A Ladies Day/Night Out

My sister Boonie arranged for us to have a ladies day out. The day began with a massage at the local spa. I had never experienced a full body massage so I was thrilled and excited to learn this was how our day was to begin.

My mom and Boonie went first. As they enjoyed their massages, Tarisa and I waited in the lobby. The ambience was so warm and inviting. I was relaxed sitting and waiting. When I walked into the room, I was welcomed by soft music, candlelight, and a warm massage table. My masseuse Kim was great. I told her that I had never had a full body massage before and she walked me through the process. The 50 minutes was up way too soon. I told Lewis that I am going to find a spa near our house and take him to have a massage. He will love it.

Next, we enjoyed lunch at Cracker Barrel. It was a festive time of talking and reminiscing. By this time, NyCee joined us. She didn't want her food so she ate everything on my plate. My green beans, carrots, and mac and cheese.

After lunch, we enjoyed a movie--The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. It was a little slow in the beginning but we all enjoyed it. By this time, it was around 7:00pm and my Aunt Nita called several times because she was over Aunt Roz's house and wanted us to come and visit. So we headed down to Detroit. On our way, we called Granddad Melvin and my cousins, Phebe and Wally to come over. Wally lives across the street from Aunt Roz so his commute was not far.

My family has always enjoyed music so we sang, listened to CD's and talked. We had a great time. The only problem is that everything has to end a little early because of the hour drive back to Port Huron. But it was worth it to see my Granddad so excited that we came to see him.

The night ended with a bang. Literally! As we were getting into the van to leave, my sister Tarisa jumped up on the running board and hit her head on the top of the van door. When I turned to see her, she was half way on the ground laughing. I thought her foot slipped off the running board. I said, "What happened?" She replied through the laughter, "I hit my cranium on the van door. This is why I ride in the front seat!" Everyone laughed and we listed to Christmas music and talked on the drive back to Port Huron.

14 Years Old (Yesterday)

My nephew Cian, Jr. (Ce-Cee) turned 14 years old on December 13, 2006. He is the final piece of what I have termed the trio. My father's birthday is December 10, My sister Tarisa's birthday is December 11, and Ce-Cee's is December 13. I have a host of family members with birthdays in December. It is a busy month and not just for Santa.

I remember when his mother went to the hosptial to have him. My father was elated because Boonie started having contractions on December 10. However, Ce-Cee decided that he wanted his own special day and arrived three days later.

Now here he stands all grown up and handsome. But he is still auntie's baby.


For his birthday, my sister allowed him to get his ear pierced. He thought that it was going to be painful. Tarisa held his hand and braced him for the three second sting that he felt.

When the ear was pierced, he replied, "Oh, that's it!" We all laughed and he received the instructions on keeping the ear clean to avoid infection.

It is hard to see them grow up. Time seems to just fly by. I love you Ce-Cee. You will always be auntie's baby.

Future NBA Star

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending my oldest nephew's basketball game. He is really a good player. He played strong offense and defense. The only problem is that the opposing team was comprised of Amazon children. I am not kidding. Look at the boy in the burgundy jersey. He is tall. (Ce-Cee is in the blue jersey--#1)

Ce-Cee grew frustrasted as his shot were constantly blocked. The referees where no help either. I think they were friends with the other team. She called fouls on Ce-Cee's team constantly but rarely on the other team.
Ce-Cee plays point guard so he is waiting for his team to rebound the ball after the free throw shots.

I am biased of course but he was the cutest player on the court. I am so proud of him. He maintains good grades and is athletic.

(A couple of the photos are blurry as my camera would not cooperate for the pictures. I started to throw it down the bleachers but refrained from doing so). Ce-Cee's team lost 28-14 but they played a good, strong game. WAY TO GO CENTRAL!

To grandmother's house we go. Again!

NyCee and I will be leaving the A-T-L for the P-H. What is P-H? That stands for Port Huron, MI. That's right. I am going to the freezing, biting, eyes watering, right off of Lake Huron, wind cutting through your clothes right down to your bones, cover your face and body with vaseline for protection against the cold--to visit my family.

This trip was suppose to be a surprise for NyCee's Tesa (Aunt Tarisa.) Her Tesa lives in beautiful sunny San Diego, CA but is going to Michigan for a week to see the family. Tarisa called me to help book her travel plans and I made our arrangements the same day. The entire family knew that it was a surprise. Unfortunately, NyCee's father can not hold water in a cup with a lid on it, and told Tarisa that we were coming. So the surprise is ruined. Nonetheless, NyCee is so excited to see her Tesa and the rest of the family. That is all she talks about.

We will see everyone next week.

Blog Comments

My Aunt Roz and others have asked if I receive the comments that are posted on the blog. The answer is yes. Regardless to when you read the blog or post the comment, I receive an email with your comment. I welcome the comments and others enjoy reading them as well.

So, no worries. If you read a blog from several weeks, months, or days ago, I will receive the comment. Also, there are times when I will respond to questions asked as a comment on that particular post.

For those who read my cousin's blog, undomestic, the same holds true. So please, comment away. We enjoy reading them. Thanks for reading the blog. I hope you feel closer to us and a part of Taylor's life.

"Stop raiding my sock drawer!"

Everyday, Nycee is becoming more mobile and less stationary. As a result, when I leave her alone in the room, I place her on the floor and not on the bed. My bed sits relatively high off the floor (I like for my feet to swing when I am sitting on the side of the bed) and my concern is that she will roll off onto the floor.

I walked out of the room to do something and I came back to find her raiding my sock drawer. I thought I had several years before she attacked my closet for clothes.

What amazed me was the fact that she was in front of the ottoman when I left the room. So in a couple of minutes, she scooted across the floor to the drawer. Babies are truly amazing!

NyCee's got back!

In "On your mark, get set..," I explained that NyCee was in the first stages of beginning to crawl. Now, she gets on her hands and knees then pushes herself up which toots her little bottom into the air. If she hears music, then she starts to shake back and forth with the beat.

Unfair

Friday night, I put NyCee in the bed around 11:45pm which is her normal bed time. I woke up at 7:45am to prepare for class. (I have a Saturday class on campus.) I peeked in her room and she was still asleep and showed no signs of waking. I dressed for class and checked on her one last time before leaving--still asleep.

I always call to check on them during my first break. When I called and asked what the baby was doing, Lewis replied, "She woke up about 10:00am and I gave her a bath and put on her clothes." I said, "Okay" and returned to class.

Last night, she was up until about 1:00am. That was partly my fault because I was folding clothes and playing with her. She finally went to sleep but I was up until about 4:00am watching documentaries on MSNBC. She woke up around 4:30am so I went to get her and brought her to bed with me. Do you know that she was wide awake at 7:30am? I laid next to her to try and coax her back to sleep--she was not having it.

That is so unfair. Lewis got to sleep in with her until 10:00am and when I decide to stay up late watching television, she decides to wake up at 7:30am. What is that about?

Too Comfortable

During the wee dark hours of the morning, around 3:00AM, I was awakened out of my sleep by the sounds of a shrill coming from NyCee's room. As I struggled to get myself together to attend to her, Lewis walked into our room carrying her and coaxing her back to sleep. He changed her diaper and I laid her in the bed next to me in the hopes that nursing her would cause peaceful slumber to once again take over. Well, it took over. But on both of us. Normally, I let her nurse until she goes back to sleep and then I carry her back to her room.

The alarm clock sounded at 745AM and when I looked down this is what I saw:

Yes, her feet are propped up on my stomach. What am I her footstool?

You know you're ghetto when....

You know you're ghetto when you refuse to go to the Wal-mart and purchase new pajamas for your growing child. Instead, you cut the feet out and put on a pair of matching socks to accomplish the same goal. (Notice the yellow band on the socks matches the yellow ducks on the pajamas.)

A little something to wash it down

During NyCee's six month doctor's visit, I was advised that she needs to start using a sippee cup. The purpose of this is to aid in weaning her off breast milk. Well, after she sat at the table and ate a chicken wing, I decided to pour her juice into her cup to see how she would respond. As you can see, she is holding the cup watching t.v with her legs crossed. (She always crosses her legs. She is such a little lady)

If she could talk, she would say, "What ma? You wanted me to hold the cup. What is the big deal?" From that expression on her face, you can tell she is my child.

There was a little corner left in the cup so I guess she just decided to take it straight to the head.

Breakthrough

NyCee finally has two teeth which are vi sable. They had been showing through her gums for a while but they have finally broken through.

She thinks that she is slick. She knows how to bite already. She is still breastfed and she bit me the other day. I looked at her and said, "NyCee let go of mommy" as stern as I could. She clamped down even harder and smiled.

Lewis exclaimed, "Honey she doesn't know what she is doing. Don't get upset with her." I beg to differ. NyCee will nurse as she normally does without biting me, so when she bites me, I know that she is aware of what she is doing. Plus the little Chester cat grin she has on her face while she is biting me is dead give-a-way.

I hope I can make to her nine month doctor's appointment to find out how to wean her off breast milk. I also have to find out what I have to do to stop producing breast milk. My plan was to nurse until she was 12 months old. Not anymore! She is getting cut off A.S.A.P!

Finger Lickin' Good

I walked to the grocery market around the corner from our house today as it was a beautiful day. While there, I bought 1lb of chicken wings for Lewis, in addition to other items. After I paid for the items, they were too heavy for me to walk home with, so I called Lewis to come and pick me up. (Of course he made comments about how I should have driven to the store--but I wanted to walk and get a little exercise as I had been in jammies for nearly 5 days.)

When we returned home, I gave him the chicken and began putting away the groceries. I turned around to see NyCee holding a chicken wing--eating it. I was on the phone and said, "Why is my child eating a chicken wing?"
Better yet, why is her father letting her eat a chicken wing? She obviously enjoyed it as she was quiet the entire time it was in her hand or mouth. He followed the chicken wing with a cup of Hawaiian Punch. Why am I spending money on baby food? From the looks of things, she obviously enjoys regular food more.

Pajama Day 3

Today marks the third day that I have been in my pajamas. I have been really sick and lethargic. Yesterday, I had the audacity to actually go to the grocery market in my pajamas. I put on a pair of jogging pants, kept on the pajama top, and threw on a jacket. (My mother would hit the roof if I went out of the house in my pajamas).

I was kind enough to Lewis to take a shower and put on a clean pair of jammies. There is no need to set aside the decency of hygiene. I have no plans on putting any clothes on tomorrow either. I am cooking for us but Lewis does not want to go visiting. Fine by me.

I think what makes it worse is that my child has been in her pajamas also. I give her a bath in the morning and put a clean pair of pajamas on her. I think I am really getting the hang of this stay-at-home mom, full time student thing.

Nap Time: Who is the true beneficiary?

When I was a little girl, I clearly recall nap time. My mom made no qualms about it. After lunch, it was down for a few zzzz's.

I always thought that naps were for the children's benefit. Taylor gets very cranky and irritable when she is sleepy. She starts whining, scratching her head, and crying. That is my indication that she needs a nap.

Normally NyCee goes to daycare during the week so that I can get my school work done. Well, for the past two weeks she has stayed home because she has been sick. (She was kind enough to pass her germs along to me. I am sure that Lewis is thrilled to have two sick people surrounding him.) Every morning she gets up around 8:30 or 9:00a, gets her bath, and breakfast. I let her play for a couple of hours and then it's nap time. Nap time is the greatest invention since colored hair weaves and drawstring ponytails.

I look forward to 12:00p when she starts fussing and is ready to go to Sleepytown. I enjoy two (2) hours of total solitude and I accomplish so much. I have discovered that the true beneficiary of nap time is: The Mother, The Momster, The Mommy!

My mother never told me the reason we went down for naps is because she needed alone time. How dare she keep this powerful secret? Shame on you mother! Shame on you!

80s Punk Rocker; 20 years to late

Taylor has to get her hair combed when she is asleep; otherwise it is truly a battle of epic proportions. Last night, when she feel asleep I began combing her hair. But for whatever reason, she would not stay sleep long enough for me to complete the process. Therefore, she scooted around the house all day looking like this:

Doesn't her hairstyle cause flashbacks of the 80s? I immediately see Salt-n-Pepa, MC Lyte, with the faded hairstyles. Or the grunge groups from the Seattle and Portland scene: Nirvana with Kurt Cobain. All she needs now is a headband and pair of legwarmers to complete the look.

