Zetta, the new betta

After stopping by at the toy store today, and Nadia got the mozaic craft thingy, she ended up choosing another betta fish. I got her the whole set of aquarium for her. She decided to name the fish Zetta A (with our last name, part of the family, supposedly).

She had a good time today.

Trust

When we got home from vacation, our neighbor, Andrea who took care of Colorfulla (Nadia's fish) came by to tell that the fish just couldn't make it (passed away) the morning when we came back home. For some reason, Ammar told Nadia that morning before we got the news that Colorfulla may not make it... so she was just fine, took the fish from the fish bowl, and chose to flush it down in the toilet for the funeral.

The next morning, Nadia, the chatterbox who woke up 4.30 am for the last 2 days talked to her daddy :

Nadia : "Daddy, do you know that I can trust only Mommy, you and Aidan ? You cannot trust strangers. You can trust Miss Janet (her school teacher), Mommy Melissa (Milla's mom), Mommy Maria (Luca's mom), not people around on the street. I also can trust Colorfulla. "

Ammar: "Colorfulla ?"

Nadia : "Yes, she is my pet, so I can trust her. ... (pause)... Oh no.. I can't trust colorfulla anymore because she is dead. Mommy is going to buy me a new beta fish"

She also been making human body puzzles and wrap them up as presents with bows for her friends at school. Of course, she draws them from my human anatomy book.. the real one. She is so interested in human body. She spent hours working on it.

Smallest brain

Before bed time.

Nadia : "Daddy, do you know who has the smallest brain in our family ?"

Daddy : "Aidan ?

Nadia : "No, Daddy. It's Colourfulla." (PS: Colourfulla is our betta fish)

Quote of the day

Ammar drove Nadia and Aidan to school this morning. He called home and told this :

Ammar : "Should I open the window or put the heating on ?"

Nadia : "Just drive, Daddy!"

Studio Session

Today, she seriously went to her room, got dressed and picked this favorite "princess dress" of hers and wore it. My chance was to take picture of her for the first time in my studio at home.

She definitely look so much bigger than her age in this photo.

Busy watching TV

First day in Canada

It has been a year since Nadia saw her cousins the first time in Syria. She instantly remembered them, Malaka, Noor, and Adnan and happily played with them.

Big Sister

Since we are in the holy month of Ramadan, we learnt our lesson that it is too chaotic to have both kids while we break our fast. The time is around 8.15 pm, pretty late. So Ammar and I decided to have both kids to bed before 8 pm, good thing is that Nadia will have more sleep than she usually does. She usually sleeps around 9pm, sometimes she tries to push it to 10 pm. She quits her naps a long time ago, almost 1 year, so the good night sleep is the only sleeps she got.

For Aidan, sleeping at the same time, seeing his sister in bed at the same time he is sent to bed helps. But tonight, he still wanted to play with Daddy, he cried in his crib. I told Nadia to talk to Aidan while she is in bed, while the connecting doors between their bedrooms were open.

While we were eating, we enjoyed our time listening to the monitor in Aidan's room. Nadia ended up talking with Aidan in HIS room, she was so sweet to him, and she asked lots of questions which most of the time he answered : "NO". Unlike Nadia at her age, Aidan doesn't speak much. He is interested more to the physical, motoric, and problem solving more than saying "eyes, ears, car, etc". He just says things he really needs, like "More, Nana (banana), Nani (nadia), Mommy/mama, daddy/Dada, Andrea (his teacher), No, hi and bye"

Since Aidan kept saying "NO", Nadia sweetly replied : "Uh......... (Daddy's way)"

After a while she came down, asking us what to do with him, because he kept asking Nadia to play with him in his bedroom. We asked him to pretend that she was Aidan's mom.

She came back to his room and said : "I love you, Aidan" and start talking again.

15 minutes later, we didn't hear anything in that room. After eat, I checked on him, tuck him in his blanket, then I noticed, Nadia was sleeping in the twin size bed in Aidan's room (used to be my bed when Aidan was so small), she fell asleep waiting Aidan to fall asleep.

