Wordless wednesday 92

Wordless wednesday 91

Wordless wednesday 90

Foody Fridays: Sort-of-fish-breyani

The other day someone asked me if I liked cooking. My answer was "no I don't like cooking, but I love food so that trumps my dislike of cooking". I also like it when others enjoy my cooking. But as a busy mom of 4, cooking can, at the best of times be a tedious chore. So I break the rules and take shortcuts wherever I can to still make those hearty homecooked meals with as little effort and in as little time as possible. Any mom will tell you that the first hurdle is knowing WHAT to cook. You get bored of making and eating the same food week in and week out, but you still have to consider the likes and dislikes of your family. Anyway, I try to make fish once a week, so Wednesday I was stumped about what to cook and I saw some frozen hake fillets in the freezer. I was not in the mood to make battered fish so I decided to give fish breyani a try. Having never made fish breyani I turned to my trusty recipe books. There was a fish breyani but the method was just so laborious so I skipped pass. Then  there was a tuna breyani recipe which seemed quick, but with not alot of spices because it uses tinned tuna which already has a distinct flavour. So I called up Yaasier's gran because I know she makes mean fish breyani. And then I combined all 3 recipes to make something quick, easy and tasty...my sort-of-fish-breyani.
You wil need:
2 cups rice
5 or 6 medium sized fish fillets (fresh is best but I used frozen and it was still delicious)
3 cardomon
3 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
Salt
Fish masala
Lemon juice
Grated or chopped tomatoe
Oil
Garlic
Chilli powder
Frozen veggies of your choice
Potatoes (optional)
Method:
Parboil your rice for approximately 10 minutes in the microwave. I used basmati rice but fragrant jasmine will also be fine, it will just have different texture. In the water you boil the rice in, add the cardoman, cloves and stick cinnamon. While the rice is in the microwave heat some oil in a heavy-based pot. If you are using frozen fish theres no need to defrost first. Simply dip the fish in warm water before marinading. I read somewhere not to marinade in a metal dish when using lemon juice because it apparently changes the flavour of the lemon juice. I don't know if this is true, but I always use glass just in case. Anyway, you add to your fish some oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp fish masala, 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder (to your taste preference), and grated or chopped tomatoe. I always use the tinned chopped tomatoe so I use about 3 tablespoons full, but if you are using fresh whole tomatoe,1 peeled tomatoe should suffice. Now when I made this I was too lazy to peel potatoes so I just left it out, but if you want potatoes, cut them into quarters and flSh fry them in the oil you were heating up just to give it a light brown then remove. Now you can start layering everything in your pot. Drain your rice but keep the spices that were floating in the water. In your pot add half the parboiled rice and toss lightly in the hot oil. Then add some frozen vegetables. I used frozen peas and frozen corn, but you can use any vegetables you prefer. You can also add as little or as much as you want depending on your preference. Whatever amount you want to use, place only half on this layer. Then place your potatoes ontop (if using)  followed by fish then the other half of your frozen vegetables. Finish off with a layer of the remaining rice. Pour about 1 cup of water in the dish you used to marinade your fish and pour this spiced water over you rice. Now seal your lid onto the pot and cook on medium high for about 5 minutes to get a steam going, then turn the plate down to low heat and forget about it for about 45 mins to an hour. Thats it! Preparation time only 15 minutes! I would have loved to have pictures of the dish, but they ate it all up before I even had a chance to get my camera. Hope you enjoy!

Wordless wednesday 89

Foody Fridays: Banoffi pudding

A few weeks back my neighbour Mary sent me a whole banoffi pudding. You have to understand that caramel is one of my FAVOURITE sweet indulgences. So you can imagine how amazing it was to get a whole pudding just like that for no reason at all. Sumayah,Yusuf and I had some, while Bilaal was a bit sceptical because he's not a fan of bananas. He decided he would have some another time without the bananas. ANOTHER TIME! How long did the kid expect the pudding to last?! The next day when Bilaal came home from school and wanted some it was all gone. Yusuf and sumayah had the last bit...but mom was the true pudding gobbler! I just couldn't help myself, everytime I walked past the fridge and just so happened to have a spoon in my hand...I took a mouthful. Admittedly I also had some for breakfast...and for lunch. Needless to say Bilaal was not impressed with me. So I promised him I would buy ingredients and he could make another one himself given that he is so keen to learn how to cook and bake. So yesterday he and Sumayah made a Banoffi pudding by themselves. Bilaal is still quite awkward with utensils so it took great restraint not to help too much. I tried to give them both free reign to just follow instructions. It wasn't perfect but it tasted good and they enjoyed making it. They were very proud to tell their dad they made dessert all by themselves. If you don't know how to make Banoffi pudding, it's quite simple. All you need is:
1 pkt tennis or digestive biscuits
100g butter
250ml whipping cream
1 tin caramel
1 banana

