Mom Files

My other son

Here's my sweet little Milo taking some time to relax on the front porch. He spends most of the day resting, snuggling, playing and very importantly, protecting the family. Doesn't he look tough? Okay fine, maybe he looks like a sweet little softy but he really is a good dog (shhh, nobody must tell him he is actually a dog). He is very gentle with his baby brother and really never gets in any trouble. I think he listens better than the rest of the family! My father-in-law says that Milo lives in the lap of luxury and would not be able to survive if he had to live a dog's life. Sadly it is true. I am ashamed to admit this but for the first month of William's life, I called him Milo. It took a while to etch 'William' into my head! I just love my other little son Milo!!

**I'm sure the question will be asked...What kind of dog is he? He is a pure bred long coat Chihuahua.

Congratulations to Briahnna for successfully making it through her elementary school years. Briahnna won so many awards for her academic achievements including the highest honor of making all A's throughout her elementary school career. She also won the Lieutenant Governor's writing award for her entire school and several others. We are so proud of her!!! She is officially a middle schooler!!!

Her big sister Chardonnay was lucky to meet the keynote speaker Lucas McFadden ( a local news reporter soon to be a national news reporter per Dwayne). He was kind enough to pose for a photo, sign her yearbook, and offered words of encouragement to follow your dreams.

Little brother was being carried through the hallways by his grandmother because we did not want him to disrupt the ceremony with his loud grunting! Yes, he grunts like a man!!! And finally here are the proud parents...

Baby William is now a little over two months old and weighs a whopping 12 pounds! He is obviously a good eater! Every evening around 7:30 he gets all worked up and the way I soothe him is by putting him in a warm, bubbly bath. It's as if he changes his entire personality the minute his bottom hits the water. He is always sticking his tongue out except of course when I am trying to clean it! Last night he slept a whopping 7 hours straight. He's such a good baby!

Briahnna's house

On Wednesday night we went to Briahnna's school for a house lighting ceremony. Her gifted and talented class was wrapping up their final unit of architecture. Her last assignment was to make a model of a house. All of the students had their house wired with lights. At the end of the ceremony, the teacher turned the lights off and the students houses were all lit up.. well they were supposed to be. Some kids were having issues with their battery power (my kid included). In the end it was a great presentation and all the students did a spectacular job.

Look at what baby brother was doing the whole time...

Do you like text messaging? I do. I find it to be quite a convenience at times when I can't physically make a phone call in order to relay a message to someone. Now I do however have problems when I get a text from a younger person and can't decipher what the heck they are saying. I received a list of definitions in an email for what I call shorthand for teens. This helped me a lot! My hubby calls this shorthand or abbreviated style the dumbing down of today's young people. I do admit I personally use the ttyl, brb and lol but that is about it~! Check out the list for yourself ...you may learn something you did not know!

(Dang, my spellchecking function has this post all lit up!!)

AFAIK - as far as I know
ASAP - as soon as possible
B4N - bye for now
BBS - be back soon
BFN - bye for now
BRB - be right back
BTW - By the way
CUL - see you later
DQMOT - don't quote me on this
EOM - end of message
FWIW - for what it's worth
FYI - for your information
GL - good luck
GMTA - great minds think alike
HT - hi there
HTH - hope this helps
IAC / IAE - in any case / in any event
IMO - in my opinion
IMS - I am sorry
JK - just kidding
JMO - just my opinion
JTLYK - just to let you know
LOL - laughing out loud
NP - no problem
OTOH - on the other hand
ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing
TA - thanks again
TIA - thanks in advance
TTYL - talk to you later
TU - thank you
UW - you are welcome
WTG - way to go
WU? - what's up?
YBS - you'll be sorry
YW - you are welcome

And for the record, I am a very cool mom even if I don't understand text messages!

Random Things About Our Mom

This post is coming from Chardonnay and Briahnna (daughters of Sheliza or some people call her Shelly)

There are a lot of things that you may or may not know about our mom and we are here to tell you those things.

1) Her nickname is "Bawbi". We have been calling her that since we were babies.

2) She likes beer,and today at the grocery store, she was smiling and saying "Ooh" at a case of raspberry pomegranate beer.(YUCK!)

3) She lets us watch "Desperate Housewives" with her on Sunday nights. We love that show!

