Mariah and Toys

Mariah is finally starting to settle down a little bit, in regards to teething. She rubs her tongue over it a lot but she is used to it now.

I recorded her playing with her toys in the new seat that we bought her. She normally throws all of the toys within a minute. Today she decided to act for the camera. Enjoy!

Growing Fast 1

Mariah is growing faster and faster each day.

Teething

Mariah has been teething for a while or maybe that was just extra drool. She seemed really irritated a couple of days ago. I checked inside her mouth and felt the tooth coming through. Tawanna felt inside of her mouth and got a little emotional. Each step that she takes is one step towards her independence.

Feeding

She is destroying cereal and stage one foods now. I told Tawanna that she is a Wright Baby and we develop a little faster than most. I am going to look into some stage two foods soon. One thing I want to note is that her stools are more grown up now than they have ever been. Diaper changes are becoming more and more excruciating.

Muscles

Mariah's muscles are developing more and more each day. We are sure to give her plenty of exercise. I put her on her stomach to see if she will crawl. Right now she is not there yet but will be soon. She is starting to lift her body up on her arms. She moves her legs but not good enough to produce movement.

Sleep

She is sleeping really well at night. She has one good nap during the day and one good stretch at night. We just have to make sure that we put her to sleep at a good time.

Here are some pictures of her recently.

On Christmas Day

Posing for Daddy...

Mariah opening one of her gifts...

Mariah enjoying one of her Christmas gifts...

God Bless,

~MarcQus, Tawanna, and Mariah

Snowed In

Over the last few days we have been snowed in. We have been able to get some quality time in with Mariah. Below are a few videos.

Please leave your comments and thoughts here on the blog page. It's one of the few ways that we actually know that you are viewing the blog. No point in doing it, if no one is reading or watching.

Play Area

Sitting on the bed

The Blizzard

Quick Update

Just thought I would let all of you know that I plan to make the blogs more frequent again. Many of them may be short but they will still give you an update on our family.

The last few weeks Mariah has been adjusting to baby food. I had already bought some rice cereal but we had not given it to her yet. One day I saw that she was chewing on her pacifier like a piece of chicken and I knew that she was not teething. I fixed her some rice cereal and she destroyed it. Since then she has been eating all kinds of baby food.

For a Wright baby we have a her a little behind. If my Grandmother were here in Michigan, Mariah would already be eating chicken.

Below is a brief video I took today.

God Bless

~MarcQus

16 Weeks

This blog is definitely long overdue. Thanks to those of you that have been patiently waiting. Many things have occured since the last blog.

Sleep - At Night Mariah gives us atleast five solid hours of sleep. If she gets a good feeding in she will rest pretty well. She loves sleeping with Kenny G playing in the background. She also falls asleep to cartoons now. I found Tom and Jerry On Demand.

Back to Work - Tawanna has been back to work for a couple of week. This leads us to ....

Daycare - We found a woman in the town that we live in that does at home daycare. We felt comfortable with her after meeting her. We were referred to her by one of my co-workers. Tawanna cried on the first day of dropping Mariah off. Each day has gotten easier for her. I pick her up at the end of the day. I feel like I am rescuing her when I pick her up. She usually gives me a smile when she sees me.

Road Trips - We have gone to Chicago and DeKalb for my nephew's and sister's dedication ceremonies and birthday parties. Mariah does well on the road. She likes the motion of the car. Those trips range from 2.5hrs - 4hrs depending on where we are driving to.

Squirming - Mariah is trying to crawl. We let her get some exercise in often. When she tries to crawl she does a lot of kicking and punching. Sometimes it's pretty funny because she crawls in circles. She will get it soon.

Hands - Mariah is using her hands more than ever. She sucks on them a lot, uses them to scratch Mom and Dad, she pulls my shirts, she holds her toys, and is able to hold a light bottle. She is doing great.

