i dunno guys...i just don't feel "it" yet. 35? even with all these bills that come to the house every week. lol. adulting and parenting is hard....but not impossible. i had no idea where i was going with this 35th birthday post but i'm going to go with my gut and list 35 things i've learned in this life so far below...
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did i really just chaperone my oldest son and his classmates on their very first field trip? are you kidding me? i had several mommy moments that day and they all started after i looked at this pic. just wow.we went to the Houston zoo and had a fab time in less than 2.5 hours. that's really all the time you need! no rain, not hot, not cold, just... perfect weather for us and the animals.kindergartener's eat lunch early so that's exactly what we did when we arrived around 10am.after that, it was ON!who everyone usually stops by to see first, right? haaaaaay, sea otters."what's in there? just birds? ugh. can we go see something else now Miss Leah?"good day, Mr. Mandrill.am i the only one that immediately thinks, "omg...3 million people (and counting) have touched those hands, aaaaagh!!!" #germs but what do i know...they may disinfect and wipe them down daily. *shrugs*that's a big cat.we seriously walked up at THE perfect time. we got the best view of some of the zoo staff giving the lions a snack they referred to as "lion ice cream"! it was actually goats milk mixed with water and they administer it to the lions through a spray bottle. they loooooove it.chillin' cheetahs.then we saw...the bears,the ducks,the highly requested giraffes,zebras,rhinos, and we finally made our way to see the silver back gorillas in their semi-new exhibit! i made some cool IG stories but forgot to save them, SMH! last thing before heading back to the front gates to meet up with the rest of the class!beautiful. God's creation!that's a wrap! we'll be back for spring break with Dego & Kosi since i was unable to bring them!
yep, we're the Egwuatus, the crazy family who revealed the gender of our 3rd baby via Facebook live. this was originally Sonny's idea and even though i initially agreed when he presented it to me, i took it back a couple of days later! there are so many "what ifs" surrounding labor and delivery and live video made me a bit anxious... but i eventually agreed though and we want to thank everyone who was able to tune in and share these special moments with us!! in case you didn't catch the vids from FB (from Sonny's account), here are a billion pics and the actual gender reveal video which made for a very, very special Thanksgiving 2016.
you know what they say... if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans. my due date was 11/27, but i literally had stuff on my calendar up until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and beyond. i was determined to get it all done.
tuesday night, my boys teamed up and gave me a muuuuch needed foot massage. i had been cramping here and there that day while training my prenatal fitness girls and running errands. they continued throughout the early morning on Wednesday and weren't painful at all, just noticeable and random with no particular pattern. every time i got up to tinkle throughout the night, i felt them. i went ahead and got up around 7ish because i couldn't go back to sleep. my 39th week (and hopefully final) checkup appointment was happening later that afternoon, and i needed to get my Thanksgiving cooking done. #priorities LOL
two dump cakes and a gigantic pan of cornbread dressing! this dressing recipe comes from my mom; it's not officially Thanksgiving until i smell it.Cheezer was out for Thanksgiving break so he excitedly came along with Dego and i to my appointment.
#CaptainObvious TIP: always bring snacks. always. i don't know what the heck i was thinking because i didn't bring nearly enough :-| ! they swallowed those graham crackers before my doc even came in and everything in that room became apart of their playground!!my OB checked me again for dilation and stated "1.5 cms!" as she snapped off her latex gloves. i was thinking, "dang, that's it? ah well, anything can happen." she said i might see some blood using the restroom later, and she was spot on. as i expected, my discomfort level increased post-appointment and those light cramps returned immediately. i went ahead and canceled my trainings for the day because i wanted to be close to home should my contractions rev up. took my last preggo selfie when we got back home! 39 weeks and 3 days. my mucus plug had been disintegrating for several days and this time the gloopy, clear discharge on the toilet paper was light pink instead. this was all too familiar! i told Sonny that things were getting weird and that we should seriously finish packing and actually load up the truck. he said alright, so we cleaned up the house a little in the process so it wouldn't be a complete wreck once we returned, lol.
around 10:30 pm, the contractions became slightly painful yet manageable, and the wave would hit every 10 minutes or so. wherever i was in the house, i would yell, "Contraction!" out to Sonny and he would hit the lap button on his phone's running timer. from then until about 2:15am, i labored at home until we hit the 'every 5 minutes' mark. through every painful contraction i did either one of the following: pace around the house while inhaling & exhaling deeply until the wave passed, circle/roll my hips on my yoga ball, and i even drew and sat in a warm bath for a good while which helped big time. i have been taking warm baths the entire pregnancy, so it was a familiar, soothing, relaxing place for me. heck, that experience even made me strongly consider a water birth next time! (wait, next time!?) i made sure to use the restroom constantly to keep my bladder empty. just like menstrual cramps, having anything in my bladder magnifies the pain.