Before bed we discussed how much we are touched by Nadia's reliability, love and care for Aidan. We are so proud of her.

After bath

Crazy 'bout Frog

Nadia the Belle

My first chromakey background and studio light photo

Today is the happiest day of my photographic life. I finally opened up my boxes, the studio light and the chromakey background. For those who don't know what chromakey is, it is the color of the background (blue or green) which was originally used in the TV for weather channel, so if you had gone to NYC and had a tour at NBC TV station, they explain everything about chromakeys, so the weatherman/woman will be shot in front of green background, and the green background will be digitally changed to the map, etc. Now you know why the weather man never wears any green color clothing article of having green eyes.. because with the software they are using, the green eye will look transparent.... hahaha.

So my kids were the first model for me to try the first shots of my studio lighting. 

After extracting the background and change it to the brown muslin background.. here it is.. it's very cool.

Indonesian's Independence Day

Nocturnal

I have been very happy with Nadia's and Aidan's Montessori School which is located 2 minutes away from our home and which Nadia has been attending for the last 1.5 years.

She learned so much about space, continents, world, animals, plants, flowers, math, reading, drawing, crafts, etc.

Sometimes she just came up with something like this :

Nadia : Daddy, do you know what nocturnal is ?

Daddy : What ?

Nadia : Nocturnal is when the animals are so active at night only, like owls, wolves, bats.

Daddy : Where did you know something like that ?

Nadia : From Miss Janet. She knows everything and she teaches us everything.

Daddy : That's cool. Do you know anything about Nocturnal Urination ?

Nadia : No.. what is that ?

Daddy : That's a disease sometimes it happens with kids, when they keep wetting their bed, pee in their pants at night. Thanks God you have been so wonderful never wetting your bed.

Nadia : I am so good, Daddy!

Finally

Nadia has been very very sweet with Aidan for the last 4 months, since Aidan is playable with.

She usually tells stories to him, gives him kisses, hugs him, and reporting to me if Aidan doing something bad/dangerous, following my request to 'drag' him from dangerous thing, etc.

I over heard her saying : "I am finally in love with you, A!!" 

I laughed and said... " After all this time ?"

My little helper

This morning, Nadia asked me if I do everything.. I said yes... and she said to me that she will do everything, too so I could just relax.

After dinner, she offered me to empty the dishwasher and put all the dishes back to the cabinet.. On the top of it, she rinsed all the dishes and pans and I helped her put them out in the dishwasher.

She told me : "Mommy, don't worry, just sit and drink your tea, relax, and I will just do this for you. I will do everything. And when I grow up, I will be a very good mom, just like you and taking care of my kids"

Nadia was 4 years 4 months when she helped me in the kitchen with the help of the chair to make her higher.

Do you like my 'goatie'?

The room is cleaned, but I am tired!

After the party, Ammar told me that Nadia's room was a mess. I told Nadia to clean up her room, she went upstairs for a long time, so I checked on her, she was almost asleep when I found her room was so neat, just like usual, I praised her and she said : "Mommy, I am tired after I cleaned my room the WHOLE DAY!" "I am a good girl, right ?"

Custom made teddy bears

Aren't they adorable ?

Nice surprise

Our neighbor sitter, Alicia asked me yesterday if it is okay not to baby sit the kids today. I said, that's fine. She and her little sister came and it was really nice surprise as they just went back from Teddy Bear Factory in Chelsea and brought 2 teddy bears, with custom named shirts with it, one for Aidan and one for Nadia.
It was really neat. They just made my day today. Thanks so much!!!

you are my love

I always call Nadia " sayang " (in bahasa Indonesia means honey) or just plain old "love"

Nadia has been noticing me calling her more of 'love' to her...

One time she told me she was not love, but she was just regular Nadia.

I explained to her that it means I really love her, that's why I call her 'love'

Lately, when I call her 'love', she answers me back : "okay, I will do it, my 'love'. You are my love, too"

Sweet!

