"The Amazing Life of Zakiah Camille"

I Heart Target's Dresses

2011-02-03T21:44:00.009-05:00

Zakiah spent the past weekend with her second family (close Church friend's house who Zakiah truly sees as her family especially since they have a son and daughter who she loves to play with). I forgot to pack up her Sunday dress so asked my friend if she can find her a nice dress to wear to Church that's anything BUT pink or purple. She said sure, no problem. Well, when I saw Zakiah after Sunday School, she had on this gorgeous white and blue polka dot dress with a hot pink bow. What an awesome combination! Of course it had to come from Target because Target makes some of the CUTEST dresses for little girls. I haven't been there recently to see what is out for little girls, but I know a couple months ago, they had some really pretty winter dresses on sale.

Target never fails even when Zakiah fails to smile for the camera...

Still ignoring me...

Dada's little girl. They were so coordinated Sunday. Love it!

Blowing Away the Dust on This Blog

2011-01-29T18:13:00.005-05:00

Man, it is dusty in here...been too long, but guess who is back?! Zakiah! Do you even recognize this 'once ago' little baby? Well, this 19 year old toddler is not so little anymore and is constantly on the GO. We both have been doing WELL and SO much has happened since our last update back in May (yeah, ages ago). Zakiah is in daycare, I am back in school finishing up, and Joshua finally 'put a ring on it'...yep, I'm engaged! :)

I even managed to find time to run a jewelry shop on Etsy:
BE.adifully YOU.nique Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry

I miss blogging so much but time seems to disappear more and more as Zakiah gets older. You can catch me on Twitter, which I absolutely have enjoyed since first joining back in November. Here is my profile page: BEadifullYOUniq

I peeped around some of the other mommy blogs I used to read up on and I canNOT believe how big the 'babies' are! Such a beautiful thing! God is good!

Well, this is just a quick drop in but I hope everyone who reads this is doing well!

Until next time and hopefully not next year (lol)...

Be blessed and Be.You.Always!

We are out...

Yeah. We Have Been Away Too Long!

2010-05-06T05:59:00.000-04:00

Ever since Zakiah has been walking at the March, our lives have definitely not been the same. Walking brings on a whole new set of adventures for Zakiah, challenges for mommy, and even more opportunities for us both to really get out and do things outside the house.

This girl LOVES to walks and run and walk and run. She loves to chase mommy and daddy and loves when we chase her too. She is so full of giggles and laughter when on her own two feet. She keeps me on edge most times.

I miss blogging and I miss my blogger friends. Life has taken over for the moment so I haven't had as much time to keep my blog updated. I have a million things running through my mind and a girl running a million times back and forth from the kitchen pantry to the couch. I have been really focused on taking better care of myself. I am tired of being heavier than I have ever been so ever since April 1st, I have been exercising at least 5 to 6 times a week and went down from 173 to 165 pounds. My goal is to be at least 160 by my birthday next month. My ultimate goal is to get down to 135-140 by the end of this year.

I also got back into grad school to finish my Masters this fall! So I am mentally preparing for my return.

Still looking for employment. Haven't been as consistent with my search like I want to because of things going on but I have been looking and know I will be employed sometime this year because my God is more than able.

I am looking into day care and it is a tedious process. Plus day care is so friggin expensive. Crazy! But once again, my God is more than able.

Ok, there is so much I want to say but I need to go back to sleep. I miss everyone and want to let you know that we are ok! I am still taking pictures and video clips of Zakiah everyday so I am not missing a beat. Even though Zakiah is my baby, she really acts like a toddler to me ever since she started walking. She is joy to watch grow and I am so grateful to be able to spend the first year of her life with her. I might not get this chance again in the future so I am cherishing this experience to the fullest.

Gosh, time to plan for her first birthday next month! Bananas! Home girl will soon be stuffing cake in her mouth AND saying bye to the booby for ever. Bittersweet.

Happy early first Mother's Day to all the first time mommies and happy early Mother's Day to all the seasoned mommies out there! Hope Sunday will be very special to all of us.

I am not making anymore promises when I will update again but hope not to be away for a whole month again.

Take care!

Can Friday Come Any Sooner??? Happy Friday Follow!

2010-04-02T00:04:00.003-04:00

Ugh!!!!

I can't believe I let another week go by without posting on my blog. So much has transpired since my last post.

I went to a career fair on Friday to meet with some recruiters from several local biotechnology companies. It was an invitation only career fair (oo la la) so that made me feel somewhat special. I was able to really interact with several recruiters so I felt like this career fair was pretty much productive on my part. No, I didn't get any offers but I am more confident about my job search and expanding my network.

After that, my advisor from a summer internship way back in the day (2004 to be exact) finally responded to an email I sent him at the beginning of the month. I was afraid he didn't remember me since it has been so long but I just wanted to touch base on the status of the project I worked on while at University of Virgina (I LOVE that school!). He stated he definitely remember me and said that the research I worked on was wrapped up some time ago and that he is working on a paper that he has me listed at the second author! That is pretty good in my book to have my name published on a paper involving a project I only worked on during the summer. We will see how this paper plays out. Would be a nice addition to my resume...::smiles::

On Saturday, I went to a baby shower out of town. So that was a busy event in itself that lasted a few hours and left me drained. Sunday is Church day so I went to 8am morning service, did a little grocery shopping, ate dinner with some friends, headed to 4pm service, attended a birthday social, and finally went home.

So there goes my weekend. Sorry Erin for not getting back in touch with you about getting help with my blog design.

Anyway, this week was busy, busy, busy. Not going to get into the details to bore you anymore. I did manage to get some new bows posted on my Etsy shop! I finally got around to making my flower hair bows for the spring!

They are so cute! Zakiah gets compliments from lots of women about her bows (when she keeps them on her head long enough to be seen...lol).

Oh, and speaking of Zakiah...

She took her FIRST steps on Tuesday.

::tears::

My baby is walking. What more can I say?

She is ENJOYING her new ability. She squeals with delight when she steps (more like launches) toward me and Josh. So freaking amazing!!! So much joy! I love my baby!

Oh, and she cut her 7th tooth with tooth number 8 on the way.

Happy Friday Follow! I am pooped so I am going to bed (Finally)

Side note: Why must Zakiah get up at 6:30 in the morning? This is killing me (ok, not really) but I really need to learn how to go to bed earlier. Ugh!

Side note 2: I will try to post up a video of Zakiah taking her first steps sometime today.

Until then...be blessed!

Friday Follow Topic: To Coupon or Not To Coupon

2010-03-25T23:41:00.003-04:00

When I go to grocery store shopping, I notice two distinct groups of people: those who use coupons and those who do not.

For a long time, I was one of those people who never gave a second thought to using coupons.

Now, I RARELY go shopping without them.

FYI...coupons=money!

Let me share my reason why I have to have those little pieces of papers:

Ok, so Harris Teeter is a fairly large grocery store chain in NC (and VA, I think). This week, they are having this huge triple coupon event, where they triple the face value of coupons up to $0.99. So essentially you can save up to $2.97 with a coupon, although I never seen a $0.99 coupon. Anyway, this means you can rack up on a lot of free and cheap stuff. Check out Southern Savers for an extensive list of free and cheap products you can get with coupons.

So I made my third trip to Harris Teeter today (because they only triple up to 20 coupons per day) and got some 2 packages of butter, mustard, relish, 4-pack of Dannon yogurt, 4 packs of rice, barbeque sauce, and two packs of gum. My total would have been around $25 before coupons. After my coupons were scanned, the receipt showed that Harris Teeter owed me $0.12! HA HA.

This was a first and the cashier and I looked at each other with confused looks. She did not know what to do but I knew that I could not get cash back. The manager had to come over and override something and told me to have a nice day after giving me my receipt. I didn't think my total would come out to be free. I thought I at least had to pay taxes. I am still confused how this played out but of course, I am not complaining.

I walked right on out with my free items.

I heart coupons. So much better than monopoly money! :)

If you want to hop on the couponing bandwagon, check out deals around your area at Hot Coupon World. You will be amazed how much money you are spending on your favorite items when you really do not need to do so.

Zakiah got her first balloon today. Harris Teeter gives away free balloons for the children. She had a good time playing with it.

So my question is do you use coupons or not?

If you do, what influenced you to start using them?

If you do not, why not?

Do you think it is worth the time and effort of clipping and sorting and being called the crazy coupon lady by the long line of customers behind you waiting for the cashier to scan your pile of coupons? LOL

Happy Friday Follow!

Z and Her First Balloon!

2010-03-25T23:23:00.003-04:00

It was such a nice day today! Too bad tomorrow will be cooler and rainy. Zakiah was such a good sport while we went grocery shopping today.

Don't you love her new shoes? These are her first pair ever bought by her grandpa (my dad). She wore them for the first time this past Saturday. Before then, she never wore a pair of shoes because we didn't think they were necessary.

With all the cute sandals coming out for the spring and summer, we could not wait any longer to put her in some shoes especially since she is really trying to walk. We got a silver pair too to go with her plethora of spring and summer dresses. Cannot wait to dress her up!

Fun, Fun!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-24T19:40:00.003-04:00

The first picture is from Zakiah's first pediatrician visit. She basically slept during the entire appointment. Can't believe we were able to wrap her in a receiving blanket.

9 months later and 13 pounds heavier, she was alert, active, and playful as ever at her appointment yesterday. No shots this time but the doc said the next set of shots will probably be a doozy.

Until then though, we are all smiles!

Oh, and her receiving blankets turned into burp cloths to wash cloths to clean up cloths. I guess they serve their purpose of receiving a lot of "stuff".

It is Looking Funky in Here!

2010-03-23T14:38:00.002-04:00

I am redesigning my blog for the Spring. Please bear with me for a few days until I figure out what I want to do. Thanks!

Oh, Zakiah had her 9th month check up today. All is well and she is a healthy 19lbs and 4oz. She is 27.50 inches so she is about average height. So glad no shots were administered today. Yay for no tears!

Today Was Good BUT Tomorrow WILL Be Better

2010-03-19T22:58:00.001-04:00

I am talking about the weather.
It was NICE today.
And guess what?
Mid to Upper 70s tomorrow.
And guess what else?
My 'rents are coming up tomorrow (supposedly) lol
Can't wait!
Spring is here!
(finally)
Still no computer access so hopefully tomorrow I will do a real post and follow back my new followers (that sounded a little off, oh well).
Have a great weekend and first of spring!

Friday Follow Topic: To Spank or NOT to Spank--What's your take?

2010-03-18T23:17:00.002-04:00

I was trying to figure out what post I can write up to submit for tomorrow's Friday Follow visitors. One of the topics on my mind is whether to spank or not to spank. Josh and I have been discussing how we will go about disciplining Zakiah when she misbehaves. There are so many conflicting views on the matter. My questions to my readers are:

Do (will) you spank you child? Why or why not?

If you don't spank, how do you discipline your child?

What age do you think is appropriate to start disciplining your child?

I will start with these three questions. Hope to get a good input from you readers.

Much appreciated from both seasoned and unseasoned parents.

Please feel free to check out these:

My Labor and Delivery of Zakiah Camille (Video)

Watch the Zakiah's grand entrance into this world!

Visit my Uniquely Chic Bowtique

Find beautifully handmade hair bows for your baby girl

Followers get 10% off their first order

Is This Going to Be My Life Everyday?

2010-03-18T16:45:00.001-04:00

Is 9 months too early to explaining the importance of picking up your toys???

Just kidding (kind of)

But just an update on Zakiah. She is doing fine. The swelling and redness has gone down a lot just like we prayed for last night.

God is good! I cannot deny that!

I appreciate all the wonderful comments you ladies left me in the previous posts. You know how to make a mommy feel better!

“You are STILL a Really Good Mom”

2010-03-18T01:21:00.000-04:00

Those were Josh's words as he consoled me after putting Zakiah to bed.

Ok, let's rewind.

When Josh got to apartment from work, Zakiah was so happy to see him! It is like she knows by now when the door opens around 5ish, she knows daddy is back. She almost always crawl toward him and forget about me. So cute.

Such a daddy's little girl. I would know.

So daddy saw the boo boo and picked up his little girl to hug her and get a closer look. I felt bad and irresponsible because one of the last things you want to come back from a long day of work is seeing your baby got hurt (see the previous post). He took her by his job (works at a medical center) and was able to get one of his coworkers to get Zakiah all cleaned up and bandaged. Josh said that Z was a good sport while she was getting fixed up.

Hence the picture.

So when they got back, Zakiah was still being Zakiah as usual (which is of course a great thing). When I called her pediatrician shortly after the accident, the advice nurse told me to monitor her behavior to see if she starts to act differently. Not something I want to see but know it is something important to catch especially after a head injury. Like I said, all was normal all the way up to the time I put her to bed thank goodness!

Still cannot help to be a little paranoid though.

After I got her to bed, I was still SO upset at myself that I asked Josh if we can just pray right then for Zakiah. I had so many thoughts running through my head from Zakiah's accident that I needed comfort. As we prayed, tears just started to flow down. I just hope all will be ok.

Josh wiped my tears away (aw moment) and assured me it will be because God is looking over Z. Then a little while later, he told me I am a really good mom.

I love this guy so much!

He checked on Zakiah before he left for the night and said everything looks fine. He will come back in the morning to change her bandage and check up on her before going to work.

Hopefully the swelling will be down in the morning. I will keep you posted.

Pray for her please and pray for me.

Thanks!

A Sad Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

This is my first ever wordless Wednesday so I am not going to say much. Just that Z bumped her head on the corner of the coffee table today and got a bad little gash on her forehead. She cried for a few minutes and was back to normal. I still feel horrible.

Bad mommy moment.

Sorry, I Just HAD to Post This Video!

2010-03-16T16:08:00.002-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Zakiah is getting much stronger in her legs. She can support her weight on her legs very well and is getting better with her walking coordination when assisted. Sorry if you got dizzy watching the video. We were kind of going in circles. :)

Zakiah Update!

2010-03-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

Attention folks!

Madame Z has discovered a new skill.

She has learned how to open up cabinet doors AND pull stuff out.

She is really learning things at an alarming rate. She can walk really well assisted and cruise like a pro.

She is fast and fearless.

I see really fun times ahead of us around the corner!

