If you have been following my blog, then you know that I had my third child back in April, and took some time off to focus on motherhood, etc. I have had a lot on my plate, which includes new and existing business ventures, but it looks like I may be able to post on here on a regular basis. Well, a few days a week.

Thank you all for being so patient. Many thanks to all who sent their wishes and constantly asked for me to come back!

I think my last few posts were about loosing weight?!? Yes, I lost all the baby weight…quite excited about that. Tried to post some pics., but I guess I’ve been gone for so long that I may need to update the wordpress theme. Lol. If you are following us on FB or Twitter, you’d see pics.

In the interim, I will work on getting this fixed, so stay tuned.

Hope you are all well.

Muah!

I also have to keep you updated on the workout plan. I have 12 lbs to go - Yay! The last few ones are the hardest, but I’m as determined as ever. After all, I started from 60 lbs. By the way, I realized that the way I was updating you all was a little daunting, so I have decided that if any of you have questions about diet or exercise tips, you can simply email me/leave a comment. I’m happy to help/share.

By the way, I will put up pictures of the end result. Lol!

I have a pretty interesting post coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned…

Z? Boy! Different story. She is becoming a girly girl already, and it’s weird because she started off as a tomboy (she still is - kinda), but these days, she is really observing and doing things I do.

When, I’m fixing my hair, same goes for her. When I apply baby powder on my face, yup, she does. She asked to put on a necklace the other day - because she saw mine.

This weekend, as we were leaving out, I grabbed my sunglasses, she grabbed one out of MY collection (she broke hers), put it on, and strutted away with an attitude.

The list goes on for days!

Well, this morning as we were going to drop them off at school, I grabbed my purse, and why did missy grab a bag too. But guess what? The bag she grabbed was big enough to stuff her in. Literally. Are you all familiar with a blow-up mattress? Well, have you seen the bag that comes with a queen size one? Yes, that’s the bag she grabbed to take to school with her - as a purse. Lol!

Dad tried to take it from her and it was a complete riot. She won’t let go. Eventually, he won. But she didn’t give up without a fight.

I have been trying to keep a journal of my meals, but I have a pretty serious case of baby brain that I don’t even remember the last thing I said - not to mention what I had to eat an hour ago, so if I don’t write it down immediately, that’s valid information gone down the drain. Lol.

Also, It seems like I’m only reporting what I eat on days that I workout, whereas I’m supposed to fill you in on my daily diet. Hmm…

So, please, help me. We need to figure something else out.

As mentioned in the previous workout post, each day, I up the distance/speed I run. On day six, I ran for 53 mins and burned 850 calories. It’s not my usual, but hey…baby steps.

I have any of the below for breakfast, lunch and dinner..

Breakfast: tea/coffee, apple or cottage cheese (again, I’m not the breakfast type - some say it’s bad, though.)

Lunch: Oatmeal, Greg’s baked chicken, Organic lentil soup from Trader J., quinoa and veggies, or quinoa and baked chicken

Mid-day snack: 80 calorie dannon yoghurt, cottage cheese, low calorie rice cake.

Dinner: Tofu salad, baked chicken & quinoa, salmon & veggies, lentil soup, or baked chicken & veggies.

We were watching a documentary on Turkey, the country. Our little man turned to us (his parents). “Why is it called turkey?” Before we could respond…he says, “Is it because there are a lot of turkeys there?” *crickets* Seriously, what do you say to that? Both my husband and I were dying on the inside, but just sat straight faced.

My husband managed, “Well, that’s just what it’s named. It’s just the way it is.”

Hahahahahaha…gotta love the kids and their brains! Have a fantastic weekend, lovers!

I’m quite sure I’m not the first with three beautiful kids, which includes a newborn and staying up all night, a business, 2 blogs, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 1 snake. All the while, I have all these different “social media” accounts to keep up with, phone calls to make and return, emails to read and respond to, and I seriously feel like I’m failing at it. (OK, this is the part where everyone says, “aww” and you feel sorry for me).

