...Ish Just Got Real

Sept 24,2015 will always be the day that changed my life & Terence's. I kind of knew that it would but it didn't really occur to me until it happened. Now not only am I someone's sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend and wife...but I'm a FREAKING mother!!! I know that scares some of you heck it scares me too some days.  👶🏽 

Child birth pretty much sucks...like EVE I hate you.theres a story going around that my Dr had to fuss at me to push harder or I was going to have to have a CSection....so I pushed harder. 😂😂😂😂 I don't know how that lady on that 19+ Kids & counting show uterus hasn't just fallen out and she just killed over. Like seriously.  A child is the greatest blessing that I didn't know existed. I've already had sleepless nights and shitty diapers that make me gag & I have to use gloves... but I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Out of all the baby showers and congratulations...no one really tells you the truth. They are all smiles & giggles at baby showers. No one tells you that after the baby is born you're still going to be in pain from God knows what. Terence(my hubby) was literally my nurse for weeks & didn't complain one bit. Love him so much more now than prebaby, didn't know that was possible either. No one tells you that you will grow an 2 extra arms...No one tells you that PPD is real...I had the baby blues( where you think about your prebaby life) & wish to have that life again. No one tells you that there's what I call Mom wars going on..."Are you breast feeding, I did, Do you let your baby sleep with you, you're spoiling him." Heck I don't even remember half of the crazy stuff I've heard. Sometimes the advice giving is overwhelming people...but whateves.  😫🙊 

I've learned in the last couple of weeks of being Tylen's mommy, each new chapter in my life(or your life) requires a different me (you). Since Tylen the me that has developed & is still developing had to learn to put my own wants aside to care for my little one who can't do one thing for himself. I've learned to keep my cool in situations that I would have normally cursed someone out...still working on this part if I'm being honest with myself. I'm still learning that sometimes it is okay to ask for help. So while my journey to motherhood takes me to a new me I'm going to sit back & enjoy the ride, late night feeding/diaper changes w/gloves & all. What new chapter are you heading into that requires a different you? It doesn't have to be as life changing as having a baby but you know when..."Ish gets real"... It's time to change up somethings. 

Live, Laugh, Love,

Le'Shawn 

Let me go to sleep while everyone else in the house is knocked out!!!!

So the Countdown Continues... Bumpdate

How far along am I?

I am 38 weeks...!!! The weeks in the 30s seem like they take forever. But, I'm not rushing you Baby Norwood, do your thang.

What is Swiss Chard??? Guess I will google that?

The daddy:

So I came home one day this week and the house was clean... my first thought...Who broke into the house and cleaned up?? HAHA Just kidding. It was a nice surprise. About the nursery... He still has to paint the baseboards, put together Baby Norwoods dresser (if it ever gets here), and then we will be free to decorate. Oh yeah, he decided that the room should be grey, white, and maroon instead of the yellow that I had picked out. So, I am doing some repainting of canvas' this weekend. =)

Terence has his own car seat to put in his car!!! GO Daddy, GO!!! 

Painting is finished!!! 

How I'm feeling?

I am so tired. I feel like a zombie at work on most days, Barely making it.  It's bad when you wake up and your hubby tells you to call in. This morning he says,"Why don't you call in I know you were up all night staring at the ceiling and going to the bathroom." HAHA. Well, at least he knows. Im starting to get nauseous again which is awful, I hate that feeling.

Food Cravings:

I still want fried corn (southern thing) and I could eat cereal all day every day. Preferably Fruit Loops or Frosted Flakes.

Movement:

He's still the karate kid especially when I lay on my left side. It's like he has claimed that side of my tummy as his own and only he can lay comfortable over there.

Labor Signs: 

My stomach gets tight every now and then. I also have stomach crap but they seem to only happen at night, which probably has something to do with why I can't sleep. I'm still not dilated any =( just big, miserable, and hungry . lol

Belly Button in or out?

If I wear a tight shirt my belly button pokes out a little. Its almost like it's out but a flat outie.

Wedding Ring on or off?

