arab girls in the States who were friendly, at first, I guess to size me up for the kill they intended later... with one girl coming to our place, pretending to be all friendly, trying on my eye glasses while going on about how much she liked them, telling me her life story, and later, before leaving, slipping my eye glasses into her purse... now you see them, now you don't.

Thankfully I never saw her again after that.... and no, I didn't mention the glasses to her... what was the point. Not like she'd give 'em back or even admit to it. All of this was after I had been subjected to her retarded/high school girl ways off and on for months.... and, for me, the last straw came when she started coming on way to strong, for my blood, w/ the hubby - over and over again matter of fact, and for anyone who knows me, well...you know I hate that crap more than anything.

One evening, while at a gathering at someone's house... after having a few drinks, I told this girl what I thought of her. And I guess that was the wrong thing to do w/ miss priss because all of the guys there that night (who are Bahraini and now live here - and thankfully I haven't seen any of them!), including her, started telling me how no one would accept me in Bahrain. Ppl would pretend to like me to my face, but would really be laughing behind my back. And that where ever I went, I would need to watch my back... going on and on about how I'd never be accepted, all the while telling me how it's not safe to live here, how everyone hates Americans.... and the main one going on about it was a Royal.... I guess he had to protect his goods.... hmmm... well, she was the goody prize for many or so it seemed from her actions.... maybe it was all based on the fact that I was American, engaged to a Bahraini and no one liked it... I don't know.

They were all just... so nice... ?! I'll tell ya... it gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside... that's fer sure!

And then when I came here, wouldn't you know it, I started to experience these lovely mature ways of behaving from some girls and it seemed that there was a whole new world of games from a select few. Seems that some took this art to a whole new level... because everywhere I turned, I got paint all over me. Such joy. Made my first few years of living here such sweetness.... made me believe those stories for a LONG while.

Needless to say, all of it made me seethe w/ disgust, and I started to wonder if everyone was like this.... hence my blog entries. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover... but I did.

I believe in karma... so I was getting kicked in the butt for something, obviously.... but one of the girls that did this to me here in Bahrain... well, I still see her on occasion... and... it's true - what goes around comes back around! :)

Memories....

thankfully life is much better now....

and sorry to all of you that I offended.

Happy Birthday Littler Sister

Today is my younger sister's bday! So... I wanted to wish her a

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!

May all your wishes come true this year.... may you not get wrinkles until you're 80.... may you accomplish that feat of standing on the scales w/ one big toe... and may you find laughter w/ every turn of the corner!

Cheers.... and wow... it's falling in a weekend... what could be better than that?!!

Me and the lion cub

what a day this was. my 4th grade teacher owned something like a petting zoo, where animals would come to her prior to going to a zoo..... so one day on a class fieldtrip, we got to go to her farm/house and meet tons of animals, including a black bear cub, llamas and this beautiful animal that you see here.

this lion cub was something else. all of us students had to stand in line if we wanted to get our picture made w/ her.... and, believe me, i was soo excited.

before me, everyone had such an easy time.... the cub would sit there patiently, letting each one of them, come up, sit down and get a picture.....

but no... not me. i guess she had had her fill.... for when i arrived, she wanted to get up and play, and wanted nothing to do w/ having me hold her in a sitting position. it took everything i had to hold that cat down. she was strong! and sassy... and seeing that i adored animals back then... well, i was thrilled beyond belief to be sitting there w/ her!! :)

these are such beautiful animals.... definitely would NEVER work as a pet.... but to be able to sit next to a big cat, even as a cub.... well, it's a memory that will always live w/ me....

happy day everyone...

two front teeth

I can hardly believe it.... altho I knew back when he was 4 mths old that he was starting to teethe .... and yep, even when the dr. said that he can't be teething... not until he's at least 5 mths or 6 mths of age....

well... Naief has two teeth coming in. I've been able to see them for a while now - a whiteness thru the gums - but only today have they broken thru. Not a lot, but I can feel them w/ my finger. Aaaaahhhh, after 4 long days of going thru it w/ him.... I'm so happy that they've shown themselves, because not only were they causing a fever, but nothing made this little boy happy... nothing. He was cranky all day, every day, and crying a lot, and even his favorite toys and games weren't enough to help the pain and ease his suffering. I finally started giving him children's panadol and it seemed to help a lot.... for all you new mothers out there.

