Yesterday Maryam took her first few independent steps. She’s been holding furniture and toddling along for a while. But yesterday was the first time that she picked herself up from the floor, waddled the length of our drawing room and then crashing with a soft thud on her bottom. It seemed so miraculous to me. Oh my God! She’s walking, she’s walking. Look look everybody, she’s walking. Jeez, I was acting as if she was defying gravity and flying. I have seen kids and adults walk all my life, but never it evoked any emotion from me what so ever. And now every little thing that Maryam does drives me into a mild frenzy. How strange is this relationship between parents and children.
The most adorable thing that she does these days is the way she mimics the world around her.
Before dinner, we put our hand together to say short prayer (like so), it’s so cute to see her do the same. Ofcourse all her antics are not all to be encouraged. Just the other day, she was crawling on a dust part of the floor, she promptly sits up, pats the ground to gather some dust in her tiny palms and then proceeds to dab her face with the dust as if to apply powder on herself.
The imitation that has had me most confused on how to react was just a few nights ago. There she was beside me, rollicking all over the bed, refusing to sleep. I go on, become a tough daddy and decide to scold her for the very first time. She probably doesn’t understand what I speak, so I guess I don’t need to actually tell her, that, “Maryam go to sleep, see how late it is etc. etc.”. I figured I can speak gibbersh while acting sternly and she’d simply follow my instructions. So, I raise my index finger, screw my face to give an angry look, point at her and then the bed repeated while saying, “Och, koch, koch, koch.” She’s on all fours while I was mock-scolding her. She looks up at me blankly, blinks and then without a moment’s hesitation, raiser her right hand, her index finger comes out like a loaded weapon, and explodes with the very same gibberesh that I was telling her, “Och, koch, koch, koch, koch.” She continues to wag her finger at me while sputtering out gibberesh for the next 15 minutes! Oh my Gosh, I just didn’t know how to react. A part of me, wanted to burst out laughing, another bit of me wanted to hold, squeeze, hug and kiss her and a part of me just wanted to just keep staring in fascination and wonderment, which is what I did. Ofcourse none of these moments are captured on film. Just my mind’s eye. Which is so dodgy that I’ll forgot these precious memories in a matter of few weeks. She’s growing up so fast. Oh, I so wish I had Harry Potter’s pensieve, where I could download these memories and preserve them forever.
Salam Arif,
Mashallah she’s sooooo adorable! I don’t think we should ever meet in person, because then I’d just keep her for myself!
I love children at this age. Some of what you were saying about her reminds me so much of my little cousin when she was about her age (she’s now five years old I think). I was actually laughing out loud with the “och koch koch koch” part!! XD I really want to know what made you think of those words in particular; they’re so random!!
Oh yes, also may I suggest a nickname for her? :-p
Back home, we call our Maryam’s either Maryoom, Maryooma, or Meemo; I think Meemo suites her best, if you don’t call her that, I still will! :-D
Hello Arif, u express ur thoughts in writing really well. somehow, i feel good n emotional (donno y :-)) after reading ur entries;
Needless to say, she’s very cute kid :)
@Reema:
Awww, thanks so much for your chweet comment. You made my day. Where did the “Och Koch koch come from”? My wife says that when she’s trying to mimic Maryam, so it just came out automatically then :-P
@Vibin:
Thanks so much for your generous comments Vibin. One can never receive enough compliments. Maryam’s takes her cuteness from her father (though her mother disagrees on that) :-)
Masha’Allah Arif. What a lovely post. You should enjoy and cherish every moment of Maryam’s childhood, because they grow up so fast! I look at Anu who will be completing her BA II Year in the next couple of months and her graduation in another year and wonder: “Where did the time go?” Methinks I’ll give up advertising and start a creche. Then I would be surrounded by kids all the time :)
she’s adorable arif..MA…
being a parent is hard work and you never know whats right what worked with you when you were a kid probably doesnt even begin to apply anymore…its scary traumatizing and even then some…but daughters are unique in the way they manage to wrap you around their little fingers..somehow boys never get it right ..not in childhood and never later either..= )
Dear Arifbhai Salam
That was a great observation put in wonderful words. thanks for sharing. Now I’m very eager to see my kids back home, hopefully would visit to see ur Maryam.
Thnaks & Regards
hi arif, awwwwwww… mariam is so cute.
you have very well captured the small nothings in words so beautifully. all i could think was to thank the online medium to captured this memory forever. she will be soo delighted to read all this when she grows up, inshallah.
Salaam Alaikuma Arif bahi
Maryam is soooooooo
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ooooooo CUTE
Masha Allah
Cant wait 2 meet her
Sorry
the name is wrong
its masuma
i was in such a hurry 2 comment on maryams cuteness that it just got sent
:p