Happy New Year!!!!!

Thank you 2009 for bringing the greatest gift into my life. Marley Ellington Horsford Best, I love you with my whole being. Thank you for my husband, family, friends and health. I am so grateful for what I have and what I can give of myself. I look forward to all there is to learn, grow and succeed in 2010. In the meanwhile I will reflect on all the positive experiences I had in 2009 and make tomorrow even better!!!! Wishing all my friends & Family all the Best for 2010.

Above: Candid photos of our vacation in St.Kitts

Reggae Beach

Marley's 1st Christmas

Marley's spent his 1st Christmas in Half Moon Bay, St.Kitts WI. , with Grandpa, Grand Mommie, Uncle Delvin, Auntie Tiffany, Ahmed and myself. We sat in the living room exchanging gifts , anticipating the moment Marley would open up his gifts. It's funny how children bring out the warm and fuzzy out of everyone. Marley gave us the gift of revisiting our childhood and vicariously living through his experience. He was so cute crumpling the gift wrap paper, banging the boxes, and playing with his toys. It was such a joy for all of us to shower him with love and share in his happy nature. He will be too young to recall his first Christmas, but he certainly gave us one to remember.

Tis the Season

We've arrived safely on the rock "St.Kitts". My parents are so happy to have their children home for Christmas. My brother and my sister in law arrived yesterday and now the whole clan is complete. We are all staying at my parents new home; and it is beautiful. I couldn't think of a better blessing than for it to be filled with love and laughter during the holidays. Below is a picture of our first meal together. And Marley starting his day every morning playing with Grandpa and Grand Mommy on the veranda. Look at the view!

Thanks for helping Mommy!

My friend Kelly and her cute mini pincher "Lucy" came to visit me and Marley on the day we were getting ready to leave for St.Kitts. I was up to my neck last minute packing for the both of us. I think Marley actually has more "stuff" than I do!

Since, I just completed my Cardio Barre course, I had absoulutely no time to do anything. This is when my angel Kelly graciously offered to go clothes shopping for me! Who does that?! Kelly Shew. I couldn't even fathom to think of carrying Marley in this crazy Christmas shopping crowd! And if there is one person that appreciates clothes, shoes, bags, style and taste in Coutour......equally as I do, its Kelly Shew! lol So what ever she gets, It will wear me! Thanks Kelly

P.S Happy Birthday Lucy!!!!

love, Marley

Mommy getting her Certification

The past 3 weeks I have been in training for a teachers certificate for Cardio Barre www.cardiobarre.com. It's one of the hottest fitness craze's in Los Angeles. The program is very thorough and intense. It was no walk in the park, but at the same time it was an amazing experience, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Monday through Saturday 9-5 of training and taking classes, hours of studying, memorizing and absorbing the curriculum in our bones has finally come to its completion today. Our class has taken the written exam and I have conducted a class for my certification! Fast foward.........I'm certified!

Although this has been a challenge for me, I could not have done this without my family. Days when I was just completely exhausted; I would come home to my amazing husband and beautiful son and they would welcome me home with smiles, love and some really delicious food. This was a very hard thing for me to do. I felt extremely guilty for being away from Marley during the day. Ahmed had to sacrifice his daytime to care for Marley. I am just so thankful for your love, encouragement and faith in me. I also have to thank my friend, my little sis and study partner Nadyia for holding and entertaining Marley in between study sessions and my other sister the Multi talented Mimi who introduced us to this opportunity, Thank you for your encouragement and accessibility....your heart warms me. Looking forward to joining the amazing group of teachers at Cardio Barre.

Hi, Dadda & Mamma

We are thrilled to declare that Marley has official said his first word. "Hi". He has been saying to everybody! I was so excited, I called my parents so he could say "Hi"! Now, whenever I'm on the phone he gets excited and says "Hi".

He has even blurted out "Dadda", but in all honesty everyone was Dadda. But now when I ask him where is Dadda he looks at Ahmed!!! In his loud baby voice he proclaims "Dadda"! Everyone has told me that Mama is rarely the first word they say.....but it's his third word! A couple of days ago I heard him sound out the Mmmm sound....I would encourage him, clap and say "very good baby" and he finally he said it "Mama"!

