Author: SaniaKhiljee

He surprised me with lavender, my favorite.

Because I’m a Pakistani-Muslim American girl, dating before marriage—and PDA—are taboo. I wasn’t willing to risk the wrath of society, so my husband & I more or less kept our relationship low-key in the beginning. We have very few pictures together pre-engagement.

Once we got engaged, however, we got the photo shoot of our dreams:

The Engagement Day

Engagement Photo Shoot Day. It was at a vintage, jet-setter themed photo shoot with airplanes and cars at a historic airport terminal.

We also go this photo a few days before our wedding:

Here are our photos of the wedding itself:

The Mendhi Day

The Shaadi/Wedding Day

The Honeymoon at Grand Cayman Islands—swimming with stingrays

At this point, we didn’t care how much PDA we showed. We were married!

And since then…

My Sister’s Wedding Day

Our Pregnancy Photo Shoot

And finally, a little family photo shoot with our baby girl…

And yes, we packed it with PDA

(Sorry, Aunties)

Happy Halloween from the Khiljee Family

I was told by MULTIPLE grown adults that they would physically hurt my baby girl after I posted this video on social media:

It was a video of my baby pushing me away from my husband when I tried to kiss him, but instead of pushing me, she ends up half-smacking me on the face.

She’s only one years old, and to her, daddy is her whole world. She does not like to share…

It’s adorable, and while her behavior was aggressive, it’s a NORMAL developmental milestone that kids go through.

Here’s some of the comments we received:

Do you think these comments were justified based on the video?

Some might call what my neighbor did “rude,” while others might say it was downright CREEPY.

I was legit scared.

I was shaking in fear, desperately clicking the buttons to an electronic key that would not work.

Despite my frantic efforts, the car did not start.

I tried to call my husband, but as usual, his phone was on silent.

I dialed my dad next.

“I think there’s something in my house,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“I keep hearing someone or something moving around my house. It’s making a lot of noise, and I’m home alone…”

The noise was not as isolated incident.

Last night, my daughter woke up in the middle of night and screamed in terror.

Nothing I did worked to console her.

I tried rocking her. I tried feeding her. I tried holding her against me…

Her screams echoed through the house.

Finally, I began to pray ayat-al-kursi loudly, and her entire body went limp.

I had to check to make sure she was still breathing, and after that, I brought her into bed with me.

Lily’s night terror, coupled with this inexplicable presence in my home, unraveled me.

I have suffered from 5 prior paranormal experiences, and I worried this would be the 6th.

I called a friend to pick me up from outside my house, and once my husband was off from work, we returned home together.

Mouse traps and boxes we had left behind had been overturned, but we could find no animal.

Still, my husband thinks it must’ve been some animal—a possum or raccoon—that found its way into our home.

I’m not sure, but I hope that’s all it is.

There are so many things a woman can be in this world

At least, that’s what we tell girls when they are young,

But all too often, she chooses to be his

Or she loses herself in them

Sometimes, she chooses to be hers

She says she’s happy,

But what a tragedy it is to never have been her own.

These lines across my stomach, my hands, my face—

What do they say?

Are the stories worth sharing?

Or am I seeking attention—as they have said.

They.

Them.

Pronouns

The ones that build me up

And/or

The ones that break me down.

& No one even knew.

10/10 recommend getting a pocket-sized pet.