My hands are begging to get puffy and night and in the morning, which I didn't know could be so uncomfortable. Feels like my ring is going to cut my finger all the way off.

What's going on with the bump?

I hate doctors appointments now... LAWD HAVE MERCY. So far, I haven't dilated any but the doctor can feel his head...but if you can feel his head why am I not dilated yet...I'm confused. lol  I think I may not go into labor until my due date.What do you guys think?

Anything else?

Organizing baby stuff...Ummm anyone want to help?? LOL. No seriously, the kid has so much freaking stuff. Like organizing onesies, I think I have a plan for that. Organizing bottles, heck I pray that he likes all the bottles that were bought, but I have a plan for that. I still haven't washed them yet. =(  but they are all gathered together close to the kitchen sick, that has to count for something. Right?

Patiently waiting for his other nursery furniture to arrive, hopefully the room comes together quickly so we can move on to the other 5 million projects that are going on in our home.




Random:
 So I sent my niece a picture of myself on the couch (pictured below)  and here's what my niece had to say about the picture...."You almost about to break down to the floor" Too funny!!!!!! 















I also recently taught her a new word/phrase (Girllllll, bye!) It was only meant to be used to get her off the phone, but according to my sister she says it a thousand times a day. Funny or not. HAHAHA. 

So my parents will be approx. 3 hours away from the hospital..take it out on Terence!!! They already know!!! HAHAHA

Live...Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn & Baby Norwood 

Drop it like it's HOT or NAH!!!!

No, I can not "drop it like it's hot" right now, but my baby did over the last week.

How far along am I?

36 weeks. 9 months. WOOT WOOT!!!

Large Cantaloupe.. I beg to differ!!! LOL 

The daddy:

So, Terence has been working tirelessly on the nursery, probably because I've been worrying the piss out of him about it, and so has my sister. HAHAHA We are so close to finishing. I love the design and how it is turning out. I'm proud of my HUBBY =) Now I'm thinking what can we do to our master bedroom. =) 

Working hard for Baby Norwood

Nursery Art by yours truly... I have a few more pieces to make =) 

Terence has also figured out that the baby responds well to his tapping on my belly, so he will tap and the kid will respond. 

How I'm feeling?

Getting dressed is borderline traumatic, if a top fits... I can't find pants that are comfortable enough to wear for 8 hours, if I find a bottom (usually a maxi skirt) I can't find a top that I think is cute enough to wear. I literally change like 50,000 times in the morning for work and by the time that's over I want to hop back in the bed and go to sleep. I feel HEAVY... NO JOKE, I feel like I am Free Willy's first cousin. When it is time to rollover in the bed, get out of the bed, get off the couch, or move period....I think I could pass for Free Willy's mother. Being comfortable is as far fetched as me dropping it like it's hot nowadays. I'm also beginning to feel nauseous again, blah, hate that feeling.  I think the most uncomfortable thing is shortness of breath. "LAWD, I can't breathe" is a constant thought in my head. My hips have also decided that it is time to start preparing for this little one, didn't realize that hip pain would be a factor. 

Food Cravings:

I have to have fried corn every weekend and ice cream throughout the week. 

Movement:

My kid moves every chance he gets. Kicks in the ribs are happening on the hour. LOL 

Labor Signs: 

Some Braxton Hicks every now and then, where my stomach gets super tight and then loosens up. 

Belly Button in or out?

 Weirdest thing ever, the top of my belly button is trying to come out. The bottom of my belly button is trying to stay in, wonder who will win this fight.

Wedding Ring on or off?

My wedding ring stays on for most of the day until its time to go to sleep. I noticed my fingers swell a little over night and I can't sleep with it on because it feels like my finger is being cut off. 

What's going on with the bump?

We are now on one week appointments and found out this week that our little one is 6 lbs. I said WHOA but the doctor assured me he was right on track.  I found out what Braxton Hicks are...EEEEKKKK.  Terence thinks Baby Norwood will come late, I hope that he comes on his due date. Asked my mom yesterday about her pregnancies and what not? I was early, Brandy was early, Dee was early, and Tellisha was late. Of course Tellisha, my baby sister, would be late. Brandy had Mari early but it was only by a few days. 

