Happy NON Virtual Baby Shower:)

Yup! They made a shower party for Baby X! I had so much fun...I was scared that the guests from my side wont get along with the hostess's side guests...But I was amazed how much everyone got along with each other and how many women knew each other from previous gathering! It's a small country here!

I was really nervous about the whole thing...I don't know why...maybe it's because I had nothing to plan and organize! All I had to do was be there on time...and ready to welcome the guests :D

The games were so funny!! We ended up spending 5 hours of fun before it was time to open the gifts!! The Best Part :D

Amal...thanks a lot!!! Everyone at school today was telling me how happy they were for attending and how nice and creative you were! I had one of the best parties ever! I wish my mom and sisters were there to dance with me...but what's more important is that the whole thing made me feel home...The ladies I know and those I don't...they were all happy for me...they sang for me & danced with me :)

It feels good...really! Il hamdillah I'm so happy and still full of joy :D

The Bride in The Cat...

Last July, When I went to Amman for a visit, mama told me a very interesting incident that happened one month after I got married...one month after I left my parents home to start a new life here in CA.

The first month for me here was really sad...I spent most of it crying, missing my parents and siblings...I tried my best not to show them back there how hard it was for me to be away! I'm sure they did their best hiding their feelings as well...Maybe that's why they never told me about this incident until I went back to visit, almost one year after!

Leaving my parents' house holding Jeeej's hand wasn't easy! I can't remember what I was thinking about exactly, but watching the wedding video over and over again, I could tell that I was having bitter sweet feelings combined together!

I left it wearing my white dress...

One month after that...my sister once opened the main door and found a white and a very cute big cat sitting on the steps! She closed the door and didn't give the cat attention...so the cat left...

2 days later, the cat came back...and this time everyone at home saw her and they were all impressed! They thought she looked so classy and rebel at the same time! She visited them twice and then disappeared! 2 weeks later she went back and visited them...and again it reminded them of me...the bride who left her place!!

After she visited them again they made sure they feed her and take pictures of her to remember her always!

This week, my sister who took the pictures is using a very nice shot of the cat as her MSN profile picture... It was the 1st time I see her!!! I was surprised...I mean she really looks like a bride...and only now I can see why she reminded them of me :)

The cat....The bride ...

Like a Magnet :p

Most of the kids at the school find it really amusing to talk to me about my belly! Why is it so big?! Are you pregnant? Is it a boy or a girl!? what are you going to name her? and some other questions...

I love seeing their reactions when I tell them that I'm not pregnant and that I am just gaining weight...or that I'm just fat :D It feels goooooood to see the disappointment and confusion in their looks :D

These questions started once my belly started growing...they still accrue, but what's really impressing me these days is getting hugs from the little ones while I'm walking between classes or during lunch breaks in the cafeteria!!! I see boys and girls running towards me and hugging me tight! wrapping their hands around my belly, one kid after the other! I find myself laughing...not believing what's going on :D

The first time it happened, I got reeeeally confused...I didn't know what to do and what to say...but now...I am getting used to it and I'm loving it :D

Everybody loves Baby X :$

Love Marks...

Since I got pregnant, I was sure -for some reason- that I wont get them! I read a lot about them, and was making sure I use the best brands on the shelves to protect myself...The massages never stopped...But still I got them!

Even though I knew that there wont be a way to avoid them, and I knew that so many women if not all get them at a certain stage of her pregnancies, I still got the best cream and oil!!

I saw the lines last night, It took me sometime before I was sure they are stretch marks! I got upset at the beginning, I was denying them...But when hubby told me that it's Baby X leaving her signature here and there, just to remind me one day that she was here, I started to think about it differently!

They are the new love marks...that I should be happy and proud of! Forever inshallah:)

Isn't it just great to be pregnant :D It's a big blessing! Il Hamdillah :)

Our Family Star!!

Laz, My very talented Brother In Law !!
Good luck :D

(BAJO) ...Jordan, so close & yet so far away!

The idea of blogging about Jordan is brilliant! And the link to it I displayed on my blog was enough to keep me reminded that I should write something from the heart about my beloved Jordan...

Most of my posts if not all of them are emotional, I let it all out right here, in my little corner...I record my life here for years to come...
It all started once I left Jordan...trying to stay connected to a so close yet so far away country!

So close whenever:

- I sign in to my blog in the morning and start reading my favourite blogs, especially those coming from Jordan...

- I drive on Highway 101 south, with the scenery of the mountains of San Jose reminding me of Jordan's beautiful mountains, especially at night!

- I attend ladies gatherings here where most of them are Jordanians...bringing Jordanian food and speaking Jordanian accent...

- I go to work at the Muslim Community here in Santa Clara! Recognizing the Jordanians either from their looks or their accent while talking to each other!

- I go grocery shopping at Taj Mahal, to get Arabic food, and I find a Jordanian couple arguing whether to buy this or that jameed for mansaf!

