Flavour of the Day with Noora

Itching, Itching, and More Itching!

I have developed one of the most annoying side effects of pregnancy, an uncontrollable need to itch my ears, eyes and neck!

I am willing to trade this for morning sickness again. As it turns out, some women start to itch their arms, legs, backs or bellies during the second and third trimesters. Me, I got it on my ears and face. All day and all night I am on fire, and the worst part is, there is nothing I can do about it. My doctor prescribed an antihistamine ointment that is supposed to relieve some of the itching but mostly, it stays until the delivery or in some cases, even after for a few months.

It is very embarrassing when I am in public as I can control it for a while but then lose control. The expression on people's faces is always the same, SHOCK!

The things a mama puts up with for her kids are never ending, are they?! When God promised us heaven, it was well deserved.

Flavour of the Day with Noora

The Burning Sight of Poverty

I was driving to the mall and thought that I had found a short-cut. I drove through an unpaved road and worried how the tiny rocks and unexpected holes might damage my car. Straight ahead was a tent camped in the middle of an empty piece of land. I had driven by many before and never bothered to look inside. Today, I did.

I saw emptiness, raggedy pieces of cloth that are a tiered excuse for a ceiling and not a single piece of furniture. In my head, I felt relief, "good, no one is living in such conditions." A few seconds later, I saw a mother, holding her daughter who was barely dressed. They both looked like the beggars I often see on a traffic light, the people I refuse to open my windows for. Then, I saw two tiny lambs, drinking water out of an old aluminium tray. That was it, that was their life.

I drove away, and now, I cannot stop thinking about them. I cannot forget that little girl in the middle of this freezing weather. Her mother was cuddling her the exact same way I cuddle Yousef, in her lap with her arms tight around her.

Of course, I tired to think of a million excuses to make myself feel better:" they should try to find a job, they should go to a governmental institution and ask for help, they should this and they should that..." Bottom line is, I was wrong for not stopping and helping in any way I could. I have to do something about it, even if it is just by donating blankets and warms clothes.

If it hurt seeing them in that condition, imagine how painful it is for them to live that way.

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Nosy People, Wrong Comments

My husband and I were invited to an event at one of the hotels. As I was waiting for him to park the car and meet me at the lobby, the female security guard started playing with Yousef, my 15-month-old baby.

He was especially fussy that day (teething again) and kept on whining every time she got close. After spending an entire day with him in that mood, I had already reached my limit, and the lady sensed it. "Are you pregnant?" she asked. I nodded yes, trying to avoid any small talk. "Why would you do that to yourself when you still have such a young baby?"Again I smiled and looked away. "If you think he is giving you a hard time now, which it seems he is, wait until the jealousy kicks in, you will pull your hair out!"

In my head, I am shocked at what is going on but I am trying to keep cool, after all, she did pull out a chair for me to sit while I was waiting.

Again she starts, "oh man, you really dug yourself in deep. You will drive your mom crazy, won't you little boy! If you are like this now, wait until you have to share the attention, you are really going to lose it," she talks to Yousef and tries to hold him in a way that only annoyed him and me more.

She hit a sore spot with me as I have been worrying about how life will two very young babies will be in just three months from now. I spent the rest of the night with Yousef crying and pulling at my pants, and me totally lost in my thoughts.

Why would a person intentionally try to make another, a complete stranger, feel bad about a decision she has made. While her intentions might not have been cruel but rather an attempt to be funny, no one was laughing. I hate nosy people. I hope I have a happy, non-colic, non-demanding, baby who doesn't whine at all. If that even exists.

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Scheduling Time for a Life

I realised today that when I was pregnant with Yousef, I used to say that I am not able to do things (whatever it was I wanted to do) because I didn't have time. Between work, preparing for the baby and taking care of the family, it felt like time was running away from me.

Now that I have experienced what it is like to have a baby, I say to myself "silly me, I didn't realise what not having time is really like". And I have a feeling that if I look back at my days a year from now when I have two very young babies (I am due in June), that I will be saying the same thing.

Therefore, and to avoid excuses of any sort, I planned out my entire week. I scheduled laundry days, cooking days, working days, exercising days, socialising days and family days. The reason I never did this before is that I was always worried that spending time away from the kids meant neglect.

But, as the days went by, spending all my time with the kids and for other responsibilities only with total disregard to myself got to me. I reached a point of total boredom, annoyance at even the littlest things, and set very high expectations for my husband to do the same. Bottom line, it was not good for anyone.

So, starting Saturday, I will be putting my new "life" schedule to the test. I have three more months to reconnect with myself, wish me luck!

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Sharing a Room

When would it be ok to put two kids, one 8-years-old and one 2-years old, in the same room?

Since I'm due in June, it just hit me that we do not have an extra room in the house for the baby. And I have a "no kids sleeping in the master bedroom" policy that is posing somewhat of a problem!

So far, Layla and Yousef each had their own room and since Yousef still wakes up up to 3 times at night, that was the only way things would work out. But now, I'm thinking of having them share a room to make some space for the baby. Does that make sense or is Yousef still too young and will pose an inconvenience for his sister?

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Second Pregnancy

It'a funny how different the first pregnancy is from the second. In my first, I was so spoiled. I took naps whenever I wanted, slept in late during the mornings, did Prenatal Yoga on a daily basis, took things really easy, read all sorts of articles about pregnancy and having a baby and just really enjoyed every second of it.

Now, with Yousef barely 16 months old, I cannot believe that I am already 6 months through my second pregnancy! No breaks, no naps, and definitely no taking it easy.

I kind of feel sorry for our unborn baby for not giving my pregnancy the same attention. I heard that this goes on even after delivery. A friend told me that it will be natural for me to continue focusing on Yousef since he will be older and more aware while the baby will mostly need physical attention at the beginning. I can totally see that happening with Yousef's demanding personality!

What is having a second baby really like? Is it harder because they are two or easier because of the experience? Help me set my expectations!

Flavour of the Day with Noora

Salvation in a Book

I consider myself to be a strong woman. I never shied away from a challenge, accepted very demanding jobs and usually made choices in my personal life that I knew will need so much commitment.

That said, motherhood for the past 15 months has completely thrown me off balance. I felt so depressed and unfulfilled with the new demands of my life. In theory, I believed that what I was doing (having a baby and staying at home) were the right things to do. In reality, I felt trapped; I lost sense of who I was.

The problem didn't stop there, whenever I tried talking about it, it was like I was speaking nonsense. Everyone around me expected me to live in "happy motherhood land" and have only happy and loving thoughts towards my new life. That made it all worse.

My salvation came a week ago when I picked up a book called "I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids" by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile. It talks about the exact feelings of anxiety and doubt a mother feels with regards to her personal and professional decisions.

If you are a mama who is struggling to find peace and balance in your life. Get it!