Anything else?

We finally took maternity pictures =) We viewed the pictures before we left the studio and I was pretty amazed. Shout out to Fred Davis Photography very professional and easy to work with. We sent him some poses that we were interested in and he nailed it and he also had some creative poses of his own that turned out pretty cute.  Love BLACK OWNED BUSINESS'.  I know we had him cracking up throughout the entire session 'cause Terence couldn't get right. Just Kidding.

Here's a sneak peek of our maternity photo session:

Reading to Baby Norwood

Random:

We went out to eat and our fortune cookies read... 

Live...Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn and Baby Norwood

Little Man

Norwoods Party of 3

Cutest Baby Shower Theme....EVER!!

   

My mom, my sister Tellisha , and my friend Dejanae all got together to give Terence and myself a baby shower on the coast (gulf coast). It was so much fun and heart warming to see everyone shower our "little man" with gifts.  It was also nice to see  my friends and family that we haven't seen in awhile. I'm now on restricted travel to the coast by Terence of course. HAHAHA, he says that I went a whole lot during the summer and I'm getting close to my due date.

Games:

One game was called, "My Water Broke..." like literally this is what the baby shower guests had to say when their water broke . I thought It was a fun game to incorporate into a shower, because I should be saying those words soon. EEK!!! Remember my due date is September 24.  Everyone got a piece of ice with a baby in it...like a baby that you find in a king cake(All my Mardi Gras people know about King Cakes). Everyone put the ice in their mouth or blew on the ice or tried to break it the fastest to see who would win. I think it ended up being a tie between a couple of people.

Ice, Ice, Baby...

Another game we played was "Turn Up".... Everyone got a small bottle with juice in it. The person that drunk the juice the fastest won. Of course there was a tie in this game as well.The three people that tied had to stand in the front of the room and compete against each other again.I'm mad I didn't get a picture of this because it was hilarious. We had bottles that broke, other defective bottles that leaked it was crazy.

The last game was "Ohhh Poop". There were four or five diapers that were passed around that had some kind of chocolate crap in them. YUCK. The baby shower guests had to figure out what was in each of the diapers. I think there were reeses, almond joy, and some other stuff that I don't eat.



So the whole time the games were going on the guys managed to ease out of the baby shower... one by one. But Terence made sure he was back in time to help open gifts.

The Fellas

My G-Daddy and My baby's Daddy (HAHAHAHA)

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts:

Opening Gifts was HILARIOUS...first I started opening gifts and Terence wanted to get in on the action, so we had to come up with a system. You open one, I open one. If you were there you know he was all over this... "No it's my turn, I want to open that bag..." Like he was so serious about it. Love that guy. Below are pictures from the shower.

Tellisha, Me, and Dessica

Me & Deja

Me and Emorie

Dessica & Deja

ME and My Fav Cousin

Us and Dontae'



My Mommy

After this shower, I was given a surprise shower by the counselors in my district... I thought this one wittle outfit was so precious...he's really going to look like a little man =) They also got us a basket of goodies. The basket matches the color scheme of his nursery.

Baby Norwood is going to be FLYY!!!!

Thanks to everyone that came to our baby shower and showered our little man with gifts and love. We appreciate you guys/girls more than anything and so does our "Little Man."

BABY DADDY:

So this week, first full week of school, I woke up one morning and the very first thing that came out of Terence's mouth was , "DAAANNGGG, you're getting big."  Somebody come get him, this child is going to be short a daddy. If only males could carry babies... HAHAHA. I honestly don't think they would be able to handle it.  They "AIN'T BOUT THIS LIFE!!!!" 
 

Until next time...

Live...Laugh..Love,

Le'Shawn

ICE....ICE...BABY!!!

Now everybody sing along... ICE, ICE, BABY!!!!!

Big Girls need love too!!! Hahaha

How far along am I?