Today I went out to buy him a few onesies and while I was looking, I had him in the sling, facing forward, in front of me, and one of the Bahraini sales ladies asked if he was 8 mths.... which I could hardly believe and I said, "no, he's 5 mths old". We talked for a bit.... w/ her commenting about how fast everyone wants you to have babies around here, after which she told me that she's been married for a year and hasn't had any children. I told her that I thought that was good... it would give her time to be w/ her husband and for them to enjoy each other because children aren't easy and you no longer have any free time.... boy, ain't that the truth! ;)

Finally, finally, finally... hubby has found some old artwork of mine that I did years ago on Photoshop... he's gonna bring it to the puter upstairs so that I can put a few of them online... I'm still waiting for him to find my poetry from a website that I had years ago w/ most of my poems there... since getting rid of that, he backed it up to someplace (he swore to me) and it's been sorta lost ever since... but I hope this is a sign of good things to come... and soon he'll tell me that he's found my poetry! I hope... because it's not anywhere else. I didn't write down a lot of it... only spending hours online writing one poem after another it seemed... some during my most depressing of days... why it is that I write and paint the best when I'm sad or depressed is beyond me and something that I still long to understand. I only wish I could when happy... but my muse flies away and doesn't come back around 'til I'm sad and depressed again.... weird how I long for days like that so I can paint something or write something of beauty.... or at least to be able to pour my heart out thru my pen.... it was such a release back then.... now I just journal or write here, which is ok... but I miss that other side of me..... makes me wonder why I'd miss such sadness.

some favorite old photos

these are some of my favorite photos from long ago. the first one is of my mother. this is one of my favorites of her... i have another but will have to look around for it. she's such a beauty.

the next photo is of my mom, my sister, jahooni, and me. this was my first perm. oh gosh, how i hated it. my mom had my aunt do it w/out even asking me first... yeah, you wonder how that can happen... well, it did. thought i was getting a simple haircut and look what happened! i wore a hat to school for days because of it and cried my eyes out for days. but.... eventually it grew out.... thank goodness! wasn't my sister such a cute little baby!!! look at that beautiful little smile on her face. funny how having a baby now makes me look at this photo differently! gosh... no wonder she's still so pretty... pretty baby, pretty woman. :)

the last photo is of my sister doing the chinese splits. i could NEVER do them... and it really errrked me that she could! she was a major show off and used to go down in the splits at a moments notice..... btw, she's still a show off.

anyhow... thought i'd share a few of my memories w/ all of you.

today is the 4th of july in the states. i miss that holiday. i love fireworks and it's the best day for being w/ family, bbqing outdoors and just enjoying the weather and life. my sister is having a fun day w/ steak and lobster... probably some beer and maybe my BILs famous margaritas....

Enjoy!!! wish i were there!! :)

spooky

today an odd thing happened. it was around 1 or 1:30 and i had given the baby his bottle, put him down for a nap, and as i was settling in next to him or maybe had even dozed off, i heard a woman's voice in our upstairs hall. it startled me. my cat frankie was on the bed w/ us and he even woke up and turned his head towards the bedroom door rather quickly. the door was closed, btw..

i thought i heard a door close. i felt a bit frightened, so i stayed in my spot for a few ... then decided to get up to see if someone was there. i looked out the window first to see if the front door to the outside was open or if anyone was on the street.... just in case the voice came from outside. no one. the street was empty.

so i opened the door, looked towards the tv room, that door was closed. inched forward and looked into the baby's room window that opens to the hall, the door was closed and i saw no one. i called out..... but nothing. i stood there for a few and then decided to go to the stairs to see if i could hear or see anyone. i got to the stairs, looked down to the area under the stairwell that sorta sees into the sitting area downstairs and i heard nothing. i called out "is someone there.... hello". nothing. i heard no sounds and no one called back to me.

i felt afraid and remembered that i had left the back door unlocked. i figured it would be easier for hubby when he came home from work... never figuring i'd be afraid of someone coming in.

i head back to the bedroom, close the door and wished i knew where the key was.... but i didn't. i actually found myself feeling fear that someone was in the house. then i wondered... ok, it sounded like a woman's voice... maybe someone from my FILs family had sent one of the maid's here.... but why wouldn't they hear me and why had i heard them upstairs?

i went and sat back down on the bed... eventually snuggling into naief who was asleep next to me.... and i dozed off. the next thing i know, it's 2 and hashim comes in to the room. i told him to wake me in another hour or so because i needed to get up and such..... forgetting what had happened and what i had heard.

