Ode to Mothers

Tomorrow is my first Mother's Day as an actual mother.  I'm a bit overwhelmed with gratitude to my Father in Heaven that I was able to carry and give birth to my sweet baby Mabel Mae.  I love her more and more every day and I'm so excited to watch her grow.
Being a mother is both more rewarding than I expected, and harder than I expected.  I know I was put on this earth to be a mom.  There is nothing in this universe that is more important than family. Nobody could ever persuade me to ever think having a big wig job, or a big house or fancy vacations or a billion dollars is better than having a baby throw her arms up and greet you with a huge smile when you walk towards her.
I want to mention my own mom.  Kathleen Kae Florence Hanson.  She was a wonderful mother to me and I don't think I ever truly appreciated her for it till I had my own baby.  And, bless her for it, she was here for me through my complications giving birth to Mae. I don't think she'll ever stop taking care of me as long as she lives but I hope some day I can take care of her.
Mabel is named for my mom's mom.  Mabel May Wilkinson Florence.  I didn't know my Grandma Florence well as she passed away when I was about 4. But, as I've mentioned before, I feel a strong connection to this woman of faith and love and humor.  I can't wait to see her again and I think she probably brought her great granddaughter to me. 
My sister Kimberly Kae Hanson Heaton is a fantastic mother and I hope I can emulate her, especially in her patience and creativity.  I've never seen anyone so patient with a tantrum throwing baby and I've never seen anyone put so much thought and effort into holidays!  She has started so many fun traditions with her children and you should see the pictures of her kids themed birthday parties!  More than that, her children know that she loves them more than anything.  I want that for my kids.  In fact, Mabel actually means "one who is loved." 
I've only mentioned 3 mothers in this post but I hope every mother I know feels how much I appreciate them for what they do and what they've been through. (I'm thinking pregnancy and giving birth.  Hello!)   We need good mothers in this world and I'm happy to think that I know several of them. 
We also love the aunts.  Oh goodness do we love the aunts.  It's amazing how every woman is a mother in her own way and we love them and appreciate them on this day as well.
 So here is to the all the women in our lives that have given us love and guidance and good examples of what a virtuous woman is!  Happy Mother's Day!

First Easter

Aunt Kim

My Mom and Aunt Martha

Grandma Keele

Aunt Naty

Aunt Shannon

Aunt Elise

Love Dad

"You should snuggle her if you have the chance.  She will not be this little tomorrow." -Eric Keele March 20, 2011

Eric sent me this in an instant message.  Mabel was in bed and I heard her sneeze.  He's right.  She will be bigger tomorrow.  So I went and snuggled her and kissed her extra from her Daddy.

The Race We Run

My baby Mae is 7 1/2 months old. She is the joy of my life and the most beautiful little baby I've ever seen. She enjoys to sing, chew on her finge rs and toes, kick her legs while flailing her arms, take baths and eat banana cereal.
She does not like veggies, going to sleep on her own, and getting dressed. She is still very tall but she is getting chubbier, which we just love. She is still wearing 0-3 months size. She looks like both of us but I think more like her daddy. When we ask her questions, she shakes her head no. Not that she has any idea what it means but it sure is funny.
Being a mom is an interesting thing. I will speak for myself but I feel as if I've just entered a competition with Mabel. To see how "advanced" she is compared to the average baby, friends babies, and any other baby.
Mother's are always asking when they did what and are quick to brag about the things their baby did really early on. I'm totally guilty of this. We are proud of our little babies and we love every little thing they accomplish.
Now, Mabel still can't sit up on her own. She has a bumbo and we practice sitting all the time but she just doesn't feel like doing it yet. It's completely normal for a baby to learn to sit anywhere between 6-9 months but everyone else's baby is sitting and even crawling! I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes I'm embarrassed that Mae isn't sitting yet. Not because I'm embarrassed by her but because I feel like it reflects back on me as a bad mom. Like, I'm not doing everything I should to get her to sit up. Someone recently told me, "well my baby sat up bu 6 months because we got her a bumbo and we practiced with her all the time." Does that mean that she is a better mother?
I'm going to try not to force Mabel into things before she is ready and when she gets older, I'm not going to force her into things she doesn't want to do just because I want her to be accomplished. I can understand that moms have big dreams for their kids and they want them to reach their potential but I don't want to make her feel like she has to be perfect or that she's any less of a person or any less loved just because she has different tastes and talents.
I'll get off my soap box now.



This is a little video of Mae dancing while Aunt Elise sings in Spanish. :)