Those who have made me a mother

Happy Mother's Day! I haven't done a post on my children for quite a while and I've had a few requests to do so, so what better day than today?

I will begin with the fetus so we can get the boring stuff out of the way. Not much is to be said except for the effects it is having on me. So far I've had a pretty uneventful pregnancy (minus the miscarriage scare). I haven't really been sick (don't hate me, Shanny). I've had the typical discomforts that I had with my first two pregnancies, namely lots of headaches, a constantly stuffed-up (and bloody) nose, peeing all the time, and fatigue. Things are going well and we'll be finding out the gender on the 24th (unless Tyler can convince me otherwise). I'm in the awkward stage of being too big for my regular clothes but too small for maternity ones. I don't think this will last too long, though, since my stomach seems to be jutting out more and more. One of the nice things about being pregnant, though, is that I can embrace my gut instead of trying to hide it. I feel very blessed to be able to bear children and am excited to meet this new little one.
Here I am at 17 weeks. Pardon the camera picture. There are lots on this post.


Now onto Kate. Oh, Kate! She is a fun one. She gets really grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep (which happens a lot since she's been getting me up once or twice a night for a few weeks now...also contributing to my fatigue). She can be really feisty when this happens, but one good thing about Kate is that she can be talked out of being mad or disobedient. She can be quite delusional when she wakes up during the night. Sometimes she wanders the house looking for me or saying, "I want my screwdriver!", and last night she wanted her flip-flops on so she could go outside. She likes to tease Ada, but then she is quite a peacemaker and loves to make Ada happy. I'm afraid she is spoiling her sister by always letting her get her way. They play really well together and are currently obsessed with 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' and all three 'Toy Story' movies. Kate ALWAYS has to be the boy and is always okay with it. In fact, Ada got Barbie and Ken dolls from her grandma and Kate automatically assumed that the Ken was for her. Kate is in the middle of potty training and is doing well. I think we're almost there. She started off well, then had a really bad day, then wouldn't sit on the toilet at all without some serious coaxing. She's getting on more willingly now, but still doesn't tell us when she has to go (except for today!). I feel good about it all, though. Kate is very funny and loves to laugh and smile. She is friendly and cuddly. She gets mad if you call her anything other than 'Kate', even if you call her by her first and last name. She loves to watch shows and would probably watch all day if I let her. I think she's watched a little too much 'Tangled' lately because the other day when I was trying to get her to stop doing something she said, "No! Mother knows NOT best!" Another funny thing she said the other day: "I wanna be a Halloween ghost for Christmas." I love my sweet Kate and am sad that she's getting so big, but I love watching her grow and learn new things.





Finally, the one who made me a mother in the first place: Ada. We've had our power struggles lately, but she is overall a really good girl. I think she mostly has her fits when she's lacking sleep. She is lots of fun and loves to be silly and joke around. We have a few inside jokes where all we have to do is say or sing a few words to each other and we both bust up laughing. Ada is a total daddy's girl and is obsessed with Tyler and anything he likes. She loves preschool and is almost finished with it. She starts Kindergarten soon and will be doing the French Immersion program. We feel really lucky that she got in (maybe I can attribute it to being preggo?). She's very excited to go to the big school. She has been doing much better with ballet, though she still wants to be all done after her recital. I love watching her perform; it's adorable! She seems to be really good at it, but hopefully we can find something that she will enjoy better (I'm crossing my fingers for soccer). She loves to write, draw, and color and is very creative. If she wants something that we don't have, she'll just draw it and cut it out. Ada is really good at cleaning up and she always wants to help me with things. She is still extremely girly and still (after 2+ years) refuses to wear pants. She loves to sing and isn't afraid to do so no matter where we are. She is, however, afraid of bugs. She has loved playing outside lately but will stand on the deck for several minutes crying because she's afraid of wasps, spiders, worms, and mosquitoes. Kate finally coaxes her down to the playground by saying, "It's okay, Ada! They won't get you!" She's pretty hesitant when it comes to "scary" things (she won't go down the big slide at Kangaroo Zoo like Kate does), but she's getting better. Last year she fell off her bike and was traumatized for a long time, but she's now getting much better at riding and wants to ride every day. She's also learning how to swing by herself without being pushed. Ada loves stories and asks for one every time we get in the car. Lately, she's been asking for stories about "naughty guys". She especially loves hearing ones from the scriptures. One day when Kate was refusing to help clean up, Ada said, "Lucifer must really be working hard to tempt Kate." She cracks me up. One day when she and Kate were having a bath, Ada looked down at her chest and said, "Kate, did you know that boys swim with their nipples?" I just love Ada and the fact that she always wants to try and do the right thing. She is smart and sweet and I'm so glad she's in our family.




Proof that she idolizes her father


Today has already been a great day. A special thanks to Tyler for making it so! Also, a shout-out to my mom and mother-in-law for being so great. Love you all and love my sweet kids!