Best Buy - Shopping for electronics, videos, movies, games, music, etc. is one of my favorite things to do. I love just walking around Best Buy. Mariah gives me a reason to go into one of my favorite stores. I went in the other day to buy Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, The Prince of Egypt, and the Neverending Story Part 1 and 2. I plan to build a nice collection for her. I will probably buy some classic TV Cartoons soon, they never come on TV anymore.

Check out the pictures below.

Daddy took a day off to hang out with his baby

Mariah playing on her play pad and giving Daddy and big smile

ELEVEN WEEKS!!!

It is truly mind boggling to me just how fast twelve weeks has gone by. Mariah is now 11 weeks and 2 days old, and I am grieving because I know that I must now return to work. I know that it will not be easy to leave her, but with much prayer and strength, I am sure that she and I will both adjust to the change.

Mariah has hit two milestones. She will now take a pacifier, which she adamantly opposed in her early weeks and now loves.

And she actually fell asleep on her own for the first time on Wednesday October 8^th—her 11 week birthday and yesterday--twice. But you must note that the pacifier played a huge part :-)

This past Monday, October 6^th, Mariah received her specially made crib set by a family friend, and as you can see below, she really enjoyed it…

THANKS BRENDA!!!

I took Mariah to my firm yesterday so that she can see where mommy works and to meet my colleagues and co-workers. She did VERY WELL!!! I was so proud of her. Isn't she cute???

The infamous lip (which I must catch on camera one of these days) reared itself on several occasions, which was the sign of an imminent cry, but she handled the dozens of foreign faces like a big girl. Mommy loves you Mariah...

Wave to your family and friends...

Eight Weeks

Today Mariah is eight weeks old. Seems like yesterday we arrived from the hospital. It has been a while since my last blog. It has been very busy at work and there is always confusion between Tawanna and I about who will do the next one. Since she and Mariah are sleep, I will take the liberty of writing mine now.

Road Trip
We took our first long road trip with Mariah this past weekend. It was eventful. I will add an hour on to my travel time for baby needs and emergencies. Mariah needed to be fed and changed on the way to DeKalb. Nothing like changing a bubbly diaper in your lap at a rest stop. I refuse to change my baby on any changing table at a rest stop, gas station, etc. The diaoper didnt hold everything so we had to change her clothes as well. Nothing like bathing my daughter with wet wipes in the car. Eventually we made it to DeKalb. She enjoys the car and relaxing in the car seat.

We were able to time it a little better when leaving to return home. She slept most of the ride. The only problem was the flooding on I-94. We had to detour to the skyway. I am proud of her. She did well.

Thanks Jaclyn for the great picture of my baby. Tawanna will be upset that I am using this picture first. She can always use it again.

I know that parents say their children are beautiful. I have to say that my daughter is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. :-) Who do you think she looks like this week?

God Bless,

~MarcQus

One month

Hanging with Daddy

I think Mariah was trying to take a bite out of my shirt in this picture. She usually likes to sleep right on my chest. I usually have to hold her for a while before putting her down in her sleeper or in the swing. It's ok, I know my baby girl loves hanging out with her Daddy. Today we had Daddy and Daughter day. Tawanna went out and ran errands while Mariah and I stayed at home. We had a great day.

Days, Weeks, or Months

I always wonder how people choose the methods in which to tell their children's ages. For example, when someone asks me Mariah's age a few months from now, do I say 90 days, 12 weeks, or 3 months. I will most likely refer to months at that point. Some people just get ridiculous, saying "Billy is 56 weeks" or "Katie is 37 months". I just wonder how some people choose. I suppose that soon enough I will be challenged with this mathematical dilemma. Let me know your thoughts.

