Welcome to Zeb Land

Pictures of Kiyon Maxwell

2007-06-04T11:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get to my blog...delivery, c-section recovery, and visits to the hospital once to two times a day have ranked a little higher...hope you'll understand :). Thanks for being so patient, and thank you EVEN MORE for all the prayers, love and support you have showered on the Zeb Three.

Here are some pictures of Kiyon Maxwell that have been taken over the last two weeks--Day 1 through Day 15. Enjoy!

HE'S HERE...

2007-05-26T00:31:00.000-04:00

...and he's early! Our little boy, Kiyon Maxwell Zebarjadi, was born last Saturday at 5:30am.

Check out his blog for the whole story!

Happy Naw Ruz!

2007-03-26T17:53:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a joyous Naw Ruz!

(the dog is Diesel, Sam & Sogol's dog)

Belly Bump

2007-03-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some more shots of my belly for those who enjoy watching me expand. :)

Can you see the difference between weeks 22 and 24???

Amanda's visit

2007-03-26T17:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks for coming to see us and for the cute puppy! Baby Zeb'll love it!

Baby Zeb has his own blog

2007-02-23T11:05:00.000-05:00

BabyZeb's own entries and more photos:

www.zebarjadi.com/baby

IT'S A BOY!

2007-02-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

As official as can possibly be (believe me--I saw "it") our baby is a boy! It is so awesome to just even know the gender...it makes it more real. I give props to those ladies who are patient enough to wait the entire 40 weeks and find out at the end...I have the patience of a child on a sugar high when it comes to these types of things.

Here are some pics-- oh-so-cool 3D images!! That was the sonographer's sweet surprise for us. The 3D pics are nothing compared to watching the baby move in 3D...I felt like I was watching a Discovery Science show on my own baby!

BabyZeb resting his cute little head on his right arm

Giving us a thumbs up sign that he is doing a-okay! (our fave pic!!!)

Belly at 20 weeks

2007-02-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

So I think I officially look preggo now. Two things of note, more interesting to me and potential moms than probably anyone else:

1 - My belly has officially passed my boobs. I'd say that's a clear sign I look pregnant! Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and almost laugh--it's the strangest thing to only expand in the middle!

2-Last week I started to feel the baby kick! Let's be honest, at first I thought it was gas bubbles. But after about a day I realized it was, in fact, the baby moving! It was a strange feeling at first, and something that is strange to share because it's ONLY me that feels it. But after almost two weeks of it, I find it comforting to know he's moving around...and almost worrisome (I said almost) when I haven't felt his kicks in a few hours. Seriously, I can't wait until Nafis can feel him move, too.

Maman Badi passes away

2007-02-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

On Jan 20th, my grandmother passed away. I had spent the week before she passed with her, and I was so grateful at the opportunity to have done so. She was a poet, a mother of 5, an advocate for women's rights, and a pretty cool woman. I am happy that her soul can be free to assist all those who call on her from the next world. This pic was taken about 5 days before she passed.

My family was worried about me being involved in the funeral, being pregnant and all. And while it was sad, I was also more deeply reminded of the cycle of life, birth to death, in this world. Both posess much joy and beauty, and a little bit of pain in the transition. I am also reminded that none of this could happen without God.

My bell-ay

2007-01-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

Some of you have been asking to see my belly. I have to tell you, it's not much to look at but, I am posting it anyway. This pic was taken last week, at the end of my 15th week.

The second pic is one I love more. Nafis and I bought this little outfit over the weekend and later realized it is the first item we have purchased for our little monkey-to-be!

What is it???? Cast your VOTE!

2007-01-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

We need help figuring out what kind of stuffed animal this is...Please cast your votes because we can't decide!

Do you think it's a

GIRAFFE
HIPPO
COW
ZEBRA
DEER
something else (please specify)

Who knew baby toys were so confusing? :)

Busted!

2006-12-12T14:19:00.001-05:00

My favorite commercial today: BUSTED

Not our house

2006-12-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

A little correction to those who thought the picture of Nafis' belly flop in the living room is OUR living room...it's not. This pic was taken in Naf's parents' living room in Virginia on our last day in that house. It was a little sad to be leaving it behind so my goofy husband attempted to cheer us all up. I love him.

If you are interested in seeing OUR new house, I will probably be posting photos soon.

PS-Our floors are just about the same as in the Naf photo

Baby on the way!

2006-12-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

No pics for this one, just news! Seems that Atlanta had a housewarming gift for us...a little Zeb on the way! Needless to say, Nafis and I--not to mention our families--are very excited! The little one is just that...a peanut...and we have been so fascinated by the amount of development it has had in such a short time!

