You Know You're a Mom When...

I guess the fact that we're about to welcome another child into the family is making me sentimental. Everyday I look at Emma and get teary eyed. How could I possibly love her so much? I thought I loved her when she was born, but even that love pales in comparison to the love I have for her today. We've had such a fun two and a half years together! I couldn't be more proud of my little girl!

I've been reflecting a lot on how my life has changed since Emma became a part of it. The thoughts all started to fall under the same headline. There are a million more things that fall under mommyhood, but these are the ones I'm experiencing with Emma right now.

You know you're a mom when...Any chocolate in the house becomes "mommy's special chocolate" and needs a clever hiding place in order to be kept out of toddler hands.

You know you're a mom when...Sharing mommy's special chocolate becomes a pre-nap ritual that both mom and daughter giggle over.

Chocolate face :)

You know you're a mom when...The words "I poop in the potty!" are music to the ears.

You know you're a mom when...You're grateful for a memory foam bathmat because you spend a lot of time sitting on the bathroom floor waiting for your child to finish using the potty.

You know you're a mom when...Your child using the bathroom becomes a game of her giggling and saying, "Mommy don't look!" and you peeking occasionally just to make her laugh.

You know you're a mom when...The top of the fridge becomes the only place in the house even remotely out of your toddler's reach, and thus it becomes full to the brim of everything you want to keep safe.

You know you're a mom when...Nap time becomes sacred and nothing makes you angrier than someone waking up your child!

You know you're a mom when...You feel like a part of you is missing every time you're away from your child for any length of time.

You know you're a mom when...Your child is in charge of your portion control. Suddenly your cereal has a toddler spoon in it, and your lunch is half eaten by the time you take the first bite. The truth is, you enjoy this.

You know you're a mom when...A silent evening at home becomes a treasure that you wouldn't trade for any amount of fun.

You know you're a mom when...Driving through a tunnel requires cheers and whoops, as does pulling into the parking lot at home. Emma always shouts excitedly, "Emma's house!"

You know you're a mom when...You catch yourself telling your two your old that they're your best friend.

You know you're a mom when...Your child yelling enthusiastically, "Mommy did it!" every time you button a button or zip a zipper makes your day.

You know you're a mom when...You say the words "poop," "pee," and "potty" multiple times a day.

You know you're a mom when...You're no longer grossed out by poop, pee, spit-up, snot, or pretty much anything else a child secretes.

You know you're a mom when...Your alarm clock becomes, "Mommy wake up! All done sleeping!"

You know you're a mom when...You endure an entire day of running a child up and down the stairs to use the potty, and you wake up the next day ready to do it (and all the other exhausting things being a mom entails) again.

You know you're a mom when...You have to try really hard not to giggle during family prayer because your child insists on praying for all of her friends and family by name, shouting each one at the top of her lungs.

You know you're a mom when...Your proudest moment is when your child recognizes a picture of Christ and excitedly exclaims, "Mommy, it's Jesus!"

You know you're a mom when...Cuddling, kissing, tickling and nibbling on your child become far too tempting to resist.

You know you're a mom when...You realize there is nothing you wouldn't do to protect your little one.

You know you're a mom when...You tear up a little bit every time your child smiles and says, "I love you mommy."

Now here's a summary of this pregnancy and how it has been different from Emma's:

I remember when I was pregnant with Emma I would wake up in the middle of the night STARVING, and I'd have to eat a bowl of cereal (usually cocoa puffs) before I could fall back asleep. The same thing would happen every morning, and I would moan in bed complaining to Nate that I was so hungry I would die if he didn't bring me breakfast immediately. I wasn't making it up either. It really was that painful, excruciating kind of hunger that makes you so sick! Everyday! And Nate generously got me a bowl of cereal every morning without laughing at me (too much). I craved citrus, pickles, and sour candy with Emma, but really I wanted to eat anything I could get my hands on.

This pregnancy has been weird because I haven't felt any hungrier than normal. In the first trimester, I actually didn't feel hungry at all. I would occasionally get low blood sugar and feel faint, and that would remind me to eat. It's easy to forget to eat when taking care of kids. Anyways, in the second trimester I started to get the insatiable hunger again, but then I started a low-gluten diet. I've discovered that eating a lot of gluten messes with my body's natural hunger signals, sometimes making me not feel hungry when I'm fasting and sometimes making me feel starving even after I just ate. Gluten also aggravates my allergies and asthma, which were really bad the first trimester of this pregnancy, and that was enough to convince me to go off of gluten. So, as far as eating goes, my body has been much kinder to me this time around, and has only told me I need to eat when, in fact, I actually need to eat. My appetite was, of course, way down in the first trimester, so I only ate when I had to. I couldn't even look at goodies because they made me nauseous. I've craved citrus again, which has motivated me to eat a lot of fruit. It wasn't till after Christmas, and into the third trimester that I suddenly had a huge craving for junk food. Hot chocolate, sea salted dark chocolate, pie, caramel popcorn, ice cream, popcorn with milk duds, and brownies have all taken their turn being my NEED.