- I cook mansaf...and invite Jordanian people to share it with us!

- I go to the mall, and see the Dead Sea products being sold to customers...The best part is when they ask me while walking if I wanna try their products from Israel, and I simply say: "I use Rivage from Jordan" :ppp

- I make falafel and hummus for breakfast, or have some of it at a Jordanian restaurant.

- I greet or talk to someone who had just come back from a visit to Jordan.

- We join our friends here on a trip either to the park or to the beach, having one of them singing Jordanian songs all along the way!

- I feel tears dancing in my eyes hesitant to fall, simply because there's no specific reason for them to fall...and then hubby holds me tight telling me that it's OK to cry...for he's my husband, my mom, my dad, my sisters, my brother and my Jordan! And for he'll always have his shoulder for me to cry on...

Yet, So Far Away...Whenever:

- I am talking to mama over the phone longing for her hugs and soft hand playing with my hair!

- I hear that baba misses my jokes and laughs...

- I realise that my brother is improving himself and his way of living...while I'm too far to witness all that!

- I have an appointment with the doctor to hear Baby X's heart beats, wishing I have all my loved ones around me to hear them with me...

- I think about how I am going to deliver the baby away from Jordan...and dreaming of the day she will go there and inhale some of it's air...

- I miss a family gathering, wedding, engagement party...or even a small Birthday party...

- I hear Fairouz singing...khidni 3ala bladi...

- The stuffed zucchini, malfoof and stuffed vine leaves I make come out of the cooking pot looking bad bad baaaaad!

- I hear that one of my sisters is celebrating an achievement or getting over a mishap, while I'm too far to give her a hug and tell her "What's coming next is a lot better"!

- I'm so happy or so sad, and in deep need to call my family, but the time difference is an obstacle!

- I hear the news from Jordan about an accident, a rise in the products prices or about the snow blocking the traffic...While I'm too far to live all these incidents with Jordan's people...

Writing these words made me cry at some points...but it's worth it!

I'm so happy now...after sharing my feelings about my beloved land! My beloved Jordan :D

Blogging about Jordan Day is an amazing idea...hopefully it'll always connect us; Jordanians living all around the world!

Al 3anoud!

She was born today noon time!
Ghadeeeeeeer...Congratulations! And hamdillah assalameh :D Can't wait to see Al 3anoud!!

Not il 3anoud...it's Al 3anoud! loooool

Why do I looooove SF?!

Because EVERY single time we go there, we find something new to see and do! Everything we do there seems so special!

No matter how long the trip lasts and no matter whether we go to the wharf or to the parks or even downtown, it's always magical! For me at least:)

This time, our trip was a little bit different...It was UNPLANNED!
But to my surprise, it was one of the best trips we have ever had since we got married! il hamdillah...

We spent it in downtown...close to everything! We walked a lot...and I mean A LOT! Which is something I love doing while there...

We went to the museum of science and had a great Singaporean Dinner at The Straits...We went to the opening of the movie "10,000 BC"...I personally liked it, and once I knew it was Omar Al shareef who narrated it,,,,I simply liked it more:) It's a must see movie !!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love food over there!?!? :p
We tried many restaurants in San Francisco, They all have to be special...and it has to be a new experience every single time we go...We spoil ourselves there and it's always worth it...
French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, American and Thai Cuisines... So Far ;)

The only thing that really upsets me while there is the big number of homeless people scattered in the streets...

And I always say that I would never go live there and I would never drive in the streets of that crazy city even if you gave me $$$$$$!!!

Il hamdillah...We had a great time:)

Jeedo's In VIVA Magazine !!

Jeedo's in VIVA Magazine

An Accident!!

This is what I tell the parents over the phone, when I call them asking them to come and pick up their kids from the office after wetting themselves!

Sometimes I feel disgusted, and other times I just feel so sorry for the little ones! Especially when I see how their parents react once they show up to pick them up and take them home!

Sometimes, the parents would just bring new clothes for their kids to change, sometimes they just decide to take them back home...and the worst parents are those who are "so busy" to fix this problem!

Today, I called this mother to come and pick her 5.5 years old daughter from the office because there has been an accident on her way to the restroom,,,the mother simply said: "I just got into Costco, Once I'm done shopping I will come and pick her up"!!
The girl was in a bad shape, she was whining the whole time until her mom came, after almost 2 hours!!! The girl had to miss 2 classes, and wasn't feeling comfortable either standing up or sitting on some boxes waiting for her mom! And once she arrived she started yelling at her kid and asked her to stop smiling or whatever!

I don't really know who's fault is that!? Do kids do this on purpose to seek some attention!? Is it the parents' fault? Neglecting their kids!? Not spending enough time to teach them some manners or how to control themselves or something!?

It disturbs me -big time- when I see the differences between kids, in their classrooms, during their lunch break and while praying! But so far, whenever I see the parents and talk to them about different issues, I start to realize and understand the reasons behind these differences between their kids!