Bring it on Old Man Winter

Contrary to what most people think, it gets COLD in Georgia. The morning high today was 32 degrees. That is a little chilly. Lewis often makes jokes about how I should be able to deal with it because I am from "The eastside of Detroit." As I have explained to him, I moved to Phoenix, AZ because I do not like cold weather.

He can walk around without a coat on exclaiming, "It's not that cold!" The devil is a liar. It is cold. This is the first time that my little girl will brave the cold weather. Yet she is prepared.--Almost.

How cute does she look? However, I have to get her a snowsuit because she is going to Michigan in a couple of weeks. I think she needs a snowsuit in Georgia. Her little bottom will be cold.(Or perhaps her little bottom is cold because she is sitting on the freezer.) Nonetheless, Lewis thinks that I am going overboard. I don't think so!

On your mark, get set.....

Well she is almost out of the starting gate. NyCee has learned how to turn onto her knees from a sitting position. Once she's in position, she has no idea what comes next but she is getting there.

Last weekend, she was spotted scooting backwards off of her blanket.

When she finally gets wind of how to crawl forward my house will never be the same. Baby gates, bumper guards, cabinet locks, etc. Does Walmart make decorative accessories that will match my furniture? It is bad enough her toys are everywhere but must the safety equipment clash even more?

If you cook it, they will come

On Saturday, my family came in from Michigan to visit for the weekend. The kids (Ce-Cee, Kari, and Taliyah) have never been to Georgia. They were so excited after the plane ride and of course to see NyCee.

We had an early Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday. In attendance, were my grandfather Ollie and his wife Ms. Martha (from Alabama), cousins Clem and his wife from San Francisco (they currently live in Georgia but will be moving back to SFO by year's end) and the twins (Nia and Imani). We had a house full but a very festive time.


Taliyah did an awesome job of playing big cousin to the twins. They were comfortable and followed her around every where she went. They had a great time.

Ce-Cee and Kari joined in the fun also. They played a game titled, "Which twin is who?" Despite the fact that they were wearing different shirts (Nia is in white and Imani is in pink), no one could tell them apart. If you don't know them, Nia and Imani will trick you.


Overall, the weekend was a blast. Unfortunately, our time ended too soon and everyone had to return home.

17 minute meal

Steak 5 minutes on the George Forman Grill
Sweet Corn 5 minutes in the microwaveable bag
Rice 7 minutes.

I think I have Rachael Ray beat. Does it count if 2 of the 3 items are in a bag?

Progress Report

My Aunt Nita sent several suggestions to me regarding the, "Party over here" blog. In that blog, I spoke of how NyCee was up until 2:30a.m.one night. I am glad to report that was a single incident. But she was concerned that NyCee was not napping properly throughout the day and she does. She generally takes 2 or 3 naps, no longer than 1 1/2 hours at a time. I have no idea why she was up at that time of the night.

Sometimes I feel like a bad mother. In the blog, "Little Whitney" I teased her about liking her cold medicine a little too much. Well, as it turned out, she actually had a double ear infection which is why the cold medicine was nothing more than kool-aid to her. The only reason that I discovered she had an infection in both ears was because she woke up last Thursday morning with icky green mucus coming out of her nose. It looked like the blob. I took her to the doctor on Friday and that is when I was told of her condition. I am ashamed to report that she had been congested for a week. Why didn't I take her to the doctor? Because I didn't want to bother anyone. But she is much better now.

The moral of the story. I pay for health insurance so I need to use it. Especially for my little one.

Dayna "Rachael Ray, Jr" Thompson

The food network airs a program entitled "30 Minute Meals" with Rachael Ray. That means in the time it takes you to watch her program, she will have made a delicious and healthy meal from start to finish. Well, last night, I took a stab at making a 30 minute meal. Spaghetti and Meatballs, with salad and bread. Easy right? Sure. I looked up the recipe for meatballs and the spaghetti was easy. Unlike Rachael, I did not make my own sauce. That is why God invented Prego Jar Spaghetti Sauce.

