This-A Make-A Me Happy

Dinner time with T4 and here's why:

Since I went back to work 2.5 years ago, I have struggled with my decision to do so. It was always my dream to be a stay-at-home mom. I wanted to raise my kids and give them the solid foundation they needed. I wanted to invest wholeheartedly in them. I didn't want them to feel that anyone or thing came before them. I didn't wanna be that workaholic who missed those treasured moments.

Then I got pregnant unplanned. And people talked. And the joy I was supposed to feel was replaced with this ever-burning need to prove myself.

→Prove that my innocent child wasn't ruining my life.
→Prove that I wasn't just some non-contributing member of my family laying around, waiting for Todd to take care of me. (Man, the way some people talk about stay-at-home moms is heartbreaking, to say the least.)
→Prove that I wasn't a failure at life.
→Prove that I could take care of this little person that I had brought into the world despite being told to do otherwise.

So, I went back to work. I had this child that I did not plan, but that was not going to stop me from giving her the world that I wanted her to have. It would just have to be modified.

☆★I want to stop here and say that Todd was 100% on board with whichever decision I made - stay at home or go back to work - so long as our bills were paid. And, our bills would be paid if I stayed at home, but that's all. There would be no saving, no room for growth. And, if something happened to Todd, I'd be in no position to carry us.★☆

So I went back to work, so we could give our daughter the childhood we wanted her to have. Only I felt like I was failing her. Our commute made for long days and I'd come home tired, then had to cook and off to bed she went. Our only "time" together was in the car.

Even after having another child and going through the routine a second time, I still hadn't figured it out. I wasn't giving my children the time and piece of me that I felt they deserved. Rolls on the floor and dance parties were reserved for Saturday's. There was little time to just sit in the amazingness that is them. Because there's always something to do.

Then we moved and bought a dining table. And BAM! Instant family time.

This little piece of furniture has added so much to my life in the past month. We went from eating in front of a Netflix-playing TV, not saying one word to each other to sitting around a table talking to each other. And, I love every minute of it. I suddenly feel like I've gained extra time with my daughters.

And the best part? Temi insists on leading us in grace every meal.

To keep this little piece of happiness, our table is a device-free zone during meals. No phones, iPad, TV or laptop.

And, this-a make-a me happy! ♡♥

*Don't mind the shirtless girl who wants her "shirt off like Daddy!"

Sister, Sister

Like I'm sure most moms do, I often sit back and stare in awe at my children. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm that mom that thinks I should call the 9 o'clock news because Tové just looked at me and smiled the biggest, most heartwarming smile. Or because Tempess has completely rewritten the words to Up, Up High (that's Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star for all the nonfans that haven't bought her CD yet).

But I digress.

So in true mommydom nature, I was staring at my girls, watching them play together. Before I knew it, I was back in my childhood, watching all of my favorite TV friends go through life with their twin sister by their side and thinking how awesome it would be if I had one of those too. 

In all of our pre-baby, pregnancy chaos, we definitely wanted a boy, so we could be done. So we'd have society's perfect pair of kids. Society's perfect family of four. But watching Tempess and Tové play together, I was reminded of how I felt growing up sisterless. God has given both of them the perfect gift - a lifelong friend. Someone they can go through life with, side-by-side.

Tempess is still working to understand the concept of sisterdom, and that she's a big sister. But she does know No Mommy. Baby Sister. Me Tempess.

And she taught Tové to crawl to her, which Tové did giggling and smiling the entire time. And they cannot stand being away from each other, both girls crawling over me and Todd to smell what the other just ate as they lay nose to nose and have giggle wars.

Watching Tempess openly embrace her role as big sister, eager to share her vast knowledge of the world with Tové, warms my heart in ways I've never known before.

Don't get me wrong. Tempess is quick to tell me Mommy, Baby down, so that I can give her whatever it is she wants at the moment - dancing with her, food, kisses, more food. But as soon as that momentary desire has been met, she's back in Tové's face, singing Sister, Sister.

Why Can't It Be Easy?

About a month or two ago, Todd and I got into a huge argument, and after we both had calmed down, we tried to restore some normalcy to our relationship and routine. The problem was that the issue that caused the argument in the first place still had not been resolved. We spent the next few weeks avoiding the elephant in the room until it grew so big we could barely fit in the room with it.

