So much to be thankful for..

Thanksgiving day is here, and I am reminded of the many things that I have, which I am truly thankful for. So numerous are my blessings, in fact, that it would be impossible to list them all, literally. But, I would like to list some of them, because I feel, given the holiday, it's only appropriate.

• I am thankful for my husband, my eternal companion. I'm thankful for the hard work and many hours he puts in with work, school, and his church calling, in order to bless us as a family, and how he does it all without a single solitary complaint. He truly puts us first, and is always so willing to help someone in need, no matter what, and I truly admire and respect that about him. He worthily holds and honors the Priesthood, which is the greatest blessing to our little family. I  love that if I feel like I'm in need of a blessing, or if I feel Diana is, that I can ask my husband and he's ready to go, no matter when, no matter what. Most of all, I'm thankful that he's mine for all eternity. I love you, Mike.
• I am thankful for my beautiful daughter. Yes, I complain here and there about her driving me completely insane, but the truth is, I see so much of me in her and I'm afraid of her becoming like me. I want her to be better than me, to be able to easily overcome the obstacles I still face, to be strong, confident, and blessing to everyone she meets. She's beautiful, incredibly intelligent, so funny, and so very loving. How could I possibly be so lucky to be blessed with such an angel? She truly is a joy and one of THE GREATEST blessings I have ever or will ever receive. One day she will make some incredibly lucky young man the happiest man on earth, and her children will be equally blessed, because she will truly be the best mother...I can already tell by her mannerisms as she plays with her dolls and interacts with those around her, especially babies. She's a wonderful girl and I'm anxious to see the woman she will become.
• I am so thankful to be pregnant again with our little Daniel. So much I have seen people struggle to have children, whether its having just one more, having their first, or trying to hang on to the one they're pregnant with. It scares me to see so much loss and sorrow, and I cry for the people close to me who struggle when I think of their pain, I really do. I know how completely and utterly lucky and blessed I am to be able to have children, and healthy pregnancies on top of that. I'm so lucky that my biggest problem during pregnancy is how much weight I gain. I feel so blessed that my Heavenly Father trusts me with his special little spirits, and I feel inadequate every night when I fall asleep listing off all I did wrong that day and how I could have been a better mother. Having children is truly one of God's GREATEST gifts to us, and I'm so thankful for it, more than I could ever express.
• I'm thankful to live in this modern day and age. Yes, there is a lot of evil in this present world, and a lot that makes me scared for my childrens' future, but there are blessings that come along with living in this time too. Technology...that has to be the greatest one. Our ability to communicate quickly and efficiently with one another, to express our thoughts and feelings to the world in a matter of seconds, to be able to stay on top of the latest developments in the world as they happen. I know how people could see these as a disadvantage, but I think of times when there are natural disasters, and moments after it happens, the whole world knows it happened and what exact area was affected, making it possible for aide to be rushed to that location asap.  I think of the ability to spread the Gospel through the simple sharing of my testimony through my blog, my Facebook, etc.  I think of the greater ease which is created in order to more quickly and efficiently do our ancestral work. Heavenly Father gave us technology for our benefit, and sadly with all good must come an equal amount of evil..its our job to combat that evil and learn to keep ourselves far from it.
• On a similar note, I'm thankful for modern medicine. I'm especially grateful since I have to have c-sections with all my children, and so do 2 of my older sisters. I think that if I was born a few hundred years ago, my mom would have lost three daughters to childbirth.  I think of all the medical advances we have made...vaccines, medicine, medical procedures...people don't think twice now about diseases that a hundred years ago would have killed hundreds of people. We women have a special connection with modern medicine....it has made childbirth more bearable. I'm referring to the magical epidural. I think of people like my mom who had all 11 of her children with no pain medication, because it wasn't reliable enough to use without great risk of some serious complications back then. I think, how the crap did they do it? I didn't even have my daughter vaginally, but the labor pains were bad enough.  I know people like to complain about our societies dependence on medication, but like I said before, there must be opposition in all things....there must be abuse and faults to balance out the wonderful benefits of modern medication. I know people are seeking to find natural remedies as an alternative to medication, but to them I say, its so unnecessary.  God gave us the knowledge to create these medications for our benefit. If we use them correctly, they can help us more than any natural remedy could.
• I'm thankful for my family...my extended family. My mom and dad, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews...they all show so much love for one another and love for me, my husband, and my daughter, and I love to see that.  Sure we all fight and argue from time to time, but I know that it's because we love each other and are concerned about each other's welfare.  I say that if we didn't fight, it would show a great lack of love and caring.  We are a very tight-knit family, and we are so blessed to have that connection. You don't often see families with such close bonds, it truly is a blessing.  I'm also thankful for my husband's family.  I never express to them my love for them, and it isn't right of me.  I'm grateful for the way they raised Michael, for the perfect man he has become because of their love and teaching.  I'm so thankful for the way they love Diana and pamper her and give her all the love, gifts, and attention that she could possibly need and want. I'm thankful for all they do for us, and for their love for one another.
• Finally, I want to say I'm thankful to be a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ, I follow His teachings and pray in his name. I love the Gospel. I love the knowledge, truth, joy, and endless blessings it brings into my life. I love that I have another brother out spreading this Gospel on a mission because he has an unshakable testimony that what we are taught is true, 100%. I'm grateful for my knowledge that families can be together forever, that those we lose in this life, we will get to see again when we die. I'm grateful to be sealed to my family, both my to my husband and all our children, and to my extended family, so that we can all be together throughout eternity.  I'm thankful for temple work, and the ability to do proxy work for those who have passed on without a knowledge of the Gospel, giving them the opportunity, if they wish, to accept it and join their families who have accepted and lived worthily in the Celestial Kingdom. Most of all, I'm grateful for the sacrifice of my Savior. I'm grateful that he thought of me specifically as he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. That he felt every pain and trial I  have and will go through in this life. That he bled at every pore, great drops of blood, in agonizing pain,  so that I could repent from every stupid mistake I make and return to live with Him and my Father in Heaven. I'm thankful for the endless love He has for me, as my brother, to want to pay the ultimate price for me. And I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father, for this great plan he has given us, and for the endless blessings which I receive daily, which I will never deserve.