4) Once, when she was pregnant, she ate seven slices of pizza! That's a lot of pizza for one person, don't you think?! Well, maybe not for a sumo wrestler.

5) She always uses immaculate grammar! She will say certain words in a sentence that I have no clue what they mean. Makes me wanna (oh, I mean want to) carry a pocket dictionary everywhere I go!

6) She completely corrupts herself when the car radio is actually working.

7) When she was pregnant, she had this pair of jeans that looked really lame, so we called them "the lame jeans".

8) Her favorite children's television show is "ICarly" and she wouldn't mind having her hair styled like Carly. (Miranda Cosgrove)She even almost cried on an episode when Carly and her brother were going to be separated for good.

9) Her nickname for "American Idol" is "American Atrocity" (which of course we totally disagree)!

10) When our Dad said that the bath tub, was blocked up, Bawbi decided to take action. She kept pouring in plunging soap, and plunged till she couldn't take it anymore. Then, she realized that the switch to fill up the tub was up, so that was why water filled up in the tub. She felt so dumb afterwards.

So, as you can see, our mom is probably not the person that you thought that she was.

Wordless Wednesday

Sleepy faces!

Been there, done that

I was thinking the other day about how we grow as parents. I realized that once you have been there and done that, you get over a lot. For instance,

First child (been there)-You must have an overall theme with every piece of equipment to match...the crib, changing table, carseat, stroller, high chair, bouncer, bedding, mobile, walker, and the list goes on... Oh yeah, and you would dare not use the hand-me-downs! Only the newest and fanciest for your precious new bundle of joy. A good 4 outfit changes for the day should suffice. You sterilize and sanitize every surface to keep those pesky germs away. Even a trip to the grocery store requires you to pack that baby bag like you are going away for a week!

Second baby (done that)- Okay, maybe we don't need all the stuff we had with the first one. Your bed can double as a changing table...and 2 outfit changes per day should do the trick. Hand-me-downs are not half bad! Maybe a couple germs will not hurt this one so let's not go overboard with sanitizing. The baby bag this time around does not look like luggage!

Third baby (I'm so over it!)- Hand-me-downs are a must! Outfits only get changed if they get dirty or wet. Sanitizing?? (maybe just for a little while so I don't look like a bad mom!) Baby bag? I almost forget that thing every time we walk out the door!

I guess you can say that we have evolved!!

Flashback Friday

The kids would wonder what this is!

Hey everyone, you know what day it is so let's get started...

Fellas, members of the BBCDO -Don'tcha hate it when you ask your wife for 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning and she comes back in 8?

Don'tcha hate it when your wife tells you not to do something because it will turn out bad, you do it anyway, and it turns out bad?

Dont'cha hate it when your wife acts like the best wife in the world and then you remember it's payday? ( man that's foul)

My personal one- I hate it when I go to the store to buy something and everybody says "you're that guy with the pretty wife and pretty kids. (HELLO?? I HAVE A NAME!!!!)

Fellas get at me with your Hate it when Wednesday in the comments area, and LADIES, if you think you're brave enough to hang with the big boys, meet us in the comment area and hit us up.

Peace- Ismail the Great

Message from baby William

To all of mommy and daddy's readers,

I thought I would let you all know how I have been doing. I am a very, very good baby. I am a good eater, I don't make a mess, I am cute, sweet and cuddly. I went to the pediatrician for my one month check up yesterday. I have almost doubled my weight since I was born. I weigh 8 1/2 pounds! I thank my mom for that. I try to let my parents sleep at night and I can't help it that I LOVE them to hold me tight until I fall deep into my sleep. Since my parents do not believe in co-sleeping, I get what I can, ya know?! My newest thing is I love to follow my family with my eyes. I love all the attention they give me, especially from my sisters. I wanted to tell you all that I am on a mission. I was born with eyebrows and I was taking a look at my handsome self the other day and realized that they are now missing! I am on a hunt to find them. My daddy says if I do not find them then he will shave his off to match me. I know my dad is a rough and tough manly man but don't you think that is sweet? If I find my eyebrows, I will have my folks post a photo of them. Uh oh, I think I need my bottle now so I better go and cry so mommy will feed me. Wish me luck in finding my eyebrows!

