havingabebe

[havingabebe]

My baby at 2 months and 11 days. She is ball of joy. 

[havingabebe]

Use Your Wings to Take Flight

What is it going to take before we realize how absolutely wonderfully special and blessed we are? We are a human BEING, which means we are endowed with everything we need to master this thing called life. Why are we acting like there is something else we need? Make this current life enough!

When you are feeling down, celebrate your spirit.

The essence of life in your body, celebrating your spirit, is celebrating life. The ability to have, to be, and to do is built within your spirit. In this life, we are bound to earth by the physical body.

In Spirit, we are bound to the sky, the moon, the stars, the universe, and the Creator.

If life is going to work in your behalf, you must give yourself permission to grow. If it no longer makes you happy; if you are searching unsuccessfully for ways to make it work; if you know in your heart of hearts that whatever it is, it’s over - let go and grow.

Be willing to search for new ways to grow.

- K.Nagori

[havingabebe]

Lactivism

The topic of breastfeeding can bring out the worst and best in people. The majority of the population in completely uninformed about what breastfeeding entails and why breast feeding is important. This society does not promote nourishment and good nutrition at all. This society runs on capitalism and consumerism and it seeps through me everything we do. The corporations and hospitals have somehow convinced women that something as natural and innate as breastfeeding is not the best solution for mothers and their babies. Actually convincing women and an entire population that they are somehow not capable. Wake up, people.

[havingabebe]

Sleep is Everything

There is a reason why all the health professionals and mothers tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps. You need rest to recuperate. You need rest to give your body time to well... rest! 

At Lamont's mixer last week Shelly Mayer told me there will be plenty of years to do the dishes and clean the house. The post partum period is the time to rest and relax when you can. She's absolutely right. 

I have a hard time sleeping when the baby sleeps. I want to clean the house, cook, write, read, bounce on my stability ball. Sometimes though i will lie down and rest for a little while. 

My body is telling me to relax and slow it down by means of swollen tonsils and a sore throat. I should know better than to let my body get to this point. I won't be too hard on myself though. Im going to gargle with warm water, salt and turmeric and call it a night since Aminah is so good to me and decided to sleep. She's usually up at this time. 

[havingabebe]

Thanksgiving

Tell if me you want me to give you all my time I promise I'll be good for you. I always feel somewhat cheesy saying what I feel thankful for on thanksgiving. Like somehow it's less genuine. This year is different though. Life has showered me with infinite blessings this year. I could not be happier. I am swimming in a sea of smiles and googly eyes. I married my honey and have birth to an incredible little human who amazed me every day. I'm still in shock. My life could not be more fulfilling. My life is full of blessings however that doesn't mean I don't have bad days. When I do have those bad days I try my best to keep things in perspective. I have a husband who adores me and makes sure I have everything I need. He makes sure I am happy and cared for. He's the biggest sweetheart. I have a roof over my head and always have food in my belly. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a mother who will give the he clothes off her back. A sister who loves my baby as if she were her own. My dad ain't so bad either. God is good and he is generous. There is much to be thankful for even in the dreariest of places and situations. <3

[havingabebe]

A Woman's Worth

There is something spectacular that a woman undergoes when she gives birth to a child. She is able to tap into all the divine feminine wisdom in order to care for her child. She is able to know things concerning child care and safety. Her body rejects certain foods and calls for others. This is the inherent wisdom our minds and bodies are capable of and offer us if we just slow down and listen. If we just trust ourselves and have confidence that we were born perfect. 

In the age of Google, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the plethora of information readily available at the tips of our fingers. One google search yields millions of search results. People also like to offer advice even if you don't ask for it. There is so much information coming at new mothers from all directions. 

It's important to stay true to yourself and listen to your inner voice. Don't let friendly advice and narratives from well meaning friends, relatives and sometimes strangers drown out your voice. Thank people for their advice and keep it moving. Read what you must on the internet however keep in mind that you must look at the whole picture before you try to diagnose an issue. Not all websites are reputable. When looking for a solution look at it from a holistic standpoint. Does it feel right? Listen to your inner voice. Be Still. What do you hear? 

I know people mean well, but oftentimes they are unaware of how hurtful their advice can be. I also know that people give advice based on their own experiences whether those experiences have impacted them negatively or positively has a great effect on how they view a situation. I've had people recommend time and time again that I give my four week old that i am exclusively breastfeeding bottles including my husband, to give her water. I've had people tell me I'm being selfish for denying my husband the opportunity to feed my daughter. I've had people tell me I'm not going to make it past three days. People have told me they cannot believe what I am putting myself through. 

I do not let what they say get to me because I know what I want for myself and my child. I know what is best for us. I am determined in my decision to raise my baby without bottles unless an emergency calls for it, and close to nature as possible. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like raising a child during much simpler times ...

