I’ve snagged a moment to update….I hardly know where to begin! Many of you are already familiar with these happenings, but I just want to fill in the rest of you who only know that…..well, my baby was born on Monday!
First off, I just want to clear up any confusion about the pronunciation of my baby girl’s name, Kajanàe. The first syllable is pronounced like the first syllable of the fabric cashmere, so the “j” has the phonetic “zh” sound, if that makes sense. The rest is self explanatory…and the accent is on the final syllable…so something like “KazhanAY” except with a lot prettier spelling! :)
My water broke Monday morning, and the labor progressed fairly quickly. We called my sis-in-law Ebony to keep Kimora and Kariah so that my parents and siblings could be at the birth. Being my typical uber-prepared self, I had everything ready to go weeks in advance. Jamal packed my luggage in the car…and then we were off to have a baby! At this point…still soooo surreal!
By the time we arrived at the hospital, much to my surprise, I was already four centimeters dilated. They hooked me up with an epidural pronto….and no pitocin required this time! :) I was in labor a total of five hours, including pushing time—a much shorter labor than those with my two older daughters. As she was crowning…my goodness!...no longer surreal at this point! I could certainly believe she was coming as I experienced the proverbial “ring of fire.” I’m going to be quite blunt here and say…gosh, I’m not a very large person! But hey, a twenty-seven year-old body is resilient, thank goodness.
Little Kajanàe Samaria entered the world as a wailing bundle of joy, and was INSTANTLY loved (well, we loved her in utero, too!). Upon first seeing her, I was overwhelmed with love for this beautiful little being, and then overwhelmed with a strong déjà vu feeling….Kajanàe favors her big sister Kimora sooo much!!! Yes she is a typical ________baby (insert our last name). Supposedly the combo of Jamal and my genes creates a distinctive look…the best of both, we’ve heard! Kajanàe has a head of dark curly hair. Her facial features are dainty and fine, and her eyes are big, dark, and sparkling….she has the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a baby. She had that coming to her, though; that’s a trait from both mommy and daddy! :)
Jamal and my mother were both in the delivery room with me. In the waiting room were my sisters Corinne, Acaijah, Ciahnna, Seanice, Kaneefa, and Jaslene; my brothers Coran and Tyrel; and of course my daddy. That evening and the next morning many friends and extended family came to visit. Thank you all so much for your love and support. Big hugs to you guys!
I came home the next day, on Tuesday, with Kajanàe. We’re indeed a very busy family, but in the absolute best way possible! Kimora and Kariah are adjusting very well. When Kajanàe cries they will run over to her and pat her and say, “It okay Kaji.” So cute! That warms this mama’s heart! Kajanàe is such an easygoing baby; she will literally only cry if she’s hungry or tired. The poor thing won’t even let me know when she has a dirty diaper…so I check regularly so that my little girl isn’t laying around with dirty panties! :( She will wake up twice a night to nurse and fall right back to sleep; no complaints here!
We’ve been home for a few days now, so I think I’ve established a fairly effective routine. Having three under three (three kids under age three :)), I need to be very schedule and organized!
As many of you know, I’m still nursing Kariah, so I’m currently tandem nursing. The only change in Kariah’s behavior since the birth of the new baby has been the frequency that she wants to nurse. So, sometimes I’m nursing two babies at once! Kariah asks to nurse several times daily; at this point I’m indulging her, considering the change in our family dynamics. I think this is the best decision in helping her to feel secure. For those of you who were asking about her health…she’s much better now! Thanks for your concerns.
I was just thinking, a day would be a complete waste if:
-I haven’t glorified God in all I’ve said and done and sought to live by Jesus’ example
-I haven’t held my baby, looked into her eyes and sung her to sleep
-I haven’t played with Kimora and Kariah, hugged them tight and kissed them goodnight
-I haven’t snuggled with Jamal at the end of the day and told him how very enamored, in love, and blessed I am to have him as my husband.
I don’t plan on having any wasted days! :) Well, this has turned into a LONG moment! I will stay in touch and keep everyone updated as best I can….I promise! To quote our current favorite bedtime story, “Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.” <3