I was ready to attack the elephant and reclaim my living space, but Todd wasn't. And then I persuaded him to address it before it reached the point of no return he was. So we sat down and we had a long, overdue discussion about us. Our issues. Our fears. Our doubts. He went first, telling me his biggest issues with the relationship. And I listened, asking permission to speak to make sure I didn't cut him off. I responded to his issues, explaining things that he didn't understand. Then, I went. And he did the same. And throughout the conversation, we both acknowledged where we were wrong and agreed to work on those things that bothered the other. And in those areas where we could see the other person's side, but didn't totally agree that we were wrong or they were right, we did the unthinkable - we came up with a mutually satisfying compromise.

And together, we decided to move forward. The End.

Only, a few days later, I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't the end. It was too easy. We both took the high road and handled the entire conversation with class and maturity and worked together to make sure both of our needs were going to be met moving forward. Yet, somehow I still felt unsettled. Maybe I should have yelled, or put my foot down more. Why did I agree to compromise? He's going to think he can walk all over me now. No, I didn't have a particular issue that I felt I was too easy on him with. I just couldn't believe the conversation went so well. And then, I caught myself. Why can't it be easy? Who says that relationships have to be hard? If we both have the same endgame in mind, why can't we work together to get there? Why does it have to be a Me vs. Him scenario?

I am extremely proud of how we handled a delicate and difficult situation. I hope that we continue to handle future situations like this. I hope that we can continue to grow and mature as individuals and a couple and reach a point where we are teammates and not competitors. We are in this for the long haul, and how much easier and more fun it will be if we are side by side for the journey of parenthood instead of at each other's throats.

So, why can't it be easy? Because it definitely doesn't have to be hard.

Bah Humbug

For whatever reason, I really wasn't into Christmas this year, and events leading up to and surrounding Christmas really didn't help my mood. At one point, I decided to sit Christmas out. But thinking about the money we had already spent and certain people that were depending on us, I changed my mind.

I'm glad I did. For me, the whole holiday was still kind of just eh, but my girls enjoyed it. And we were able to bring smiles to some faces. And, that outweighs my grumpiness.

I'm sure next year I'll be in a better mood. I'm already deciding that I'm not going to let anything bring me down. I am going to celebrate with enthusiasm with my family.

It's Not Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas Eve is almost over and I just keep thinking that it should feel different. My holidays as an adult are completely different from my holidays as a child. Things were easier, more delightful back then. I wish I could revive those moments.

But really.....

I really wish Vera was still alive. The more I live, the more I recognize the difference she made. And, the more I realize that not only was 17 years not enough with her, but I was also too young to appreciate and make the kinda memories I would love to have to reflect on right now.

I am, however, thankful that I never had to see her in an unfortunate light - in my memories, she was the perfect grandmother. And, I wouldn't change that for the universe. I hope my children get the same opportunity with their grandparents.

In a world that is increasingly evil, hurtful and dangerous, it doesn't hurt to have someone that you see as purely good. As a parent, I have to administer tough love and while I'd love to be their blissful happily ever after, I know more than likely it will be the grandparents that win that title. And I'm ok with that. I believe grandparents are God's gift to children and I truly cherish the bond my children have with their grandparents.

And they are fortunate enough to have three sets.

It's Never too Late for Holiday Cheer

This holiday season just hasn't felt very "holiday-y" at the Sparkman household. I'm not really sure why, but we were last minute with everything, including buying and decorating a tree.

Todd and Tempess went on a last-minute daddy and daughter tree shopping trip. When they got back, she helped him decorate the tree with her ornaments. She was so proud of herself and made sure Mommy, Daddy and Baby all knew "I did that!!"

Now she keeps running to the tree, taking ornaments off so she can put them back on.

And here I was thinking we were a bunch of Scrooges.

The Hardest Part of Blogging

I started this blog as a way to keep our family and friends connected to Tempess as she grows. I also thought it would be a great avenue to share my experiences as a new parent. I thought it would be filled with lots of "Oh, Tempess just took her first step."  Or "Isn't she adorable eating her first cracker?"  I thought I'd talk a lot about my lack of sleep or the high price of diapers.

I didn't think my experiences would be so deep and hard to share. I didn't think so many outside forces and people would weigh so heavily on my parenting experience. I'm not talking about the "My mom gave her sugar"  or "Todd's mom spanked her against our wishes" kinda outside forces. I'm talking things I never imagined I'd have to deal with, this ish only happens in books kinda stuff. I guess to be fair some of it, I should've seen coming. But, I guess I wanted to give life and people the benefit of the doubt. I wanted so badly to believe parenting wasn't going to be a bad experience that I chose to look the other way. Pretend I wouldn't have to deal with certain things.

