Sin Country

Or as some people call it, the Slut of the Middle East. These are just a couple of nicknames for the small island country of Bahrain off the East coast of Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain is the small green island in the center of the picture.

There are several reasons why this tiny speck in the Persian (or Arabian) Gulf has the reputation of that one 'easy' girl in high school. She's beautiful, easily accessible, and will let you do pretty much anything you want. The close proximity to Saudi Arabia's East coast (30 minute drive from Al Khobar) makes it Saudi's playground. With Saudi being such a strict Muslim country, most Saudis flee to Bahrain on the weekends to do anything and everything they can't do in their own countru. Such as:

• Drink- alcohol is plentiful in Bahrain, while outlawed in Saudi
• Random hookups- prostitution is legal
• Go to the movies- there are no movie theaters in Saudi because it encourages mixing of the sexes (and in the dark?? heaven forbid!)
• Try on clothes- there are women's fitting rooms in Bahrain (this explains why)
• Women can drive
• Women don't have to wear abayas in public

Basically, it is the most liberal country in the Middle East. And while most Saudis have this err, interesting strict interpretation of Islam in their country, apparently they think that God turns a blind eye in Bahrain.
So, this past Friday I decided to go check it out for a little change of scenery. Unfortunately, Al had to go offshore for a job, so I went with my neighbor May and her hubby Walid. I knew it was going to be a short drive, but was still surprised at how short it really was. From our compound it takes about 10 minutes to get to the King Fahed Coastalway, which is a bridge built over the water to connect Saudi with Bahrain. 

After a 10 minute drive on the bridge, we reached a man-made island denoting the border between the two countries. I heard that sometimes (especially on nights before a weekend) you can wait up to 3 hours at the border because of the crowd of Saudi's fleeing to Bahrain for the weekend, but we were lucky and it only took us a few minutes to get through the border patrol for each country. Another 10 minute drive on the bridge and there we were, in the middle of the captial city of Manama. 

Welcome to Bahrain!

With all the tall buildings and mix of beaches and city feel, it reminded me a lot of a mini-Dubai. And yall know how much I loved Dubai so I immediately took a liking to this place.

Cool buildings

Bahrain is a tax haven (residents and citizens don't pay income taxes) so I noticed there were a lot of giant bank buildings. After driving around the city (which took all of 15 minutes...it really is small!) we made our way to the City Center mall. It looks just like any other mall in Saudi, except it includes an indoor water park and movie theater. We ate lunch in the food court (Steak Escape!!!!) and then went to the movies and saw Dinner with Shmucks (hilarious!!). Then May and Walid wanted a few beers so we went to a great place called Trader Vick's close to the beach. There was a red carpet to the door, valet service, and all sorts of Bentley's, Audi's and other fancy cars parked out front (we were big pimpin the Altima...what what!). Inside was a large bar area then the restaurant area which had a nice view of the coast. It quickly got crowded with a hodgepodge of people from all over the place. Saudi's (and I swear it is SO weird seeing them drinking), Brits, Americans, Russians, Indians, you name it. People watching was very interesting and it made me wonder what all those people were doing in Bahrain. I mean what makes a mid-twenties British girl say "I want to go live in Bahrain"....?

May and I at Trader Vick's!

At 9pm a great Cuban salsa band came on to play and people started dancing. After a great dinner and a few drinks (virgin Mai Tai for the prego!), we headed back to reality. It was really a fun time and a nice change of scenery. I didn't realize how tired I was of looking at women in all black from head to toe, and it was nice to be able to be out in public without having to wear an abaya (I felt like 10 pounds lighter). Overall, I loved Bahrain and will definitely be coming here as often as I can...hopefully next time with my hubby!

Big thanks to my wonderful neighbors for a fun day!

Our little Mexican jumping bean...

Ok of course our baby's not Mexican, but you get the idea...yesterday Al and I went to my 8-week checkup. This was our first doctor's appointment together so I was so excited that he could be with me. I was also ridiculously nervous (and so was Al apparently) because I so badly wanted to see something on the ultrasound this time...truth be told I have had my doubts about my pregnancy since I haven't had any of the normal symptoms. So this was really going to be more of a confirmation for me that there really is a baby growing in my belly. 
First, they took me in to check my weight, blood pressure and temperature. My weight was 46.3 kilos (102 pounds) which means I've gained about 3 pounds since my last appointment a month ago (I did a small happy dance in my head since this was the first time in my life I've crossed the 100-pound threshold...leave it to pregnancy!) When the nurse took my blood pressure she said 'whoa! what happened??'...ummm it was something crazy like 152. Yeah. I was that nervous. When I told her that she said 'oh thats why'. Embarrassed face.

After a few more minutes of waiting we finally went in to see the doctor. As I was getting positioned on that table/bed thing you have to lay on I swear my blood pressure went up a few more points. Oh yeah and that gel stuff they put on your belly is COLD! Can't they heat that shiz up in the microwave or something? Anyways, Al and the doc were standing, I was laying down, and the second the doc put the ultrasound wand thingy on my belly...there it was! The most beautiful, amazing creature I've ever seen. And then it did something more amazing, it starting jumping and moving around! We all gasped and the doctor started laughing and said 'wow your baby already has some character!' She then pointed out where the head clearly was, and where the arms and legs are starting to form. We could also see the tissue in the center of the baby moving, which was the precious little heartbeat. How amazing it is that something so small could have a heartbeat!

Can you see the baby?

We just couldn't stop looking at it! I couldn't believe that that precious creature was growing in me. From that moment I knew I would love it unconditionally, and I wanted to protect it and provide the most comfortable environment so it can grow into a healthy and beautiful baby boy or girl...

After we tore ourselves away from the ultrasound, the doc told us that we should make an appointment to see an ultrasound specialist in three weeks at the same hospital. It would give us a much clearer picture, and if we're lucky could even show us if its a boy or girl! Now the hard part is trying to get an appointment with this woman...apparently she's the hottest ticket in town so wish me luck!


OH! And by the way...my official due date is May 26 (give or take 10 days). YAY for a spring/summer baby!

 

Some perspective...

I don't think anyone is ever ready to have a baby. No matter at what point you are in your life, there always seems to be something...some plan, some idea of something you wanted to do that would be hindered if a baby was in the picture. Although I am so happy and thankful and feel so blessed about my pregnancy, I can't help but go through so much of what Al and I talked about before we moved here to Saudi...a second honeymoon in the Maldives, a trip to Europe, me finishing my MBA, enjoying our time together and getting settled in before we think we're ready to have a baby. But like most major things in life, things come when you least expect them. 

Suddenly, Al and I are finding ourselves putting all those plans on hold. We're having conversations about how we're going to be this kind of parents and raise our child this way and not do this and do that...but the reality is, you can't plan on what kind of parents you're going to be or what you're going to do when the baby arrives...kind of like how its hard to plan on when to have a baby in the first place. Being the control freak that I am, it's hard for me to step back and not think so much about how I'm going to go about this. I'm trying to accept the fact that it's a learning process, and I'll deal with things as they come along and make decisions depending on the situation. I will learn as I go along. Man...that is giving up A LOT of control. But maybe that's a good thing for me...I think if anyone is willing to relinquish a form of that control that we all love in any situation, they will be more successful in life. Because if I have learned anything, its that the more you try to plan ahead, the more you are going to be disappointed and thrown off by the things that life hands you. You're more likely to be successful when you're good at dealing with unexpected situations. This is what I'm trying to do...I think I've been good at adjusting and adapting to the unexpected so far, but this is the biggest thing I've had to deal with. Hopefully I can do enough to be a good mommy to this wonderful treasure that we've been blessed with :)

Home Alone

This is my first test of being alone here for an extended period of time...Al's job requires him to go on oil rigs for days or sometimes even weeks at a time. I've been lucky cause since I got here Al has only left on a job for two days. But I knew that wasn't going to last. He left this past Thursday so this is my third day of being alone now, and he could be gone for another 10-14 days. While I know I'm ok alone here, and that I have Omar and Lina and May and all my other friends here to keep me occupied, it is depressing thinking he's going to be gone for that long. I wanted to wait for him to come back before I go to the doctor again because by now we can hear the baby's heartbeat, and I want him to be with me for that. But I'm wondering if I need to go to the doctor sooner...I just hope he doesn't take that long, but its really out of his control. 


