Days of Baby Aliyah

Big Girl Talks in Sentences

2009-01-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Oh my baby's growing up so fast! Four days ago she perfected putting words together to get her point across. We've been playing this video game, Prince of Persia. There's a monster on it they you have to fight. Aliyah calls him yucky man. She brought the controller to me and said "Yucky man. Play. Please." I started to play and then couldn't figure out how to get past this one part. I told I wished Daddy was here. She said "Daddy. Help." Then we went to the bedroom to change her diaper. Daddy was there, sleeping. She said "Daddy. Yucky man. Help." Later, her Ama was trying to take her upstairs to show her something. She didn't feel like going upstairs and said "I wanna go to Mommy." She said her first sentence! I think it was the next day that she was looking at Camilla's barette and I told her "that's Camilla's." She said, "Na nee no's. I put it back," (Na nee no is what she calls Camilla because her nickname is neeno and when we teach her to say the Arabic letters we have her say the sounds. Noon, for example is "na. nee. no."), and proceeded to put it back where she found it. She's only 21 months old and she's talking in sentences! And her vocabulary is huge! Yesterday, she said "I love you."She's such a smart girl, mashaAllah!

She likes pockets. She used to call it 'pock' but now knows how to say 'pocket'. She calls people's shirts pockets and puts her hand down them, including her own. Her hand is not the only thing she puts down her shirt. Once, she put Anaagee's silverware down her shirt and as she walked away, it went "clink clink clink." She has a pocket on one of her shirts that is meant to put both hands in it at once. She put her hands inside and said "Hand. House."

Speaking of pockets...her love of pockets is probably the reason why she loves singing the "ring around the rosy" song. She says "rina mina rosy. pocket. posey. ashes ashes. down! yay!" She'll come to me and say "hand" and try to get me to play the game with her. Her favorite part of the song is "pocket. posey" and she repeats it over and over.

She has a video that introduces the potty. She wants to use the potty but hasn't done so yet. She tells me she wants to go to the potty so I put her on it. Nothing happens. Once, she was sitting on it for a while and then saw me doing something and got distracted. She got up to do it and forgot all about the potty and ended up peeing on the floor. If she had only waited 2 seconds! Oh well. She'll get it soon inshaAllah.

Some things she does that are amazing and things I love about her right now:

I love the way she says "happy face." She says it with a Chinese accent. She counts to ten. Not necessarily all at once but she says "1, 2, 3. Later says 5, 6, 7 and later says 8, 9, 10." She always skips 4. I guess it's hard for her to pronounce. Yesterday, Amin asked her what time it was and she said "9 o'clock." I was sitting on the couch with her on my lap and she reached her arm back, wrapped it around me and said "mommy. hug." She's so sweet! There are millions of things I love about her. She is so smart and sweet and beautiful. She loves going to her grandparents house. She says "pappy's house. please." She recently started saying "pappy days" because I would say "do you want to go to pappy's house today?" She says "plan" when she wants to go upstairs or outside. This is because I would say "ok. here's the plan. we're going to..."and then told her what the plan was for the day. It's really amazing how quickly kids pick up on things.

Well that's enough gushing over my daughter for now.

No time to post

2008-11-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a post that I started but never finished:

Well it's clear I've been too busy to write. It doesn't mean Aliyah hasn't been up to anything though. She's so amazing! She is really smart mashaAllah. Her vocabulary is huge. She amazes me with how much she picks up. There's so much to say but I won't do her justice. I guess I'll just list some of the best things.

We have an inside joke (this actually started about two months ago or so). For some reason one night, when I was trying to put her to sleep, she out of the blue says "wall". I thought it was funny because it was so random, so I laughed. "Wall?" I say. "Wall," she says, noticing that it gets a reaction of laughter. "Wall." She says again and laughs. Now whenever I'm trying to put her to sleep and she wants to play, she says "wall" and starts laughing.

Talking and Growing

2008-09-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in so long. I've been busy with work (I just started teaching social studies) and it's the month of Ramadan. So much has happened in just the last month or two. Aliyah is talking so much now. She has a very large vocabulary and she even puts words together.

When I put her to sleep she always says "this" and motions to me that she wants me to put my arm around her...so cuddly. She also likes to put her feet against my skin, usually my arm. She says "hug" when she wants me to hug her or pick her up. She also says "up" and "down." If she wants to get out of the stroller she says "walk". When she wants something she says "pease" or "this" or "this one." Sometimes she calls her daddy Amin, his name.

When she wants something she says "this" and nods her heading, pointing to an object. She'll point to something and say "Aliyah's", even if it isn't hers. That either means that it belongs to her or it belongs to someone else but she wants it.

The other day, Amin and Aliyah and I went shopping for Eid gifts. We were in TG Max, looking for clothes for Aliyah. She found a pair of shoes that were for a newborn. She thought they were great. She gives them to her daddy and says "buy. nice." and shakes her head in confirmation. At this age she already knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it.

She really loves books. She also likes watching cartoons. I bought her spot on DVD. She loves it so much! She says "bot" when she wants to watch it.

Another cute thing she says is "oh man." I don't know where she got that. From me? I didn't think I said that.

She like to play in the car. Her daddy lets her go in there a lot. She honks the horn with her whole body, I guess because she doesn't have enough strength to do it with her hands. She leans forward and pushes her stomach into the steering wheel horn. She'll point to the car and say "Mommy's vroom", then point to her tricycle and says "Aliyah's vroom".

She goes up and down stairs like a pro. She loves to make animal noises. She makes the cow noise, sheep, cat, dog, duck, bird, monkey, wolf and owl. She says Allah and prays almost exactly like me now. She almost got through a whole rakat once =)

What are some things she loves...Planes and helicoptors are so exciting. She points and waves and kisses them. "Bye bye." She loves hats, especially daddy's. She wears other things as hats too, like my clothes or her diaper. She loves to steal her anaagee's chair. When she hears/sees her coming down the stairs, she runs and sits in her chair as if to claim it..."Aliyah's," she says. She loves to run. She says "go! go! go!" "run! run! run!" When we take walks though, she seems to get bored and decides to sit down. Then again, she doesn't want to go in the stroller either. She just wants to hang out. She also likes to find an interesting looking driveway and go up and down, walking backwards.

When her grandfather calls her from the top of the stairs he says "BeeBee!" She'll answer "BaaBaa!" They love to hang out together. He plays music for her and she dances on his bed. There's an afghan song for children and it goes "papaeyee papaeyee..." I'm not sure what it's about...walking? Anyways, that's what they call their music and dancing session: "papaeyee."

It's hard to get her to drink milk. The only way I can get her to drink it is to put chocolate syrup in it. She loves her juice though. One night we were eating out with daddy. He had some coke in a cup with a straw. She said "Juice. peaz." He told her it wasn't juice, it was water. She looked at him and said "juice" again as if to say "you can't fool me, daddy."

Well I have to go enjoy her now. Don't be surprised if I don't write for a while. There's too much to enjoy and little time to write about it! I love her!!!!

Giggles and Pouts

2008-08-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

So what can I say about this little skinker? She's growing up so fast! She says "I did it" when she accomplishes things. Ha. You don't beleive me? I thought I was just imagining it the first 20 times but it's so consistent that it has to really be what she's saying. I think she's smarter than I give her credit for sometimes. Today, I decided to wash her bottom in the sink like her khala does for her kids. After I finished, she said "I like it." "You like it?", I said. "Yes" she said. Really? She's putting words together at 16 months? Is that normal? MashaAllah. I LOVE HER!

The older she gets, the more stubborn she gets. Hee hee. When we go somewhere, I put her shoes on and we walk to the car together. I start driving and within five minutes, her shoes are off. When we reach our destination, I see what she's done and say "No. We have to go. You need shoes to go." And she looks at me and says "go? shoes?" and proceeds to look for her shoes as if she had nothing to do with it. She knows she's not supposed to take them off. Her dad gets really annoyed when she does it and spent a whole day this weekend trying to teach her to stop. He starts off...two minutes later, the sound of a velcro strap can be heard from back seat..."NO ALIYAH"..."no", she says...ten seconds after that, the velcro is pulled again and this time Aliyah says "no"..."THAT'S RIGHT. NO!" daddy says..."no" she replies. I think you get the pattern. I can't help but just laugh at his futile plight. It's just shoes. I'll choose my battles. Alhamdulillah. =D

One of her favorite things to do is sit on the couch and pile all of the pillows on top of herself. It's extra fun when daddy takes one of the pillows and hits her in the face with it. Giggles fill the room every time. She loves to dance of course and tries to get me to sing to her by saying "mo" and doing the sign for more. I guess I have to teach her the sign for song. Her favorite song is one I made up about a poo poo diaper. It's actually quite catchy.