One Month

I am happy to say that Mariah is one month old as of August 23, 2008. I am enjoying every minute of fatherhood. Tawanna bought her a little play area for a birthday gift. Tawanna just likes buying stuff and Mariah gives her a reason to buy. When she starts like electronics, we can make some Daddy/Daughter trips to Best Buy. :-)

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Mariah's First Bath

On Monday, August 11,2008, Mariah had her first bath in her bathtub and shower center. I will sum up the experience by saying it was eventful. I think she was expecting the normal sponge baths where I carefully covered her head with a hat when i finished washing her head, and placed her into a t-shirt when i finished washing and lotioning her torso and back. This was a shock to her senses... Little miss was not very happy about having her entire body wet at one time, but she was calmed by the sound of running water in the tub. It broke my heart to see her shivering so much once the process was all over (see below), but she slept so long afterwards … that was an added bonus for mommy and daddy!!!

I had apologize to her because I forgot to turn off the central air before I put her in the tub. I know, I know, I will do better next time... I promise :-)

~Tawanna

Moving

Its been a while since my last blog. I hope that you all enjoyed Tawanna's blog. She will try to post more if time permits. Mariah is doing great. She is developing nicely. There are moments when she doesnt let us sleep much but that is changing more and more everyday. We recently moved to a bigger apartment on campus. For those of you that were not aware we did not have central air. We had a standing portable air conditioner in our apartment. It did not keep the apartment cool enough, especially for Mariah. Since the move, to the new air conditioned apartment, she has been sleeping lot better. Moving to a new apartment makes me recognize even more how much space Mariah takes up. There is baby stuff everywhere, aggghhh! It's all worth it though when I look at her beautiful face. Yep, I am sure that I am going to spoil her.

Thanks to all of you that continue to keep us in your prayers.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

It All Started With Her Beautiful Smile... A Mother's Reflection...

The date was July 28,2008, and the time was 11:21am. This was the moment that Mariah stole my heart and while in the midst of a hazy dream after I fed her she gave me the most beautiful smile that I had ever seen. In that moment my heart became so full and I was so overcome with emotion that all I could do was cry and stroke her head while telling her that she was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. In that moment I reflected on the events that led up to holding my daughter in my arms and my crying became a waterfall of tears of joy.

After forty-one weeks and a day of carrying her in my womb, almost thirteen hours of a very trying labor, and a sixteen minute Cesarean procedure, I heard her cry for the first time—there are no words to adequately describe that moment. MarcQus was so overcome with emotion that he cried uncontrollably while saying “baby that’s my daughter over there” over and over again. I had never seen him so overcome with emotion. It warmed my heart to see the absolute joy on his face the moment his long awaited dream of becoming a father was realized.

It was just that one beautiful smile that reaffirmed for me why having a child is the greatest blessing that the Lord can give you. He entrusts you with a precious life that you were able to create with the love of your life. That bundle of joy is a miraculous manifestation of God’s love. The love that you feel for your child is instantaneous and instinctive all at the same time. Caring for her is an amazing adventure, because she changes so rapidly. The love that she gives me I feel to my very core. So many times I find myself crying just thinking about the fact that I am a wife blessed with an amazing husband, and a beautiful child that is the perfect blend of her parents. These are the most important jobs that I will ever have in life and I thank God for granting me the privilege to take on these tasks.

Yes, it was that one beautiful smile that shook my world in the best way possible. It was the day that I fell head over heels in love with my daughter. Thank you Lord for such a tremendous gift. ..

Nine days old

She looks at me as if she knows that I am her father. It is in that moment that I forget that I am sleep deprived and tired.

"The Little Mermaid"


Swaddling doesnt always work like it is supposed to. Tawanna and I swaddled Mariah appropriately for about a day when we realized that she loved to use her hands. Now we swaddle her starting under her arms. She sleeps great this way and has the freedom to be animated in her sleep.

Time

Each and everyday is getting better for us. I think I am the fastest diaper changer in West Michigan now. It is funny how easy some things can become second nature. We are taking it one day at a time, one week at a time.

Keep us in your prayers!

