Happy Mother"s Day

Last Sunday March 21st was Mother's day in the Middle East. It is a very big holiday here. It is often celebrated with the mother making a big meal, usually grilled meat, salad, and extras. The family buys her a cake, flowers, gold, appliances, or just cash. Big gifts are expected and the norm if the children have any income at all. I may be living in the Middle East, but I am an American, and have given birth to an American, and am married to an American. What does this mean? It means no gold :( (Just kidding I was not wanting nor expecting gold) I slept in, Bill woke up with Zaky, the boys made me a nice card, and then after Zaky's nap and some playing in the dirt, we went to McDonald's for lunch (they have high chairs and guaranteed Zaky food). We then proceeded to Beirut where I left Zaky, and my friend Esther left her kids with her husband, and she and I went for coffee. Kind of sad that for Mother's Day I left my son, but it was nice to have an hour conversation in English during the day, and (as I like to say) "It gave me a chance to miss them." Good time was had by all, including Zaky who played with the kids the whole time and didn't notice I wasn't there. Happy Mother's Day to me, and thank you Mommy for all the work you did growing us up, and all the mothers and aunts that have had an input into me becoming a mother myself.

Rebbecca, Esther's eldest, drew the 2nd card. Esther told her Zaky was to small to make me one, and I would be sad not to have one. She signed the inside "from Zaky". How cute!

How big!

July 09 - 5 1/2 months
October 09 - 9 months
March 10 - 14 months

He looks tall and lean. his face makes him look round, but when you shed the clothes he is a lean boy. I am feeding him, I promise. Any suggestions on how to get him to eat more, aside from feeding him cookies ) which he gets a couple of times a week) let me know.

He will have to get back with you

He is on another call

Sicky

Zaky has a cold, and now I have it as well, poor us. If there is anything less nice then a sick pregnant lady it is a 1 yr old with a cold. So what is a sick pregnant lady to do? What ever she has to! This includes letting him play in dirt for over an hour on the balcony, and taking him to the neighbors for them to play with him. I had a little pity party that I don't have my family near by to help when I am sick, but I have been blessed with young kids willing to play/ push/ hold him for an hour at a time. Then if all else fails i did let him eat a bag of chips!

Our field project

The field project is coming into frowishen. Monday the guy with the plow came, Monday and Tuesday night Bill and Ali raked and leveled out the ground to be planted (Zaky helped of course), then Wednesday mornig the guys from the nursery came planted the grass and two trees. The only trick now is it has to be watered 2x daily for the first week (we only get water 2x a week and ran out by Thursday, and there has to be power, which usually isn't a problem but for some reason we didn't have it for 12 hrs last night). But the power is back on and the water came yesterday, so all is well again. Another month and Zaky can play on it, but till now he is content in the dirt, until he has eaten to much and we pull him out. (then he cries)

Hooligans/ Friends

The picture is little Sarah teaching the others how to jump in their bed! We were laughing, and their mom Esther had to come around the corner and scold, party pooper!. The 5 of them were playing in the back bedroom when Rebecca (the eldest) came yelling the babies are lost. Esther and I sprinted down the hall, the bedroom door leading outside was open. Within a minute both boys had crawled around the balcony sticking their hands into each drain along the way! No picture of the filthy little guys.

Sweet things

Update of the last entry: Yes he peed, under the t.v. Bill and I were laughing so hard, Zaky was quite proud of himself.

Cute things he is doing: he holds everything up to his ear, but especially the phone, and says Ahh, Ahh.. He taught the little girl upstairs to wave. He is saying MaMa to me, unfortunately always whining or crying. When we go to our friends and I ask "where's Sarah" he immediately points to little Sarah age 2. This same Sarah has taught him how to jump in his bed.

I will save you the less charming things he is doing.

But his most favorite thing to do is still play in the dirt. We plowed out back and he has stayed out there for almost an hour and half just playing in the dirt.

Guess what happened next...

Baby update

Not to mush to update, the baby bump is not a pooch. In arabic well call it kerish, which means fat gut. I am at the stage where you can't tell I am pregnant, all you can tell is I am not slim.