33 WEEKS...OHHH...MYYY GOD!!!! Ya'll better be glad I don't know how to put emoji's in here because it would probably be ALL of them. I have 7 more weeks, at  least that's how it's suppose to go. I feel huge and others think I am small to be 8 months, but whatevs. 

This is from an app.. Size of a honey dew melon. Side eye. Don't know where they are getting this from. 

The daddy:
Finally finished painting the first layer of paint in the nursery, only one more to go. So, the other thing that he has to do in the nursery is paint one wall chevron (gray and white). He mentioned to me last night that he thinks that's a little too girly and when our little one turns about three it's going back to all gray. HAHAHA. Silly, Terence. I will probably come up with another design by then. 


How I'm feeling?:
Ice pack for my ribs and heating pad for my back, but I'ma "G" though.  My ribs feel like that are literally splitting and  I deal with that by using an ice pack for temporary relief.  Heating pad for my back because my back hurts from carrying this extra weight. How is it that all of a sudden, I am nauseous again and my wisdom tooth on the bottom right is trying to come in.  Lawd help me JESUS!!! 


What's going on with the bump?:
This boy moves...when I say moves...LAWD HAVE MERCY!!!! Most of his movements hurt, I can see and feel everything.  So if you catch me grimacing, it's because someone has taught my kid karate and didn't inform me.

Anything else?:
I absolutely positively HATE bras...they're not made for preggo people who boobs and ribs expand...and those maternity bras are sooo freaking expensive. Can't win for loosing. 



Last week or the week before that Terence and I got to see our Starkville family. We met up at Berry's in Florence (YUM)  and here's a picture from our dinner. Love the Long's.

Love the Long's can't wait to introduce our baby to this family!!!

Love the picture of this cross. It was huge!

Live...Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn & Baby Norwood

This Natural Thang

As of July 17, 2015... I am 100% natural!!!! 

Exciting or nah??? Well, for me it's pretty darn exciting, no more 5 hair textures going on, trying to figure out how to blend them all together. I went to get a press last week and the beautician was like, "Nah, it's time to let them ends go!!" I was kind of hesitant but I figured she knew best.

                                                               100% NATURAL!!!!!


I fell into the "NATURAL THANG" by mistake. I know most people are like, "everybody is going natural", "What's the point of this natural thing", etc. When I got married and moved to Simpson County I couldn't for the life of me find a beautician that could keep up/do what I was use to from my coast stylist(s) or the stylist was so far away that it was almost not worth it to get my hair done =( , which sucked.  So, I decided I would "go natural, return to natural" whatever you want to call it.After doing a little bit of research I decided to transition. I transitioned for almost a year and a half, mainly because "BIG CHOPPING" was not happening. I've always thought I've had a big head and "BIG CHOPPING" would just show all of my big head I wasn't down with that.

I transitioned using box braids, Senegalese twist, sew-ins, flat irons/silk presses, roller sets, etc. You name it, I did it to my hair. Granted my bad hair days, were REALLY BAD HAIR DAYS. If you are thinking about transitioning your hair be prepared for the wait.

My many transitioning hair styles

 Box Braids...(Perfect Style to cruise with my Hubby=)

The process of taking down box braids ( Shout out to my youngest sister, Tellisha)

Old Roller Set( Visiting my best friends, Dejanae & Monet)

Perm Rod Set ( My fav, as you can tell by my pose)

Texture Shot

Texture Shot

Sew- In ...if it wasn't so hot I would still have this in.

                                                                           


It's amazing how transitions in life bring about so many things. Most of the time, you don't realize you are "transitioning" until after the transitioning process has begun or ended. For example, in my case, being pregnant... HAHAHA. There are other transitions that may not make sense to us while we are going through ( getting fired from a job, not passing a state mandated test, not passing comps, not getting a certain job). Every thing (transition/ struggle/successes) in life has a purpose: maybe it is to prepare you to tell your story to others and encourage them, maybe it is to teach you a lesson that you have not quite learned yet, maybe it is an opportunity for you to put yourself in someone's shoes. Whatever the case maybe be patient, for something awesome in your life is about to take place.
I know I deviated from talking about this "Natural Thang" for a minute but, be mindful of what "transition" you are in and take note.

