Last night we celebrated the birth of my new nephew. He was born the day we arrived here, August 17. Raina, his mother, is Raed's sister. His name is Ki'an. That is the best that I can spell it based on how it sounds. He is adorable and sweet.

The party was a ladies and children party only. Without the men, the ladies are free to dress and style their hair as they please. My 3 sister-in-laws spent the afternoon before the party at the salon getting their hair styled and their makeup applied. I opted not to go. I do not quite trust my arabic to make my wishes about my hair and makeup known. I did not want to end up with too much makeup or too much fro hair!

People began arriving for the party about 10:30pm. I am sooo not used to how late people visit each other here. Of course by then, Layla was quite cranky. I had to dance with her on my hip for about thirty minutes until she fell asleep. Once she was tucked away in her room, I was able to enjoy the music and the party more.

I will continue the story later. Layla will not leave me alone long enough to finish right now.