"I taught I taw a NyCee tat."

This was the first year that NyCee had a costume for Halloween. Her Ti-Ti Boonie bought it for her and isn't she just adorable?

She went over to see her cousins and her aunt put on the nose and whiskers.

Yet, trying to get a full body picture was impossible as she would not cooperate. So I just said forget it and stopped trying.

She has a ridiculous amount of candy that I will never allow her to eat. The learning center had a party for the kids this afternoon and she was so hyper so did not go to sleep until 11:30p.m. So if she thinks she is getting anymore candy for the rest of her toddler years, she has another thought coming.

Abonimable Snow NyCee

In preparation for dropping NyCee off at the learning center this morning, I decided that she needed to don her winter gear as it was extremely cold. It was only 30 degrees around 730a.

The first time that she wore the coat was to church on Sunday morning. She was having a hard time walking so I began to wonder if she was too top heavy. This coat was so adorably cute so I could not resist buying it for her. But I think once I add the snow pants and boots, she will look like the abominable snow baby.

How darn cute is she, huh?

Yumm-a-licious

"Wow that waffle was good! Now if I could just lick all the syrup off of my plate, I will be nice and full."

Early Riser

At 630am, I felt NyCee attempting to crawl out of the bed. She did not go back to sleep. Normally, she gets up around 700 or 730am. This really wouldn't have been that bad but I didn't go to bed until 2:00a. I hope that her patterns are not changing especially with the new baby coming in a few months. Both of them are required to sleep through the night as I will not have it any other way.

Additionally, I am so far behind on my school work this week that I need every minute of quiet time to complete my assignments.

Trickery

The deal was that if I had another baby, Tarisa would stop smoking.

I am still pregnant and Tarisa is still smoking.

If Tarisa refuses to stop smoking, I refuse to keep being pregnant.

(Of course, there is no way for me to stop being pregnant save childbirth, but I will figure out something to get her to quit smoking.)

Things that go "thud" in the afternoon

Who's cute as a button, has an infectious laugh, a wide toothy grin, and goes "thud" while napping?

You guessed it. While taking a nap, NyCee fell out of the bed. The bed is equipped with a side guard rail but she rolled in the opposite direction and well, you know the rest.

Say "Cheese"

I don't know if it is a look of confusion or pain but either way, it didn't quite work out as I had planned.

Veggie Monster

I love the fact that NyCee loves vegetables. It makes me feel less guilty for giving her a waffle with syrup for lunch when she refused to eat her pb & j sandwich.

While Mommy Wasn't looking....

"While mommy was busy changing the bed linens, vaccuming, and cleaning and stuff, I put on her shoes and decided to walk around the house in them."

"I am so smart that I even put them on the right feet without any help. I wonder how long I can play in mommy's shoes before she notices."
My child is definitely smarter than the average 18 month old. Now, I just need to teach her how to help me clean the house and we will be quite a pair.

Homecoming Dance

My oldest nephew Cian, also known as Ce-Cee, went to his first homecoming dance on Saturday night. He is a freshman in high school this year and is already enjoying himself. He plays on the football and basketball teams and attends every social event. (As if you expected anything less given who his mother is--smile). I thought it would be cute to show a picture of him when he was a little boy and how much he has matured. Here he is at age 6 (1999).


His school required that the participants attending the homecoming dance to wear formal attire and I am so glad they did. Isn't he so handsome?



Here he is with my uncle Chucky's two oldest children:Courtney and Tahj. They attend the same high school.

This is his mother, my sister, Boonie. She was working today as you can imagine all the little girls wanting to get dolled up for the occasion.

It is so hard to believe that 15 years have passed as Ce-Cee will be 15 years old in December. Man, I feel old!

Lesson Learned?...Obviously not!

"Who are you texting? I-d-k. My b-f-f." (I don't know my best friend forever).

But the bigger question is why I would let her play with the phone again after the last fiasco.

The Positive Picture

So today, I am over my shock. No really, I am. My friend called after she read the blog and asked if I were having flashbacks of when I found out about Tater Bean. Literally, I was. But I have wrapped my mind around the reality that despite the fact that my husband and I are not ready for another child and I carefully took my baby proof medication faithfully, a new little Thompson will arrive. When? I don't know yet. I have to go to the doctor. But there are many positives to this story:

1. My sister Tarisa has agreed to stop smoking. We made a bet several months ago that if I had another baby, she would stop smoking. The glitch was that I didn't make her agree to indefinitely stop. I am going to have to add that clause so that she doesn't pick the habit back up after the baby is born.

2. My children will only be 2 years apart. I have had many people tell me that it is best to have them back to back and get it done. So, I obviously have taken that advice.

3. This is actually on track with my plans. The bible says that we are made in the imagine of God and that He spoke the world into existence. I told my husband that I should have another baby when I start graduate school. That way I will spend 9 (really 10) months pregnant and have three months to spend with the child before working. Well, I am going to have what I said.

4. My sister made me a big pot of celebratory string beans. My family knows about the infamous Melvin Porties string beans. My grandfather makes the best string beans in the world. Tarisa has been trying to learn the recipe. She is oh so close. They were delicious. And it was a big pot too. Yummy!

So what is the bottom line? Jesus said, "Have faith in God." Mark 11:22.

Shock, SHock, and more SHOCK!

