Aash at Home

Last night I got absolutely no sleep at all. Yusuf woke up like every 30 minutes. I don't understand how this 9 month old functions with no sleep. Plus Isa who was also sleeping with me (As Ajee was not there) decided to move on my shoulder in the middle of the night. I remember telling him to move but ofcourse unlike Yusuf he sleeps like a log and can't hear anything. So the whole night I was lying between the two kids with barely enough space to breathe. This morning I had to wake up at 6:30 to get my self and Isa ready to go to school, but all my plans were ruined as Yusuf woke  up (as soon as I got up) and didn't want to let go of me. So I had to finally give him to Abba and Amma at around 7:15 but he wailed and wouldn't go to anyone. Amma then had to forcefully take him and distract him. I then hurriedly carried Isa to the bathroom, after which he was running to t...

My Abba has picked me up from the dorms and I am home for the weekend. I have quite a bit of reading to do for my American History class and an English Paper due. I am sitting on the Computer checking my e-mails, and I see an e-mail from a certain "Ajnabi Bechara" (Innocent Stranger)..I hesitantly click on it thinking what if it's a virus. It was actually an email from a Secret Admirer..what are you serious??Its 1999!!! who approaches girls like this???..It must be someone playing a joke on me. Little did I know that this "Ajnabi" - unfamiliar person was going to become the most essential and familiar part of my life. My Dearest Ajee, The past 4 days have been a constant reminder of how important this familiarity is to me as you have been in California. You went there to help Phuppi with her travels to Pakistan and to visit your relatives and spend time with your cousin (who you grew up with) Faisal Bhai who was injure...

Phuppi is leaving on Thursday for California and then is going back to Pakistan as her 6 month stay in the US is coming to an end (She will be back in May Inshallah!)..Although she is a woman of few words, she is a tremendous help and so much fun..She is known for feeding kids and fattening them up. Hasan apparently was her responsibility when he was a baby and he and his P90X are now working hard to undo the damage that was done years ago.  She now works hard on getting every morsel into Yusuf so that she can quickly wash the dish and not have to keep leftovers (her pet peeve).  Now that she is leaving I am already wondering who is going to give me honest opinions about my clothes, watch movies with us, fill me in on all the Indian Soaps, and clean up after Hasan??..Her presence will truly be missed.  Phuppi watching Captain America with the gang!  Phuppi leaving  gave us all just another excuse to...

"Arav's teacher says he should be potty trained by now..do you think he is too old...how old was Isa when he was trained?? "No Sangita..its fine..he just turned 2 ...all kids take their own..." KA-BAM! "Oh my God Ayesha..let me call you back" Oh gosh..what did this girl do now?? I hope everything is okay. She had banged Ankur's (her husband) car into her neighbor's car while she was on the phone with me (the one thing Ankur had advised her not to do was to back the car out while on the phone). I was not very surprised when I found out as it is after all "Sangita" we are talking about. Who is one of the most caring and fun individuals I know but not exactly the most careful when it comes to driving, eating and for that matter even walking. Sangita and I met in high school. As two young girls, our only worries at that time were Indian Movies and Pakistani Dramas. We used to stand by each other's lockers and discuss Dhoop Kinare a...

I: Amma..do you know there are 145 million turkeys in the World? A: Really Isa..that's awesome! I did not know that. I: Seriously Amma there are ..Mrs. Spencer told us. I: Amma what is 95 + 5 +90? A: 190 I: You know..I know what 2 times 9 is..(counting double on fingers)..hmmm 17 ..I mean 18!! A: Very good Isa!! I: what is 100 gazillion + 405 million?? A: I have no clue! (where does he even think of this stuff from??) NUMBERS is Isa's new fascination, the shoe lace craze has finally taken a back seat (thank the Lord!). However, he still likes getting into random stuff. Yesterday, I came home and his hands were completely blue probably due to some kind of paint or ink. I had to feed him as whatever he touched turned blue and the stuff did not come off no matter how hard he washed his hands. After eating, he wanted to go out and play with his friend (who had just left our house), or watch Curious George,...

My Abba has asked me to move to the  dorms, something he was totally against just 4 months ago in September of 1998. I guess he couldn't watch me leaving the house in the dark every morning to catch the Marta bus and then the train just to make it in time to an 8AM lab at Georgia Tech.  He has finally dropped me off to my room at the Woodruff dorms with my comforter and pillow, some clothes and a few snacks. I am by myself for the first time in my life and extremely nervous..in my heart I was asking Abba to please not go..but I made this brave face in front of him and hugged him good bye.  I take a look at the other bed, it has a colorful comforter and a green stuffed turtle on it. I see a microwave and a small fridge - beside it is some coffee, I then see a humongous phone charger by the computer (wow..she has a cell phone ..how cool is that!!) hmm..I wonder what this other person is goi...

Last night I was not feeling great at all...was extremely tired from the night before as Yusuf had not let me get much sleep and then I thought I may be catching something as I had a scratchy throat and a slight runny nose -btw I now have a full blown cold! To top it off my right eye lid was swollen apparently due to the lack of sleep (not a very pretty picture). Yusuf had his 9 month appointment that morning and his progress is great Mashallah, I just had to survive the after shots screaming.                              Yusuf at his Doc Appointment..before shots!  After dropping him and Amma home, I went to work and got stuck in mad traffic on the way back didnt get home till after 5 and saw Isa watching TV.  I then had to argue with Isa to turn off Spon...

