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.