Flavour of The Day With Noora

Question After Question

I was at the Dr.’s office today going for a routine check up. In the waiting room, there was a woman in her late forties, who stared and stared and stared at me.

Every time I would lift my head, there she was, bluntly staring at me. Then finally, she decided to break the silence. “Is this your son? He is cute, how old is he?”

Every time I answered a question, a new question would come up and it started becoming very personal.

“You look too young to have a son, how old are you? What’s your family name? What’s your husband’s family name? Why are you at the Dr.’s office? What are you suffering from?” and so on.

I didn’t know what to do, should I answer her questions that only seemed to raise new questions or should I be rude until she got the point? People like her annoy me, why do you need to know who I am and who I am married to? You are probably never going to see me again anyways, so why get so personal?

The staring thing is not just in older women, everyone stares here. If you are having a conversation with a friend in a public place, you can actually feel and see people listen to what you are saying and in some cases, decide to join in on the conversation.

It’s funny but also annoying. Anyways, I ended up being called in to the Dr.’s office and that was that.

Flavour Of The Day With Noora

Disconnected

I am facing internet connectivity problems at home, out of the blue, we suddenly didn't have internet. The worst part is that it happened over the weekend and I couldn't call anyone to fix it.

The first few hours were fine. Then however, I needed to get a number from the internet. I also remembered that I promised my friend that I will send her pictures of Yousef and most importantly, it was time for my blog post!

I never realised how dependent I am on the internet, so is my entire family. Without internet, none of us got distracted on the computer, iPad, or spent hours watching videos on YouTube.

I once watched a TV talk show where the entire family was suffering from massive arguments, poor communication and a lack of bonding. The host recommended that they disconnect from all mobiles, phones, computers and especially the internet. The family came back to the show saying that they finally spoke with each other for the first time in years.

I can now see what they meant.

Since I need the internet for work however, I ended up buying an internet plan for my phone so I can write this post.

Try disconnecting from all technology for a while, it actually is a relief.

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Yousef's First Birthday

Next week, we will be celebrating my son’s FIRST birthday!

I cannot believe it, it really has been one year. I am not saying that time has passed quickly, it hasn’t. But, I cannot imagine that it has been that long.

It’s funny, I tell my husband that I do not remember what I used to do with all my time before I had him. Yes, I worked about 9 hours a day. Yet, what did I do with all my time after that? I don’t remember what it felt like to wake up on weekends on my own pace, stay in bed, watch TV for 3 hours straight and just have a commitment free day.

Nowadays, Yousef is doing all sorts of adorable, funny stuff. He opens his eyes really wide to make us laugh, thinks it’s hilarious when he sneezes and loves to sit in the supermarket trolly. It’s such an amazing feeling watching him do all this stuff, and this is just the first year.

November 3rd, 2011 will be a very special day. Even though he will have no idea what’s going on, I know I will cry my eyes out over the sight of him trying to grab his football-shaped birthday cake.

Flavour of The Day With Noora

6:00 am

Ever since Yousef was 7 months old, he stopped waking up in the middle of the night for milk.

While many people were giving me advice on how I can wean him from his midnight feedings, I just waited for him to stop on his own, and he did.

He used to have his last bottle at 8pm and have his morning bottle at 8am, it was so comfortable for the both of us.

Lately however, he has been waking up at 6am again for milk. I don’t know if this means that he is not getting enough food during the day which is making him wake up hungry or if it is just a new habit. And the worst part is that he wakes up full of energy and ready to start his day.

I tried to delay his bedtime for an hour to make him sleep in later in the morning. It didn’t work, he is still waking up at 6 and is becoming very cranky for the rest of the day.

How can I get him back on track? I really don’t want to go back to midnight feedings!

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Extra Naggy!

Yousef, my 11-month-old son, has been extra naggy the past few months. I don’t know why and I cannot figure out what has changed, but things are definitely getting out of control.

If I leave the room to go to the kitchen for example, even though he can still see me, he starts crying. If we are in the same room, he has to be in my lap. If we are not in the same room, he cries hysterically. What’s even worse is that he is not accepting ANYONE but me. He is constantly nagging until I carry him.

I don’t know if this is just a phase, but I need to find a solution ASAP. Before all this, he used to love going to my sister’s house and I could leave him there for hours without any problems. Now, he refuses to stay in the same room with her if I am not there!

For anyone who works from home and has an entire house to look after, this situation is too hard to handle. I cannot carry him while I am cooking or cleaning and I cannot leave all the work until he is asleep, I am too exhausted by then.

Some people are telling me that I should gradually try to change this habit; others are telling me that I should wait it out. But, what if waiting it out makes things worse?!

What shall I do?

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Is it from the Flu?

My baby had the flu for about 10 days, and he had it really bad. Coughing, sneezing, runny nose and high fever.

