~And The Countdown Begins...~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters...

Recently my preggy brain has given away to full-blown mush, my body aches have turned into all out preggo pains, and my patience has dropped into the negatives.

Ahhhhhh the joys of motherhood!  :)

Alhamdulillah, I actually truly love being a mother.  But, as we've talked about before, I do NOT truly love being pregnant.  That is why I am actually ecstatic to say that the final countdown has begun!  Only three more weeks until my scheduled c-section insh'Allah.  Now, if I can only convince the little stinker to stick it out that long.

The other evening I was chatting with my amazing mother in law about all things pregnancy related, and we started to discover that every single woman that we know has had either all of her kids early, or all of her kids late.  I was very curious to find out if this was just a coincedence and asked my doctor who confirmed that his is quite common.  She said that women's bodies deal with pregnancy in different ways, and if you have your first child before the due date, chances are high that you will also have any future children early as well.

Which is especially scary for me, considering I am at 36 weeks, and my daughter was born at 37. 

ACK! I am NOT ready yet!  The hubster and I still need to get a baby bath, bottles, a pump, more receiving blankets, and the list goes on and on! 

Mentally, though, I am more than ready to get this show on the road.  I am so excited to see my daughter learn to love her little sister as I know she will.  I'm waiting with anticipation to feel those tiny fingers wrap around my finger, to watch her sleep on her baba's chest as her big sister did when she was tiny, and to experience all of those "firsts" as a family, not just as a couple.

Alhamdulillah my handsome husband has finally chosen a name for our newest princess, although I won't reveal it until she has made her appearance.  In fact my daughter has chosen a name too:  "Buka buka".  I am pretty certain we will go with her father's choice instead, but I wouldn't be suprised if Buka buka stuck around as a nickname for years to come.  (Won't she just LOVE her older sister for that one?)

You named me WHAT?

We chose a much more simple cradle than we were originally looking at, mainly because once I started seeing more gliding cradles that had wheels I fell in love with the thought of being able to wheel her into a different room while she was sleeping in case my daughter's tamborine playing, Old MacDonald singing, or general two-year-old activities became too loud.  Here is what we chose from Babi Italia.

To coordinate with our brown and blue bedding, and my daughter's brown, pink, and blue bedding we chose this beautiful sheet set from CoCalo:

I also absolutely adore the mobile that we ended up getting on Amazon.com.  I think it is sooo cute, and coordinates with the bedding well, while being much more interesting than the boring hearts mobile that was supposed to match the bedding we got.

And did I mention before how excited I am to start wearing high heels again?  I can't begin to explain how much I have missed my pretty platforms, stunning stilettos, and wondrous wedges.  In fact, my loving husband has promised me a shoe shopping trip as soon as I'm up for it, because he knows how much I've pined away for my days in high heels. 

*sigh*

So, on that note:  Let the countdown begin!  Two weeks, six days, seven hours, and forty-five minutes until I can hold my newest blessing in my arms, introduce her to her beautiful big sister, and enjoy being a new mommy of two amazing Muslimettes.  Alhamdulillah for everything!  May Allah swt guide them and protect them always, and provide me with the strength, the knowledge, and the patience to be the best mommy to them that I can be.

Ameen.

Ma'Salaama and Keep On Counting!

(Not So) Fashionably Yours,

The (Get Me Outta These Flats!) Mujahada in Prada

~Bassinet Browsing~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Afternoon My Stylish Sisters!

Insh'Allah all of you had a wonderful weekend, and a productive start to the new week!

Alhamdulillah since my last post I am feeling much more optimistic.  I have kept myself very busy these past few days.  When I got back from my trip with my daughter, my poor husband was living in a house completely void of any groceries, and badly needed some laundry done.  He is very independent, and fends for himself when he needs to, but the poor guy is working 70 hours a week and gets home from work ready to shove anything close by into his mouth and pass out in his work clothes.  So, after unpacking our suitcases (we came back with one suitcase more than we left here with, and all three suitcases overweight!-oops!) I spent a couple days washing clothes, cleaning house, and stocking up on some much-needed groceries. 

This past weekend my hubby had a day off and we were able to take our daughter, his little sister, and his younger cousin to a nearby aquarium which was an amazing experience for the kids.  We all enjoyed looking at sharks, beautiful fish, turtles, stingrays, and the craziest looking seahorses called Leafy Sea Dragons!

