Well, it has been a very rough winter. Such a winter was here 30 years ago. it was freezing and wind chills went 20 to 30 below 0 degree Fahrenheit. it was awful.Specially, Abdul had to do the cleaning alone this year and i felt very bad for him.Our snow blower decided to stop working.we got a new one after endless shoveling of the snow. That didn't seem to work well either.
Farah was the only one who had thorough fun in the snow. she wanted to make footprints almost after every fresh snowfall. it seems she is not at all feeling the cold.lucky her!
Canadian and 2 of US's groundhogs predicted early spring. Whether the ground hogs predicted or not, we simply need the spring like right now. I do see signs of spring but we can never predict anything. there was a rise in temp today and tomorrow will be 40...hurray!! Can't wait to welcome spring. can't wait to see my bulbs sprouting above the ground...can't wait for my plants to flower again..when will this white change to green???
Just had to edit this post now, cause we are having a snow storm yet again.....sigh..!!aahhh...there seems to be no end to this winter......and Abdul is already thinking about moving...!!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Feeling Blue...
Yes I am feeling blue....I am helpless...not depressed...yet feeling low....Jan 31st is the worst day of my life...I never felt so helpless...I found out i was pregnant on dec29th 07. It was the happiest new year i ever celebrated....but it is turning out to be the worst year, yes worser than 05, at least then, I got Farah as a consolation...!
It was like any other day. Woke up early, got ready and got farah ready for school...when i started the car in the garage it made a funny noise...so on my way to school, i called abdul and told him that the car might break down and wanted him to be ready in case we broke some where..but thanks to God, we reached school safely and dropped her. but when i came back to the car, it just wouldn't start..FATE! I got so nervous since i had my first appt for Ultrasound...I was going to hear the baby's heartbeat or so i thought!!
I called Abdul and he came to fix the car...after a lot of wasted minutes we finally called AAA...it had started snowing heavily..so we changed plans and dropped the car in mechanic shop and picked farah and went to the obgyn as a family..she fell asleep in the van, so abdul decided to stay outside while i went inside the doctor's office.
after the initial checkup, the ultrasound technician called the senior doc and he came and shook his head and was talking to the technician...all i could imagine was may be they didn't see the baby properly...then the doc held my hands and told that there was no heartbeat for the baby...WHAT? HOW? All that was in my head was, what is he saying...I don't understand a single word of what he is speaking?? All I could hear was my heart pounding...it took me a second to realize what kind of news he had said to me....I burst into tears and the nurse brought Abdul and Farah inside...
What can i do? what did i do? what went wrong?why did it happen? questions...still lingering...even though my mind has come into terms with the real world..that is out of our hands and that it is God's decision to take my baby with Him...my heart still aches...still feels attached to my unborn baby...to my daughter's unborn sibling..to my husband's loving son or daughter......
When some things happen and u have no control over it and when it might be smallest of the things and yet it leaves the biggest impact in your life....I think it is normal to feel helpless...I pray to Allah to give me the strength to overcome this loss...to help protect my family from the evil that exists in the world...for days filled with Peace...nothing more do i need from Him!! let there be Peace!!Insha Allah!
It was like any other day. Woke up early, got ready and got farah ready for school...when i started the car in the garage it made a funny noise...so on my way to school, i called abdul and told him that the car might break down and wanted him to be ready in case we broke some where..but thanks to God, we reached school safely and dropped her. but when i came back to the car, it just wouldn't start..FATE! I got so nervous since i had my first appt for Ultrasound...I was going to hear the baby's heartbeat or so i thought!!
I called Abdul and he came to fix the car...after a lot of wasted minutes we finally called AAA...it had started snowing heavily..so we changed plans and dropped the car in mechanic shop and picked farah and went to the obgyn as a family..she fell asleep in the van, so abdul decided to stay outside while i went inside the doctor's office.
after the initial checkup, the ultrasound technician called the senior doc and he came and shook his head and was talking to the technician...all i could imagine was may be they didn't see the baby properly...then the doc held my hands and told that there was no heartbeat for the baby...WHAT? HOW? All that was in my head was, what is he saying...I don't understand a single word of what he is speaking?? All I could hear was my heart pounding...it took me a second to realize what kind of news he had said to me....I burst into tears and the nurse brought Abdul and Farah inside...
What can i do? what did i do? what went wrong?why did it happen? questions...still lingering...even though my mind has come into terms with the real world..that is out of our hands and that it is God's decision to take my baby with Him...my heart still aches...still feels attached to my unborn baby...to my daughter's unborn sibling..to my husband's loving son or daughter......
When some things happen and u have no control over it and when it might be smallest of the things and yet it leaves the biggest impact in your life....I think it is normal to feel helpless...I pray to Allah to give me the strength to overcome this loss...to help protect my family from the evil that exists in the world...for days filled with Peace...nothing more do i need from Him!! let there be Peace!!Insha Allah!