There truly is so much to be thankful for, and I'm grateful there's a time of year dedicated to helping us remember what those things are. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

My Polite Monster

So, yesterday, Diana was driving me a bit crazy. She was finally past the worst of her cold (no fever, no runny nose, BARELY any congestion) and therefore had LOOOTS of energy again. With that energy, she decided to test me and teach me a couple of things.
I was trying to get her dressed, which, if you know my child, is a HUUUUUGE ordeal. She hates getting dressed. She loves to pick out her clothes, she loves to dress herself, but if you try to do it, good luck to you. She runs and screams and hides in the tight spaces between our nightstands and bed. It pretty much drives me insane and I dread dressing her every day. Anywho, I was trying to get her dressed and she proceeded with her all-to-predictable tantrum. I was trying to get her to come out from between Daddy's nightstand and the bed, and was using the good ol' stern voice and counting to three, when suddenly Diana throws a finger up in the air in my direction and waits for me to stop talking. She then rubs her chest (sign language for "please") and says, "Pweeeee!". Annoyed, I said, "PLEASE??" to which she replied, with a huge grin, "Yeah" and skipped happily toward me, knowing she'd just won that fight. Lame.
Then later, we were getting ready to leave (I had to pick some things up from the store for dinner later on that night) and I said "Let's go" and started to text Daddy who had just sent me a text asking me something. As I'm responding, I realize I'm hearing Diana in the background singing "The Cleanup Song" as she picks up the huge mess she had made throughout the morning in my room....and all without being asked. I about had a heart attack! My child doesn't do things without being asked at least once...and in order to get her to clean up, we have to constantly sing "The Cleanup Song" with her until the mess is all gone. The night before her daddy had gotten very upset with her because she made a huge mess with food from the pantry all over the kitchen floor and with her toys all over the living room floor. Apparently she didn't want to have Daddy upset with her again...she worships her Daddy.
Who would've thought my child would actually learn something positive from me? She always says thank you when I hand her something, she always asks please when she wants something, she always helps unload the dishwasher (And says "thank you" every time she hands us a dish), and now she's telling me to be more polite and is picking up her own messes without being asked. Hey, maybe I AM doing SOMETHING right! :)

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For...

So, I wasn't going to go in to find out what I was having until next week, just because I wanted to make sure I was far enough along that I could tell. But I went online to Miracle in Progress's website (the 3D/4D place we went to) and I saw on there that they are now advertising that they can guarantee gender checks as soon as 14 weeks (it was 15 weeks), so I jumped at the chance and secretly made an appt for Friday, October 28th, on which day I would be exactly 15 weeks. Very eager, and super-nervous that they wouldn't be able to tell, Mike, Diana and I went in Friday morning to get my sonogram. It was so wonderful to be able to see my baby for the first time, and to hear the heartbeat again after almost 8 weeks after hearing it last (and man does this baby have a strong little heartbeat!). And, they were successful, almost immediately, in detecting a gender. And, the winner is.....

That's right, we're getting a BOY this time around!! (Now, I know it doesn't look like much, but keep in mind he's only 15 weeks along in there!) We're very excited to be adding a boy to the family, although we (or atleast I) would have been happy either way. I'm so surprised I'm having a boy, although I did suspect it was a boy, only because I feel so angry this time around, and when I was pregnant with Diana I felt so sobby and emotional all the time. I know Mike's excited to have a boy coming, especially since this little guy seems to be super mellow. He basically slept during the whole ultrasound, only squirming a little bit each time he was poked and prodded, so I didn't get any fun pics of his profile, only straight-on shots, so hopefully next time I'll get to see what he looks like from the side.
So, we announced the gender last night to my family @ my annual Family Halloween Party by hiding THIS ultrasound photo somewhere in the house and making everyone go on a mad hunt for it:

Does something seem wrong with this photo? Like, maybe the fact that it's hard to see his junk? Well, that's because it's of our baby's face and arm. Yep, that's right, Mike asked the ultrasound tech to pretty please take a picture of our son's face and label it with "It's a boy!" to see if anyone would notice the discrepancy. Ironically, no one said anything last night, so either people didn't notice or they didn't get the joke. Darn. The thought was funny.

Well, there it is, Steadman Baby #2 is going to be a boy, so now we have a complete set. We're totally excited and I'm so excited to eventually get a better look at what this little man will really look like. :)

PS, congrats to everyone who was smart enough to know I was having a boy, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back :)

What's it gonna be?

Okey dokey, All, it's time to guess what baby #2 is going to be! I did a poll on my blog when I was pregnant with Diana and I loved seeing what people thought she was going to be, so I'm doing it again this time. The only difference is, I'll be listing the differences and similarities between this pregnancy and my first, to try to aide in your guessing. When you're done reading, feel free to vote: the poll is at the upper right hand side of this blog.

So here's what's happening this time around: I've been super nauseous, and I was also with Diana. I mean, like, so sick I want to die. Luckily, I never throw up, but I've been darn close several times. The only difference is that this time I'm on prescription meds for the nausea and it's still wicked. Oh, and watching too much tv also seems to make me nauseous. And by too much, I mean more than an hour or two of sitting, even being on the computer or phone produces the same results. It's weird and annoying, especially considering my constant fatigue (you'll read more about that later).
I've also already started with the massive heartburn, and this time around it's set off not only by spicy foods, but also by too much dairy (And for those who know me well, my daily food intake consists of like 80% dairy). I've had heartburn since I was 16 (yes, like massive heartburn that would leave me doubled over crying so hard I couldn't breathe, and all since the sweet age of 16), so when I got pregnant with Diana, I noticed a nice hiatus from the heartburn for a few months....I actually didn't notice the evil acid reflux until I was in the second half of my pregnancy, as I was getting fatter. Getting it already (I've had it for about a week or two, and I'm 11 weeks along) is a very unwelcomed occurance. Unfortunately for me, as before, Pepcid helps, but it doesn't tame the beast, so the only thing I can do is sleep it off, if I can sleep. If this heartburn continues, it's going to be a looooong road.
When I was pregnant with Diana, I was emotional. Like, super-weepy emotional. Everything made me cry, from cheesy tv commercials to movies to kind gestures. This time, I'm kind of the opposite...Everything makes me want to rip everyone's head off. I feel like the Hulk is trapped in my body, it's horrible. Mike did something totally innocent and unoffensive the other day, but guess what it did to my mood? Shot it into the bowels of Hell, and I felt fire rage in my eyes and in my soul. Yes, all over something that no one would think twice about. Luckily for him, and for me, I kept it locked up inside. The poor guy gets picked on enough without me jumping on his back for nothing. PLUS, he's done EVERYTHING for me this time around, so he REALLY doesn't deserve to be treated any way other than AWESOME.
This time around, every single smell repulses me. I'm pretty sure this happened with Diana, but it seems so much worse this time. Certain perfumes & colognes, foods, even peoples' own natural scents seem to make me want to yack all over the place. No joke. My own house smells like a dumpster to me, and it seems no matter how many glade plug-ins I use, I can't get rid of the stench. Time to get some Scentsy waxes!
Also, like last time, this time hot dogs (the look, smell, sight, or even thought of them) makes me wretch and heave. But this times I have another food to add to the list....EGGS. Oh my gosh, I can't eat anything that has visible egg in it. Luckily, I'm ok eating things like cookies and cakes, just no breakfast burritos or scrambled eggs. BLECH!
AAAAAAND, like last time, I've been SOOOOOOOOOO exhausted this time around. Like, I could sleep all night and STILL need a 5 hour nap in the middle of the day. The trouble is, by the time Diana goes down for a nap, I have just enough energy that I literally can't sleep. Very miserable. So, I usually spend my days roaming my house like a zombie, it's delightful. I'm really hoping that once the first trimester is over, I get some of my energy back like last time....hoping being the key word.

