Seven Months!!

Zuri Mama. Who told you you could grow up so quickly?? What happened to my little nursing rag-doll who made her appearance on the foyer floor in July? Zuri Baby Doll, where exactly did the time go? I know it was hot when you arrived, and now we have record breaking snow on the ground. Why does it seem like it was only yesterday??

Zuri Love, a part of me wants to ask Allah to slow this process down, but the wiser side knows that, alhamdullilah, growth is a blessing. I am so thankful for your good health and rapid development. You are seriously trying to walk!!

Zuri Mama, you are the quintessential second child. Far less hoopla, far less pictures, far less worry from your daddy and I, but the love- Zuri Baby Girl, I didn't know I could love like this. Opening my heart to a second child has been, by far, one of the most profound experiences in my life. I am so thankful for my "surprise" baby girl. You bring our family so much joy.

Zuri Zuu, you really are a mess. I've come to the conclusion that you've substituted my boob for your umbilical cord. This morning, your daddy just gave me the longest hug. We both agree that you spent at least 80% of the night nursing furiously. I know you are teething, and I know that that's got to be hard, but just try to save some breast tissue for the next baby, insha'Allah, okay Love.

Zuri bint Khalid, the snow is so beautiful. Alhamdullilah, we are having an amazing winter. We got the best of the California sun, followed by experiencing record snowfall. I am having a ball dressing you in fuzzy leg warmers and your brother's hand-me-down Robeez boots. Daddy had been home with us since Tuesday -- the roads are too bad for him to go to work. We have been kicking it like teenagers -- you and your brother have been like guest at our party!!

Let me tell you a little about yourself. You like to:

1. Scream at people (Yes, I placed that at the top for a reason...in your defense, it might be teething related).
2. Pull up on things and yell triumphantly
3. Nurse like a banchee
4. Jack all of Zayd's toys (All I hear is "No Baby! Nooo!! Danger-wuss!!"
5. Crawl over and shake the gate.
6. Act shy around new people
7. Chew on power cords (Sad, but true)
8. Beg for whatever I'm eating
9. Delight us with your smile
10. Nurse all night and sleep in between Daddy and I like the biggest hater on the block.... I'm thinking this is some type of evolutionary thing, to keep yourself as the youngest for as long as possible.
11. Take baths with your brother


Things you'll likely use against me and/or tell your therapist about later in life:

1. We are just getting your "Big Girl" room together
2. We owe you a professional photo shoot
3. You still don't technically have a set schedule
4. Sometimes I purposefully leave food on the floor for you to find later -- you get so excited!!

All and all, I feel like I am finally settling in to being the mother of two. I am looking forward to Spring, insha'Allah, and taking you and Zayd out as much as possible. Wait until you see the cherry blooms for the first time. As for now, I'm trying to just enjoy each moment of this amazingly crazy journey.

Thank you Allah so very much for this beautiful family. I pray that my gratitude is far,far greater than my occasional attitude.....Amen.

Milestones - 5 Months

Our little baby is 5 months old! Okay, he's actually 5.4 months old, or 23.4 weeks, to be exact. Where did the time go? At his last pediatrician appointment on January 15, 2008, Zayd weighed 17.4 pounds and was 26" long. Khalid and I estimated that he was about 16.5 pounds, so we were a little surprised. He has officially doubled his birth weight...plus some. He keeps me laughing every day with his antics.

Here are some of his new tricks:

-Grabbing for and grasping objects within reach.
-Rolling from front to back and back to front.
-Scooting backwards.
-Sitting up unassisted for short periods of time.
-Attempting to put every object in his mouth.
-Screaming "dth dtha dtha dtha" at the top of his lungs.
-Laughing -like real deep hard belly laughs.
-Developing preferences for different toys.
-Smiling and flirting with anyone within a 10 mile radius.
-Looking at his fingers in utter amazement.
-Whining (I love my child, but soooo annoying).


Khalid and I swear every weekend that we're going to purchase baby gates the next weekend. Since we both witnessed our child do this strange scoot-roll thing off of his baby gym, stopping maybe 3 feet later, we think that next weekend is really going to be the big day.

Zayd still loves riding around in his Ergo Baby carrier. He sucks on the straps and watches the world in blissful contentment. He still thinks the "little boy" in the mirror that he sees on a daily basis is fresh to death. He loves to scream and blow rasberries. The kid is wild!

Since I posted pictures of Zayd in his highchair, I've received a lot of inquires on whether he was eating solids yet. As much as he seems to want to, I've decided to postpone his introduction until he reaches six-months. I know that is the California hippie in me, but my local La Leche League leader has been very supportive of my decision. For now, he just uses the highchair as another play area. As of now, he is still a milk-milk baby.

We've noticed that Zayd has substantially decreased his daytime feeding. He's too busy exploring the world to focus long enough for long sessions. This has created an sharp increase in nighttime feedings. This has not been a good thing. Last night I felt like the boy was attached to my breast all night. Although I can sleep a little while he nurses, it's not th same as real sleep. I find myself yawning a lot in the morning.

Sleepless Nights

Poor little Zayd. He had another rocky night. He ended up just sleeping on my chest. I actually think he rolled off during the night, because when I woke up, he was sleeping beside me on the pillow.

I felt triumphant after the morning booger snot battle. I suctioned a considerable amount of goo out of his nose.He was so grateful that he immediately lay down and went to sleep. I think I'll do the same.

Zayd has a Cold

My poor baby has his first official cold. We flew down to Texas to see the family for MLK weekend, so we think that he likely caught the bug on the plane ride. He's trying to be a trooper, but you can tell that his inability to breath out of his nose is really hard on him. The last two nights have been awful. He'll sleep for an hour or so, and then wake up all upset and congested. We're using the humidifier, saline drops, increased nursing, and that baby snot sucker thing, which he hates like a mortal enemy. Please make du'a that my little baby feels better soon.

Two Steps Past Crazy

I really feel like Zayd was some how trained in the art of psychological warfare. I haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep since he's been born. The funny thing is that he doesn't technically wake up much during the night, he just moans, grunts, and wails.

Being the neurotic first-time mother that I am, I: A)Now sleep with a light on; and B) Position Zayd between us rather then have him in his co-sleeper. Yes, I've already broken every rule I promised I wouldn't break, but the noises freak me out!! I was tempted to video tape him last night, but I was too delerious to actually get up and get the camera. It's to the point that I dread bedtime.


Some of Zayd's signature moves include:

1. Hollering in sleep, followed by hands up in what looks like a Holy Ghost move, followed by a loud fart and complete silence.

2. Soft, sad, moaning as if longing for his motherland or something.

3. Grunts and leg movements.

4. Strange breathing sounds.

5. A different type of moan--sounds more desperate.

6. A heart-wrenching wail.

This is all done while his eyes are closed and he is technically sleep. I feel like I spend the greater portion of my night trying to burp him to help him get through whatever it is that he seems to go through every night. It's like sleeping next to someone who is fighting in the Matrix.

Of course by about 6AM he decides to sleep soundly while the rest of us are ready to start a new day. I know I should be sleeping right now since he is sleeping, but of course I'm at that beyond-tired-I-need-to-be-up-doing-something stage. This mostly consist of sending random early morning emails that I type with one hand while holding a sleeping baby. I really don't see how my poor husband functions.

I am grateful that Zayd doesn't scream or cry. I guess if I had the heart to put him in his own room, my problem would be solved. The noises just sound so strange that I feel like I need to both be there and be able to see him. This has to be some evolutionary adaptation to ensure that he isn't left alone for too long. Okay, I am going back to bed.

Of course Zayd will sleep forever like this: