Maryam

I got the call just when I was preparing myself for another dedundant meeting with softwebcom.com guy. My mother and wife were on the way to the hospital and I realized that I had to get there as soon as possible also.

"I have to go now" I said.
"OK, but can you just move this image a little bit to the side?"
"No, I have to go NOW."
"What do you think, should we make this font one size bigger?"
"My wife's water broke. She's on her way to the hospital to deliver my first child."
"I think maybe we can make it one pixel bigger, no? Or maybe.... wait... Or maybe keep it the same size, but make it bit more bolder? No?"
"Bye."

I informed my boss of the situation and that I had to leave immediately. I didn't have a car on that day because I left my Mazda3 at home for my mom to take my wife to the hospital. Luckily softwebcom.com guy was nice enough to offer me a lift to the hospital, which is about 20 km from my office. I knew he had to be good for something!

At 2:23 the next morning (Sept. 30), my wife gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl who we already named Maryam. The name was unanimous among family and friends: everyone we proposed the name to agreed that it was a beautiful name.

I had two weeks off of work, so I can do... well, whatever needs to be done once you become a father. Mainly it was to be there with my daughter (still gotta get used to saying that) and my wife. Being there helps, even if you don't actually do anything. Same thing when my wife was in labour. My presence was technically useless, all I did was just watch her crying and groaning in pain. But holding her hand and to say a few encourage words makes a huge difference. And to witness the birth of your own child is obviously not something to miss out on.

Now, after the forms have been mailed, appointments have been made, handbooks have been read, animals have been sacrificed, hairs have been cut, necessary items have been bought, and relatives have been over, we can settle down a little and just enjoy the little baby. Holding her. Tickling her toes. Patting her back softly. Singing to her. Even changing her diaper is enjoyable, because it strengthens our relationship.

One thing which I will not do is speak and act like a clown in an attempt to communicate with a baby. I just find it so silly. When I see one of these clown-talk episodes taking place I always wonder what's going on in the baby's mind. I can only imagine that the toddler is wondering why this person is acting like a moron. Yes, speak in layman's terms... but waving your arms around and making funny faces while saying "goo-goo" is not the way to get your child to listen to you. In my humble opinion, of course.

Maryam is now over 1 month old and has started developing a personality. Most significantly, we discovered that Maryam seldom cries. Sometimes she won't cry the whole day. Sometimes she won't cry the whole night. She is quiet and patient. Not surprising, since those are to adjectives which people would use to describe my wife and myself.

I cannot end this post without praising and thanking Allah for blessing us with a healthy, wonderful and beautiful daughter. SubhanAllah wa bi Hamdih, SubhaAllah il Adheem.