Tough!

Ammar started his call schedule again since yesterday (.. and I am not even done recuperated from his last one less than 2 weeks ago). It means he will be working late hours, come home at night, and still sits down in front of his computer dictating and work from home until 11 pm, also not counting working saturdays and Sundays. This call will be done in another 2 weeks, means I also have to work extra, too, especially during weekends means no rests at all.

Ammar : "Habibti (means my love in Arabic), should I cancel my tennis next week ?" (tennis means, he even will come home at 10 pm then sit on his computer when he got home, then crashed the next day and still have to work early in the morning)

Me : "Yes, I think you should"

Nadia : (listening) "Why you should cancel your tennis, Daddy ?"

Ammar : (kidding) "Because your mommy doesn't love me anymore. She doesn't let me play tennis."

Nadia : "You should play tennis, Daddy"

Ammar : "What should I do, Nadia ? Do you think it is hard if Mommy doesn't love me anymore ?"

Nadia : "Yes, and it is even harder if mommy still have to live with you."

Ammar : "Sari, did you hear what she say ?" (laughing)

Her third 6 months dental check up

Today, we switched the dentist. The dentist I recently found and very pleased with. I moved Nadia from her pediatric dentist to see my new dentist and has been pleased with them still. Nadia loved it, and it was pretty easy. As a dentist myself, it is very hard for me to find the dentist which qualify my 'passing' line (yes, I am that high standard hah!)

Nadia was still remembering about "by the cheek camera" the old dentist did for her and she was nervous because the x-ray film was poking her mouth.

She had an easy and pleasant visit, she also got a birthday gift from them because her birthday was just recently.

I am proud of her, she is a good child. She made 2 drawings and they put her drawings in the patients' room.

Dr. Nadia Hamouda was so excited to see her, and Nadia was so excited finding that the dentist's name was also Nadia. 

In the chair, Dr. Nadia asked Nadia if she wanted to be a dentist, and Nadia said no.... she said, she just want to be a regular doctor... the doctor who fix skin....

(just like daddy, huh Nadia ?)

Finally

My mother bought this Power Wheel battery car for Nadia and Aidan a year ago when she visited us. Nadia got so excitedly driving it, but big mistake that the Daddy did was : "letting Nadia ran to the flowerbed and not trying to stop it before it happened".

Nadia freaked out and she didn't want to try again and ever since, she never drove it.

Now, a year pass by, spring is here, the weather is awesome, Daddy tried to make Nadia drive again. She did drive, but she was so scared and told him that she doesn't know how to drive and was afraid to run to the flowerbed again. (yes, she still remembered).

After 2 weekends, finally Nadia got over her scare to drive and she could drive better and even parked the car back in the garage, with Aidan as a passenger.

Yay, Nadia.

Playdate with Nina

Nina wants to have hair just like Nadia, so I braided her hair and she loved it.

Say good bye

Running around the backyard

use this, Nadia.. the bug spray

On Thursday we got really nice card from Vicki, Nina's mom from school. Nina told her mom to invite Nadia to have a playdate with her because Nina fonds of her. We accept the invitation and came to her house late afternoon before we picked Aidan up from school.

The kids had a great time, and coincidently, Nina's dad is also a physician, but he is a pediatrician. 

Lion King hair

Nadia had this really tiny curls on her hair when I took the braids off. Relaxing with daddy in the sunroom before the sunsets.

Going to dine out

Nadia gave up her car seat and she got this brand new cool big girl car seat. She loves it so much and it is fun. This is the picture taken on the way to go dinner downtown, enjoying the beautiful warm and spring season. Finally we can wear summer clothing.

Sunday morning pose

Aidan is sleeping, Nadia as usual busy watching TV, this is how she is sitting down on her little sofa, then she told me stories and laugh, and posed to my camera... Click!! Then of course she had to take 2 showers because she ruined all her clothing with the sands in the sandbox

Something so sweet

I picked up Nadia early today just to hang out at Java Jungle.