Yesterday I was kept busy running all over town getting some other odds and ends we needed for the house, as well as running some errands for my mother-in-law, so today I am enjoying a peaceful and MUCH-needed day of rest and relaxation.

I decided since I'm home, with my feet up, and my cappucino by my side, it was a good time to start cruising the internet to check out some beds for the new baby.  Holy Shmoly!! I can't believe all of the different choices there are out there now!  My daughter is only two years old, but I don't remember seeing all of these options out there when I was choosing a crib for her!  I wanted to share some of the options I found with you amazing Muslimahs and see what you think.

Old World Cradle

I absolutely love the traditional, old school look of this cradle from ababy.com.  I can imagine it staying in the family for years to come, and filling up with the baby's toys, stuffed animals, and other treasures as they grow up.  I also like that it could easily be used for a girl, or a boy, depending on the blankets and accessories that you use with it.

Oval Elite Bassinet

This bassinet is a beautiful compromise between traditional and modern.  Like the cradle, I can imagine this bassinet sitting in the corner of the room even as the baby grows up, and becoming somewhere for him or her to hold their stuffed animals, or other toys.  The round shape is different and unique, and I could easily remove the canopy and bedskirt to convert it into a more modern, and simple storage place for extra blankets or other trinkets.  This style is available on various websites and varies in price and color, this one is on sears.com.

Fisher Price "Zen" Bassinet

I looked at this bassinet when I was pregnant with my little girl.  I love the modern look of this one, along with the special features it has.  It plays fifteen different songs, and makes various soothing movements designed to help put the baby to sleep.  My only reservations about this bassinet is that it is made out of mainly plastic, as opposed to the solid wood construction of more traditional bassinets.  I do like the little shelf under the bassinet, which would come in handy for extra sheets and blankets, but the construction of the bassinet concerns me, and I don't see it sticking around for very long.  This bassinet is available at amazon.com.

Traditional Swag Bassinet

I absolutely adore the traditional, flowing shape of this bassinet.  The sash around the top can be changed from green, to blue, to pink, depending on the sex of the baby and the color you choose to decorate with.  It is formal, yet simple, and reminds me of the elegant bassinets used in the 1800s by royalty.  Although I'm not sure it could be used for too long after the baby outgrows it, I think it is absolutely beautiful.  I debated getting a bassinet like this for my daughter, but instead got a co-sleeper which I quickly regretted and will NEVER do again, and honestly I still feel guilty that I robbed her of the opportunity to sleep in such a gorgeous little bed.  This beautiful bassinet is available at ababy.com.

The Cocoon Hammock

Although this hammock style baby bed is not as beautiful or elegant as the others, it appeals to me for personal reasons.  When my daughter was still very young she was extremely colich-y and would go for hours (and sometimes what seemed like days) screaming.  My husband would walk her up and down the hallways of the apartment we were living in, which would soothe her, but as soon as he would come back into the house and lay her down she would start screaming again.  It was very stressful for the two of us (and I'm pretty sure for our neighbors!) and it was hard not to feel like we were doing something wrong.  Finally her pediatrician suggested we let her sleep sitting up, so we would often sit her in her baby swing and let her sleep there.  I'm not sure if it was the sitting up, or the gentle rocking of the chair that helped her sleep, but she rarely slept in her crib the first four months of her life.  When she outgrew that little swing we were panic-stricken, but alhamdulillah her colich-y days were over and she slept peacefully in her crib.  Because of those sleepless nights pre-baby swing, I am considering getting a hammock bed for the new baby just in case he or she has the same problems sleeping as their older sister.  This cocoon bed is available at armsreach.com.

It's nice to be sitting at home, enjoying my time with my daughter and searching around for the new baby.  It's good to feel hopeful again, and actually be excited for the arrival of the new one.  It was hard to admit that I wasn't exactly overjoyed at the prospect of having another baby, and I felt guilty for not being happy.  Alhamdulillah, Allah is the Best of Planners, and now I know that He has blessed me with another wonderful opportunity to be a mom, and blessed my daughter with the chance to be a big sister.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Bassinet Browsing!

Fashionably Yours,
The (getting bigger by the day) Mujahada in Prada