Weaning update: Yes I admit there is after all this time an update to be made. I have been feeding him at night before he goes to sleep. I couldn't help it. But for over 40 hours now he has been breast free. I almost cried yesterday, he talked and fell asleep. Is this how all the cutting of the apron strings goes, I am in the back nostalgic and sad, while he is clueless and just about the same. I little boy is getting bigger. He is drinking and eating well, yogurt and milk powder are sprinkled throughout his daily diet. I have found the boy loves Lebanese food, the difficult kind that takes hours to make. So what is a mother to do? Me in my tack have let the neighbors know if they cook certain food to save a small bowl for the boy, or if I know they made it that day, I ask for just a little bit. Rude? Thankfully not in this culture, especially if it is for Zakaria.

The new baby is a....

Well we didn't want to find out, but that lasted about a month. The doctor laughed at me when we returned to his office this month and announced I had changed my mind. He said "you change your mind about everything" And then he listed a few examples. Oh well, no apologies here. He then asked if we were the ones that brought the big ball (the yoga/ birthing ball) He laughed and said they are still talking about it. So Zaky will have a new little....







Brother!!!!!!!!!!!

Dirt with Daddy

I love slow Saturdays after a busy week. I cleaned the balconies this morning, and now the boys are messing them up. But they are both enjoying themselves!

Side note keep me in prayer: I am slowly dying of a stuffed up nose. And keeping Bill awake at night in my misery.

Zak in the Box

Zak in the Box
Zakaronie
Zak of potatoes
Zak Zu Ka
Zu Zu
Zaky
Z Z

We will not call him by his name, we will not call him by his name in the house, or on the street, we will not do it in the dark, we will not do it on a plane, we will not do it in the rain.

Amazing

What is amazing? Baby Einstein this is what is amazing! I saw before my own eyes 4 whining/ hyper kids and within 30 seconds were all in a daze, Zaky was trying to get food off of someone's plate so he took a full minute, be he too fell. I have one DVD at home, and whenever I have reached my end, or want Zaky to calm down in it goes, and with in seconds he is stuck in its trance!

I forgot in the last update to mention Zaky's other talent (I'm not bragging or anything) But when we ask "where's your nose (sometimes) he points to his nose, but the rest of the time he points to his head. Either way he is cute!

New Talents

His not so new, but two weeks ago were new, talents: clapping all the time, waving bye, shaking hands, walking up the stairs with help, standing for a few seconds alone, walking while only holding onto one hand for short distances, pointing at things he wants. And (almost all the time) when I ask where's ba ba he points to Bill, and when I ask where's the fish, he points to our new gold fish. Sometimes if we ask where is ma ma he may or may not look in my direction. But he is saying ma ma all the time, usually in a crying voice when he wants to be picked up, but who is being picky?

The last two weeks we spent several days up in Beirut with friends. After being alone for the week they were so welcome. But after a couple of days I am ready to be home. People generally have kids one at a time, but me who is use to 1, then goes to a home with 4, plus lots of guests! Woof I am tired just watching my friend host me! But one really nice thing is Zaky loves it there. Their youngest is 2 weeks younger then Zaky and the next is just a year older. And they are all at the age where they can play together sort of. When ever we walk in Sarah starts saying Zaky Zaky, and Zaky starts waving his arms around. Unfortunitly when kids come together and play colds will follow and his snotty nose and cough are almost better, just in time for the weekend!

The Flood

The flood of 2010. The flood, as we refer to it, is completely over. It rained for 4 days straight so it took almost a week for the rugs to dry out. Last Monday we picked Bill up from the airport and by Wednesday morning everything was back in its place. We only lost 2 books, and the couches still have a funny smell when you sit on the floor, but that is it. The lessons I learned: 1) I have WONDERFUL neighbors, 2) it pays to not have wall to wall carpet, 3) Bill is not allowed to leave in high rainy season nor during heat waves (no power).

Side note: Bill has been working very hard on several things since returning from Iraq (returned safe and sound PRAISE THE LORD) combined with poor internet I have only now gotten back on the computer. He is gone for the afternoon! So you all may have your Zaky fix.