May Allah protects our family in the land of the sufis. May one day Allah gives us the chance to come back to show Dilara the country where her parents were met-the land of long white clouds where she was born. Insha Allah.

*****

The first days with our baby are the most memorable of our life. This is a time of powerful emotions, of new discoveries, and of a growing understanding of the profundity of the love parents feel for their child. Many parents say that nothing can prepare you for the thrill of being with your newborn child. Your life would be turned upside down, but you will soon wonder how you ever existed without your child.

  

  my name is DILARA AFIFE ATES. DILARA (Turkish origin, taken from Persian), meaning: lover; heart adorner (beautify, pleasing). AFIFE (Arabic origin, in Turkish version), meaning: chaste; morally pure in thought or conduct; decent and modest.

I am the first daughter of ayah SERKAN and bunda YUANA, they are Turkish and Indonesian who met in Christchurch, New Zealand when they were pursuing their postgraduate studies at Lincoln University.

You can also visit my Bunda's blog at http://yuanaserkan.multiply.com. cheers!

***

Now Dilara has new little brother: CELALEDDIN ALI



Ali (3.3kg) was born on Thursday, 22 July 2010 11.28 am by caesarean section at Konya Baskent University Hospital, Turkey.

Celaleddin is the Turkish version of Jalāl ad-Dīn, taken from the name of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi), a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and sufi mystic who lived most of his life in Konya, and here he composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature which profoundly affected the culture of the area.
He lived most of his life under the Sultanate of Rum, where he produced his works and died in 1273 CE. He was buried in Konya and his shrine became a place of pilgrimage. Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mawlawīyah Sufi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its Sufi dance known as the sema ceremony.

The meaning of Celaleddin (Jalāl ad-Dīn, Arabic origin) is "Glory of the Faith".

Ali is taken from the name of the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law: Ali ibn Abi Thalib, known as the first male convert to Islam. He married Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima.

The meaning of Ali is "exalted". This name is one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah referred in Al Qur'an or Asmaul Husna (Al 'Aliyy), and proposed by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) as excellent names for boy children.

***

O Allah, verily You have given us children. You alone know what You have given and what has been granted, and You alone know everything about whatever You create. O Allah, cleanse them of sins, let them live a long natural life, protect them from all dangers to their bodies, and let them never suffer the pangs of hunger and anguish of poverty, because You know and we do not. Ameen...

hari bersejarah dalam hidup AYAHnya: Dilara minum AYRAN untuk pertama kali

ngotot banget... ini setelah selesai di-shoot masih minta terus...
emaknya sih biar dibayar juga gak mau disuruh minum Ayran !

Previous videos:
Feb 2	-	akhirnya berhasil juga
Feb 2	-	lalalalala
Feb 2	-	video gagal
DILARA ve ALI's favorite videos:
Apr 10	-	dilara series-1
Apr 7	-	rocking chair.MOV

Cheese Spreaded Eggplant (Kasarli Patlican Oturtma)

ini juga pertama bikin langsung utk menjamu tamu, nekat aje... eh enak enak enak ampe ludes licin (dan pastinya sehad dong) bakalan sering2 bikin ini nih :-)

recipe from http://www.turkishfoodandrecipes.com/2008/12/cheese-stuffed-eggplant-kasarli... more

Previous recipes:
Mar 4	-	Tomato Rice (Domatesli Pilav)
Nov 11	-	Beef Sauté (Dana Eti Sote)
Nov 11	-	Chicken Casserole (Balkan Guveci)