Scratching the Surface

Zakiah is experimenting with touch and the feel of different textures. She has been scratching things like the sofa and fabric on her bouncer. I will hopefully catch a video of her in action soon. Thought I would mention this.

Showing off the leg...

I have been noticing that Zakiah enjoys lifting up her pants legs to look at her legs and feet. Ah, the joys of discovery...she is becoming so much more aware of her body parts. Just amazing how far she has come from 3 months ago!

(So focused on Baby Einstein here)

Week 14 (Last week's) Video

Ok, I finally compiled it together. I hopefully will do better on getting the videos posted every Sunday night since Zakiah's weeks begin on Mondays.

I think Zakiah is teething!

Lately, Z has been having trouble sleeping longer at night when previously she had been doing 7-8 hour stretches at night. Not to add that her bedtime is all out of whack. Last night she didn't fall asleep until 11:30ish and she was on the breast when she fell asleep. She woke up again around 5:30. I fed her, and she went back to sleep. She didn't get up again until 8:20ish this morning. Josh and I have been giving her teething rings for her to suck on to help relieve the pressure under her gum. She has been drooling a lot, sometimes coughing and choking on her on saliva. Her stools have been extra loose lately also. From what I read online about teething, the first tooth doesn't cut until 6-7 months on average but can happen as early as 3 months. Also, some babies can go through the symptoms of teething for several weeks or months before the first tooth comes in. So, I am guessing she is going through the process right now since she seems to show all the major signs. I just have to take this process as it goes. I hate her being uncomfortable and crying at night and not falling asleep until almost midnight when I put her to bed around 8:30-9ish. She has to be overtired by now! I hope that I can get her back on routine within the next few days so she can get back to getting 10-11 hours of sleep at night instead of 7-9 hours.

Oh, It is Hard Being a Mom

No one said it would be easy, but man, I wonder how will I get through to the next day. The only way is through God, who I am learning to trust that He will supply all my needs ALWAYS. I love Zakiah with all my heart and only want the best for my baby. I feel like I am really pressed to do what I need to do to get finished with school soon and find a job so I can make sure Zakiah's needs are met. It is hard to get things done when I have so much frustration bottled up inside. I don't want Zakiah to see her parents struggling and at their worst. Josh is working all day and tries to study at night; I am with Zakiah all day, trying to fit in time to work on my thesis, look for jobs, and keep my house in order. But I feel like Josh and I are getting lost in all our burdens and not truly seeking God to help guide us. Or maybe that I am the one getting lost for Josh constantly tells me not to worry about our situation...it will get better. Ha, I would feel better if he would also attach a game plan behind that "do not worry" statement. Sometimes I feel like I have so little faith...that my world is crumbling down and Zakiah would have to suffer from my downfall.

But I must remember that that is how the devil wants me to feel. He wants me to feel like I am so deep down in the valley that I can no way pull myself out of what I dug myself so deep in. But Jesus is present in the deepest valleys and shines His light for His followers to see. Jesus is with me...I just have to learn to seek the kingdom FIRST in all I do and stop trying to fix my problems by my own will. I want show Zakiah that regardless of how bad things get, God is Holy.

I have a choice today: To follow God and His house or follow the devil. I am choosing God because He has ordered my steps and His will is best for me. Time to get to work. Will update with week 14 slideshow soon.

My Long Overdue Video Slideshow of My Labor and Delivery

This brings tears to my eyes...this video is dedicated to my little girl Zakiah Camille! I would do it all over the SAME way if I had to. ::smile:: Love you sweetie!

So Emotional

OMG, putting together these videos has really made me teary-eyed today. The more I watch the videos again, the more I realize that she is growing really fast. She is so precious even during the hard times, the late nights, and fussing evenings. God has really shown His grace and mercy through the blessing of Zakiah! Gosh, Josh and I don't even deserve such a beautiful baby girl especially when there are so many out there who can't even have children.

I realized truly that I would do anything to protect her while also keeping in mind that there will come a point in time where she will have to face her own storms later in life. But for now, she is fully dependent on me so I must take on my huge God given responsibility seriously.

Oh, I cannot stress how much I love her! She is a doll. I guess I will be shedding even more tears as I watch her grow. ::Sighs:: Where is the pause button???

Black and White Snap Shots of the Sleeping Beauty

I took these with my Blackberry. She was so beautiful so I couldn't help but take pictures of her in her sleeping bliss. I love this girl! Thank you Father for blessing me with her! ::tears::

These were taken at 9 weeks.

Weaning from the Swaddle

Ok, so bookie has been in the swaddle for as long as I can remember. I guess, ever since Josh and I decided we were not going to let her sleep on her tummy until she got older for the sake of reducing the risk of SIDS...remember, tummy to play, back to sleep...blah, blah, blah. When I was a baby, I slept on my tummy (according to my parents). Josh and I initially allowed Z to sleep on her tummy because she had pretty good neck control early on and she slept longer that way. But in the end, we wanted to be better safe than sorry.