Moving right along, I made the meatballs and popped them in the 450 degree pre-heated oven. I had my pasta pot boiling, sauce cooking in a another pan, I diced the tomatoes, eggs, and cucumbers, opened a bag of already cut romaine lettuce and within 20 minutes, my meal was half way done. I threw my pasta into the pot which was at a rapid boil and patted myself on the back. Well that pat was a little too soon. I forgot to put the cresent rolls in the oven and they take 19 minutes to cook. Fi-dinkle-doo!

Oh, well it was my first time making a 30 minute meal. My meal turned out to be 45 minutes, due to the cresent rolls, but it was quite tasty. Proud of myself I am!

Oops...I did it again!

I enrolled in a mini-session course this quarter and it began yesterday. As usual, I logged into the course and printed out all the necessary information. Later that evening, I sat down in preparation of completing the first assignment. I listened to the lecture and followed along with the PowerPoint presentations. As I prepared to complete the first assignment, I began flipping through the book for the section which pertained to the question. I looked in the table of contents, the glossary, and the index section. But I was unable to locate the information. Frustrated, I walked away from the desk and a voice inside said, "Look at the cover of the book." So I walked back and flipped to the front of the book. It read, "Business Ethics." I am enrolled in "Principles of Management." See the problem? Further, I have had this book in my possesion for two weeks and it never dawned on me that it was the wrong book. I am enrolled in a Business Ethics course for Winter, so when I placed the order for the book, that was the schedule I used.

It gets better. I don't know how to return the book because I don't have the invoice that came with it as I threw it away. If I keep the book, they may not use it next quarter so I will have to buy a new book. This was truly the wrong session to make this mistake. The mini-session crams 12 weeks worth of work into 6 weeks so I am already behind. Oops, there went $69.50 down the drain.

In the morning

Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed my little tater tot in her bed with the sunlight shining through the window. She has slept in her bed for the past three nights--ALL NIGHT!

I know that many of you are concerned because she is on her stomach and the doctors tell you to lay infants on their backs. Well, my mom laid me on my stomach and I am fine. NyCee sleeps peacefully in this position. On her back, she tosses and turns all night, thus waking herself up at 3:30a.m.

For all of you who are yet without children, you are thinking, "What is the big deal?" But trust and believe that when you have a child, you will relish moments like these.

Carefree

Looking at NyCee I often times wonder why we rush to grow up. When we are 4 we want to be 5, when we are 12 we want to be 13, when we are 20 we want to be 21 and so on. But why? Is it because we have the constant feeling that something is missing? Or there is something greater at the next age? Let's study NyCee. Here she sits 7 months old in a bib that does not match her pajamas, braids all over her head, chewing on a toy which has been God only knows where, with just the slightest bit of mucus running from her nose. She is just enjoying the moment and does not have a care in the world.

What a wonderful life!

Little Whitney?

NyCee seems to enjoy taking her cold medication a little too much. When she sees me coming, she begins smiling, laughing, and rolling around the bed. As I begin preparing the medication for her to ingest, she puckers up and then gets mad when it is all gone. What is that about?

My child is strung out on grape Children's Tylenol. What's next? The Dora the Explorer Vitamins!

Like Father, Like Daughter

I guess NyCee is preparing to take reign when her father relinquishes his throne.

Will I ever be able to get rid of that chair? Although I must admit it is comfortable. I have been caught snoozing in it a couple of times.

Party over here

NyCee's normal bed time is between 11:30pm and 12:00am. I can hear all the mothers out there yelling, "What? Are you crazy? You let her stay up that late!" There is a reason for this decision. If I put her to sleep at 8:00 or 8:30pm, she will wake up about 3:30am. The later she stays up, the greater the probability that she will make it through the night.