~MarcQus

One Week

First Doctors Appointment

Relaxing before the 1st Doctor's appointment

Our first doctor's appointment went well. Mariah has already regained the weight she lost upon discharge from the hospital. She actually weighs more than her birth weight.

July 23rd - Birth weight - 6lbs 10.7oz

July 26th - Discharge weight - 6lbs .8oz

July 29th - 1st Doctors Appointment - 6lbs 12.5oz

All preliminary tests are good. Thank God for good results.

The Parents

Tawanna is doing well, just very tired. Over the last two days I have spent a lot of night time with the baby so that she can get some extra sleep. I am also very tired.

We are dealing with everything we expected sleep deprivation, changing diapers, feeding her, etc. These aspects should be no suprise to any parent.

Right now we are just getting adjusted to life with Mariah. This has been a long but blessed week. Thanks to all of you that have shown and continue to show your love and support.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Day 3

Perspective

Mariah
Raising a child changes your perspective on the world. I drove down the street to the Post Office and everything seemed different. I guess I imagine helping my little girl navigate through this world. How big the world must be for my little girl.

Tawanna
Seeing my wife go through all she went through made me appreciate her more than I ever have before. I know that I stated this in an earlier blog but it cannot be overstated. Every father to be should witness this.

Wild Sleeper

This little girl is very active in her sleep. Her facial expressions and arm movements are classic.


Adventures in University Housing

I love serving college students. Sometimes working in University Housing gets in the way of a normal life. Point – at 4:30 AM this morning a fire alarm went off. There is nothing like rushing your five day old daughter out of a building because of an alarm that you are certain is malfunctioning. At 4:55 AM we were let back in the building because all of the alarms were shut off. Ten seconds after walking in the alarms went off again. During all of this time we are sitting in my car with the heat on so that my daughter is comfortable. We finally were let back in at 5:20 AM. I love my job.

Keep us in your prayers.

Welcome Home

Discharged

We were discharged from the hospital last night. Tawanna and I were both very nervous taking Mariah home. You see, we took advantages of the nurses by using the nursery a lot in the hospital. We knew that we would not get much sleep at home. Every time Mariah was fed, she went to sleep, and then she would be headed to the nursery. We debated this for about five seconds. The security systems that are in place in hospitals these days made us a lot more comfortable with this decision. It also helped my sanity. Staying up all night can make you delirious, as we would soon find out.

Daddy holding Mariah before going home.

Mommy and Mariah Leaving

Ride Home

I have never been more nervous putting a baby in a car seat. My hands were sweaty buckling in my daughter into the car seat. Is she comfortable, is she in it correctly, is she going to start crying soon. She did cry in the beginning but the ride relaxed her. We stopped at Walgreens to get a prescription for Tawanna; this put me on baby duty in the back seat. She cried a little more as Mommy got out of the car, but began to calm down again as she heard her Daddy’s voice. Eventually we made it home, Mariah sleep upon arrival. Tawanna went to open the door so that I could expeditiously get into our building. At home at last, now the fun begins.

At Home

Upon arriving in our apartment we noticed that our top of the line air conditioner was switched off, nothing like quality technology to end the day. Within a few minutes I had the air conditioner rolling. A couple of more trips to the car and everything would be in the apartment.

This night would be a test as to how things would go for the next few weeks. I can say that Tawanna and I are pretty good critical thinkers. We are thinking of the best way to take care of Mariah, while keeping Mommy and Daddy energized and alert. The greatest thing that we have going for us is that we have great teamwork. If one parent does all of the work it can be very taxing. I am doing most of the housework and changing diapers, while Tawanna feeds the baby and puts her to sleep. Some of you might say wow, all of the house work. Housework is easy when you compare it to 1am, 3am, and 5am baby feedings.


We made it through the first night ok. Tawanna had very minimal sleep, I got a few hours in. At one point I woke up and made her go to sleep. She needed it and appreciated it when she woke up.

Mariah in the swing at home.

