Aash at Home

While I am filling up a glass of water,  I drop a piece of ice. Yusuf picks it up for me, knowing that I can't bend down and instead of putting it in the sink, he puts it on his head, imitating the Ice Bucket Challenge. Yusuf: Amma mujhe Ice Buckets karna hai. (I want to do the Ice Buckets) "Sab log Ice buckets kiyoo karte hain?" (Why does everyone do Ice Buckets?) Knowing it was a very valid question, I didnt feel like answering. Partly because I was not sure how to answer him and partly because I was feeling miserable. Me: Yusi, Amma does not feel good! Yusuf: Aapke paas baby hai na! (Since you have a baby inside you) His theory was pretty accurate. Me: Ajee can you drop me to work for a couple of hours tomorrow, I have this important meeting with the whole team including the CPO and I don't think I will be able to drive. Ajee: Are you insane Ayesha you can't go to work tomorrow, you need to work from home. Me: Yeah you are right, the baby cou...

The Hole -Tooth! Yesterday when I went home form work, Isa was naturally very excited showing off his tooth and hole in mouth to everyone. He was taking his tiny little tooth everywhere with him. I told him he needs to keep it in a safe place until tonight when it will be time for him to put it under the pillow just in time for the tooth fairy to come and take it away and leave him a present. He finally put it in a drawer and went to Walmart with Ajee, Yusuf and I . We were done shopping and were just about to leave Wal-Mart when suddenly Ajee realized that we had forgotten something very important. I gestured him to go buy it while I keep the kids entertained. He told us he really needs to run to the restroom and left. Yusuf as usual was having a ball as he was allowed to run loose in this huge store. Ajee called and it was finally time for us to head back, he had hid the gift in the car so no one could see it. By the time we got home it was Isa's bed time. Whil...

Yesterday I went to the now empty 1826 with Ajee to meet with our new Realtor who will help us put it on rent. While we waited for the her,  I looked at the empty rooms, bare walls (except for the nails and the really low pencil scribbles n the Master Bath walls thanks to Yusuf) and furniture indents on the carpet. The emptiness  reminded me of the same time exactly 10 years ago right before our wedding when we purchased this brand new townhouse.  The thought that I will not be living here anymore saddened me as this place has always been so blessed and has witnessed so many happy moments of my life that I have experienced from  a young, energetic college girl to a grown (not so energetic) mother of 2. I still remember walking in to 1826 (which was still half done) with Ajee, Amma, Abba, My Abba and our Realtor at the time to choose the upgrades, paint colors, wood flooring etc for our future house. It was so exciting to be starting my new life with ...

Its been over a month since I have posted (sorry Mahi!), so I guess it is time for some general updates. Everyone at the house (including Yusuf) is very familiar with the term Bey Blades now, and since my last post we have had several additions to the Bey collection. Isa now has a stadium for it and just convinced Ajee to order a specialty Japanese Bey Blade online. Bey Blades in their stadium  The Bey blades however, do come in handy. The sentence, "we will take away the Beys" works like a charm when homework needs to be completed, reading needs to be done or when there is a general need for discipline;  the Bey collection is also one of Yusuf's favorite things as he knows it is off limits, so whenever Isa is not looking he will go and sit in the stadium, or take all the beyblade parts apart. These toys can also used as a distraction to feed Yusuf. Yusuf in the stadium Feeding Yusuf, ...

Isa has a new obsession -- bay blaze (what I thought he was saying for the longest time)..but it is actually Bey Blades. It is what he has been whining for about for a week. Apparently this the newest and coolest gadget on the block that he had to have.. especially since Rayan (his friend) has plenty. This weekend Ajee promised him that he would get him one on Sunday. Sunday was also Yusuf's 1st birthday and all I wanted to do was to make it special for the lil guy..I mean it’s such a big Milestone, Ajee, on the other hand did not really see what the big deal was, it’s just another day and it happens to be the same date that Yusuf was born on last year..so why should we stress ourselves out on a nice Sunday afternoon when we will be doing a party for him later..he wanted to rather focus on his website (that he works on every Sunday in a secluded coffe shop away from home) he did promise to bring me back the pizza though. You know what that means ...