I've started to wean her and let's just say she's not happy about it. She only nurses in the morning and at night now. I tried so hard to get her to drink vitamin D milk out of a bottle at her nap time but she gets offended when I offer it to her and swats at it with a pouty face. I've tried a sippy cup with identical results. The only way I can get her to drink it is by tricking her into thinking it's something else. I put it into a vanilla milk drink carton that has a straw, sort of like a juice box. The only problem is she won't drink it if there's any mention of going to sleep and she can't drink it laying down. How will I ever eliminate her last two feedings??? She's a determined little thing.

Our air conditioning has been broken for the past few days and honestly, I love it. Aliyah goes to bed wearing just a diaper and in the morning when she hugs me, I get to feel her soft skin. She's so beautiful mashaAllah. She lovingly says "mommy" and kisses me and for that moment, I'm so content, so peaceful, so in love...and then she jumps on me and slaps me in the face until I'm fully awake...kind of like in the movies when someone faints and they try to get them to snap out of it. Yeah like that. Gotta love 'er.

Learnig and growing so fast

2008-07-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

So I haven't really played many video games since Aliyah was born, but lately I've been playing a little Super Mario Galaxy with Amin. Aliyah saw us playing and was mesmerized. She wants her own controller and just sits and watches us, very quiet, very content, very intrigued. When we get a star or something else exciting happens, she points to the screen and makes a sound; "wow" or "ooo" or something similar.

Her favorite words are 'no' and 'go'. No is sometimes accompanied by the shaking of her pointer finger and is sometimes annuncicated so much so that it sounds like 'no-a'. 'No' might come out of her mouth because she's protesting something but it's usually because she's acknowledging that something is not okay for her to do or touch. 'Go' is usually makes its appearance when she puts her shoes on (or someone else's shoes), when Dada is going to work, or when she and Mommy are leaving somewhere. Anaagee gave her a purse and she put it on the other day and said "go" and headed for the door. Keys may also come into play in cases like this one. She grabs a set of keys and tries to fit in it the door, saying 'go', with her purse and shoes on of course. This morning, she was eating in her highchair a few minutes after Dada left for work. She started blowing kisses out of the blue "mwaa!" and said "bye-bye Dada Baaba".

When she finally makes it out the door I get nervous that she's going to take off running towards the street, but she's actually quite patient; she takes a few steps and looks back at the door, waiting for me to come out. Once we make it to the car, she tries to persuade me to let her sit and play in the front before getting into her carseat by herself. When we do let her play, she turns all the dials, plays with the wheel, and most importantly, she honks the horn by holding the wheel and using her chest and the weight of her little body to press up against it. She refers to the car as 'beep beep', 'teet teet', or 'toot toot'.

I'm typing right now and she's busy trying to squeeze by my chair so she can get under the desk and turn off the computer. When I wouldn't let her she said "no!" Now she's saying "hi" for some reason and "mommy". heh heh.

Anyway, another thing she's been doing a lot lately is cooking. She pulls up a stepping stool right beside me while I'm cooking on the stove. I give her an Aliyah-sized pan with a lid and a spoon or something to that effect. Then she stirs and puts the lid on, stirs and puts the lid on. She calls it "cooky". She was hungry today at lunch time and let me know by saying "nyum nyum" and doing the sign for eat (putting the hand to the mouth as if holding food). She then said "cooky" which meant that she wanted me to cook her something to eat.

She knows when I'm asking her a question. Especially "where is ____". If I say "where is your other shoe?", for example, she'll run and find it and give it to me. The other day, we had guests over and she was wearing a little dress that showed her thighs and had thin straps. Sure, she's just a baby, but I can understand why her dad didn't feel comfortable with her wearing it, so I took her to the room to change her outfit. I asked her "Where's your shame?" and she held out her little hands, palms extended in the air, let out a little "uh?" and proceeded to look around for it. You gotta love 'er!

She hits me out of excitement sometimes and I say "ouch" and make a sad face. She then kisses me and hugs me and pats me, trying to make me feel better. She's the sweetest thing in the world! I love her soooooo much! Alhamdulillah =)

So Sweet

2008-05-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

I love to be awaken by Aliyah's kisses...and when I'm too tired to get up and she's bored of tearing the bedroom apart, I don't mind being pulled out of bed by my shirt.

Her favorite word is yummy. She woke up this morning from her nap this afternoon saying yummy. She spoke it in her sleep the other night. Her favorite book is yummy YUCKY. She lost her appetite for a few weeks but now it's back again with a vengence. Yesterday, I literally spent most of my day feeding her. She considers some unusual things yummy...like rocks for instance. She dislikes salad and loves ice and the whipped cream from my frappuccinos. Picking strawberries with grandma is very fun and of course yummy.

When I wasn't watching, she got super smart all of a sudden. She understands a lot of what people say to her. She can do things that she's asked like lay down to get her diaper changed, help clean up the condiments after dinner by bringing them one by one to the kitchen, or go put something back where she found it. She talks a lot now and although she doesn't always make sense, she seems to know what she's talking about, responding to questions and shaking her head. She mimics a lot now. I catch her lounging in my chair often, remote control in hand.

She kisses me and hugs me a lot. I love it when she runs to me, hugs me, kisses me and says "ma ma" over and over as she pats me. What a wonderful feeling! It's difficult to get her to sleep in her crib and we usually end up bringing her to bed with us at night. She likes to curl up beside one of us like two spoons, her head resting against her mommy's or daddy's chest. Sometimes she lays on top of me with her face smooshed against my face. Comfort is hardly a priority for me when snuggling is taking place.

I love her dancing. She recently incorporated the twist into her list of dance moves. My favorite, however, would still have to be the "rev your engine." This move starts with a fist extension away from her side. Then a pull back manuvuer. Sort of like the gears that turn the wheels of a train. Heading off forward or spinning in a circle usually accompany this signature Beebee move. We couldn't figure out where she got this from at first. Then, one day when Amin was putting on his spray deodorant and moving his arm to rub it in, Beebee repeated his motion. That's when it hit him that she was imitating him. She must have thought da da was dancing every morning after he sprayed himself.

She has a teddy bear she calls baby. She pats it the way I pat her when I'm trying to comfort her. She's so sweet. She really has a loving and adorable personality. She's also a handfull. She's always on the move. Beebee loves being outside and runs out the door every chance she gets. She has a fascination with her ama's toothbrush and always takes it. She also tries to attack ama's computer when she sees an opportunity when ama isn't watching. She's just a little explorer doing what she does best...explore!

I LOVE HER!!!

Trouble maker

2008-04-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Beebee's favorite new word is no. She says no no no no no all the time. Maybe it's because she's always getting into things she's not supposed to and making me say no. Sometimes she'll point to something she's not supposed to touch and say 'no no no no.'

Whenever she has something she knows she's not supposed to, she's on heightened alert. Any little noise will make her flinch. If I say "uh oh," she'll quickly take the object and run the other direction because she knows I'm going to take it away.

Usually, when I try to put her in her high chair or car seat, she'll act possessed, crying and arching her back with all the strength in her body. Then when she's in there, she makes the sign for 'all finished' before anything has even begun. Today, I caught her throwing carrots across the room. Wonderful. But at least this coincides with her desire to "clean up"...she takes a tissue or diaper or similar object and wipes the floor or table with it. Heh heh heh. I love her =)

Aliyah creates her own post

2008-04-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

cb vvvvv m m n bn nnnnnn b b vb mn jnm mm mn mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmn bbbb n bnnnnnn nb

Aliyah just somehow managed to create a new post and typed that while I was busy praying =)

Rambunctious. Beautiful. Awesome.