Method:
Crush the biscuits. If you want it really fine you can use a food processor, but as you can see in the picture I just put it in a packet and got the kids to wack it. I would have used a rolling pin, but I borrowed mine to Mary so we improvised.
Melt the butter and combine it with the crushed biscuits. Press the biscuit mix into a small casserole dish making sure it goes up the sides too. Place in the fridge to chill as this sets the base. If like us you don't have the time or patience to wait for it to set you can just go ahead and pour the filling on.
Lightly whip the caramel to a smooth consistency. You can do this by hand, no need for a mixer.
Spread the caramel over the biscuit base. If you didn't allow the base to set first it will still be quite crumbly and come up slightly as you spread the sticky caramel so you want to spread quite lightly. It will also look a bit messy...but this is not Masterchef.
Then you evenly place slices of banana all over the caramel. We left the banana off because Bilaal and Yaasier don't enjoy fruity desserts unless it's fruit salad. So I guess ours if mor of a no-ban-offi pudding.
Then you whip the cream and spread it all over the top yum! If you want to be extra decadent you can grate some chocolate over the top.
And it's ready to enjoy!
Licking the utensils and bowls afterwards is highly recommended.

Now excuse while I go have some pudding for my mid morning snack.

Wordless Wednesday 88

Summer Lovin'

With the hot summer afternoons already here comes the Abrahams family favourite weekday activity...sprinkler play! When I've finished my cooking and Bilaal has finished his homework, it's the perfect cool down to the day. I usually turn the sprinklers on at about 4.30 in the afternoon when the sun is not so glaringly hot and its just before bath time. Sometimes we change into swimwear other times undies will do. Sometimes we don't use the sprinklers at all and just mess in the clam. When Samantha the au pair comes at 5pm they go straight into the bath. The kids absolutely love it and I get to just chill outside with Uthmaan before crazy hour kicks in.

Foody Friday: Poached Egg

It's been a long time since I've published a foody friday post. My cousin in Cape Town has also adopted the phrase Foody Friday for her business making yummy scrummy foods to deliver or collect. If you live in Cape Town you should check out her facebook page. One of the things I miss about Cape Town is the abundance of delicious halaal food no matter which part of Cape Town you're in. But I digress. Bilaal is actually the inspiration for this post. Since baby, Bilaal has loved food. Of course he has his particular dislikes, but in general he has always loved eating. I've posted previously about his recent interest in cooking. Admittedly I have not had the patience nor the nerves to cultivate this interest. I sometimes watch Junior Masterchef and wonder how those little people became so proficient with knives and hot burning stoves! The few times I have let Bilaal cook I hovered beside him like shadow, didn't let him cut with a sharp knife, and held the pot steady when he needed to stir! I noticed the other day that he is very awkward when spreading margarine on bread and realised that he needs more opportunity to practice. So what does this have to do with poached egg? Well Bilaal loves egg, especially boiled egg. But when my parents were here he stayed over at their hotel and discovered poached egg and he was hooked. I said to him, 'does this look like a hotel? Please don't expect me to make you poached egg anytime soon!' My sister was also visiting at the time and shared with me the best trick for making poached egg and it's even quicker than any other way of having egg! Now Bilaal and I both have poached egg regularly and he can even make it himself. So I thought I'd share this method for any other egg lovers out there. Bare in mind I didn't write down the measurements and I'm not an exact measurements kinda cook but here it is:

Pour water into a tea cup about half full. Add approxinately 1 teaspoon vinegar (I use white but Im sure brown works just as well). Break an egg into the water being careful not to break the yolk. Place the tea cup in the microwave. Now here's where you have to test this method on your own microwave to see what time produces the perfect poaching to your liking. Bilaal and I both like our eggs medium poached, meaning the yolk is slighly soft but not completely runny. I have no idea what wattage my microwave is but it's probably about 1000W and I am able to achieve this result at 50 seconds. Then I just scoop the egg out of the cup with a spoon and add seasoning. I've made 2 at a time with this method and just nuked it for a few more seconds and it was fine.

