This time the second month was a little bit rougher than the last time. Nausea and fatigue has been more intense than I remember it to be and the weight gain - well let's not even go there...I was convinced upto my first ultrasound that I was having twins!

Unfortunately I had to wait a while due to the holidays before my doctor could see me and the anticipation of hearing the heartbeat or beats was killing me...but luckily we had a trip to Houston during this time and the excitement of telling my mom the news in person overrode the anxiety of not having been to the doctor yet for an ultrasound.

Jan. 4th finally rolled around and I took Rayyan with me to meet his baby brother or sister to be. We both heard the strong hearbeat of the lil' one inside my womb - it's the most amazing feeling in the world - really puts everything in persepective and lets you sweat the small things - momentarily of course. Rayyan was fascinated and tried to pat my tummy affectionately. He is convinced that there is a baby inside his tummy too :)

Well, the ultrasound confirmed that it was just one baby in there which meant that I was just going to be a fat, pregnant woman this around if I didn't watch my weight from now on.

Exercising has been almost impossible due to a hectic travel / work schedule, nausea and fatigue but maybe I can take it up religiously in the 2nd trimester (Yeah right! as Kamal would say). Eating healthy - well, luckily I have no bad cravings except that I feel so nauseaus that eating seems to be the only way around it except that it usually makes me feel worse.

Emotionally of course it has been a roller coaster ride but manageable - I think Kamal is already used to my frequent little outbursts and generally tends to ignore them. My little Guppi, Rayyan on the other hand is quite perplexed sometimes by them but lovingly wiped my face with a tissue during one of my recent crying fits and said in his little, toddler voice - "There...is it better now" - I could have hugged him into a million pieces.

Well, the first trimester is over now - second one underway, good bye nausea and hello heartburn...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a calmer one...keep tuned for more updates.

Well finally the days of throwing up are over or at least I am hoping they are...it hasn't been that bad but worse than last time I guess. I am not craving anything in particular except my mom's cooking and her loving care...I think this is one of those times for sure when one needs their mom the most - no matter how old you are. I am missing my mother a lot these days and wish she lived closer to me. It's tougher being pregnant with one active toddler on your hands 24/7 and especially when hubby is at work most of the time ....but I still love it!

Life has been super busy in the past few months and hence the delay in this posting...work, travel and my lil' toddler have kept me on my toes during the last 2 trimesters.

Besides the normal aches and pains of pregnancy and getting bigger, I Thank God every day that my pregnancy has been uneventful and relatively easy - physically that is...emotionally ofcourse it has been a roller coaster ride especially for my poor hubby but hey these are the only 9 months when hormones can be blamed for a lot! :)

We had a memorable vacation in Puerto Rico (I had a work trip scheduled and we decided to combine it with some R&R time as well before baby arrives). Rayyan had a great time at the beaches and the rain forests and we got to spend some quality time as a family as well - a nice little break from all the hustle bustle of our daily lives.

Memorial day weekend was spent with my family in Chicago - it was wonderful to be home and be pampered by mom, brother, sis-in-law, niece and nephew - Rayyan of course also had a blast with his doting cousins and Nani. This was my last trip before baby arrives since I started my 7th month.

June was spent mostly in getting ready for our lil' princess's arrival - I went a little crazy buying itty bitty, adorable little doll clothes - it's so much more fun shopping for a girl. But of course the highlight of this month was my baby shower.

The baby shower - probably deserves a whole entry by itself... it was the prefect shower lovingly and painstakingly planned by the CEO of my life, Kamal and my awesome friends - Rabia, Maliha, Sumara and Rahat. I had a great time and it will live in my memory forever. Don't forget to check out the photos posted on this site from the baby shower.

Now there's only about 3 weeks to go and counting...sleep has become elusive and the little baby kicks are constant and often brutal. The heat wave is unbearable and so is the heart burn. Trips to the bathroom are every 10 minutes or so - quite a problem during the night time...yup, the joys of the last trimester are in full effect.

I can't wait to hold my daughter in my arms now - we haven't decided on a name yet but I think we'll know when we see her or maybe we'll just let Rayyan pick. The anticipation is mounting and also the nervousness although I know what to expect during labor and delivery - still, the thought of 'where will I be this time when I go into labor' remains constant.

As I near the end of this wonderful 9 month journey, I feel a little sad too that this precious package inside me is not going to be a part of me soon but then I think of all the joys that await her and us outside the womb and the feeling of happiness is much more powerful.

Well, its 2am now and I should try to sleep ...so good night till my next post - hopefully it will won't be so long this time and who knows it might be the last one on this page at least. Ciao!