Oh, and she is really interacting with her toys now. Not just banging on them or watching them light up. She is actually focusing on pushing buttons to see what reaction/effect will come up from her action.

She is so bright...not saying that because she is my child but because she just is. Others notice that about her too.

I love this girl so much. God, you gave me a great blessing! Thanks over and over again!

::tears:: Please Pray for Layla Grace's Family...

2010-03-12T23:39:00.000-05:00

...for the loss of their precious 2 year old girl. I happened to see a post about her and spent the last hour reading about her story on her blog, reading through the heart wrenching tweets from the past week leading up to her passing away, and browsing through 165 pictures that captured her beauty and strength. She had stage 4 cancer and passed away on Tuesday. So sad. Her family needs prayers. I can't even imagine how hard this is for them. It is heart ripping when babies suffer. ::tears::

So glad you are safe in heaven with God, Layla. May you rest in peace!

http://laylagrace.org/

Today Has Been A Great Day!

2010-03-12T22:30:00.001-05:00

I got a load of clothes washed.

I got a few more hair bows posted on my Etsy shop.

I got my first sale today thanks to Erin @ The Bailey Family!

I won several auctions over at ebay for some more ribbon at really great prices (and free shipping).

I completed my upper body circuit training, which I have started on this Monday. I am alternating between upper body training (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and lower body training (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday). I guess I am getting stronger...lol. I get sore the day after so I am assuming I am doing something right).

I ate a delicious healthy dinner prepared by Josh. Praise God he knows how to cook and ENJOYS cooking. Praise God AGAIN! LOL

I found someone to watch Zakiah for 6 hours tomorrow so I can have a break...woohoo! LOL

I got a few new followers from Follow Friday! I will follow you all back tomorrow if I haven't already. I am blogged out right now.

And on that note, I am signing off. My bedtime for some reason is around 10ish. Every night, I just shut down around that time (which is right now). I guess Zakiah getting up at 6ish in the morning kind of shifted my sleeping schedule a bit. Hopefully day light savings time will put things kind of in order BUT I am not sure how to deal with the fact that it will be straight daylight when I put Z to bed. We are not used to that so this may be interesting. Hopefully she can still go to sleep with a little light outside for an hour or two before it gets dark.

Here is a slide show of some pictures from the past two weeks. Enjoy!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thank Goodness It Is Friday!

2010-03-12T01:43:00.000-05:00

It has been a long week! I have been working on my Etsy website and is baffled on how much work it takes to set the whole thing up! It took me a whole day just to figure out what my shop policies are. Geez! Maybe it is just me and the fact that this is my first store and I want everything to go right.

Then it is taking good quality pictures of my bows that is taking forever because I had to play with the camera and lighting to attempt to get the best shots and angles of each bow without too much shadow in the picture.

Next it is editing each picture to put my Etsy name on it to help reduce the chance of someone copying and pasting my pictures somewhere else.

Then it is listing each item on the website which seems to take 30 minutes per item because you have to list so much info on the item you are selling before publishing live on your site.

Not to mention I have a wild silly girl tugging at my leg and pulling at every cord from the laptop.

I got a few items posted and hopefully will get the rest posted by the end of today.

Here is my unfinished shop web address:

www.uniquelychicbowtique.etsy.com

Things are subject to change around until I get everything posted and finalized. I will post again when all is done!

Hope everyone had a great week. It is FINALLY getting warmer, yay!

I will catch up on your blogs soon.

Oh, Zakiah learned how to clap as of last Thursday and knows to clap either when I say 'clap clap' or when I start to sing patty cake. It is so awesome. She also knows how to wave bye bye by flapping her left hand up and down. She is so cute!

Will do a better Zakiah update later. It is late.

Finally It Is March!

2010-03-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

Meaning Spring starts this month and we spring forward an hour for daylight savings time. I am not sure how that will affect Zakiah's sleeping pattern when the days get longer since she sleeps almost 12 hours straight at night. I don't know. I will tackle that when it comes.

I forgot to mention that Zakiah ate some small pieces of turkey sausage on Saturday evening. She loved it but boy did her diaper smell horrible from it! She likes blueberry pancakes just like her daddy!

I am typing from my blackberry so it is boy really that convenient for me to update my post about the bows right now. Hopefully I will get to it tomorrow. Thanks Erin for your compliment on my bows and your support! I will definitely let you know when I get everything set up on Etsy! Happy 6 months to your precious Clint! His eyes are gorgeous!

Happy 6 months to Gemma! You are doing a great job Kacie! I can tell she is a very active baby!

Well I am pooped so I am signing off. Some friends from Church hosted a Breakfast for Dinner feast and I am nice and full from all that yummy food! I didn't get Zakiah to bed til nine but she didn't fuss too much at bathtime. She was active and rough as usual. LOL.

Any tips on how to teach Zakiah to hold her head back while drinking from her sippy cup? I decided to tackle this again and be more persistent this time. She never held a bottle so she hasn't got the concept of holding her own drink.

Finally, I Present to You...

2010-02-28T21:13:00.004-05:00

So, I finally found the time to take clear pictures of all the hair bows I have made so far. I have an etsy shop set up but wanted to post my hair bows on my blog first to see if I can get any feedback from you before posting them up on my etsy website. I have many more ideas for the spring but wanted to go ahead and put these out there for you to see. Every bow was handcrafted by yours truly from a pet free, smoke free home. The ends are sealed to prevent fraying. They are all attached to alligator clips that can be used in the hair alone or attached to interchangeable headbands and crochet hats. I will update this post soon with more details such as the width of the bows and description. I will do a special discount for my followers for sure. If interested in any of the bows now, follow me and leave a comment below. Earrings are coming soon. Thanks!

Daddy-Daughter Pictures!

2010-02-28T20:36:00.002-05:00

Aw, aren't they cute!

UNTIL, daddy pulls out his little Zakiah Automatic!

Can You Tell Me Where I Can Find a…

2010-02-27T07:53:00.001-05:00

…baby snoozer? Geez! It is one thing to be woken up by a long loud wail at 7:01am Monday thru Friday, but can mommy get at least ONE 15 minute SNOOZE on Saturdays???

Is that so much to ask for?

I guess so because Zakiah WILL NOT have that!

Ugh, Josh better enjoy the days of sleeping in an extra hour and waking up to an alarm clock on a Saturday morning. Better yet, he better enjoy the feature of the snooze button! I almost forgot how to use it since it has been so long. Smh

If you are wondering, in an effort to do what is right, he doesn't sleep over for the night. God blessed us with a baby that can sleep 10-13 hours STRAIGHT at night! Thank You Father! So there is really no excuse for us to put ourselves in the compromising position of spending the night together UNLESS we are going to be snowed in for the weekend. Then he stays over BUT we have our own separate sleeping destinations. Its is hard because I want to cuddle for the night but with that, temptations can stir up.

Not even trying to feel that! Saving it for our marriage bed.

But yeah, I guess I need to learn to go to bed earlier! I did manage to sleep through the night but I guess if you go to bed around 2, you can manage to sleep til 7 in the morning.
Will I ever get it together? Maybe. But I would rather find that baby snoozer!

Geez!

LOL

Well she is on the prowl. Gotta go!

I Participated in My First Friday Follow!

2010-02-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

Dag gone it! I was almost done with my original post before I somehow deleted it before it saved. So this is a modified version because I am not going to allow the devil to stop me from saying what I want to say.

So I had a great time getting to read new blogs from Friday Follow. I think this is an awesome idea and way to get to meet new bloggers out in the massive blogging community. I look forward to participating in FF next week. It is amazing how many bloggers participated in FF. Over 700 since I last checked. You never know what you will find that will strike your fancy. One new blog I came across that I found particularly hilarious is Peeling an Orange with a Screwdriver. This mom keeps it real and real amusing. If you ever need some pick me up raw humor, stop by her blog.

Thanks to all the bloggers who stopped by to read my previous personal post and offer their comments. I followed each one of you back who left a comment and followed my blog. You all are so sweet and I appreciate your encouragement!

Nothing too much happened out the usual today. Zakiah was as active as usual and I was trying as hard as I can to have enough energy to deal with all her silliness. I forgot to mention yesterday how Zakiah got from a sitting position to a standing position all on her own for the first time. No pulling up, no additional assistance. Right before our eyes, she just got up and stood for a few seconds. We were amazed! One of the coolest things about that moment was that Josh got to experience seeing one of Zakiah's first with his very own eyes. No hearing about this secondhand from me. The amazement in his eyes was priceless! I am so glad he was there to experience this moment with me.

Oh, I have a quick praise report. You know I have to give God is praise!

Last week Friday, Josh had to go through evaluations at his job. The devil was busy working hard at his job. Well, it came to be that very false allegations were made against him by his supervisors. When Josh says he's PISSED, that is like a cuss word for us meaning that he's beyond upset. Josh is one of the nicest, most positive, and hard working individuals you will ever meet and for him to be pissed is just not right. He rarely allows work to affect him negatively especially once he gets off work. However, Josh continued to work hard this week despite the false claims made against him and God rewarded him with a huge financial blessing today! God is so good and shows that we should not be weary in good doing. Josh could have reacted so many different ways, but he continued to do what he was supposed to do although he was very upset inside. He is going to refute the evaluation and made sure he well documented every single move he performed on the job as evidence. I am praying that all is resolved in a way favorable to Josh. I am going to give God the glory ahead of time because I know God has the victory already worked out!

Well, I am going to end this post with a few pictures from today:

A little over stimulated? Maybe?

Clearly my ploy to keep her in that one spot failed because a few minutes after that picture was taken, Zakiah was back at my legs trying to attack the laptop (AGAIN):

Yes, she stays in the bathtub for way too long...

The answer to Zakiah's yeast diaper rash which has finally gone away after 7 days of treatment:

Do You See What is Missing?

2010-02-26T05:25:00.000-05:00

A ring.

First comes love (check!)
Then comes marriage (skipped)
Here comes Kristal with the baby carriage (check!)

Since I am up AGAIN in the middle of the night, I figure I express some things that have been on my mind.

I never posted on my blog how I came about finding out I was pregnant. I have a long draft I started back in November that I never went back to so we will get back to that later (or I might just offer the condensed version later in this post).

Anyway, when I am out and about with Zakiah and see another mother with her child(ren), I often find myself glancing at that one little finger to see if her significant other had "put a ring on it". Most times he had and I think to myself, "they probably did things in the right order like we are supposed to do-marriage before carriage." Sometimes I find myself 'hiding' my ring finger when around other married folks because I don't want to be judged for being the single mother.

I can't stand the terms illegitimate or out of wedlock. My baby is very much legitimate because God blessed me and Josh with her instead of with some life long or life threatening disease. God extended His grace and mercy on us and has provided so much for us and Zakiah when we least expected. Out of wedlock is a whack phrase because you don't hear married folks refer to having their children within wedlock. Such a weird term in the first place. I prefer simply the term premarital because that is how it went down. Before marriage.

Now, as a disclaimer, I am not condoning premarital sex. I believe that a couple should maintain abstinence until they say 'I Do' which is so hard to do in this twisted sexually driven society we live in. And that was what Josh and I had intended to do, but things sometimes manage to happen during some of our best efforts and intentions.

I guess I will go into my story now.

So Josh and I have been together since February 2005. Just like any other couple, we have had or share of struggles and still do. One of the hardest struggles was sexual temptations. At the time, I was not a Christian while he had been a Christian since a wee lad. In the bible, a Christian being involved with a non-Christian particularly in marriage is NOT ideal because of the fact that not only there is spiritual division but God is not fully at the foundation of the union, which can cause the relationship to crumble.

And boy, did we have our crumbling moments!

When I met Josh, he had been abstinent for 2 years. He was really trying to focus on God and do what is right. I thought that was awesome that he had been holding off for that long but unfortunately didn't respect or value his intentions. Sorry babe! Now as for me, I engaged in sexual behavior as a result of being in long term relationships which were three total before Josh. I thought of it as an act of showing love until I later learned the hard way during my 2.5 year relationship right before my involvement with Josh.

That is another story that I probably won't share. Just know that God used that relationship to get my attention and bring me closer to Him. Praise God!

So ultimately sexual temptation found its way into our relationship mainly because I (the woman) initiated it and he (being the guy who has been without for a long time) gave in and for a year, it had been a losing battle both spiritually and emotionally (something I wished my mom would have told me could happen when premarital sex is involved in a relationship).

Things got really strained as I started to see how my behavior had eventually gotten someone who was really focused on doing right to get caught up in doing the very thing he was abstaining from. Guilt and anger started to set in and I didn't like what was going on between us. I been down the same path with my previous relationships and I just couldn't continue to go down the same path with someone else.

I wanted to find Jesus. I wanted to have Him as the focus of my desires. Not flesh. So after a brief but hard break up, a mirage of conflicting emotions, and a strong desire to be whole again, God managed for Josh and I to reconcile and study more about God. April 13, 2006, after all the spiritual debates and bible studies, all the Sundays I attended Church with Josh, and all the struggles period, I was baptized into the Church of Christ.

The best move I have ever made!

I started to see things differently once I was added to Christ's Body. I started to respect my body more and realize that my body is a vessel given to me by God for Him to use to get His work done on earth. It's my responsibility to take care of it.

Sexual activity had dropped significantly between us because we both were Christians and were moving toward the same path spiritually. Don't get me wrong, we got caught up in the behavior every now but unlike before I was baptized, guilt would immediately set in following the act.

Not a good feeling to wrong God.

Two months would go between our acts. God was working in us. Josh left to go to Arizona for a year so we only engaged in the behavior during the two times I went to visit him that whole year because we simply just missed each other and wanted to enjoy the presence of each other before having to go months without seeing each other again (not a valid excuse but we REALLY did overwhelmingly miss each other and just didn't help ourselves). Once he got back to NC in 2007, we got back to the same old beat of things as they were before he left. Our last act was early January 2008 and I told him NO MORE! I can't stand the guilt anymore. I couldn't enjoy the behavior as much as I could have because God was on my mind during the act. I felt horrible and dirty.

So we held off for a long time (at least for me). Valentine's day would pass, my birthday, the hot summer months. I was on a roll! Resisting temptation! Almost 8 months have passed and I thought I got this abstinence thing down pat.