Now I realise you do get microwave egg poachers with probably better results, but I already have a tea cup so I personally would rather spend my R200 plus rands on something else. Bilaal makes his own egg now and just the other day had it for lunch with chicken nuggets. Here is a picture of his 'plating up'

Wordless wednesday 87

The terrible 2s...at 1!

Yusuf!
No Yusuf!
Noooo!
YUSUF!!!!

Thats all we seem to say in our house...and that's not only me! Even Sumayah has joined the no-yusuf brigade. Yes I know it's the age, the terrible 2s...oh but wait he's only a year and a half! So in other words the worst is still to come?!

Yusuf is that child that you cannot take your eyeball off for even 1 second. When I need to feed Uthmaan I find myself following Yusuf from room to room (Uthmaan firmly attached) just to make sure he's not catching up to mischief. He's ALWAYS catching up to mischief. If I decide to just make myself comfy and stay where I am, it will be a matter of seconds before I hear Sumayah shouts out 'Yusuf! Get off Bilaal's bed!' And then I have to go running to grab him one- handedly off the top bunk (Uthmaan still firmly attached). He is constantly opening cupboards to throw everything out, pushing buttons, turning dials, climbing into onto over under anything and everything. You can scold him, ask nicely, shout, slap on the bottom, distract him, silently take him away; tie things up, tie things down, hide things away, place things high; you can tie him in or lock him out...but somehow he still manages to get to where he wants to be and do the thing he wants to do! He can do something one second and you take him away and reprimand him and the next second he does the very same thing. It can be exasperating to say the least. The main thing is to see him at all times. He is able to achieve maximum naughtiness in a very short space of time. For instance, today I decided to make muffins. While the muffins were in the oven I saw him run into the kitchen. I immediately ran after him to keep him away from the oven. I grabbed hold of him just as he was running pass the oven toward the scullery. Potential danger averted I go back to what ever it is I was doing. A short while later I smell the muffins burning, yet the timer hadn't finished yet?! So I go check and find that the muffins were charred on the top and then I notice that the dial had been turned to grill! In that second that he ran pass the oven he managed to turn the oven dial to grill without me knowing. So we now have a batch of headless bran muffins courtesy of Yusuf. He is also so incredibly quick at climbing on to the top bunk. He scurries up the end of the bed and with a look of complete exhiliration he proceeds to walk on the bed and smiles his naughty 'I know I shouldn' t be up here' smile. There certainly is no end to the crazy with Yusuf around...and next thing you know Uthmaan is going to be following his lead to give us double the trouble...now THAT is the real meaning of the terrible 2s!

Rub-a-dub-dub 3 kids in a tub

My super awesome hubby has provided me with the welcome support needed to maintain my sanity during the bath/ bedtime routine during the week. I am a very lucky lady with the priviledge of an au pair who comes monday to thursday from 5pm till 8pm to help me get the kids ready for bedtime. Thanks babes. It takes the edge off, minimises the shouting, permits me to laugh more with the kids, and enables me to have some quiet bonding time with Uthmaan without needing to pull Yusuf off the top bunk while Uthmaan in attached to the dairy.

And then the weekends happen... Because the routine is more lax and theres less pressure to get everybody to bed for school the next day, I don't feel stressed by this time of day on the weekends. Having said that, the evening wind down with 3 kids under 4 (Bilaal is thankfully very independent) is still quite chaotic. But with Uthmaan getting bigger and more sturdy, I have discovered that co-bathing them is fun for the kids, contains them all in one space at the same time, and is less chaotic for me. When you have so many kids, you find what works for you until the next challenge comes along. All part of the mumdrum of life.

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Model for a day

A few weeks back I received a pleasantly surprising email from the features editor of Essentials magazine, Taryn Arnot. She said the feature piece for the magazine's December issue was about how 'inspiring', 'real women' would be celebrating the festive season. She had read my blog and thought I would great for the feature! Well first of all to be thought of as 'real' is a huge compliment and affirmation that I am being authentic about who I am on my blog. But then to also be referred to as 'inspring' was amazing! I agreed to take part in the feature, which entailed answering some questions pertaining to the topic and then going for a photoshoot. It was immensely exciting.