Live... Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn

Team Blue or Team Pink

It's one thing to start a blog and it's another to keep up with it...REGULARLY!!!!

Sorry, I haven't been doing much of the keeping up part. Promise I will do better. So since my last post we have had a Baby Reveal at our house, taken a summer vacation to Texas, and I've gotten a new job (no worries I'm still a school counselor). As you can see a lot is going on.

How far along am I?

I am 30 weeks exactly today...YAY!!!!! I actually took a picture with the maternity stickers that Emorie got me.

It's kind of a bad picture because I had to be my own photographer because Terence is out enjoying playing music with other musicians.

What's funny about this 30 week sticker?  I have become addicted to corn. Not any type of corn, fried corn (as the country people call it)...it must come off the cob. I have to have corn at a minimum of once a week and that usually happens on Sundays at Aunt Willie Mae's house after church. =)


The daddy:

Rubs my tummy the hardest to try to get baby Norwood to move. When I say, the kid needs no help, I ain't  lying!!!!!! It's sweet to see him developing a relationship with the baby even while he's in my tummy.

How I'm feeling?:

I'm pretty much over the nauseous stage...except for every now and then. THANK GOD. I went in for our 28 week checkup and we are still on  track for a healthy Baby Norwood =)  A couple of weeks ago at the doctors office I was told I was anemic and was suppose to be taking iron supplements...BOO!!!! They made me so sick, I had to stop taking them. So, at our next appointment we will be checking on that again.

What's going on with the bump?:

We are down to 2 week appointments instead of 4 week appointments. That shocked Terence, when the doctor told us that. HA-HA!!! From the outside looking down on my stomach it looks sooo like an alien is moving around in there, scares the crap out of me. I can't see if it's a foot or knee or elbow yet but I can definitely see the movements.

Anything else?:

I've heard a lot of people complaining about being pregnant but besides getting headbutted in my ribs, it's really an amazing process. To have an whole human being created inside of you, LIKE WHOA... WOW. Honestly being pregnant isn't all that bad, besides being preggo in the summer, I love it!!! Especially all the preggo perks, I now have a membership to Massage Envy =) Thanks to my hubby.

1. We kind of have a name picked out for Baby Norwood (If I don't change my mind before
     September) EEEEKKKKK
2. My sister refers to my baby bump as John Doe a.k. JD because we don't have a name. HA-HA-HA


Baby Reveal
Of course I got the idea to have a Baby Reveal from Pinterest. LOVE PINTEREST!!!!! We played 2 or 3 games, Team Boy against girl of course. Mostly everyone was on my team, TEAM PINK!! 

Team Blue vs. Team Pink

This is how we knew what team everyone was on. 

As you can see I was ALL Team Pink and so was my niece!!!!

View the video to see what team the Norwood's are officially on.

Live...Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn & Baby Norwood

Lil' Mama

I haven't blogged in what feels like forever.. but I have a legitimate reason why...

Number One: State Testing since March (I'm a school counselor)
Number Two: I"M PREGNANT and I had to make sure my friends and family knew first before I blogged.
                                          

                                THIS PICTURE...its the best one we got of the bump and I!!!

I'm stuck in between "Is this real?" and "Omg, I'm going to be a mommy!" I'm use to being TeTe Shawn, Shawn the daughter, Shawn the niece, Shawn the granddaughter, Ms. Dedeaux the school counselor and wife Shawn (Mrs. Norwood) but soon I will be "Mommy." I've also picked up the name Lil' Mama from coworkers. Oh yeah, I'm due Sept 24 =) 

How far along am I?
I'm 21 weeks preggo. Whoot, whoot!!! I'm super scared but eternally grateful to be chosen to be your mommy! ( Please be nice and let mommy sleep...that's my only request...I love my sleep) I haven't bought any maternity clothes, I can pretty much fit into my pre-baby-bump clothes expect for a couple of jeans. I'm pretty much into dresses now (HAHA). I've heard plenty of old wives or is it wise tales to last me forever. Here's a few: if you carry it  in your hips it's a girl, if the bump is high its a boy, don't reach up...the umbilical cord will be around the babies neck.