I gave him all the medication his Dr. prescribed and he is feeling way better now. The problem is, he is still refusing to eat or drink anything, even his precious milk is being refused. He vomited a few times also. Is this normal after the flu or do you think it might be something else?

Shall I give it a few more days (it's been 5 days already) or shall I go to the Dr. again? He is losing so much weight!

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Baby # 2

How soon after the first baby should a woman start thinking about having her second?

I am asking this question because my son is about to turn 1 year-old and I still feel so overwhelmed sometimes that the thought of having another baby terrifies me.

Do you think it is better to have babies that are close in age or wait a few years before having the second baby?

One of my closest friends has a son and daughter who are about a year and a half apart. She says that having them so close in age is the best thing she has ever done. “You feed them together, bathe them together, put them to sleep together and they keep each other busy,” that’s what she is always telling me.

On the other hand, I know a couple who had their son and daughter 4 years apart and they too think it is the best thing they have ever done.

I know it is a matter of preference, but is there any mama who share her personal experience with me?

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Teens' Night Out

I went to the mall last night, even though I hate going there on weekends. My husband, son, step daughter and I, went to the play area to kick off the weekend.

On our way, I saw a group of girls, around 13-14 year-olds, huddled in the corner, laughing hysterically. Across from them, was a group of boys, all with greasy styled hair and really low-waist jeans looking at the girls, making remarks and giving them looks that only made the girls laugh harder, in a flirtatious sense!

On the second floor, I saw a very similar situation. A few meters away, there it was again. It was awful. Any caring mother would shiver at the sight of her daughter behaving in that manner and at the sound of her son using such language. And the thing is, judging from their clothing and appearance, they all seemed to come from good families.

I think there is a huge difference between teaching your child that it is ok to be friends and go out with the opposite gender and between what was going on last night.

Last night, it was about flirting, exchanging numbers, and doing something that is wrong, at a considerably young age. And, I saw it more than once.

I often hear mothers say that they want their daughters to be liberal and to have fun (in a way that they, themselves never got to do). Yet, drawing the line, teaching your child self-respect, refinement and class when it comes to behaving with the opposite gender will set the tone for all his/her future relationships.

In fact, since as adults, we respect the respectable, it is only natural that our teens will do the same.

The question is, how do you talk to your children about this? Do you set rules and lay down punishments or do you give them the freedom to make mistakes?

Has anyone tried this?

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Baby Groups

Does any one know of a good baby group? I decided that my baby and I need to socialise more often with other mamas and babies.

He is becoming very attached to me and does not like to play with anyone else, not a good sign!

Therefore, I would like to join a baby group and if all goes well, maybe even start my own group.

If you know of any group or have any tips on where I can find one, please let me know.

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Something Is Bothering Me

The house-work is killing me! Writing this blog post at 10:30pm is the first thing I have done for myself all day.

When has Amman become such a dusty city? I wipe the table, turn my back and it’s dirty again! On the other hand, there are the piles and piles of laundry that need to be washed, dried, ironed, and neatly returned to where they belong. The dishes that need to be cleaned and the bottles that need to be sterilized. On top of it all, there is my 11-moth-old baby who seems to want to follow me everywhere I go, and I mean everywhere!

I don’t remember ever being this tidy before I got married. In fact, I remember my mum threatening to throw all my clothes away if I do not remove them off the floor. Whenever I lost something, I knew exactly where it was, behind the bed. Life was simple.

Lately, I have been feeling very down. It’s not just the pressures of the house and my son, I really miss the “me time” I used to have. I miss getting my hair and nails done, I miss having uninterrupted hot meals, I miss watching TV and I miss going out of the house, worry-free. More than anything, I miss going to the gym.

Everyone keeps on telling me that I should take a break every now and then, but I do not have many options when it comes to finding someone to watch my baby. I just feel stuck and it is really getting to me. Help!

Flavour of The Day With Noora

Family Ties

There is nothing like family! I am currently in Riyadh, where most of my family members reside, and I am feeling great.

I have 7 brothers and sisters and 9 nieces and nephews. Each with his or her own personality, yet a perfect fit within the whole picture. My eldest niece is 16 and the youngest is just over a year. It always surprises me how well they all get along and how much they all truly love each other.

When we were growing up, my father had always reserved Wednesdays to be family days. No friends and no plans outside the house. Just all of us crammed together in our living room with our noises bouncing off the walls. Yes, it used to annoy us sometimes because when you are young, you do not appreciate the importance of family. But now that I have a family of my own, I thank my father every day for planting the importance of family ties in all of us.

I sometimes hear stories of siblings fighting over money, cutting all ties because their spouses do not get along or simply drifting apart because they each have their own social life. I do not wish that on anyone!

Speaking as a daughter, sister, aunt, and mama, do not under-estimate the importance of family, it truly is a precious gift. Set aside one day of the week for your immediate family and start creating a new generation of loving children.