only tonight, when almost ready for bed did i remember. weird.... because i've been afraid in this house before... afraid that a spirit was here. yesterday when i was downstairs washing dishes, i kept seeing something outta the corner of my eye to my right. every time i'd turn that way, there was nothing moving or nothing there that would catch my eye. i've had this happen before in various rooms. i've worried, but try to dismiss it. i have felt fear in my own bedroom w/ the baby... remember when i said that i felt something in the room w/ us, but felt better when the baby smiled and laughed at whatever it was.... since it is now gone. i've also felt something in the baby's room..... which i don't like.

i don't even like to talk about it.... think about it.... allow my mind to go there. i've always had this knack for feeling something odd - sometimes even seeing things, sensing something bad before it happens, sensing things around me.... even had an event when i was young.... but each time, i feel scared, not refreshed by it or it doesn't feel calm.

who called out today? why did my cat hear it but no one was there? should i fear it....???? because today i also heard what sounded like my husband's studio door closing and things moving about in there..... i asked him if anything was missing, nothing is. he thinks i heard him coming home.... but i asked if he called out to me.... no. did he come upstairs and go into one of the rooms? no.

you know... my MIL told me that i should play the Quran in the baby's room... for it's where Satiya stayed... the maid that did black magic or so we think. and now... that room is where my baby will sleep. i've slept in there and felt afraid.... couldn't even allow myself to put my back to the door, still can't.

i think i'll play the Quran tomorrow.

da, da. da, da

Naief has started to speak..... and is saying da, da, da, da sooooo much. it's so sweet and as you can imagine, daddy loves it. Here in the Middle East they use baba for father/daddy. I call hubby daddy w/ the baby because I knew it would be his first words and because I also think that having those as the first words spoken, I knew it would bring a special bond between him and his daddy.

This past weekend, Hashim slept w/ the baby and I slept in the baby's room so that I could sleep in and it soooo helped. Naief is waking at 6:30 a.m. now, so daddy got to experience a little bit of motherhood - at this stage - for the first time. It isn't easy... babies are a handful, but... wouldn't you know it, the first morning that I slept in, the baby would start talking!! I was a little jealous at first, but now, since he's saying it all the time, I really am enjoying it.

On Friday morning, after sleeping in, I walk into the bedroom, and I could swear that I heard Naief say ma, ma, ma, ma... even maybe mommy. Maybe I was delirious?!! ;) Cause he hasn't said it since... but gosh... it brought such a rush of excitement and joy into my heart.

Today was a really tiring day and for the first time, I actually slept along w/ him when he took his morning and afternoon naps. aaaaahhhhh, the joy from finally being able to do that... sleep!

I've been trying to get him on a routine and it's a lot easier to say than do. He wakes up on schedule, but the rest of the day is his own. He's now waking up in the evenings and wee early hours for additional feedings. He's obviously having a growth spurt... so I'm experiencing the first months of motherhood again. I've added cereal to his diet yesterday. He loves it. I give it once in late morning and then at night. Tonight Hashim added some cherry juice to it and he gobbled it up, even cried when it was finished.

I don't think he'll be a picky eater at all or at least I'm hoping that w/ how he's behaving that it's a sign for good things to come.

One of the girls that is a blog friend just had a baby. You can find her blog at Reem's World. I'm wondering how it's going and if she's tired, which I'm sure she is. Funny how you're just dying for the baby to get older but when he starts, you look back and wish for the time when he was sleeping a lot. Bush gosh, even then I wasn't sleeping w/ him.... but I find myself wishing for a little bit of that time again.

He's started doing so many new things. He's now in a walker and loves pushing himself backwards. He hasn't mastered coming forward yet, but goes from side to side w/out any problems. He's trying his best to crawl right now but his arms aren't strong enough yet. I'm thinking it'll be getting a lot closer by the end of this month.... when this happens.... oh gosh.... I'll have to move so many things and watch everything like a hawk. You don't think about all the little things you have lying around until you have a little baby that's about to start getting into everything. He loves putting things in his mouth and I'd never want to experience him choking.... it's such a huge fear of mine. I lie awake looking at him thinking about it sometimes..... yes... go ahead, tell me how crazy it is... but like I've said in past blogs, I'm a fatalist..... I try not to ... but that stuff just sneaks right up on ya.... but hey, they way I see it... better safe than sorry... don't ya think! I think I need to find a class for learning CPR. I wonder if there are any places around here that teaches it to new mothers... if not, there should be!

anyway.... it's about 9:10 pm here. the baby is asleep, hubby is in the studio and i'm headed off to watch oprah and try to dose off early. take care guys.

p.s. want to apologize coz i've only been visiting a blog every now and again. i miss reading all of you guy's blogs.... believe it or not. thanks for sticking around w/ me.... maybe in a few i'll get back to all my old haunts. :)