I just spoke with my dad - My Abba after almost a week. He called me from the Jeddah Airport as he was on his way to India to visit his ill older brother, after completing his Hajj Mashallah, which is not a minor accomplishment. (The Hajj  is the largest pilgrimage in the World to Mecca, Saudia Arabia.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out by every healthy Muslim who can afford it at least once in their life time.  Although, I don't live with him anymore I can definitely feel his absence. He is a regular visitor at 1826 who seldom comes empty handed. He always has his hands full with the best juices, fruit, cookies, chocolates etc. He is known for having the best taste in almost everything from groceries, to women's clothes to jewelry. However, his best quality is his kind and welcoming nature. Mashallah! No matter whom it is, and how much space he has his door i...

Although we arrive on time, the rush is crazy at Al-Farooq (Mosque) as Eid is on a Sunday this year. There is no parking so Ajee drops us off by the entrance. This takes a few minutes. Abba helps me get Yusuf out, while Amma gets Nani Amma out, Phuppi is carrying the bags and shawls. As I am getting the diaper bag out, I rip half of my right thumb nail..OUCH!!!..The officer wants us to hurry up as there are many cars behind us. So I take the baby from Abba, with my diaper bag (Thank heavens it’s a backpack) on my back and Isa holding my hand with the throbbing thumb and make my way to the ladies section with Amma, Phuppi and Nani Amma. We take off our shoes. Nani Amma and Amma take the elevator; Me and Phuppi decide to take the stairs as the line is too long. We finally make it upstairs and re-unite with Nani Amma and Amma. There is absolutely NO Space. We all try going from ro...

It is finally Eid morning and as always everything is chaotic at the Saiyed Residence. I can hear Ajee getting ready while I am still trying to catch a few extra zzzz's cuddled up with Yusuf, who is finally sleeping peacefully after a rough night. Last night was a late night for all us ladies anyways since we were getting all the clothes and our selves ready for Eid. After dying their hair, Amma and Phuppi were up in the attic till about midnight looking for their stash of new clothes. We took votes to decide who is going to wear what, once all the options were laid out. After the final verdicts, all the men and kids' clothes were taken out and Amma ironed while Phuppi prepared for mini facials for the 3 of us. I finally made it to bed, by then Yusuf was up!!..    "Wake up Aleesh..We have 12 minutes to leave for Eid Prayers"......

They are growing up so fast!!! I just can't believe it. Isa is already 6 and a quarter (as he likes to say) and little Yusi is already 9 months old, where did the time go.?? Everyday there is something new that I learn about each of them..There are some proud moments and some that are not so proud..;)..but either way they are very special moments. Isa surprises me sometimes. He can be so understanding at times and such a great help that it is amazing! MA!..he definitely takes after his dad. Just yesterday, we were at someone's house and all the adults were praying and Yusuf decided to wander around and Isa heard him came from the other room and took him with himself so that everyone would not be disturbed. It is just wonderful to watch how protective he is of his baby brother his Bestie Best (his nick name for Yusuf). Once Isa was showering and could see his brother on the bed from inside the bathroom and he thought he might topple over, he ran out dripping wet wi...

It is 11:45 P.M at the Saiyed Residence on a Thursday night, I have been trying to put Yusuf down for the last hour or so but have not been able to. Ajee (My husband) finally comes in to the room and I hand over the baby to him to get a break and go down for some water. As I head down the stairs I see Hasan (Ajee's youngest brother) jumping up and down in his sweats infront of his computer in Ajee's Study (which is in fact a dining room). He is actually copying a video of the P-90 X excercise routine, Hasan's new obesession for the month. Meanwhile, Amma (Ajee's mother) is squatting sweeping (for the 2nd time today) the carpet and the foyer floor with a small hard broom ("tinke wali jharoo - specially imported from Pakistan), and a soft regular broom simultaneously. Abba is waiting for her to finish as he needs help finding something upstairs. Phuppi (Ajee's paternal aunt) just finished washing the dishes and is now watching an Indian ...

The bond that a parent has with their child is unique and cannot be compared with anything else in the World. However I would like to talk about the extremely special bond that a grandfather shares with his grandson. The bond between Yusuf and his Baba (Abba). The love that they have for each other is so heartwarming and so beautiful to watch. Abba literally can spend the whole day with Yusuf and not get bored or tired. He carries Yusi for hours on end and then continuously rocks and sings to him just to put him to sleep, without showing any signs of exhaustion eventhough I know his arms are aching with arthritis. Yusuf although only a baby, can sense this unconditional love and so prefers his Baba over any other person and will look for him when he is not around and cry for him if he sees even the sight of him. Every morning I bring Yusi down and I see Abba sitting on his computer brow...

Yesterday was Halloween, and another Crazy day (thats pretty much any day) for me but was extremely fun..as I got to enjoy each and every moment with my two little sweet hearts..Isa and Yusuf. Isa the 6 year old just had to be "Green Lantern." I was smart this time and got his costume a month in advance to beat the rush..Poor kid looked at the costume every day.. literally..EVERYDAY!!! since I got it.It was his little treat to wear the green lantern mask and ring every night before bed time after his shower and homework. So, it was a delight to watch the happiness on his face when I told him he could dress up and I will take him to the mall for trick or treating and then to the parade. Adding to this delight was Yusuf my 8 month old in his bubble Pumpkin costume imitating a dog. They are just too cute..Its amazing how much joy a child can bring to a parents world. I am so thankful to Allah for blessing me with these two wonderful miracl...