But you can only pretend for so long. And I've exceeded my limits, making it hard for me to smile and pretend everything's okay. And since I've exceeded my limits of pretending, I'm also challenged with how much I share with people and how. People I know read this blog, so if I go into too much detail, certain parties may feel I talked too much about them or their situation. I run the risk of oversharing parts of Todd's and my relationship that we don't want to share with the outside. On the other hand, if I share too little, or I'm too vague, then I run the risk of confusing people. So I shut down and I don't share anything. Sharing nothing is easier than sharing too much or too little.

I also have to admit that another reason I don't blog is because I don't want to be seen as a bad mommy, girlfriend, sister, daughter, person. Yes, I make mistakes, but I have nothing but the best intentions and I only want to do what's best for my family. Unfortunately, that can't be done without upsetting people, even those closest to me. I know everyone isn't going to agree with my parenting choices. But sometimes that's hard to accept. It's one thing for my formula-giving, sugar-loving family to give me a hard time for nursing and limiting Temi's sugar intake. It's another when I have to choose between being perceived as a bad daughter or a bad mother. Or when Todd and I disagree on how to parent in a certain situation and I feel like standing my ground makes me a b!tch, but giving in makes me a horrible mother. These are the parenting experiences that are beyond hard. These are the experiences I need to share to get support and advice.

But these are also the experiences that I probably won't blog about* because they have the ability to hurt those I care about and color how the outside world perceives them and me. And that's why blogging is so hard. Because balancing that line of over and undersharing is very, very delicate.

*I say probably because I may decide one day to share some things. Or I may find a way to blog about it that I feel is appropriate for all parties involved.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Love T4

It Takes A Village

☆★Today's post is Day 13 of the #31WriteNow blog challenge. I'm posting a new entry every day for the month of August★☆

As I deal with daily life, I realize more and more how important our relationships are. We need a support group that helps us destress. As parents, we occasionally need a break. Without appropriate stress releasers, we become overstretched rubber bands ready to pop. And a popped rubber band is useless.

When I look back on my childhood, I remember the people that were around. I have memories of my grandparents, cousins, my mom's friends. They were my mom's village. They helped her out with me and my brother. They helped her out with her social life. They helped her out with school. They helped her get through life. They helped her from stretching till she popped. They helped her not be useless.

Life and parentdom look a lot different than what I remember they looked like for my mom. Which means I need a different kind of village than she had. But I need a village. I don't want to be useless. Not to my kids. Not to my friends. Not to myself. So I'm working to build my village. Because it doesn't just take a village to raise a child. It takes a village to sustain a person.

And thank you to those invaluable village people that have already claimed their territory in my life.

Broken Links: Distance and Family

☆★Today's post is Day 7 of the #31WriteNow blog challenge. I'm posting a new entry every day for the month of August★☆

My childhood was full of memories of family gatherings. I don't think we ever had an empty house. If it wasn't a cookout, then Vera had taken someone in. Our house had a revolving door. Cousins were raised like siblings and everyone was always just a drive away. I spent more weekends in Michigan than I did at home.

I never knew what that meant until now. Even when I lived in Kansas, I wasn't as isolated as I am now. And it's not just me. My family is full of half-truths gathered from piecing together stories of what's going on with each other. It's sad when you factor in that everybody and their mama has a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. There really should be no excuse for not knowing. And yet there is.

It's crazy how there are more broken links and distance between everyone now than there has ever been.

God is Good: The Tové Pureza Sparkman Story

Tové Pureza Sparkman

Nine months ago, I took four pregnancy tests that all came back negative and had to push my doctor to do a blood test because she didn't believe I was pregnant. Little did I know that was just the beginning of a pregnancy that would end in a crazy and amazing way.

My HCG levels were incredibly low - they showed I was one week pregnant when I was really at least six. My follow up ultrasound showed two masses - one in my tubes and an empty one in my uterus. There was concern that this was either a tubular pregnancy with a pseudosac inside my uterus or an anembryonic pregnancy, meaning there was a gestational sac but no fetal development and I would eventually miscarry. Turns out the mass in my tubes was a cyst which they removed via laparoscopy, but my HCG levels were still low. Subsequent ultrasounds and prenatal checkups showed that my levels quickly increased and everything was on par to be a low-risk pregnancy.

Thank God!!! I was terrified and worry stayed in the back of my mind the entire pregnancy, although I tried not to focus on it.