Sincerely, William

Hello everyone, this is Ismail the Great checking in to let you know about a new partnership we made. In the corner to the right, we have a link to MOMs Print Center . This is a great and "CHEAP" way to get baby cards, birth announcements, invitations, and note cards. These are just a few of the items available. If you have a chance check it out. You may find some great inexpensive gifts for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and hey you get the picture.

Oh yeah by special request, below we placed a link to upromise.com . This a great way to save money for college expenses with your everyday spending. You will be surprised how wise shopping, and leveraging of time can add up to $$$$$$( MONEY) $$$$$. If college is in your future for a child then Upromise: Register your grocery card and save when you shop!

Have a great week, and get your gripes ready for Hate it When Wednesday. This Friday will be flash back Friday. We will post a photo from or about the past. You never know what it might be. ( Stole that from my girl Tanyetta , click on her name to check out her blog. It is a must see!)

Love you all, be safe, and have fun,

Dwayne aka Ismail the Great

Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Don'tcha hate it when...

You allow someone to view your photos and they feel the need to put their fingers all over them?

And when you are standing in line at a store to pay for your items and the person behind you feels the need to stand practically on top of you. Ever heard of personal space?

And when a person thinks it is okay to put their hands through your hair without permission? Again...personal space!

And last, when people drive badly while yapping away on their cell phone. Get a Bluetooth!

What bugs you?? Hit me up in the comments....

Here is big sister Chardonnay with her baby brother. She just loves to sit and hold her brother and love all over him. Now the other big sister, Briahnna loves to do the same except it only lasts about 10 seconds and she is ready to give him back! Briahnna prefers to show her affection when an adult is holding him! The girls are so good with William and he looks for them when he hears their voices.

This is a sweet little snapshot I took this morning before Big Daddy left to head into the office. It is so hard for him to leave each morning. I started back driving carpool today and it feels good to be back into my routine. I hope everyone has a great day!

I forgot!

Oh yeah, I do have a blog to update, right? I have been so busy loving my baby that I forget to post! I have him on a schedule and would you believe he knows the difference between night and day! I actually get sleep at night!!!! Here are a couple photos...

Our dog Milo loves to check on his new baby brother. He is so good with William and I am glad that he is exposed to animals from birth so he won't be afraid of them. Milo likes to come and get me when he hears William cry. It is so sweet!

Finally some photos!

Hello to my family and friends...
I have not posted on so long, as a matter of fact, not since before I had the baby. I have been spending my hours taking my time to gaze into my son's sparkling eyes, smelling his sweet baby's breath, touching his fragile little fingers and toes, and just savoring every moment of him being so tiny. I know that it will not be long before he starts sprouting teeth, his face changes, his cry deepens, and he will no longer be a baby. I do have a couple of photos to share since I must get 20 emails a day requesting them. He mostly looks like a sleeping little loaf of bread since we have to keep him extra warm until he picks up some more weight. With the way he has been eating, that is happening very quickly! Enjoy!!

Happy Easter Everyone.

Please take time to enjoy the wonderful blessings in your life. God has blessed our family in tremendous ways. Our daughters are growing into wonderful young ladies, my mother and father are getting along so well. ( I now know what it is like to have your parents do and say mushy stuff in front of you - Ugh) Ha ha ha. Now I can relate to how my kids feel when Shelly and I do mushy stuff. Shelly's parents are doing well and her sisters are also. Shelly is just like her mother strong and constantly moving. William (The Young PRINCE) is taking over the house. ( His stuff is everywhere) I will have to remind him that I am Chairman of the Board of Directors for the BBCDO.

I just want to wish everyone a peaceful and blessed day with your family. Take time to remember that Life is about the small moments. The laughs you share with your loved ones. The tears that you release when you're overcome with Joy. The ball you throw or kick, the tea party, book you read, and the conversations you have.

Give love, Give intimacy, and give of yourself.

Love you all, Dwayne aka Ismail the Great

Early in the morning arriving at the hospital.

Sheliza ready to have her baby

William fresh
into the world!

Hey it's cold
out here !

Everyone was gathered around the nursery window to get their first glimpse of William

(From left to right) Aunty Saudia, Sister Chardonnay, Grandpa Johnnie, Sister Briahnna, and Grandma Joanna.