That's pretty much all the major happenings with this pregnancy. Mike and I are hoping to find out what we're having when I'm about 15 weeks - we're going to go to a 4D ultrasound place that I heard of from a friend where they guarantee gender results starting @ 15 weeks - so I'm hoping to know by the first week in November. Therefore, you all have until then to guess. HAPPY VOTING! :)

No Joke!

It's true! Steadman Baby#2 is on the way! I'm due on April 20th, 2012 and am currently 11 weeks along. I've been sooo sick this time, although I was soooo sick with Diana too, so I guess it's really nothing new, it's just so bothersome. My doc had to prescribe me nausea medication this time, and it has helped a lot, it just doesn't eliminate my nausea, unfortunately. Luckily, i should only have about 3-5 more weeks of nausea until I'm completely passed that stage, and I'm soooooo excited to get over the nausea! Other than that, everything is going great with this pregnancy and my belly is already popping out all over the place! I'm excited to be giving Diana a sibling and buddy to play with, it will be so good for her, I know it. I'm really excited to find out what I'm having this time, so Mike and I decided that at 15 weeks we're going in to a 4D ultrasound place to find out the gender early, because honestly, i can't wait longer than that! We've taught Diana to point to my tummy when we ask "where's the baby?" and she's now gotten to the point where she'll point to my tummy on her own and say "baby!" She loves babies so much, I'm so excited to have another one in my home, although I know it's going to be a LOT of work!

I'm so excited to be able to share this news with everyone now! We tried for 4 months before we got pregnant with this one. Yes, four months is not long at all, and we are extremely blessed to be able to have another, but it was very hard waiting even 4 months, especially because Diana happened so quickly. Again, Mike and I feel truly blessed and fortunate for the opportunity to have another child, and I thank my Heavenly Father each morning and night for this wonderful new gift, as well as for my sweet Diana, who brings me many laughs and tears. I'm so excited!!

By the way, the picture was done by (and completely the idea of) my oh-so-awesome sister-in-law, Ally! She's truly talented and I'm so thankful she's related to me!! :)

18 months

Diana turned 18 months on August 26th, and is now a serious "big girl"! So much has been going on with her lately, here are her updates:

• She's in Nursery now. She started three weeks ago (they took her a week early-YAY!) and unfortunately (for her) has not been doing as well as I thought. I thought she'd take to it like a fish to water, but apparently since it's RIGHT during nap time, she's a bit of an emotional wreak. Example: they were playing a game where everyone would put a ball in the bucket and then the teacher would dump them back out. Well, apparently when the teacher dumped them back out, Diana had a serious meltdown, do they nixed that game and kindly let Diana put as many toys in the bucket as her little heart desired. Sheesh! I know that with time things will get better and she'll have no problems.
• She's now in a "big girl bed". We switched her crib to a toddler bed three days ago and it was the best decision we could make! I thought for sure that she wouldn't stay in bed, that she'd find some way to fall out, and basically that I would be regretting it...but it was the exact opposite! She acts just like a big girl in her bed. When it's time to go to sleep, she's good and stays in bed. I thought this was because she's used to the crib so didn't realize she could get in and out as she pleased, but not so...the other night, about 10 minutes after I put her down, I went to check on her and she was sound asleep in her bed. As I was leaving, though, I noticed a few extra toys in her bed. Apparently, she felt that I didn't give her the right toys to sleep with, so took it upon herself to go get the correct toys and hop back into bed. This girl seriously makes me laugh, when she's not driving me up the wall!
• She says over 40 words (and does 7 sign language signs), and so well! The only hitch is that she still decides that there are times (many times) when she'd rather not say any real words at all and would rather say a bunch of gibberish or monkey noises to get her point across. She is very ADD, so she gets impatient many times and doesn't want to take the time to use her words to get her point across, and with me being ADD, it drives me crazy. Oh well, I know she'll eventually abandon her make believe words forever, but for now I need to learn to just be patient.
• She loves to point to her belly button, her eye, and her nose. She also points to her bottom and says "pee pee" when she needs to go #1 and/or #2. She says poo poo, but likes to say pee pee instead to label her southern bodily functions. Unfortunately, she's a curious girl and likes to try to look down our shirts and point to our privates through our clothes, declaring "pee pee!". We're still trying to teach her not to touch other's special parts and not to show people hers. Yikes. She also likes finding ours and other's belly buttons. She loves belly buttons.
• We're still trying the potty training, though unfortunately not with enough zeal to get the job done. I admit I don't put her on as much as I should. I have the bad habit of getting distracted and forgetting. She does ok on the potty (she used to do better, and actually is starting to do much better), but we still have our work cut out for us. She's pee pee'd many times on the potty, and yesterday, for the very first time, she went #2 on the potty! We were SO proud of her, and she seemed pretty proud too, though a little freaked out at first. We're hoping this, along with many other things she does, is a sign that things will change for the better soon in the area of potty training. She really is so ready, she's just a little stubborn, so it's been tough!
• Her personality has really blossomed 10-fold. If she doesn't like the noise, or what you're listening to, or how loud you're being, she'll stick her fingers in her ear. She role-pays more with her toys and dolls, like she's in her own little world. She lays in bed with them at night, laughing and telling them stories before she finally passes out. She teaches them to wave "hi" and "bye" to others. She makes her toy monkey jump around and make monkey noises, and then she laughs at him. She gets a million more times animated when she talks, and she's always been super-animated when she talks, flailing her hands and arms about and scrunching her face. Now she adds a lot of puckered-lip talking, a lot of staring at you from the corner or bottom of her eye as she tilts her head away from you, and she does a lot of cheesy, fake laughter as she dramatically slaps both hands over her mouth and leans forward, like she just told the best joke ever.
• She had her first experience of talking on the phone with Daddy the other day. He was working late and she was being a crab because of it. On his way home, Mike called to let me know he was on his way and why he had to work two hours late that night. As I was talking to him, he heard Diana full-on freaking out in the background, so he asked to speak to her, and the moment she heard his voice she got the biggest smile on her face and immediately stopped crying. Apparently, she was just missing her Daddy. Now, she likes to take my phone from me when I'm not using it, put it to her ear and say "Hiiiiii!" and have big, long, gibberish conversations with the imaginary Daddy on the other line. It's so sweet, I can't help but laugh. She so loves her Daddy most!
• She can dress herself, all by herself, and she's pretty good at it too! Now, she's not a pro, she still needs help getting everything in the right place, but she's almost to the point that she doesn't need my help at all anymore. AWESOME! Oh, and she LOOOOOVES to dress herself, always has. When I ask her what she would like to wear every morning, she runs over to her closet, puts her hand to her mouth and says "ummmmmmmmmm..", like she's about to make a REALLY hard decision. ;)
• She loves the color pink, dresses, her swimsuit, and shoes. Ah yes, she is SUCH a shoe girl. She likes to try to put them on herself, and she likes to try to put everyone else's shoes on too and stomp around in them. I'm convinced she likes shoes because they mean she's going somewhere. She likes pink, and I don't know why. Her room is mint green, cream, and chocolate brown, I hate the color pink, but somehow she always wants the pink clothes, the pink toys, pink, pink pink. Man, she so does NOT get that from me! She always wants to wear a dress, and not just a dress, but her fancy church ones, and in the middle of the week. It's fun telling her 'no, those are for Sunday' and having her scan her clothes a million times, but still go back to those dresses at least 5 more times, like maybe I'll magically change my mind. She does the same with her swimsuit, and every once in a blue moon I'll relent and let her have her way, since she goes through about 3-4 outfits each day, as she's a very messy girl.
• She's developed an unfortunate habit of kicking and thinking it's hilarious. Her cousin is a rough kid and likes to play with her sometimes when we get together to eat, and through their playing she's picked this fun little habit up. We're having a really hard time teaching her its not ok and it's DEFINITELY NOT funny to kick others, especially not in the face. I have a feeling we've got a long way to go.
• She definitely in the middle of her terrible twos, although she's still many months away from actually being two. She throws horrible, HORRIBLE tantrums when she can't have her way, she flails around and slaps me repeatedly, she throws herself on the ground and screams "NO, MOM! NO!!". Its humiliating for me, as well as frustrating. We're working on a solution for discipline, as these tantrums almost always happen in public, and conventional discipline tactics don't work for my child. Another long, long road.
• She still LOVES babies, puppies, and kitties, and gives them all kisses and loves whenever she sees one. She still loves to wear jewelry and parade around once she has it on.
• She's a pro at using silverware when she eats, and has found that her new favorite breakfast is a big bowl of oatmeal.
• She is a pro at drinking out of a cup and very much prefers it to a sippy cup.
• She still loves to go for walks, whether she's in the stroller or walking along with us (or, should I say, waaay in front of us).
• Her favorite things to do are going to Smith's or Target and watching Cartoons (oh, and being a drama queen, too).
• She still loves to bush and style everyone's hair, including her own.
• She loves to sit down on the baby potty when Mommy sits on the big potty.
• She loves to help do laundry, load and unload the dishwasher, and sweep the floors.
• She still loves to walk around on her tip toes, to dance to everything, to brush her teeth, and to play on the computer.
• She likes to climb up on the piano bench when Mommy's playing and play along.
• She still loves car rides.
• She's getting SO much hair!
• She still LOVES showers and baths
• She LOVES and insists on receiving head, foot, and back massages. She'll go so far as to pick your hands up and place them on the area that she wants massaged, and if you don't massage her, she flips out. Yes, I know, so subtle and polite.
• She loves to get right up in your face and smirk at you with a super-cheesy smile until you smile back.
• She still loves to give kisses and snuggle for no reason at all.
• She has 12 teeth now, and teething has NOT been kind to us.
• When she gets angry, she hits her own face. This habit really bugs me and hurts my feelings, but for some reason she does it every time she gets super-angry.
• She likes to gross me out and stick her fingers in her nose until I say "ewww!" and then she bursts out in hysterical laughter.
• Her most favorite bed-time book is the "Belly Button Book".
• She still loves to play Angry Birds on my phone and still laughs hysterically whenever the birds make a huge mess.
• She's still a major drama queen and loves to turn on the waterworks whenever she gets a chance. But, she's still my most favorite little drama queen ever!!!

Diana Updates

Yes, yes, always about Diana...but hey, do you REALLY want to hear about me?? I didn't think so.

*She started saying a bunch of new words about 2 weeks ago..this is huge for her, because for the longest time the only things she would say were "Mama" "Dada" "All Done" and "Hi/Bye". Her new words include: water, stairs, bird, who's that, what, yeah, don't, baby, airplane. She's saying more words, but we haven't quite figured out what they mean yet.

*She can sign "eat" and "drink". This is as new as her new words, and it melts my heart to see her use them correctly. Yes, I know she's way too old to be learning sign language as a "new" thing, but considering the fact that our child usually screams and hits to try to get something she wants, this is a HUGE step for our little ADD girl!

*She's taken a big liking to bikes and other ride-on/ride-in objects. She'll steal them from other children or try to take them home with us from the store, but when mommy and daddy say no, she loses it...big time.

*She loves to swing, it's one of her new favorite things.

*She loves to eat the veggies straight out of our garden.

*She loves to dress herself...I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but she loves it..and not just picking out her own clothes, but putting them on, too!

*She loves jewelry, it's a new fetish of hers to wear bracelets, anklets, and necklaces. She's very much a girly-girl.

*Speaking of girly-girl, Diana prefers to wear dresses and skirts...she doesn't get that from me!!

*Diana eats ALL OF THE TIME, and ironically remains in the 25% for her weight...I'm so happy for her!