Anyhoo, Zakiah has been swaddled in all kinds of blankets. For a few weeks now, she has been using the SwaddleMe blanket that has velcro for a more secure fit...LOVELY. However, for a week or so, she has been able to bust out that swaddle. Ha, our own little Houdini. Sometimes it is one arm out or both arms. On a few occasions, she even mananged to bust her feet out!

Now that she is three months, I figured I start weaning her from the swaddle slowly so that she can spend less time fighting herself out of it (and waking herself up sometimes in the process) and more time resting comfortably. Plus, if need be, I would like her to be able to self-sooth whether it be sucking her thumb or any other finger.

Starting today, I am leaving her right arm out the swaddle just to see how she manages. So far so good...she survived her first nap with it out and even managed to put herself back to sleep at one point during her nap when she started fussing. Hopefully by the end of this week, I can move on to leaving both arms out. We will see...

Stumbled Across One True Media

I have been watching some YouTube videos and saw that some of the videos have been put together using One True Media. At this website, you can create "montages" which is a collection of small video clips and/or pictures put together into one video. You can add music to the background and text slides into the montage. Plus, you can upload it directly to YouTube. I thought I would give it a try and this is what I came up with for my first montage (yes, it includes videos I have already posted previously on here):



I really like this program. It is a keeper since I can combine smaller video clips into one larger video clip. Also, it is helpful in putting together clips that show progression such as the video I just created.

Zakiah Playing With Her Rattle

This is surely one of Zakiah's favorite toys for the moment.

Tummy Time Video-September

Not So Feeling the Photo Session Today

Okay, I just need to vent! So, today Z had a photo session this morning at the JCPenney. First off, I knew Z was just a little tired since she didn't get a little nap in before the session but that has not stopped her from taking great photos before over at the Kmart studio. The first put off, the studio was hot. Granted there were lights and umbrellas and other photography equipment but what happened to the A/C? It was not nearly as hot at Kmart. I was sweating literally within 5 minutes of being there. I think Z was getting a little uncomfortable with the warm environment also.

Anyway, I was not impressed by the photographers. These two young ladies were not as good as the photographer at Kmart. They did not interact with Zakiah to encourage her to smile for the shot. I mean, why would you take a picture of someone when they are clearly not smiling? The lady shooting the pictures was basically pointing and shooting. And she was only getting one or two shots per pose. She had me DTM (doing too much) by having my hands in the shot and taking a shot just of Z's feet. I wanted a nice full face on pose with Z sitting and showing off a big smile! Not all these random poses of her laying on her side, laying down, sleeping, and me holding her in the air. Z was clearly getting annoyed and started fussing. So much went wrong with this shoot.

When it came down to review the pictures, I already knew that my selection would be pretty slim. The young lady pulled up the 10-11 pictures taken and was trying to get me to purchase pictures I clearly did not like and made her aware I did not like. Of all the pictures, the photographer only managed to get ONE shot of Z slightly smiling. Not impressed with her skills. So ultimately I told them I did not want any of the pictures and that I may have to reschedule for another time. I was not paying for anything I did not like!

So I would say this was a bad experience this time around, but I will not say the blame was all on the women. I mean, maybe Z was just too tired and cranky to cooperate. Maybe it was just too early. Next time, I will schedule an early afternoon session instead of a late morning session to make sure Z can get in that little nap before a session. I am going to try to see if I can get a session in tomorrow at Sears for her third month pictures. Hopefully we will have a better experience the next time around.

On a better note, here are Z's first two months' pictures:

Month 1

Month 2

Some Photos of the Day

Zakiah recovering from a long morning/early afternoon (see post above).

Zakiah in her bouncer.There goes that pretty smile. Finally I caught it on camera!Is it good, boo boo?

Whew, you are getting big in that tub! Slow down!

Enjoying being bundled in the towel.Aw, I see you boo!Yes, you have that model look and pose down pat!Hanging with daddy before going to bed. No, she hasn't found her thumb yet.

Pushing the 3rd Month Portraits

For the first year, my goal is to have a professional picture taken of Zakiah for each month. For the first month, she took a pink themed photo and the second month, a white and lavender theme. Zakiah will be 3 months this Tuesday. Oh, how time flies! For the third month photo, which I have set up an appointment this upcoming Monday, Josh and I are thinking maybe some green themed or possibly black background. Not sure yet. Only have a little over a day to think about it. Nevertheless, it will be cute! I will try to remember to post the first two months' pictures on here.

Little Miss Happy Feet

I am dedicating this post to my dad (Z's grandpa). She has the happy feet thing going on. Funny because that's one of my dad's favorite movies, and he gave Z a copy of the Happy Feet dvd. I think my dad is on to something because Z is definitely a little mover.

So Clean and Silly After Bath Time

She loves cuddling with the towel after getting out the tub...so happy!

One of Z's Favorite Songs

Ahh, finally! I am able to add videos successfully to my blog thanks to youtube! Anyway, here is my little girl propped on the corner of the couch listening to mommy sing one of her favorite songs: the itsy bitsy spider! It works during changing time, bath time, play time, and wind down time. She loves it!