techy

when yusuf was one, we thought it was adorable that he would hold toys up to his ear and pretend to talk on the phone.

now that he's almost 3, he has taken to carrying around an old cell phone in his jeans pocket and he keeps pulling it out and talking quickly on it and then flipping it closed and smoothly putting it back in his pocket.

and a little while ago he lined up a bunch of his animals and told them to stay still so he could take a video. and then he pretended to be annoyed with the video and press a bunch of buttons, presumably to delete it- since that is usually what i do when i take a video (but in my defense, my subjects do NOT hold as still as yusuf's animals do).

this stage of his life comes with a lot of tantrums, but thankfully they are outnumbered by moments that just crack me up.

Happy 1st Birthday, Nooriya

Nooriya, you're ONE! a whole year old! it's been a long, slow, fast, wild, hectic, peaceful, calm, chaotic, exciting, frustrating, completely awesome year. here is to about a hundred more!

a year ago today i began the day not knowing that by 5 pm i would have delivered you. you surprised us all, and you are still surprising me every single day.

i cannot believe how high you climb, how curious and relentless you are, and how you already know exactly how to make me laugh. you seem so small compared to your big brother, but you really don't let him push you around. you're just a cool little girl.

you already speak a handful of words and you've been walking for a while, and that's all because you are a total go-getter. i am sure we are in for some interesting exchanges in the future.

at this moment you keep knocking down the recycling bin and i cannot concentrate on what i am writing. i think a video of what you are doing at this precise moment would speak louder than any blog post i type up, so maybe i will end here and just play with you. because now you seem to have climbed halfway up my leg and your nose is running on my pants and one of your ponytails has come out and now you've gone to the table and eaten a cheerio off the floor.

darling, you move fast.

I LOVE YOU. be happy, stay gorgeous, keep on truckin.

waras mubarak, Nooriya!

Nooriya's 1st waras is this Friday- our tiny newborn is now a rambunctious toddler, and it's been an honor to watch her develop so far.

taher and i talk a lot about our own perspectives when it comes to this relationship between us and Nooriya, and how much we have changed and accomplished over the past year. but really, it's Nooriya who we should applaud- her list of achievements in the last 12 months are endless. she is walking now, and when i think of how vastly different that is from her first month as a tiny, swaddled infant, i realize that she is just amazing.

all babies learn to roll and laugh and walk, and Nooriya is not different in this regard, but to me she is outstanding and unique and the most beautiful girl in the world. amantobillah.

mubarak, baby girl. i love you.