so much has happened since last i posted that i don't know where to start...
well, of course my son returned home from egypt (thank ALLAH). it's funny what difference three months can make; he had always been a toothpick of a child, but maybe the first thing i and many others noticed was how CHUBBY he had gotten! not that he's anything like most children are today-spewing out in all directions- but for him a little is alot. it took me a minute to get used to, those thick calves and all. it's wierd when your children move into that teenaged spectrum, or at least for me. not just with the physical, but the mental/emotional also. i swear that boy acts like he doesn't have any sense half the time! and let me not mention attention span... oh well, it comes with the territory i suppose. i'd hate to hear how my mother might describe me at 13, i'm sure...

well, besides my child (my baby) being back, the restaurant is still doing well. one of the things i don't necessarily dig about owning a business though is having to hire help. as i got closer to my due date (i'll touch on that deeper in a sec') it seemed near impossible to find anyone who wanted to work. when you're not looking, everybody's asking to be employed, but when it's available...idunno... the only people who really seemed to be interested were those you wouldn't want representing your food business (know what i mean?), or folks who like to cause too much darn fitna. we were finally able to find someone about a minute past the final hour, but that doesn't seem to be working. so, i'll be cutting my hiatus short and going back in much sooner than daddy and i had anticipated. it's just as well. i'm of the thinking that no one (or not many) can/will hold down something of mine the way i will...

now for the most important/ exciting happenings:
a couple of weeks ago the family and i got a wonderful blessing- a beautiful baby girl! she was certainly a pleasant surprise because not only was everyone kinda leaning toward desiring a girl a little more than a boy, i truly thought i was carrying a boy. on top of that, everybody insisted that it was a boy because of my belly position and such. of course, i can't say that i believe in those logics (everybody said my first daughter was a boy, too). i guess i thought she was going to be a boy mainly because i too was kinda leaning toward wanting another female in the house, and i thought me wanting it was enough to have it not happen. like i tell my chldren, ALLAH provides us with what we need...
anyway, we had her at home, unassisted, just daddy, the children and me. she was 9 lb 12 oz, and daddy helped her out, succioned, cut the cord, even pressed out the rest of teh placenta from my belly... he was all that, i'm very proud of him. he's still vibing off of it, and i'm sure he will be for awhile ( hopefully the rest of his life). i'm sure she and he will have a bond like no other...