1826 is about to go on rent in February so we have to find a rental place pretty quickly. For the past month or so we have been looking and have not had much luck - a pretty stressful situation, but we have been in situations like this before and are hoping that something will be worked out right in the nick of time.   This past weekend Amma, Abba, Ajee and the kids looked at a few houses and fell in love with one. They were so excited (especially Amma Abba) as they thought they had found the perfect place in every way. However someone else got to it before us, which kind of depressed the two of them. A few weeks ago a similar situation had happened where we almost got a place but the landlord gave it to someone else. We cannot completely blame luck for us not finding a suitable place however, there are some other factors: 1.       We need something big enough to house all of us and some. 2.       Each member of the family has their...

Dates for us our few and far between, therefore in June after a really fun and relaxing 2 hour dinner date on my birthday,  Ajee and I decided we should go out at least once a month. Since then we have been on one after- dinner, and when kids are asleep dessert date and one other random unplanned sorta date with Yusuf asleep in the stroller beside us. We always plan (even prior to having kids) but due to the lack of time, family and other commitments, these plans seldom materialize. For the longest time we have been aiming for a dinner and movie at the AMC Fork and Screen, but something always comes up. Even on my birthday our first choice was the dinner theater, but all the movies were sold out. So when I won an AMC gift card at a work Christmas Party, it gave us a good reason to plan our next dinner and movie date this last Saturday. We planned to go early in the day around 6ish so that we would be back by 9 t...

Last weekend Ajee was really excited about taking the kids to Petland. Why?? Who wants to go to a pet store when you don't even have a pet. Its stinky, its gross and let’s face it ..not that much fun!! Ajee on the other hand is a dog lover and just has to go in if he sees a pet store around. This time he was especially looking forward to showing the dogs to the kids and having Yusuf actually play with one. As he turned into the parking lot I saw the DSW right beside it and decided to skip the Pet store party and go in the shoe store instead, Amma Abba I guess were not feeling the animal love either and so chose to go with me. Yusuf apparently had a ball manhandling a little puppy; he probably thought one of his stuffed animals had come to life, while Isa was nervous throughout trying to protect the dog. The poor dog is probably scarred for life and will probably never come near a baby again. Unfortunately, I missed it bu...

Hasan - "Aash be ready at 9!! Its Yoga today for P-90x!" Isa - "Yay Hasan Chachoo I am going to do it too!!" Ayesha- "That should work since I have another 45 minutes or so to wind everything down and Ajee will be back by then so I should be able to focus" Focus..What a great thought! I was trying desperately to feed Yusuf who as usual was turning every morsel down and was creating a ruckus on his high chair, which I just do not have the patience for. So I took him down and decided to give him some of the adult food - Biryani (a spicy Pakistani rice dish), which he gulped down with out a fuss along with half a banana simultaneously while running around in the family room floor (his preferred method of eating) . Right around 8:30 Asim (Brother between Ajee and Hasan) rings the bell a hundred times and then barges in through the door (this is pretty normal at 1826)! He grabs Yusuf, who delightfully goes to him...

On any given day, Yusuf changes at least 4 times, and will be found sporting his capris which are actually his 3-6 month onesies (he is now 10 months) more often than not and Isa who is way over 6 now is still in his 5T jeans, 4 out of 5 of which have huge holes in the knees (that he is always trying to have Amma stitch for him). Therefore, this Saturday Ajee and I decided that it was absolutely imperative for us to finally make a much delayed trip to the mall to shop for clothes for the kids with the kids. Yusuf in his 3-6 mos comfortable outfit (used to be blue once upon a time until it was mistakenly bleached by Amma) The malls were packed as usual. After much hard work, we finally found the right sizes and right colors and enough clothes for both the kids and stood in a nice long line to check out. After completing this (not so easy and not so fun) task I was famished, and thought I deserved some fries...

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...