GROOVIN' ON EID...

Watching Her Watch Me...

I'm really a Mommy! This little girl looks at me. She smiles at me. She kisses me. She hugs me. She holds onto me (and won't let go sometimes) SHE LOOKS UP TO ME! I love her AND SHE LOVES ME! Nooooow I know what the other mothers were talking about. This is a love that I have never experienced that grows by the second. Everyday I look forward to her awakening to see what else she has been instructed by God in her sleep to do to AMAZE me that day. As much as I am sleep deprived and as much as I desire my own peaceful "me" time, when I awake before her I lurk around the corner peeping to see if she has opened her eyes. When she has, she smiles at me and I smile at her and I dive onto the bed and we just... kick it!

DEATH BECOMES MY URBAN GARDEN!

Ok, so I tried to teach Jehan about life and growth and all though gardening, but didn't succeed in the since of maintaining my humble urban garden! I shoulda known! Every time a buy a plant there comes a time where I am not consistent about watering it. We were consistent for a while. We even got some awesome produce from the garden. The Red peppers were the sweetest I ever tasted. It only grew about 6 or seven of them. I grew about 15 or so tomatoes and then they just stopped producing fruit. I think because I had them in pots and their growth was stunted, but my grandfather has a garden in pots and his bears a lotta fruit. ANyway, I just uprooted everything and cleaned up the area for the winter. I will try again next year, but plant in the ground instead. ANd I will set an alarm clock to water the darn things! I just have to actually water the plants when the alarm goes off!

Jehan @ 11 months

Since last entry Jehan has developed a lot. Pottying is GREAT!!! She is up to five times a day on the potty. She totally gets the point. She understands what the potty is for. In fact, when she sits on it I ask her "Where is the pee?" and she thinks hard and contracts her tummy to make herself pee.

Okay so what's the deal with the training? No Jehan cannot ask to go to the potty. I rather understand her urinating schedule almost to a science. I know that she rarely urinates while she is sleep. 100% of the time she goes whenever she awakens whether it is from the night or from a nap. After that she always pees 30 minutes to 45 minutes after the "sleep pee". And then she will go for a while with peeing approx. 1.5 hours. Then I just sit her on the potty. She just smiles while she goes cuz I have made such a big deal in the past. Now she KNOWS she is doing a good thing. I dont have to give her toys anymore to distract her while she sits. As soon as she is finished she knows to sit til I "get the tissue". I am to the point where I let her sleep without a pamper. I just snap the onesie as though they are under panties. I figure by the time she can say words all she has to learn to say is "pee" and she will totally potty trained.

I have always been of the thought that children know what you teach them. You don't have to wait until the social norm to start training and teaching. God-willing she will be reading by age three. I taught my younger sister, Qiyamah, how to read and do multiplication. YEAH AT 3!!!

So she has been walking for almost 3 months. She has started to run. Just in the past couple of days she has been following commands if I ask her to bring me the shoes or bring me the phone or the potato. Jehan has been so obsessed with sucking bottom of shoes even Daddy's size 11 heavy Timberland Boots. I get sooooooo grossed out that I shriek! Now we have stashes of shoes all throughout the house, on the mantles, behind the sofas, on the table, on the bookcases just to get them out of her reach QUICKLY!

TEN TIMES ON THE POTTY!

So every morning Jehan has been going to the potty since July 19th. At first I thought it was coincidental, but realized that their is a pattern here. I only put her on the potty first thing in the morning when she awakens. Usually her diaper is not even soiled from the night and if it is its very little letting me know she really has a lot of urine to come. I sit her down on the potty while I am on the throne and Niagra comes gushing. I give her all kind of praise and then I create an association between the urine and her "goods". A couple of times I still had to clean a mess off the floor cuz her legs are so fat that everything went spraying in the air despite her sitting on the potty. So I make sure that I move the bathroom rug.