while in the bathtub, i had one of the strongest contractions yet. i told myself that immediately after the wave finished we were heading to the hospital. this is it. it's go time. Sonny put our sleeping boys in the truck one by one and waited for me to come get in. another contraction hit as i was about to get in the passenger seat, so i got back out and walked down to the end of the drive way breathing deeply as the contraction peaked and finally passed. i had about 3-4 contractions on the way to the hospital; Sonny drove to the L&D entrance and i hopped out and went right up to the 3rd floor solo. after checking into triage around 2:40am, i changed into a hospital gown and laid down on the triage bed. the triage nurse checked my progress and said, "you're at a 5." what? whoa! i was excited to be halfway there in my mind but definitely couldn't show it on my face. she then called the front desk to confirm i was indeed staying and prepared a wheelchair for me. i hopped in and had another contraction as she wheeled me right past Sonny and the boys sitting in the waiting room! Chiso had fallen back to sleep, but Dego was wide awake and the sight of me passing and not stopping upset him to tears. we arrived to the room, i quickly climbed into bed, and my nurse hooked me up to machines to the left and right of me. the boys snacked on the graham crackers i packed while i contracted like crazy and waited for my epidural. by this time i was 7 cms dilated.epi is IN. ice chips and smiles. i don't know how much time passed before my epi came...of course it felt like an eternity! i'd estimate 30-45 minutes or so, though. everyone had to leave the room except my nurse and the doc administering the epi once he arrived. in less than 5 minutes or so, the pain disappeared completely.
so... my doctor would not be on-call until 7am that morning to deliver baby Kosi *insert sad face*. Sonny and i were both OK with that though and figured we'd just hang out and wait. no big deal. the epi was kicking so it was all good on my end!
at about 4:45am, my nurse checked me again, pulled back hastily and said, "wow, you're at 10, hun, we gotta go." they immediately contacted the on-call Dr. and he was on his way.
i motioned for Sonny to come to my bedside. we quickly chatted and agreed that it didn't matter who delivered Kosi, but that he/we would make sure i had ample time to push while avoiding an episiotomy if at all possible. we knew God was with us and we kept moving forward.
alright, time to puuuuuuuuush!1.5 pushes later at 5:10am, Kosi made her presence well known! she was yelling at the top of her lungs; my dad said he heard her clearly from the waiting area. "oh wow, Sonny, it's a girl!! mom! it's a girl!!" i remember crying and saying that over and over again in disbelief. this was after i lifted her leg for confirmation though, LOL! Chiso & Dego were quiet when they entered the world, but not this lil' lady. check out the FB live vid here:
she's finally here, Chiso! he wanted and prayed for a little sis so bad. my team. thank God for my team. Sonny has held one leg and my mom has held the other for all three pregnancies.mimicking her face :D
yeah, i didn't move for a good while! she was all cleaned up and ready to eat.Kosi's very first nursing session... i can't even begin to explain how special and intimate skin to skin contact is for mama & baby.
uncle Thew arrived shortly after his very first niece did.my immediate family took the early morning shift, haha.Grannie got her girl :) even though i convinced myself early on that i was having a 3rd boy, my mom never stopped referring to Kosi as 'she' and 'her'. since walking the 5k Turkey Trot was now out of the question for me, Sonny headed over to the Galleria with Chiso so that he could run the kid's 1k! his uncle made sure he was straight for the ladies first ;)after only 3 hours of sleep, he was ready to ROCK it!!!about to have pancakes with Papa at the VIP pre-race breakfast sponsored by IHOP. maaaaan i was looking forward to those pancakes. on the starting line...wide awake now! way to GO, Chiso!! a shiny, finisher medal and a new little sister in the same day. so much to be thankful for.gobble, gobble, you turkeys!
Sonny took Chiso to be with Dego and my parents, then headed back to the hospital. my ashiness was clearly the last thing on my mind! food was definitely at the top of my priority list though; i ordered breakfast as soon as they moved us over to the postpartum wing.taking it all in and thanking God for answered prayers. i definitely prayed for a quick delivery and everything really did happen crazy fast. i was prepared to rest a little since we had been up all night, but that's not how things work, haha! someone came in every 3 minutes to either check on me, check on Kosi, run a test, deliver food, or give us some info or an update. not complaining one bit; i appreciate the entire experience and protocols, the heaven-sent nurses and hospital staff, and expected / welcomed the knocks. i knew the drill.
1st usie! i wouldn't be me if i didn't desire and attempt to reply to every single Instagram comment we received under this picture...man. we are so appreciative of your LOVE. thank you to each and every person who took the time to send us a social media message, comment, and DM.this was a great sign. my appetite had been flaky since the 2nd trimester (as far as how much i could eat). after just a few bites of something i was basically done. if i went any further, i'd often feel physically sick. haaaaated that feeling! healthy smoothies were a big part of my 3rd trimester because of it.no crumb left behind! i ate every single thing they brought me on those trays! food finally tasted like food again, just that quick.
i needed every last one of those calories to prepare my body for nursing and get my milk going.more family came to visit that evening and brought us Thanksgiving food!!! are they related or what? love this brother & sister pic of Sonny & Michelle and her daughter Camille.Kosi is Nwachi's (my sweet Mother-In-Love) 4th grand girl! Papa got his girl! i pray these two form a loving bond that lasts all the days of their lives.