So this morning, I finally went to the doctor for the pain that had been shooting through my back and my abdomen. It was not a constant pain so I could ignore it. Well today, I went to the doctor for an exam. I went in for the exam and the doctor felt my abdomen and told me that she was going to do an ultrasound. I was fully expecting for this woman to tell me that I had a hole in my stomach from the Frank's hot sauce I pour on everything, or from the salt on the Better Made potato chips that I consume on a regular basis, or that the sky was all purple and there were people running everywhere. I did not expect the news that I received.

I walked into her office and heard, "Are you aware that you are 14 weeks along?" I responded, "14 weeks of what?" Does this conversation sound familiar? Yes, this is a near recap of my conversation with Dr. Reynolds when I found out that I was pregnant with NyCee.

I drove home in a daze. In fact, I am still in a daze. The reality is that I AM NOT IN A POSITION TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD! Okay, that is a fact. Yet, my sisters and mother have found this to be exciting news. Even my niece called to ask if the news were true. Tarisa is so excited. I am still in shock.

Shock, I tell you. Shock. I did not plan to have anymore children. NyCee is the highlight of my life and I was content with just her. So, once I grasp the reality of the situation, I will be able to move forward. Right now, I am still in shock. Did I mention that now is not a good time in my life to have another child? Okay, so I am guessing this is the part where faith has to kick in. I know that God is Omniscient so He was fully aware of the news I was going to receive today. I just wish He would have sent an angel to knock on the door and tell me the news that I was going to receive today.

With NyCee, I was on the birth control patch. With this baby, I was on the pill. I am really tired of being the 1% of the statistic that conceives while using the products. By the way, I AM IN UTTER SHOCK!

New Routine?

Put 18 month old daughter in the bed at 8:00 p.m.------ check

Take a hot shower to calm down and de-stress (okay, how stressful is it watching The Backyardigans and Play house Disney all day?)----- check

Go to sleep at 9:45p and set the alarm to wake up at 3:00a to a quiet house to complete coursework that you have put off all week------ check

Wake up to a house that is lit up like Fort Knox because both your parents are up at that hour, one letting the tv in the living room watch him, the other on the computer------ no check (definiately NOT a part of the plan)

Sitting here writing a blog entry and fighting the urge to go and crawl back in the bed instead of completing the mission at hand----- check, check and check.

Am I going to be able to get through 11 weeks of graduate school with three classes if I continue this pace?

What's in a name?

Several people have asked me where the nickname "NyCee" came from. Well, Taylor LaNyse (I changed the "i" to a "y" for the "y" in Dayna) is named after her Aunt Talisha.

Talisha LaNise was born to the union of Fred and Sylvia on October 5, 1979. Talisha suffered from Leukemia and lost her battle at age 5. Approximately 6 years ago, my sisters and I decided to have an age progression photo of Talisha painted for my parents. My mother always talked about how she would have it done the year that Talisha would have turned 21. This was a very hard process as most of the time the process is completed for missing and exploited children. After much research, we found an artist who was willing to take on the project.

It was over a year before the project was complete but when you look at the portrait you can tell that she (the artist) put a lot of love, time and attention into it. We nearly got caught trying to have the portrait done because my sister Tarisa was charged with the task of gathering the photos to send to the artist. My mother went over her house one day and saw the photo albums and flipped out. Tarisa had to make up some lie really fast so that my mother wouldn't kill her. You can only imagine how precious her photos of Talisha are. They are irreplaceable.

Finally, the portrait arrived and my sisters presented it to my parents on Mother's Day May 2002. We really were just so excited to present the portrait that we didn't want to wait until their wedding anniversary in July. My parents were told that although it was being presented on Mother's Day, it was for both of them. I was not present for the unveiling but my mother called me later that night in tears. Of course, I was startled thinking that something was wrong. In a barely audible voice she said, "You all will never know how much that meant to me. That you would love me that much to have that portrait done is something I will always cherish. No matter what gifts you give me in years to come, it will never compare to this one." She repeated that she loved us several times.

Talisha's memory lives on through my niece Taliyah as that is where her name derived from and of course through NyCee. Had Talisha remained in her earthly body, she would have been 28 years old today. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Cor 5:8

NyCee Lou Who

Recall if you will the story of, "How the Grinch stole Christmas", the Dr. Seuss classic. Remember Cindy Lou Who? Doesn't NyCee remind you of her in this picture?

So cute..who would think?

With this cute, little, adorable face, who would think that such awful sounds and smells could come out of the matching body? Lately, NyCee has had flatulence. My gosh, it is so loud and strong it is coming through the diaper. I don't know what is giving her that kind of gas. What's even more disconcerting is that she doesn't even know what she subjects me to each night! Honestly, it is like sleeping next to an old man full of cheese whiz.

But what really threw me for a loop was this morning. She woke up and tapped me on the shoulder I guess to let me know that she was awake. Then she yawned right in my face. That was horrible. My little girl had morning breath. I could not believe that it was that bad. She is too little for breath like that.

I have been brushing her gums since she was about 5 months old but it was not because I had to. I did it because one of my pet peeves is bad breath and poor oral hygiene. I felt bad for her this morning because I almost gagged her trying to brush her teeth and tongue to ensure that she had fresh breath. What happened to that soft infant milk breath?

The Royal Treatment

NyCee has been feeling a little "blah" today so I let her have lunch in bed. She was really good and did not make a mess. I was proud of her.

The only reason I let her eat in the bed is because on Mondays I clean the house, do laundry and change the linens. But honestly, if it meant that she would stop whining, which she did momentarily to let me load the washer and dryer, I would do it again in a heart beat.