*Diana has been more willing to give kisses to Mommy and Daddy and even other family without being asked....she actually tried to kiss one of the Young Men in our ward that she likes (he's always talking to her and playing with her like a big brother), but he was sweet and asked her for a hug instead (good boy!!)

*When Diana wants to give you a kiss, she makes an "Mmmmmmmmm!" noise and she puckers up her lips.

*She's gotten one of her molars and is currently getting her second top one, and therefore has been sleeping pretty horribly for the past couple of weeks.

*Diana loves showers WAY more than baths, which is amazing considering how much she LOVES baths.

*Diana's favorite color is Pink. Yes, Pink. I said she was a girly-girl...she SOOO doesn't get that from me!

*Diana refers to most animals as "birds", but there are times when she has her own special word for an animal that she'll say over and over, which, of course, we have no idea what she's really saying.

*She's still a major chatterbox (she gets that from BOTH parents, although I will admit it mostly comes from me) and will talk your ear off if you start up a conversation with her (if you don't believe me, try it).

*She started boycotting the potty several weeks ago and the only places she'll pee with her diaper off is on the bathroom floor and in the bath (yum!). So, we're still encouraging the toilet (with lollipops), but we're not forcing it on her...we don't want potty training to backfire on us.

*She's started to get way more into her movies and shows...when a tense part comes and/or people start to get worked up or shout, she screams at the screen and throws her arms up and down angrily. And, when a funny part comes up, even if it's only mildly funny, she laughs hysterically at the tv and at me. She's a ham.

*She tries to sing along with music.

*She still loves her fruits and veggies, but has developed a great love of candy (surprise, surprise)

*She can do (some of) the hand movements for "Popcorn Popping" [she does the "I looked out the window" and "popcorn popping" parts].

*A few months ago she learned to "patty cake", "roll it and roll it", "mark it with a 'D'" to 'Patty Cake'.

*Mike has taught her that when he counts "1", "2", and "3" she needs to stop doing what she's doing wrong, and if he gets the "3", she's in HUGE trouble. She's SO obedient when we use this that he can usually get her to stop by simply saying "1" in a stern voice. This is literally the only way we can effectively discipline her.

*Diana loves to be outside and would play outside ALL DAY if I let her.

*Loud noises, like the air conditioning unit turning on, freak her out beyond belief...this is new, like, over the past 2-3 weeks.

*She loves airplanes and will point and say "airplane!" every time she hears one, and then will wave and say "bye bye" as they fly away.

*She's been going through another clingy phase which started when Mike left for his week long scout camp. Even if I walk from one room to the next or go downstairs (even for a second) without her, she flips out and screams until I come back.

*Diana leaned a month or so ago to WALK down the stairs by herself, but since Mike went on his week-long campout, she refuses to go down the stairs without help. We're hoping this phase passes VERY soon.

*Diana discovered popsicles (not otterpops, which she HAS had before) and she LOVES them! And, she eats them just like Mommy...by big bites with her front teeth! This makes daddy cringe. :)

*Diana's given me a back massage twice before (thanks for teaching her, Daddy!). Granted, they only lasted 5 seconds each, but they still count!

*Diana LOVES having her ears cleaned...sadly, she's learned to locate q-tips and stick them in her ears while twisting them. She also sticks her fingers in her ears. Apparently, it feels good.

She's our silly little drama queen..and I wouldn't have her any other way!!!

Diana Lately

My little Diana is getting so big, I can't get over it. In two months from this coming Sunday, she'll be in Nursery. For the longest time I was counting down the days until she went into Nursery, but now, the thought makes me sad. I've gotten to the point where, despite her tantrums and hyperactivity, she's become my pal, and I've gotten use to tailoring my every moment around her. I know I'll cry the day she goes in...I'll be the annoying parent that peeks through the window 5 million times, just to make sure she's doing fine....which, of course, she will be. She won't miss me, I know it. She'll run in and enjoy the company of the tons of other kids and she won't even look back. I know it. It makes me sad just thinking about it, so I'll move on..

Today we went in for Diana's 15 month appt (although she's only days away from turning 16 months), and all is well. She's 20 lbs, 12 oz, 32" tall. She's in the 25th percentile for her weight and the 75th percentile for her height. This makes me very happy! She's right on schedule...these have always been her percentiles. I love the thought of having a tall, skinny girl...like my younger sister, the "supermodel", as we call her. :) The Doc said her tantrums and hitting is perfectly normal (greeeeaaaaaaat....), he didn't say when it's all suppose to stop, so I'm taking that as a bad sign. Unfortunately, he said that since she's not saying lots of words, just lots and lots and lots of babbles, she's being too lazy and that we need to work harder with her and make her try harder to say words, which, he said, means.... MORE TANTRUMS! YAAAAY!!!!!!!!! Oh man oh man, I don't know if I can handle MORE tantrums....we'll see, I guess. I feel really sad though that she's behind language-wise. I feel like a bad parent, like I don't sit and play with her enough...like maybe I let her watch too much tv....like maybe I need to make more play dates and teach her WAY more. It's such a horrible, worthless feeling, I hate it. SO, this means I'll be spending even less time cleaning and other things and WAY more time with my little one. MEH. BUT, other than that, Doc says she's doing fabulous and she looks super healthy. It's been so very long since I've written about Diana's accomplishments or growth, so I'm not sure where to start, so I'll just write what I think of. Here's what she's up to:

*She talks...all the time...but rarely real words. But she DOES know what she's saying, though she's the only one that knows.

*She climbs on EVERYTHING and she's a pro at it. She's always getting a new bruise or scrape somewhere.

*She still loves her Daddy best and gets SOOOOO excited when he comes home.

*She loves to dress herself...LOVES.

*She loves jewelry and LOVES to put it on. SUCH a girl.

*She loves her baby dolls. She has 11 of them and knows them all apart from each other. She has an absolute favorite one...the one she got from my Mom for her first birthday. Ironically, it was the 4th baby doll she received, but for some reason it is still her favorite.

*She loves being outside...she would live outside if I let her. Seriously.

*She loves going on hikes and she can actually walk the hikes all on her own, no need for carrying. She's a trooper!

*She still loves going to the store and going out to see people.

*Her personality is really blossoming...she is SO social and she always says "hi" to everyone we pass by when we go out. Literally, everyone.

*She LOVES real babies and can't help but kiss them and love on them over and over and over again. Yes, she needs a sibling, I know.