Grandma looking at William and Shelly

The Moment of Truth is Here !
You have waited a long time for this !
I give you the fabulous, super terrific, powerful, Awesome

William Anthony Ismail

5:21 AM...

Hello everyone,

It is now 5:21 AM and we are getting ready for the hospital. I had to come to the computer to watch Williams' pre-arrival video. I won't lie to you - it did get me feeling a little emotional. I am still hard core though, BBCDO will have a new member soon. I will keep everyone posted through out the day. Keep those prayers coming.

Dwayne Aka Ismail the Great.

The baby or shall I say young "Prince". Yeah I like that ! The young Prince William Anthony Ismail is almost here. Tomorrow, we all get to experience the wonderful beginning of a successful new life.

To all of our friends and family who have stood by us through this wonderful time in our lives, I want to say THANK YOU, and God Bless you all.

Sheliza and I are still growing together after all this time. The heavens above must have realized that it is time for another Shelly and Dwayne Production. I think we will get an OSCAR for this performance. My first child Chardonnay, made me a father, and my second child Briahnna made me a man. When Briahnna was born Shelly and I were officially on our own. We had no family around and no friends. We were living in Tampa Florida. My only mode of transportation was a mountain bike that I rode between my 4 jobs. Let's just say, I was slim and fine back then. HA HA HA.

We fought our way to build something out of nothing, and with determination, love, trust, and understanding, we are here, we are happy, and we are thankful. This blog has opened more doors to precious relationships than we could have ever imagined.

Thanks for being a part of our family's new beginning, and thanks for being you.

Dwayne Aka Ismail the Great

Brief Show _ William's Pre-Arrival Music- ENJOY

Here is a photo that was taken this afternoon (I look drunk!). My hubby and daughters took me out on my last shopping trip for a while. I enjoyed it so much since I am one of those every day to every couple of days grocery shopper. Oh and I saved $72 in coupons and sales!! I am not able to walk as much these days. It is really painful with all the low pressure I have been feeling. I am thankful that at least I sleep pretty decent at night so that is a plus! I've got one last doctor appointment on Monday morning. The hubby is off for the next couple weeks and the girls are going on Spring Break the first week baby William will be home. I am scheduled for 7:30 am and have to report to the hospital at 6:00 to be prepped for surgery. I am trying to shake off all the anxiety so I don't go freaking out at the last minute. I am so ready to get it all over with. My bags are packed and ready. I am sure daddy will let everyone know all of the details and will post photos of our little guy. Well, I better go put my feet up before I get in trouble!

Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Here we go....
Another edition of Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday....

Don'tcha hate it when people on reality shows (especially looking for love) cry all the damn time? Why would you cry over Flavor Flav???

Or don'tcha hate when a two year old is allowed to show his/her booty shaking techniques while everyone watches and thinks it's cute? And then the mother will tell the child to drop it like it's hot! Why people!?

What annoys you? Let us know in the comments...

It's not time yet!

Someone inside of me thinks he is supposed to be making his arrival sooner than later. I had an interesting night and morning. I will spare my gross details. I will take it very easy this week because I really want to make it to next week. I had a family member on Dwayne's side call me around lunchtime yesterday to ask if I was in labor. This is troubling, she better not be spreading any bad mojo around here! I will give more details as they come. I will call my doctor this morning to see what he tells me. As a matter of fact, he looked at me strangely at my appointment yesterday and said "Wow, you must be ready to go, I can see it in your face". I thought it was odd that he said that. I will try not to read into it too much! I will keep you all posted....

Honey-Do List Maker

I found this great tool online that lets you make your own customized Honey-Do list and there is even a kiddie list you can make! I made one for the weekend for my honey. You can choose your background and there is even a key to show levels of priority. Can you tell that I have less than two weeks before baby William comes and I am losing my mind?

The Bounty® Honey-Do List Maker
Make it. Send it. Get it done.

Dr. Seuss would be proud!

Dr. Seuss' birthday was yesterday, March 2. Since there was no school because it was a Sunday, Briahnna's school is doing a school wide celebration today which will include a variety of activities and reading. To honor the Dr., students were asked to wear crazy socks and/or Dr. Seuss hats. My kid is the number one crazy sock fan year 'round. She will wear Easter socks at Christmas, St. Patrick's socks on Valentines day, and any color she can possibly find to not match her outfit. I just let her because she loves to show her true self and is our "colorful" child. Check out the outfit today....