Oh, BUT September 19, 2008 came along. It was like everything slipped out the window. Temptation fell once again (particularly after I worked down to a lovely 138 pounds of beauty haha). For some reason we gave in just that easy. It was weird after being strong for so long. Now I understand how after 2 years of abstinence, Josh was able to give in. As before, I felt extremely guilty and repented immediately. I was so upset because I thought I was in control. I then realized that all this time, I relied on my own strength instead of turning to God for His strength to help me overcome my temptation. I got big headed and didn't give God the praise of getting me through as far as He did.

He showed me who is the Boss!

So I got a normal period the week after and thought I was in the clear. Whew! Now it was time to focus my attention on God and stay strong through Him.

To cut this story short already, on November 3, 2008, after a strange urge to detox my body from fair food I thought was making me feel woozy, an unexplained (at the time) super sense of smell, and a simple google search on the topic 'increased sense of smell', I found out I was pregnant. Naturally my world was shook and I will have to share how things changed in all aspects of the word in a whole other long post later.
My point I guess is that just because I am a single (in Christian term for being unmarried) mother does NOT mean I wasn't trying to save myself for marriage or that I was out there having guiltless sex with a lot or random guys. It was something we struggled with for a long time and eventually in our efforts we got caught up with one of the most difficult but rewarding blessings God graced us with-Zakiah.

It is not like I had to explained my situation to the world but if I can help someone as a result of my experience, then I am all for it. I don't mind being a walking example of how God's grace and mercy is good even when we slip and fall. You never know what a single mother went through that ultimately lead her to where she is now. She could have been raped, molested, drugged, had sex for the first time, or been married and divorced before or right after the child was born. Just because there is no ring on the finger gives anybody the right to judge anybody's situation. Just pray for that person because raising children is hard period. Married OR single. Bad intentions or good intentions. Ultimately we should want to raise our children the right way so they don't fall in the same hardships as we had to go through. That is why I quoted Proverbs at the top of my blog. We must train our children in the way the need to go so they don't depart from that way once they get older.

I love you Zakiah and don't ever want you to think I am ashamed of you! Being pregnant was not the sin. Having premarital sex was. And just because you see a couple married before having children doesn't mean they didn't engage in the same sexual behavior as those who have children and never been married. Being married doesn't make any premarital behavior any less of a sin.

Nevertheless, it has been way over a year since we have engaged in any behavior of the sort and I definitely praise God for His strength to overcome times of weakness. He knows our desire to wait until marriage before resuming the act because then it will be my duty as a wife to please my babe (yay!)

I can't wait! I have a feeling something is in the works but I pray that everything works out so the next time you see a picture of my left hand, you will see a precious piece of accessory.

::smile::

I love you Josh!

I love you Zakiah!

I love you Father!

Side note: Forgive me if you find any errors in this post. I typed it from the blackberry with my thumb in the middle of the night and now I am too tired to proof read. Thanks!

Sepia!

2010-02-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

Just playing around with the sepia effect on my phone (no flash).

8 Months Ago...

2010-02-25T04:31:00.000-05:00

...from yesterday, we brought this beautiful itty bitty baby girl home for the first time. Had no clue how to take care of a newborn but knew we had to take it one day AND night at a time. Boy, in 8 months and over 12 pounds heavier, Zakiah has changed a LOT! Sometimes I miss the days when she would just sleep 20 hours a day because now she is so active and so into everything she should not be into. But I must admit that she is so much fun! Laughing, playful, joyful. I never foresaw this in the beginning.

It has been amazing watching her grow. Now she can point her finger, put things in my mouth, give me a kiss, bounce up and down to a rhythm, slap her hand on surfaces, get down off the couch feet first, cruise laps around the coffee table at record speed, understand when I say 'come here', temporary stop what she is doing when I say no no, and eat her finger foods SO much better. When assisted, she really has the walking motion down pat. It is only a matter of time! I guess I will keep practicing with her for the time being.

She hasn't gotten anymore new teeth in yet although six is enough and more than what some of her peers have. She is getting better with a cup although she has no desire in holding it for herself yet.

I think these are all of her highlights I can think of so far. Oh, she likes to poop while standing up. She makes this cute grunting sound and her face scrunches up. I caught it on video and it cracks me up every time I watch it.

Well, that's it. As you can see, it is real late. I have had problems sleeping for the past few days because I get tired around 8 right after putting Zakiah to bed, fall asleep around 9ish, sleep for 3 to 4 hours, and wound up wide awake. Very frustrating! I hope I can get back on schedule soon!

Trying to Figure Out...

2010-02-23T02:55:00.000-05:00

...how to get those Cheerios into her mouth. Yesterday was the first time Zakiah ate Cheerios. She liked them but had a hard time ramming them in her mouth. Half of the cereal was raked onto her seat. Still working on that pincher grip. But nevertheless, daddy helped her get those Cheerios into her mouth.

Princess Z's Royal Throne…

2010-02-23T02:48:00.000-05:00

…is the name of her new potty seat! My dad and I were talking last week about how fast Zakiah is progressing through her milestones. We project that within the next two months, she will be walking. We both agreed that the earlier Zakiah starts potty training, the better especially once she starts walking. SO my parents, to my surprise, went ahead and bought Zakiah a potty seat. It is a Disney Winnie the Pooh Theme Seat that can transform into a step stool and a separate potty seat attachment to go on an actual toilet seat. It has a side handle that says encouraging phrases and makes flushing water sounds.

I am not exactly sure how to tackle potty training but for now, we are just letting Zakiah get accustomed to the seat. I have the seat right in front of my bathroom so she can learn to make the connection between potty and the bathroom as she watches me use the toilet (sorry if TMI but she always follow me into the bathroom).

I am so excited to embark on this new adventure. I already have several packs of size 4 Pull Ups stocked up and a free potty training DVD from Huggies so all I have to do now is wait until the time is right.

Please excuse the water marks on the wall and the big wet area on Zakiah's onesie. She loves drinking water from a regular cup even through most of it ends up on her clothes. I am debating weather or not to train her with a sippy cup (which has been unsuccessful given that she would rather chew on the sprout than suck). She likes the regular cup so much better.

Oh well. We will just have to go with the flow.

Thanks Margaret for your sweet comments! I am glad you enjoy checking up on us! :-)

Oh, and for the record, yesterday was a very bad and frustrating day for the most part. I will update later.

Thank God for Awesome Parents!

2010-02-22T00:50:00.001-05:00

Because my mom and dad are just that! They are so supportive of me and still manage to spoil me with things I don't even deserve to have! In the midst of my financial hardship, they do NOT hesitate to pitch in whenever they can even when I don't ask for anything. And they don't ask for anything in return when they dish out money and time on me, Zakiah, and Josh. Mt dad's motto is: whatever is his is mine.

Awww, what more can I even ask of?

I know God supplies all my needs. That is why He blessed me with awesome parents! Thank You Father! I pray that I am as supportive of Zakiah in ANY situation as my parents have been with me since they found out I was pregnant. Many single mothers are not as fortunate so that is why I can't take my blessings for granted!

Cheesing from ear to ear and throwing my hands UP in praise!

God is SO very real! I love my God!

Happy EIGHT Months Zakiah!

Zakiah's First Haircut

2010-02-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today, I decided to snip off the whimsical pieces of hair on the top, back, and sides of Zakiah's head. The top picture shows her hair this morning while the second picture shows her after the cut. I love her cut! Her hair is more even and I can see the shape of head better. No doubt about it; she definitely has Josh's head shape.

I took a picture of her snippets and will be keeping them as keepsakes for her baby book. Her hair is so soft!

We are Her Steppingstones

2010-02-20T03:55:00.000-05:00

Praying that we are strong spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically to support all your dreams and goals Zakiah!

Reach for the Heavens and you will find all your strength you need and more in God! Without Him, we can't do anything!

If You Need to Find Wisdom...

2010-02-20T02:11:00.001-05:00

....read Proverbs.

The whole book.

Over and over again.

It will bless your life.

For the past 23 days, I have been reading a chapter out of Proverbs before going to sleep. I have 8 more chapters to read and can't wait to get to the last chapter, which describes the virtuous woman.

I have read through Proverbs before but was not very focused and dedicated to my reading. I just read through the book just to say I have read it, but I didn't retain anything from it. This time, as I am reading, I am truly seeking to learn God's Word and retain it so I can let go of so many of my foolish ways that are hindering me from really prospering in God's Will for me.

In Proverbs, the message is pretty much clear cut: wisdom leads to life, prosperity, and honour while foolishness leads to shame, destruction, and death. Wisdom desires to help us and counsel us out of our simpleness and folly. She is actually calling out to us to LISTEN to what she has to tell us. Unfortunately being caught up in this wacky world can cause us to turn a deaf ear to Wisdom.

This has happened to me so many times. And every time I ignored Wisdom's calling, I fell on my face. Ow!

And she was laughing "I was trying to tell you so!"

Double Ow!

This is why the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. When you reverend Him and respect Him, you are more attuned to what He tells you through His Word. When you don't fear Him, you can't possibly gain spiritual guidance because you regard worldly matters over Him.

This is why distractions are ultimately dangerous to your soul.

You can't see God's vision for your life so you become foolishly lost in a world that doesn't care for you anyway. You can't hear God's Word to experience a life promoting transformation so you are constantly destroying your life by committing your same foolish mistakes. You can't taste of God's sweet bread and victory He already has for you because your mouth is frequently being stuffed with toxic junk the world freely serves you on a silver platter. You can't feel God's spirit working through your weaknesses to make you stronger because you are busy feeling the short lived instant gratification the world offers you causing you to ALWAYS end up unsatisfied and disappointed at your insecurities. You can't smell the sweet grace and mercy God bestows on you every morning because the stench of pride has you hooked like a bad drug habit that can't do anything but kill you.

As you can see, God wants us to engage all our senses into Him. He wants us to seek Him for the source of everything. He wants us to be filled with Him. Input determines output. Input Godliness and you will look and act more like Him. Input worldliness and you will look more like a simple fool.

What are you putting into your spirit?

If you are putting in undesirable things, then turn to Proverbs! As a mother, I have realized that I have to be careful what my output is because I have two little eyes watching me like clockwork. Clearly there are foolish habits I don't ever want Zakiah to pick up such as being quick tempered and slothful. These are destructive behaviors and you don't want your child on that type of start. Now don't get it twisted, I am not a 24/7 hot head and lazy bum! This is by no means the case. I am a pretty calm and collected person who does get things done, but I do have those moments where a disagreement of frustration can wear down my patience where I allow myself to get a little tempered a little too quick. As for as the slothfulness, it is more in regard to getting more productive and challenging work done and not just completing simple everyday tasks.

That is why I must input God's Word in me so I can change my output and perspective so that she can model Godliness after my actions.

Granted transformation takes time and dedication to study God's Word. But I can say that I trust God's Word and that in three weeks, I am retaining so much of His word than ever before. I am understanding more and realizing that I have been doing quite a bit of things displeasing in His eyes for a long time now. I believe He can help me overcome my shortcomings and pray that I will allow Him to work out my many kinks because that is my desire. And when our will lines up with His Will, we know our desires will be met.

I pray that if it is your desire to become a better and wiser individual that you seek God first and turn to His Word.

It will change your life surely!

God is so Good! Don't you know that He blesses us with each day knowing we will sin and wrong against Him? If that isn't grace and mercy, then I don't know what is. I pondered this fact two nights ago and it blew my mind! He is amazing!

And all He wants in return is for us to love Him and give Him glory and praise.

Thank You Father! I love You!

Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks Kacie for the Blog Award!

2010-02-19T21:16:00.001-05:00

I had to get my dose of Gemma at And Baby Makes Two (see my blog list to the side and stop by Kacie's beautiful blog about her ever so beautiful baby girl Gemma). I read one of her recent posts and she mentioned she received a blog award! I was so excited for her because she is one of my favorite bloggers. I enjoy reading her posts and am so proud of how far she has come in her mommy journey!

Anyway (I am killing this word in almost all my recent posts), I read her post to the end and noticed she has passed the award to me and a few other bloggers. I was so honored (as cheesy as it may seem to some of you) because it shows that there are some people out there who are actually reading my blog and appreciating my content enough to acknowledge me for an award!

So thank you Kacie! This post is for you!

I think I need to list out 10 things I am a master of in order to accept the award. So here goes my list:

I am a master of...

* Carrying a heavy baby and two full bags of groceries up three flights of stairs before wanting to pass out as soon as I get inside my apartment door.
* Breastfeeding for 8 months!
*Saving over 50% on my grocery bills by using coupons
* Keeping track of Zakiah's life via my blackberry. Over 2000 pics and 500 video clips and counting.
* Washing loads of laundry but not actually putting them away until a week or two later!
* Packing dishes in the dishwasher. I have a specific method of what dishes go where to ensure I can get everything in there.
* Typing long grammatically incorrect posts on this blog with just my thumb (from my blackberry)
* Organizing things when I get the chance. I like to organize to the very specific detail even if it takes me hours to sort through everything to get the job done. I particularly like organizing my pictures.
* Not keeping in touch with other people. I'm still learning how to balance my life right now
* Sleeping on my couch. I stay in a one bedroom apartment so you can guess who took over my room. There is no way I can sleep in the same room with her. She makes noises and moves around a lot while sleeping. All of that would work my nerve. Plus I don't want her to think that mommy is supposed to sleep in the same room as her. I am not even trying to feel that battle in the future when she gets her own room.

Ok, I have posted enough for today: 8 or 9 posts so far just to catch up from my slackness. I have some more I want to post about but I am supposed to bake two lasagnas tonight so I need a little nap before I get started.

Happy Friday!

Oh, my apologies for any grammatical errors you may find. I'm a Christian...not perfect. He he

Consignment Shop Friendly

2010-02-19T03:03:00.001-05:00

Since being a mom, I have learned to be pretty thrifty. The other day, I went to the consignment shop up the street to find some board books for Zakiah so we can read more. She is really into pictures now.

Anyway, you can't beat the price of the books at this shop (unless you get them for free, of course!). Books are 25 cents each! My type of deal! Now granted I am not going to give my baby some dingy old book that has been chewed on and scribbled throughout. I had to do a little digging to find some newer and cleaner looking books. Given the amount of time Zakiah allowed me before fussing and tearing up in her stroller, which was NOT long, I managed to find three nice books in which two were spiritual related. This is important because I want to instill in her basic Biblical principles to help build her a strong spiritual foundation and to help her know God's love for her. Anyhoo, the total came out to be 81 cents for 3 books!