2008-04-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Every morning, I wake up to the loving little kisses of my baby. She presses her lips on my face and then lifts them, making half of a puckering noise along with a "ma ma." She gives me several ma ma kisses before smiling, giggling, and crawling away. What a wonderful way to wake up.

Needless to say, Aliyah has finally associated "ma ma" with me =) She actually started saying ma ma the same day I posted the last entry. She also picked up several other words including "da(t)" for "cat", "dal da" for "Yelda", "bi(r)h" for "bird", "haah" for "hot", and "gha ghaa" for "yucky (diaper)/clean diaper/anything dirty." "Num na" is still my favorite sound that she makes =)

This little girl is really getting to be a handful. She climbs on everything and gets into every drawer, cabinet, and curiousity-inspiring crevice. Now that she's walking, or should I say running, she can't be stopped. Amin and I took her to the mall this past weekend and after we finished shopping, we let her out of the stroller to stretch her legs. She was so excited, to say the least. She laughed and ran one way...then made a u-turn after crossing the threshold of a store and back again. Over and over and over, nearly crashing into several passers-by. Then she took off down the hall, her little bootie struggling to keep up with her sprinting toes. 'Plop'...on the floor...back up and in business...u-turn, squeal, wave, shreik, sprint, 'what's that?', slobber on railing as she gazes at the human traffic below...and off again towards Dada with Mama in tow. In the words of her ama, "she's rambunctious, that one".

She has lots of energy and no fear; the best combination. Did I just say best? She likes to explore and she sometimes manages to get away from parental eyes for a moment. I've found her in the laundry room, the storage room, the bathroom, all in the pitch black. She doesn't seem to mind the darkness and just somehow manages to go straight for the things she'd been eyeing earlier.

In my dua while pregnant with her, I asked Allah to make her outgoing and loving, just like her ama. She certainly is. When it comes to being outgoing, she is sometimes shy as all small children are, but for the most part she loves people. She waves to everyone and smiles at strangers. All depending on her mood of course, she may cry if around strangers or not wave until the person is already gone. Some people are scarier than others and kids are always welcomed instantly. I took her to the masjid one day and this older uncle was talking to her in farsi. He told her to be like a lion because she was scared of him. heh heh.

She's also extremely affectionate. She kisses me and hugs me constantly. I love it when she comes to me wanting to be picked up and then, in my arms, squeezes me and pats me affectionately, sometimes with a "ma ma." She always greets her cousins with hugs and kisses and squeals of excitement. She also gets so excited to see her da da and kisses him. She loves to blow kisses when da da or anyone leaves.

When I take her out, it seems like every five minutes someone says how beautiful and cute she is or what big, beautiful eyes she has. Today I counted seven in a span of about an hour and that doesn't include pointing and smiling from others. A random girl came and asked if she could hold her and then took a picture of her. That's actually the second time a random person asked to take her picture.

For almost a month now, Aliyah has been praying. She raises her hands as if she's beginning the prayer. She knows this as 'Allahu akbar.' She also makes ruku (bowing) and sujood (prostrating). Her sujood is basically kneeling and putting her head down on the ground, with her cheek touching the floor. She loves it when other people are praying and has caused me and Yelda to laugh during prayer so we had to start over. She comes over and tilts her head and bends slightly to come to my eye level (when I'm in a sitting position), and grins and sometimes giggles, as if she's trying to get me to notice her. She also likes to climb on me or hit me when I'm making sujood. She's such a cutie.

Aliyah loves to mimic people. One of her favorite things to copy is brushing her hair. She tries to take the comb from me. I've caught her a couple of times using a fork to stroke her bob. She also likes to try to put her barrettes in her hair. She'll hold it up to her head and expects it to stick there but it just falls to the floor. I'm adicted to cute barrettes and have managed to acquire quite the cutie collection.

One of my favorite things Aliyah does lately is when she wants something, ususally food, she'll point to it and shake her head. She really likes ice. She points to my glass and shakes her head and says num na. I think there may be a connection between her love of ice and her teething. She has three teeth fully in and two partially in. The bottom two came in first and are named Franc and Franc. The top left came in next, it's name, Bruno. I got the names from the French pastry team in this pastry challenge show on Food Network. The tooth to the left of the front top tooth made its way in fourth. It's name is Tootsie. Now Bertha, the front right tooth is on the way. She loves to 'brush her teeth' and smiles so big as she watches me brush mine. She sometimes makes a noise and sort of spits to mimic me.

Since the weather has been warmer and she has started walking, we've been going outside a lot. She really loves being outdoors. She helped me plant strawberries with Amin this weekend. She tried to get into the hole I had dug as if she wanted to plant herself. Then she picked up a rock and said 'num na?' No! please don't eat that Beebee...or dirt...or that grass. heh heh heh

I think if I wrote everything cute that she did I would never stop writing. I LOVE HER! =D Alhamdulillah =)

One Year Old!!!

2008-03-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

One year old! She's so amazing. She started off as a champion and she has never relented. She lost interest in walking for a while so I tried to encourage her to practice. She's been practicing a little for a few weeks but still seemed a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. This past week she practiced standing a lot. Then suddenly, on her birthday, she decided to walk half the day...the next day, she was walking like a pro! She walked more than she crawled. I would say even 90% of the day. I love her walk! She looks like a little penguin. I get so happy watching her. I also get a little sad because she's growing up and I don't want to lose her. She's going to move out and get her own apartment, get married and have her own kids and forget all about me! Waaaa. Oh wait, she's still nursing. Ok I guess she still needs her mommy for a bit longer.

She has her two bottom front teeth and one of her top front teeth. It seems like several others are on their way. Amin and Yelda call her snaggletooth >=/ I don't like it. She looks so cute with the one top tooth when she smiles =)

She says ba ba for everything. She knows her dad is ba ba but everything else seems to get the same honor. She also likes ka ka, farsi for uncle. Still no ma ma. I think she's withholding it from me on purpose! No she just doesn't like making that noise I guess. Well she's said it a few times but she doesn't say it often. It's really cute how she looks outside and says ba ba. I think it's because Amin has been working outside with his dad a lot lately. She also points to the bedroom and says it as if he's sleeping. Every time he gets ready for work and puts his jacket on she starts blowing him kisses. And she gets so happy when she hears him on the phone.

I love it when she lets me know she wants to eat. I can't really describe the noise that she makes but it's sort of a munching sound. She opens and closes her mouth. She also says num num if she wants to eat or drink. I love it!

She's been shaking her head for a couple of weeks now. One time she did it I responded by nodding my head. Now it's become a game. I'll nod yes and she'll shake no. Then we'll switch. She's so smart and has such a great sense of humor. I love her!!!!

She's really interested in sign language. She does "all finished", "milk", "bath", and "i want it" and she understands several other signs and words but can't mimic them herself.

She's soooo smart masha'Allah. Perhaps too much for her own good. She figures out ways to get to things now by climbing on the furniture. She seems to understand a lot of the world around her. She loves to explore. She also loves people and waves to everyone. Just like I asked for in my dua! Alhumdulillah =)

I love her so much that I say it a billion times a day. I can't stop myself. I also can't help kissing her. Today, I changed her diaper and was carrying her out to the living room when she started patting my arms the way she does so lovingly sometimes. Then she gave me a kiss on the lips (no longer an open mouth by the way...she's been practicing). Then she pat me again and kissed me again. She's so sweet! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I LOVE HER!!! =)

Dance Dance Dance

2008-02-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Aliyah wakes up and calls for me. When I see her and get up, she does a dance. When I'm feeding her milk, her little hand dances for me. She dances to horrible singers on American Idol and to the theme song of Dragon Tales. She dances when she sees someone at the top of the stairs and waves bye and her hand dances as she's carried upstairs. She dances out of the blue when there's no music or any apparent reason. She's so happy!

I think it's safe to say that Aliyah's first word is 'wow'. She sort of says 'wa' sometimes but other times she distinctly says 'wow' and she always says it when something is exciting. She also says BaaBaa when she sees her Daddy in the morning. She loves balloons and every time she sees one she points and say 'oh! wow!'

I get lots of kisses all the time. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world when Beebee holds my face with both hands and pulls me and then eats my face (well that's how she kisses). I love it when I'm doing my daily stretches on the floor and she excitedly crawls over to me and kisses me and then crawls off again. It's a drive-by kissing!