Yes, winter themed toe socks with flip flops!

What is your life expectancy?

I came across this really cool Life Expectancy Calculator. Of course this is just for fun so don't go living your life through your calculation! My age comes in at 95, not bad! Try it our for yourself and leave me your results in the comments.

Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Don'tcha hate it when people call diapers "pampers" and baby formula "milk". What in the world?? Maybe it just bugs me because around my home I am referred to as the 'Grammar Queen'.

What bugs you?

My Baby Shower

This past Saturday was my baby shower and I am only now posting because I am still in recovery! We had great food, friends, laughs and games. We got a lot of great gifts and it will take me another week to finally get it all together and have William's room fully functional and organized. Here are some photos of all the fun!

Update

Hello, I know I have not been posting much lately. Been pretty busy doing NOTHING. Yes, that's right NOTHING. I know it sounds crazy but it has been just what I needed!! (Also it is orders from my hubby and children). Hey, if your spouse summons you to laying on the recliner all day eating bon bons and watching the soaps then who am I to object?!!! Hell, I will probably never get the opportunity to be a bum again so I am taking full advantage of it. I have my baby shower tomorrow so I will post photos of all the fun.

Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Dwayne has decided to start a new trend on Wednesdays called "Don'tcha hate it when Wednesday". It is where you can say what bugs you about anything and everything.

Don'tcha hate it when you call someone you have not spoken to in a long time (you know the ones that never call you) and they tell you "I was just thinking about you".

-or-

When you get some dumb song that you normally would hate stuck in your head and you can't stop singing it.

What bugs you?? Hit us up in the comments....

Baby update

I had another doctor's appointment and all looks great. Little William gained a whopping 1/2 pound in just one week! I am now starting the 5 week countdown. My doc says that baby breathes and moves like a champ. Tell me about it....I was up for about 3 hours waiting for him to calm down so I could sleep. How about Dwayne was next to me snarling away (not snoring) and would periodically ask me what he could do to help me get settled. If only it were that easy! I can't wait to be able to sleep on my back and tummy again!!

I have an awful confession to make. You see the cookies pictured above? Well, they were sort of supposed to be for a school function happening this Saturday as a contribution from me since I can't physically volunteer. I convinced my children that we needed those cookies for ourselves and that I would buy some other cookies to replace them. The kids tried to stop me but I just had to have some!!! Six to be exact! I don't even feel guilty... I had to have something to make me drink milk!!! For the baby of course... Six weeks to go!

Baby update

I had my doc appointment yesterday afternoon to get an ultrasound. Would you believe the kid is breech?! I would have had to have a c-section regardless of it being what we chose to do anyway. So right now little William's head is near my ribs so this explains the elbowing I feel throughout the day! He looks pretty small but very healthy and strong so we are very happy about that. My best friend is having her baby boy today (after being hospitalized for over 2 months!) I can't wait to see her and the new baby later today. I will post more updates as they come along.

How much longer????

I feel like one of the kids when I want to know how much longer I have to be pregnant. I know I have the date set but this little boy is wearing me out! On my last appointment I told the doctor "I just feel so much more activity with this pregnancy than before."

He politely tells me "Well Sheliza, it is different when you are 20 and having a baby versus 34 and having your third one" He then explains that my body has stretched out a couple times prior so this is why I feel so much.

Hmmm, I guess he told me I was a stretched out old hag, right?!

I know I only have 46 days to go. I try not to be a big baby...really, I do!

Daddy's the man!

We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary!! Instead of purchasing gifts for each other, we decided to get baby stuff instead. Here is Daddy working diligently to put together the changing table (which I bought on clearance at 50% off!!!!).

He looks like a BIG ole kid!

Of course he has to do his Super Dad pose to show off his hard work. Boy, you sure can hurt yourself with the tools they provide inside the box for you!

All of my wife's friends are soooo supportive. This blog is a wonderful tool to bring together people from all over that really bring joy to our lives. I am so happy about the connections my wife and I have made through blogs. I get so excited when my wife tells me that was Tanyetta, or Shelliza's on the line, or I got a great email today from my friend so and so. It has been a long time for my wife to be happy with her own circle of girlfriends.

