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Sarah’s Story – Being a Special Needs Mom
When you are on as many mom groups as I am, you frequently come across posts that are deep, and profound, and heart warming. Posts that linger with you for days after you first read it. That was my first encounter with who would soon become a friend: Sarah Obeydul Haq. Her post was written when her first-born Ahmed turned four years old. It chronicled her journey of being a special needs mom, of how her son is autistic, and how they coped when they found out, and a quick summary of the last four years. But it was peppered with jokes and a unique way of story telling that will have…
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Bubba’s Diary – PP Visits Doha
So! You know what happened recently? My parents friend, Preethi aunty came to visit us in Doha! She stayed with me and played with me for about nine days! It was a pretty fun time being tourists in my own town! So, PP aunty came from Bahrain. And poor thing – she had to travel for nine hours to come see me! How sweet no? We helped get a pre-approved visa from Qatar and then she had to travel via Kuwait since there are no direct flights between Bahrain and Qatar anymore! PP Visits Doha – Welcome! She arrived late evening on Friday, and she tried to steal my mango…
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The Eldertree Nursery – A Safe Haven
If you follow my blog, you know that A. I never had any doubt about going back to work, and B. that I was not keen on having a nanny, and a nursery was more preferred by both the husband and myself. And since we are in my boy’s birthday month, I think it is only fair that I post about one of the most positive influences in his life – the Eldertree Nursery in Al Luqta – which is also one of the best decisions we have made as parents. Eldertree Nursery When I was looking at nurseries close to where I work, another mommy recommended Eldertree to me.…
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Impressions from a cloth-diapering mommy..
One of the most important aspects of parenting is to keep an open mind. Understand that different parents do things differently than you. And something that is gaining popularity, but not something I have (as yet) considered for myself is cloth diapering. I realized there are many mommies like me, who probably are not quite comfortable with the thought of it, but there are also many who swear by it. So, I got talking to the founder of the Cloth Diapering Doha FB support group, Ivory Llamas-Macatangay. she is a mom of a one year old, with another on the way, to find out more, and dispel myths related to…
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Bub’s Diary – India Bound..
Dear Diary, Wooohooo. It was time for another trip. And this time it is to the country which my parents call the motherland – India. I have only heard people talk about it, so I was very excited to go! And obviously, knowing my mom and dad, I knew for sure it would be a super packed schedule. And ofcourse, momma books tickets for Thursday night, which means there is just no time to breathe or relax after nursery, and we have to pack up and leave in a rush rush rush. I never understood why my folks travel like they are moving countries? And they blame me! They are…
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Getting Baby’s RP sorted in Qatar
Armed with the birth certificate and passport, I set out to make him an official resident of Qatar. And just began the task of getting baby’s RP sorted in Qatar. The easiest way to do this is if you have an efficient PRO who is willing to finish the paperwork. If that is not possible, and the baby is under the husband’s sponsorship, then it is pretty straightforward as well, and can be done at any of the immigration service centers. As per my understanding, according to the latest immigration policies, if mom and dad have different sponsors, the baby gets put under the mom’s sponsorship. Background – I am…
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Getting the Birth Certificate in Qatar..
You can get the baby’s birth certificate at Women’s Hospital, Wakrah Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and Cuban Hospital in Dukhan. Parents can also apply for birth certificates at three private hospitals – Al Ahli, Al Emadi and Doha Clinic. The best option would be get the birth certificate before you leave the hospital, but sometimes it is not possible. We left over the weekend and hence we had to apply for it at a later date. THE PROCESS: Please note that the father has to be the one applying for this, even if the baby is going to be under the mother’s sponsorship. Documents needed: Take the originals as well as…
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The Process of Getting the Health Card in Qatar..
For residents of Qatar, healthcare can be fairly cheap, provided they use the government health system – the health centers and the hospitals under the aegis of Hamad Medical Corporation and for this one requires a health card. Every area has a health center, and if you are lucky, that might actually be the one assigned to you, but in most cases, it turns out to be far away. The center is based on the area number according to your electricity bill, and with the recent changes in the country’s health policy, whereby Qataris do no get free care at the pivate hospitals, certain health centers have been reserved for…
