Time Flies When You Have a Baby!

Lennox is five weeks today and I still can't believe it! It was amazing to spend Mother's Day with him this past Sunday and it finally hit home that I am a mommy! Ernesto and I used to joke that there would come a day that we wouldn't be able to just freely move around our home as we pleased and I didn't quite believe him, but that day has come! At times, it feels a bit restricting and the most simplest tasks, like taking a shower, become the most sacred moments of the day--however, when I stare into Lennox's cute little face, it's all worth it. I am really blessed to have 12 weeks off from work for maternity leave, too. I honestly feel like I'm just now getting into a groove caring for Lennox and moving to-and-fro with him. I really don't think 6 weeks off is enough, especially not for a first-time mother! There is soooo much to learn and no matter what your mother or your friends tell you, you simply learn by doing. I had planned to take Lennox to a "Mommy and Me Yoga" class this morning to observe it before signing up--however,there was a snag--when I looked out the window, I saw that my husband had taken the car with the car seat--Argh (insert tears, here!)!! Needless to say, I could have really benefited from yoga, if even just as an observer today. Luckily, when I called my husband at work, he was able to bring home the car so that we wouldn't be stranded indoors all day. We'll try again next week to view the class and who knows, we might just attend! One solution to today's snafu is that my sister and I will go to Babys R Us to buy another carseat base so both of our cars will be car seat ready!!

The Best Laid Plans of Mice of Men Often Go Awry

Today has been a busy, eventful day with Lennox. For starters, we've had a serious rain streak in the DC area that I've been itching to take him for a walk in his baby bjorn. However, it's been nice just to take him out for a ride in the car and fresh air. Everything revolves around his breastfeeding schedule at this point. For example, this morning, we dropped my husband off at work, and luckily, I fed Lennox a good hour before we needed to leave--which holds him down for two to three hours. Then, I loaded Lennox into the car, along with multiple bags, and we went to my mother's house--keep in mind, it's only a five minute drive from our condo! I also had a dr's appointment scheduled for the afternoon (I've realized that with a baby, early morning appointments are a joke!), and felt like I'd have enough time to take a nap--boy, was I wrong! Lennox had his first blowout and was covered from his shoulders down in poo! I was so glad to be with my mother and sister when this happened!! We quickly took him upstairs to bathe and I couldn't have been more pleased that I packed so many supplies! Lucky for me, Lennox actually enjoys taking a bath, especially when I splash the water around. I think this simulates sounds he heard when he was in my womb. Before I knew it, we were all headed to the doctor for my post-partum check-up. The car always puts Lennox to sleep, so I thought he just might remain asleep throughout my appointment. Boy was I wrong again! He woke up before I was seen hungry as ever, so I took him in a backroom to breastfeed! Although I have started pumping once every other day, so i can be relieved from round-the-clock feedings, I decided, what the heck, I'm at my OBGYN's office, I can just feed him myself here--no need for a bottle! My doctor was soooo excited to see Lennox and of course, he has grown so much since delivery day! Additionally, I'm ten pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, and even though I haven't had a chance to exercise (one shouldn't do this before 6 weeks after delivery) the amount of supplies and baby carriers one must lug around is its own workout! I managed to cook a quick dinner for everyone and squeeze in a nap and write a blog posting, so, although the day seemed all over the place, it was an accomplishment!

Introducing Lennox Yonah Lara

It's been so long since I've last posted, but I have the perfect topic to post about--my new son, Lennox Yonah Lara! He's soooo awesome and he was born on Wednesday, April 8th at 9:13am. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. After one week of life, he grew two inches and gained six ounces! I was very proud of this because I had difficulty breastfeeding at first, but when he went through this growth spurt, I had gotten the hang of breastfeeding and had been doing that exclusively! The first time I tried to write this post, I had to cut it short because Lennox was hungry. Now, on the eve of his third week of life, I am determined to finish this post! Please look forward to me including pictures and posting about my journey through motherhood!

Lotion for All !!

I saw an interesting sight on the metro this week that brought up some childhood memories. There was a young man in his early 30s who got onto the metro dressed in a suit and carrying a backpack. As soon as he sat down, he quickly pulled out something that looked like lip balm. It wasn't for his lips, though. It was a special balm for extremely dry skin, and he began working the balm between each finger with extreme care and attention. My eyes were fixated on him and as I glanced around, other folks were watching this young man moisturize his hands, too. I immediately noticed his wedding ring and quickly assumed that his wife had given him this lovely product. My husband has caught flack from his friends for some of the products he uses thanks to me! Now, this does not have to be the case with this young man, perhaps he has a strong dislike for ashy hands?

Which brings me to my childhood memory... When I was about 6, I would play tennis with my dad at the courts down the street. I remember seeing my dad's ashy, gray legs and telling him to put on some lotion. He simply told me, "Men don't wear lotion." I remember wondering to myself, could this be true? It became a family joke that we would all desperately urge my father to put lotion on to no avail! One summer, my grandfather came over from Uganda to visit for a month, and my dad saw him using lotion. My grandfather was the coolest and most respected dude EVER, and this is what it took for my father to start using lotion on his legs. As silly and ignorant as his statement might seem to some, I'm sure there are many men who think like this. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day when my dad started using lotion. It's really a good look for him--and for ALL! In fact, I don't leave home without lotion.