Beenzzz , has called it right when she says people will be all up in your business when it comes to having a baby.
I had to get at someone who thought it was her right on earth to convince my wife to breastfeed. Like she was the one who laid down with me and was having my baby. I was trying to be patient with her, but I don't play when it comes to upsetting my wife. That is my heart, pride, and joy. If any one wants drama with me, mess with Shelly and we can get the drama poppin'.

Then someone else wants to talk about Shell pushing the baby out V-Back and it should be no problem. Like she had a copy of my wife's medical records in front of her, and was qualified to make that decision.

Anyways, To all our friends, who are with us in this journey. Don't pay any attention to my prior post. We love yall like true family. Shelliza, give Shell a call and she will fill you in. Tanyetta, tell DJ, I am putting on my best suit on flight day, so he better go shopping. Ha Ha Ha

Take care Yall - Peace. Old school sytle - I am Audi 5000.

Dwayne aka Ismail the Great

In the sprit of open and honest communication,

IF YOU, have a problem that we have named our son William Anthony Ismail .... SO WHAT

IF YOU, are upset that my wife is having a C-Section instead of a V-Back..... SO WHAT

IF YOU, are upset that the sky is not as blue as you want it to be ...... SO WHAT

We are Happy. That's right WE are HAPPY. I recommend YOU find a way to make Yourself Happy in your own life.

We are flying to the moon and we shall dance among the stars.

You can come along for the ride or watch from a far.

The choice is yours.

NUFF SAID

Dwayne aka Ismail The Great

Here are our beautiful girls showing off their Vera Bradley purses. Chardonnay saved $40 to buy little sister Briahnna her very first Vera Bradley. My hubby likes to call it an 'overpriced quilt with a zipper'. I must admit they are very pricey and they look like an old ladies kinda bag, but they are the big thing amongst the girls and teens today. I am not a big fan of them myself, but I am sure I was into some tacky stuff in my time as well!

Hey y'all! I just wanted to give you a quick update on my pregnancy. I know it has been a couple weeks since I posted. Let's just say that having babies in your early 20's and then one when you are 34 make you realize you feel a lot more in your older age. I have been getting extremely tired and have been taking extra time to rest and take care of myself. My computer is downstairs and this means me having to make several extra trips that wear me out! My laptop has officially died on me so I am hoping my wonderful husband will purchase a wireless card to put in one of the desktops so I can have it upstairs with an internet connection. (*hint, hint)

I went to see the doc this morning for my routine visit. I am now almost 30 weeks along. We have chosen to have a c-section with this baby since I had one with my last child. Our delivery date is set to welcome William into the world on March 19! I chose this time because my kids will be off from school for Spring Break and I sure could use their helping hands during my first week of recovery. They are so thrilled and can't wait to see their new baby brother. I will have another ultrasound in 2 weeks and the whole family will attend. I am doing so well and I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes during this amazing journey.

Wordless Wednesday

Can you tell I needed a new microwave?

Happy Hour Addiction

I know what you are all thinking... No I am not abusing alcohol during pregnancy.

It's another beverage of choice.

Sonic Slushes!! I take the girls after school several times per week as a treat. I do not know how much longer they are having this promotion, but I intend to have my share each week!

We found a baby name

I wanted to let you all know that we have finally settled on a name for our baby boy. Our first choice was Dwayne Anthony Ismail II. After careful consideration of the following things, we (I) said no...

If I have to call the name Dwayne for two members in my household, I will lose it!
Dwayne (daddy) gets in the most trouble in the house so I do not want to yell at Dwayne and the poor baby thinks he is the one in trouble.
2 Dwaynes???? Oh no way! I will have to be committed somewhere or heavily medicated!

We played around with names and I kept picking very standard and simple names that would hold up well in the corporate world. Daddy on the other hand picked interesting names like "Shabazz", "Jehovah", "Josiah" and a variety of others that could potentially cause the boy to have trouble boarding a plane! The girls and I came up with William Anthony Ismail. There is no way you can mess that up. Dwayne was against it for a while but the name has grown on him and he refers to our baby now as William or Will. So we have decided to go with that.