Anyway, the past 2 days I have not put her on the potty. Once cuz I was too tired to jump out of bed and take her and yesterday because I was thinking I dont want to over do it. She is sleep at this moment and due to wake up in the next 30 minutes. I will resume the training.

I do believe that children know what you teach them. So, feel like through repetition and example she is learning and, too, because I pay attention to her patterns.

SHE'S WALKING AT 8.5 MONTHS!!!

Wow! I KNEW IT!!! When I noticed her unusual balance at just a 2 months old I knew that she would be walking at an early age. I thought 9 months, but never predicted 8.5 months!!! Maybe because she was born 2 weeks after the due date which would give her more time for development in the womb, but I'd rather believe that she is just really determined and have exceptional balancing capabilities. After all, she was totally sitting up by the age 2 months and pulling herself up to a sitting position by 3 months. It is hilarious watching her get around because she insists on walking and crawling super fast when too many steps are involved to get to her target! She can fall 20 times in a row, but she will repeatedly pick herself up and try again. I wonder where she gets her determination from??? (I'll claim it since she doesn't have my looks;) )

The Urban Gardeners

Gardening is one of the perfect little past times that me and Jehan have. Every morning we head out to water the garden. She looks forward to this. She even has to put her hand on the watering can to help me OR SHE WILL HAVE A FIT!

Her First Concert...

This was fun! Finally Jehan is at the age (7.5 mos) where we can really hang out with her. It was a nice break of the monotony here in the 'Burgh to goto an outdoor concert. The band was on point! Formula 412 is a local hip hop band. I dont wanna call them hip hop cuz they have more funk and flavor than the average hip hop crew. The electric guitar and the long chords WAS BANGIN'. They are too big for Pittsburgh, really! Follow this link to hear some of their music.

Family Time!

We are pretty creative in spending time together. In this case we were in Philly on South Street at the little mosaic tile gallery. the other day we went out to the park to play frisbee. I cant wait 'til she can return the frisbee. :)

Her Protector...

Jehan really has this thing for her Daddy! I am so thankful that he has his own special bond with her so that i can really get a break. She knows our roles cuz when it's Mommy time aint nuttin Daddy can do! She will hang with him aaaall day til it time to eat.

MODE OF TRANSPO...

This is the stroller that I use. It was a gift from my mother. I will tell you that I love it. It is the Benz of all strollers. Very smooth ride, stylish, and plenty of space. I have seen complaints on review websites from consumers that the stroller is too heavy, but where are you carrying it. I mean just to load it in the trunk or back of the suv is not bad at all. I like the compartments in it. She sleeps in it well with the seat reclining to a flat position and she sits up and enjoys the smooth ride. The only disadvantage for me is that the canopy cover ALWAYS pops off and become pretty annoying. I am not sure if this is with all the strollers from Chicco or is just mine. Overall I would recommend this stroller for any parent. It folds easy and stands by itself while you open the trunk or put the little one in the car seat. I love it!

HAPPY DADDY'S DAY!

In the Arms Of Those Who Love Her...

Happy Days!

It's Official! Jehan knows I'm her Mommy. We really share some great moments together. Just the way she looks at me!!! Sometimes she will be playing or something and then she will turn to me and stare at me in silence, smile and then go back to what she was doing. She will do that a few times in a row. I take it as though she is really learning to depend on me being there for her. It's like she is starting to not only really know who I am, but what my role is. I think, at first, she was like, "Why is this lady always around me?!" "Doesn't she have something better to do?" Now she gets it. :) AlhumduAllah (Praise God)

The New Mommy Group

So I was inspired to start my own little mommy group. After checkin' out some of the Mommy meet groups around town, I realized that I had no desire to sit with women that I did not know or had the desire to know just because they had a child. I mean really! Practically every women in the world can give birth, but that doesn't mean I wanna sit and share my experiences with them. These sisters are pretty darn cool! 

I mean how much cooler can she get!

These are Jehan's cool friends or rather these are my friends' kids that I am hoping she will befriend! ;)