She loves her two baby cousins, Aaron and Ali. I could have sworn she said baby once. She always kisses them and squeels with delight when she sees them. She also loves her bigger cousins so much. They're so sweet to her. Aliyah is so friendly now more than ever and waves to strangers and flirts with them. She doesn't get scared as much unless someone approaches her when she's not ready for it. She needs her personal space.

Right now, Aliyah's in her climbing stage. She tries to climb everything...even when there's no chance she can do it, she puts her leg up as if she's going to try anyway. She climbs the stairs, she climbs on the mini furniture at doctors' offices, she climbs on people, she climbs on boxes and anything she can find that might give her leverage. She has also been moving furniture...everything is a walker, from her clean diaper bin to her swing to the laundry baskets to small tables. Amin watched her one day as she maneuvered the diaper bin around to get the right angle and then began to push it and walk with it.

She's such a smartie. She tries to plug electronics into the wall socket (yikes...I have to watch this one). She takes my brush and puts it to her head, trying to brush her hair. She takes my toothbrush and puts it in her mouth and watches intently as I brush my teeth. She tries to take out the babies' pacifiers and put them back in. She tries to put keys into their holes. She takes the remote control and points it at the television, pressing buttons. Sometimes she's successful at these things and more. She's very observant and curious of the world around her. I try to give her an opportunity to explore without causing too much chaos. I let her turn off light switches, press buttons, feed me, and play and experiment with everything. She's so much fun to watch.

There hasn't been much progress with her walking. She's not very interested in it, but she does practice standing and is getting very good at balancing herself. I think once she perfects her standing she'll practice walking again.

Still no teeth yet but she manages to eat most things by smooshing it with her gums. She loves Afghan food and most things that she can feed herself. She likes to eat other people's food and seems to think the food is always better on Anaagee's or Mommy's plate.

I guess that's all for now. =D

Walking Beebee!

2008-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

So Beebee has been standing alone for a few seconds for about two or three weeks now. This past Friday, she was practicing with Daddy and decided to take a step towards him! I was there to witness it also =) Then on Sunday, she walked four little baby steps towards me! And then several other times she did the same. Once she realizes she can do something, she takes off with it.

She likes to climb the stairs and if someone is helping her, she puts one foot on each step like she's grown. She seems to think there's always something exciting going on upstairs. Whenever she hears Anaagee moving around up there, she stands at the bottom of the steps and calls to her, "baa baa! ah baa!" We have something there, blocking her from getting up. When someone forgets to put it back, she darts towards the stairs, panting as if she's running a marathon.

Whenever she hears music or when someone sings or claps their hands for her, Aliyah dances. She has the cutest little moves! She sways her hips, bends her knee/knees, extends her hand/hands and squeels. She's so much fun! She'll even plays the drums with her hands on a table. Baby likes to yodel. She says "yol yol yol" and moves her little tongue to give a yodeling effect.

Oh my baby is growing up so fast! Baby cake, don't get married and leave me and your Daddy so soon, okay?

Silly Gumdrop

2007-12-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Who wants to write about the cutest girl in the world when you could be experiencing her sweetness instead? Well now that she's asleep I will. These days, she's the cutest thing. She kisses me all the time now (still just an open mouth on my face, sometimes with an "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah" as she sings and bops her mouth away and back again). She makes me laugh so much. She knows she's funny when she sees me laughing and we laugh together.

She's so happy all the time mashaAllah. She makes friends everywhere we go. This is the personality that I made dua for. All my duas were answered. I asked Allah to make her righteous and beautiful and a coolness for my eyes and my husband's eyes. I asked that she would have an outgoing, cheerful personality, blue eyes, Amin's long, thick eyelashes and a cute little nose. She has all those things and so much more! I think Allah must have granted them because I was so patient, waiting for Amin to be ready to have a baby. Now that she's finially here, she's my life. She's Amin's life. May Allah make her righteous and give her the best of this world and the next. Alhamdulillah. What a wonderful blessing Allah entrusted us with.

I think she's in her attachment phase. She wants to be around me more and whines more than she once did. Tonight I asked Anaagee to watch her for a minute and headed for the kitchen. She started to whine and then, standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up, said "mama." It was very clear to me that she now knows I'm Mama! She thinks I'm the greatest thing. Sometimes I don't even make an effort to be funny and she laughs. She always brightens up my day. I love it when she wrinkles her nose when she laughs.

She likes to make the "m" sound and the "b" sound lately. She's been saying mama and baba but never made the connection that I'm mama (until tonight in my opinion). My favorite noise that she makes is "mamba." She's so adorable when she talks mashaAllah.

She loves both of her grandmothers so much. She gets so excited when she sees them or even hears them. She heard Anaagee come home and she went to the bottom of the stairs in anticipation. When she finially got to see her, she kissed her. Everytime we go to my parents' house she flies to my mom and doesn't want to come back to me. She has so much fun with her Grandma. She's lucky to have so many people that love her.

Amin calls her baby cake. I think it's so cute and now I call her that too. She has so many pet names. Yelda always says she's a gul docktar (flower girl). Anaagee and Haji Baabaa call her baa don don. I think it means an old toothless man. Poor baby still has no sign of any teeth. She's so cute without them. I love the name Amaa Yelda calls her by...gumdrop. She has this cute little drop on her gums that will be in between the two front teeth. It's adorable when she smiles really big.

She's still not walking yet but is an expert cruiser and has been known to stand by herself at times for a few seconds. She just turned nine months so she's still an early bloomer. She's pretty good at feeding herself now. Not with a spoon or anything but she's getting there. She's been fighting sleep lately and sometimes it's very difficult to get her to go to sleep or to go back to sleep after she wakes during the night. She likes to play peek-a-boo and will actually hide herself and peek out on either side of whoever is holding her. She hasn't taken the pacifier for over a month now. She loves it when I sing to her or do a dance to entertain her. One of her favorites is the rubber duckie song.

She loves bathtime. She splashes and wiggles her little feet...she reaches out to feel the warm water pouring into the bath and is fascinated when it trickles from above. She likes to suck on a washcloth and tries to feed it to her duckie. When it's time to get out, she's so happy to be wrapped snuggly in a towel and sings and giggles as I carry her to the bedroom. Then she gets dressed (I struggle to dress her as she struggles to escape), we read books, have milk and then off to bed. Her favorite book is baby's peek-a-boo book. At the end, there's a mirror under the peek-a-boo flap and it reads "peek-a-boo baby." She always kisses herself in the mirror.

I love my little ray of sunshine!

Sweet Potato and Baaba

2007-11-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

Oh my poor little baby. I was trying to cut her nails and she was squirming and complaining. I accidently cut the thumb nail too short and it bled! =( So I sent a text message to Daddy explaining the situation and how bad I felt...here's his reply: "Kiss it for me. She's ok. I punched her in the gut the other day, she laughed it off and socked me in the eye. When I woke up from my coma, we had a good laugh." Ha ha ha ha ha! He's too cute. I love the way they are with each other! They love each other so much! I like to watch them play together...she laughs so hard, unlike her laugh for anyone else. He makes her fly like a superhero and she has the most wonderful look of pure excitement and joy. She chuckles and squeals and waves her arms when he's around. I could have sworn she looked him straight in the face and said "baaba" (farsi for daddy).I bet she'll be one of these kids who gets jealous when Mommy kisses Daddy. Oh my little sweet potato! =D

Cruising, Whistling, Waving

2007-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Beebee is an expert stander now. She's cruisin' around on the furniture and is into everything. She loves to rip up magazines, shred tissues, and touch anything and everything that is dirty or dangerous. She hates to be restrained and usually gets upset when I put her in her highchair or carseat. She loves water and gets excited when Anaagee feeds it to her through a straw. She loves it when people wave to her and vigorously waves back, flapping her little arm or sometimes both arms.

She makes me laugh so much. In the morning, she attacks me so all I see is this shrieking baby face and hands grabbing for me...she slobbers all over me, "kissing" me and squeeling. She hits me with excitement and such extreme joy! She loves it when I crawl with her and laughs, making me laugh with her.

She's eating chunky solids now and usually wants whatever I'm having; I take my food, add milk or water, and stick in the mini blender.