*She needs my attention and my affection more and more every day. Today she was being very ornery and cranky (obviously needing my attention for some reason), so I lost my temper and shouted at her, and the look on her face broke my heart. She just stared at me, very shocked at my response and then just stood there and cried, obviously scared by my reaction. I immediately ran to her and hugged her an apologized. I felt like the worst person in the world at that moment.

*She has 9 teeth and uses them all to their fullest extent.

*She eats like a bottomless pit...there seriously are extremely few moments in the day where she is NOT eating. She's definitely her father's child (Love you, Mike!).

*Her new loves are slurpees and lollipops, although nothing could replace her love for chocolate.

*Her Daddy taught her a GREAT trick.......if you hand her an oreo, she'll immediately pull it open and eat the cream out of the middle..and then very slowly (if at all) nibble on the rest. Note, she hasn't always done this. She use to eat the oreos whole until she witnessed Daddy doing it the fun way one time, and now that's the only way she'll eat them.

*When she gets mad, she claps her hands or wags her finger at you as she shouts.

*She finally learned to WALK down the stairs a few weeks ago. I guess she finally got tall enough that she was able to do it without falling, so now we can leave the gates open on the stairs (YAY!). We had to keep them closed before because she refused to go up and down the stairs the right way, she always only wanted to walk like a big kid, but could never do it on her own without falling. I'm so glad she finally got big enough to do it on her own!

*She LOVES to brush everyone's hair. LOVES. If she walks up to you with a brush, you better bend down immediately and let her brush your hair or you'll get beaten in the leg with that brush. Remember, she has no patience...like her mommy. YAY!

*She's still SOOOOO ADD and can't sit still for anything. All her ADD symptoms show daily and it's a challenge for me to overcome my own ADD in order to work with her and try to teach her to cope with hers.

*She LOVES mommy's garden and will frequently eat food out of it on her own. I'm so glad she loves fruits and vegetables.

*She loves to have her head, feet, hands, back, shoulders, and legs rubbed and scratched. She'll actually literally take my hands and place them on her head or on her feet and sit there and wait for me to scratch or massage, and if I don't, all Hell brakes loose. Thanks for that habit too, Daddy! ;)

*She's getting SO good at using a fork and spoon, I love it! Although, she DOES still make an awful mess.

*She's still learning to drink out of a cup. She's pretty good at it, but she gets too anxious and occasionally spills her water all over her.

*She says "all done" when she's done eating......and when she wants to go outside....and when we get to the store and she wants out of the car......and when she wants me to put her down........and for a few other things. SO, I guess the doctor is right, we do need to work with her...

*When you say "ewwww" she'll stick her finger WAY up her nose and laughs.

There's so much more, but I can't think of anything else, so that will be it for now. I love my baby girl. She can be a huge pain at times, but I really wouldn't have her any other way!

Here's to Mothers

Today has been such a wonderful day. I woke up to pancakes, a daughter that was all smiles and non-stop talking, I received two wonderful gifts from my husband (a gift certificate for a massage and another for a cut, highlight, deep-condition, & style, mani-pedi, and lip and brow wax), I was granted a wonderful, peaceful, uninterrupted shower, and got to enjoy sacrament meeting at church. After coming home less than an hour ago with a baby who passed out only a few minutes after I loaded her into the car, I enjoyed a quite lunch reflecting on mothers. Being a mother myself to a beautiful, very energetic, VERY ADD little girl, I understand what all those poems, all those stories, all those anecdotes are all about. The ones about a mother sacrificing their sleep to comfort a child who woke up from a nightmare The ones about a mother eating last, after her food is cold or her cereal is soggy, just so she can make sure her child or children are fed and have what they need. The one about the mother, who when it comes time to serve a pie with 6 slices to her family of 7 declares that she never really cared for pie. As any mother can tell you, and as I fully know now, those stories are all too true.

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm an awfully selfish and attention-grubbing person. And, as they can tell you again, this time with astonishment, I'm also married to the most loving, attentive, unselfish man I have ever met or even heard of. My husband is one of those men you hear about in women's fantasies...the man who helps around the house, who plays with the kids to give mommy a break, who gives his wife a nice, relaxing massage without even making it known that he had the most horrible, stressful day at work, the man who will walk through the door after a long day and see his wife in sloppy clothes, her hair undone with no makeup on, and he'll promptly walk up to her, kiss her and declare how beautiful she looks today....the kind of man who never fails to tell me what a wonderful mother he thinks I am, even when I know I'm not. With a husband like this, everyday is like a "Mother's Day" to me. But at this time, my mind is drawn to those close to me (and even those whom I've never met) who aren't as blessed as I am. Those single mothers of young children who don't have anyone to shower them with thanks, knowing the significance of the day, those mothers married to men who proclaim that they aren't doing anything for their wife on Mother's Day because she isn't their mother, and those mothers who have thankless children who use and mock, and even neglect her on her special day, rather than thanking her for the countless years she loved and cared for them. These are the mothers that I can't help but think of, with much sadness, but even more gratitude for their silent determination to continue to push forward as a mother, never complaining, never slacking. Being a mother can be a very thankless job. I've known of husbands who scold their wives when they come home to a less-than-perfect home, saying that being a mother isn't THAT hard and they should always have everything in order. I'm here to say being a mother is the most difficult, taxing, never-ending job ever to be placed upon mankind....but I also want to say that it is the most fulfilling, gratifying, glorious job a woman could be blessed with.

Though a mother is not paid in cash, she's paid in things far better; hugs, kisses, "I love you"'s, and so much more. A mother gets her payment every time her child obeys, every time her child excels at something, every time her child wants her for comfort above everyone else, every time her child randomly shows affection or declares, "Mommy, I love you." No other payment could be as satisfying, more as worth it, as those.

I would like to close with a tribute to my mother, who spent 40 years of her life raising her own 11 children. My mother was, and still is, an extraordinary mother. Though she had so many children to care for, my mother always made sure that she was involved. She was the Class Parent for all of us kids almost every year. She was involved in the PTA at all of our schools. She ran our Elementary School carnival every year. She was involved in our athletic pursuits. She was involved in selling school shirts and providing equipment at my older brother's high school football games. She would come to every single one of our games. Whether it be baseball, softball, track & field, or football, she never missed a game. She never failed to cheer us on at the top of her lungs, obviously proud to be our mother. She would sacrifice many hours of precious sleep, staying up late until midnight to help us with projects, and then waking up at 4 am to make us breakfast and lunches before we headed off to school. She'd make sure to have fresh-baked cookies waiting for us when we came home from school, every single day. She would cook a large, healthy dinner for all of us every single afternoon. Being a mother of just one myself, I understand now what a tremendous, loving sacrifice she made for all those years. My mother gave up a lot to make sure we were well taken care of. But my mother's attitude about it all reflected that of Sister Marjorie Hinckley's when she said,
"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

...And that's also the way I want to be.