Super parents with the super child

Fast forward through nine months of morning sickness, pelvic pain, upper respiratory viruses and stomach flus and Braxton Hicks contractions. I couldn't fall asleep on the night of April 29, 2013. Finally at about 1:30 a.m. on April 30, my eyes closed, but I spent the next two and a half hours tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. Then I felt it. The first contraction. It was more intense the already intense Braxton Hicks contractions I had been feeling for the past three months. It subsided. I feel asleep. Then another one. I could feel the rise, peak and fall of each contraction.

Oh sh!t!! This might be the real deal. I should probably start tracking these.

I grabbed my phone and for the next hour and a half, I tracked contractions. They were roughly 10 min apart, then 7.5 min apart. Between 6 and 6:30 a.m. I had my midwife paged and she called me back. She confirmed it was more than likely the real deal, but to wait until they were five minutes apart before we headed to the hospital. Relax, grab some food, take a bath, she suggested.

They started getting more intense and coming faster. Meanwhile, Tempess woke up and Todd got her dressed. Between contractions, I tried to do her hair. One ponytail at a time. Todd ran me some bath water and I hunched over on the couch, squeezing whatever was in reach while screaming OWWWWWW!!!!! and other inaudible sounds. I got in the tub which helped tremendously! Oh yeah, I can't wait to get to the hospital and do this waterbirth thing. It's going to be amazing! I thought as I was able to breathe through each contraction. Temi who loves baths and playing and water joined me. For about five minutes, it was a beautiful thing. The relief didn't last long as the contractions increased in frequency and I started feeling pressure. That's when I told Todd and he got Temi dressed, for the second time.

I tried to track a few more contractions so that I could let my midwife know exactly how far apart they were. At this point it seemed like they were never ending and the pressure was becoming really intense. I crawled out the tub and into the hallway, called my midwife. It wasn't even 8 a.m. yet. My contractions were about 3.5-4 minutes apart. I told her we were heading out to the hospital and she said she would meet us there.

The rescue team on the scene

Todd went to get the car and get Temi strapped in. I struggled to get dressed and walk out the door. We got in the car and as we were pulling out of the parking lot, I asked Todd for the towel and garbage bag in case my water broke on the way. We realized he had thrown it in the trunk in the midst of us moving. "I'm sure we'll be fine. I doubt my water breaks in the next 20 minutes, let's just keep going. We need to hurry up and get there."

Todd drove like a scene straight from Fast and Furious. Meanwhile, I was grabbing, squeezing and punching anything I could get my hands on. There was lots of screaming and singing "Jeeeeeeeesssssuuuuuusssssss." Managing pain in the front seat of a Ford Focus is surreal and d@mn near impossible. I'm surprised I didn't break the window or the door because I'm sure I punched the heck out of both. We got off 290 at the York Rd exit and I looked up just as we were passing our turn. I told Todd he needed to turn around and almost immediately, I could feel the baby bearing down. At some point, I snatched my seat belt off, turned around and squatted in the front seat. Temi started crying to get free, but calmed down after awhile.

I could feel something pushing out of me, not sure what it was, I turned around and sat back down and told Todd we were going to have to call 911 and he was going to have to deliver this baby. "Calm down babe. You're fine. Just focus on breathing. We'll be there in two minutes." "I'm telling you my body is pushing and I don't know how to NOT push."

The pressure went away. Sigh. Okay we're gonna make it. Then it came back, stronger. Yup something is definitely coming out. "Todd!!! We need to pull over NOW!! "Babe just breathe. You are not about to have this baby. Just take a deep breath." The pressure went away. Okay, we're cutting it close but I can do this. Oh sh!t I can feel the baby crowning. A long slew of expletives exploded out of my mouth as I unkindly directed Todd to pull over RIGHT NOW! He kept driving. I pulled down my pants and there was the top of my baby's head. Todd looked over. Pulled the car to the side of the road and the rest of the baby came out in our hands. It was 8:40 a.m.

She was really dark and covered in something. There was no sound. I turned her over and her face was covered. I broke the sac and I heard a little cry and saw her breathing. I immediately lifted my shirt to get her to nurse. She wouldn't but I continued to hold her close and kept trying. Todd called 911 and hopped out the car, grabbed a towel from the trunk and we wrapped her up.

