After we returned home on a bitterly cold and niveous afternoon with our beautiful bundle of joy, we were welcomed by Fawaz's sister in law and her six young girls. I was appreciative to have a welcoming party but the noise of eight children all under the age of eleven was too much to bear, especially as we were all confined to one large room with a kerosene heater(soopeear) warming their little bodies from the cold of a chilly wintry day.

I needed to sleep and could not relax as there really was no such thing as 'personal space' in Fawaz's extended family. Eptisam had offered her services to look after Fawaz and the children and to cook for my family. I was indebted to her for her generosity which also came as a double edged sword.

It was customary for the mother or mother in law of the woman giving birth to be present at the delivery of the baby. Fawaz was in attendance when Lougene was delivered and his mother was so upset because she thought she wasn't welcome at the birth that she didn't visit me for three weeks. As usual, I was unaware of all the drama going on behind the scenes and just wanted everyone to go home. Eptisam and her mother in law (Fawaz's mother), were not on good terms, so helping me after the birth, was not only an act of generosity but also had the sweet effect of reigniting Bahija's flame of displeasure.

That night I became very ill with a high temperature and could not stand unaided. My fever reached the height of delirium and a doctor was called to my bedside. During the next couple of days I was in and out of consciousness and can only remember Lougene being placed on my breast to feed before I would fall into a deep sleep brought on by the medication I was given. Thankfully the infection my body was fighting gradually eased and I could again enjoy holding my precious baby and Yasmin and Azzam.

Fawaz's friends and family (minus Bahija) visited us over the coming weeks to congratulate us on the birth of our new son. In Syria, it was the custom to offer sweets to visitors after a baby was born. Our visitors were invited to partake in a variety of coloured sugar coated chickpeas and almonds, baklava, chocolates and a sip of strong, brewed Arabic coffee.

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