When I say my prayers, I find myself wondering, where is it's little soul? Is it right next to mine up until the time of its entrance into this world....or is flying free through space and time completely independent of me? What I have been able to piece together from the things I have read is that this Nafis and I have the privilege and bounty to bring this soul along on its journey and be a part of something so precious, so miraculous. That is more of a gift than I could ever ask for...

Our first visitor in Atlanta

2006-12-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

Paymon was our first official visitor in ATL...we're looking forward to more!!!

We're finally here!

2006-12-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

The long road to Atlanta...

2006-12-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to you October peeps!

2006-10-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

In this crazy time with out move to Atlanta, I am sending my love to all of you BLOG style...

Happy Birthday!!!

Oct 3 Larry
Oct 4 Jenn Stahl
Oct 8 MOM!!!, Daniel Cunningham
Oct 9 Saba
Oct 10 Amanda
Oct 13 Sahba
Oct 14 Julian
Oct 15 Ruhiyyih
Oct 16 Russ
Oct 19 Katharine Phelps
Oct 21 Devin
Oct 22 Lindsay
Oct 23 Soheil Zeb, Soheil Meshkian
Oct 26 Martha
Oct 27 Orang
Oct 28 Kaiwan
Oct 29 Emmanuel

It's coming along...

2006-10-15T23:05:00.000-04:00

Here is the townhouse as of last weekend...I have to admit, it's a lot of fun seeing it all come together, piece by piece..

Newest Member of the Family...

2006-10-15T22:50:00.000-04:00

Sam and Sogol's puppy!!! I can not WAIT to see this little puff ball...

They are still trying to come up with a name so if you have any ideas for this pup (I am told masculine names are on request...) pass them on!!!

Update...

2006-10-15T22:37:00.000-04:00

So things have been pretty busy with getting ourselves ready for the BIG move to Atlanta. The good news is all the wheels have been set into motion and, God willing, we will be in Atlanta by November 1.

Just to keep you up to date a bit, here are some shots of our townhouse (3rd from the left in this first pic) back in August. As of last week, the drywall, brick exterior, cabinets, and interior painting had been finished...I will try to find a pic. If all goes as planned, we should close on the 13th of November!

I am looking forward to a bit of normalcy, whatever that means...

Laleh joins the blog world

2006-09-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

Here is a pic from my sister Laleh's blog--yay, one more fun blog to read!

Julie and Deihim

2006-08-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Another happily ever after...
Congrats, Julie and Deihim!

Mar was able to make it out

The crew--we missed you, Sam and Sogol!

Rock Star

2006-08-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

Love you, Phelps'!

Andrea's engagement

2006-08-18T13:51:00.000-04:00

Signs you are growing up: your best friend from the 4th grade is getting married!

Congrats, Andrea and Joe! Can't WAIT for the wedding!

Auntie Claire's Preschool, Kampala Uganda

2006-08-02T20:58:00.000-04:00

Don't mess with me...

One way to stand out in a crowd...

Yes, this boy likes his pink socks!

The hottest beat in DC

2006-07-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

This ain't no guy with some sticks and and a few cans--this man is a machine of a drummer! His beats filled the air on a late DC night, along with the hearts and souls of all those within audible range...the man played for one hour straight and had not paused once even after we left his street show. The best part was man and woman, young and old, black, brown and white...they all danced side by side to the beat of his drum...the world could learn a lesson from this man's music...

Day with Angeline Part 2

2006-07-25T22:55:00.000-04:00

Day with Angeline Part 1

2006-07-25T22:49:00.000-04:00

Peas Please

2006-07-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Lily Part II

2006-07-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

Lily Pad

2006-07-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

Ode to Babies

2006-07-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

Instead of talking about what is currently going on in Haifa, let's focus on something far more pleasant--BABIES! Back in April/May we had the chance to see what I can only describe as the result of a baby burst. Here are some of the cuties that we got to love; there are more little ones in Haifa that we didn't get to see so I am giving a shoutout to Aaliyah and little Nafis.

How could anyone feel anything but happy after looking at these mooshes?

Me? Baby fever? Nah... :)

Maleha the Moosh!

2006-07-18T16:01:00.000-04:00

No, I didn't take this picture on my drive to work, Sum :).

This is Maleha, Kaiwan and Amelia's little one! She deserves a proper shout out! She should be about 4 months old now...little moosh.

Check out more pics.

Saturn and it's moon Rhea

2006-07-13T08:41:00.000-04:00

My Pond

2006-07-13T08:14:00.000-04:00

On my drive to and from work everyday I am greeted by the most picturesque scenery...horse farms, rolling pastures speckled by grazing cattle, and the pinnacle of my travels--a pond at the edge of the road. I couldn't resist stopping one day. Are there ponds in Atlanta?

Ocean of clouds

2006-07-13T07:52:00.000-04:00

If I could have gotten out there, these clouds would have been the world's best moon bounce, the softest bed and tasted like cotton candy...I'm sure of it...