Diana is ONE!

That oh-so-awesome day arrived yesterday: my baby turned one. This was a relatively exciting event for me because this is my first baby and this was her very first birthday. She, of course, didn't understand the significance of the day, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. We had a party for her with all of our family packed into our tuna-can house, and it was a blast! Diana dove RIGHT into her cake and wouldn't stop eating....we actually had to take it away from her because we were afraid she was going to overeat and throw up. It was an ALL CHOCOLATE cake, topped with chocolate chips. Now, you need to understand something....my child loves chocolate. No, not just loves, more like, she can't live without it, she could smell it across the room, it's something I use to calm her when she throws an uncontrollable ADD temper-tantrum because I know it will immediately calm her down, as if I had flipped a switch in her head. Yes, my girl is a chocoholic.

So yes, all in all, it was a wonderful day. And now, I guess, I can't call her my "baby" anymore, because she's a toddler now....now THAT is weird to say!

At one year old, here is a list of her accomplishments from the last 3 months:

*She runs everywhere...of course, she took her first steps at 8 1/2 months old and was walking at 9 months old, and running very shortly after that. Thanks, Mike.

*She has become independent. Yes, she is now longer afraid to leave my side. In fact, if I don't keep a close eye on her, she'll actually run away from me (she's done this almost every Sunday at church for at least the past month and a half).

*She's developed a bashful side....and she's a flirt. Yes, yes, my girl loves boy....especially older ones (uh-oh). She works shamelessly hard to get their attention, and once she gets that attention, cue the bashful side. She lifts her shoulder up and turns her face slightly inward as she brings her cheek to her shoulder and looks up through the very top of her eyes and smiles a great big smile. Now all she needs to do is learn to flutter her eyelashes and she's got that act down pat. I'm a little afraid.

*She's been eating strictly table food since she was 9 months old, and she feeds herself every meal. Now THIS I LOVE!! My child eats slow, and she likes to observe her food, plus she's got a HUUUGE "let-me-do-it" attitude (hmmm, wonder where that comes from...), so I was SO EXCITED for this phase. And, of course, so was she. This was when the independant phase started to set in. We started letting her feed herself one meal a day (of table food, plus snacks) at about 7-8 months and worked it up to all her meals and snacks by the time she was 9 months old. Of course, this was when she was walking too, so she had gained two HUGE areas of freedom, and let me say it made her SO MUCH happier of a person. Her personality came out in a huge way, and I love it!

*She L-O-V-E-S chocolate. This has been previously stated and needs no further explanation. But let me just clarify, I am in no way exaggerating my point, and anyone who has seen her around chocolate can attest to this.

*She LOVES broccoli and other veggies. Oh yes, this part of her STILL baffles my husband. You see, he comes from a family of sugarholics who wouldn't touch a veggie with a 50-foot pole. I, on the other hand, love my veggies, especially peas and broccoli and things like that. Thankfully, she picked up my love of veggies.

*She can say (with purpose, not just babbling): MaMa, DaDa, Buh (bye), Aaay (yay), Duhee (done), Yeah (as in, 'yes'), and Baby. It's funny to hear her talk, especially when she says real things.

*SLOWLY, but surely, she's getting her hair. ...but people still think she's a boy. Meh.

*She loves to (and is very good at) backing up and sitting on everything. A book, a box, a chair, a bean bag, a toy, a cd case, Mommy's face....if it's on the floor, she'll sit on it. You've been warned.

*She gives hugs and kisses on demand, and is much more willing to give them when it's to another baby.

*She loves on and talks to her toys. She especially loves her baby dolls. She likes to grab as many toys as she can and walk aimlessly around the house with all of them, giving kisses and whispering secrets to each one. And yes, she will literally whisper.

*She is solely on straw sippers. She's been using a straw sipper since she was 4-5 months old, so at 11 months we took away all the bottles and gave her straw sippers only, and she didn't even notice.

*She still LOVES her binkies. She will hide them throughout the house and knows where they all are. Often times I'll find her walking around holding all 4 of them, literally rotating though them every minute or two.

*She loves walking around the store. She gets angry when I put her in the cart, but have to when I shop alone with her or else she runs away (as I stated in the beginning). When we go to the store with Daddy, we let her walk around and she has a blast!

*Sadly, she is still allergic to Milk/milk products.

*She's made the transition from soy formula to soy milk. YAY!! I hate formula, it stinks SO BAD.

*When she comes upon a new floor color or type, she'll pause for several seconds to analyze and make sure she can make the transition without tripping. She's apparently tripped too many time on the cracks on her Grandma Steadman's kitchen floor.

*When I get upset with her or frustrated when I'm busy doing something, she'll pause for a second, walk right up to me, wrap her arms around me, lay her head on me, and give me a big, long hug. I never stay mad long.

*She loves peekaboo. Always has. And she loves playing it with us, with people in the store, people behind us at church, people in line at restaurants....

*She loves eating dirt. It's gross. Apparently, I did it too as a kid, and I know it's pretty common for kids, but it's still freaking gross.

*She loves to bounce on my stomach, and the harder I laugh or scream, the harder she bounces. It can actually get pretty painful, but it's always so funny. That's another reason I know not to lay on the floor...if I do (and if she doesn't try to sit on my face), she'll crawl onto my stomach and start bouncing away.

*She loves her bean bad chair. We bought bean bag chairs a while back; a small hot pink one for her and a giant black one for us. She loves them both and when it's movie time, she'll sit on one or both of them.

*Her favorite movies are "Despicable Me" and "Pride and Prejudice". Although, her list of movies that she'll sit through IS expanding.

*She's got 7 teeth, going on 8. 4 on top, 3 (going on 4) on the bottom.

*Right before she gets a new tooth, she pulls on her tongue. She sticks it out and grabs it with her full hand. It looks painful, but I'm betting it's less painful than getting a new tooth.

*Bathtime is still her favorite time of the day, hands down.

*We switched her car seat to forward facing at 10 1/2 months and it was such a GREAT decision!

*She still sleeps 11 hours each night and takes 2 2-hour naps each day. We love our little sleeper!