I must not take it personally or be too hurt when my husband second guesses my recommendations on how to care for our child. He is unaware of the wisdom that i posses as a mother. He has no way of knowing this. He  doesn't know that I am observing my daughter with my intuition and love. A father's love can also be intuitive but it's not the same as a mother's. It's hard not to feel hurt, because I feel ridiculed and insulted because he doesn't take me seriously. It's a shame because our daughter has to experience the discord between me and her father. He doesn't trust me and it hurts so much. I don't know what he has been through in his life to choose to not take my word. 

[havingabebe]

Aminah Rose, this is your birthstone. That I wear around my neck to call upon love and new loves. I wear this in your name, and it it in find peace and strength.

"Rose Quartz is a mothering crystal, inspiring nurturing of the self if one has lost their own mother. It promotes bonding and is a good stone to place on the stomach during pregnancy, and to take to the hospital to be near the baby during birth. It is also soothing in the days to follow. [Eason, 50] Placing baby milk or food within a circle of Rose Quartz for a few minutes helps ease colic or feeding difficulties. [Eason, 40]

To call in love or strengthen a romantic relationship, place pink roses and twin Rose Quartz hearts on a private love altar and light pink candles, or enclose a photo of yourself and a lover within a heart shape of tiny Rose Quartz crystals. [Eason, 50] Rose Quartz may also be placed by the bed or in the relationship corner of the home to restore trust and harmony, and encourage unconditional love. [Hall, 236]

As a stone of love, tenderness and sensuality, Rose Quartz is a powerful aphrodisiac, stimulating sensual imagination. [Megemont, 158]

Rose Quartz is a wonderful sleep crystal for adults and children, providing beautiful dreams as well as preventing nightmares or night terrors. It also helps children to not be afraid of the dark. [Eason, 50]

Rose Quartz is a calming and reassuring crystal, excellent for use in trauma or crisis, including the emotional upheaval of mid-life crisis. It strengthens empathy, sensitivity, and aids in the acceptance of necessary change. It is also an excellent stone for comforting grief. [Hall, 236]”

[havingabebe]

Almonds Everywhere

[havingabebe]

Coming to the end of one the most glorious periods in my life. I feel honored to have participated in pregnancy. I can’t wait to meet my baby girl and have this new addition to my adorable little family. 

[havingabebe]

Three simple rules in life. 1. If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it. 2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. 3. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.

I’m in love with this. (via gettingahealthybody)

[havingabebe]

"She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

[havingabebe]

37 weeks. The time is close. I know I still have some weeks to go. It's just amazing to know that I will carry my baby in my arms and not in my belly pretty soon.

[havingabebe]

Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don’t even recognize that growth is happening. We may feel hostile or angry or weepy and hysterical, or we may feel depressed. It would never occur to us, unless we stumbled on a book or a person who explained to us, that we were in fact in the process of change, of actually becoming larger, spiritually, than we were before. Whenever we grow, we tend to feel it, as a young seed must feel the weight and inertia of the earth as it seeks to break out of its shell on its way to becoming a plant. Often the feeling is anything but pleasant. But what is most unpleasant is the not knowing what is happening. Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be, eventually become the periods we wait for, for it is in those periods that we realize that we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of the personality is about to be revealed.

Alice Walker (Living By The Word)

Periods of growth.

[havingabebe]

Red raspberry leaf tea. Tones the uterus.

[havingabebe]

All that's missing is you, baby.

[havingabebe]

This is what a pregnant mama whose limbs are stretching out and loosening up looks like. Tired. It hurts to walk and I feel all wobbly like I'm walking in a pool. I appreciate the loosening of my joints. It let's me know that I'm really getting closer to meeting my baby girl. I'm listening to my body. If it hurts to walk, I need to sit my butt down. I'm 36 weeks and four days. I'm enjoying these last few days with my baby bump. Hard to believe I will be holding my baby girl in my arms instead of in my belly. Let's do it !!! I'm gathering the things I want to take with me to the hospital. Today I bought comfy Minnetonkas and yoga pants, nursing bras, toothbrushes, snacks and I'm also placing an order on amazing for a couple of things ;) I also bought my husband sweat pants. I want to spend much more time lying down sleeping and reading. Friday is my maternity shoot day! I'm so excited to have this special moment in my life photographed by Nadia. She's really good. She said Friday's weather is looking good hopefully it pulls through.

[havingabebe]

If you are lactose intolerant, don't tolerate lactose! This info card designed by the National Medical Association does not have your best interests in mind because the people who made this are paid by the National Dairy Council. The government may not always have the public's best interest in mind especially when it comes to nutrition and food choices. As an expectant mother it is imperative that you do your own research. Nourish your body with foods that your body agrees with. Intolerance of a food is your body's way of telling you "STOP EATING THIS. I DONT LIKE IT!" So listen to your body, it has all the information you need to make smart food choices. If you are lactose intolerant, opt for milks made from nuts such as Almond milk, hemp milk, hazelnut milk. You can make these milks in the comfort of your own home and they will not be filled with chemicals and hormones like regular milk does.