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!