The Pursuit of Happiness: Dancing Along The Dotted Line

Yet again I have been too caught up with my daily life to update my blog, but there's no need to fear for I shall update you.

My daughter, Ximena, turned 10 months approximately sixteen days ago and covered a lot of milestones in her 9th month. Just a fews days after she turned 9 months, Xixi began to walk. Yes I said it, WALK! I'm so proud of her... Little did I know the little bundle of energy was going to keep me on my feet all of the time. Nevertheless, I am grateful that she was given the gift of mobility, there are many adults, children and animals who are immobile for whatever reason and would give anything to be able to take two baby steps.

Sometime ago after my Film class was finished, I stopped by "over-priced" Jordan's Supermarket to purchase a sippy cup and some finger food for Ximena. I swear, it broke my heart to buy those few items because I knew I could get them at a more reasonable price but it was late and I had to get home as soon as possible.

When I arrived home, I washed and sterilized her sippy cup before pouring Gerber - White Grape Juice into it, then I showed her how to use it several times before she got the 'hang' of it. She was so 'fussy'! She could hardly contain her excitement; running up and down the house like a horse that was in the middle of a race at the Garrison Savannah.

She took her 'new' cup and showed it off to everyone who stopped to pay her attention. Which reminds me, I also had purchased Gerber Graduates Puffs - Strawberry Apple (for crawlers), I found that these were too small to be used as a finger food.

This can easily be stuck in the child's throat if swallowed too fast despite the fact they dissolve in the child's mouth. My mom told me to break them up into small pieces (not like powder or grounded chalk) when feeding her thus to make them dissolve faster, I found that I was comfortable with this method. I fed her them and she absolutely loves them! I give her ten pieces every day at 12:30 along with some juice/water.

Oh, oh, oh! Guess what I found? Ximena's infant tag 'bracelet' the nurse put on after I had given birth to her. Its so tiny... :) It really makes me think back to how petite Ximena was.... and to encourage my nostalgia, I reminisced by watching Newborn home videos I made with my blackberry along with browsing through her Newborn photographs I also took with my phone. Sometimes I can't believe I helped create such a beautiful person inside and out, even though Ximena is still a baby has such a vibrant and pleasant personality. She's always laughing, ready to explore and just an overall joy to be around. She's even happier when her stomach is full, her pamper is clean and she has had a bath. :P

On the topic of growing, Ximena, has out grown yet another pair of shoes. So therefore, when I get paid and I have purchased any pending items on my shopping list.. I shall purchase two or three new shoes for her. She has also outgrown many of her 6-9 month clothing and is currently wearing 9-12 month clothing. My mom bought her a House of Dereon Jeans, which is a tad big, it has no age range on it but I assume its for toddlers 12- 15 months. Despite pants can literally be taken off without being unbutton (that is how big it is), my mom insists that she wears it. She has already worn it three times, I swear my mom is spoiling her rotten.

I've added a couple photos of Ximena wearing the pants along with a spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of slippers for her godmother, Kiira, because if I don't she'll probably murder me in my sleep -ha ha-. I plait her hair in singles, not too tiny and not too big, pretty much average so I could be more versatile whereas styling her hair on a daily basis was concerned. I tried to give Ximena a different hair style that would last longer than the ones I normally give her and it worked! It lasted a WHOLE week -______-, ha ha. Not only did she sleep it out, that little pile of hard-work wrapped up in cuteness undid some of her hair herself by constantly taking her fingers and pulling at her hair. When she was finished, she had a a set of fuzzy, half done curls on her delicate head and a smile on her face. In these photos, my mom was going to visit my grandmother and she wanted to take Ximena along. I opted to stay home and rest, unfortunately I had chores to do and spent the entire day cleaning, washing, cooking and studying.

I'd like to say I'm very proud of my daughter and she makes me very happy. I wouldn't change her for the world and I have no regrets. If i were given the option to do my life over... I wouldnt change my decision to be a mother.

Being a mother is one of the most important and prestigious roles I have ever played in my life. When I look back at my life a few decades from now, I want to be proud of who I've become and the person I have raised along the way.