Travelling with Baby-International Travel Checklist
Okay this post is also for my personal reference.. I had a checklist in my Old laptop and it got corrupted by virus. so i am doing this again.
The following list and preferences absolutely suits me and my daughter. you might have to modify according to your needs and your baby's.
First Thing to be considered is the diaper bag itself..I prefer Backpack instead of shoulder ones. it gives me an extra hand to take care of my daughter :) I got mine in Ebags. They have a wonderful selection of backpacks. worth the money, cause of the quality and organized look.
Second thing is Umbrella stroller, which maneuvers easily, preferably one which can recline.
Diaper Bag:
* 15 diapers(this is because, my whole trip including the wait time is for about a day and then a few more hours to travel to my inlaws place..so it is about 36hrs)
* A Ziploc bag with few extra wipes than a regular travel size wipe pack. You can use the same for wiping the baby's face and her whole body. since u can't give her a bath. I use Huggies wipes.
* A Ziploc bag of baby powder and a bottle of lotion, since the skin gets dry in flight.
* 2 thin towels,one for spreading it in diaper changing station and other for emergencies,like throwing up etc. my daughter does that a lot.
* 2 extra dresses for your baby-again for emergencies.you can chose to take an extra tee shirt if u are going to wear pants, or an extra dress itself.you can put the dresses in the freezer ziploc, so that they stay dry in case of leaks in the bag.
* 2-3 regular grocery plastic bags.
* a ziploc containing medicines--Infant Tylenol, motrin, pediacare multi symptom cold. i also carry a sleep (i have my own that i got from India) medicine..usually the doctors here suggest benadryl(be careful and check before u leave whether it puts the baby to sleep or make them hyper) also find the right dosage that can be given.Orajel (small tube) if teething.(or motrin should do the trick)
* if bottle feeding--4 bottles with or without liners in a ziploc.
* 4-5 ready to feed 4oz similac bottles. u can get the rubber nipples which can be screwed on the bottle after taking the lid off, from eBay.this will reduce the regular bottles u carry.
* u can also opt for similac singles packet. the hostess can provide u with warm milk or water whenever u want.
* 1 ziploc with finger foods like cheerios.
* Your child's most favorite toy...for mine it was baby tad :)
* one brand new toy which she has never seen...I got a v-tech rhymes book which lights up and sings. make sure it has a on/off switch and volume adjuster.
* 2-4 lollipops or a bottle with warm water/milk(which i doubt u can get during takeoffs), so stick to lollipops, to keep their jaws moving and hence easing off the earpain that might be caused during takeoffs/landing.
* 1 roll of travel bounty that u can get in meijers( it is really small),
* 1 travel brush and paste for u.
* 1 comb
* wallet with few Indian rupees and few dollars( this will help u when u come back to US and hire a sky cab to pick ur luggages)
* 1 calling card like at and t...which can be used almost anywhere.
* passport and travel papers in a separate freezer ziploc, and keep tucked in far inside of the bag after u are done with it in the security check..don't want to lose it.
* ipod if u want to listen to music when she sleeps(this is totally optional)...i prefer shutting my eyes and getting some rest when she does.
* Ziploc with disposable bibs.
Regarding dressing your child for travel--i dressed her with pajamas that cover her toes too and has full sleeves and and zipper that closes from toe to neck....instead of one with buttons.it keeps the baby warm and also easy to take off and put on.
In the suitcase:
* carry at least 3 cans of similac or enfamil...u get these in India in shopping centers and u can also substitute with whatever is available in India, like pediasure, junior horlicks..etc.
* i carried 2 sams club size diapers(140+140) spread out underneath and above my suitcase.
* don't worry abt dresses. ask ur parents to get some. just take some special dresses to wear when visiting others and 4 full sleeved pajamas(to avoid mosquito bites).
* I took about 30 plastic packs of Gerber food inside a rubber maid container.
* Mosquito repellent for infants.
* i took the baby monitor with me.
* some dvds that she likes.
* I took a medicine box with extra Infant Tylenol,motrin, pediacare-multi symptom, pediacare cough suppressant,orajel, a thermometer.
* I took jungle gym with me, since she was only 6months old at that time, but u get that in India.
* baby nail cutter.
I steamed my bottles by just throwing them in the hot water(in boiling temperature) and then drained the water. This sterilised the bottles and nipples.
In Chennai, U get all the diapers(imported middle eastern diapers are just like the one in US) and formula, gerber foods in Spencer plaza. there is shop for it dedicated to that.Even if they don't have what u want, u could just call and tell them and they will try and get it for u. this is only if u need something very badly.
I used my umbrella stroller as my highchair. :)
I think i covered almost everything that i took. If I remember anything else will add again.