For about 15 seconds, Todd lost it and started punching the steering wheel and screaming. This then sent Tempess into an uncontrollable fit that apparently lasted for the next two hours. Todd composed himself and finished talking to the 911 operator and while simultaneously trying to navigate to the hospital. GPS said we were five minutes from the hospital so Todd set out for our destination. Unfortunately, we were five minutes from the old hospital. We got there and realized we were in the wrong place. Todd pulled to the stop sign, looked up and there was a police car to our right. We both flagged him down. He pulled up on side of us.

T4 - Taija, Todd, Tempess and Tové

"Yeah, I just delivered my baby in my car and I'm trying to get to the hospital but the GPS just sent us to the wrong place." The police officer looked in the car, pulled out his radio and less than five minutes later, we were surrounded. The paramedics cut the umbilical cord, took the baby, then lifted me out of the car. Baby and I rode in the ambulance to the hospital and Todd and Tempess followed.

The paramedics ran tests on me and baby, who's APGAR scores were 8 and 9 and we arrived to a welcoming party at the Family Birthing Center at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.

"I just knew you were going to have that baby in the car when I got here and you weren't here. I've been pacing back and forth waiting for you guys to get here," my midwife said.

She delivered the placenta, they cleaned off baby and the rest was easy peasy.

God is good!! Or Tové. Tové Pureza Sparkman. It means God is good, pure. And He most definitely is. From conception to delivery, He has watched over and blessed my child. And she now has an awesome birth story to share. And we're local celebrities!

 

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2T^2: How Our Love Made T4

Last Saturday, we held our much anticipated gender announcement party. Thanks to everyone that came out and celebrated with us!!!

There were more than a few hiccups along the way, but overall I am VERY happy with how it all turned out. I absolutely loved, Loved, LOVED the decorations. And I enjoyed putting together our feature film.

From T4 to all of you: We love you and thanks for your continued support and encouragement. It means more than words could ever express.

The pictures in the slideshow below are also available on our Shutterfly page at: http://tressesntreasures.shutterfly.com/. Enjoy!

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Christmas Pictures

Our Christmas pictures have finally been uploaded and shared. Temi of course celebrated at about a gazillion houses and she had a blast. You can view the pictures on our Shutterfly share site or by viewing the slideshow below.

Enjoy.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Cousins Mean Best Friends

You Can't Save a Brother that Don't Wanna Be Saved

"[When are you gonna learn, you can't] keep trying to save a brother that don't wanna be saved."

I don't know why this line stuck out to me, but ever since I first saw Jason's Lyric, it did. And since then I've quoted it countless times - to family, to friends, to myself.


Today is one of those days where I need to say it to myself again. I'm surrounded by people that need to be saved but for one reason or another they don't want to be and it hurts.

I have super high expectations for the people that I choose to allow in my life. For those people that I have no choice, there are a select few that I hold in high regards. For all the jokes and $h!t talking that goes on in my family, I come from a lot of talented individuals - I have people that have recorded multiple hit records, went on tours, rapped and sang with celebrities, owned successful businesses, played pro sports, became successful career people, taught celebrities, have amazing singing/writing/acting skills, could've owned their own restaurant, etc. There's a lot to be proud of in my family.

These great people bred great people. Unfortunately, I got to watch so much of that greatness die by the wayside. It's disheartening. But really it's heartbreaking to watch someone you love, someone with such great greatness, destroy themselves. And lately, it seems like the people that I care about a lot are getting destroyed and it's hard to pretend like I don't care or that I'm not affected.

I'm all about accountability and consequences for your actions. It's hard to have sympathy for someone that put themselves in a bad situation, no matter how jacked up it gets. But at the same time, I want better for them. Why? Because I know they're capable of better. I want to remove them from the situation they're in. I want to remove all their vices and distractions. I want to slap them upside the head and say "Hey stupid! Wake up. Don't you see you're killing yourself?! Don't you see you're hurting the people around you?! We love you but you have got to do better. You have got to get it together!!!" But I know that will do no good.

There is only one Savior and His name isn't Taija Jenkins. I know at the end of the day, I can't keep tryna save a brother that don't wanna be saved. So I'm forced to sit on the sidelines and watch those I love go through what I feel is unnecessary troubles, drama and destruction and hope and pray to God that they get it together before it's too late. And that hurts like hell!