Marley's first ThanksGiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! The Lane Family invited us over fo Dinner, we had plans of "visiting", but after that spread, I litterally could not move and I just sunk into the couch! Thank you so much Darrell,Francine,Sydney and Kendall. I have so much to be grateful for..........my loyal friends, my loving family and my son. I really do not have words to sum up what an amazing year this has been for me and Ahmed. I am truly blessed for all those who enrich our lives.

Boys in the Hood!

Luke Cresswell & Steve McNicholas are not just our old bosses; they're our friends and kind of responsible for all of the Stomp relationships .....at least I will give them credit for the successful ones. (smile) I guess, essentially the offspring which has come from the musical sensation show STOMP is to their credit too. We had a lot of babies enter the world over the past couple of years. I believe we could probably put together a junior cast if we wanted to.

Last week on a business trip, Luke stopped by to have lunch with us in Los Angeles. He is a extremely busy man and literally drove to the airport after our meal to catch a flight back to London. So, we felt really honored he squeezed us in. We had such a great time, we laughed and talked about what we were all up to. He met Marley for the first time which was really cool. And reminisced about back in the day.........ahhhh Good Times. I cannot believe how young I was, when I was first hired. All I can say is my 20's were awesome and I am so greatful for my career and all the friends I got out of it. And I found my husband! It's like the gift that keeps on giving! Thanks Luke

Our visit was a perfect Sunday, perfect weather and our local cafe gave us the royal treatment too! Luke was so impressed he asked them how much we paid them to give us such great treatment. The owner Tom greeted us at our table(at it was a crazy busy day), he gave us free drinks and chocolate cake! We looked pretty cool (wink). Thanks Tom..... If your ever in our neighbourhood check out Al Cove. We're regulars, the best ambiance and food.......it never disappoints.

Marley on Bongos

My little munchkin Marley loves hand drumming! For a nine month old he plays and dances with conviction and confidence, just like his daddy and mommy! For the past 5 weeks I have been performing in a show called the "Floor" in Hollywood. Its a fantastic cabaret show featuring vignettes of different styles of dance(salsa,burlesque,tango,swing,hip hop,tap and my section contemporary) to an amazing live Latin band. Before the show made its premiere I carried Marley along to my rehearsals. He was so overwhelmed by the movement and the percussive music; that it truly sent him in a trance. He would stare at the musicians, dancers and watch his mama move as well; which introduced him in this whole new world of communicating through rhythm and motion. When he hears a drum beats he cannot help himself by moving and this is something I truly believe he was born with. Without further ado............Master Marleeeeeeeeeey Best!

NINE MONTHS.....time fly's

HALLOWEEN 2009~ Z-French

I think I have reached my first big milestone being a Mom. This week Marley has made 9 nine months! He has been alive on the outside as log as he has been living in my womb. He is such an incredible baby. He is discovering, loving, laughing, and banging on any instrument he can get his hands on.

Marley is now coping with his 3rd tooth. He has been self soothing to himself by chewing on his fingers, teething bisquits, toys, etc. And I have been trying to comfort him in his teething pain by nursing or giving him homeopathic teething tablets. Sometimes, I feel so horrible that he has to endure this pain, but like I said he has been a champ.

Marley has been slowly falling in to a regular schedule with his naps, eating, nursing and sleeping time. I just really just try to be in tune with him and trust my natural instincts. The schedule changes every once in awhile due to teething, which causes fevers and diarrhea. When I see that he is tired, I try to take the opportunity to lull him to sleep. When he has his burst of energy I try to keep him entertained, by broadcasting everything we see, sing songs, play instruments for new sounds, look at picture books, and take lots of walks.