The daddy:
Rubs my tummy on most days and says" hey jr" because he wants a boy..BAD!!! "I can't deal with two of you" is something that I hear on the regular. I'm kind of a handful. HAHA

How I'm Feeling?
I feel okay on today, but I've had a couple of nauseous (can you just throw up already) days.  My cravings haven't been all that crazy but I guess they are still cravings. I wanted Doritos with a pickle for the longest (worst breath...EVER), smoothies from Smoothie King, and recently corn. I love all of the preggo love from everybody, you guys are the best.  

Anything else?
I love sonogram doctors visits they make my entire day. Because we stay in the country and there's no Chic fil a I have to stop there after EVERY doctors visit.  I hate when they take my blood it never goes well. We're having a gender reveal party soon and I'm sooo excited. Cross your fingers for a girl. Theres a bet in my household #teamboy against #teamgirl.  

I see ya' Bean!!!

Message from mommy:

That's your daddy poking and shaking you. He just wants a kick. I say kick him already  =)


Live...Laugh...Love,

Le'Shawn

Racism vs Colorism

I hate that both of those terms even exist, they both make me cringe and want to cry. They make my heart beat fast and want to slap someone all the same time. So, I’ve never really experienced racism but oh colorism now that’s a different story.

 

Growning up in small minded Mississippi, of course the color of your skin during the late 80s and early 1900s mattered. I was the naïve one that thought it didn't matter. So, I never really shared this because I didn’t think it mattered and I figured that I could put it at the back of my mind and forget it…but watching Oprahs’ Light Skin Girls kind of put things into perspective for me.  During middle school I was bullied every single day. One of the main things that sticks out in my mind  was being called RuPAUL and it was all done by students of the same race as me. I never really knew who RuPAUL was until they began calling me that name. So once I figured this out, I was mortified. If you don’t know who that is go…look…it…up!!!! I was hurt because I didn’t really understand why they were calling me that but they were OBVIOUSLY on a mission to make me feel less like a human and more like a dog. Believe it or not they succeeded. I withdrew into this shell of a person I didn’t even realize. I began to think that I was ugly and I that I really did look like the person they were calling me. In about the seventh grade, my mother said it was okay for me to go live with my Aunt Betty and my best cousin in the whole wide world (DESSICA) in Chicago. I don’t know if it was because she knew what was going on or God intervening. I was so happy for that year to get away from those students and just be able to breathe and be my happy self. When I returned to Mississippi it was with a clean slate, I pretty much forgave everyone that called me names and never spoke to them again.  I never really made friends until high school, and I was okay with that. I came out of my shell that year…now I have no filter and don’t care what anyone has to say about me. I realized a long time ago that the color of my skin does not dictate how successful or how beautiful I am.

 

Now Racism. I absolutely positively LOVE Dr. Martin Luther King. I don’t know how someone can feel so empowered in the face of adversity.  It was like he spoke for every Black person in the nation that didn't know they had a voice. Their were so many people that were against and believed in a totally different way than he did, but he still pressed on and did what he believed was right. I have heard so many horror stories about slavery and how MY PEOPLE had to grow up picking cotton and being beat, saying yes sir and no sir and raising other folks kids. I just CAN NOT imagine growing up during that era, surely I would have been beat for my slick mouth.

                                                           My Favorite MLK Quote

 

YOU have to keep it moving people. I know we are not as far away from racism as we would like, but we've come a long way from being in the fields. Are you doing your part? Or adding to the problem?

So what’s worse colorism or racism? Both can cut as deep as a knife and leave invisible scars for years. I hope everyone learns to appreciate others for being DIFFERENT. Everyone is not going to be the same...THANK GOD. The world can only handle ONE OF ME, I DONT KNOW ABOUT HOW MANY YOUS (I know that's not a real word but you get my point) IT CAN HANDLE!!!