{Personal Style} A Baby Dedication Day to Remember

so fresh and so clean, clean

A couples weeks ago, August started his journey of faith when he was dedicated and blessed. It was such a special day filled with hugs and love and laughters! I was so happy that some of his god parents were able to enjoy the day with us too. It was truly heart-warming.

I shared a few pictures over on Instagram, but wanted to make sure that I also had a record of the blessed day on this space and place.

The boys wore matching coral shorts and white button-down shirts from H&M. Because he's such a dapper dude, Aiden wore a navy bowtie and navy and white polkadot vans that complimented his outfit perfectly.

As for me, I kept it simple with a knee-length floral body con dress and a pair of nude sandals/pumps. (I mean, with the outfit changes for August as well as the inevitable spit up and other stuff, my outfit needed to be as stylish and simple as possible.)

notice the baby drool on my arm... #motherhood

1/2 of the godparents... and Aiden.

Because, kisses make everything better!

The brotherhood:

By the way, do you know how difficult it is to get both kids to look at the camera at the same time and not have the sun in their faces? Yeah... some kind of impossible.

Aiden's eyes are closed and August is spitting up. Story of my life, y'all!

And then the big one is side-eyeing the little one...

And then the little one is looking at the clouds...

Success... finally! 

Cheers to such a blessed and favored and fabulous day!

Stop Waiting to Be Great

I remember when I first started thinking of applying to Columbia undergrad -- I was either a sophomore or junior in high school. I remember telling someone where I wanted to go to school and that I was gonna go for it, gonna apply and see what happens.

The conversation that ensued sounded something like this:

Her: You're applying to where?  

Me: Columbia and NYU. 

Her: Umm, how are you gonna pay for it? 

Me: *Shrugs* I dunno. I'll apply for scholarships. Or financial aid.  

Her: Ha! Good luck with that! 

Me: I'll think of something.

And I did. I applied for a New York Times College Scholarship, which I got. And which, quite literally changed the course of my life. And then I applied to Columbia, NYU, and seven other colleges. I got into all of them.

undergrad graduation

I was bold enough and audacious enough to attempt greatness. And it paid off. It worked out in my favor.

Was I scared? Yeah. But I was crazy enough to try. I was crazy enough not to wait till all my ducks were lined up in a row.

I was crazy enough not to wait till the circumstances were better, till I had better recommendations, more money in my bank account, an actual bank account that didn't include putting cash in an envelope and hiding it in my top drawer, and... and... and...

five years later... grad school graduation
(with a three-year-old Aiden)

I was crazy enough to try to be great. And it worked out in my favor.

I miss those days when I felt the fear and did it anyway. Why wait for permission to be great when we can just do the darn thing and make it happen!

Alvin Ailey at Lincoln Center

It's no secret that I love all things Alvin Ailey. I go see them every time they're in town and I've taken Aiden to see them at least four times within the past six years.

The choreography, the music, the meaning, the dancers... it's all so... breathtaking. Inspiring. Moving.

Seeing Ailey challenges me to be better, inspires me to do more, to go get my dreams. Unapologetically. Fearlessly.

When I tell y'all that I live to see this show... whew, chile! So when I found out that they'd be in NYC, I knew that I had to see them. This time, instead of taking Aiden, I took HEB (special shout-out to my nanny for staying with the boys so that we could enjoy a date night!). He's no longer an Ailey version and

While I love the ballet Revelations and can see it over and over again (seriously, no matter how many times you see it, it doesn't loose it's effect... it's that much of a spiritual and powerful experience), this time, I was particularly smitten by Open Door, Awakening, and A Case of You.

Open Door is like African and modern meets Latin Jazz. It gives me a club dance vibe. It gives me a celebratory feeling. It gives me fun and carefree and all the smiles. I wanted to get out of my seat and dance with them.

Watching Awakening is like looking at two sides of the same coin, balancing "chaos and resolution, dissonance and harmony." Without giving too much away, I loved the parallels and the emotions radiating between the beginning of the piece and the end of the piece when the dancers have awakened. It's pure brilliance!

A Case of You is everything I expect to see in a true love story -- ups and downs, twists and turns, falling and getting back up again. It's an intensely beautiful piece that'll move you in every way possible.

This is the last weekend to catch Alvin Ailey at Lincoln Center so if you're in the NYC area, you should definitely check it out! I've never been disappointed with a show so I know you'll love it! Visit the website to purchase tickets and prepare to be inspired.

{Disclosure: I was provided with a pair of press tickets in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.}

August Kingston, 6 Months Old

The happiest baby on the block!

Whew!

Time flies when you're having fun... or loving up on your huggable baby! August turned six months old this week and this almost 20-pounder is thriving more than ever! He got his first taste of solids this week (yummy carrots and yummy sweet potatoes) and he likes it so far. He's also working very hard to sit up unsupported for long periods of time, without toppling over.

#NoFilter

As I suspected, the freezer stash of breastmilk is dwindling, but I'm working hard to build it back up, which is a good thing because I want to replace the older milk with fresh milk anyway. I have started researching organic baby formula and I've narrowed it down to two choices (one is not even available in the US so that might be hard if I decide on it). You know, just tin case I need to supplement.

The good news: I'm on summer break for the month of June so I don't have to worry about my crazy, demanding, time-consuming work schedule interfering with pumping. #Hallelujah

And so it begins...
#StoreBought
#AtLeastItsOrganic
#DontJudgeMe

August likes:

• Giving people slobbery "kisses"
• Gummy smiles and open-mouthed smiles
• Tasting carrots and sweet potatoes 
• Holding his own bottle during feedings
• Watching Aiden play with basketballs, soccer balls, and pretty much anything else 
• Rolling around in his crib, rolling around in his playpen, rolling around on the floor, just rolling around anywhere...
• Jumping around in his jumperoo
• Playing with his piano 
• Grabbing my face and hair and ears 

August hates:

• Wiping his face with a rag, warm or cold
• Changing his clothing (he'd rather roll around and play)
• When his pacifier falls out of his mouth in the middle of the night

No matter how he falls asleep, he ends up in this position,
on his side, holding his pacifier... sweetness

I can't wait to see what the second half of his first year entails! I know he's gonna be super busy trying to keep up with Aiden. 

Oh boy...