My favorite thing about Marley is his sense of humor. He is so funny! He loves to laugh and he is extremely ticklish! Loves kisses and enjoys cuddling with me. I love it. The day he no longer wants to cuddle with Mommy .....will be a Dark day for me. Which brings me to the why I wanted to write this blog. I am being totally melodramatic about this but I see his stage of a baby slipping. Just when I feel like I am getting really good at being a Mommy for this infant, he is already prying away from my arms in the quest for the freedom of walking on his own two feet and grabbing his spoon away to feed himself with his own two hands. He melts my heart everyday and we are having the time of my lives.

PHOTOS: This year we dressed up as a family. We were Z-French! We had fun and Marley wore his mustach well.

I love Drums

Look Mommy! I have my Two Bottom Teeth!

Well, Ladies and Gents

Marley's teeth has actually broken through his gums and protruded past his gum line! It is really difficult to get an 8 month old to show his bottom teeth so....I just snapped a picture when he was crying. I know....so cruel, but he will appreciate it when he's older. I cannot believe how fast this little boy is growing.

It has been such a joy to see and continue to see his face light up every time he discovers something new. I am learning so much from him, especially how to savor the moments and celebrate the present. We celebrate everything. We clap when he plays , sings, crawls, and every time we hear music.

Today we had our routine visit to Marley's doctor Dr.Bass. She said is is healthy and doing fine. He is 23.4lbs and 28 inches. He is in the 90 percentile for his weight and in the 75 percentile for his height. He is cruising any minute he can get the chance. It's becoming a sport that is keeping me very busy. If I turn my head for a minute he is on the other side of the room holding onto something standing up!! "They" weren't joking when they said it goes by fast.

We recently visited a petting Zoo and Marley loved it! He saw ducks, sheep, goats, pigs, ponies and a doe for the first time. It was so cool for me and Ahmed to watch him take it all in. Reliving childhood is really refreshing! It's like sitting under a tree on a beautiful day, drinking lemonade and watching humming birds play.

Marley piano's

Marley's confidence has grown exponentially this week. Now that he is becoming physically stronger his confidence level has skyrocketed. Maybe every little boy thinks they can fly? This week he stood up and played his little piano. I applauded and he looked at me and gave me the biggest smile! He was so proud.....I said "Yay, I am so proud of you baby!" Marley blurted out "blauhhhdthhthsh!"

Happy 8 months Marley!

I really cannot believe that my baby boy is 8months already! He entered this world with great energy and vivaciousness and he just continues to become this incredible loving force of nature. He never ceases to amaze me. This week, was filled with very important miles stones. Marley mimicked a lady waving goodbye! I could not believe he was opening and closing his big baby hands! The lady was trying to talk to him and I kindly reminded her that he is only 8 months old. But it would not surprise me if he just busted out a sentence. He is already trying to talk. He makes these popping sounds with his mouth. He looks like an little old man smacking his gums, but of course he's a lot cuter. Another 8 month mark for Marley is his keen sense of humor. When I play with him I would exaggerate my reactions to his actions. For example : If he has the Hiccups ....I would pretend to have the hiccups and he would laugh. So the other day he stared at me, sneezed in my face and he literally busted out laughing. I didn't even have time to imitate him, because I was so busy saying "Eewwwww Marley" It was so funny, I almost started crying!

But the real reason I wanted to record this blog was to announce that he is pulling himself up to stand. The reason why this is so important to me, is ....this to me is one of the first steps to his indepence. I am trying not to fast foward him to walking, and him not needing me to carry him anymore! I just cannot beleive how fast he is growing. When he stands.....the look on his face is priceless. It's almost as if he is saying "Look Mom, I'm flying!" He grooves he jams for a long time, like Little Richard! He is in love with music and dancing. I wonder where he got that from? lol I am just in awe of this little boy and I cannot take any credit. He is just himself and life is just so beautiful through his eyes. Thanks Marley

Your Baby's 7th Month

Go Baby, go! As your child becomes more mobile, up go the baby gates and window blind cord covers. Learn more about keeping your home safe, plus how to keep separation anxiety under control.

