In Daddy's Arms

Nothing says "I love you" like being in Daddy's arms.

We Are Family

 

Temmy meet JZ, JZ meet Temmy

We took Temmy to see Auntie Erica, Uncle Tony, and cousin Jack today. While it wasn't their first time seeing her, it was her first time seeing them and she had a LOT to say to her older cuz. After following each other across the room with their eyes, they finally sat down stood up to catch up.

Temmy: Whatup JZ!!??

JZ: Dang Temmy! You getting BIG!!!

Thank You Discover Financial Services!!!!

Todd's job had this blanket made for us when they heard Temmy was born. It's so precious :-)

It says:
"Welcome to the world Tempess Orzora Sparkman ~ Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7:25 p.m. ~ 7 pounds 1.2 ounces ~ 19.5 inches long ~ Mommy is Taija Monaé Jenkins ~ Daddy is Todd Nicholas Sparkman ~ Sweet Dreams Tempess

Look Who's Up

This is for everyone that asked for pix with her eyes open. Enjoy! :-D

She's Growing Up *tear*

First the bottle, now the pacifier. She's taking both with no problem now which means she's taking her first steps to independence. Such a bittersweet experience. I'm glad to be able to get some freedom back, but I'm not ready to come to terms with the fact that she no longer needs me for everything all the time.

*sigh* The complexities of mommydom.

When Daddy's Away, the Girls Will Play

Todd went to Peoria for the weekend for his frat's 50th anniversary leaving me and the little one home alone. It was my first time alone with Tempess for more than 9 hours. I was nervous and worried but also excited. If I made it thru this alive, then yup I really am a mom AND I can take care of my daughter. Not a feat to be taken lightly :-) Plus I had the apartment to myself which meant NO Call of Duty or Dead Island for over 48 hours!!!! Oh yeah, bring out the ice cream time to celebrate.

Nema holding Temp

OF COURSE the weekend didn't go as planned. Since Todd didn't need a ride home from work Friday, I decided me and Temp would spend the day in the city visiting Auntie Keisha. Afterwards we'd visit with some friends and then head back to the burbs. The powers that be must've hated that plan cuz a few hours into our visit, I get a text saying that Todd needs a ride from work. His frat bro had to go to the hospital unexpectedly (he's fine), so our visit with Keisha was cut WAAAAAAAAY short. Go figure. Then me and Temp sat in traffic for two hours :-( just to get her daddy from work. And his ride practically beat us to the house. FML. I ordered pizza and called it a night. We'll try again tomorrow.

Knocked out after the walk

Saturday was worse. Temp didn't sleep Friday night and was super cranky and fussy all day. She cried whenever I put her down for more than 5 min, and moaned and kicked in her sleep. I finally got her down around midday and we both took a long-overdue nap. :-D When she woke up we went for a nice long walk and a (not-so) quick Walmart run. HUGE mistake. Temp cried as soon as I put the first item in the buggy and wouldn't stop till I picked her up. Problem solved, but now it's like being pregnant all over again - I can't pick anything up LOL. The real fun came when I got home and had 8 bags to carry upstairs plus a baby. Good grief what did I do to myself? Two trips to the car later, Temp and I settled on the couch for a night of Netflix and leftovers. Maybe tonight we'll actually get some sleep.

OMW to church

Wrong again. Temp's constant groaning and kicking and hunger and my fear of oversleeping woke me up on average every two hours. Somewhere around 3am I started rethinking my decision to go to church. But I left my alarm set at 7. Somehow I managed to start dinner and leave (only) 20 minutes late despite the constant crying to be picked up and fed and the diaper changes. GO ME!!!!! I'm finally getting the hang of it :-). I pick up Krissy and the girls and we head out for a Sunday of fellowship - church followed by food and lightweight shopping. Too bad Krissy was sick and it only got worse once we got to church. We never made it pass devotion. After I dropped her off, I went shopping for some hair products for me and a Halloween costume for Temp. All I managed to find was some moisturizing cream by Silk Elements. Let's hope it's good enough to make my hair forgive me for 8 months of neglect and abuse. I also managed to get a costume for Temp. Oh yeah things are finally looking up.

Getting a quick nap in before service

All in all, it wasn't what I had planned but.it wasn't all bad either. Any time spent with my princess is always time well spent. But next time, she'll be packed in Todd's suitcase and I'll be the one enjoying a weekend of debauchery. :-)

The Journey has Begun

10 months ago, God decided to make me a mom. (Scary, yes!!) 8 months ago, I decided to say "Goodbye" to my shoulder-length permed hair and "Hello" to a VERY short fro. Somewhere in the midst of it all, I decided to do what I always said I was gonna do: loc it up. So after nine months of staring at a body that wasn't mine, eight months of not combing my hair and one month of holding a familiar stranger, I'm ready to share my natural and crazy experiences with the world. So buckle your seat belts and keep your hands and feet inside at all times. It's gonna be one bumpy rollercoaster ride.