Aliyah's talents are limitless. She blows a lot and it makes the cutest whistling noise. Oh my little tea kettle! =D She still loves to stick her tongue out, especially to the side; it looks like a little worm. She also still loves to strum her lips with her hand. She teaches other babies how to make noises by strumming their lips too. She loves babies and bigger kids and whenever she sees one when we're out, she squeels with delight, flaps her arms and reaches out to them.

The other morning, when Daddy was getting ready for work, Aliyah stood at the foot of our bed, watching him intently. When he was ready to leave, he waved 'bye-bye' and she just sort of looked at him blankly. As soon as he closed the bedroom door she burst out into tears. He came back in and held her and she turned to me and waved 'bye-bye' as if she were going with him.

Her cousin, Aaron was born about a week ago. She was so excited to see him and wanted to grab him. When she finally calmed down a little bit, I took her hand and led it carefully to his tiny head. She extended her pointer finger, gently stroking his hair, a curious look across her face. I can't wait until he's big enough to acknowledge her back. I bet they'll be good friends.

Ode to Beebee

2007-10-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

I love the noor that shines from your big blue eyes.
And the way your lashes flutter like pretty butterflies.
I love the way you squeeze my lips with your toes when I kiss them.
I love your bare little gums. When your teeth come, I’ll miss them.
I love the way you grab and squeeze me to make sure I’m there.
And all the silly little styles of your chocolate brown hair.
I love the way that you giggle and the way you love me.
You’re the best thing in my world.
My sweet little Beebee.

Standing! Surfing! Being a Super Cutie!

2007-10-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

Aliyah started standing up three days ago. The first time, she was in her crib early one morning. She usually whines and pushes down on the crib bumper to get a good look at me through the prison bars. This time, that just wasn't enough, and she pulled herself up and held onto the rail. We lowered the crib mattress after that. It seems like everytime she learns something new, she's immediately a seasoned professional. She's been pulling herself up onto everything the past few days. This morning, she stood up on a tin of cookies and thanks to a wood floor and the laws of physics, she walked a few inches on her own. Ironically, the tin was Walkers brand. She also had some fun body surfing on an empty cardboard pack of bottled water. She laid on top of it and pushed with her feet to slide across the floor. Who needs 'toys' when you have so many wonderful 'found objects'.

Anaagee likes to let Aliyah taste her finger at the dinner table and now it's harder to get her to eat bland food. I was trying to feed her some peas and brown rice mush the other day and she lost interest due to that blasted finger! So I gave up and blended some daal in with her food. The next day, I boiled some daal with carrots, chicken broth, and a little piece of lamb and made a really tasty jar of mush. So now Beebee has chicken and lamb on the meat menu.

She likes to say ba ba and da da; she rambles on sometimes. She likes to blow out of her mouth, making her lips vibrate, and she also has fun strumming her lips like a guitar to make cute little noises.

Aliyah loves other kids, especially Camilla, whom she squeals for. She tries to grab her and kiss her (slobbers on her face with an opened mouth). When Ahmad and Camilla come over, she studies them as they rush in like a tornado of fun and excitement. Then she tries to join in but is too little to gain acceptance. Soon baby! When you can walk, you'll be able to chase after them more effectively. But she doesn't seem to mind too much when her toys are stolen or her outreach efforts are rebuked. Everything is still so new that she's easily distracted...not that I appreciate that distraction so much when I'm trying to feed her.

She's my life...she sucks the life out of me. =D I love her!!!!!

Beebee's First Eid

2007-10-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was baby's first Eid al Fitr. She played with Ahmad and Camilla, got a haircut, and early that morning she went with Mommy, Daddy, and Ama to the masjid. She was so good and my only complaint is maybe that she distracted me during my salat because she's too cute. She just layed there contently on a blanket in front of me, checking out the women next to me in line. The day was filled with money (eidie) and lipstick kisses on the face. We went to Haaji Padar's house that night and everyone marveled over how cute she was. She cried a little bit because there were so many people, all coming to hold her and tell her how beautiful she is. She was a little scared. At one point, Amin's aunt was talking to her and Aliyah looked at her with a little whimper and then turned to touch my leg to make sure I was still there...looked at her...touched my leg. This repeated maybe five times. She gets frightened sometimes but she's secure in the fact that there's always someone familiar there to protect her.

Aliyah has such a wonderful disposition. She entertains herself so well (I type as I simultaneously discover she was playing contently with a dirty swiffer sweeper). She doesn't whine much...usually only when there's something's wrong...if she's hungry, sleepy, uncomfortable or scared. Sometimes she whines because she's lonely or frustrated or impatient but she's overall such a good, sweet baby. She's so amazingly cuddly! I love to kiss her chubby little cheeks and nuzzle her face. She likes it too. She's so soft and warm and sweet!!!

A coolness for my eyes, the eternal light in my life. If Allah never answers any of my other prayers for the rest of my life I'll be content; He answered my prayer so graciously in so many ways with this perfect daughter of mine. She's everything I asked for and more than I even imagined.

Some funny things:

One night, I put her to sleep and went about my business. I came back into the room a little while later to check on her and expected to see a sleeping baby in the crib. Instead, there she was, laying wide awake, staring up at me with her tongue sticking out! Heh heh heh. It startled me so much!

I don't know if I mentioned it, but she has a pink nose (and sometimes pink eyes) indicator that lets me know when she's sleepy. It's so cute!

It seems like every time she takes a bath, either right before I pour the water in or right after, she pees. It's so funny but then I have to drain the water and rinse her before we continue. She loves to suck on a wet washcloth and gets upset when I take it away from her. She tries to grab at the watering can that I use to wash her hair and sometimes she gets a hold of it and gets water all over her face. She likes to splash and sometimes she sort of bounces up and down with her pelvis, just to make a funny splash. Pretty soon I'm going to have to bathe her the the big bathtub because her tub is getting to be too small for this growing girl.

Beebee has been sitting up by herself for a while now. She's getting better at crawling and gets into a lot more trouble now. She's been eating lots of new foods. I try to make everything fresh for her but sometimes just don't have the time or patience and give her the jar food.

Well that's all I can think of for this cutie pie update. =D

Moments in My Pocket

2007-09-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to get a few minutes to myself that sometimes I forget to sit back and take in the beauty of the moment. My baby fell asleep in my arms and I sat for a while, admiring her. Her little hand grasping me...her little face, so peaceful in a dreamy pose. I want to put this moment in my pocket so I can reproduce it later and cherish her at this sweet age.

I love it when she begs for my attention in the morning, pushing her crib bumper down to get a glimpse of me. When I pick her up, she kicks her little feet and smiles. She kisses me by opening her mouth and pressing it against my face, smiling as she gazes at me. My favorite noises are the sweet, blissful little mumbles she makes as she plays contently with her toys. I love the way she makes a little grunt when I pick her up, after she's been crying for a while; as if to say "Ha. I've got mommy. I'm okay now." I love her soft little face and her chubby cheeks. I love it when she gives me a sweet smirk and then grabs my face. She hits my face and pulls on it and grabs my lips and my nose and my eyes. Apparently, I'm a fun and exciting toy. I like to give her eskimo kisses and sometimes she rubs her little nose against mine, back and forth.

Oh my beautiful gift.

Ama gave her a baby barrette and it looks so cute in her hair that I went out and bought some more. She's so pretty!

I fed Beebee some chicken two days ago. I boiled some chicken and carrots together and then blended it with a little bit of milk. She didn't seem that excited. I was so excited for her though. I think it would taste much better if I used a leg or a thigh on the bone. I was pressed for time so I just used some ground chicken breast. I'll definitely make sure it tastes better next time. In a few days, we'll introduce potatoes. Then Beebee can have chicken, carrots, peas, and potatoes; almost like a mushy stew!

She went to the doctor two days ago and got some shots =( Poor Beebee. Daddy always gives her a pep-talk before her shots: "You're gonna get some shots now and it's gonna hurt for a second but Mommy's here and Daddy's here and we love you..." My poor baby is always so sleepy and cuddly after her immunization shots. She weighed in at 16.55 lbs and was 27 1/2 in. Her height and head circumference are both in the 90th percentile and her weight is average. You wouldn't think she's average by looking at those cubby thighs and cheeks though.