Do you have a funny story about men and lotion? Or, if you are a man reading this post, let me hear your thoughts about lotion. Join the debate.

There's Still Hope!!

How many of you have had conversations with your friends hypothesizing how crazy things will be when our children are growing up? Well, after hanging out with my girlfriend's 12-year-old son, I'm convinced that there's still hope! It had been a while since I saw J., but we had time to catch up as we waited for his mother who had been held up in a meeting.

If you are like me, you have completely forgotten what ages correspond with what grades--for inquiring minds, 12-years-old = 8th grade.

So, the first thing J. told me was that he had just won the school Geography Bee and last week he won the History Project Competition. On April 4th, he'll compete to be 1 of 33 DC youth vying for a spot in the National Geography Bee!! Honestly, J. totally blew me away. He is fascinated by every subject and loves learning new things.

I was trying to help him memorize countries and capitals and told him that it would be easy to remember that the capital of Uganda is Kampala b/c that's where I'm from!! His mother informed me today that he told her he will always remember the capital of Uganda b/c he has a friend (me) from there. :-)

J. was quizzing me on things like who was the 43rd President of the U.S and how many knots are in a league? Ummmmm.... yeah. In a way, I felt like I was working on a Mensa quiz, but was also digging the challenge. We played a math game and hangman -- it has been I while since I've played hangman, so I needed a quick refresher. The word that J. selected was, 'antidisestablishmentarism.' If you can imagine, I had a bit of difficulty guessing this word.

The bottom line is that J. is an extremely well-rounded, independent, intelligent, loving kid that is not too cool to say, "I love you mom" in public. When I was in 8th grade, my priorities were a bit different, so it's nice to see that with every generation of youth, there are always those special kids that go against the grain.

The world better watch out for J., that's all I'm saying.

Challenge for Love, Life and Work Readers: What does antidisestablishmentarism mean?

This Crazy, Beautiful Life

This week has been unusually tough for me because I found out sad health news about a dear, family friend. It really puts life into perspective, especially the reality that my parents' generation is beginning to experience deteriorating health and even death.

When I received the phone call from my mom on Tuesday afternoon about Uncle K., I just went numb. I was sitting in my office with my intern and all I could do was continue our conversation where we left off. I was in complete disbelief --how could this happen??
Why must he be 1 of only 2% of the entire population who has this type of cancer?
Why has it already metastasized, and the fact that it is a cancer of the blood, chemotherapy won't help anyways?

Sometimes, there are things in this world that we will never understand.

But, as I talked with my mom after work, I realized that there was beauty in this sad story, too. Uncle K. has been a part of my family's life as long as I can remember. For the past 20 years, my family has spent holidays with his family--alternating Thanksgiving at our house and Christmas at their house and so on. Of course, once all the children left the home, holidays became a bit more sporadic, but the parents always continued to get together on weekends.

And, most recently, my husband and I asked Uncle K. to play a major role in our wedding. When we got engaged, I wanted my husband to see my hometown again. Well, immediately when Uncle K. and Auntie B. heard that we were coming to town, they decided to throw an impromptu engagement party for us. They came over dressed to the nines in traditional Ugandan attire and gave us blessings for our lovely news! So, when the time came for us to begin planning the Ugandan introduction ceremony, which occurs 6 months prior to the wedding, we knew that we'd ask Uncle K. to serve as my husband's family's spokesperson.

So, the next few months, my husband had phone conference calls with Ugandan and Rwandan elders, learning the ins and outs of our upcoming ceremony. He also had the opportunity to get to know Uncle K. better. So, when the 'Kwanjula" rolled around, Memorial Day weekend 2007, it was the most beautiful event ever!! Everyone was dressed in traditional attire and with the traditional food, music, customs and people --we might as well have been in Kampala, Uganda! Looking back, it is such a blessing that Uncle K. played such a prominent role in my wedding. And, of course, Uncle K. and Auntie B. and some of their children were in attendance at our wedding this past October.

My family has never been big on family videos, and the few events they have recorded have become "Lost Tapes." However, our Kwanjula and wedding are both recorded, so it will be so nice to share this footage with Uncle K.'s family and many others.

I refuse to talk about Uncle K. like he's gone, because he's not. He just has a heck of a challenge ahead of him, and has been blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love him. I love you Uncle K. Be strong!!

Kids on Leashes?

Yesterday, as I was walking to my car after work, I couldn't help but notice this three-year old girl who was being escorted by her parents on a leash. Now, let me explain, the leash was masked as a 'monkey backpack' with the long, monkey tail functioning as the "leash." In a way, that almost made it more disturbing b/c the little girl almost looked like she was in a monkey Halloween costume! I mean, I realize that parents want their children to be safe while walking on the street, but is a leash necessary? What do you all think?