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Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie,
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum
And said "What a good boy am I!"


Every year I think the same thing. I am going to have an amazing holiday production. I know inside of me there is a Martha Stewart wrapped up in beautiful HGTV wrapping tied with a fancy Rachel Ray bow. I rip out all these wonderful crafts I want to do... pretty much starting before Halloween... and every year the same thing happens. Life gets in the way.


Now that are going to be looking for a new house in the Spring, I really look forward to getting all of my crafting in gear. As weird as it may sound coming from me, I want to make the Halloween cupcakes, the Thanksgiving feast, and decorate some homemade Christmas wreaths.


In 1993, while at Boston College, I had two jobs. I saved up a few hundred bucks and went to the supermarket and bought the ingredients for Thanksgiving. Do you know, in my little kitchenette in my dorm I made a full Thanksgiving feast. I booked one of the conference rooms, bought decorative plates, napkins, and utensils. I thawed a HUGE turkey, basted, made a couple of pies (pumpkin and apple) from scratch, made candied yam, cranberries, made lots of rolls, baked a carrot cake, made tons of vegetables, etc... pretty much a huge Thanksgiving feast. Then I invited the whole AHANA (Black, Latino, Asian, and Caribbean) community. It was a blast and I REALLY enjoyed doing it.


This year I was homebound, so I had to do any holiday shopping online. It was tough. It's hard to get into the season when you're shopping within the confines of your bedroom. So I do believe that next year I will be overcompensating A LOT! LOL...


We did REALLY enjoy our holiday though. The Christmas season came and went this year and what a wonderful season it was! There were lots of changes and any excuse I can get to eat, catch up on sleep and hang out with the family... I'll take it!


Christmas Eve saw Olivia up pretty much all night as I nursed and tried to catch a half an hour here or there to rest in between feedings.


In spite of that, Christmas Eve was a lot of fun! Xavier was in awe of Santa's amazing magic... how does he do it??? And how did he know exactly what I wanted??? Those were his questions and it was great. He crept downstairs in the early morning of Granny and Grandpere's house and saw all of the gifts under the tree... it was truly magical to him. When he went to bed, there were no gifts under the tree... when he woke up, the tree was overflowing with gifts. Reggie always loves being around his parents, grandma, and sister. In addition... we got SUSHI and maki rolls! YUMMMMMMM...


We opened gifts at Granny and Grandpere's -- everyone was well rested, Xavier got to play with his toys as soon as he opened them, and Olivia enjoyed the festivities since her belly was full and she slept well. It was great!


Then it was off to the Emeghebo household and once the extended family showed up... it was a perfect holiday. Mom once again outdid herself and whipped up a five course meal in a few hours... the turkey was SUCCULENT!!! Not too many people can make a succulent turkey... my Mom does it and she has passed that gift on to me... thanks Mom! Her food is tasty... and it's PRETTY to look at too. She's got the knack.


Xavier opened his gifts and pretty much got everything he asked Santa for.


All in all,


2007 is ending with a healthy, happy, family-centered BANG!


We are truly looking forward to 2008.

Hey! Diddle, Diddle

Hey! diddle, diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Oh my Goodness!!!

So the Christmas season is here and it's been an eventful season. I'm homebound right now, so this has been interesting to say the least. Last year, Reggie and I did the craziest thing... we did BLACK FRIDAY! For those of you who don't know what Black Friday is... think about your college days when you used to pull all nighters... well, Black Friday is an all nighter of shopping. You leave the house at 3:00a.m. and arrive at the department stores or mall at 4:00 a.m. and SHOP TILL YOU DROP! If you're still unclear just Google "Black Friday" and see the amazing sales... 80% off 57 inch Sony Trinitron Flatscreens, 85% off appliances, electronics, clothes, etc... there's nothing like it.

This year we had a change of plans. Olivia Adora came and so here we are... spending our whole Christmas season staring at an 18 inch ball of joy. Who woulda thunk?

We're so tired... but we're having so much fun. Right now as I recuperate from the birth I have the opportunity to spend time with Olivia and Xavier. I can't believe how much fun it is to have two children. I'm not gonna lie, it's tough too. I still can't figure out how to "run in and pick something up". You know, that thing we all take for granted... the ability to go. Just "go".

Yesterday I thought to myself: "I want to go to CVS. I just want to run in and pick up a little tube of ointment for Olivia." Such a simple task. In fact, as I was going through it in my head, I was getting excited. I'm homebound right now and suffering from severe cabin fever. So I took the thought to another level and, in my head, I was walking through the mall, then running to the bookstore, after that I would go grocery shopping, and cap off my day with some nice, fresh maki rolls and sushi. But... right now, I just needed some ointment. That's all. A smile gathered at the corners of my mouth as I saw myself finally getting out of the house. Then I realized... "how in the world do I do that?" and "is it worth it" to get the baby fed, dressed, pack the diaper bag, find someone to help me carry the car seat to the car (since I just had surgery three weeks ago), strap her in, drive to CVS, get her and the diaper bag out of the car... I was exhausted by the time my thought bubble popped.

So...

I didn't go.

In spite of all that, I'm still having such a good time. I can't get over how much fun she is. I forgot how much satisfaction a parent gets just from staring at their kid. Xavier is past the "staring" stage. He's the comedian, the creative director of the family. Who knows what role Olivia Adora is going to play... right now, she's definitely the producer. She's calling the shots. All she has to do is squeak, and we come running.

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

On November 26th at 9:01 a.m.
Reggie, Melisa Chioma, and Xavier Rousseau
welcomed Olivia Adora Rousseau into their family.

Precious Olivia weighed in at a healthy 6lbs., 10 oz. and was a lithe 18 inches long.

Xavier Kenechi (now a big brother) absolutely cherishes his sister. He is constantly attending to her needs, sings songs to her, recites poetry to her and has read just about every single book he owns to her. In fact, he reads her to sleep.

Reggie, now the proud father of a son and a daughter is definitely embracing the role wholeheartedly. As an outdoor Dad , he loathes sitting around the house all day with the tv on; instead, he takes Xavier and Chioma to the park, mall, walks, visiting friends and family, road trips, vacations, and events that are held in neighboring towns and cities. He is an exciting parent who is always looking for ways to enjoy every moment with his family. Now that Olivia Adora is here, he is definitely looking forward to making millions more memories with his newly expanded family.

Melisa Chioma is ecstatic. There are no words to describe the pure joy felt as she looks at the new addition to the family. Having two beautiful children has left her with a new appreciation for family, love, and laughter. Olivia is such a blessing from God and Chioma is looking forward to the many days of laughter, fun, and family times that will be in abundance. 2008 is definitely going to be a year full of happiness... the beginning of new experiences as a family of four.

AMAZING!