It rained. And it poured.

No this post has nothing to do with the unseasonal rains that North India experienced. Or the torrent in my beloved Mumbai.

It has to do with the way life seemed in Riyadh - to me.

I am a strong believer in the motto "this too shall pass". And it got severely tested in the last month.

First came in some personal news that really really rocked my peace of mind.
Then it started blowing dust in Riyadh. SO first I had my month long allergic reaction. Then sonny started coughing. It got worse. We took him to the doctor, who told us to observe it for a while - because she didnt want to rush into an antibiotic course. Finally it developed into a full blown upper respiratory track infection - which required 10 days of antibiotics.

A week later, sonny started crying for no apparent reason. Nothing would soothe him except a ride in the car, during which he would stay absolutely still, without uttering a single word. Which is really, really weird coz sonny loves to point things out and count cars and gas stations and what-have-yous. Or he wanted me to carry him around - ALL THE TIME. At 36 weeks, that was the last thing I could manage. He refused to eat or lie down. With great difficulty he managed to swallow his own saliva. His doctor suspected a middle-ear infection and wanted us to take him to the ER immediately. We've had enough ER experiences to last us a lifetime. So we waited until his regular doc became available (about 20 hours). Turned out he had a bad throat infection. His doc referred us to an ENT - who confirmed that the ears were fine - it was the throat that was horribly screwed up. So then began another round of antibiotics. Which we've just finished yesterday.
And I've sent him to school today. I hope he doesnt come back with something new again.

In all of this, my Braxton Hicks contractions have driven me round the bend - literally and figuratively. The baby has descended, making it difficult for me to move around. Sleep is elusive and eating seems like a chore. My back is screwed up badly, my legs get puffy afternoon onwards and most mornings I cannot bend my fingers. All this is normal - I am told.

The only positive thing that happened was that my in-laws arrived. Ma-in-law has taken over the kitchen (praise the lord!) and sonny seems to have really taken to his grand parents - spending loads of time with them - time during which he doesnt ask for his Ma. To me this seems like good practice, for Soni's arrival.

And so I wait - counting days - when the clouds will part and the sun will shine again.