What makes it more insane is that somehow, I have to fit a 2-hour workout routine beginning next week. This was my life(style) before the new baby and I certainly love to keep it up. My workout regimen consists of 15 mins stretch, 30 mins weights, 60 mins run and another 15 mins stretch.

I promised you all that I was going to keep you updated about my weight loss, and we were going to go on this journey together - per your request.

So, I’m going to chat with you with all honesty. I gained 56 lbs with my third child. Yes, I didn’t think it was possible. Lol. I wondered why I kept running out of breath. Go figure! It’s been 3 weeks now, and I have lost 36 lbs. I have completely changed my diet. Nothing drastic because I’m nursing, but my next post will include my daily diet. It is safe to say that I don’t eat carbs: Rice, bread, pasta, bananas, sugar, or juice, etc. I’m also doing my best to avoid red meat.

I have 24 lbs to go, and I’m giving myself 3 more weeks. It will be a little bit below my pre pregnancy weight, but it’s OK. Then, of course, I will maintain it by continuing my workout regimen and eating right.

Will do my best to blog as much as I can - along with my daily posts on Style Pantry so keep the questions/email coming. Don’t be threatened by my schedule. I’m not. Hehhehe..

I could just imagine what was going on in that little brain of hers. She is so playful during the day - it could be anything. I’d ask, but she can’t really hold a conversation yet. She is barely two.

Here is what the conversation would sound like if I attempted;

Me: So, you were laughing really hard in your sleep

Zurhi: “Sheep”

Me: Ok, let’s try this again. Zurhi baby, why where you laughing so hard in your sleep?

Zurhi: “Sheep”

She is going through that phase - her brain can’t retain the entire sentence, so it captures the last word she hears and she repeats…lol

When he is eating steak, he goes, “Mom, can you please cut my chicken into pieces?” When he is eating lamb, “Mom, what type of chicken is this - it’s delicious.” When it’s oxtail, “Mom, I like this chicken with the bone in the middle.” When he is eating chicken, well, it’s just chicken and it’s delicious…especially when it’s fried.

My mom got in yesterday, and she was so excited to be with her grand kids. They had so much fun, but I couldn’t keep up. I clocked out early. She gets a kick out of the whole chicken thing too. The last time she visited us, I remember asking her, “Mom, is Sidney ever going to get it? Will he ever be able to tell them apart - chicken and beef?” She was on the floor dying with laughter.

Seriously, you have to witness it. It’s so innocent and he keeps a straight face too. Bear in mind, we have corrected him numerous times, but what the heck? It’s funny! He is super cute!!!

Apologies to the vegetarians.

I’m sure this is sort of normal for every new mom parent - at least I hope so. To assure us that we are not insane. I’m sure this is a temporary feeling, and it will come to pass. The good Lord will help us.

She is asleep here, and I still made her take a pic with her big bro and sis.

Seriously, I remember going through it with Sidney and Zurhi temporarily, but the pain was not this serious, and I didn’t bleed. Yup! So, I have been swallowing Ibuprofen every three hours to alleviate the pain. I have also been using Lansinoh by Lanolin; an ointment for breastfeeding mothers to prevent cracked nipples and scabbing. It looks like it’s helping.

More importantly, I have continued to nurse with that sore, cracked, bleeding nipple/breast. According to my mom, that’s the best way to heal. My mom, who is a self proclaimed mid-wife, said the baby’s mouth is the best medicine (by the way, I confirmed this on other websites too). Isn’t it great how the body works?

I also tried having her latch on differently, which made a huge difference!

I love the act of nursing and everything that it entails. The bonding experience, when your baby stares in your eyes…like “thank you mommy for this delicious milk.” Hehehe..priceless!