Sunday night I spent quite a while on the phone with a friend. NyCee played quietly either on the floor or in her exersaucer. Then she began to screech and cry out for attention. My friend realized that it was about 10:30 p.m. and asked if she was still up. I told her yes and explained my reasons for letting her stay up. Well NyCee began to rub her eyes and scratch her ears letting me know that she was ready to go to sleepy town. As my conversation was winding down, NyCee feel asleep. I disconnected the call and arose from the couch to carry her upstairs. The next thing I hear is, "Hi daddy's baby." I looked at her and she is wide awake. I thought, no big deal she will go back to sleep once we get upstairs.

At 2:30am she was still wide awake rolling around on my bed laughing and playing. Several times, I tried to put her back to sleep by attempting to fake her out. I would lay down next to her and close my eyes pretending to be asleep. I would open my eyes to find my child staring at me and then laughing. Finally, I turned off the TV and the lights and she went to sleep. In my bed.

Last night, she slept all night in her bed. Praises to the Most High King! Yippee! I of course, woke up a couple of times to check on her. But there she was sound asleep IN HER BED! I actually had to wake her up this morning for daycare. Progress. We are making progress. I relish the small successes as they bring great joy to my soul!

Moral Dilemma

Every Saturday night, I set the alarm for 6:30 am with the intent of attending Sunday morning church services. Yet, when the alarm sounds, I turn it off and go back to sleep. I justify this by saying to myself, “Self.” Myself answers, “Yes.” I do attend services on Wednesday night. Wednesday night service is just like Sunday morning service. It has corporate prayer, praise and worship, ministry of the word, offering, etc. I enjoy Wednesday night service because pastor is not so rushed. On Sundays, he preaches three (3) services. So the 8:00am service must stay on time in order to keep him on time for the rest of the day.

My struggle lies in the fact that I beat myself up every Sunday about this. Is my justification of going on Wednesday okay? I think not because otherwise it would not be a struggle. Basically, I find it really hard to get up and function at 6:30am because I don’t work anymore. I think I just solved my dilemma: Get up and go to church on Sunday morning.

7 months old today

My little girl is 7 months old today and is so alert, smart, and funny. She laughs when I smell her bottom to see if she made poopie. She enjoys peek-a-boo and singing along with me to made up songs. She knows the difference between her toys and the remote control or my cell phone. ( I try to psych her out--no deal). She screeches when she wants to leave her play pen or exersaucer. She refuses to sleep in her own bed. Everytime I lay her down, the internal radar wakes her up and she begins crying. She throws her clothes around the room when they have just been washed, dried and placed on the bed for folding. She splashes water all over my bathroom during bath time. And the list continues. But through it all, I wouldn't trade her for all the gold in the world. (Don't let that cute innocent face fool you).

Well, maybe I would consider it for ALL the gold in the world. Okay, just joking! She is truly priceless.

Why?

Why can't she do this

in here?

I know that I am partially to blame as I just put her in the bed with me if she wakes up in the middle of the night, but she goes right back to sleep. Ever since her little cold, she has not been sleeping through the night. I don't know why. I wouldn't mind her sleeping in my bed if she did not spead out like an eagle as if she owned the place. It is a king size bed. One would think that all three of us could fit. Think again!

And today she cursed

As apart of my Christian development and walk, I have decided that I will not use swear words. (I really had a potty mouth. Especially after the treatment received by my former employer.) But today, I let the customer service representative at Directv get the best of me.

I called last Friday to cancel a portion of our service. I do not watch the movie channels, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc. so I felt that it was a waste of $33.00 a month. The representative stated that because I was a seasoned customer I was eligible to receive a DVR for free. I agreed and scheduled the installation date for today between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 12:00p.m. The technicians arrived around 10:30a.m. and completed the work. Unlike cable, Directv has to be activated with a code by the techs. When the technician called in to the service center, the rep wanted to speak with me. I get on the phone and the rep says, "Ms. Thompson, I am sorry but I can not activate the service because your account is past due." I reply, "Excuse me? I paid the bill on line and have the confirmation number as proof of payment."