Just as I was getting ready to leave, one of the volunteers brought out a cart of toys ready to be priced. I got excited because inside the cart were the SAME LEAP FROG maracas I bought another child for his birthday last Saturday at Walmart! Its is awesome how God works because when I bought the maracas, I remember thinking that Zakiah would love to have these for herself. However, I didn't have another 15 dollars to dish out in addition to the 15 being spent for this child's birthday gift. I felt bad for a moment but got over that feeling real quick! LOL

So yeah, back to the story. I saw the same maracas in the cart and was like "I have to get them!" Of course Zakiah being Zakiah, she was not having it anymore in her stroller. So poor momma had to stroll Zakiah back to the car, take her out the stroller, out the car seat, and hurriedly carry her back inside to get to those maracas before someone claims them.

Boy, what we do for our babies (or some maracas! LOL)

Sure enough two Hispanic ladies were hovering over the cart once I got back. The maracas were still there so I told Zakiah, "I am going to get those maracas for you!" Those Hispanic ladies looked up at us as if African Americans can't play with maracas (or maybe they weren't looking at us like that but more so looking at how I was already claiming toys in the cart before the volunteer could price them lol.). Either way, I chuckled inside. LOL

Anyway, the volunteer asked if I wanted them and told me they would be 25 cents.

My mouth dropped!

I paid 15 dollars for new ones not even a week ago! And now these would only be a quarter!

Bananas!

For a split second, I thought maybe the parents of the child I bought the maracas for had donated them to the shop just that quick. But I tried to see if it would work but it didn't so I knew these were not the same ones. See how the devil tries to put thoughts in my head?

For a quarter, I wasn't really concerned whether or not they functioned. One of the maracas suppose to count numbers and sing about the colors in English and Spanish while flashing lights while the other maraca just rattles. I knew Zakiah would enjoy that one by itself. I found a mini piano shaped xylophone and one of the stacking ring toys in the cart so I grabbed them and went to check out. The total for three nice toys came out to be $1.07!

God is so awesome! I got three books and three toys for under $2! Can't beat that!

We are so consignment shop friendly as of now! Zakiah so loves her maracas (as you can see in the previous post) and her other items.

Remember there is nothing a good Lysol bleach wipe can't handle! I wiped down all the items good and sprayed them down with some Oust Sanitizer spray!

As good as new (or even better)! Zakiah will never know the difference until she reads this of course. But by then, it will not even matter!

Just comes to show how God can provide for our wants in a way that is exceedingly above our own reasoning! Eph 3:20

Oh and the maracas are FULLY functional! Just needed new batteries.

Praise God! :-)

Zakiah Can Stand!

2010-02-19T02:03:00.000-05:00

We all knew it was going to happen soon. First it started with pulling up on my coffee table and cruising around the table doing laps. Then she would pull up on whatever she could grab and hang onto. Next, she wanted to test the waters by using me and Josh to pull up, get her balance, and let go of us to stand for a second before falling on her bum. Then she decided she was comfortable falling back without us by her side so she would pull up on the couch, get her balance, let go, stand for a second or two, and fall down.

AND repeat over and over again until she got tired. No wonder why this girl naps for two hours!

So after a few days of practicing, her balance has improved and she can pull up to stand on her own for as long as five to six seconds, relatively. Long enough for me to take a picture on my phone and not be blurry. And as you can see, she can stand with an object in her hands.

I mean it was little over a month when she figured out how to KINDA crawl (she still crawls with her right leg extended to the side instead of having it bent so she can crawl on her knee). I guess she wants to walk like mommy and daddy so she refused to get her crawling stance corrected although she is a fast crawler!

Things are crazy now. She is not even 8 months! She might be walking into her 9th month check up! Geez! LOL

Two of My Favorite People!

2010-02-19T01:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked 5 years of being with Josh. That is a long time and I can't wait to see what five more years together will bring. Hopefully a ring, a nice wedding, a house, and maybe another baby (or two). These five years have not been easy but we have grown SO close. And now we share a beautiful little girl who we love with all our hearts! I love my Josh. I love my Zakiah. I love my little family! Muah!

Our First Time Out at a Play Area

2010-02-19T01:31:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, I wanted to go somewhere different with Zakiah to give her a change of scenery. Well, I decided on the mall since it would be a great way for me to get a little exercise in and to give her a stroll, which she STILL don't care too much for. Plus, we haven't been in awhile.

Anyway, I fed her and got her dressed and ready to go. We went around 130p to ensure that we had at least a good hour out before heading back for her 330ish nap time. As I was approaching the mall, I realized that the mall had a play area sponsored by Duke but couldn't remember which end of the mall it was located. Of course I parked at the opposite side of the mall so we had a little stroll before we finally reached the play area.

There were so many kids running around when we got there that I was very nervous to take Zakiah inside. I decided to wait it out a little bit to scope out the area. At first I didn't see any little babies so I thought that maybe the children had to be older or at least walking to enter. But then a saw this one mom carrying her little boy from on station to another so I was relieved. I was concerned about all the germs infested in the area but came prepared with my sanitizer. There were also dispensers with sanitizer at the entrance of the play area.

So after a few minutes of sitting on the bench outside the play area while Zakiah was looking at all the action going on inside the play area, I was ready to go inside. I didn't know where to put the stroller at first but found where all the other strollers were. I would have been hurt if someone would have stolen out travel system.

I found a little isolated area to start Zakiah at to get her acclimated to her environment. Man as soon as I put that girl down, she was ready to go toward the other children. I say back and noticed how she is growing up and becoming more independent. She was so cute. I recorded a few clips and got some pictures of her first time experience. She had so much fun. I was so happy to see her happy.

I'm going to try to go out to the play area at least once a week until the weather gets warm outside. At the rate she is going, she will be walking by springtime. LOL

And I can't wait!

Had to Bring Out Her Baby Tub Again

2010-02-19T01:03:00.000-05:00

And boy does she look cramped up in that thing. It has been over a month since I put that tub away in storage. I brought it back out to give her a quick splash in the morning as a part of her diaper rash treatment. The advice nurse told me that since Zakiah is sleeping 10+ hours every night (which she considered me very lucky. I perfered blessed), it would help to give her a quick bath with some warm water and baking soda in the morning to wash away the urine on her skin.

So we have been doing this and Zakiah doesn't seem to mind the extra bath time. Her rash is getting better. I am glad she never showed any signs of the rash causing her discomfort. It is no longer red and irritated. It just looks like a discolored area that is several shades lighter than her as if it was a huge birthmark. Hopefully within the next few days the area will return to its normal color.

Diaper rashes are so weird! Too many factors that can contribute to the rash although I think the wipes we are using are not the sensitive kind. Not sure if this is the main culprit but for now, I am using washcloth and water during her diaper changes.

But yeah, after this diaper rash blows over, we are ditching the tub. She looks like she is stuck in it and can't move. Seeing this made me realize how big she is getting each month. There is no slowing down. I can barely keep up with all her changes. So amazing this little girl is!

Oh, she is holding a flexirod roller in her hand. She loves to play with these things!

Zakiah is Serious About Her Yogurt Melts

2010-02-19T00:42:00.000-05:00

Ugh, I still can't get videos posted because I can't seem to connect to a wireless connection. Always seem like one thing or the other. So yes, I am still posting from my phone which takes so much longer when typing with my thumb on a 3 by 4 inch screen. Grr

Anyway, I got a short clip of Zakiah right before I opened the bag of yogurt melts to give her some.

This girl went BANANAS in anticipation. It was hilarious! I thought she was going to explode out her high chair. LOL

Now it has gotten so bad that she starts to fuss when I don't get the bag opened fast enough to put one in her mouth. This girl LOVES these things like that!

To calm her down, I sometimes just give her the whole bag to hold. As you can see, she looked very determined to figure out how to open the bag. She wouldn't even look up for a picture.

Finally Raised the Rails on Her Crib

2010-02-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, we decided that it was a good time to raise the railing on her crib since she mastered pulling up and is learning how to step on top of objects. We didn't want to risk her toppling over or using her stuffed animal to climb out the vein and fall. Knowing how fast Zakiah is learning new skills, we didn't want to put anything past her.

As you can see, the higher railing didn't stop her from pulling up. The girl just doesn't choose to sit very long.

Watch Out For the Cookie Monster!

2010-02-19T00:23:00.001-05:00

Well technically she was killing some animal crackers she got from a first year birthday party we went to on Saturday. She loves these things along with graham crackers, toast, and rice cakes. I guess she likes grains (BREAD) like her mommy. LOL

Boy did she have her game face on. She was practically shoving her fists in her mouth to make sure she was getting some of the crackers in.

The Joy of Finger Foods...

(at least for her...I am the one stuck cleaning sticky wet hands.)

My Cutest Little Wig Stand...

2010-02-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

...and she wasn't too happy about it! LOL

So Josh's laptop has this malignant virus on it so I haven't had access to a computer some days now. In the meanwhile I will do my best with mobile blogging! I just hate that I am so backed up in my updates.

Zakiah is doing so much as usual. She loves to point at things, crawl OVER my legs, pull up on anything, and say dada like all the time! She is now doing this bouncing motion like she is dancing to her own tune. She has FINALLY figured out how to put her yogurt bites in her mouth by herself although she can be so messy. I must admit that I can't stand when things get messy during feeding time because it looks gross and I end up having to clean all that yucky sticky mess. But nevertheless, she loves her baby food and oatmeal. She is iffy about eating her stage 1 chicken and turkey by themselves but I can trick her to eating them by dipping the spoon with the meat with sweet potato or basically anything sweet and she will gobble it up. Today she ate her turkey with banana and strawberry baby food. Not my cup of tea but it works for her for now.
She is still on a great sleeping pattern. She sleeps from 730-8ish until 7ish in the morning. She loves her baths as usual but now she likes to pull herself up in the tub.

She is battling this pesky diaper rash for over a week now! I tried several things and just don't know what to do. Any advice, PLEASE?

So I am not sure I mentioned this before but Zakiah has 6 teeth. Yes, SIX! And we are still breastfeeding! OUCH! I never anticipated her having that many teeth so soon. And boy have they had a bite of the nip! She isn't a chronic biter but when she gets super distracted, she can do a slip up and give me a reason to cringe. However, over A period of time those bites add up! My nipples are so sore that it has been painful when she latches on.

My toes curl.

So I only been breastfeeding three times a day to allow some relief between feedings. I have given her formula for the first time yesterday in her oatmeal. It was only four ounces and she didn't notice much of a difference I guess. She tore the stuff up! I put a lot of cinnamon in it to try to mask the smell of the formula which Josh says smells like potatoes. LOL It sure doesn't smell nor taste good in my opinion but I needed to supplement until my nipples can heal. She is using soy formula since we don't drink cow milk unless it is cooked in something. We are avid Silk soy milk drinkers.

Um, what else? She is fascinated with cell phones. She starts to fuss sometimes when things are taken away from her. She is pretty much hitting all the milestones either on time or early. A lot of people say she will be walking in a month or two. Now that will be crazy.

Well I just wanted to do an update. I will try to do more mini updates from my phone even if it is just to post a picture. I miss keeping up with other blogs. Hopefully I will catch back up in due time. I feel like everything happens for a reason so with me not having a computer in front of me is helping me focus on my real life. The job hunt is getting better. I'm getting some responses with my resume which had a huge make over. Just need to continue to be prayerful that a great opportunity will come my way! With me reading a chapter of Proverbs every night, I have been more positive about a lot of things. I have been learning more about my faults and how to correct them through my Bible study. God is TRULY awesome!

Be blessed and enjoy your little blessings.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Zakiah's First Snow Storm of the Year!

2010-02-09T08:41:00.001-05:00

This was from the weekend before last.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Grandparent's Visit on January 24th

2010-02-06T01:02:00.002-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Will Do a Massive Update on Pictures and Videos Soon!

2010-01-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

Finally, I got my USB cord to my phone back from SC! My parents came up surprisingly on Sunday to bring Zakiah her new high chair they bought for her. I was totally not expecting for them to actually go out and buy her one. I just mentioned to them last week to be on the look out for one to see if they can find a good deal (because things are usually cheaper in SC than NC). Anyway, I will post about her high chair experiences so far in an upcoming post. I have lots to upload and edit and put together so I can post them here. It is supposed to snow either tomorrow or Saturday so I need to run out to do some things first.

Let me tell you...

She.IS.pulling.UP.on.EVERYTHING!

There is no stopping her. She can even hold herself in a standing position for a second or two before falling on her bum bum. Why do I get the feeling that she is going to be walking soon?

It is cute how she can crawl after me when I leave from the living room to the kitchen. So weird.

(My brother and his son Jayden. He is 2 already as of December! Glad I have some time before Zakiah hits that age because from what I hear, Jayden is a TRIP now. So.NOT.ready.)

Happy 7 Months Babe!

2010-01-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

I know I have been slacking a lot with blogging lately but I'm getting lots done offline. I have reapplied for grad school, applied for financial aid, looked into child care for Zakiah, researched several biotechnology companies in the area, and submitted my resume to some (which is my goal everyday until God blesses me with an opportunity). I have also been working diligently making hair bows and earrings to sell online. I made over 25 earrings and 25 hair bows. I'm going to run to the craft store tomorrow to pick up a few more yards of ribbons to make some more bows before I put everything online. So excited! I have been couponing also to get free to cheap items from the grocery and drug stores to donate to my Church's food bank. I am hoping to one day organize a ministry at my Church for a group of us to get together to learn about how to use coupons to save money AND have extra items to donate to those in need. I think of couponing as a manifestation of how God can create abundance out of very little. He is AWESOME!

So my baby is 7 months! ::tear:: She is doing EVERYTHING except walking and speaking real words. She can repeat dada after me, she can pull up to her knees unless I reach out my hands for her to grab and pull up to her feet (which she absolutely LOVES to do), and she is getting so much better with her crawling! She does this grunting noise while crawling that tickles me because I just know whenever she is on the move! She moves diagonal sometimes while crawling but nevertheless she is getting it down pat and getting much faster. Put a plate of food down in front of her a few feet away and she goes charging. So cute.