Myself and two other bloggers (Laura from Harassed Mom blog and Melinda from Diaries of a white mother raising a black baby) were to meet Taryn and the photo shoot crew at a boutique hotel and wedding venue called Morrells Manor in Northcliff.  We tried on a few different clothing ensembles and then had hair and make-up done. While we waited for our turn in front of the camera we were treated to some delicious snacks and beverages. It's so funny how nervous I was, but then so were the other two women for whom it was also a new experience.

I was first up in front of the camera. I think I was nervous because I envisaged a whole Tyra Banks Americas next Top Model scenario where you have to pose in different positions with specific 'looks'. It was of course nothing like that seeing that this was obviously not a fashion shoot. I was photographed in two different settings and the poses were very 'portrait' in nature. It was finished very quickly and then we were free to go. I stayed and chatted with the other ladies for a bit before heading home.

It was certainly an experience I will always remember, not least because I spent a relaxing afternoon without the kids, being preened and pampered and treated like a star. Thanks to Taryn Arnot for choosing me and thanks to Essentials magazine for the opportunity. So look out for the December issue of Essentials, I certainly am excited to see it!

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Wordless wednesday 84

Meet the Parents

Two weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from my parents who live in London. It was just last year that my mom visited us to meet Yusuf a few weeks after his birth. Unfortunately my dad was not able to come, so this year he came to meet not one, but two new grandchildren! The weeks leading up to their visit I could hear the excitement in their voices. Thanks to facebook, whatsapp and my blog, they have been kept in the loop with detailed updates of their grandchildren's development and stories of their daily antics. Still, Skype video and beautiful pictures can never match being physically present in the company of those you love.

Their trip here was not without drama though. They were scheduled to arrive at 7am on a saturday morning. My phone rang at about 2am that saturday and I recall looking at my phone through sleep encrusted eyes, thinking I was dreaming at the sight of 'UK;dad' on the screen. I was not dreaming! My dad was calling to inform me that theybhad just landed back at Heathrow! Their plane had to turn back almost halfway on the flight path due to problems with one of the engines! All the ypassengers were put up in a hotel until an alternate flight could be arranged, but my parents had no overnight luggage as their carry-ons were stuffed with gifts! Needless to say, by the time they arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday morning, they were exhausted and craved the simple pleasure of a hot shower. But this of course was overruled by the sheer excitement of reuniting with their grandkids and meeting new ones. It was actually quite funny to see their reaction as we approached them at the airport. They were both beaming from ear to ear, my mom even tearing up a little, but they were also completely muddled because they didn't know which child to hug first. At one point my mom even had Yusuf on one arm and Uthmaan on the other. In the months leading up to their visit my dad kept saying that he hoped Yusuf would like him. By thenend of their visit one short week later, the two were best buddies. My sister also visited from Cape Town for a few days so us gals had a good old mom and daughter catchup. It was a really a beautiful, funfilled week with my folks, and the best part about having them visit us in Johannesburg is that we had them all to ourselves. The following week they visited the rest of their families in Cape Town where they had a super busy, jam-packed itinerary. My one aunt fondly jokes with me that I should have a child every year so that my parents will visit South Africa!

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Wordless wednesday 82

Wordless wednesday 81

Oops he did it again

We always thought of Sumayah as the wild one...and then Yusuf happened! He acts like Houdini and looks like Rocky Balboa. He's always climbing on everything, often resulting in him having an altercation with the floor...or the table...or the cupboard...or the wall. He's become so accustomed to knocking his forehead that he usually just gets up, gives the sore area a quick smack and off he goes. Usually he ends up with a bruise, but there have been a few bloody incidents too. The 2 most recent happened within a few days of each other both times involving his bottom lip. He has this habit of standing on the desk chair facing the back and leaning against it! Disaster is narrowly avoided by me running to take him off. But it is impossible to have your eye on him 100% of the time so it was inevitable that he would one day fall. It just so happens that it happened on dad's watch. I was at a kiddies party with Sumayah and Uthmaan and when I returned I discovered what could be described as a murder seen...there was blood everywhere! There was a bloody cloth in the bath, blood on the carpets, a bloody jacket and blood stained pillow on the bed. Then Yaasier recounted how he went to the bathroom when he heard a thump and a cry. He came out of the bathroom to find Count Dracula with blood dripping down his chin running around the room laughing!