I came to her classroom and her teacher, Miss Janet approached me and told me that when they were doing project, so sudden Nadia, in the middle of her work, saying out loud : "I LOVE my mommy sooooo much!!!!"

She told me how much she got goose bumps from what she said and she had to tell me about it.

I thanked her for sharing that to me and it feels so warm in my heart knowing that my little girl adores me so much.

I told the story to Ammar and he was jealous and said : "Nadia.. HOW about ME ?" haha

Skating practice

It's our special Mommy-Nadia time again every Mondays while Aidan is away. Nadia enjoys the special days every time. What a difference since she is having these special days when she has her mommy all for her, she became such a wonderful big sister to Aidan and loves him very much.

So we went out today, to go to practice Nadia's ice skating with me. There was no one in that rink, all for us, and Nadia enjoyed it very much, sliding on the ice holding my hand.

While I am typing, Nadia came and asked me if she could type, too.. here are what she wrote :

nadia aidan sari ammar

phillipe (her favorite horse's name)

more vocabulary

Nadia stayed at home today, she played and as she plays, she usually chats with me.

Nadia : "Mommy, do you like Dinosaurs ?"

Me : "I do... do you like them ?"

Nadia : "Yes, but Dinosaurs are extinct" "Do you know what extinct is ?"

Me : (waiting) "What is extinct ?"

Nadia : Extinct means they are no longer live anymore.. no more Dinosaurs, that's what Extinct is"

Something she learns from school

Daddy is working, I was feeding Aidan and Nadia was drawing.

Then Nadia told me all about this topic:

"Mommy.. do you know that alligator is a cold-blooded animal ? Snake, and all the reptiles are cold blooded"

"And do you know that horses are warm-blooded animal ? They are mammals and people are mammals, too. They usually have hair, sometimes on their bodies, and they have babies!!!"

(of course, her hands moved around trying to express herself)

Happy 5th birthday

Nadia was so sweet and she asked me how old I was, so I answered that I was 4 years old.

Sometimes when I answered honestly, she responded : "Wow!!! That's a lot..!! I am only 4"

With the 4 year old as an answer, she responded : "Really ? Are you sure, 4 years old ?"

Me : "Yes, I am 4 years old, pretending..."

Nadia (thinking, not sure) : "Mmmm... Maybe you want to be 5 years old, Mommy ?"

Me (laughing inside... she doesn't want to be as old as her mommy) : "Okay.. I am 5 years old"

Nadia (happily) : "Okay.. then I will make you a present and cake with 5 candles"

She worked so hard for 2 hours, gift wrapping a gift, covered in copy paper, wrapped with sticky tapes, and draw the gift wrapper, pink color with light blue polka dot, and a tiny card for me.. writing her name on it. She also put all the birthday invitee (all her plush horses) lined up on the dining table, ready to have me blow candles on the cake. How sweet was that!

That!!! Makes me feel it worth every minutes to have and taking care of those kids!

More babies, please!

Nadia jumped and jumped, and she almost jumped on my stomach. 

Me: "Nadia, be careful, you might hurt my stomach, Love"

Nadia : "Oh, I am sorry, I will be careful. Mommy, if your stomach hurts, you won't have babies anymore grows there, right ?"

Me : "Yes, you are right, Nadia"

Nadia : "I promise I will be so careful with your tummy. I want another baby, please"

Me : "Really ? You want baby ?"

Nadia : "Yes, a baby sister, please!"

Me : "Why don't you tell Daddy about that... you want to share your mommy more to your new baby ?"

Nadia : "Yes, please"

(Readers: Don't even think about it.. we are all DONE with 2 kids.. hehehe)

Museum of Natural History

2 best friends, having fun and share the same interests. Brendan is a very sweet little boy. He is almost 6 years old.

Nadia and Brendan

We 'borrowed' Brendan to go to the U of Michigan Museum of Natural History. The kids had blast, and Aidan enjoyed watching them. Sue, stayed home finishing her project. 11/24/2007

My little helper

I am so blessed to have a chance from God to take care and give love to this one of the miracle little girl. 