Feel free to add on any additional tips and suggestions by leaving a comment. Thanks.

photo credit: google images

A big thank you to Dr. Jay Goldberg who delivered Ameenah (and Zurhi, too). Thank you to the team at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. What a fantastic hospital and workers.

Now that I got all of my shoutouts out of the way, I’d like to share my exit with you all. It’s nothing sophisticated - lol.

Here is the conversation that took place…

Nurse: “So, congratulations again and see you next time, right?”

Greg & I: Oh, for sure! Absolutely! We’ll be back with #4…hehehe.”

Nurse: “Alright, mom your wheelchair is right outside the door.”

Me: “Wheelchair? I’m rolling outta here in a wheelchair…oh noooooo. I’m OK! Trust me, I’m OK to walk.”

Nurse: “No ma’am. Sorry, it’s the hospital protocol. Don’t your remember from the last time?”

Me: “No!”

Greg: “Don’t worry, honey, the paparazzis are not outside yet.”

Me: “They are not???” Dumbfounded.

Greg: “No hon, we didn’t call them yet.”

Me: “Shoot! Well, you never know. To be safe, I’ll put on my big glasses, hold on to my fancy bag and still go ahead and exit in style.”

Nurse: “Uhm…maam, No. You need to carry the baby on your lap.”

Me: “I do? Shoot! So, who carries my bag?”

Aunt Em: “I will take it.”

All of this drama to find out that we were parked in a gated, roofed, secured, valet parking lot, and didn’t run into a soul. Not even patients or visitors. Lol. No one noticed us. We exited quietly, and with no hassle. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a drama queen!

Stay fab, lovelies.

So, as stated in a previous post, I’m not ignoring any of your thoughtful direct msgs/concerns/comments on the blog. You know I always respond. I really appreciate you - I feel like we are all family at this point. We are a community that continues to grow. I will update you all here as much as I can.

As always, keep checking back. Everyday! And you never know, I may surprise you with something…like maybe some pictures of our new addition this week. *smiles*

PS- Don’t forget to keep checking us out over at our lifestyle blog, Style Pantry -  it’s not just me working over there. It will be updated regularly with fun stuff. Lots of pictures too. Enjoy and get involved.

Much love to you all.

Folks, do I need to remind us that it costs absolutely nothing to be kind and everything if you aren’t? Let’s think of others this week. What can you do to help someone other than yourself or family?

You don’t have to show off what you can do. We should live for the good of others, and not ourselves. Self centeredness is the root of every strife. The generation behind us is following us with stride, so let’s lead by example. Your kids are watching and learning from you, so set the record straight.

Kill with an act of kindness. When you are at a drive-thru, pay for the car behind you. Get the door for the mother struggling with her stroller. Settle a mis-communication with a friend. Buy lunch for the homeless guy you see on the corner every day. Something so minute to you, can be grand for someone else.

Visit a patient at your local hospital and read to them, or bring them flowers. Bake cookies for your neighbors, say a prayer for a friend. Do a random act, and see how amazing it makes the person on the receiving end feel. Spread the love and make the world a better place.

Feel free to tell us about what/how someone has been to kind to you. Or like a dear friend would say, “share your bright moments.” Let’s keep the circle of love going.

I was trying to have a convo with Greg this morning. I had just one thing to say, and my poor hubby had to stand there for half an hour just for me to complete my sentence. Why? I was catching my breath after each word.

Seriously, times like this, I wish everything was close by in the house. I wish all the rooms in the house were close together. You know, like a step away. Lol. Now I know what penguins go through, I see why it takes them eons to get from point A to B, as I feel like a tuxedo’d wobbler myself right now.

Doc Hollywood (errr, 90212), has placed me on “strict” bed rest. For me, that’s like being in solitary confinement. I’m usually on the “go.” From morning till crash time. Even when I’m asleep, my brain is still running on overdrive. So, you can imagine how hard this is for me. But like the title of the post reads. It’s any day now. It’s all a waiting game at this point and she can decide to come right after I finish writing this post.