 
A few days later his lip again fell victim to one of his other favourite monkey tricks...climbing on the dining table  benches and using it as a balance beam. I had just gone upstairs to fetch something when I heard Bilaal calmly call out 'mommy! Yusuf fell off the bench now his lip is bleeding...alot!' And Sumayah in a more panicked tone 'mommy come quick theres blood mommy!' So I quickly go downstairs to once again find him looking like a vampire who had just had his dinner running around laughing with delight while bright red blood dripped down his chin. 

   

House on Fire!

We had a very eventful week in our complex last week...not in a good way! First we were without water from Sunday morning. A water pipe had burst nearby, but a boulder was blocking access to the area so we remained without water till late on Tuesday afternoon. When you have 4 kids, having no water is not a fun adventure. But the week was not done with us yet! On Thursday, while cooking, I received a call from my neighbour Mary, who had a a distinctly panicked tone in her voice, asking me if I was home. When I said I was she told me to grab the kids and get out of the house because the neighbour's house just one house away from me was on fire! I immediately turned off the stove, called to Bilaal to come downstairs and help me get Sumayah and Yusuf in the car, while I strapped Uthmaan into his car seat. As we pulled out of the garage I saw the smoke in the air, I could smell the fire, and saw all the complex neighbours (among other strangers I didn't recognise), standing around looking toward my neighbour's house. Even passersby outside our complex on the other side of the road were standing staring at the blazing fire, which had already broken through the roof. It was quite a frightening sight and an even more frightening thought that I while I was indoors cooking, I was blissfully unaware of all that was happening just one house away!

I drove to the top of the complex and parked at the top parking area when the owner of the house arrived. There was nobody home when the fire started and her daughter was the first to return home from school to the fire. Random strangers who drove past our complex and noticed the fire came in to see if they could help and she, remarkably calm for a teenager, had them carry as much of their belongings as possible from downstairs, into the opposite neighbour's garage. But when her mom arrived, she was already in a state of panic having received a call from ADT informing her that her house was on fire. On route she could see the smoke in the distance and as a result drove into another car. She didn't cause serious damage and she says she tried to tell the driver to just take her licence and number and call her at a later stage because she needed to get home, even pointing to the smoke.  But apparently this man was not interested in her personal drama and insisted on writing down all her details meticulously. So by the time she pulled into the complex and saw, the now out-of-control flames ripping through her roof, she was completely distressed to say the least! While parking up there we also saw the fire engines driving past the complex in the wrong direction! They didn't know how to get  to the entrance of the complex so they had to continue in that direction to a point where they could turn around. By the time they arrived most of the other neighbours had been notified and were already home. There was police, ambulance, 4 fire engines and armed response. Even residents from the neighbouring complex walked over to see what was happening. 

Mary (the neighbour who called me) also has young kids, so we bundled them all together in the boot of my car with the box of toys she had with her and could do nothing but wait while the disaster unfolded. In the end, all that remained of the first floor was a charred shell of a building. While the downstairs section was untouched by the fire, the water from the fire hoses had damaged almost everything else. We had to leave our cars at the top and walk back home while the emergency vehicles finished up their work. By the end of the day, when the kids were all in bed, a wave of complete exhaustion just rushed over me. But getting to bed, all I could think of was my neighbour and how grateful I was to have a safe, warm bed to climb into that night with all my belongings intact, but most importantly, that all my loved ones were safe and comfy...

Keeping the kids entertained

View from outside the complex

emergency response

fire fighters finishing off

view from my house

the tragedy that remains

Wordless wednesday 80

Wordless wednesday 79

Houdini

Houdini was a hungarian born stunt performer who became famous for his ability to escape from different forms of confinement. Well it would appear that Yusuf has an uncanny ability to do the same. There has been more than one incident that has highlighted his unique talent.

Incident 1:
I was loading something into the boot of my car about 2 weeks back, and had Yusuf strapped into his car seat ready to go. Now if you have kids and use a car seat you know that these straps are really hugging to the body, especially when your kids is wearing bulky winter clothes. And for those who are not familiar, it has a y-shaped safety harness which goes over the shoulders across the chest to buckle into a strap between the legs. But the next thing I see Yusuf standing looking at me through the boot hatch with complete glee on his face. At first I thought perhaps I had not clipped the buckle in fully, but when I went to strap him back in I saw the straps well and truly fastened. So i strapped him back in and went back to loading my boot, this time keeping a keen eye on Yusuf to see if he would try it again...and he did! I watched as he quietly wriggled and jiggled till he managed to get one arm out, then the other arm, then pushed up on the sides of his seat to lift his knees out one at a time...and voila! Job done. Fortunately he only does this when he's been waiting in a stationery vehicle for too long and hasn't tried this yet while we are driving!

