This year has been quite challenging as we packed up and left behind everything that we knew in our home to Dubai to move permanently to the UK to build a whole new life. Just before we left, we tried to get everything ticked off our Dubai checklist along with a desert family photo shoot, where you loved climbing up and down the sand dunes. It can’t have been easy to comprehend what was going on and what was to come as a 5 year old but you did amazing and adapted so well to any new situation thrown at you. You loved moving in with your grandparents for the first few months, soaking in all the ..read more

Today you are 9! Your last year of single digits In sha Allah! How time has flown by! This year and possibly many of your future years, you are celebrating your birthday in the UK. We made the move from Dubai to UK just last month, so your birthday is the first big milestone we are celebrating after Eid! Having only been a month since the move, and as we are still living in limbo at your grandparents house, I haven’t had the chance to be as organised as I normally am with your birthdays, even though they are a small affair and celebrated at home. We have got you a Bugatti Lego set along with ..read more

Today you are 8 years old! Woohoo! You’ve really been looking forward to your Birthday this year, especially now that you are older and understand it’s a special day where you are smothered with love and attention, more so than all the other 364 days in a year!  Life is pretty much back to normal after the last 2 years of Covid lockdowns and restrictions, expect for still needing to wear face masks here in the UAE. You have chosen this year’s birthday theme to be Hot Wheels, so your Chaachish (your mum’s sister) has made you a Hot Wheels themed cake topper to go with the cake I have orde ..read more

Today you are 4 years old! How you have grown in just the last year! Although Covid-19 is still rife around the world, UAE being such a safe place and with lower numbers, we were able to venture out and explore some new places with you after a year of being at home. You discovered your love for Apple Juice along with eating your first McDonalds cheese burger, though you still enjoy their McNuggets from time to time. You love bubble baths, give the slimiest of kisses, lego building, watching through binoculars, and colouring. Your love of puzzles continues to grow too and you want to copy prett ..read more

You are 7 years old today! The past year has been tough, and I think if I was to sum up how you have been this last year, it would be with the words Resilience and Adaptive… and for this you truly deserve to be celebrated! Your year of being 6 started off as a lockdown birthday last year with the claws of Covid-19 having a hold on humanity, and one year on, we still haven’t quite managed to shake it off yet. Though restrictions have eased up in the UAE, Covid is still very much around and is causing even more havoc now in countries like India than it did last year. As much as I wish I didn’t h ..read more

Today you are THREE years old, and what a cheeky little joyful talkative boy you have become. This past year has been challenging like no other, what with Covid-19 looming over us, lockdowns, social distancing and so on. We had full intentions for you to have your first trip to India by now, but that will have to wait a little longer till travel is a safer concept. You’ve also become rather shy when seeing anyone outside of your immediate family, because we have spent so much time in the comfort of our home rather than out and about meeting people. Having said that, the pandemic has brought a ..read more

About a month ago, I began potty training Little Z, my younger son….but before I divulge any more information about how it all went the second time round for me as a mother, you should probably read the first post I wrote after potty training Master Z at the age of 2. It includes in great detail some tips and tricks that I gathered, as well as the entire experience I had with him, which is quite different to what I experienced this time around. Here it is for your to read: Potty Training my 2 year old Timing… So I potty trained my older son, Master Z, about 2-3 months after he turned 2 years o ..read more

Dear Master Z, Today you are SIX! How did that even happen? As much as an amazing of a year you have had, this birthday is a little different from the rest. We are celebrating you in the midst of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus having spread to all corners of the globe. So Happy Quarantine Birthday, my little boy. We will celebrate you nonetheless. You have surely had plenty of fun this last year, spending your summer with your Uncle A, diving into the swimming pool with him as I took slo-mo videos of you, learning how to make Sushi with him at a kid’s class in Dubai Mall, and going to e ..read more

Little Z was completely weaned off breast milk this summer (July 2019) and as promised I’d like to share my experience, not only to remember the milestone we reached together but also in the hopes that it helps out any other mamas out there going through the same stage of their toddler’s life. Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that although this is my second child I have weaned off breast milk, no two children are the same, and therefore any tips I offer in this post may or may not apply to your own child. I am simply sharing what worked for us. I had also written a post after weaning off Master ..read more

Dear Master Z, In a few days time, you are starting FS1 at a British School, at the age of 4 years and 4 months. It’s the first time you are attending a school, not having gone to nursery, summer camp or any kind of playschool before that. It’s the first time you will be away for so many hours without being under the care of your parents or other family members. It’s the first time you will be away from me. And I’m not ready. You are my baby. My first born. The child that made me the mother I am today. You gave me the utmost feeling of pride as you grew in my tummy, cried your way out, slept a ..read more