It feels like just yesterday that we welcomed baby Chanel into our world, and since her arrival, we’ve been #blessed with adorable snapshots of the little cutie rocking elaborate headbands and a luxurious wardrobe, proving that she’s taking after her famous mama Coco.
But Ice T‘s baby girl is growing up fast, and her proud mother dished all of her latest developments with E! News, including the nearly 9-month-old’s first word (which confirms our theory that this li’l lady is going to be one social butterfly).
“I really try to bet her to say mama,” Coco laughs. “But we haven’t gotten there yet. The other day she said the word ‘hi.’ In the morning when I wake up with her…I always say the word ‘hi, hi, hi.’ I wanted her to say it again. She was like what? Say it again.”
See, she’s already learning the art of introduction. But that’s not all. Chanel had quite the productive week by hitting numerous milestones.
“In one week she started doing everything—she said hi, she got her tooth, and she started clapping. My sister showed her to clap. And now all she does is clap. When you meet her for the first time, she starts clapping.”
Coco / Snapchat
While all of those things are exciting moments, there’s one that worries Coco a little bit, mainly because it may cause her some pain. “Two days ago she started getting her first tooth. I’m so worried because I still breastfeed. I’m waiting for that moment when she bites down on my nipple. I’m anticipating it,” she tells E! News.
“I tell her no, because she was getting rough. She looked at me and laughed.”
As for her own body, Coco tells us that it seemed as though her figure went the opposite route both during her pregnancy and after she gave birth to her daughter, explaining that she actually lost weight when she was pregnant with Chanel, and has since put on some weight.
“When I got pregnant with Chanel my body got healthier, and I actually got skinnier. I went the opposite way. I went the opposite of what normal women go through. I got skinny. I feel like I lost my butt. I just got healthier,” Coco shares.
“I stopped drinking, of course. I ate a bowl of food every day for the nine months that I was pregnant. That is something I craved. I’m talking blueberries, mangos, guava, strawberries, the whole mixture of different fruits and I craved it. I just ate it every day and it kind of got me back on track. So I joke to this day that I became a frutarian. Even though I still had meat in my diet I ate fruit all the time.”
She adds, “I’m more into being a mama than being a fitness competitor. Because I know my body, I’m currently 10 to 15 pounds overweight,” but explains she’s just been going at a slow pace with getting back into her workouts, and had never done cardio until she turned 30.
“I never did cardio until after 30 years old, ever. I didn’t think I needed to do it. I loved weight training and I love taking classes. But I didn’t think I needed to do cardio. But once I hit 30, I gained so much weight. It was like overnight when I hit 30. And that’s when I told myself, I need to get on treadmill and do a little bit more of cardio. And that’s what I did. I’m consistent with it.”
But after giving birth, Coco made sure to ease back into her fitness. “I started very basic, once a week. I put aside one day a week. I felt I could do that…And I was slowly building up to my normal routine which is three to four times a week. So each month I add more every day,” Coco continues.
“What I also like to do is take a friend. I’m really big on if I have a friend and I’m teaching moves or just trying a class for the first time with them, it motivates me to want me to keep on going. If you go alone, you’re kind of like, ‘Ah, you know what I won’t go today. I’ll wait until next week.’ A friend will always push you. That’s always the best.”