*She loves being outside, and if she can't go outside, she will sit at the window and stare outside for several minutes on end.

*She loves trying to shower with Mommy, so Mommy has to shower when Diana naps.

*She gives "5's" and "High 5's" and blows kisses.

*She still LOVES hair. My guess is because she doesn't have any.

*She loves to clap and say "yay" when she's done something good or when others clap.

*She's learned to give us thing she knows she's not supposed to have and to put away her toys.

*She's learning to share with other babies (even without being asked), and it's so precious to watch. Although sometimes the other babies don't appreciate having snacks shoved into their mouths by my bald, smiling girl.

*She still loves to dance and although her list of dance moves has expanded, the poor thing still dances like her Daddy.

*She still loves music with all her heart, and that's still usually the only way I can teach her things.

*She is soooo ADD, poor girl. The good thing is, so am I, so I understand EXACTLY what she's going through and I know that when she freaks out when I say "no" that it's not because she's a spoiled brat.

*She still loves other babies and will follow/run up to one if she sees it.

*She has such a kind, loving heart, and is such a beautiful girl.

*AND, even though she has my nose, she looks more and more like her Daddy every day!

I LOVE YOU, DIANA!!!

Oh Teething, how I loathe thee, let me count the ways...

Ah, teething, what a horrible, yet extremely necessary, part of growth. Its so terrible that I think it's really one of those ways to test our love for our children and, more specifically, our level of patience. I mean, you have to REALLY love someone in order to wake up to their screaming at 1:30 in the morning, pick them up and love on them, take them downstairs to have some milk and watch a movie, then spend the next 2 hours in a zombie-like state while they literally climb all over you. That was last night's episode in our saga, 'Diana: The Teething Experience'. I was really ok with the climbing until she dug her foot (using her entire body weight) into my c-section incision. Yeah, that was not so pleasant.

To be fair, Diana is in a lot of pain right now, as she should be. She's got 4 teeth trying to come in all at the exact same time (3 top, 1 bottom), and I'm guessing that it's not the most luxurious experience. She's done ok with her last 6 teeth, but these current 4 seem to be a never-ending pain-fest. Don't get me wrong, she screamed and woke up in the middle of the night with each of the last 6, but those all came in one at a time, spacing themselves at least a couple of days apart from one another. With these current ones, well, lets just say I've been having a REALLY hard time deciding whether she's sick or if all this screaming and runny nose is from teething alone (although, with all the wind lately, I'm positive some is allergies). I check every day to see if they've broken through yet, to no avail, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that today's the day. All I can do until they break through is pump her full of meds and keep her occupied and happy....and understand that I won't be getting an uninterrupted night of sleep again until she's done with this current set of teeth.

What's Wrong With The World Today?

I've never been one to rant very openly about a subject. I have a very strong opinion on things, and those close to be know that, but I usually try not to through my feelings in other peoples' faces, but I can no longer hold back my feelings on things. I think it's gotten to that point in life where things are SO horrible that I simply can't sit on the sidelines anymore, I've got to jump in the game and defend my side.

I simply do NOT get people who are FOR abortion. I've heard the argument OVER and OVER..."It's MY body, I should be able to do what I want". To that I want to say: Yes, you do have rights to do things with your body, but once you've conceived a human being it's no longer about you. In this day and age there are PLENTY of methods to prevent "unwanted pregnancies"; some include condoms, birth control, and, for unmarried people, the old standby of ABSTINENCE. If you decide you want to play around and "explore" with multiple people, that's your choice. If you choose not to use a method of protection during those times, again, that's YOUR choice. But once that human is created inside of you, choosing whether or not it gets to live is NOT your choice. Hate to break it to you, but abortion is murder, no matter what stage and no matter what you call it. Zygote, fetus, baby; those are ALL human beings, even before they look like one, they are.

Back to the concept of "It's my body..." and the person seeing the baby as, sadly, an "inconvenience", my thoughts are this: If that thought process were justifiable, shouldn't I be able to kill a neighbor's dog if all it does is sit and bark all day long, waking my baby every time she sleeps and giving me headaches? Nope, I would most certainly get sued and do time in jail for that. Similarly, if I meet someone who is an annoyance to me, or makes me look bad, or is simply an "inconvenience", shouldn't I just be able to kill them so that I don't have to live with that annoyance? NOPE, because that's MURDER and most certainly against the law. But this is where I hear those whiners saying, "But, it's growing in MY body..."; listen, like I said before, that ship sailed when you decided to engage in sex, and then not use protection. Or, in cases of rape or incest; does your comfort come before someone else's life? Yes, rape and incest are horrific, disgusting things, I'm not trying to downplay that in ANY sense. But shouldn't that child, not matter how it was conceived, have a fighting chance at living? No one said you had to keep the child after it's born. If you don't want it, let someone else have it. I know many people who are unable to have kids who would do ANYTHING to have ANYONE'S "unwanted" child. Killing a human because it's inconvenience to you is wrong, no matter how small it is. Once it's created it has the right to life just the same as everyone else. Who is anyone to take that right away from it simply because the grower sees it as "unwanted"?? And, like I tried to say before, if it's illegal to kill an owl that's annoying me, or a neighbors dog that just won't shut up, then why should it be legal to kill a HUMAN? Why should animals get more rights than an unborn child? And again, YES, it IS a human upon conception, no matter what you call it. An eagle is an eagle before it hatches from its egg. An alligator is an alligator before it hatches from its egg. And the same goes for humans, no matter what your argument is, that's the truth of it.

Listen, I know people think I'm just blindly callous to this whole situation, but I know several people who have had unexpected pregnancies based on poor choices. I know some who've chosen to adopt out the child, and I know some who've chosen to keep it. Either way, they all made the right decision: letting it live. They understood that they made wrong choices and that this life was created because of their lack of responsibility, but they were intelligent enough to understand that that life they created was just as beautiful and special as their own. No one is more important than another, no matter what stage of life or development they are in. We are ALL EQUAL. In the words of Doctor Seuss, "A person's a person, no matter how small." As silly as that sounds, it's so true! If people looked at unborn babies as HUMAN rather than blobs of inconvenience, they'd most definitely change their tune. Most mothers would do anything to protect their unborn children and even born children, and yet there are women out there who would say that unless the child is "wanted" that it's nothing more than an inconvenience that they should have the right to dispose of. No one should have that right, no matter what the situation. Everyone has the right to life. Why should a defenseless, unborn baby be any different? Who are you to make that choice for them?