I highlighted the list, so if u don't want to read my chitter chatter...just mark off the highlighted ones in your checklist.
Good Luck and Happy Traveling!!!
The following list and preferences absolutely suits me and my daughter. you might have to modify according to your needs and your baby's.
First Thing to be considered is the diaper bag itself..I prefer Backpack instead of shoulder ones. it gives me an extra hand to take care of my daughter :) I got mine in Ebags. They have a wonderful selection of backpacks. worth the money, cause of the quality and organized look.
Second thing is Umbrella stroller, which maneuvers easily, preferably one which can recline.
Diaper Bag:
* 15 diapers(this is because, my whole trip including the wait time is for about a day and then a few more hours to travel to my inlaws place..so it is about 36hrs)
* A Ziploc bag with few extra wipes than a regular travel size wipe pack. You can use the same for wiping the baby's face and her whole body. since u can't give her a bath. I use Huggies wipes.
* A Ziploc bag of baby powder and a bottle of lotion, since the skin gets dry in flight.
* 2 thin towels,one for spreading it in diaper changing station and other for emergencies,like throwing up etc. my daughter does that a lot.
* 2 extra dresses for your baby-again for emergencies.you can chose to take an extra tee shirt if u are going to wear pants, or an extra dress itself.you can put the dresses in the freezer ziploc, so that they stay dry in case of leaks in the bag.
* 2-3 regular grocery plastic bags.
* a ziploc containing medicines--Infant Tylenol, motrin, pediacare multi symptom cold. i also carry a sleep (i have my own that i got from India) medicine..usually the doctors here suggest benadryl(be careful and check before u leave whether it puts the baby to sleep or make them hyper) also find the right dosage that can be given.Orajel (small tube) if teething.(or motrin should do the trick)
* if bottle feeding--4 bottles with or without liners in a ziploc.
* 4-5 ready to feed 4oz similac bottles. u can get the rubber nipples which can be screwed on the bottle after taking the lid off, from eBay.this will reduce the regular bottles u carry.
* u can also opt for similac singles packet. the hostess can provide u with warm milk or water whenever u want.
* 1 ziploc with finger foods like cheerios.
* Your child's most favorite toy...for mine it was baby tad :)
* one brand new toy which she has never seen...I got a v-tech rhymes book which lights up and sings. make sure it has a on/off switch and volume adjuster.
* 2-4 lollipops or a bottle with warm water/milk(which i doubt u can get during takeoffs), so stick to lollipops, to keep their jaws moving and hence easing off the earpain that might be caused during takeoffs/landing.
* 1 roll of travel bounty that u can get in meijers( it is really small),
* 1 travel brush and paste for u.
* 1 comb
* wallet with few Indian rupees and few dollars( this will help u when u come back to US and hire a sky cab to pick ur luggages)
* 1 calling card like at and t...which can be used almost anywhere.
* passport and travel papers in a separate freezer ziploc, and keep tucked in far inside of the bag after u are done with it in the security check..don't want to lose it.
* ipod if u want to listen to music when she sleeps(this is totally optional)...i prefer shutting my eyes and getting some rest when she does.
* Ziploc with disposable bibs.
Regarding dressing your child for travel--i dressed her with pajamas that cover her toes too and has full sleeves and and zipper that closes from toe to neck....instead of one with buttons.it keeps the baby warm and also easy to take off and put on.
In the suitcase:
* carry at least 3 cans of similac or enfamil...u get these in India in shopping centers and u can also substitute with whatever is available in India, like pediasure, junior horlicks..etc.
* i carried 2 sams club size diapers(140+140) spread out underneath and above my suitcase.
* don't worry abt dresses. ask ur parents to get some. just take some special dresses to wear when visiting others and 4 full sleeved pajamas(to avoid mosquito bites).
* I took about 30 plastic packs of Gerber food inside a rubber maid container.
* Mosquito repellent for infants.
* i took the baby monitor with me.
* some dvds that she likes.
* I took a medicine box with extra Infant Tylenol,motrin, pediacare-multi symptom, pediacare cough suppressant,orajel, a thermometer.
* I took jungle gym with me, since she was only 6months old at that time, but u get that in India.
* baby nail cutter.
I steamed my bottles by just throwing them in the hot water(in boiling temperature) and then drained the water. This sterilised the bottles and nipples.
In Chennai, U get all the diapers(imported middle eastern diapers are just like the one in US) and formula, gerber foods in Spencer plaza. there is shop for it dedicated to that.Even if they don't have what u want, u could just call and tell them and they will try and get it for u. this is only if u need something very badly.
I used my umbrella stroller as my highchair. :)
I think i covered almost everything that i took. If I remember anything else will add again.
I highlighted the list, so if u don't want to read my chitter chatter...just mark off the highlighted ones in your checklist.
Good Luck and Happy Traveling!!!
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