Incident 2:
This feat came at no surprise given the car seat incident. Yusufs feeding chair has the same safety harness configuration as the car seat so it was no surprise he was able to break free from his shackles one dinner time.

Incident 3:
Yusuf is obsessed with the pantry cupboard. It is a long cupboard door at an angle to the kitchen counter which has a cupboard underneath. So we tie the handle higher up to the handle lower down with a lanyard to prevent access to the spray and cook he keeps grabbing at, and the blender in the adjacent lower cupboard. So when you open one cupboard, both doors open with very limited opening between the 2 doors to fit even my arm let alone Yusufs fat head. But, once again with great will and determination Yusuf managed to wiggle his chunky self between the 2 cupboard doors and alerted us to this fact by his shrieking in delight while inside the cupboard. Of course in order to get him out I had to first shut him in the cupboard (there's plenty of standing room) to untie the lanyard. He didn't mind being inside a dark cupboard for a few seconds one bit. In fact he saw it as an opportunity to open a packet of rice!

Incident 4:
Any parent of small children will tell you that steps and staircases haunt us. The minute your little rascal becomes mobile this area of a home becomes enemy territory to you, but utopia to the little mover. We have a security gate at the top of the stairs, which also serves as a handy safety barrier for Yusuf. Then one day I caught Yusuf lying on his tummy with his legs under the gate as far as his thighs, feet dangling over the first step. He couldn't go any further because of his bulky nappy, but given his history I wouldn't have been surprised if he figured out a way to overcome this little hurdle given enough time and motivation. His motivation in this instance was the toy he dropped which landed 3 steps down. So from then on I keep my ears keenly aware when he walks on the landing. The minute I here him so much as touch the gate I go running. His latest attempt has been to climb up the gate to get to the key.

the space under the gate is much smaller than it looks

Incident 5:
Since the arrival of Uthmaan, Bilaal and Sumayah have moved onto a bunk bed. Although there is a ladder Sumayah is constantly climbing onto the top bunk at the back of the bed. Yusuf of course saw this and decided to mimic the behaviour. Fortunately Bilaal and Sumayah were playing in the room, but unfortunately looked up from their game too late to catch him in the act. I heard Bilaal shout 'no Yusuf!' And then 'mommy!' I came running to find Yusuf sitting on the top bunk looking very pleased with himself!

spiderman

Incident 6:
In true Houdini style he has left the show stopper for last...well at least I wish it will be the last...
Yusuf loves playing at my bedroom window. He hides behind the curtain or he watches the birds on the balcony. Its a long window so he can reach the handle, but there are burglar bars. But let that not stop Yusuf! Thanks to his  shrieks of excitement Yaasier was alerted to his whereabouts. Yusuf WAS ON THE BALCONY! Yaasier rushed to get the key for the security gate and door while Bilaal called to him from the window trying to get him back to the window and away from the bacony fence. I was in the adjacent room when I heard the commotion and looked up to see Yusuf on the balcony just about the climb the fence as though it was a step ladder. My heart must have skipped a beat! But Yaasier got to him just in time! In the first place he figured out how to open the window, but then most remarkable of all is that he managed to contort his way through the burglar bars!

my view of the balcony where Yusuf tried to climb up!

When they say you need eyes at the back of your head when you have kids, they fail to mention that you also need to be able to see through walls, have more than 2 arms and maybe even be able to be 2 places at one time...with Yusuf the Houdini Abrahams I certainly do. And lest not forget he turned 1 just 4 months ago...he is only getting started!