At 4 year old, she has been so responsible and clean after herself, very polite, very outgoing, friendly, and kids magnet.

After the party, she told me that she wanted to get her pillow from her bedroom, she didn't come back for a long time, while I was cleaning up the mess after party, I checked on her and found her cleaning and tidying up her bedroom. Wow.. I was so impressed, the room was completely a mess, and after she was done, it was perfectly tidy as usual.

She also a regular 'cleaning' girl for the living room, whenever I asked her to clean up the living room, she does it perfectly.

She also quite an artist, she usually has some project, like last night, she didn't want to go to bed while both of us were so trashed, so we said good night to her, she was still cutting paper and drawing, and she came up after she finished her project, and turned off all the lights and cleaned up her cutting mess on the table, then we sent her to bed.

As much as we feel that we are blessed with her, I am still amazed how responsible the girl is, she also put her plates and cups in the kitchen or dishwasher right away. 

Comparable to other kids, they are still making mess and not cleaning up after themselves, especially kids from my country... even compared to my niece and nephews who are way older than her (sorry kak Ezzy.. hehehe).

150% pure girl

Today is a portrait's day at school. Nadia insisted on wearing her dress, the one she wore as a flower girl at Auntie Lisa and Uncle Bill's wedding reception. We tried to show her pants outfit for her, which is more suitable for her at school and she said : "NO!!!!"

So we came to the agreement that Mommy would send her changing clothes so after the photo shoot she has to change her clothes. So there she was this morning, with a very girly dress and she said : "Hm... I LOVE this dress!", then she also wore white tights, and she reminded me to put her dressy black shoes on. She also wanted me to give her a flowery headband but we misplaced it somewhere.. so no headband...

Aidan is wearing the outfit that his grandma gave for him. For him.. no fuss....

On the way out to the garage, I reminded Nadia to put on her Jacket.. it is still 35F outside, and she said : "No, Mommy, the jacket will RUIN my dress... I will be fine in the cold"

So this girl, since day one she was born, she is too feminine, now it is more obvious... 

Ammar : "I LOVE GIRLS!!!!"

I remember, I grew up to be a tomboy.. I hated wearing anything girly, and I used to go everywhere with shorts and played with boys.. 

Aidan, in the other hand is pure a boy, their names spelled backwards, NADIA-AIDAN, and we are wondering now that they are complete the opposite personality to each other, because of their names are the opposite... well.

I am so blessed with those 2 kids... Nadia is an angel, sweet little girl, friendly, outgoing, and so feminine. Aidan is so boyish, always smiles yet has a short fuse, active, loves to cuddle, and delightful.

I am wondering how the photo shoot is going on... let's see the results in 3 weeks.

To be one of us

Nadia is now aware of being half Arabic and half Indonesian. Sometimes she says she is an American, it all depends on her mood.

This afternoon we just went out to downtown to get some ice cream. On the way, Nadia requested her daddy to put Arabic song.

Then she said to me : "mommy.. I like Arabic songs... I can teach you some Arabic so you will be one of us!!!"

(I can tell how proud Ammar to hear her saying that... not that he taught her to say something like that.. it's something we never said or think.. it's just pure out from her)

We still talking about it until bedtime. Laughing

Ok, I will eat it.

Nadia was so happy back home. She loves to see the snow from the window the first minute she woke up and see out of the window.

She is also become less finicky eater, just because Aidan, who eats table food, eat the same thing she eats and no complains.

She will say "Okay.. I will eat, too"

Do not scribble

We are at the hotel room and Nadia was drawing. Aidan came to Nadia and started getting all the crayons aggressively and wanted to draw, too.

Nadia : "Aidan.. stop scribbling!!!"

Me : "Nadia, Aidan wants to draw, too, just like you."

Nadia : "But, Mommy, he is not drawing.. he is scribbling"

Me : "Okay, then... give Aidan another paper from your book, so he can scribble"

Nadia : (tearing her beautiful pony drawing paper) "Here Aidan!!"