Day 2 – At Home

We made it through the first night. Now it is time for the first full day. We are also going to give her a nice at home bath.

I love having my daughter at home. I find myself just staring at her sometimes, most of the time. I stare at my wife a lot more too. I have never seen someone learn so quickly. I never doubted that she would be a great Mom. She is proving what I already knew. It is not easy, but she is doing it.

Keep us in your prayers.

~MarcQus

Her Way

Unexpected

My wife Tawanna and I anticipated Mariah Denise Wright on or before her due date of July 14, 2008. As most of you know this was not in God’s plan. Tawanna endured additional days of pregnancy to ensure that God’s plan was carried out correctly. More time was needed to make our perfect little girl.

Tawanna began having random contractions on Friday, July 18. This was our first sign that we were headed towards labor. The contractions subsided, so we continued to play the waiting game.

After minimal progress towards labor we decided to induce labor. We checked into the hospital on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, in the wee hours of the morning, Tawanna’s body began to move us towards labor again. We arrived at the Doctors office at 6:30am, they same day we were scheduled to induce.

We went in and were sent back home after several hours. We had made cervical process which was a good sign. Later that day at 7:30pm we check into the hospital. After this process two would become three.

Prayer

Life’s processes never go as they seem. Nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. This is why the most precious gift one can give is life. It is not an easy task bringing a child into this world.

Mariah was no exception. There were things being thrown at us. We did the only thing that we knew how to do, we prayed. Our family and friends prayed too. Through all things we trust in God regardless of the situation and regardless of the outcome.

Prayer led us and our doctor to make a decision on the method of receiving Mariah. Long story very short, we went to get our daughter. Had we delayed this decision or had we tried another method, God knows where we would be.

Thank GOD for the power of prayer.

July 23, 2008 at 1:03PM

I never knew that crying would be the best sound that I have ever heard. Seeing my daughter covered in everything, kicking and screaming was the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. I have never been more thankful.

God Blessed us with the birth of Mariah Denise Wright on July 23, 2008 at 1:03PM.

Every tear that I had was shed during that moment.

The Bearer

My wife is amazing! Looking at my wife during the entire birthing process renewed, rekindled, awakened this love that I already have for her. How can I not do any and everything for this woman? My wife, the mother of my daughter became Super Woman on July 23rd. When our daughter was born, she was reborn. We will now take what we have to a higher level.

To every woman that bore a child; naturally, unnaturally, vaginally, or via c-section, you have my praise and respect.

Parenthood

From the advice of my father: We will be the best Christians that we can be. Making us the best people we can be, to be the best parents we can be.

Now the work begins.

Induction Ceremony

Tuesday @ 7:30pm we are scheduled to go into the hospital to begin the birthing process. We are excited to see Mariah. Please keep us in your prayers.


Tawanna would also like to share her thoughts. Please check the video below.

Walking

It seems like Tawanna and I have been walking a lot these past few days. Trying to do whatever we can to help the process along. What we have recognized is, that no matter what we do, she will come when she is ready.

The walking around gives me a good excuse to walk around Best Buy for hours. I can walk around that store forever.

We had some very good prayer today. We are just thanking God for this opportunity. We are very anxious to meet our baby girl.

I am staying by her side as we get closer to Mariah's arrival. Our number one frustration is being asked, "Is she here yet?". Those kinds of questions make the weeks feel very long. If she were here, the world would know.

Keep us in your prayers.

Progress

Early this morning we went to do a non stress test, also known as an NST test. This test was to ensure that Mariah and Tawanna were both doing ok with the pregnancy going past the due date. Needless to say both mother and baby are doing great. Mariah was very active during the test. About half way through the test she was sound asleep.


After coming home from the test Tawanna began to notice what she felt may be a contraction. Thank God for progress. She has had several contractions today. They are not coming regularly but we are sure that they are contractions.