If I’m MIA, you know why, right? I certainly don’t want to leave you all hanging - especially since I have been receiving lovely msgs from some of you asking after me, to see if baby #3 is finally here, etc. (Thank you for the well wishes and thoughts, my friends. They’re greatly appreciated.)

Posting may slow down a bit. I try to post every other day. Actually, I post everyday because I run two blogs. This and Style Pantry. So, when I’m not writing on here, I’m writing on SP - in addition to managing the WeWe Store. Bear with me, OK? Just for a few weeks. I will keep updating and writing as often as I can until things get back to normal.

By the way, let me take this opportunity to reiterate to the moms (you don’t have to be a mom to join) that we are going to lose the baby weight together. I will be sharing my daily diet/meal and exercise regimen, so stay tuned.

But first, I’m praying for a safe and healthy delivery and baby. Keep me in your prayers. I have been truly blessed. Thanks to you all.

Yesterday, we sat around with the kiddies talking about Easter and the importance. Here’s G trying to explain in a nutshell, and as simply as possible.

G turned to S (our son), “by the way, do you understand/know the story of Easter?”

S: Sorta. Uhm, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it.

Me: Thinking to myself. Wow, so he has not being paying attention at Sunday school?!?!?!

G: OK! Let me explain. So, you know that Jesus was killed on the cross, right?

S: Yes! That’s really sad.

G: Well, so when they brought him down, they put him in a tomb and covered it with a huge rock. But a few days later, he rose from the dead and shocked the world…..(the story went on a few more sentences).

S’s eyes lit, his face, super expressive. In total shock..as if hearing the story for the first time. It could be the first time he actually paid attention and understood the story..

S: WOW! That means Jesus is totally like…immortal, right?

Me: uhhh, like…sure, dude. Rock on! Lol

Happy Easter, Folks! Stay blessed.

Her dad bought her a sign book when she was much younger, and after she turned a year, big brother was so excited and eager to teach her to converse with us in sign language.

This little girl has it down packed. It’s so cute, but I get confused…lol.

She says please, thank you, I love you, food/eat, more, milk, and the list goes on. What confuses me, however, is the food/eat/more. She gets up early in the morning and does a sign for “more” and I’m like “More? Of what? Sleep? You want to go back to sleep?” Please be my guest.

But she is actually asking for food.

When she is hungry, she signs for “more” before she signs for “food” or “eat” which I think is cute…depending on the circumstance Like I mentioned above, waking up from sleep and signing “more” only tells me that you want more sleep (I know better now, of course - at least, so I thought).

This morning, I was massaging the back of her knees. She signed for more, so I went to get her food. She refused to eat. Now, I’m really confused. She kept signing, and I kept handing her food. We were back and forth for like 5mins. Then it occurred to me that she was probably enjoying the massage. Duhhhhh!

I put her back in bed and continued massaging. Boy, you should have seen the huge smile on her face and the sense of satisfaction. She was almost falling asleep.

And then as soon as I was done, of course, she got up and signed for “food.” I thought that was “more”?? Are you all confused now? Join the club….lol.

I was fuming, smoke oozing out of my ears. I turned red, and since I have really dark skin it’s pretty amazing that you could see the red in my face. I was not ready for what I saw, so I fumbled. Here is the conversation between Z and I. Keep in mind, she is 19 months old.

Me: “Holly Smokes, Z what are you doing?” Her dress is wet, her hands are drenched in toilet water, and she has toilet water all over her face.

Z: In her soft baby voice…speaking in Spanglish. “But I wan agua.”

And here I am trying to decide if I should respond in English, Spanish or Yoruba. So I mixed them all up.

Me: “No no no no! No toilet agua for you..drink! Ki lo de.” (Ki lo de = Why?)

Z: She gave me the confused look. Like WTF was that? Because right now, you are bad at all three languages.

G: Laughing uncontrollably in the background, shaking his head and wondering what happened to my brain and speech.