After an hour on the phone, the customer resolution specialist told me that she could not activate the service and that if I could not afford to make the payment, then the service would be cancelled. Now I am 48 HOT! I just told Ruby, the representative, that I made the payment and I feel that because I am an established customer, my record should speak for itself. She just kept saying, "I'm sorry....Unfortunately." I finally told her, "Do not say sorry to me anymore as it was annoying me." I told Ruby that when the order was placed for the upgrade, the agent should have disclosed then that a payment to the balance must post prior to installation of a new service. I would have scheduled the installation for later in the week. Ruby could not seem to get that through her head. I finally told her that if this problem was not rectified by tomorrow at 12:19p.m. which was exactly 24 hours from the time of our conversation, I would cancel my service and the tech's could come and pick up all this S**t! Ruby told me that I can not cancel my service because of my commitment to the company. "What about Directv's commitment to me the customer?"

Well, now the only problem is that cable is not available in my area. So I have no choice but to stay with them until cable becomes available. I am going to make them compensate me for my wasted time. The tech's had to take back the box and now I have to reschedule. I know that I am a stay-at-home mom but I have to study during the day. Thus is why NyCee goes to daycare. A complete waste of 6 hours of my day! Darn Directv! Darn no cable available! Darn the fact that I must continuously give my money to a company that treats me so poorly! Does anyone have a pair of rabbit ears?

So Disappointed

I am so disappointed with Flavor Flav. Why? Because he told New York that once again her time was up. He based this decision on the fact that she was "dramatical." Did you see season 1? She is exactly the same person. I feel as though he just ripped off the band-aid and poured alcohol in the wound.

Why did he give her a clock and ask her back in to the competition? It was probably for the ratings. One piece of advice to New York: Screw me once shame on you. Screw me twice shame on me. Let him go New York. Let Flav go!

Simple Things..Will I ever get them?

In a past blog, I explained that I did not know the purpose of the little red stick on the side of the mailbox. These next two stories will serve as evidence that some people have trouble grasping simplicity.

1. I sat down to pay our bills and there are some that I pay on-line and others I mail checks. Our water bill is a payment that has to receive a check. So for the past 9 months, I have been writing the check, placing it with the bill in the envelope, placing a stamp on the envelope, and mailing it.

One day, I had to go to the bank which is approximately two minutes from our house. As I approached the bank, I noticed a building a little offset from the road titled, "Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority." Why is that important? Because it dawned on me that I had been mailing the payment around the corner. I'm telling you the truth. I crack myself up sometimes. I have wasted 9 stamps mailing a payment around the corner. Well, if you think that is funny, just wait until you read the next story.

2. NyCee battled her first real cold a few days ago. The infant Tylenol was not dealing with her symptoms so I bought the Children's version as it addresses each symptom. The problem: children's Tylenol comes with a dispensing cup.

At her age, she uses a syringe to receive the medication. The instruction stated that for her weight she should receive 1.25 mL per dose. So I called my mother, the math wizard, to get help with converting 1.25 mL to either 0.4mL or 0.8mL. My mother asked me a couple of times for the measurements and then gently explained that I would simply add .4 and .8 to get 1.20mL. Because they are the same unit of measure, no conversion is necessary. Or, "You could just pour the medicine in the cup, suck it up in the syringe, and administer it that way" she says gently.

I paused and broke into hysterical laughter as that never dawned on me. Simplicity--how does it allude me?

A Little Ray of Sunshine

I received word from my family in Michigan that it is snowing there today. My cousin in Minnesota stated that the weather person is predicting snow there this week also. I decided to send them a beautiful blue sky to lift their moods....

and a little ray of sunshine to warm their hearts.

Hope this helps!

My first restless night

My cousin Cari is a wife, mother of three, marathon runner, and graduate student. Yep, you guessed it, she is a busy woman. She often tells stories of how her little ones wake up in the middle of the night Max (2) demanding milk and Ella (10 months) well just demanding something. But they are so cute that I just imagine their little eyes looking up at Cari at 3:30a.m. saying, "But mommy I really needed you."

I would read her stories and be sympathetic to her plight but never really understood it as NyCee has slept through the night since coming home from the hospital. Well, that came to a screeching halt last night. NyCee suffered her first REAL cold last night. Sneezing, coughing, cold in the eyes so bad that they were almost sealed shut, chest congestion, you name it. But she was a little trooper and not too fussy.