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Know Your Role, Play Your Position

"Know your role and play your position."
I don't know if that was advice passed on to me from someone or if I came up with it myself. Either way, for as long as I can remember it's something that I've tried to apply to my relationships - romantic, platonic and familial. I think that life runs so much smoother when I know where I stand with someone and act accordingly and if I can't act within the confines of the role they'd like me to play, then it probably means it's time to bid that person farewell.
Todd and I had the roles and positions talk early on and were in agreement as to how things were supposed to work. And things went pretty smoothly. So when we got pregnant and made the decision to move in together, I wasn't worried. We knew were we stood with each other and we knew what the other expected.
I didn't anticipate how those roles and positions would change 1. once we moved in with each other and 2. once we added jobs and a child to the mix. It's amazing to me how much expectations and boundaries can change when you go from committed boyfriend/girlfriend to live-in boyfriend/girlfriend.  Things that were acceptable in one arena are no longer considered okay. Expectations that didn't exist before, do now. We struggled (and are still struggling) with our new roles. If we didn't like the role we suddenly found ourselves in, we refused to play our position. It led to a lot of arguments and fights and just plain stubbornness (must be the Taurus part of our parents' genes coming out).
Over time, we realized that we didn't have very many options, so we started accepting our new roles and learned how to play the position. There are very many ways to play the same position, but only a few ways work for each individual and each team. We're learning the best way to play our position for what's in the best interest of our team. And in those areas where we know our role and play our position, life is so much simpler and easier. There's a lot less fights and we run like that well-oiled machine from early on in our relationship.
We still have a lot of kinks to work out and there will be new positions and plays added as our life together changes and additions are made to our family and other aspects of our life (social, work, etc.). But I'm confident that if we stay committed to learning what our role is in the midst of it all and playing our position, the correct one, then we can create an all-star team.
After all, you can't spell Todd, Taija, Temi, T-Time or team without a "T."

It’s About Time

I know that I am beyond super late in posting this. It is coming on a month since Temi turned the BIG 1. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I thought that I would be an emotional mess at the realization that my baby was growing up and was no longer a baby.

In actuality, I was too busy planning her party and tryna survive off of two hours of sleep to even give it much thought. I went from planning her party to heavy deadline at work to being sick with the worst cold ever to tryna get my mojo back. Between all of that, she went from 11 months to almost 13 months and I haven’t even caught my breath yet.

Everyday I watch her and I’m amazed and in awe. Every little thing amazes me. The way she smiles with her eyes. The cute way she pinches her fingers together. How she runs to me excited. How she snatches her daddy’s phone and looks at it like she actually knows what to do with it. Lately, she’s learned how to hold the phone up to her ear. She’ll sometime simulate this by holding her hand up to her ear and saying “hi” in it.

I was completely prepared to write a heart-wrenching, tear-inducing post about how I don’t want my baby to grow up and how I’m so sad. And while there are parts of me that misses when she was a fresh newborn straight from the hospital and all she could do was nestle her head into my chest, I know that I’ll soon get that again. In the meantime, it’s exciting to watch her grow. It makes me proud everytime she does something. If anything, I wish I could spend more time with her, do more things with her.

Yes, the first year came around too quick. Not because I wasn’t ready for her to grow up (cuz let’s face it, I’m not). No, it came around too quick because I didn’t get to do nearly half of the things I had hoped to do with her. She’s only been to the beach and park once. I’ve yet to take her to a movie, or a festival or outdoor anything. I haven’t started a tradition of any sort with her. I’m still trying to get our daily routine down. I’m still trying to balance the many roles I play. So if anything, Temi turning 1 has taught me that life’s not gonna wait for me to get it together. She’s not gonna wait for me to figure it all out. I have to seize the day by the moment before she’s my age and writing about her own kids. The next 11 months will no doubt be bumpy and full of unexpectedness, but it will also be full of lots of memories that me and Temi will make together. So that when she turns 24 months, I can cry.

Super duper thanks to all those that came and partied like it was 2012 with us! Temi had a blast and it made all my worrying and complaining worth it. I am really happy with how it all turned out and I truly feel blessed to have so many people that were willing to take time out of their Sunday to celebrate with us. For those that couldn’t make it, don’t worry, there’s pix and videos for you to enjoy. Sorry but I couldn’t save any of the cupcakes. :-)

Check out these videos:

Ring Around the Temi...

Her cousins ran circles around her...literally LOL

Watch "Ring Around the Temi" on YouTube

Nana and NanaPoo

I was playing around with a new app and put together these pix of Temi and her Nana from Mother's Day.

Gots Lotsa Love to Give

More pix of Temi with those she loves....

Laying on Uncle Phil

Temi and Niya, Take 1

Temi and Niya, Take 2