There goes my five minutes. Beebee woke up from her ten minute nap. Oh gosh =/ =) =D

Cutie captures hearts everywhere she goes

2007-09-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Aliyah is doing so many new, cute things all the time that there's no way i can write them all. She's always on the move...climbing, scooting, jumping...she thinks she can fly! She has no concept of getting hurt (gadum) and just goes everywhere in every way. Right now, she still doesn't go very far, but soon I know she'll need to constantly be watched. She can no longer be left on the bed with a pillow wall around the edges because she can climb the pillows. If I leave the room, I have to put her in the crib.

She skipped sitting up and went straight to crawling so now I'm trying to teach her to sit without falling over. She's usually not interested and crawls away. When I'm holding her on my lap on the couch, she sometimes decides she wants to escape and a few times she actually turned around and slid down off the couch into a standing position! I don't know if it was intentional or not but she's all ready to start walking =D Take your time baby!

She wants to eat every time she sees someone else eating. Anaagee pretends to put food on her fingers from a plate and then offers it to Aliyah. She gets so excited and sucks on her fingers. Yesterday, when I was feeding her some cereal, I noticed that she would take a bite, swallow, and then kick her little feet in anticipation of the next bite. What a cutie =) She loves to drink water...out of a glass or a water bottle. Water bottles, foil, and plastic are her favorite toys. She just got a few toys: a little piggie bank that sings and makes noise when you put the coins in the slot, a little piano with four keys, and a toy that makes noises for her crib. When she wakes up in the morning, her toys will keep her entertained for a little while until I'm ready to pick her up =)

Amin's dad loves her so much! Everyone does of course. She's such a little cutie pie. Whenever someone walks through the door, they ask where she is. Sahar, Yelda's friend and our new Liyana, is in love with her and they play a lot. Rubina, Amin's cousin, never liked the idea of having a husband and kids but Aliyah helped to change her mind. Sheeba's husband thinks a lot of babies are ugly but he thinks Aliyah is adorable and always asks to see her pictures. This little cutie captures hearts everywhere she goes!

BeeBee!

2007-09-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had a dream this morning that a transparent Aliyah was sort of laying on top of me, sort of hovering over me. She was cooing and doing all the cute things she does and cuddling with me. I knew I was dreaming but I opened my eyes to make sure and she disappeared. Then I closed my eyes again and she reappeared. She was so comfortable and cute and lovely. I love her so much and sometimes my heart flutters for her so much that I think it will come out of my body and fly away with delight.

She's doing so many new things all the time now and I haven't had the time to write them all down. Let's see if I can think of them all. Well she's been shaking her arms profusely all the time now. At first it was just the right arm and now it's both and with such enthusiasim. She's been bouncing for a few days now...jumpy wumpy!!! She thinks she can fly! She tries to jump out of my arms when she gets excited. She turns around and jumps up and down and shakes her arms! She opens her mouth so wide and sticks her tongue out and squeals! She's so happy!!!

I have to really keep an eye on her now or she'll get into trouble. I left her on the bed with Amin once and he was a little too sleepy. When I came back, she was staring at the floor as if she was going to go for it! I told him she was staring death in the face and he swore he had his hand on her but must have been dreaming. She loves him sooooo much! When she sees him, she gets so happy and giggles and squeals and opens her mouth so wide. He loves her right back and tells her how cute she is. Alhamduillah.

She likes to stick her tongue out the past few days. She also makes raspberry noises. Amin plays a game with her where he sticks out his tongue and she copies him. So cute =p

She pet the cat yesterday. She was so excited and intrigued by him. She started jumping and reaching out for him. Aunt Susie stood her up next to him and she pet him so perfectly like she does it all the time.

She has these stacking cups that she love to play with. She bangs them on the table. She was banging them when Anaagee was holding them. Then she accidently banged them together...wow that's new...then she started banging them together. Everything is so exciting and new and fun.

She loves her grandma. Grandma always holds her and does such exciting things with her. Auntie Susie is fun too. She feel asleep with her yesterday. Draven makes her laugh with all his funny faces. Grandpa sometimes scares her as do most men but she gets used to him and hangs out with him at the computer. Grandpa, Haji Baabaa and Daddy are the only three men I know of that she will allow to hold her.

She's having more trouble going to sleep now, especially since I stopped wrapping her up like a little burrito. Huma told me that you should stop swaddling once they're mobile. So her bedtime routine has changed a little since she has so much trouble sleeping sometimes. A bath at 9 or 9:30 gets her a little sleepy. Sometimes she goes to sleep right afterwards if she's really sleepy. Otherwise, I'll continue with the same routine, reciting Quran and singing to her. Sometimes she likes to eat right before dozing off. Other times, she'll eat and then I'll rock her a little bit or pat her before I place her in her crib and put a light blanket on top of her. She'll roll over on her side or stomach before falling asleep. I usually have to fan her while I'm feeding her and I like to hover above the the air purifier fan to cool her sweaty little head. I guess eating can be a workout if you're flapping your arms and jumping at the same time. It's also hard work trying to fall asleep so fanning and combing her hair with my hand helps. It makes her hair stand up even more =)

What a beautiful daughter I'm blessed with! Her eyes are so pretty and it looks like they'll stay this way...insha'Allah. Her eyelashes are gorgeous! Her little lips are so pretty. She's so cute without teeth that I almost don't want her to get any. I love to kiss her little fingers and toes...her toes are like little logs. MashaAllah!!!!

She still gets a fever and her gums hurt every now and then but her teeth haven't surfaced yet. Grandma says she can feel them trying to come through her gums. Oh no! She's going to bite me!

I gave her some of my mushy, chicken flavored rice that I was eating the other day and she loved it so much. She started complaining so loud when I didn't give her more so I mixed some with her rice cereal. She loves to eat. I decided to let her try all three vegetables (peas, carrots and sweet potatoes) before I move onto the fruits (bananas, apples and pears). So this week is sweet potatoes and then we'll do pears next week insha'Allah.

She's growing so much in so many ways. There are so many changes and milestones every day that I lose track of all of them! I love this time. She's so sweet and cuddly but also playful and silly. She's my little Beebee! I'm trying to savor every moment, take it all in and enjoy her. =)

She's Crawling =D

2007-08-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Baby started crawling today!

A few days ago she started propping herself up and rocking back and forth. Now she's already moving forward! This girl is going to get into so much trouble! This afternoon was her first crawl...to get her pacifier that I placed strategically just out of her reach. She did it over and over again as Mommy clapped and cheered her on. She didn't seem extremely pleased with herself though. She was cool, acting as if she did it all the time. Another notch in the champion's belt. I took the video this evening. She's growing up so fast!

Baby Eats Solids and Gets Loopy

2007-08-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Aliyah had her first bites of rice cereal. She's tasted things before but this was a whole new experience. It was a Sunday so Daddy was home and he took pictures and a couple of short videos with no sound. She didn't seem too interested so I guess I'll have to get her used to it. She'll have rice cereal (mixed with breast milk) once per day this week. Next week I'll introduce carrots. The following week, I'll give her a fruit...alternating one new fruit or vegetable per week. I guess it's time to get her on a feeding schedule instead of relying on her to tell me when she's hungry.

Amin was playing with her last night and she got so hyper! She was squealing and laughing and screaming. It was past her bedtime so I took her to the bedroom to wind her down. But I couldn't help but play with her more and took a gazillion pictures. She was being so silly. I'd just look at her and she'd start laughing. Egging on this sleepy, loopy baby is borderline abuse! When she finially got sleepy enough to be upset, she knocked out in a matter of seconds. Oh cutie pie, I'll savor these moments.

Sweet, Beautiful Blessing

2007-08-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Aliyah loves her daddy! He'll just be lying in bed asleep and she'll look over and smile so big like he's doing something exciting. Just his being there is exciting to her I suppose. He makes her giggle, lifting her up high in the air and singing a song as he makes her do dance moves. When we're lying in bed and she's lying in between us, she stretches her little arms out to touch us both..."yup. mommy's here...yup. daddy's here." =) Amin likes it when she pulls on his beard. He says he's growing it out just for her. I send him pictures of her while he's at work and he's always so amazed with her beauty. Her eyes are mesmerizing...he says they pop. She always brightens his day. His favorite expression of hers is her smirk. He says she's thinking "I've got you wrapped around my little finger." He says he's so proud of her and that she's changing his life. She has such a powerful positive effect!