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Leaving Las Vegas

On our trip back from Vegas after my birthday, I had to make a visit to one of my dearest friend in the world, Rochelle. We go way back. We have known eachother since we were 8yrs old. We spent some really great times together. We went to the same dance school, supported eachothers highschool plays, visited eachother on college breaks, were leads together in Plays-n the Park, she saw one of my first Stomp shows in NYC, was there when the moving truck drove away with my things in Jersey bound for Los Angeles. Now we are married women and Mommies. I cannot beleive the time that has past. It seems like yesterday we were talking in our rooms in our parents house and now we are both in the wild wild west! lol I am so proud of you. I am so happy you had the courage to go for your dream and make your mark. You are beautiful woman and Thank you for being a true friend. You make me laugh!!!!!

Rochelle,Mr.Patterson & Marley

Mrs.Patterson & Marley

............sing with meeeeeeee

Me , Marley & Roche

Byron & Marley

Marley & Nainoa's Meeting

Happy Birthday to Meeeeee with frenzzz and Babeeeeez!

This year I really could not decide how I wanted to celebrate my birthday. I mean, it did fall on a Saturday and what a waste it would be if I did absolutely nothing for my Birthday?! So, Friday I decided that I wanted to get out of L.A and take a road trip to Vegas. Me and Ahmed ventured off with Marley, for his first road trip longer than an hour. The first two hours he slept! Thank Goodness and the other half of the trip I just pulled out all of my best non-sensicle mish moshed nursery rhymes and songs.....poor Ahmed. ;)

We arrived in Las Vegas late morning and had a yummy breakfast at the Egg & I. (I saw it on the Food Channel with Rachel Ray). Then we met up with Stephanie,Keith and Makai at the Fashion Mall to kill a couple of hours. They are relocating back to NYC and we are going to miss them. Even though we do not live in the same state, it was just nice to know we had Family on this coast. Anyways, we had fun and a lot of laughs. We didn't stay too long, because they had last minute packing and we had to check into the Marriott at three. Only 25 minutes away we arrived at the hotel and it was really nice. The bathroom was awesome! It had a jacuzzi and ........that was a Birthday present in itself! Ahhhhhhh I soaked for a good 30minutes and it was heaven. I could have stayed all nite, but I had plans to have dinner with Coralissa, Nainoa, and the Middleton's at one of my favorite sushi restaurants. They serve this special salmon roll with curry sauce and mango! YUMmmmmm I'm still dreaming about it. After dinner we went back to Lissa's ...had cake, watch all 3 babies play for the first time. My first Birthday as a MOM! I received my first "You're #1 Mom" card! It was so exciting. I will never get tired of getting those even if Ahmed buys it for him. LOL

I have to say the sweetest part was watching our boys play and interact with each other. For the longest time Me, Steph and Lissa have been trying to get into the same room with our son's and it finally happened! Although Steph is going to NYC, Lissa in Vegas and I'm in L.A. They have been my sisters. I really feel a kindred spirit and I am so happy we have been able to share many of the best times of our lives from work, weddings and babies together. We are going to have amazing "remember when" stories later on and many more chapters to share. Love you guys.

Thanks to my Hubby for whisking me away ......I love you.

Marley loves outdoor wind charms

Wind Charms are the craze at our house. Marley is so intrigued with the movement and the sounds. He saw his first one when we went to St.Kitts for the summer. It was hanging on a Palm Tree and my Dad took it off for him to play with as a toy. It is one of his favorite things. The fact that it seemingly moves by itself! Watching his little brain try to figure out the mechanics of this object is so cute! But then that quickly disappears as he figures out how to reach for it, grab it and make it ring. He is Fearless! and very inspiring. I hope he holds that spirit.

On another note: I really should know better than to wear the color Red in the city of Los Angeles....now that I am looking at these photos...... I was representing my alma mater Rutgers U. T-shirt. Geez....good thing I live in a nice neighborhood.

Mommy & Me Photo Shoot

This Shoot was way beyond my expectations. I thought we were going to shoot a couple of pictures after my headshots,but the genius Mike Quain.....did it again. Thank you so much. We had a blast! You can check out more pictures from my gallery.