With Emma, I was busy with school and working at BYU Catering, so I didn't really make exercise a priority. I remember feeling exhausted, sore, and yucky all the time. It wasn't till the third trimester that I attempted a little prenatal yoga, jogging on the elliptical, and cycling. Just that little bit of activity helped me so much! This pregnancy, I've tried really hard to exercise almost everyday, and I can tell it makes a difference. I can feel my blood pooling in my legs if I haven't been active, so I know the exercise is helping my circulation and keeping my lungs and heart in shape, even if I'm giving a lot of my muscles, especially my abs, a break. All it takes is a few minutes on the elliptical or some prenatal yoga, and I feel great!

I was pregnant with Emma in the summer, and that was absolutely miserable. I can't tell you how many buckets I sweated before she was born! It was agony! I felt like I couldn't possibly shower enough. My hands and feet swelled a ton! This time, it's conveniently cold. I keep my house cooler than I normally would, especially at night, and I avoid a lot of the overheating and swelling that comes with pregnancy. It's great!

Let's be frank. When I'm pregnant, I need a lot of sleep. That's how my body copes. I remember sleeping 12 hours a night by the end of my pregnancy with Emma. Now, I'm lucky if I get 8 hours at night, but I almost always get a nap (1-3 hours) everyday to make up for the difference. I'm so blessed that Emma and Tali will both take a long nap at the same time so that I can catch up on my rest. I'm going to need a lot of extra stored up for the next few months!

I remember crying over everything when I was pregnant with Emma. I was really emotional, and completely overwhelmed by the idea of having a baby. I had no idea what it was going to be like! I had to actively think of all the things that were cute about babies so I would be excited rather than terrified (I've never been good at first time experiences). This time, I have been just as emotional, but in a different way. I know now what having a baby means. I know what things to be excited about and what things are going to be difficult. In the first trimester when I wasn't feeling well, it was easy to think of all the things that were going to be hard and feel overwhelmed or scared. Now, I'm feeling more and more excited. It seems silly to me to be afraid of losing a little sleep and constantly smelling like spit-up. I know babies are worth it. I look at Emma everyday and I couldn't be more convinced that I made the right decision by bringing her into the world. I know the same will be true about her little brother.

Emma was extremely active in the womb. She would throw entire limbs around, and I could see them poking out of my stomach sometimes. This little guy moves a lot as well, but in a different way. He wiggles subtly. He doesn't kick me as hard or do back flips. He nudges his foot or his back against me, leaving me feeling like my uterus is going to pop. With Emma I felt jabs and kicks, but with him I feel lots of pressure, like he's stretching and trying to make more room for himself in there. Both of them have elicited comments from my midwives about how active they are since they are almost always moving around when we're trying to listen to their little heartbeats.

I got heartburn a lot sooner with Emma, near the end of the first trimester. I remember chewing tums all through the night so that I could sleep. This pregnancy, the heartburn didn't hit till 32 weeks, but it has hit really hard! I've taken to drinking a cup of watered down baking soda every night. Even that sometimes isn't enough to quench the pain. The more he wiggles, the worse the burn. There's just not enough room for him and my stomach in there! I've been really lucky to not have any digestive issues with either pregnancy, though, other than having to pee every hour (or every ten minutes nowadays).

My gums got really swollen and bled a lot when I was pregnant with Emma, but otherwise, my mouth made it through unscathed. This pregnancy, I was shocked that my mouth seemed normal. Then I woke up one day and noticed my gums were receding! I'm kinda freaking out because gum recession is irreversible! I wonder how many kids I can have before my gums are totally gone. Grrr!

I'm happy to report that I've gained a much healthier amount of weight this time around. With Emma, I gained almost 40 lbs. I was also 10 lbs heavier at the start of her pregnancy than I was at the start of this pregnancy. I've gained around 20 lbs this time, which is on the lower end of the range my midwives recommend, but is still within the 18-35 lb ideal range. I've been eating lots of protein and staying active, so I feel like my body is doing what it's supposed to do, and the excruciating self-consciousness I felt when I was pregnant with Emma is not nearly as bad this time, which is such a relief. Seriously! Other than my poor face, which can't help looking chubby no matter what I do, most of the rest of me looks like my normal self (minus the giant belly of course!).

This pregnancy

Emma about 30 weeks

Emma about 36 weeks

With Emma, my nesting made moving to Spokane a month before my due date possible. I had the house unpacked and ready for the little one in no time! Actually, since I was convinced she was going to come two weeks early, I sat around with nothing to do for that last week and a half before she was born! I was walking around dilated to a three before I went into labor with Emma, and she was born four days before her due date. This time, my nesting kicked in once we got back from our Christmas vacation. It's gotten progressively stronger as my Braxton-Hicks contractions have gotten more and more frequent. The last week or so I've felt a lot of pressure in my perineum, and it almost feels like the baby might fall out. Turns out I am 4 cm dilated and 2 cm effaced already! I'm glad to know I wasn't just imagining the pressure. Anyways, looks like Emma's little brother may come more than four days early.

Can't wait to write a birth story post next!

Kamie