My life... whew. My life in the last 4 months has been, a mess of details and hospital visits. Please check out this site if you want to know the whole story. www.caringbridge.com/shabbarrazvi/visit Suffice to say, Shabbar was diagnosed with leukemia a couple days after Christmas and now we've fast forwarded to today, April 21, 2012-- and he is 19 days Post Bone Marrow transplant-- living in Chicago while he recovers from cancer. But we have much to be hopeful for. And we've seen miracles at every turn in this road. We are blessed by family here in Chicago and with each day that passes, we are one day closer to a possible cure and health. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other.

Book Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I picked it up for several reasons. It was an Oprah book pick. And I had a baby coming due and enjoy reading while nursing. At Christmas I received a Kindle Fire... so I find it simply odd that this is perhaps the last actual book I will purchase (until I have one of my own in print of course!). I enjoyed the book until it's last pages. The story of a boy who cannot speak but can communicate with pigeon sign was fascinating. The love the dog has for the boy is heartfelt. The author's ability to write from multiple perspectives including the dog's was great. Just wish I'd known going in to it that this was a recreation of the Shakespearean Tragedies. Once I finished the book in bafflement (the end is.... weird...) I did some research. Seems to me that this book was in part a bfa project for the author. It is Shakespear-- set in rural Wisconsin. And the main character is unable to speak. The premiss works. The author did well with the story telling, don't get me wrong. Its just that I am left thinking: How did he come up with the change in the scenery, and characters? Did he spin a wheel? Did he try to come up with the most unlikely combination of instances and make them work as a story? Did he just take the favorite moments from all the plays and mush them together to make one story? It works. Which says something of this writer. But... What the? I just wish I'd known it would end a tragedy-- s'all I'm sayin'

First Snow!

!

Today has been a funny little day but on the whole a great first snow! One baby or another has been having hard nights with this cold that they've all got (including the biggest baby-- Baba!) so we've been playing musical beds at night have been rocking and cuddling several people at different times each night. Babu especially has been having a hard time. So after a rough night, we all woke up (a bit late) to snow!! Big sloppy flakes and about 4 inches accumulation! Aapi was super excited to see all the white stuff and set out to organize all the hats and mittens to get out the door in proper gear today. When I opened the garage today to get the snow scrapers out, I guess a squirrel got in-- and not only into the garage but into the attic above the house! As I dropped off Aapi, Baba and Babu heard the tell-tale scampering above their heads. Then although we made it out of the house without drama today, Aapi did forget her shoes, so I had to turn right around and drop those off. I had the weirdest feeling of happiness as I dropped off the shoes this morning. I am grateful that I can just hop in the car and drop something off so easily to her-- when I was little, my mom worked and because she was a teacher, she could never get away to do something like this. On the other hand, my dad could and often did. We were very lucky to have him. After dropping off the shoes... I got my requisite cup of coffee from McDonald's. And they gave me two today! What a great mistake! When I got home I spent much of the day doing essentially nothing. I investigated the sounds upstairs and playing around on the computer but mostly I just snuggled one baby and then snuggling another. It was a cuddly day all around

My family is sick...

Nothing gets done when the family is sick...

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak Everyone! Today's Eid is a celebration to commemorate the sacrifice that Abraham made when he attempted to give his son Ishmael over to sacrifice and a goat or fatted calf was given to him instead. This is the same story Christian's hold to be true with one exception. Christian's believe it was Isaac that God was asking to be given and Muslims believe the son was Ishmael. This Eid also marks an important step for those on the Hajj (the holy pilgrimage). The men shave their heads and then sacrifice a goat. In this right, today we are shaving Imran's head for the first time. This is a wajib (obligatory) act we have for newborns. Generally it is done on the fifth day of life. For my family we've always done it a bit later to coincide with something where lots of family members are present.

A Typical Sunday-- even away from home

Are you READY for some FOOT BALLLLLL? That is what I hear at my house-- or wherever I am on Sunday. If we can get out of the house before 11 am it is a blessed thing because once that time rolls around we are home bound for the rest of the day. Baba is a Cowboys fan. I am a Packers fan. We both play fantasy football although he much more fastidiously than I. Today we are in Chicago visiting my in-laws for the first time in 4 months. It has been a great visit but I was curious how Sunday would be spent here. Surprise, surprise.... we went to the park to run the kiddos in the morning, got me some coffee and then headed back to the house to watch.... you guessed it.... FOOTBALL! Baba settles in to the games and I begin the musical chair rendition of "lets juggle the babies and keep them happy." If all goes well, his teams win, my teams win and the babies are dry, fed and content. Sometimes there is a pot of chili thrown in as well. Happy Sunday everyone.

Happy Birthday to Babu!

Two years ago today, my dreams came true. I became a parent to my second child-- a boy-- a hard fought and unbelievably successful pregnancy. Ilyaas Ali came screaming in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and in under three hours of labor (first cramp to last push!). My dreams came true not because he was a boy and not because he was healthy although both made me so very happy. My dreams came true because with his birth, I had ended almost four and a half years of unexplained infertility and two miscarriages. I don't think I slept much those first months-- so grateful to Allah was I that I was given this huge gift. All I could do was gaze at him, his fingers, his toes, and murmur surrahs and wishes into his soft hair. Thank you Allah for Ilyaas Ali. He is the gift from God I did not believe I would ever receive. His birth restored my hope and belief that I would again bear more children. And he is the reason I had the courage and expectation that future children would be born just as easily-- He is essentially the reason Imran is here today. We are so blessed with our babies. A special place exists for our little Ilyaas Ali