A few random thoughts:

• I have to have all the lights on and the tv on when I'm home alone. I feel like if its all quiet and I hear the trees rustling in the wind outside I'll freak myself out.
• I figured out why they don't have dressing rooms for women here. As sure as I was that it was another uber-religious rule (and it still might have a little to do with it), it's because of the abayas. Apparently its a security issue because when they used to have dressing rooms a long time ago, some women were going in there to 'try on' clothes but instead were just wearing them on top of their clothes...which wouldn't show when they put their abaya back on over everything. Since you can't exactly ask a woman to take her abaya off, they were getting away with stealing and because of this, they took out dressing rooms for women altogether. Kinda makes sense...
• I am so over school. I knew going back to study to get my MBA was going to be hard...but its brutal.
• I get on babycenter.com on a daily basis to see if I can eat this or do that and if its normal not to have any morning sickness cause I have yet to experience any (apparently I'm just lucky). It's my first pregnancy...of course I'm going to be paranoid!
• My hormones are ridiculous. I cry for no reason. Yesterday I cried watching the Celebrity Apprentice. Then I stop crying and laugh at myself for just crying at something so stupid. Then I pause and think oh my god...I really am going crazy. And then I cry again.
• I have random thoughts about where I'm going to eat when I get to Nashville...every few minutes it's like oooo Bosco's....oh Las Palmas! Mmmmm Cracker Barrel...oh my god Mimi's...etc etc. I'm going to be huge.

And I didn't even have to pee on a stick...

I know I know. As predicted in my first blog post, I do suck at updating this blog. I can give you excuses about how busy I have been (I really have!) and how school is getting in my way (it really is!)....but if you are taking the time to read this mediocre blog (and I thank you for that!) then you deserve better. It's not you, it's me...I'm not giving you the attention you deserve. I promise, I won't do this again. Please forgive me. I love you.

Now, onto the updates! You probably already know this, but in case you didn't, I am pregnant! Yes, we were planning on having a baby in the near future since I am not working while we're living here in Saudi...but we weren't planning on it happening quite so soon. I stopped taking birth control about 2 months before I moved, with the advice that it would take about 4-6 months for my body to get 'back to normal' in order to conceive. Well, as I will reiterate later, every body is different and mine apparently was ready to slingshot eggs after only 2 months. Al has been in Saudi for over 2 months, while I have been in Saudi for 6 weeks now, and coincidentally I am currently 6 weeks pregnant (you do the math). So how did we find out? Well...that's a funny story.

On September 16, I had to go to the hospital for a medical exam in order to get my Saudi residency. While I had done one in Syria right before I moved (healthy and non-preggers), they make you do another one once you get here. So Al and I go to the hospital that fateful Thursday for just another routine checkup and blood test. During my Q&A session with the doctor, he asked when my last menstrual cycle was. Now at that point, I had been 2 days late but didn't really think anything of it considering I was a whole 10 days late the month before...so I just thought that my body was still a little post-bc screwy. So the doc said that I had to go take a blood test to check for pregnancy first so they know whether or not they can give me an x-ray (part of the medical exam and a no bueno if you're preggers). <Fact: a blood test is the most conclusive type of pregnancy test and can show pregnancy weeks before one of those pee on a stick tests>. He also gave me 2 cups, one for a urine sample and the other for the stool sample (also part of the medical exam). So I go to take care of the cups first. I hit waterfalls for the first, but the second...not so easy. I'm sorry but I just cant do that on command! The nurses told me to try again later or just bring it back the next day.

We went upstairs and they drew my blood and said that the results would be out in about 15 minutes (crazy fast!). I'm still not thinking anything of it although I was starting to realize that in 15 minutes I was going to find out if I was pregnant...yikes! There's no way...right?? In the meantime, I decided to give cup #2 another try. I chugged some cold water, and some 10 minutes later was successful. So Al and I went to the nurse's desk to make the delivery, where I proudly announced that I did it. The nurse looked at me and goes 'oh, congratulations!' I thought he was just being a smartass and congratulating me on my feat, so I laughed and was like 'yeah thaaanks'. He looked at me funny so I changed the subject and asked him if my test results were in yet. He said 'yes, that's why I said congratulations, the test was positive...you're pregnant!' 

Freeze frame. I'm pretty sure Al's jaw was on the desk and the inside of my brain looked something like this (---------------). In an attempt at comprehension, I tried to formulate words and the resulting conversation went something like this:
Me: so, wait. it's positive?
Nurse: yes ma'am its positive
Me: so that means I'm pregnant?
Nurse (obviously irritated at having to repeat himself): yes ma'am, you're pregnant. 
Me: ohmygoshwowthankyouohmygoshwowohmygosh

Al and I looked at each other and I think my look mirrored his: excited, shocked, elated, surprised, happy, proud, confused. Sooo what do we do now? The nurses told us to go downstairs to the doctor and they would send the results to him so they know not to give me an xray. They said to make an appointment with an OB/GYN to find out how far along I was. So we went downstairs and got another congratulations from the doc. Then apparently that was the end of the medical exam. Al and I went out to the lobby to wait for our taxi, and with this moment alone we expressed how excited we were and how surprised and all those other emotions I listed above. It was really an incredible moment, we had NO idea, didn't think it was even possible at this point, and there we were...so blessed with this miracle. Hamdillah (thank God in arabic). We called his parents with the news (they were ecstatic!) and debated calling my parents even though it was only 2am their time. We decided to call them later so not to wake them up and scare them in the middle of the night. 

Fast forward 4 days to my first doctor's appointment. My friend May went with me since Al couldn't leave work. I estimated that at that point I was about 3 weeks along (I mean I had only been with Al for 3 weeks then anyway). We couldn't see anything conclusive on the ultrasound though. We saw something that looked like the amniotic sac but the doctor said it was too early to see much of anything. So she ordered some labwork done to make sure everything was ok (hormone levels, blood, etc.) and told me to come back in about 2 or 3 weeks when I would be further along in the pregnancy and we'd be able to see something on the ultrasound. Thankfully, the labwork came back ok, everything was ok, and again confirmed that I am pregnant :) 

Now, 6 weeks along, I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm pregnant because I've had very little side effects. No morning sickness, no crazy cravings. I had small stomachaches before, but they're gone now. I've gotten dizzy a couple of times but nothing major. The one thing I've really experienced is fatigue. I'm tired for no reason...I get up to do something in the kitchen and I get tired. I go to the mall for an hour and I feel like I've been working out hard core for 2. They tell me that every woman is different and goes through pregnancy differently. Some of them have those crazy side effects, and some of them don't. I guess I consider myself lucky that I'm not getting sick, and hopefully I won't! I've got a small bump and I guess I'm starting to show so soon because I was so skinny hehe. None of my jeans fit anymore...you're not supposed to wear anything tight around the belly area anyway. I have to watch what I eat (healthy stuff, not too much salt) and make sure I don't tire myself out. I'm going to the doctor next week, and hopefully then we'll see something on the ultrasound! 

Al and I are so blessed and so thankful for this gift...it is scary to think that I'll be a mother soon (I've already bought a motherhood book) but I can't wait and hopefully we'll meet our healthy baby boy (Omar) or girl (Reem) next May. Oh yeah, I'll be giving birth in Nashville and will be there starting in February until about a month after the delivery. So pray for us!! This is such a wonderful time in our lives and we are so happy to share it with everyone. Every update I receive I will pass along to yall through this blog from now on...so keep checking back!!