She is eating stage 2 fruits and veggies and pretty much likes everything she eats. She has tried two jars of stage 3 oatmeal and fruit mix and ate that just fine even though it is thicker. But we are going to stick with stage 2 foods for a little while. I got some jars of stage 1 meats but haven't given her any yet. I will wait til next week to introduce those to her. We are still breast feeding exclusively. I don't know how long this will last but am totally fine with taking it one day at a time. She nurses 4-5 times a day and I am assuming she is getting about 5 to 7 ounces each time because that is how much my breasts can pump out! She likes drinking for my cup when I drink water. We are working with the sippy cup but she hasn't gotten the coordination down yet. I have packed all her bottles away since she hasn't used them in over three months. She doesn't take the pacifier nor does she suck her thumb. She does like a little extra nursing to satisfy her suckle needs.

She has been taking big girl baths and loves it! No desire to go back to the baby tub. She enjoys her space. She is still sleeping through the night although she sometimes get up as early as 5am. I have been putting her to bed as early as 7 to make sure she gets at least 10 hours of sleep. When she does get that much sleep, she is cranky. She can stay up for longer stretches now-about 3 hours at a time. She doesn't take her two hour nap as much as she used to but takes about 2-3 naps daily. We nap together sometimes and sometimes I just look at her while she is sleeping beautifully and peacefully. She cries bloody murder sometimes when she is in her crib too long after waking and when she is first but into it for a nap. She doesn't see the crib as a space to play most times. She doesn't like seeing me leave her in the crib by herself. Separation anxiety is rough sometimes.

She weighs 17 pounds and 12 ounces and is 26.08 inches so she is about average now for her age. She moves around SO much so I guess she is burning up lots of calories. She is still squeezing in her size 2 diapers since they go up to 18 pounds but wears a size 3 overnight to protect from leaks. She wears size 6-9 months clothing.

We are battling this diaper rash and I don't know how to clear it up. It is not bad and is pretty centralized in one area but I want to clear the area although she doesn't seem bothered by the rash. She have like major poops every two or so days. It is so yucky and smelly! The diaper genie has been doing a great job containing the smell of her poopy diapers. She goes through 5-6 diapers a day. Packages of diapers are truly stretching much longer.

She looks like Josh overall in my opinion although in certain expressions I can claim that I see me in her. She is the perfect blend of us though. I cannot hear enough how beautiful she is by those who see her. Her hair is gradually getting thicker and curlier. I just let it do its own thing for the time being. She is also getting a little darker than my complexion.

Zakiah is such a sweet baby. Of course she has her fussy moments and her needy moments but that is what babies go through. She doesn't even look like a baby anymore especially when she is pulling herself on her knees. I guess one of the best parts of watching her grow is to experience the innocence and security she exudes! It is simply AMAZING! Thank God for seven challenging but highly rewarding months with Zakiah and hopefully there will be hundreds more!

Mommy loves you!

Side note: Please pray for Haiti! I'm am watching a special on NBC right now to help raise money for the victims. I can't even imagine what they are going through right now. It is heartbreaking knowing so many children are without their parents and little babies are suffering and dying. This mother dig through rubble with her bare hands for 50 hours to find her crying baby buried underneath as his cries were getting weaker. Fortunately help came and they were able to rescue her baby boy. It made me cry. A mother's love is such a powerful force! Beyonce just got finished singing Halo which is such a beautiful song. I can't even complain about my circumstances when those in Haiti lost the little they had and more. God has a plan. This will make Haiti stronger. Good can come through pain. Hold your babies tight. Tell others you love them. Do good for others. What happened down there could have happened ANYWHERE! Pray pray pray!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Thinkers

2010-01-15T21:41:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sleeping Bottom Up

2010-01-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

So cute!! This was last week during one of her naps.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

So Anxious About This Grad School Thing.

2010-01-07T15:39:00.006-05:00

THIS.IS.ME.BEING.REAL. Bear with me. (LONG VENT POST)

I feel like the devil got me wrapped around fear when I think about finishing up my thesis and defending it so I can graduate. I mean, goodness, it is the ONLY thing left I need to do. I guess what is big on my mind is how I got terminated after all these years because I couldn't get my financial aid cleared in time for the fall semester. As a result of not being continuously registered in school, my graduate status has been dropped. So disheartening. It was very hard for me to juggle everything over the summer with Zakiah being so young and me being a new parent and not having family close by. But anyway, I need to reapply for grad school, which is what I must get done very soon in order to meet the deadline this month.

Another thing that makes me anxious about grad school is that I disappointed my advisers time and time again. Trust me. I have not been the ideal grad student by far. If you looked at the Kristal in biomedical engineering in undergrad and the Kristal in biomedical engineering in grad school, you would be rest assured that I transformed into two different people. I graduated in honors in undergrad with a great gpa and high expectations. Now (although I have been done with my classes on time in 2007), I am barely making over a 3.0. Grad school has been so grueling for me. It was as if I lost my passion for biomedical engineering. I didn't have much guidance at all and didn't know what direction I wanted to take (and still not sure now). I felt like grad school just made me even more confused about my career path. I guess that's why I haven't been so dedicated to my degree, dedicated to my research (which took way TOO long to complete), dedicated to my advisors, and dedicated to GOD (who has allowed me to be in grad school when so many can't). Now I feel like I must tough it out just to get done with this degree so I can stop having it hang over my head and cause me grief.

I am nervous about reapplying because it has been a long time since I talked to my advisors. At this point, they probably don't even think of me or care about how I am doing. They are probably disappointed by my extended leave of absence without giving them any heads up, which is understandable because I have been irresponsible with my communication. I guess it's because I was afraid of what they would think of me being unmarried, pregnant (then) and with child now, and still in school. Right now, I don't know how to confront them because of the fear of being judged especially since these are the people who have to sit and listen to me defend my thesis for an hour or so (which makes me CRINGE because I do not like presenting especially since my degree depends on it) and drill me with questions that I feel might cause me to stumble. Me and one of my advisors already had some miscommunication issues which caused drama. And now we haven't spoken for a very long time. I don't even know what to say to him. UGH. God, I am in such a mess.

Being in this situation breaks my heart because it honestly have made me less confident about having a promising career in engineering. I am drowning in debt and I have a beautiful girl to take care of. I have applied to research and lab jobs that I feel like I could have gotten but believe that me not completing my degree is hindering me from getting at least one interview.

Right now, I just want to break down and cry. Here Josh is working during the day and at school during the night and trying to support us the best way he can. He truly wants to finish school but is so drained from the demands of his job. I am sitting here knowing I can potentially be bringing in at least 60,000 a year if I just get myself together. I mean HELLO!

This is my first time REALLY putting my thoughts and feelings about what is going on personally outside of the trials and joys of raising Zakiah out on my blog. I need some encouragement and prayers. Please. The newness of being a first time mom has dwindled away and I need to move forward with my life outside of motherhood. In the Bible, they say nothing is new underneath the sun.

Why do I feel like I am the only one who has gone through what I have gone through and still going through right now?

I know. Because the devil makes it SEEM that way. I need to get it stuck in my heart that the devil is a liar. God has a great track record of bringing people out of some pretty grim situations. I just need to go by faith that God is true to Romans 2:28 and not depend on how bad I see my situation. There is good in every situation. When I can't see it, it is because I allowed the devil to blind my spiritual sight. It is sad because he has blinded me for a long time with the grad school situation.

I need to change my perspective because if I don't make moves towards God's Will, then I deny God from doing amazing works through me. He might have plans for me to be this great biomedical engineer while I am sitting here doubting myself and Him. I am tired of grieving God because I don't trust Him like I should to bring me through school. He brought me too far to leave me now. I need to stop acting like He has left me. He loves me more than I can ever love myself. He continues to bless me even when I have drifted off like the prodigal son. He is waiting for me to return to Him. He has a celebration waiting for me. I just need to return back to Him.

O.M.G (goodness). God loves ME that much! I am feeling better already. Thank You, Father for just being AWESOME and PATIENT when you could have just wiped my life away in a snap because I don't deserve to be here today. No one does. It is because of Your Grace and Mercy that we all are here at this moment. Thank You again because I can't say it enough! Thank You, Jesus for dying on the cross so that MY sins can be washed away, and I can have the hope for eternal life. Thank You Lord for being that mediator so I can talk to our Father. Thank You, Holy Spirit for being the best comforter ever and speaking through me and to me. You are the One helping me get through my carnal fears and thoughts. What a breath of fresh air!

Sorry for sounding all ramble but this is how I try to sort through my feelings, which are hardly straightforward. I can start writing one thought and then all of a sudden another thought pops up and I proceed with that one. It may sound like I am replying to some of my own questions, fears, doubts, and concerns but I must do whatever it takes to get my focus back on God and not on my circumstances surrounding me (which I do often). I need to remember that life on this crazy world is temporary (thank Goodness), but I must complete what God has started in me so He can be pleased and receive the glory.

Aw, I am SO glad that when I am feeling down, I can sit down with my thoughts and rationalize through them spiritually to encourage myself. I need to do this more often. There is so much I can bottle inside. This stuff bottled inside is JUNK and it is unhealthy. I am working on getting rid of it because input determines output. I surely don't want anything negative to come out of me because it can affect the people around me who loves me.

Ok. A lot said in this post. I can definitely tell that my mood has changed from a negative one in the beginning of this post to a more positive one near the end. I am going to stop, however, because I have things I need to get done for God. I need to live up to my name and work towards being a good steward for God. If you can't relate to what I talked about in this post, that's ok. It was meant for me to vent and to ask for prayers of encouragement. I am definitely a work in progress. Under construction. I hope to read back on this months from now and praise God for bringing so much farther than where I am right now.

Thanks for reading this far!

Zakiah is doing great by the way. She has figured out how to move forward now so she is basically on the go in her own creeping way! She has also figured out how push herself backwards in the walker. She is learning so fast. Gosh, I love this girl! Thank You God for her!

Be blessed and include God in EVERY situation. Put Him first as a matter of fact! He is the best way to go into any trial and tribulation. To all the single moms and dads, keep your heads up! It is hard for me with a partner by my side so I can only imagine how hard things can get sometimes without the other parent around. But no matter what, everything will work out just fine (more than fine according to Eph 3:20) for those who love God (Romans 8:28).

Why Must She Put Everything In Her Mouth?

2010-01-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Testing to see if Videos Will Post on Blogger from Smartphone

2010-01-06T12:11:00.001-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

ETA: I guess not. :(

I left my USB cord to my blackberry at home (in SC) so I can't upload any videos right now until my parents mail me the cord.

Zakiah's Third Tooth Has Broken Through

2010-01-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

This girl is on a roll! Her top front tooth was apparent last night at bath time. I knew it was coming soon because her gum was so white underneath. I think her second top tooth will come in about two weeks from the look of her gum. I haven't gotten a picture of it yet. The picture above is of her playing and trying to change into a crawling position. She still hasn't figured out the hand coordination.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Zakiah in Her BIG Winter coat...

2010-01-04T16:42:00.000-05:00

...AND cramped in her car seat. LOL Poor baby can't even access her hands because the sleeves are REALLY long on her coat!

It is SO cold here!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Zakiah Threw Down on Her Sweet Peas

2010-01-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a picture but recorded Zakiah eating sweet peas baby food for the first time. I just KNEW beforehand that she would NOT like the taste of it. I tasted it myself before giving it to her and I thought it was HORRIBLE. Clearly, I am not a sweet pea fan. My parents even informed me that I did not eat the stuff unless they dipped something sweet (like pear) at the tip of the spoon with the sweet pea on it. LOL. Tactics parents use! But, I am more of a frozen garden pea fan. Anyway, how about Zakiah ate a whole jar of the stuff in one sitting! I am wondering whether she really liked it or if she was really hungry...lol. Either way, she downed it like it was nothing.

I bought some green bean baby food so I will see how she takes that in a few days. Feeding her food is so fun!

Oh, tooth number 3 really seems to be on the verge of a breakthrough. It is looking pretty white underneath the gum where her top front right tooth will soon be. :)

Wow, First Post of 2010!

2010-01-01T12:16:00.003-05:00

This is huge for me since I never kept a blog active from one year to another. I guess it is not that hard when you have an ever so beautiful blossoming baby girl in your presence. Anyway, I want to wish all a Happy New Year! I don't think I mentioned it before (or maybe I did), but Josh and I came up with a motto to live by this year:

In It To Win in 2010!!!

Something about a new year that just makes you feel like you have a clean slate. It makes you feel like you have a chance to get your life back together again. I love this feeling. I am going to seize this moment. I am going to make a difference today.

I don't make out any more new years resolutions because I am already backed up with resolutions from previous years. No need to pile more on top of those. Plus some of the resolutions I have made are usually carried on from year to year. I will say that my main priorities are to:

strengthen my relationship with God
enjoy everyday as a gift from God
be a great mom to Zakiah
be a better girlfriend, daughter, sister, and friend
finish school
find a job
lose 40 pounds
take better care of my hair and body
move into a bigger space by the end of July
get my bowtique shop online open and running

I think I am going to post this list on my blog somewhere as a constant reminder of what my priorities are. We all know how the devil can easily distract our focus from where God wants to take us. I hope you all are ready for the new year. Like I mentioned in the last post, 2010 is going to be a great year. Go ahead and claim it.

The Bible Verse of the Day is SO appropriate for the new year. Keep your eye on the prize. Past mistakes don't matter. It is how you get up from them and move forward that matters!

The Last Day of 2009

2009-12-31T23:59:00.001-05:00

Well. I am sitting here with Josh, baking some cookies, and watching new year eve specials on TV. Zakiah is sound asleep finally after Josh and I got our last pics of her for 2009.

Never would have imagined that we will have a 6 month baby by the end of this year. I truly thought that by this time I would be a graduate with my MS in biomedical engineering, a career woman halfway through my first year at a pharmaceutical or medical device company, and a first time homeowner. I had planned to get married no earlier than 30 and start a family at 31.

Guess I got a 5 year head start on starting a family. It shows that life is so full of unexpected turns. Now I need to accomplish the rest of the items mentioned above.

