As received..

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PLAN TO BE GREAT MUMS,
THOSE OF YOU, WHO ARE GREAT MUMS,
THOSE WHO HAVE GREAT MUMS AND THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD GREAT MUMS...

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of shag carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade... It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mum to Mother...

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mummy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mum knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mum's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mum would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mum.

Jan turns 9

Life does get lonely every now and then.... Harder gets the days... Carrying more than 20 pounds around your waste and having to wash, cook, clean, iron and launder is a tall order. looks easy from the outside but demands a lot physically and mentally. you wake up thinking of the chores and you go to bed thinking what you may have missed. you forget a teeny weeny something and you just might be in deep waters unable to swim.

As the little explorer approaches 18 months in existence, she is all the more curious and every little bit, tiny as it may be, finds its way to her little hands and then within a millisecond to her mouth. Yes she need to touch, feel, shake and taste everything which is why she is quickly bored with clean surfaces. J enjoys swing rides. Dad and I sometimes swing her in her sheet. She seems to love physical motion and rocks herself at the sound of singing or music.

As the angel glides around with her newly found wings, mum and dad are on pins. Doors, cupboards, plug points... child proof or not is always a scare to us as much as it is an excitement to her. she also pulls herself up on furniture and is able to take a few short and slow steps holding something. Even though it makes us happy to see her progressing well our hearts skip a beat the minute she trips. If not for all the soft surfaces that i'm thankful for, Jannah wouldn't have had it so safe so long...

Masha Allah, it makes me proud and happy to say that her smiles and giggles leave everlasting foot prints in my heart. The joy it brings everyday is beyond words and everywhere we go she is applauded with compliments.

As she watches and learns, she makes us want to be better human beings. We cannot be more thankful for that to her!

go little crawler, but not too far!

one minute she's here and the next.... she's halfway across the room... treasure hunting or something. J loved her swing rides and visits to the park. however long car journeys or cold baths are not of her favourites. at the sound of any music j starts rocking away and sometimes even rocks herself to sleep. while crawling and exploring is her newly found love it comes with painful prices to pay. J fell a couple of times from the bed but thankfully the carpeted floors couldn't hurt her much so now she stays in the crib of course whining in protest.