Our bag is packed, the video camera is ready to roll, my snacks are packed, the car is gassed. My prayer is that we are on the verge of the birthing process.


Stay tuned,


~MarcQus


If you are new to the blog please check out all of the old posts on http://marcqus.blogspot.com/

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to explain the purpose of my recent blogging. In order to reach as many people as possible I will be emailing and texting in mass quantities. It is going to be very difficult to make a bunch of phone calls to everyone giving updates on Tawanna and Mariah.

I will probably make two phone calls one to my family and one to her family. Everyone else will get text messages or emails as often as I can. I love you all, I just may not have the time. Plus, I need to focus on my breathing, so I can relax, in order to help Tawanna relax... LOL.

Shortly after the birth I will roll out the video camera. Recently I purchased a video camera and laptop. The laptop, in order to keep a good mobile connection; the video camera, to record my daughter. Periodically, I will blog and upload clips and pictures of Mariah. This will keep everyone close even if you cannot be here physically.

For those of you receiving this blog directly via email, I would ask that you click the link to go to the blog page. On this page you will see a little more than just the blog. You will hear music, see old posts, and any photos connected with the page. Please leave your comments on the page.

Jason and I have recently made some guesses on the birthdate, length, and weight of the baby.

Jason - July 19th, 21 inches, 8lbs. 7oz.

MarcQus - July 19th, 19 inches, 8lbs. 10oz.

Feel free to get in on the action by leaving your predictions in the comment section.

Mariah, Tawanna, and I appreciate your prayers.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Due Date

The due date has come and will be gone in a few minutes. We went to the doctor today and all is well. As we knew, most women in their first pregnancy typically go past their due dates. Many by an average of five days.


The baby is doing fine and Tawanna is doing fine. Tawanna has created a nice comfortable womb and I am sure that Mariah is relaxing inside of their.


We know that God keeps us and guides us. We are ready at any moment to make a mad dash for the hospital.


We have another appointment on Friday and then another on Monday. If Mariah has not made her grand entrance by Monday we will plan to induce labor.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Advice

As soon as everyone finds out that you and yours are expecting a child, they all want to give you advice. I am always willing to listen to useful advice. This gives me an opportunity to see the many different experiences and approaches that people have with their children.

In some cases I do not expect to encounter some of the things that I hear. I am planning for any and everything but again I don’t expect to encounter some of these things.

Here is one thing that I heard. Some kids scream in public. Someone told me that children will do that, so therefore I should expect it. First of all, I don’t doubt that some children scream in public. Here is the problem. Culturally, that is something that has not typically happened in my family. My daughter may whine or cry in public. One thing that I can guarantee is there will be no public or private temper tantrums. Wright kids are typically full of energy and smart. This is what I will look for in my daughter.

I expect to be sleep deprived for while. I expect to need more space. I expect to change a lot of diapers. You get my point. I am prepared as I can be. I am sure there will be things that I encounter that I won’t expect. When those times arrive, I will hand her over to my wife. :-)

Still waiting, the due date is tomorrow.

Preparations

Is it just me or do these last few weeks of pregnancy take forever? If it’s tough on me I cannot even imagine how my wife is feeling.

I keep working myself hard trying to keep the home in order so that she can just relax and stay off of her feet. Cooking and cleaning non-stop, I would rather be doing this than the former.

I have put together…

The crib…

The bassinet/changing table/play yard…



And the stroller/car seat…


The car seat, this is a new era when a certified car seat technician helps you to put in the car seat at the hospital. Can you imagine, getting paid to help people with car seats?

Thinking about the arrival of our baby makes me have flashbacks of childhood.


Those days make me think of this crazy crew.


Babies in our family always give us a beautiful new future to look forward. New dreams, new ideas, new aspirations, new hopes. I think that is one of the reasons why we love them so much. We think about the men and women they will become. We think about them becoming great. I think in reality we just want them to do better than we did.