She's been making this monster noise lately. Zarmina says it's because of postnasal drip, which makes her throat itch. It sounds like she's a little monster. It's really funny. We got a little worried one night because she seemed to be really upset when making the noise and she was doing it for a long time. The next morning I called the doctor and demonstrated the noise for him over the phone. I felt so silly. I took her in and everything checked out okay. He said she was just a little congested. He told me to catch her on video making the noise and come back, but since then she hasn't made it much. Now it's over a week later and she's back to her kitty cat noise..."mraaar"! Alhamdulillah =D

I think her teeth are getting closer and closer. She vomitted a couple of days ago and had a fever. Poor baby. She's okay again now. I think when she finially gets her teeth I'll miss her toothless mouth. It's so cute when she smiles and her little gums show. But she bit me today when I was feeding her and that was not fun. I can't imagine the same bite with a mouth full of teeth! At that point I think the nursing may have to end =O

She is 13 lbs and about 26 inches. She's wearing 6-9 month clothes and she's still only about 41/2 months. Some of the 6-9 mo. clothes don't even fit because she's so tall masha'Allah! She's worn some outfits only a couple of times before her little legs get restrained and she can't wear them anymore. I have clothes all the way up to 18 months hanging in the storage room. It looks like a boutique. Shopping for her clothes is so much fun. I like to get things a few sizes too big when there's a sale. I can't wait until the weather is cooler so I can bundle her up all nice and snuggly warm! Hot weather can be nice too though because so looks so adorable in pretty little dresses. Oh she's so beautiful!

When I took her shopping the other day, my mom noticed so many people looking at her and smiling. I was too busy smiling myself to notice. I always get comments from strangers about how beautiful and cute she is. May Allah protect us from the evil eye.

She's mastered all her toys now and gets bored easily. I've decided that toys at this age aren't really nessessary and that just a few will do...she loves random items from around the house like spatulas and wooden spoons, pens and erasers, remote controls and whatever else is clean, safe, and lying around. Her favorite toy is this little ring with other smaller rings on it. She also likes to pull off the little butterflies on her bouncer. My cell phone is really exciting too.

She manages to scoot her little body around in about a three foot radius. She can't crawl yet but if she wants to get somewhere within that distance, she'll find a way.

She's such a sweet, happy baby, alhamdulillah. She makes everyone around her happy too. I'm so blessed to be her mother. =)

Scoot Scoot Scoot

2007-07-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today, Aliyah "crawled." She was on her stomach and wiggled her way backwards...then later today, she wiggled forward. When I put a toy in front of her, she struggled to get it but ended up going the oppostie direction instead. Heh heh I'm sure she'll figure out this backward/forward thing soon. She's four months old and already she's trying to crawl! Masha'Allah =) Oh I love her! I can't keep my eyes off her! She's everything to me.

Rollie Pollie Update

2007-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

So here's the rollie pollie update:

This morning she rolled from her back to her stomach, then back onto her back, then back on her stomach again! Triple roll!

Also this morning, she was playing with daddy. He was teaching her to walk...one foot in front of the other as he held her hands. Then this evening she was standing on anaagee's stomach and walked towards her face without any help!

This evening she was lying on her stomach on a sheet on the floor and anaagee put a bottle a couple of feet away from her. She pulled the sheet and brought the bottle to her! She's thinking outside the box!

She's going to be the first hijabi in the olympics!

The last few weeks have been nothing but rollie rollie rollie. When we put her to bed we lay her on her back. When we go to check on her though, she's on her side or her stomach. Oh this cutie is full of wonderful surprises!

Daddy was watching some videos I took of Aliyah and had on my desktop. He said he saw the folder and was curious as to what it was. He started to play one of the videos and his heart jumped. He found himself cheering her on as if she could hear him "Come on baby. Just a little bit more! You can do it!" His heart is completely stolen by her =) She melts him. What a magical beautiful baby girl.

She grabs everything, including that rattle she wasn't interested in just a couple of weeks ago. Shes growing so fast! She just started grabbing her feet a couple of days ago and pulls them towards her mouth. Who wouldn't want to eat those cute, tasty little toes! Yum!

Rollie Pollie Away!

2007-07-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

So cutie pie has been rolling all the way over onto her stomach for a couple of weeks now! She's such a superstar! And her talking volume has increased by about 1 billion decibals! She's so loud! And sometimes she makes really funny noises that sounds like a cat in a fight! She's so funny!

So a couple of days ago she woke up at around 5 or 6 in the morning and her daddy was very sleepy. She was making her usual loud noises and he just wasn't in the mood. He turned and looked at her very sternly and in a very harsh tone said "Aliyah! Be quiet!" She stops and looks at him for a second and then her lip curls up slightly and she lets out the cutest little giggle! How could he feel anything but love and happiness after that!?! Oh the powers she has over us already! Later that same day, I laid her on the bed and started to set the mood for bedtime. I softly repeated "it's time to go to sleep" with the lights dimmed. Then out of nowhere this cutie lets out the funniest cat noise at the top of her lungs! How can I do anything but laugh!? So much for trying to unwind her.

I took her to the doctor's office a few days ago because she had her first cold (she's fine) and she weighs 12.75 lbs! She moved up another diaper size! You'd think I'd realize she needed to change sizes after all those episodes of explosive poop leaking out of the diaper. So with every diaper size, the pictures of the sesame street gang look a little older. This time, they're sitting up and crawling! She's not that big yet! She's just a little thing still...well in age at least =)

When she wakes up and sees me she smiles so sweetly. Then I started to unwrap her...one arm shoots straight up like shes going to fly away...then the other and a nice long stretch. Everything she does is so cute!

Sometimes I wish I could stop taking so many pictures of her. I'm obsessed with her cuteness. I think I need to go to some support group for obsessed mothers. I can't help it! I want to be able to look back and remember everything...but at the same time I was to savor the moment instead of running to get my camera. Perhaps I can cut back just a little bit =)

I just remember one last funny thing about her...for some reason she likes it when I pick her nose =D Maybe it tickles. I don't know but she sure thinks it's funny!

My light, my life, my love

2007-07-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Oh this beautiful daughter of mine amazes me every day. Her eyes light up when we go outside and I can see such a brilliant noor illuminating from within. She sings to daddy and me as we stroll along the neighborhood, amazed at the bright blue staring back at us. When I hold her in my arms and she smiles at me, it's as if I've gotten a glimpse of Jannah. She laughs sometimes, but only for mommy! She's mine! =) I love her more than anything in this dunya and she loves me like no one else.

It seems like every time I'm holding her she tries to lift her head to sit more upright...and when she's completely upright, she wants to be standing...and when she's standing she wants to run away! I'm going to have a lot of work ahead of me, chasing this cutie. She discovered her hands a couple of weeks ago and now she grabs with superhero grip, from my finger, her bib and sometimes her toys to my hair and even face. And she somehow she always ends up with her bib twisted around so that it serves as a cape for this superbaby.

When she cries without comfort, this means her gums are hurting so I let her bite on my thumb. Her lips curl around it in such a way that when she talks, she makes an 'm' sound. Once she distinctly said "mama" and I was so shocked to hear it come out of this tiny little mouth. Sure, she didn't know what she was saying and it hasn't happened since, but oh what a wonderful feeling! I can't wait until she says it and means it!

So what bad can possilbly come from this daughter? Well, I wouldn't say anything bad but perhaps some unpleasantries: explosive poop for one. Diaper after diaper, only pee, and then after one magical feeding she releases the poop that has been waiting to escape all day, building and building until finally...boom! It shoots out with such an extreme force that it breaks the levies of on both sides of the diaper and it rushes down the back, soiling the nice clean onesie that I just put on! Oh how I remember the days when they were less predictible, shooting without warning just as I open the diaper to change her...or even worse, when I was too lazy to put her on the changing pad and mommy & daddy's blanket paid the price. I've learned to have a burp cloth under her after feedings, just in case.