Surprise Weddings!

2006-06-27T13:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, I knew this was going to be the summer of love when Sam and Sogol kicked things off, but I never expected SURPRISE weddings to happily creep up on us! Our dear, dear Peter in Haifa and the ever so lovely Helen were married on June 12th-under our very noses in Salt Lake City, Utah. Congrats, you guys! Good luck, Helen! :) Kidding!

Anyone else planning a secret wedding? I promise I won't post anything until it's official :)

Love you guys!

See more wedding photos

Happy Birthdays!

2006-06-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

A little shout out to Shiva in Canada, Amelia in Haifa, and Ani in DC who all just had thier birthdays! Love you, ladies!

Here is Shiva, snuggled up next to Sean, her twin sister Shideh's baby boy. So cute!

The Newlyweds!

2006-06-13T23:18:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy few months, life doesn't fit in a neat little box, and my entries will be grossly out of order for a little while. But I thought I'd start with pics you'd like to see first..see, I'm always thinking of YOU! :)

Sam and Sogol were married on 3 June in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was a beautiful day, a very sweet wedding, and a total blast of a party! Wish you could have all been there!

The stunning couple...

The "I can't believe we just said our vows and are married" afterglow

I don't think you need to guess what Sam is thinking...how happy he is! You dirty monkeys.
Me and my Zeb

My hottie sis and hotter mama

Stay tuned...more pics are on their way...

Congrats to Kristen and Kelly!

2006-04-17T17:43:00.000-04:00

My sweet Kristen, a friend since high school, married the man of her dreams, Kelly, and were married on April 1 (no fooling...the proof is below!).

CONGRATS YOU TWO! May you enjoy many happy years together...

(what a hottie!!)

Sam and Sogol's Engagement Party

2006-04-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

This update is WAY overdue, but it has been a crazy last couple of weeks. So sorry for the delay.

On March 25th, Naf's parents held a fabulous party to celebrate Sam and Sogol's engagement. They were so cute and I am SO happy and excited for the life they are about to start together...

Thought I'd help you out...

2006-03-24T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sam was having some trouble coming up with his South Park character, so I thought I'd help him out...

While I was having fun, I thought I would help out Laleh (my sister), too

Nafis in 2-D

2006-03-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Farshid, I discovered what Nafis would look like if he lived in South Park...he's a hottie, I would still marry him :).

Try making your own South Park Personality

FeedCube...coming soon to a monitor near you!

2006-03-23T12:18:00.000-05:00

Want to find out the NEWEST way to keep up with your friends all over the planet?!

My cutie Nafis created this cool thing called FEEDCUBE. I could tell you ALL about it but I suggest you read what he says

DEFINITELY check it out and stay tuned for more details...

Naw Ruz Gifts!

2006-03-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

I think you will agree that the best gift of all is family. While mine is all the way in California and we miss them very much, we are very lucky to have Nafis' uncle Mehran and cousin Hunny visiting us from London/Iran. What's so special about this visit? This is the first time in almost 30 years!!! that Nafis' mother's side of the family (Naf's grandparents and 3 children) has come together!

But they don't miss a beat...it has been one BIG, FAT party...Sherry, Sunny, Mona, Sam and Sogol...jaat'an khaalee! I will let the pictures talk for themselves...

The magical forces of Book 3 that unite!

2006-03-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

No, this is not an ad for jeans or Ruhi's plot to get some good lovin...or is it? Nah, it's none other than a game from our Book 3 class! This course is designed to teach people how to think about and teach children from a moral- and spiritual-based platform....yeah, baby! What could be more fun than being a kid again?!

I had such a great time with my class clowns! RES-PEC!
All smiles for completing our class! They think it's over....muahahahaha...
I'm princess Leila :)
Guys, you had better sit down and let ME teach!

Fasting: the BEST time of year

2006-03-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

Eating after sunset is goooood...

Look whose tummy is full now!

Who can fast without cha'ee?

Nine more days to go!

Circus tricks

2006-03-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

This little moosh is Kimia, Simon's cousin's daughter. She eats everything. One after another...I mean, why stop, right? Ghormeh sabzi, tadig (crunchy rice), hot tea, chocolate, pineapples, nuts. This sequence of photos shows the only way Simon was able to lure Kimia away from her mama...

Come on, Kimia...

You know you want some cashews...
Just a little higher...there you go!

Kimia's big brother, Bayan, was more interested in modeling than eating.

Naf and Sam tried to lure Kimia, too, but they weren't as successful.

Home, sweet home

2006-03-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Some people have been asking for pictures of our mouse house. so here they are!

Welcome to the Zeb Estate. I am posting the first few pictures in order of easiest to paint and decorate to most ... shall we say, challenging.

