I'm SO ready to have this baby. Well not completely ready. Meaning, the baby's room isn't ready, and we don't have any of the things we need yet. So I'm not actually ready, but my body is ready to feel normal again. It seems like such a long time since I could actually see my feet without having to look down. Don't even ask about other areas I haven't seen in weeks. I don't know how guys with huge beer bellies go for years without being able to see their own genitalia. It is really quite bothersome for me. I know nothing has really changed down there, but its still comforting to be able to give it a glance once in awhile. And of course there is the whole shaving issue...basically I haven't been able to in a long time, so...oh I don't even want to talk about it.
I do plan on doing some things differently this time than I did with my first. I always seem to miraculously end up lighter (in weight) AFTER giving birth, than I was before. The same thing happened with my first, and now it is happening again. Every doctor's appointment now, they are complaining that I'm losing weight. Of course I'm not trying to lose weight, Lords knows. I eat whatever I want (please don't hate me)...but I still don't seem to have any issues with weight gain. Not while I'm expecting anyway. That's the part that I'm doing differently this time around. The last time I sorta rested on my "laurels" and didn't work out or anything, and within about a year, I had gained weight. Well not this time! I'm taking advantage of these incredible genes, and making sure that my jeans stay small, by working out after having this little one. I mean REALLY working it out. I plan on being in the gym religiously...so I can be back in fighting shape by June...before returning to work.
I also plan on taking my mother's advice from the first time around that I didn't listen to...she told me to wear a girdle after having my first. I least for a couple of weeks or so, but I didn't think that would really do anything. Well after watching all these plastic surgery shows...that is EXACTLY what the surgeons make you do once you've had something lifted, tucked or sucked out. Mother does know best in these situations...I understand her more and more these days.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Ebony and Ivory...
Racial issues seem to be everywhere in the news lately. I was just sent an article about a 7-year-old girl named Autumn Ashante who performed a poem at a New York state elementary school that was considered by many to be racist against the white community. After reading the poem…I agree. Please note that I am black, just in case I’ve never mentioned that fact before, and I honestly do not feel that the poem itself is really even worthy of being mentioned, at least not based on its poetic value. The only reason anyone is talking about this poem is because of the content, and I also believe that there is no way a 7-year-old wrote such a poem alone. After reading more about this young poet, I realized that her intent was in fact completely racist, at least based on other comments she has made publicly, and also that in reality this poor child is just spewing the hatred of her ignorant father, Batin Ashante. At 7 years of age, not many of us has yet had enough experience to acquire our own views on this society in which racial issues are so prevalent. Just so we are clear here this is the poem in question:
White Nationalism Put U In Bondage White nationalism is what put you in bondage Pirate and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin Drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with Steel, tricks and deceit.Nothing has changed take a look in our streets The mis-education of she and Hegro — leaves you on your knee2grow Black lands taken from your hands, by vampires with no remorse They took the gold, the wisdom and all of the storytellers They took the black women, with the black man weak Made to watch as they changed the paradigm Of our village They killed the blind, they killed the lazy, they went So far as to kill the unborn baby Yeah White nationalism is what put you in bondage Pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin They drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with Steel laden feet, throw in the tricks alcohol and deceit. Nothing has changed take a look at our streets.
And here are some of Ms. Ashante’s comments based on her 7 years of experience as a black female in the United States: [White people are] "devils and they should be gone. We should be away from them and still be in Africa." -taken from Westchester Journal News
So for all the “defenders” out there of little miss poetry club…there is no doubt in this black woman’s mind that her intentions are clearly bigoted.
All this brings me to the new show on FX, “Black. White.” This show is about two families, one black, and one white, who are made to share a house together somewhere in Southern California, and (now this is the “gimmick” of the show…) the black family is “made-up” to look white, and the white family is made to look black, all via cutting-edge, state of the art make-up artistry. Well, it doesn’t quite work for me. First, the black mother, does NOT look white. She looks like a light complexion black female with a bad blonde weave. The white mother looks greasy and shiny all the time in her “black” make-up, and the only one who really seems to look the part is the daughter of the white family, Rose. She is also the only one who seems to get the whole point of the show, although I’m not convinced that there IS a point.
Bruno, the white dad is completely clueless, and completely unsympathetic to any cause or situation that he has not been through. The black parents on the show are so racially sensitive that they believe EVERYTHING is a racial issue, and I can tell you that in Southern California it is most certainly not. Try growing up in, not “Southern”, but South Texas where I grew up and you’ll know what racism is…it isn’t some 15-year-old kid throwing the n-word (-a) around after he’s been told by a black 15-year old that he doesn’t find the word offensive. It is being called the n-word (-er) to your face, and then asked, “What are you gonna do about it?”.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Well HELLO to YOU...
I know, I know...I said I would post soon, but damn-it I have a good excuse. I'm pregnant (34 weeks now), we just moved (February 18th), and well I'm REALLY tired. I've been having some complications that I didn't have the first time around. Apparently I'm SEVERELY anemic...well I am always anemic, but this time is the worst it has ever been. I'm talking possible blood transfusion bad. They are holding off on that however, because apparently giving a pregnant mother a blood transfusion doesn't do much for the baby. I am getting iron by IV every Monday until my hemoglobin numbers improve. Three treatments so far and my numbers are up about 0.9 points. Doesn't seem like a lot of improvement to me, but what do I know. I'm not a doctor.
Thalassemia runs in my family (my sister and aunt both have it), and the docs think that I do too, but apparently you get a false negative result if your iron is too low, so they can't accurately test me until my iron is higher. Anyways...the whole ordeal means an extra doctor's appointment once a week, and that I now have a reason for being so exhausted all the time. Well, I have a name for it anyway.
As I mentioned we did move in February. We are now in Greenbelt, MD in a 3-level townhouse, and it is nice. More expensive, but nice. We are renting, and our utilities are included so it isn't too bad considering all the facts. However we are SO far from having everything together that it isn't even funny. The baby's room is a complete mess, but my hubby says he will get it all together by the end of this week. Yeah right. Well I'm going to give him until then and after that the nagging will start, and he doesn't want that. My baby shower is April 8th, so send me your email address, and I'll be sure to send you an evite. The baby by the way is another girl, and her name is De***** did you get that? (haha)...you don't need the other sordid details.
