alfonso ribeiro – My Mommyhood Tales

Family

GOLF WIFE

June 1, 2015

AJ fetching balls on the putting green for Daddy and Jerry Rice.

My husband plays golf…a lot of golf. He is a scratch golfer, which, for those of you who don’t watch the game, is equivalent to a baseball player being able to hit a 90-mph baseball with ease. In other words, he’s really good…and I’m not just saying that because he’s my husband! Fortunately, I enjoy golf as well. (During college, I worked as a golf caddy in the summer months and picked up the game then.) Even though Alfonso takes it far more seriously than I, it’s still a fun activity we can enjoy playing together. Pre-babies, we played at least once or twice a week. Post-babies, he continues to play the same amount, but I unfortunately do not. I’m sure I won’t be out there regularly again until our kids are in school, but in the meantime, AJ and I (and now Anders) still enjoy cheering him on from the sidelines. (My stepdaughter, Sienna, on the other hand, generally considers golf to be the most boring sport known to man. I’m sure I felt the same as a 12-year old!)

Since my husband is addicted to golf and super competitive, he plays in several celebrity golf tournaments throughout the year. We just returned from one of these tournaments, the annual Celebrity Championship in San Diego, of which Alfonso has participated in for years. It involved four days of golf, galas, and trying to teach a toddler how to be quiet during golfers’ backswings – not an easy undertaking! Typically, these events are only a day or two, but this was one of the larger events that many of the players on the celebrity circuit use as a practice before the ‘Superbowl’ of celebrity golf tournaments –the annual American Century Celebrity Championship in Lake Tahoe. In addition, there’s prize money at stake that always serves as an extra incentive for the players. (Note: Most of the players on the celebrity circuit are former and current professional athletes. Needless to say, these guys aren’t messing around and treating it like a leisure round of Sunday golf with a cigar and a Coors beer. At times, I think some of them actually think they’re playing in the Masters. Words of advice should you ever attend one…put your phone on silent and Do. Not. Talk.)

The tournament marked Anders’ first golf experience. My parents, who accompanied us, walked and rode with AJ in Alfonso’s golf cart. (I usually prefer to walk for the exercise.) Instead of using the stroller to navigate the course, I opted for my Lalabu Soothe Shirt, which proved to be much easier than a stroller or one of my bulky carriers. You feel like a kangaroo with your little one snuggled up in your little pouch. The best part is the built-in nursing bra that makes it incredibly easy to nurse in a concealed manner. I only wish they had these when AJ was a newborn. (They started selling them the month AJ was born, but I hadn’t heard about them until recently.) I had a wrap and a regular carrier for AJ, but they both got hot and I was never a fan of wrapping 20-feet of fabric in a complex fashion around my body. The Lalabu has been a much easier option for me, especially at this stage. Since the pouch holds babies up to 15 lbs, I’m planning to use it a lot in the next several months!

Sadly, my husband didn’t play nearly as well as he had hoped. (To his defense, he hasn’t played much in the past eight months due to Dancing With The Stars and the DWTS Live! Tour.) He definitely plans to work on getting his game back on track before the big tournament in Tahoe next month. And you can bet I will be wearing my Lalabu during that tournament with my husband’s newest golf fan, lil’ Anders. (At least, we hope he becomes a fan!)

~Angela

Family

FINALLY HERE

May 15, 2015

Welcome to the world, Anders Reyn Ribeiro! Our little bundle of joy was born on April 30^th at 6:16am weighing in at 7.7 lbs and 19 inches. He is a little beauty with his daddy’s features, his mommy’s blue eyes, and a very chill and pleasant disposition. We couldn’t be more blessed and excited to add this little angel to our growing family.

My first labor was 48-hours, 36 of which I spent attempting to have a natural childbirth. With the recommendation of my doctor and husband, I finally gave in and received an epidural. This time around, I was in labor for nine hours, which, compared to my first labor, seemed like minutes. One thing that was the same, however, was the pure joy experienced at the sight of seeing my baby open his eyes for the very first time. It’s truly amazing to see your baby search for your familiar voice as they open their tiny little eyelids. What a powerful moment we as parents have the pleasure of experiencing! That was one of the many milestone moments during those first hours that I was sure to soak in as much as I could.

Fortunately, since his birth, Anders has been a dream baby. Breastfeeding is going great. He poops, pees, and sleeps all like a champ. It’s been easier on me since I feel more laid back this time around. I let Anders sleep as long as he wants during the night rather than waking him every 3-4 hours like I did religiously with my firstborn. I don’t constantly check on Anders’s chest to make sure he’s still breathing throughout the night. (Oh the paranoia I had with my first baby after reading about all of those horror stories!) Needless to say, I feel better equipped to enjoy the little things with Anders. I find myself constantly taking more moments to smell his head knowing that sweet newborn smell doesn’t last forever. I find myself admiring just how teeny-tiny this beautiful little being is. (Perhaps I’m just accustomed to carrying my 18-month old everywhere, but Anders just feels like a little peanut.) I even take a moment to appreciate how quiet a newborn can be, especially compared to a toddler!

Speaking of my toddler, we’ve experienced some challenges with AJ adjusting to the new baby. We had hoped our efforts preparing him would be helpful, but 18-months is still quite young to expect him to understand. Up until today, he had been acting out with never-before-seen tantrums that usually started after witnessing me nurse Anders. He routinely gives me the ‘sad eyes’ look anytime he notices me holding or singing to Anders. And he simply just hasn’t been his normal self since the baby was born. Thankfully, I feel we had a breakthrough today as he attempted to put the pacifier in Ander’s mouth a few times when he cried, and he actually kissed the baby’s head. Both my husband and I erupted in pure joy – after a moment of shock, of course – and excitedly gave AJ ‘high-fives’ for his sweet gesture. After seeing how his kiss created praise, he kissed Anders again before resuming play with his toys. This was an enormous improvement based on his previous behavior. I truly hope this is a sign that we are finally heading down a road to success! Fingers crossed!

~Angela