At first, I was a little disappointed in bringing Zakiah up in the situation I am: still in grad school, unemployed, financially dependent on my oh so giving parents (who have been nothing but understanding, supportive, and nonjudgmental), still staying in an one bedroom apartment, and most of all, UNMARRIED. But as time passed, I realized that I have no reason to be disappointed! Life happens. I'm not perfect. Josh is not perfect. God could have chosen a much earlier opportunity to bring a baby in our lives. But He chose 2009 to bring us one of the best life changes. Zakiah is definitely no mistake, and I am so glad we have her here right now. Just can't imagine it any other way right now. She gives me motivation to do better. To be a better person. To be a better mom. To be a better Christian.

Maybe God brought Zakiah in my life to help me focus on not always thinking about myself. I thought I was on a breakthrough last summer toward being that top notch independent woman who didn't have to worry about anyone but herself. I was a sexy size seven with my high heels, skinny jeans from forever 21, and tight tops. People would look at me and call me diva because I was so confident in my style and who I was. On top of that, I thought I had this abstinence thing on lock. I mean it had been over eight months since Josh and I had done anything.

But September 20, 2009 happened. The devil found his way. Why did I have to look too good for him to resist? LOL I guess losing a few extra pounds would make those jeans look a little better than before.

Anyway, this time last year, Josh and I were at Church for the night service to bring in 2009. We were at Church trying to figure out how our lives were about to change. Trying out how to break the news to everyone. How to go about preparing for a baby. She was only a little over 3 months inside me last year around this time. So little. Hardly noticeable.

And now she is in my room sleeping. So big. Hard to miss.

Only a few more minutes til 2009 is over and 2010 rolls in.

O.M.G. Zakiah will be SO big this time next year. Walking. Talking. Hanging with mommy and daddy while waiting for 2011. Crazy.

2010 is going to be a great year! I am looking forward to it!

Happy New Year!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Testing with Pictures

2009-12-31T12:12:00.001-05:00

Just seeing how which way the pictures will show up to see which way I need to turn my phone when taking pictures.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

ETA: The pictures seem to turn out fine no matter which way I turn my phone AS long as I post them soon after they are taken. For some reason, my pictures seem to turn sideways after some time. I have not figured out why they do that.

Testing Blogger's Mobile Feature

2009-12-31T11:56:00.000-05:00

I am testing this feature out to see exactly how a post will turn out when I do it via email from my phone. I think it will be more convenient when I don't have access to a computer but have something I want to post real quick. I will have to check back to see how this post is published once I send it by email.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Zakiah's 6th Month Highlights

2009-12-30T13:46:00.005-05:00

has cut TWO teeth. One on the 22nd and another on the 24th of December. I guess we can say that she got her two front teeth for Christmas (along with a whole lot of toys and clothes!)
can say baba, mumu, and dada.
can scoot back and roll around like a champ.
can rock back and forth on all fours (hands and knees).
is trying BADLY to crawl. She has the leg coordination down pat but is still trying to figure out how to move her arms forward. She has lunged forward a few times but I think it is by accident and by conscious.
can hold a squeal for a long time when very excited.
is not very ticklish (or at least not to the point where it makes her giggle)
can get from her tummy to a sitting position and vice versa.
can stand on her own while holding on to an object (like a foot stool).
weighed 16 pounds and 15 ounces at her 6th month appointment (12/28)
measured out to 25.75 inches.
is eating oatmeal, bananas, and butternut squash as of today.
managed ONCE to suck a little bit of dark chocolate through the candy foil wrapper while no one was looking. She is sneaky!
still has a funky hair style. Her hair is definitely growing but has super long hair patches at the peak of her head and at the back. Her hair grade is a mix: straight on the top of her head and curly at the sides and back.
is now pooping some really stinky poo. So long to the mild smelling liquid mustard poo. It was nice knowing you.
is VERY gassy.
LOVES playing with her toys.
still sleeps through the night for the most part. On most occasions, she can put herself back to sleep if she wakes up crying. She still wakes up around 5am for some reason. I think it is out of habit but like I mentioned, she can put herself back to sleep after a few minutes of fussing.
still takes 2-3 naps daily.
is still being breastfed.
razzes like crazy!
babbles a lot when she gets tired.
only cries when she is VERY tired or wants to get out the carseat.
found her thumb but not for sucking. She likes to use it like a teether.
has one of the prettiest smiles!
loves to scratch mommy while breastfeeding. She also loves to reach out for my face while breastfeeding.
wears size 3 pampers overnight and squeezes into size 2 diapers during the day. She goes through about 5-6 diapers a day.
is still called by the name baby boo or bookie.
is really starting to look more like Josh (in my opinion).
likes to bounce up and down while in my arms. She is such a strong little girl.
doesn't like to sit on mommy's lap for too long these days. She much rather be on the floor playing on her own.
wears size 6 and 9 month clothing.
has never worn a pair of baby shoes so far. She wears knitted stockings and socks when we go out.
loves her bath!!! Tried skipping her bath one night and wouldn't settle to sleep until we got her up and gave her a bath. It is a must clearly!
is very much loved by those around her!

Can't wait to see what is in store for the 7th month!

Time Out For Mommy

2009-12-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

Wow, I found this on one of my many deserted blogs.

So much for my dreams of becoming America's Next Top Model...LOL. I was going to apply this year to see if I would make the cut for one of the oldest participants on the show. Oh well, I feel like the show is too old for me anyway, and I would be too big to even qualify as a "plus size" model on that show. Shoot, I probably would have been considered plus size before Zakiah. Ah, whatever. At least I know I can model locally since I have seen some great models over 30 in local runway shows, magazines, and clothing catalogs. It is not over. I still have more time to shine my eye for the FRONT of the camera. ::wink::

Anyway, I finally realized that in the midst of all the things that have dramatically changed in my life over the past year, I have not put a pair of scissors to my hair in over 12 months:

EEK! My hair is such a mess. If you can't tell, I am natural meaning that I do not put any relaxers or chemical agents in my hair to make it bone straight. Don't get me wrong, I used to before 2003 but only because my mom thought my hair would be more manageable with it back in 3rd grade. Now if I want straight hair, I either buy it (LOL) or use a flat iron (hard work).

Pregnancy has changed my hair. Of course while I was pregnant, I had minimal hair loss so my hair was thick. Once Zakiah made her lovely presence, so did my hair into the drain of my shower. (I complimented Draino (on its website) how effective one of its products was and the costumer service department was nice enough to mail me a coupon for a free Draino product). Anyway, my hairline has thinned out some on the sides, which I am not too happy about since I always had a thin hairline already.

So in 2010, along with losing all my pregnancy weight, I want to take better care of my hair to restore it to a healthy state. I guess with a baby, I kind of took my focus away from taking care of myself like I should. Not good. Not good at all.

I am in the process of figuring out what hair routine I want to stick with in 2010. I am leaning towards wearing lots of flexi-rod curl sets this upcoming year. I will post an update once I figure out what I want to do.

Zakiah Tries Butternut Squash for the First Time

2009-12-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

This was recorded last Tuesday:

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Now she gulps the stuff up like water...lol.

Pondering Over Laundry...

2009-12-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

We are back to NC and wireless internet! Woohoo! I miss blogging so much but can't blog long right now because I have tons to clean up and organize before the new year. I always like starting the new year on a fresh clean start.

Anyway, I just put Zakiah down for her nap and decided to get a bulk of her clothes cleaned, sorted, and folded. I was going through some of her onesies, pulling out what is too small for her to make room for the HUGE new wardrobe she got over the holiday. God is good! I found a few of her 3 months Gerber onesies at the bottom of her drawer and saw how small they are. I can distinctly remember while she was wearing these how I couldn't wait until she got bigger so she can wear all her super cute 6 months clothing. Now I am looking back wishing that she could fit back into her newborn and 3 months clothing and stay that way forever...

Growing.Too.Fast.

Since Zakiah is my first, I am trying to decide what to keep for keepsake and what to give away. I don't want to go overboard and keep EVERYTHING because I don't have the space first of all, and secondly, I don't plan on having another little one anytime within the next 3-4 years.

What are you doing with all your baby's outgrown clothing?

Hopefully I will be back tonight for a few more updates.

Half a year later and a tooth finally appears!

2009-12-23T11:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post yesterday but it was such a busy day for us. I can't believe Zakiah is 6 months. I looked over some pictures last night from her first day in the world and she has changed so much into this beautiful spirit. I love you boo boo! You are truly amazing (can't say that enough).

We took pictures yesterday at Photo Innovations Studio. Grandma, Mom, me, and Zakiah. Four Generations. Awesome! They came out great! We were able to get our prints thirty minutes after taking the pictures. No wonder why the studio was super busy. We all wore red and white outfits. My mom picked them out so they were very basic...lol. I love you, mom! hehe. Anyway, Zakiah had on this cute little dress with white cuffs. My mom made her headband which completed her outfit. Zakiah is such a photogenic little girl. I guess that is not such a surprise given that I am constantly in her face with a camera...lol.

So guess what???

Zakiah cut her FIRST tooth! OMG...

For the past several days, she has been munching so hard on her fingers, toys, spoons, and teething rings. Bless her heart. She is a trooper because she rarely cried at all because of teething. She would just sit and munch all day long. Anyway, I noticed her tooth on the way to the studio. She was just a cheesing as usual when I happened to noticed something white. I wasn't sure what it was but thought maybe she had a little spit up in her mouth. I checked her mouth with my finger and sure enough, I felt it. Her first tooth!!!

I was so excited that I called Josh right away to tell him the news. I took some pictures with my phone to see if I can capture her first tooth bud on camera. I had to zoom in to see her tooth in the picture above.

Anyway, I will do a six month update soon.

Happy Holidays!

Mmmm, Beech Nut Chiquita Banana tastes YUMMY!

2009-12-21T11:58:00.001-05:00

No wonder Zakiah is gulping this stuff down! I have been eating what Zakiah does not finish, and I love the taste of it...lol. So since last Friday morning, we have been feeding Zakiah banana (mashed and from the jar) and she LOVES it! I recorded a video of her eating it on Friday but will have to wait til I get back to NC and faster internet connection to upload it so I post it here. It was SO cute! She actually grabbed a hold of the spoon from our hands because she liked the banana so much. The picture above was from today when I fed her a tablespoon of oatmeal (mixed with some hand expressed breastmilk since I forgot to bring my pump home). She made the yucky face at first like "What is this mess you are feeding me and where is my banana???" but she eventually got used to the taste and ate all of what I prepared.

So a few posts ago, I mentioned how I was so confused about how to go about introducing solids because I found so much conflicting literature out there about it. Well, I lurked around the Baby Whisperer message boards to seek answers since I have been using the Baby Whisperer method to help get Zakiah on an E.A.S.Y. routine that has been working so well for us. After reading plenty of posts, I decided that I will feed her based on this schedule:

7am-Breastfeed
730-Oatmeal
9-11-Nap

11-Breastfeed
1130-Banana (and eventually venture out to other fruits)
1-3-Nap

3-Breastfeed
330-Butternut Squash (and eventually venture out to other veggies)
5-6-Catnap

7-Breasfeed
730-8-Bath
8-Top off with Breastmilk before bed
830-bed

Of course, this is not a definitive schedule because we don't live in a perfect world, but I have gotten a whole lot better at being flexible and just going by Zakiah's cues. We will see how this works for the next week or so. This solids thing is so exciting EXCEPT for the fact that she is now pooping some weird stuff out and is developing more diaper rash.

Well, I will keep posted on Zakiah's progress! Can't you believe Zakiah will be 6 months tomorrow???!

O.M.G.

(She already has nine presents underneath the Christmas tree and how many do I have??? Zip. None. Zero. lol)

Can Drool Look Any Better???

2009-12-20T13:30:00.003-05:00

Thank You Bouncy Seat...

2009-12-19T12:34:00.001-05:00

for entertaining my daughter long enough for me to take a nice HOT 20 minute shower in PEACE!

That's is all...

("Mom, can't you see that I am playing? Geesh!!!" Go put some clothes on!!!)

Post It Note Tuesday

2009-12-15T07:39:00.006-05:00

For the past few days, Zakiah has been on some funky stuff (besides having major poopage blowouts almost everyday now). She has been waking up either around 1-2am in the morning OR super early like around 5ish early. Now I know some big things happen around the 6th months but I can't quite put my hand on it. Oh well, life goes on. So yes, I have been up with a playful baby before the sun today.

Anyway, I LOVE blog hopping! You just NEVER know what you might come across. Well, I found my way to SupahMommy's blog and she has this thing called Post It Note Tuesday. I thought this would be something cute to participate in. So here are my posties:

--------------------
Came back to edit: O.M.G. This has got to be one of the cutest things. You know how we can blog with the baby in our laps because baby is demanding attention, but you want to get that post published "real quick". Well, I had Zakiah sitting on the couch playing with her toys when I first started this post. As I was wrapping up, Zakiah was getting a little antsy because she was getting tired. So I grabbed her and put her on my lap to see if she would calm down just for a few moments so I can finish and get her to bed for her nap. Well, bless her heart, she calmed down to the point where she was literally dosing off. So wished I could have gotten a picture of it. What is happening to my baby? She usually would fuss into a meltdown if I didn't get her to bed. But instead, she gave mommy a few more moments to finish this post and peacefully drifted to sleep. She is such a sweet baby...Gawd, I LOVE HER!!! Thank you, Father! :)

Some Pictures From Today

2009-12-14T23:56:00.000-05:00

For some reason, I am not able to upload pictures to my posts. The uploads have been REAAAAAALY slow. So I just created a quick slide show of some pictures from today.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There Are SO Many Out There...

2009-12-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

..who are NOT as fortunate to cherish the experience of having children. I was blog hopping and some way, some how found myself on several blogs of mothers reflecting, mourning, grieving over the lost of their precious babies. I read about how these mothers hurt many days, months, and years after the death of a child and how a part of them left with the departing child. Their stories are so heart wrenching...to carry a child full term and in anticipation of loving a brand new creation just to lose him or her during or soon after birth or in some cases even before the child is born. You would think it's unbearable to go through this once but some unfortunately experience the same pain again.