I couldn't have put it better myself

Head, heart, spirit

Another year, another Ramadaan, another addition to the family. Amidst all the angst, the excitement, the joy, and the stress of having another child, comes the dawning of another month of Ramadaan. And with all the intensely spiritual atmosphere it brings to the home, it also makes you truly appreciate family. So what beautiful perspective it brings when you realise that we are welcoming another little soul into the home. And that the pureness of his soul as a new human being is but a blessing in this holy month. For acwhile now I have been reflecting on certain things I wish to improve about myself, many very spiritual in nature. It's not easy but then nothing truly worth doing ever is. For many this month is, to muslims, what new years resolutions are to non-muslims...a chance to reset...a chance to detox the body, the mind and the soul...the chance to be the best muslim you can be for the sake of your creator. And I think it is that awareness of creation and the gratitude to the creator that makes us long to share this beautiful month with our loved ones, especially those physically far and no longer with us. So we make our resolutions to be better and we practice as best we can...but we all know that resolutions are not easily kept. Sadly when the month passes and celebrations have passed the difficult task of maintaing that spiritual growth begins and it is here that the true transformation begins. I have some personal goals which are not new but I will not give up in pursuing them. I almost didn't write this post because for me issues of faith and spirituality are so personal because it is about your relationship with your creator. But speaking to a good friend today who has some similar goals I realised that the struggles I face are shared by others and perhaps by being honest about my spiritual flaws I will be more committed to improving them because it is out there, but also that it need not be a journey taken entirely alone. So may tonight be the first night of a beautiful transformation for me in head, heart and spirit Insha Allah and I wish all the same to all my gorgeous family and friends observing this sacred month together Insha Allah. Love to you all.

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In other news...

Above and beyond the breaking news of our unexpected arrival there has been alot of other significant happenings in the Abrahams household. Aside from adjusting to having a newborn in the house, we've also been sitting with 2 sick older kids at home for almost 2 weeks now.

Bilaal has this chronic problem every winter with post nasal drip which causes bouts of coughing. In previous years we have managed it with frequent trips to the doctor and medication. But this year it seems to have hit him pretty hard. Last tuesday he was sent to the sick room at school because he was coughing too much. He stayed home on wednesday and we had intended to send him to school on thursday, but then we ended up rushing to hospital instead. Friday he developed a fever so he was home again and then just got progressively worse over the weekend, which didn't do any favours for my my first night home with Uthmaan. On top of that Sumayah was also home from the monday already with tonsilitis. To say she was miserable all week would be an understatement! Sumayah is that age now where change is not embraced easily, even good change. But it is also in her nature to be emotionally overwhelmed by changes in her universe. So can you imagine her being sick and miserable with a sick older brother sharing the tlc and further down the week I go away for 2 days only to bring home with me a baby, which follows with grandparents, aunt and uncle and even great grandparent arrivals sleeping in an already recently rearranged, redecorated home...

Needless to say my first weekend home was pretty wild, but we leave that for another post. In the mean time sunday comes around and we have ourselves a very sick Bilaal with an extremely high fever, coughing like a dog, shivering, crying, in pain. Monday rolls round and a trip to the doctor brings home a bag full of medicine. So every morning and every night we spend at least 20 minutes giving him his medication, nebulizing him and just generally trying to help him feel more comfortable. And just when he looks and acts as though he's better, the fever spikes up again! And then there's the all night delirium that ensues in a humurous but annoying way only Bilaal knows how. All night you hear him talking to soneone ranging from lengthy explanations to arguments to complaining or moaning about something he imagined Sumayah to be doing. According to the doctor the antibiotic should start being effective after 4 to 5 doses when the fever should go away. Today, thursday, after a whole week at home Bilaal's fever finally broke. He will be home again tomorrow seeing as there's only one day  of the week left, but I really hope we will have our regular, annoying little 8 year old cheeky, talkative, happy boy back.

Sumayah I am pleased to report went back to school today. It was so cute to see how much her classmates and teachers missed her. They even phoned last week to find out how she was doing. When she stepped into class this morning the whole class immediately started chanting and knocking on the tables 'su-may-ah, su-may-ah...' over and over again. I was worried that after such a long absence and Uthmaans arrival she might cry when I left but she must have felt so special that she immediately went to sit with her friends with the biggest smile on her face.

Needless to say, amid  all the excitement, life... still happens...

A whirlwind birth

My previous doctor, the late dr Emmanualle Bareiro-Duarte used to tease me that the 6th kid would be free. I would just laugh at him especially after Yusuf was born and he kept saying he would see me again soon. Little did I know that I would in fact be contacting his office less than a year later only to discover that he had sadly passed away in his sleep shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. It was just last year that he delivered little Yusuf into this world, almost missing the birth because he was born so quickly. He jokingly told us that next time I would give birth in the parking lot. And guess what...I almost did!