Aidan started to scribble... he loves blue crayons more than any colors....

We are in Florida

We celebrate Easter Sunday at the Miami Seaquarium. It was a lot of fun. Nadia and Aidan had a blast. It was raining but who cares!!!! It's better than snowing and cold...

Photos come soon.

Love you

Ammar has been coming home very late ... so most of the time, I fed the kids dinner and bath them then put them to bed.

Aidan had already taken a bath tonight, so since Nadia loves taking showers, all by herself, in Owan's room (my mother, actually it is the guest room's bath) so we didn't bother Aidan's sleep if we take showers in the kids bath, I asked Nadia to take showers there.

I helped her taking off her clothes.

Nadia : "Mommy, I love you so much.. this much (extent her arms sideways), and I love Daddy this much (not to much extent...).. 

Me : "Hm.... why is that ?"

Nadia : "Because Daddy is always busy and not taking care of me too much. You feed me, you bath me, you comb my hair, you put lotion on my body, and you dressed me up."

Me : "Oh, thank you, Nadia. Daddy is just so busy lately..."

Nadia : "I know.. I love Daddy THISSSSS much" (extending her arms so much).

after shower :

Nadia : "Mommy, look at me !!!"

Me : "yes, love ?... " (I look at her)

Nadia : "Look at my eyes, closely!"

Me : looking at her eyes, very very closely to her face

Nadia grabbed my face slowly and gave me a big kiss on the lips, and whisper : "I love you so much, Mommy"

Well... sometimes I want these mommy-daughter bonding are recorded on the photos or something, but having a husband is not too 'memory' kind of guy, he just not a technology geek, especially photos... cameras...

I always have to remind him to get the pictures of me and the kids, but then the moments are gone!!

Nadia, when you grow up, you won't see lots of pictures of me and you having fun.. just in our memories, okay ?

Sticky tapes

Ammar got so irritated when he had to take all the balloons and all the decorations in the house left over from Aidan's first birthday party. For some reasons the double tapes I used were so sticky and it was so hard to take them off.

Ammar (grumpy) : "Why you use the double tapes ? Look how difficult to take this 'stupid' tape off!!!!!"

Nadia : "daddy, you said bad word!!"

We worked again... 

Ammar : "I hate this 'stupid' tape!!!!!"

Nadia : "Daddy, you said bad word again. Besides, it is not 'stupid' tape, it's 'sticky' tape"

At that time Ammar was not laughing... at night when I mentioned about it, he laughed and laughed.. both laughed until days after.

All the talks in the whole world

Nadia always so talkative, funny, and if you just have to listen to her the whole day and write it down on her blogspot..it will be so much in no time and I have to make another blogspot.. or make a very thick novel of all she quotes in a week.

She is always full of imagination, very content, well absorbent, and fast learner.

I have been so busy so being so bad for not putting all her funny quotes in this blogspot, I will put just two of our very favorite quotes recently.

1. Nadia talked on the phone with her friend, Luca and she asked him all about the earth and the lava, and of course her birthday party celebration at Jungle Java.

Nadia : "Luca, do you know what's inside the earth ?" then she answered right away without giving Luca a chance to answer : "Lava".. then blah blah blah.... telling everything about lava, volcanoes, etc.

Then it came to her birthday party : "I hope you are gonna come to my birthday party because every body in the "Whole wide world" are coming!"

2. Aidan has ear infection and got so cranky. After I bathed both of them, I dried Aidan and put the clothes on Aidan first, usually I dried both of them, and put the article of clothes one by one of each child. Aidan cried and cried... thanks God, Ammar came.. so he took over Aidan.

I came to Nadia who hid under the towel... patiently watching... then she said : "I am so naked and I will be naked for the rest of my life" "I won't be able to go anywhere when I am naked"

Morning, before going to school

My balloon

Kitchen with Mommy and Aidan

It snowed again at night

Palm tree (supposedly)

Before bed time

My favorite movie at this time (smurf)

My daddy