My brother got married in October of 2017, and it was a huge event: 3 days, almost 500 guests, and non-stop festivities. We had family fly over from different parts of the world, and even people who were unable to attend had some sort of contribution. We had favour boxes, outfits, and even the bride’s ring sent over from abroad. We had tonnes going on all the time, from henna to dance practice, to setting up props and packing favour boxes. It was a gargantuan project, but on the bright side I had just gotten married 10 months prior, and so I had quite a bit to contribute from my music playlists to vendor research notes and contracts, which I think helped the process along quite a bit. (I think I’ll add a wedding section to this blog too, it might be helpful for new brides in the GTA too.)
But alas, I was exhausted the whole time. I had just started my new job and I wasn’t adjusting too well to my new routine. I was crashing as soon as I got home, and delegating everything I could to anyone I could. I went from ironing out complete outfits for my next day and spending a decent amount of time putting on makeup, to throwing on the first thing I could find in my closet and the first lipstick I could get my hands on. There was even a time when I tried to pass off my pajama top with jeans because it was casual Friday and I couldn’t be bothered to pick out something new.
I honestly couldn’t even stay up long enough to polish out my speech or practice my dance routine. As the wedding dates loomed closer, I think even my husband spent more time helping out than I did.
As the groom’s sister, especially considering how passionate I was about planning my own wedding, it was quite disappointing – but I was really, really burnt out.
The day after his wedding events ended, I went to a walk-in and got it confirmed. I was pregnant! Now my exhaustion made total sense. I had had a hunch but had kept it to myself during the festivities so I could still wear my heels and do my dance routine without all the aunties circling around me and telling me to sit out.
We told our parents after a week, because as eager as we were to share the news, I was waiting on these bad boys to arrive, and frankly that was the longest week I had ever spent waiting on a delivery.
I ordered one for each grandparent est 2018, along with a pair of baby socks, a pacifier, and a cute photo frame from Papyrus to put the baby’s first picture in. I made sure all the grandparents were in the same place when I gave them their packages so they would all find out together. It took a second for it to hit them, and man I wish I had recorded their reaction when they each opened their boxes, because it made it completely worth the wait.
After the shock and the hugs followed the mother hen moments from: are you taking your prenatals, why are you still wearing heels, and let me pack you some healthy food and the like. Frankly speaking, it hasn’t ended yet and I’m planning to milk it as long as I can.
Halal Mommy 