Meet our living room...

...and 180 degrees the other way...

then upstairs...

and finally, the office-slash-guest room.
Oh, the drama!! We painted the WHOLE room, only to find we weren't sure about the shade of orange (he-llo!), chose another shade and found it to look like the inside of a pumpkin and decided to stick with the original color. And, oh yeah, don't ask Nafis about the bookshelf... Once we brought in the furniture, we fell in love with it. In the end, it's our favorite room.

Okay, so now that you got the tour, here are three of my favorite things in the house...
1. The entryway

2. The magnetic spice rack!
and
3. The leaning bookshelves
We hope you enjoyed tonight's episode of MTV Cribs. Stay tuned for the Louis Vitton-upholstered benz...

The Home Album Continues...

2006-03-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

My pictures will be posting a little out of order, so this was taken before Sam and Sogol's engagement. Nafis and I had a wonderful visit with Amanda over a three-day weekend, who came to see us from NYC. She brought spring a little earlier to us this year with her glow and contagious warmth. We hope to make it up to see you sometime soon!

Sam and Sogol's Engagement!

2006-03-01T12:22:00.000-05:00

Sam and Sogol are ENGAGED!

WOOHOO!!!

Nafis and I are ridiculously excited as we celebrate with our families on this happy occasion! I love Sam like he is my own brother and Sogol is so sweet and radiant, and a perfect match for Sam. It has been pretty emotional watching Sam grow over the last few years, then leave home, and now planning to get married! Sam and Sogol, we love you SO much and wish you all the joy and love that married life brings! May you have many happy years together...

Our 2nd Anniversary!

2006-02-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

February 14th was our second wedding anniversary. It has been a fabulous two years with you, Naf, and I know the many more years we will have together will be even more wanderful! Thank you for bringing me such love and happiness. I love you!

The awesome sunset to close out the day...

Snow Day!

2006-02-25T21:55:00.000-05:00

Our first real day of winter came in February! We had a sleepover at Nafis' parents and woke up to a 9 inch blanket of SNOW!

Does anyone else think this is cool? Okay, maybe it's just me...
Nafis and Simon worked hard clearing the driveway and making a tunnel for the neighborhood kids on the sidewalk...
...while I played!
hehehe
Guess the dogs are out of luck today!

Reminiscin'

2006-02-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

Nafis and my 2 year wedding anniversary is right around the corner--I can't believe how fast time has flown! I ran across some pics of us together, so I thought I would share a few...

Nafis and I took a road trip across the USA and stopped for two reasons:

Roswell...

and Julian :)

I go back to Feb 2001 for this next one--our first road trip together (just friends at this point) to the Sea of Galilee with Kerry and Samah

then to London in Summer 2002 on our first trip after we started seeing each other

to Rhodes, Greece to our first trip after we got married

This was our first home together in Haifa (top flat)

and our first home together in the U.S.

Love you, Naf!

North Carolina--the good 'ol south!

2006-02-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

You know you're in the South when...

Being a California girl, it can be a bit of a shock to your system...did I mention the shotguns shops?

Don't get me wrong, I didn't have to work hard to find nice things about the south. The drive down from Virginia to North Carolina was beautiful and occasionally marked with historical battlefields of the civil war me that made real to me our nation's history.

This was Nafis' favorite moment...

Who could forget southern hospitality? No one brings it to you better than Nafis' aunt and uncle, Noonoo and Rezvan!!! They invited us to their home to meet the youth and treated us to lots of love and laughter. Here Noons and Rez are proudly displaying Maman Pari's (Nafis' grandmother) knitting talents

Nafis and I also ran into Anis, with whom we served in the Holy Land! Seeing friends from our time in Haifa is always a special treat!

Thanks to Noonoo and Rezvan for making us feel right at home! Seems like the south will be seeing us again...

Sam and Hotlanta

2006-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

Nafis and I took a short weekend trip to Atlanta to visit our Sammy. He was a FABULOUS host and both he and Sogol showed us a great time! We went to the world's largest aquarium (hmmm....really?) that just recently opened and saw a freakin HUGE whale shark

some awesome dragon seahorses

and some other cute fishies!

We miss you tons, Sam, and can't wait to see you again soon. Thanks for taking such good care of us!

The Seds and Zebs

2006-01-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

Nafis and I were so lucky to have Neda and Farshid for a short, but very sweet visit. This picture is taken in our living room :). We miss you guys! We love visitors and have a guest room ready for any one of you who would like to see us and the DC area.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Shirin!

2006-01-23T15:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much! It's nice to join the rest of the world via blogging. Since writing really isn't my thing, expect more photos than words. I won't keep you in suspence much longer...here is a recent picture of me and Nafis so you know we are alive and well. Expect more goodies soon....