UGH...I can't EVEN imagine my life without Zakiah yet there are so many who are living what they thought they could never imagine. After spending an hour reading through so many stories, I stopped to go pick up Zakiah and give her a great big embrace and a long loving kiss on her sweet cheek. Zakiah didn't have to be here. When the nurses told me that Zakiah's blood pressure was dropping and that it was time to deliver, 101 million things could have gone wrong in the delivery process. BUT. BUT GOD gave us HIS grace and mercy to bless my family with Zakiah. Thank You, Father!

My heart goes out to these women and their families for having to experience such great loses at a time where there should be celebration and joy. Many times, there are no answers to why such untimely events happen to such sweet, innocent, precious little babies. But one thing for sure is that they are in the best place anyone can be and that is with the Heavenly Father.

Lets not take for granted what precious gifts children are in this world. Love them. Cherish them. Raise them in the right direction. Nourish them. Embrace them.

Flower Power

2009-12-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

Post Church Shots

2009-12-13T11:35:00.001-05:00

Flaunting that cheesy grin!

So adorably cute!!!

Wearing one of mommy's designed bows!

Picture perfect except for my leg positioning in the background...ugh! lol

Such a sweet blessing from God! (Excuse the mess in the background. Today is cleaning day.)

It Finally Came Back...

2009-12-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

...on Wednesday the 9th. If you don't know what I am talking about, that is fine. This is basically for my own reference. ;)

And What About Me???

2009-12-12T23:13:00.003-05:00

I am usually the one snapping fifty million pictures of Zakiah that I rarely get any snaps of me and her together. Hmph, that is something we really need to work on. (Ahem, Josh...lol). But I did manage to find these:

August 29, 2009 (before the Gentian Violet application clearly...lol)

November 30th, 2009 (After our long trip back home from Jersey)

And sometimes, I just need a little ME time:

November 23, 2009 (On the way up to Jersey)

My Favorite Pictures from Yesterday

2009-12-12T22:15:00.003-05:00

Daddy and Zakiah showing off their beautiful smiles!

Zakiah sporting her gummy smile and bubbly chin!

Zakiah in her sleep sack aka the hot pocket (daddy named that)

Googly Moogly...

2009-12-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

...there is something about that phrase that cracks Zakiah up! She loves hearing me say it. It is too funny. Also she loves playing peek-a-boo, FINALLY. She will search all around until me or Josh pops up from behind a pillow or object and then smile. It is truly amazing how much she is attached to us and how she knows that we are her mommy and daddy.

Tonight as I was getting Zakiah ready for bed, she started crying because she was hungry. She was trying to seek me out for milk as I was trying to get her pajamas on. She came close to her goal but I stopped her because the routine is to get her dressed after her bath and before her bedtime feeding. Boy, did she ball out crying. I kept reassuring her that the milk was coming but first thing first...we had to get those jammies on. She cried the entire time as I was dressing her up until the time she finally got what she wanted and was so satisfied afterwards.

I mentioned this because when I take the time out to realize, the relationship Zakiah and I have resembles the relationship between me and God on so many levels. God knows what is ahead in my journey and promised to supply my basic necessities along the way (Philippians 4:19) . I knew that Zakiah was going to be fed real soon, but she was caught up in not getting her milk now. Many times, I cry out to God when I don't see things going my way right then and there. I fail to remember that God is always on time and will meet my needs according to when He sees fit in His plan. I just need to keep faith in Him and not depend on what I see (or don't see) at the moment. God knows that certain things must be accomplished FIRST before my blessings can come so when they do come, I can be fully prepared to receive them and can truly give Him the praise and glory.

Thank you, Father for helping me see the lessons in the small things that go on around me!

Breastfeeding Hasn't Always Been Easy

2009-12-12T12:18:00.006-05:00

I was looking back through Josh's camera since I plan on using it to take better pictures of Zakiah for now own and noticed some pictures I have totally forgotten about it. On his camera were several pictures taken of Zakiah when we were dealing with our battle of thrush several months ago. For those who don't know, thrush is, in simplest terms, a yeast infection inside a baby's mouth and on his tongue. Sometimes in vaginal deliveries, babies can contract a yeast infection orally and cause an overgrowth of the yeast on their tongue over time. Many times, this does not cause any discomfort to the baby but to the breastfeeding mother...oh me, oh my. A baby can pass thrust to the mother via suckling at the breast, which can translate to throbbing, radiating pain deep inside the mother's breast tissue.

I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!

The pain hurt so bad that I really thought I was going to have to give up breastfeeding. But deep inside and despite the pain, I knew I wanted to give Zakiah the best source of food possible. She depended on my milk supply to satisfy her hunger and to provide her soothing comfort although simultaneously I had tears down my eyes with my toes clinched in pain. PLUS, I didn't want to give up the bonding experience that is associated with breastfeeding so soon. Therefore, I went through several different methods to treat this condition.

Zakiah's pediatrician prescribed us some Nystatin to help resolve the thrush. However, as I was researching more about it, I noticed it was basically a sugary mixture that has basically lost half of its effectiveness over the years due to the increasing strength of the yeast strain. Besides, doesn't yeast THRIVE on sugar??? Anyway, Zakiah and I used Nystatin, and after two weeks, it didn't work. GO FIGURE!

I decided to pump like crazy and feed Zakiah with a bottle to provide me some relief from the stabbing pain in my breast. Um, how about I pumped so much that my poor nipples were raw. Yes, bloody raw. I guess that explains why I haven't really pumped much since then.

My mom gave me some Diflucan to help clear up the yeast orally over the course of three days. It helped with the pain, BUT since Zakiah still had the thrush in her mouth, she passed it right back to me after I took the Diflucan medication. Thrush must be treated for both mother and baby at the same time or else they can pass the infection back and forth in what can seem like a never ending cycle.

SOOOO, I decided to research some more and seek natural ways to treat thrush. I came across this solution called Gentian Violet. I even called the La Leche League for some more information about this solution. I was told that this solution was used commonly back in the day to treat thrush and was VERY effective (but later you will see...messy) method at doing so. I even mentioned it to Zakiah's pediatrician AND my mom and they both heard of it and recalled it being used several years ago. The pediatrician even said that their office used to carry it but stopped when all these other SO CLAIMED effective (aka NON-EFFECTIVE) medicines and treatments came out.

Anyway, Josh ordered some of this Gentian Violet from the local pharmacy for less than $2 for a couple ounces! And just to think we wasted over $30 for the Nystatin treatment. Well, I tell you, the Gentian Violet worked like a charm! It took about a week of treatment with a dab of the solution rubbed on my nipples and the inside of Zakiah's mouth daily. I immediately felt relief and the yeast began clearing from Zakiah's tongue.

I hope to never EVER have to experience the type of pain I experienced with thrush. But if I do, I definitely will use Gentian Violet again. Just to think that in a couple of weeks, Zakiah and I would have been on this breastfeeding journey for SIX months! Woot! Never thought I would be at this for this long. Thank God for the strength and endurance and PATIENCE to make it this far.

Oh, let me not forget to mention the drawback to using Gentian Violet: it left me stuck inside the house with a baby who looked like she took a big bite out of a big grape jelly doughnut!!!

LOL. Yes, my friends, Gentian Violet works, but it is messy and stains like crazy! This was taken on August 29, 2009. :)

Some of My Bow Designs

2009-12-12T06:03:00.008-05:00

Since I have gotten a few more supplies for my bows, I made a batch of basic and ALMOST intermediate level bows. From what I have researched online, the techniques are fairly simple to follow. I have watched several youtube videos of women making bows so I got the basics down pat. Now it is time to let my creative juices flow.

The bows I have made so far are interchangeable with different colored headbands since Zakiah does not have enough hair to hold a big bow on her head. Here is Zakiah sporting one of my bows (sorry for the crappy Blackberry picture quality...I really hate to have to downgrade my software just to get my quality picture back):

Here are some others I have created:

What I like the best about creating your own bows is that you can design them to match every outfit your baby has. With SO many colors found in a little girl's outfit, the choices of color combination are virtually endless. I always loved creating accessories, and now I can add bows to my crafty resume.

One of my lifetime goals is to run a business selling some of my accessory creations. The question is...How do I get started??? Until I find out (or until someone kindly share with me some tips), I will continue to make a nice inventory of accessories for me and Zakiah. If anybody is interested in me designing a custom baby bow, please let me know. I am sure we can work something out! :)

Pigtails!

2009-12-11T15:11:00.005-05:00

So Zakiah's hair is FINALLY starting to fill in at the spots where she used to rub her head bald in her bed! In addition to that, her hair texture is changing in the back of head. She has enough hair to put into five pigtails. I was trying to get a good shot of her and her new hairstyle, but Zakiah and the flash just didn't get it together.

Ok, I am Done Editing My Blog (For Now...)

2009-12-09T21:52:00.006-05:00

I could spend several more hours of time I don't have fixing up my blog some more but I think I have done enough for now to give it its 180 degree makeover. I like it better than before. I tell you, there is so much to learn about html coding. Good thing I have a little bit of patience! :)

Under Construction

2009-12-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

I am in the progress of renovating the blog to make it more efficient and organized. I am trying to google some directions on how to add a horizontal menu bar or tabs to create pages on my blog. If you know how, please let me know. Thanks! :)

Who Couldn't Use A Free Diaper Sample?

2009-12-04T02:00:00.004-05:00

Every little bit helps when on a baby tight budget. Request a free sample of Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers.

For You Coffee Lovers: Free Sample Alert!

2009-12-04T01:37:00.003-05:00

If you like creamer in your coffee, you can get a coupon for a free PINT of any flavor International Delight Coffee Creamer by becoming a fan of International Delight on Facebook. For the first 25,000 fans only. When I joined tonight, there were a little over 3,000 fans. Enjoy this freebie!

(Thanks, WhoSaidNothingInLifeIsFree!)

Just a little note: We are alive!

2009-12-04T01:13:00.007-05:00

This week has been pretty whacky with us trying to get back on schedule. I have a little sniffling action going on but hopefully it won't flare up into a cold. I have been SUPER exhausted also. I have been ripping and running to get things done so much that I have been wearing myself out. I need to slow down.

Zakiah is still sleeping through the night despite the fact that she was away from her crib for a week last week. She is a pretty awesome sleeper! Hopefully she will survive our trip to SC in a few weeks to see my family. Zakiah LOVES LOVES LOVES her walker, OMG! I will have to post the video up soon.

Daddy's Little Champion of the World

2009-11-28T23:14:00.004-05:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Vacation Update

2009-11-27T21:39:00.005-05:00

Shhh, don't tell anybody--we are bootlegging wireless internet from the neighbors...LOL

First off, I made her first bow as you can see on the left. I made it in 3 minutes and attached it to a black headband with a bobby pin. I plan to get really serious with making headbows as soon as I get all the supplies I need.

Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick post about how things are going so far on our trip. Well, we left a few hours LATER than intended on Monday, which made it rough on Zakiah. She was quite fussy during certain periods of the LONG ten hour ride up to Jersey mainly because she is not a car seat sleeper so she was not getting decent rest during her usual nap times. We ended up getting to Jersey a little before 11 that night, which was WAY past her bedtime. But nevertheless, she managed to sleep through the night and get back up around her usual wake up time of 7ish the next morning. She has been sleeping pretty great in her pack and play since she got here to Jersey.

She has really been enjoying seeing her family. Everyone couldn't help saying how beautiful she is. God did an awesome work in forming Zakiah. She is amazing and everyone noticed how active of a baby she is. She loves when her grandma (Josh's mom) talks to her because she makes Zakiah smile.

Thanksgiving was great! Josh's mom threw it down in the kitchen. Tasted just like it would if it came from the South. Turkey really does make you sleepy. At least it did for me.

Today, we took a little road trip to Atlantic City. It was pretty awesome seeing the big casino resorts. We were not able to walk along the boardwalk for a long time because it was very chilly and windy. We had to keep Zakiah bundled up in the stroller so she would say warm. We stayed in Atlantic City for a few hours before headed back. I quickly put together a video slide show of Zakiah's first trip out there. I probably won't do another update until we get back but we will see. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend and is recouping from the Thanksgiving feast and/or Black Friday shopping.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

P.S. Zakiah is REALLY into food. A little too much now. She is starting to go toward plates of food. We noticed this while we were at the Chinese buffet tonight. She is also razzing more constantly and spitting all over the place. She must really be teething because she has been gumming her finger like crazy and sucking on her bottom lip lately. Oh, and today was the first time we put her in a high chair at the Chinese restaurant. Grandpa was really concerned that she was going to bounce and swirm her way out that chair but she did okay for a few moments until she was really ready to get out that thing.

Slideshow of Pictures from Zakiah's Third Month

2009-11-25T14:18:00.001-05:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Slideshow of Pictures from Zakiah's Second Month

2009-11-24T14:14:00.003-05:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Slideshow of Pictures from Zakiah's First Month

2009-11-23T11:36:00.002-05:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I am Still UP...

2009-11-23T02:29:00.003-05:00

It is 2:30am, and I am STILL packing up my stuff for the trip to New Jersey. Ugh, it is so much easier packing for a baby. Zakiah's stuff was packed within 45 minutes. I am still washing clothes and haven't even started on my hair. I might have to do the wig thing. I don't know. Josh doesn't like the wig...haha. But we will see. Good thing Zakiah is sleep WELL in her pack and play right now. We wanted her to adjust to it so she can hopefully sleep well for the week up North.

I am SO excited about this trip. I hope all goes well and that we have safe travel. Hopefully we will beat most of the holiday travel by leaving in a few hours instead of on tomorrow or Wednesday.

I have a few posts scheduled to post on the blog over the course of the week. (Did that sound weird?) They are just some slide shows of pictures from Zakiah's first three months of life. There are stories behind many of those pictures that I would like to catch up on and post about, but I don't have the time right now.

I might do a post via my blackberry. I have never done that before but I figured since the ride is going to be LONG, I will have plenty of time to figure it out! LOL

Hope you all have a safe, wonderful, and BLESSED Thanksgiving with your families and friends! :) Cherish every moment with your loved ones because another day with them is NEVER promised. Please keep Shaniya Davis' family in prayer.

P.S. Zakiah is entering into her SIXTH month. Wow!!!