Spitting up can also be a problem. Just this morning, towards the end of her meal, she choked on milk and threw up all over the place! Poor baby! You need to slow down! And it seems when I neglect to put a bib on her she decides that's a perfect time to spit up. The other day, right as I finished dressing her, she spit up on her nice clean onesie. So I started to put a new one on because I can't have my baby's shirt wet and uncomfortable. As I fastened the last snaps...spit-up. Well it can't possibly happen a third time...yes it can. Four onesies in 20 minutes! But she has good aim sometimes...the spit-up lands either on her bib, the burp cloth or on daddy, not mommy =)

Oh but I can't complain! She's so worth it! It's funny to me, that's all =)

I recite the three Quls for you in the morning and in the evening and before bed and I blow on you. You love the sound of the Quran. It's so soothing and makes you go to sleep. Our bedtime routine starts with recitation of all the surahs I know, over and over again as I clean up around the room and you lay in your crib. Then you start to get sleepy, sometimes cranky. I pick you up and give you your pacifier, wrap you nice and snug and either proceed to recite or sing you a song. The light starts out somewhat bright. Then I switch to the nightlight and then only a faint light from the hallway peaks into the room. When you're almost asleep, I creep through a sliver in the doorway and pray that the baby monitor stays quiet.

What a wonderful life. I love my baby daughter more than anything. I wouldn't go back in time before she was born for all the gold in the world!

Sleeping, Playing, Learning, Absorbing

2007-06-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's difficult for Aliyah to fall asleep at times. She wants to be held but seems uncomfortable in my arms. She wants her arms and legs to be free but being swaddled helps her fall asleep. When she's sleepy she makes this cute little noise, "iya iya," pronounced like the word for verse in the Quran. I've found that letting her flail her arms and legs for a while helps to tire her out. Then I can wrap her up and give her the pacifier. A few grunts, iyas, and cries, and she's off to dreamland. When it's time to wake up, if I get to her before she cries to be rescued, she'll give me a big sweet smile.

Yesterday I put her on the floor at Zarmina's house and she really had a workout. First she moved around like the hands of a clock from 6 to 10 o'clock. Then she 'crawled' backwards, pushing her legs against my hands and sliding across the floor. She also had some more rolling action, rolling on her side and back again to face the ceiling. She really is a champion! Her daddy wasn't there to see it but I recorded her crawling with Ama Yelda and played it back for him when he got home. He's so proud of his cutie pie!

She's so comfortable with her superlegs and being on her back. However, when I put her on her stomach, she uses her mighty neck muscles to overstimulate herself. She doesn't know what to do with her hands and then lifts her head so high up like she's going to get up and walk. Once we get this tummy time down pat, she'll be crawling in no time insha'Allah!

Oh those little hands of hers. She loves to watch them lately as she moves them around and grasps them together. She likes to grab onto any part of me she can; my shirt, my hair, my skin...especially when I'm feeding her. She doesn't seem interested in anything else yet. I tried to get her to play with a little stuffed bear rattler and a plastic rattle but she isn't interested. In time, in time =)

There are these bears on the mobile of her swing that she's mesmerized by...and the same bears on the mobile of her play yard at Grandma & Grandpa's house. She must think her bear friends follow her around town =) The same chair/couch combo that hypnotized both Ahmad and Camilla is now the object of Aliyah's intrigue. The intricate design in the wood is too much for a baby to handle!

Baby's sleeping...must eat!

My Little Snuggly Roller

2007-06-11T19:51:00.001-07:00

OMG! She just rolled over four times today! Oh my baby! I love her =) She's going to be running soon masha'Allah.

I miss her squeaks. Draven called her squeakums because of the cute little noises she used to make. She almost never used to cry but now she cries a lot. I think maybe I'm spoiling her. I can't stop picking her up! I want to be near her always.

The doctor has me doing a night-time routine with her where she goes to bed at a general time each night and I'm not allowed to feed her until morning. It was a rough first few nights...eight minutes of me just in the room not allowed to do anything but let her know I'm there...then I can touch her and soothe her but no feeding allowed. I try to give her more at her last feeding to get her through until morning. She's been sleeping through the night since the third night of crying but I think it's made her more whiney.

Last night we were out and that messed up her sleep schedule. She woke up when we got home at around 11 pm and wanted to play. Then she wanted to eat at around 1 am and let the whole world know it. I left the room and came back in a couple of minutes later to administer the technique. She was lying on our bed instead of her crib so I was able to lie next to her. I persisted to stare helplessly at the clock until the time was up...1:13 was at least 5 minutes long. When 1:14 finally arrived, she was so happy to get my attention! I hovered over her, kissing her cute little red face, wiping her tears away. She grabbed on to my arms and my face and my hair, hugging me in her own sweet little way. Then I lied next to her with my arm wrapped around her tiny waist. She turned her head and pressed her forehead into mine. It was as if touching me was not enough and she was trying to meld our foreheads together. She let out a little sigh of relief and fell asleep with her face buried in mine...Mommy the human pacifer =)

A Champion Is Born...

2007-06-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

This blog is intended to be the diary of my baby's firsts. She's already come so far and I don't want to forget how beautiful she was in her first days, months...years.

So here's what I remember so far:

She was born on March 22, 2007. Labor was easy but a grueling 14 hours long. Amin was so nervous. Especially when he saw that I was in pain. I think my calmness calmed him =) I was more bored than anything...until they gave me the pitocin...that's when I asked for an epidural and squeezed my Amin's hand every five minutes. I pushed for about 45 minutes...then out came the love of my life. I had to wait for what felt like an eternity while they cleaned her up and my husband had all the fun; reciting the athan in her ear, talking to her and taking her picture.

They placed her in my arms and my life changed forever. I love my daughter so much! She's so beautiful and amazing! She's so advanced for her age in so many ways masha'Allah. Saaida and Liyana call her an alien because since she's been born she's acted months older than she is. She never looked like a red winkled baby but instead her features were so defined and cute. She was so wide-eyed and alert from birth on. All the nurses and doctors in the hospital commented on how alert she was. She's been lifting her head as long as I can remember but I don't think babies are supposed to do that until 4 to 6 months. She smiled for the first time when she was only two weeks old! No one believed me but I know it wasn't gas!

Now she's about 2 1/2 months old and she's kicking and talking (well she says aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, ooooooooohhhhhhhh, and aagggaaaaaa) =) She's been drooling and sucking a lot lately and is very moody. I think she's teething or is in the precursor stage at least because sucking and biting on my shoulder and thumb has been her only relief for the past couple of days. At 2 months she started flailing her arms while nursing (that's also when she started "talking") so I have to dodge the blows.

Amin loves her so much. He told me before she was born that he would not hold her or do anything for a couple of years...he was so nervous about hurting her. I in first few days and weeks he only held her when he felt he had no choice and looked so scared doing it, poor thing. He would comfort her and rock her to sleep in the beginning but that's all he felt comfortable with. But now he holds her and burps her and talks to her and loves her =) He's a great father!

Let's see...she loves the tv but I try to block her gaze 'cause the doctor says it's not good for her to watch it. Her right eye has been leaking since birth and she hates it when I clean her eye boogers. I feed her vitamins once a day and I try to save it for when she has the hiccups because drinking seems to help them go away...she hates the hiccups! She gets scared sometimes when people sneeze...it startles her and makes her cry. She loves bathtime and the bathtime song I sing to her. She likes to kick her feet and make the water splash around. I wrap her in a warm fuzzy pink blanket...she always has such a nice nap after a warm bath.

She grew sooo much the first month. She went from 7 lbs 3 oz to around 10 lbs! That's the 75th percentile for growth masha'Allah...and they thought she would come out like a withered prune (I had a rough pregnancy...vomitting and nausea made me lose my appetite). Well we showed them, Aliyah! She went to get her vaccination shots two weeks ago...oh what a horrible feeling it was to see that look of shock and then pain on her face as they gave her the shots. But she only cried for a few seconds. She's such a good girl. Amin says she's a champion and that she's from halfway down the mountain (he's from the mountains 'cause he's Afghan but she's only half Afghan) ha ha.

She loves Mommy! She's a friendly baby and talks to everyone and smiles at everyone but there's definitely a special spot in her heart for her mommy =) She loves to eat me...she's doing it now in between typing spurts. I call her slobber monster.

Well that's about it for now. If I can think of anything else, I'll include it in my next post.