Man! I picked her up, washed her and santized her hands. I can’t santize her mouth now…can I?

Have a fab friday and enjoy your weekend!

Yes, I’m a tad bit psychotic. But my family likes it that way. That’s all that matters.

On a candid note, I really appreciate the fact that CNN picks up some of my posts and re-posts or recommend to their readers. It makes me feel important that my work is worthwhile and the message is getting out there. I love reading your comments, and I especially appreciate all the private messages.

Also, to all the other blogs that have my blog listed (with a direct link) on their sites, I’m working on a list and will have you listed on here as well. Once I figure out to do it (hehehe). You are all part of the community of making a difference - you are greatly appreciated.

Wow, it’s April 1st! April fools day. Today actually marks 6years that I moved out to sunny California from the east coast. It has been a heck of a journey, a fun one - and it continues to get better. I have been truly blessed, because without believing and having faith, I won’t be where I am today. To be doing what I envisioned as a kid, what I prayed for, and what I came out to California to pursue and get more?? Leaves me totally speechless.

OK, so this post just took a different turn. I totally didn’t plan the paragraph above, this I’m writing, or the one below. It just sort of happened when I realized the date, so if it seems like I threw you off, it was intentional. Albeit, the post is all about being appreciative and giving thanks, so I think it fits, right?

Many thanks to my families. The one that I have created been blessed with in California (husband, 1 bambino and 2 bambinas), my in-laws, my family on the east-coast and the ones in the great Nigeria, who always believed in me and stood by me. You all are rock stars!!! I’m just going to stop here before I get too emotional and you literally start to see the tear drops appear on your screen.

Enjoy April fools day. Let me know if you played pranks on anyone or someone got you good. Heck, share past jokes too.

Stay fab!

Credit:

Photo; Courtesy of Aviary from google images.

I am in love. With my sister. I know, I know, I’m such a hypocrite. Last week, I wrote a post about incestuous relationships and how sick it is. And here I am lusting over my sister. Lol.

I can’t help it. She is mega beautiful inside and out. Everyone, and I mean everyone loves my sister. Even her haters, though, they have a unique way of showing it. Lol.

You are truly sensational. Thanks for being such a fantastic role-model and for stepping in to raise me as your child, albeit, you are actually not old enough to have me (we are 3.5 years apart). In fact, most think I am older. I think it’s those cute dimples and innocent smile of yours that trick people into thinking that. And I don’t blame them.

Enjoy your day today. Sorry I can’t be there with you. We had a fantastic time last year, though, didn’t we? Keep looking and feeling young as you continue to age gracefully.

Folks, please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday. Feel free to tap her also (if you see her in person) and give her a hug and a kiss for me. Tell her it’s from her sister, but make sure you don’t have BO and bad breath going on. She is sort of allergic - Lol. Just kidding!

Fabulous one, have a superb birthday! Love you loads, baby. You totally ROCK!

I know, I know, it’s not the same, but we are not in their world, so we can’t possibly tell how easy or hard this is for them.

I’m not sure how many weeks or months a hummingbird holds the eggs before they’re laid, and then how long the eggs take to hatch, but it seemed like we were “pregnant” at the same time and “delivered” at the same time. She became our little pet, and we were so fascinated by her. She was there every time we stepped out or came back in.

Unfortunately, she left right after her babies hatched and we didn’t see her again. We left the nest there - so that one day she might return - and she is back. Back to have another baby. How spiritual is that? We are going to have our babies at the same time again. The seasons are different, the time is different, but yet she is here.

This has a spiritual significance for us. Call us mushy or softies, but it feels like we are being protected by this beautiful creature, who we initially felt like we have to look out for. She is like part of the family now. And we already know that we’ll miss her when she is gone.

But I hope she knows that if/when she does return, she is on her own with the pregnancy. I’m done. Lol!

Happy Friday, lovely ones. Make it a fab weekend!