Yaasier and I had a sense that this little man was in a hurry to join our family so we expected he would be born before his due date, but not a whole 2 weeks! My last doctors appointment was on tuesday and I said to her that I didn't think I would last another 2 weeks. But I expected I would at least make it to my next appointment which was scheduled for next tuesday. But just as short and fast as this pregnancy was made known to us, as quickly did little Uthmaan make his appearance...half a pregnancy and half the labour time...

It all started on wednesday night at about midnight when I experienced some really bad lower back pain. But I was still able to sleep and still able to see to Yusuf when he woke for his bottle at 3am. It was only at about 6am that I felt my first contraction. But it was mild enough that I could still tend to Sumayah when she woke up crying and mild enough that I was able to go downstairs to make myself some tea. However the regularity of the contractions made me stop to take note and the intensity started to increase quite quickly. By the time I finished drinking my tea I had timed non stop contractions of 30 seconds duration every 5 minutes. So I went upstairs to tell Yaasier. He was busy getting ready for work so I decided to take a hot shower to see if the contractions would subside. They didn't. They continued to get more intense and started to last longer. So we knew...this was the day. Quickly we had to put arrangements in place for the other kids in the event I was still in labour late afternoon. As it happens both Sumayah and Bilaal were home sick. Fortunately we had Abigail on her way who would be there with the kids when we went to hospital but she could only stay till 4pm. My neighbour kindly made herself available from 4pm onwards despite having 2 young kids of her own. The problem was that the au pair who normally comes from 5pm till 8pm just so happened to have an exam that evening so she wasn't available. But judging by the progression of labour we were expecting baby to be born by 4pm latest...little did we know...baby had other plans!

While waiting for Abigail to arrive I tried to make sure I had everything I needed in my hospital bag, which I was so relieved I packed just the week before. We also phoned all our loved ones from the UK to the Cape to let them know what was happening. But by the time Abigail arrived at 8.30am labour was in full swing. Bilaal was super excited, but Sumayah didn't understand what was happening. I recall bracing myself on the kitchen table in excruciating pain and Sumayah nonchalantly asking me 'mommy, are you going to make me something to drink?' Bilaal got so annoyed with her and reprimanded her 'how can mommy make you something to drink, she's gna have a baby, can't you see she's in pain?!' And then he proceeded to ask me where does the baby come out! While Yaasier was getting my bags upstairs I suddenly started feeling the urge to push so I decided to get in the car so long and recall shouting from the garage 'Yaasier! We need to leave now!' Poor Yaasier was moving as fast as he could all the while I'm telling him 'we need to get to the hospital NOW! But don't drive so fast...slow down...just get to the hospital quick! Aaaah!' Fortunately the hospital is just 5 minutes from our house and as we approached the entrance I said 'I'm not going to be able to walk in!' So Yaasier just left his car in the drop off zone at the hospital entrance to help me in and I just plonked myself into the first wheelchair I saw and shouted at the security guard 'go quickly!' We arrived in the maternity ward at about 9am and as we approached the nurses station I shouted 'I can feel I need to push! Dr Loock!'

There was a huge rush and scramble with a flurry of activity all around me it was all hands on deck! I recall hearing someone say 'lets just first get her bottoms off or this baby's gna be born in her pants...' I had one person pulling off my boot, one pulling off my bottoms, another person trying to put on my hospital gown and a whole bunch of scrambling around to  get me on the bed and prepped for birth. Then I hear the nursing sister say  'ok just move her into delivery now I can see the head!' No kidding! The sensation to push was getting stronger! As they rush me into the delivery room knocking into walls and doorways on the way I remember hearing one of the nurse's phones ringing to the song 'ice ice baby...so now stop, collaborate and listen...' while the nurses are telling me not to push yet and me shouting in pain. And then suddenly...no pain...the calm before the storm...I could see the waters bulging and the next second I felt a really strong contraction coming on. My waters burst and within seconds, at 9.13am baby popped out onto the bed crying his healthy little lungs out just as my doctor ran into the room.

And that is how Uthmaan Abrahams made himself known to the world...tiny, vernix covered perfection. I looked up at dad and knew that we were both instantly in love with our new little man. One of my favourite moments after every birth is watching Yaasier brim with pride and instant love for both baby and me. He's always so filled with admiration for me yet I know that I would not have the strength I have without him by my side. And we will need each other now more than ever now that we are officially parents of 4!

Welcome to the world baby Uthmaan

Baby Uthmaan Abrahams...born 9.13 am on this day 23 May 2013. A whirlwind, movie style delivery...details in my next post!