day 2 view!waiting on my breakfast and watching Food Network. the boys get dibs on the TV at home all the time so i took advantage and watched something i enjoy for a change! i could watch Pioneer Woman aaaaall day. #SorryNotSorry, Sonny. she's Chiso's twin, who is also my twin, which means Kosi looks just like me! maybe next round, fam.later that afternoon we ventured out and walked a few laps around our hospital floor. meanwhile, Dego and Chiso were having THE time of their lives playing with rocks and eating pancakes at Grannie & Grampa's house!we missed them SO much and could not wait to meet them at home with Kosi the next day.
having my usual breakfast and preparing for home.free! homeward bound by the grace of God.we're hooooome! Chiso picked this wild flower for me while outside at my parents house and could not wait to hand deliver it. it's the little things that get you, right?my brother and sis-n-love spent Thanksgiving in Arkansas but came over to see their new niece as soon as they got back into town. give Kosi some time, Natalie, she'll be keeping up with you before we know it.
life as a family of five awaits. here we go!
thank you sincerely for reading!!
what this past friday afternoon looked like for us.
just taking a moment on the floor like we often do. Dego & i had just gotten home from training clients and a trip to the Nike Outlet for our family maternity shoot outfits. Chiso was fresh from school and ecstatic about being homework-free. my hair was halfway done, and i still didn't really know how things would come together with our shoot the next day.
my sis-in-law, Kara, told me exactly where to go for big, bold, crazy affordable jewelry; Harwin! if you're a Houstonian then you are prolly familiar with this area of town. i figured with goddess locs i might as well go for a goddess look. lol, i don't know! i need soooo much help with putting outfits/accessories together (maybe this is why interior design is not my thing either, sheesh) and i was so looking forward to getting together with Kara to shop and eat. we couldn't get our schedules together before shoot day so i did my best!
saturday morning glaaaaam.
a huge thank you to makeup_byMeagan for taking my face on! she did an amazing job. i am so not used to wearing dramatic, heavy makeup though; it always takes me some getting used to my own face. as always, my sis, Ogechi, hooked my hair UP.
family fitness shoot DONE. omg. we shot the pics inside The Core Gym and once the boys walked in and saw all the toys equipment, their little brains started going 8000 miles per minute!!! i truly hope the chaos was captured perfectly! afterwards, i really wanted to just change and go do my individual shots immediately, but Sonny intervened and said we all needed to go take a break, sit down, and eat. i didn't argue! our photographer, Christin, said she was prepared to be with us until we got all our ideas in so of course we kept her well fed. 
hoping to get the maximum amount of cooperation out of Chiso during the shoot (cause once that window is closed, usually it's a wrap :| ) i told him he could pick where we ate for lunch afterwards. he excitedly screamed Jason's Deli! Sonny just knew i persuaded his decision ;) but it was definitely the free soft serve. 
Christin swore to me she and Chiso would be BFFs by the end of the day but this guy literally ran and jumped in her arms after lunch!Sonny kept the boys company while we shot a few individuals but they naturally made their way into some of them so Christin took advantage. i wore 3 different Sew Trendy Accessories gowns.
dinner time! and lookie there, lol.Christin could not believe we were about to eat again, haha! Whole Foods Post Oak was a few doors down and perfect cause even the pickiest of eaters can find something tasty there.
i went with eggplant parmesan, baked hoki w/ a roasted red bell pepper sauce, sweet potato crunch, a few roasted brussels sprouts, and some sautéed kale. my cheese obsession never really went anywhere! been going strong all pregnancy. i also got a few scoops of some unpictured chocolate covered salted caramels from the bulk section for our trip home. i shared. a little.
Papa Gwuat! thank you for chauffeuring us around all day, de-stressing me to the best of your abilities, and for being so patient. 
it's a wrap, 35 weeks! i could not wait to whip those lashes off and just get in my bed (after a soak in the tub of course)! thankful this day is finally behind us; i don't even want to think about holiday photos right now though!! maternity pics coming soooon :)
this post is sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods® and VocalPoint. all opinions and photos are my own!
welp, we made it through the very first week of school, y'all! hoping and praying that us newbies, veterans-- everyone has a fantastic school year. my Kindergartener was crazy excited and prepared for his very first day and beyond, thanks to Dick's Sporting Goods®!
this Fall 2016, six locations will open up in/around the Houston area:
Baybrook Mall
Deerbrook Mall
First Colony Mall
The Woodlands Mall
Willowbrook Mall
we stopped by one of the largest locations to come above, The Shoppes at ParkWest (across I10 from Katy Mills Mall) for a quick pic, and we can't wait to actually go inside soon!
until then, online back-to-school shopping it was. less stress for me = no gas used, no getting in and out of the Texas heat, and no lines to stand in with 2 rambunctious boys and a baby bump. 
besides, what kid doesn't love to receive packages in the mail and tear open their 'gifts'!? everything was for Chiso's big Kinder debut, but of course we've gotta involve lil' bro.
he chose a fresh pair of kicks,
a super-fly book bag, and a lunch box to match.
ready.
i was too! #NoTears
off he went. 1 week down, 17 years left to go, haha.
shop DSG for back-to-school for book bags, lunch boxes, casual to athletic sneakers & clothes and beyond! i do believe this will help ;)
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