God Bless,

MarcQus

Ready for Mariah

Sometime within the next few weeks, my wife will give birth to our first child. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am overcome with joy as I think about this blessing God has given us.

I plan to take my job as a father very seriously.

With God’s blessing my wife and I will do our best to help our daughter grow.

I will change her diapers.

I will feed her.

I will bath her.

I will walk her.

I will do her hair, “Yes, I said, do her hair.” (If necessary J)

I will take her to school

I will help her with her homework

I will take her to after school activities

I will see her off to summer camp.

I will scare any would be boyfriends away.

I will disagree with her.

I will see her off to prom

I will attend her high school graduation.
I will attend her college graduation.

I will walk her down the aisle.

I will make mistakes, but I will own up to them. No matter how hard things get, I will love her. No matter what decisions she makes, I will love her. When she falls, I will be there to pick her up. When she succeeds, I will be there to cheer her on.

I will lay down my life for her, because she is my daughter and I love her.

I think I am ready.

Declaration

I will accept all questions in regards to this topic. In all things, do your own research. Rely on what you know, not what others tell you that you should know.


I believe that almost anyone will do a better job than the current President. In the past, I have not been vocal with my political choices. This year is different.

Why I vote?

I have always taken pride in going to the voting booth. I know that my African American predecessors worked hard to secure “the right to vote” for me and millions of others. I feel it is my duty to go to the booth and cast my vote any time elections are held. In this way, I am honoring those who were hanged, beaten, burned, hosed, shot at, and killed so that I could have this right. Participation is a must; not voting is not an option. Many of us may not like the process. I am not totally sold on the process or the structure of government. I believe that many of you feel this way. Apathy and abstention is not the solution where activism is needed.

Why is this year’s Presidential choice so important?

Economy – Taxes are killing me. My credit score runs my life. My friend is losing value in his house. Milk cost too much and it contains hormones and steroids. The meat in the fridge still looks fresh but its three years old. Jobs are leaving the country.

Education – My siblings are going to have a difficult time paying for college. Our best strategy is to shoot for scholarships because all of the grants are disappearing.

Health Care – Everyone needs it, everyone should be allowed to have it, and everyone should be able to afford it.

Immigration – Unless you are indigenous to the lands of North America you are descendants of immigrants. We need a pathway to citizenship for those that are here and clear expectations for individuals that arrived in the future.

(Dumb) War – We are being forced to finish a fight that we should have never started. Let’s get out of Iraq and go find bin Laden.

My child – This year, in July, I will be a first time father. The next president will have heavy influence on how my child experiences the world. I want my child to be able to experience the world without fear.

There is much more.

Experience

There is a difference between being an experienced politician and an experienced leader.

The amount of years in Washington does not matter to me. It is the same every year, in session, out of session, in session, out of session. As far as I am concerned one or two years is long enough to understand and assess the system.


Brainwashing

Will America ever have an African American President?
If you answered NO, you have been brainwashed. You are in the darkness.
If you answered MAYBE, you are breaking the shackles. You are seeing the light.
If you answered YES, you have been released of your shackles. You have seen the light.

Who am I voting for?

The best Presidents were the ones whose head’s could actually fit through the door when they walked in the White House. I will not vote for someone who believes that they have all answers. I will vote for someone who works hard to find the right answers. I am going to vote for someone who can address my concerns best. I am going to vote for someone that I feel will help me and my family the most. (We are Middle Class, African American.)

I need someone who does not owe anything to anyone in Washington. I need someone who will always listen and respond to what the people have to say. I need someone who can talk to all people without being condescending. I need someone who can help heal this country because it is severely wounded. I need someone who can provide better opportunities for my children.

I do not need someone who knows Washington.

I need someone who knows people.

I am not voting for someone that I believe can win.

I am voting for someone that I believe should win.

That is why I am voting for BARACK OBAMA.

In all things do your own research. Rely on what you know, not what others tell you that you should know.