Attention Neighborhood Kids Everywhere….. If you have a lemonade stand on a hot, humid day…. stroller-pushing moms are your target demographic.
Just Sayin’.
A is for Adele July 18, 2012
HER FIRST NAME: ADELE
Some people have been asking where we came up with Adele’s name (Adele Khalifa). Although we love the singer, we did not actually name our daughter after her. I have loved the name long before “Set Fire to the Rain” hit the airwaves and the singer rose to fame. 
Our daughter was actually named after my great-grandmother (her great-great-grandmother), Adela. She was the matriarch of my mother’s family and we were so happy to honor her in this way.
Here she is holding me 29 years ago! 
HER MIDDLE NAME: KHALIFA
Again… no, we did not name our daughter after the rapper, Wiz Khalifa. (Although that would be pretty awesome if we did. HAHA) 
Irving actually suggested Khalifa as her middle name when we were about 8.5 months pregnant. We both thought it was really beautiful, but once we researched the meaning, we loved it even more. Khalifa is an Arabic word that means ‘Highest Ruler’ or ‘One who Succeeds’. It’s typically a name only given to men, but in the romance languages… words that end in an ‘a’ are usually feminine, so I liked it for Adele. Not many women are associated with the title ‘Khalifa’, so we really liked what it stood for. We want her to know that no matter what, she can do anything she wants to do with her life.
The Burj Khalifa is also the tallest building in the world (located in Dubai) and we visited it in 2010. We loved that we could name her after one of our favorite places we’ve traveled to. Fitting, no? 
We debated for a long time if a name defines a person… or if a person defines a name. We hope that she embodies a little of both theories. We’ve given her a strong name, but as she grows, I’m sure she will define it in her own way.
I love my little Adele Khalifa. 
Uncanny Resemblance… July 17, 2012
My sister Laurie, Adele’s loving Aunty, politely pointed out that she is now sporting daddy’s hairline…
I have to admit… it’s kinda true (sorry, darling, it’ll grow in soon, promise!!)
Sleep Schedules July 14, 2012
Even though Adele is only five weeks old, I’m trying to learn about her sleep patterns so that I can create some kind of schedule for her. I know newborns just sleep when they’re tired and eat when they’re hungry, but now that she is over a month old, I want to start a routine. 
Last week, I started marking down her sleep, awake time and feedings.
Anyone that knows me knows how much I LOOOOVE colored pens! 
Even though each day was different, I’m noticing a few patterns:
-Her longest stretch of sleep is overnight (anywhere from 4.5-7 hours!)
-She naps best in the morning. Afternoon naps are usually much shorter
-Her fussy time is from 8-11p (eat, sleep, cry, repeat!)
-She eats every three hours during the day
I really can’t complain since she is sleeping through the night, but I am having a hard time getting her to fall asleep. For every single nap or at bedtime, we have to swaddle her up tight, put on the white noise, sing to her, and carry her around our house as we bounce and rock her to sleep. At first it wasn’t so bad because it made us feel good that we were able to lull her to sleep with minimal crying… but now it’s gotten to the point where she can’t sleep unless we hold her! I’ve created a monster! 
Holding her for hours and hours each day like this is killing my arms and back! She’s over 9 pounds now! 
When we put her down, she screams! Even if she appears to be fast asleep! It’s a vicious cycle that I am desperate to break! So starting today, we’re all putting on our big-girl pants and nixing this bad habit! Today, for both of Adele’s naps, we held her for only a few seconds, kissed her cheeks, put on the white noise, stuck the pacifier in her mouth, and quietly left the room…. and SHE DID IT! She fell asleep on her own! Hallelujah!
I’m hoping things go equally as well at nighttime too. Cross your fingers!
As much as I love cradling the baby burrito and looking into those beautiful eyes as she drifts off into La La Land… I will be thankful to have my arms back! #NewMomLessons 
Any other tips for breaking the ‘rocking to sleep’ routine?
Happy Five Weeks! July 13, 2012
Happy Five Weeks old to Adele today! 
Perhaps this shirt is a wee bit big. HAHA
Mommy loves you so much! 
Kelocity.com 