I went to Target and bought cold medicine for her. I gave it to her about 9:00p.m. thinking that it wouldn't kick in until about 10:00p.m. WRONG! She fell asleep 15 minutes later. She did not have her cereal or bottle.

12:30a.m. she began crying so I went to her room and brought her to bed with me.
2:30 a.m she woke herself up tossing and turning.
4:30 a.m. she woke up sneezing and coughing. I gave her another dose of medicine as the 6 hour mark had passed.
Finally she went back to sleep around 5:30a.m. Keep in mind, I have to wake her up at 8:30a.m. to take her to the daycare.

Cari, I feel your pain. Now I completely understand how tired you are the next day.

Is this what most new mothers go through? Thank God on the throne that He saw fit to give me a wonderful child that did not torture me in such a way. Praise be unto Jesus! Praise be unto Jesus!

A Baby Knows

I recently told you about NyCee's food introduction process. She did extremely well with all the foods that I purchased except one--Green Peas. I really didn't think that a baby would have food likes and dislikes. I know that sounds weird but as I think about it--that makes sense. You and I do not like certain foods because of the taste. A baby is the same way.

At first, I thought that she wasn't hungry because she would shut her lips tight when I tried to feed her. (I should have taken a picture because it is just too cute). But realizing how late in the evening it was, I knew that she had to be hungry. So I made her a bowl of cereal and she ate it all. Then she had her prunes as a snack and got mad when I stopped feeding her. (I only give her 1/2 the jar at a feeding).

The day before my husband told me that she didn't like the peas. But I can not take his word at face value when it comes to her eating vegetables because it is like pulling teeth to get him to eat his vegetables. So I have concluded that I will not force her to eat the peas. The only problem though, is her diet needs to consists of green vegetables. I'll try green beans. Maybe she will take to those.

I'll let you know.

And now I know

Since its purchase, I have been trying to figure out why I spent so much money on a bassinet that became a toy chest instead of a place for slumber. I knew that it had to have a real purpose and it was up to me to discover the potential of this treasure.

And now I know.

Need I say more?

Taste Test

NyCee is in the stage of food introduction. I bought several varieties of vegetables and fruits for her to try and to ensure that she does not have food allergies. I give her the same food for 4 days in a row and then we move on to another kind. For example, Monday-Thursday she will have squash. Friday-Monday she will have peas, so on and so forth.

I also decided to try oatmeal cereal. She has been getting rice cereal since she was about 3 months old. Last night, I mixed the cereal with the formula in preparation to feed her dinner. At the same time, I was watching Project Runway 3 so Lewis said, "I'll feed her." I placed the mixed cereal and bottle of remaining formula next to him. NyCee was in her chair eating and I plopped down on the loveseat and continued watching my program. Then I heard, "UGH! That is nasty!" So, I turned to see my husband with baby oatmeal cereal on his lips and a frowned up face. I broke out in laughter and asked, "Did you taste that?" He replied, "Yeah, it tastes like crap!" I told him that he can not say things like that because NyCee needs to eat her food and not be turned off by his facial expressions.

So he tried to grin and bare it while telling her that it was good. You can only imagine what his face looked like.

I guess NyCee is not the only one in the house going through the food introduction process.

Holding her own

Last night, I caught NyCee holding her own bottle. About three weeks ago, she started sitting up by herself.

Now that she has mastered these two skills, if I can get her to give herself a bath, iron her clothes, wash, dry and fold her own laundry, clean the bottles, make her own food, feed herself, and clean up afterward...I will be on a roll!

One step at a time. One step at a time.

Thar' she blows

In my opinion, NyCee has an excessive amount of toys for a 6 month old. Lately, I have focused on buying educational and developmental toys. I not only want it to entertain her but to teach a concept as well.

One would think that by being surrounded with all of these toys, she would take advantage of this. By matching the wooden pegs to the appropriate shape or,

reading one of the books from her little library collection, or

using the building blocks that contain letters, numbers and a little mirror so she can recongize her features.
But why ever would she want to use these things to entertain herself when she can blow spit bubbles?

She actually becomes more entertained has she gains force to cause her saliva to projectile across the room.

Harvard Medical School here she comes.