Some Little Things I Have Noticed Over the Past Week

2009-11-21T22:31:00.005-05:00

Zakiah is getting good with her hands. She can reach and aim for a toy with pretty good accuracy! Another thing I notice is that she is also SOOOOO fascinated by facial features. She would grab for the nose and mouth whenever she is close enough to our faces to do so. She particularly likes trying to put her fingers in our mouths or in our noses. I have been noticing, too, that she is starting to become a little more ticklish on her sides and belly. She is not at the point where we can tickle her and she laughs hysterically but she does flinch her body when I tickle those areas.

The thing I notice most of all is that Zakiah is getting bigger every time I think about it. And the bigger she gets, the more beautiful she becomes! I can't believe tomorrow she will be 5 months!

Zakiah Enjoys Her Books!

2009-11-21T22:13:00.004-05:00

I have been giving Zakiah her Tiny Bear Bible and Leapfrog's ABC Animal Orchestra book during play time so she can look at the pictures and get accustomed to interacting with books. She really enjoys looking at the pictures, flipping the pages (or at least trying to), and trying to put the books in her mouth, of course! LOL She can focus on the images now and even tries to reach toward them as if she is trying to pick them up off the page. She is working on that hand-eye coordination. Here is a video of interactioning with the Tiny Bear Bible:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I try to make sure I carry both of her books with me when we go out. Here is her with one of her books while we were out shopping:

Hopefully she will get some more books in the upcoming month. Since she is so inquisitive, I think I would to consistently incorporate reading in her bedtime routine. She is a smart little baby! :)

Zakiah's Coat Fitting

2009-11-20T22:54:00.001-05:00

Why is it SO hard to find a coat for babies under 6 months??? We are going to Jersey and were looking everywhere to find a nice warm coat for Zakiah. Babies R Us had the largest selection of outerwear we have seen but only less than a handful of coats there where for babies under 6 months. The bulk was for older babies. It is like babies under 6 months are not supposed to go out in the cold or either they have to wear a bunny/bear suit if they do. Well, not this baby!

Since the coats were marked down 30% of the original price, we decided on getting a brown puff coat that was for 6-9 month old babies so she can grow into it as the winter progresses. We got the coat and tried it on Zakiah. Well, this is how the coat ended up looking on her:

I didn't know we signed her up for cheerleading tryouts! LOL The sleeves on this coat are WAY TOO LONG on Zakiah. There's like 3 inches of extra space between the opening on the sleeves and her hands. She couldn't even put her arms down. Man, it was a struggle to get that coat on just for it to not even remotely fit decently on her.

Well, we went back to Babies R Us to look for a better coat. There just had to be something. And then, at last, we found this cute red peacoat like coat with a hood. And it was on sale to our surprise for $9 and some change. What a great deal AND it fits her just fine. I will post a picture of her in it soon after we come back from our trip.

Rolling on with Life!

2009-11-20T13:06:00.007-05:00

So on last Monday, the 9th, I caught Zakiah rolling over from her back to her tummy for the first time:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This was not the first time she has rolled over from back to tummy clearly because she has been flipping herself over ever since we ditched the swaddle in her crib.

NOW she is rolling like crazy. It is truly becoming second nature. A few days ago, she managed to roll herself in the bathroom sink following her bath:

(Yes, I caught you! LOL)

No longer can I leave her unattended for even a split second because she can roll over SO fast. Like I said before...second nature. It is crazy to think that a few months ago, she was struggling to even lift up her head. I haven't recorded it yet, but today, she was rolling herself back and forth, from back to belly to back to belly to get to her toys. It was SO funny and AMAZING! I can't wait til the day when she can roll to mommy and daddy! Or maybe I CAN wait a little while longer...lol. ::wink:: :-p

Get 50 Free Photo Cards with Free Shipping!

2009-11-19T09:42:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Freebies4mom, you can create and order 50 4x8 photo cards over at SeeHere.com. I did my cards last week, ordered them Saturday, and got them via Fed Ex yesterday morning. I must say that these cards turned out GREAT!!! I worked on them for awhile but am very pleased on the quality of the cards and how they turned out! You can create holiday photo cards or any theme you would like. I did 8 designs.

Visit Freebies4mom to find out more about this deal. You must order your cards by Monday, November 30th. Use the code freebies4mom-1109 to get your 50 cards free including free shipping.

Knock Knock...Who's There?

2009-11-19T07:48:00.011-05:00

It's me! I am back! I took a little hiatus from blogging to focus on some other things but haven't stopped recording and taking pictures of my precious little girl. I will say that me and the blackberry have been going through this love-hate relationship for the past few weeks ever since I downloaded the latest update on my phone. All my contacts were deleted in the process and my camera quality has decreased. I am going by Verizon this weekend to get these issues evaluated before Josh, Zakiah, and I head off to New Jersey this coming week to visit Josh's family for Thanksgiving. This will be Zakiah's first long road trip ever...so nervous but excited. I will discuss that in another post...

WELL, there is SO much I can update on. I have several videos I need to post and topics I want to discuss. I guess in this post I will touch base on some things I want to mention off the top of my head:

Pre-teens and the Hazards of Huffing??? I watched this story on the today show this morning and am in disbelief what CHILDREN are doing these days. Not too long ago I learned about the choking game. I never heard of such things during my pre-teen or teen days and just can't even imagine what kids will be doing when Zakiah gets around that age. That is why it is IMPORTANT to talk to your children and have that open line of communication. It is so easy for them to feel like we as parents can't possibly understand what they are going through and therefore turn to peers for comfort, which can in turn take them down the wrong road. Children are dying from things that can easily be prevented. This is a serious issue.

Shaynia Davis' death last week. Read up on her story here. What drives parents to harm or even torture and kill young children? I just don't understand. The mother offered her sweet 5 year old up for prostitution and the last footage of her seen was in the arms of a guy waiting to get on the elevator in a hotel. What possess you to want to do anything with a BABY who is innocent and not able to understand what's going on. And to find her little body dumped on the side of a country road...sighs. This story breaks my heart.

My coupon adventure so far. Josh loves me even more because I am now saving us over 65-80% in groceries. I rarely buy things over $1 because there are just too many coupons available out there to just waste money like that. Coupons are money and the key is to match coupons with sales. Doing so can land you some pretty great deals to stock up on. Timing of using your coupons can even get you free items such as toothpaste, razors, trial size items, and so on. So glad I got into the program. I will post a video slide show of the groceries I have gotten in separate trips and how much I spent on each shopping trip.

Anticipation on our upcoming trip to New Jersey. Still have to find a pack and play for Zakiah to sleep in while we are up there. My biggest anticipation is that she will be all out of whack once we come back. She naps pretty well and sleeps 10-11 hours at night now, which is beautiful. I feed her 4-5 times a day and am still exclusively breastfeeding. Yay, go me!!! No bottles either. Hopefully I will be able to transition straight to cup from breast without that extra step of the bottle.The trip is about 8 hours straight from where I live, but with a baby, who knows how long it will take.

Zakiah's milestones. She is my rollie pollie. I can't keep her on her back for nothing. She rolls in a split second. No more high counters! She loves reaching for ANYTHING she can get her hands on within reach. She scoots like crazy. She poops like every few days with her latest stretch being 5 days. Her hair is starting to grow in because she is sleeping on her tummy at night and during her naps. She enjoys looking at pictures in books and rubbing her fingers across the pictures. Going out with her has been so much better since she is eating every four hours and can stay awake between 1 hour 50 minutes-2 and a half hours before having a "I need to go to sleep" meltdown. She doesn't fuss too much when putting her into the car seat unless she is really tired. Then she tries to roll her way out of it. She is in size 2 diapers day and night and wears 3-6 month clothes. She doesn't spit up as often anymore and drools like crazy.

Zakiah and her fear of the singing toy of her play yard. I still haven't posted the video of this when I mentioned of this several weeks ago. I need to get that up because clearly she still doesn't like that toy. Yesterday, I pulled it out of her toy bag to see how she felt about it. I pulled the string to the toy and almost immediately, she frowned her lips and started crying. I chuckled because it is so cute but funny how simple things can upset children. I guess that is how I should look at it when adults get upset over simple things too. lol

I am no longer counting her age in weeks, FINALLY! Like now, I would say she is almost 5 months since she will be 5 months on Sunday. Oh my GEE, she will be 5 months already??? Ugh, slow down girl!!! But yeah, I lost count of her weeks. I think she is 22 weeks though but like I said, no more counting weeks. I will now label posts in terms of months.

I am hopefully going to get into making her own hair bows and head bands. The ones at the stores are not big enough for me or colorful enough. Soooooo, I have ordered some CUTE ribbon from ebay and can't wait to make some beautiful boutique type bows.

Ok, this is what is on the top of my head for now. I will feel in the blanks with subsequent posts. I hope all is well with all of you! Thanks for coming back and reading up on me and Zakiah. We are doing well!

OMG!

2009-11-08T21:40:00.003-05:00

***Will fix grammatical errors later***

Zakiah can roll from her back to her belly!

So, for the past week, I have been swaddling Zakiah very loosely to help with the weaning process. The goal is to be able to just lay her in her crib and walk out the room. No rocking, no swaddling, no anything but her sound device and her new blankie!

Anyway, how about last night, I placed her on her back, swaddled with her arm around her blankie (trying to get her accustomed to it). Well this morning, she managed to flip position in her crib meaning her head was where her feet were last night and her feet were where her head was. Not only that, she was on her tummy...OMG!!! Granted, I felt like she was on the verge of rolling over from back to tummy because most times when I wrap the towel around her after getting out the bath, it always seem like she is about to roll off the bathroom counter because she is twisting that waist and legs HARD from side to side. Last, but not least, the blanket used to swaddle her was wrapped around her waist like a tutu! LOL

I so wished I could have gotten a picture of her position this morning, but it was still dark in the room and I didn't want to turn the light on and disturb her sleep. It was so cute and funny at the same time!

She did fuss twice, I think, last night but settled within 5 minutes on her own. I guess she was busy repositioning herself and getting comfy. She has dropped her night feeds ever since she has slept in her crib so I rarely go into her room to check on her unless she has been crying for more than 5 minutes.

This is a time of celebration because she is one step closer to losing that swaddle. First she was double swaddled on her side in the sleep positioner. Then we ditched the sleep positioner and put her either on her side or on her back. Next, we took away the SwaddleMe swaddle and just used a lightweight blanket to wrap her up for the night. She has been adjusting to that very well and usually frees her arms by the time she gets up in the morning. But last night, like I said, OMG! LOL

Tonight I was like NO MORE SWADDLE! I fed her and placed her on her back in the crib with her little blankie, turned off the light, and walked out the room. She fussed for a few minutes and then there it was....SILENCE! It has been over 2 hours since she has been asleep and I am dying to see what position she is in right now. But I won't check...I am quite sure she is quite fine and comfy!

I am so proud of her...she is advancing so quickly. I guess the developmental ball is rolling. What is next?

I Need Some Encouragement!!!

2009-11-04T10:08:00.003-05:00

This weaning Zakiah out the swaddle thing has been heavy on my mind for several weeks now. I am at a loss at whether or not she is ready to let go of the swaddle. She cries during the process of swaddling but most times falls right to sleep once I lay her to bed. Sometimes, however, she fights herself out the swaddle during her sleep and wakes up crying when her arms are flailing all over the place. Ugh, she is getting so strong that re-swaddling her is such a huge task especially when she is crying at the top of her lungs and resisting my attempt.

I have read and read and read so many forum posts about when and how to go about this thing. Some say if it isn't broken, then don't fix it. Some say drop the swaddle either gradual or cold turkey. Most say it depends on the baby and to just follow her cues.

Hmm, but what if I don't know what the heck Zakiah is trying to tell me??? It is like she has this love/hate relationship with the swaddle. The swaddle is definitely a STRONG cue that it is time to go to sleep. If she isn't fussing so bad, she sometimes drifts off while I am swaddling her.

The swaddle has been very effective to helping Zakiah nap for 2 hour stretches twice a day now and sleep through the night most times (since sleeping in her crib). If she wakes, it is because she has broken through the swaddle and can't settle back again. Unfortunately, the swaddle is a prop that needs to be STOPPED!

On the flip side, I am not looking forward to a lot of night wakings and crying when I decide to ditch this swaddling business for good. I am still contemplating how to attack this thing. I guess I have already started today by swaddling her in such a way that her right fist is close to her mouth for her to suck her fingers. Halfway through her nap, she started fussing. I didn't go in to check on her right way...I have the 5 minute rule: if she fusses for 5 minutes straight, I would go in and check on her. I do this to give her the opportunity to self soothe. Well, I am happy to say that she settled down on her own. I checked on her a few minutes ago and sure enough, that right arm is fully free from the swaddle BUT she is knocked out once again. Woot!

I guessing I will take the gradual approach. I know I have attempted this before but I truly felt like she wasn't ready back then. Now I want to try again to see if this will work. I just have to be consistent and not give in because that will only confuse her. But if things get too out of whack by the end of Sunday, back to fully swaddling her we go.

I will try to document my progress here for as many naps and nighttime sleep as I can. Pray for us as we go through this process. I am guessing it is more daunting on me than her.

Giggles before bed!

2009-11-04T02:49:00.003-05:00

Just a quick clip of me making Zakiah giggle. She is so cute!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Week 19 Video Slideshow

2009-11-04T01:56:00.002-05:00

Ugh, I am getting behind on getting these weekly videos posted on time (at least by Sunday nights since Zakiah's weeks begin on a Monday). I will try to do better. Nevertheless, here it is:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Whew! Four Posts in One Day!

2009-10-30T15:22:00.006-04:00

Told you I was going to update and catch up soon. I am pretty much up-to-date with my videos. Yay! Now I need to do an update on my other blog. Will do sometime later. I might have to deal with an issue first that was brought to my attention. Someone maybe copying my information on my blog and using it on his/her blog as his/her own. Not cool at all. Anyway, I wanted post up a picture real quick because I think it tells how much Zakiah is becoming her own person:

Look at how she is calmly chilling on daddy. It was weird seeing her like that because she is usually bouncing around trying to see what is going on around her. But for this moment, she was truly chilling as if she really wanted to enjoy the quality time with daddy instead of moving all over the place. It was an adorable and special moment. Zakiah is starting to show different moods...how neat!

Oh and another thing. Zakiah still hates the pacifier but absolutely LOVES her fingers! First it was the fist, but now she loves sucking on her middle three fingers.

Does this mean she will find that thumb? And the suspense thickens...