This Week in Mommyhood

I got sick this past week and that totally messed with me. I had little energy or motivation to do anything and, worst of all, I had little patience with the girls. I thought I was going to lose my mind out of sheer exhaustion. Getting sick is one of the worst things that can happen to me because it makes it really hard for me to keep up with just about everything. Thankfully my mother-in-law was there to help and I got to rest over the weekend. Other than that, I don't even know where to start. Elina is cute as ever but it's Cati that's blowing our minds away. The things that come out of that girl's mouth leave us asking, "Where did she learn that from?" It's so interesting to see the then-and-now with the girls. Elina is where Cati used to be and Cati is where Elina's going; it's hard to remember Cati ever being as small as Elina but it's also hard to imagine Elina ever getting as big as Cati.

Here are the other fun developments this past week:

Mama Preview. Elina's cries are starting to change from that screeching newborn cry to a robust baby cry. The best part of this change is that there's also a change in the sounds she makes while crying and she's started to cry out "mama." I can't wait until she learns how to say that. It's going to be weird to have two girls out in the world who know me as their mom.


Sisterly Love. Another moment to lock up and treasure forever: May 7, 2012 Cati looked at Elina and said, "I love you Hermana" completely unprompted.

 

Baby Smiles. Elina smiles every time she sees me! I love being a mom for this very reason; my kids light up just at the sight of me.

 

Explanations. I think the annoying why? why? why? stage is going to be upon us soon. This past week she used "porque" (because) to explain why the dog wasn't allowed to eat something and when I told her to stop being mean she asked, "que es mean?" (what is mean?).

Story of Us. Cati noticed the picture books I have of our wedding, her first year of life, and maternity pictures on our coffee table and she likes to look through them and "read" them. There's a whole story of how her parents met and fell in love and how that love led to her and her sister and I can't wait until she's old enough to really get it.

I hate being sick because I don't enjoy the girls as much as I want to but at least they forgive me. With mother's day yesterday and me having a chance to reflect on the type of mother I am and the type of mother I want to be, all I know for sure is that I want my girls to know how in love I am with them. I feel so lucky that these beautiful girls were entrusted to me.