Mom Interview

1. How old were you when your first child was born?
19

2. What month and year was your youngest child born?
January 2008

3. How did you feel when you first found out you were pregnant?
overwhelmed

4. Who did you tell first?
my mom, Corey was there when I found out

5. How many pounds did you gain during your first pregnancy?
50!!!

6. What did you crave while you were pregnant?
baked potatoes and peanut butter (probably why I gained all the weight)

7. Did you find out the gender of your first child? Why or why not?
Not with John or Jacob but the girls we found out

8. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
Jillian was transverse, so with my 4th child I had to have a C-section, they weren't able to turn her.

9. How much did your first child weigh?
John-7lbs 7oz Jacob-8lbs 12oz Julia 8lbs Jillian 7lbs

10. Was your first child early, late, or on time?
ON TIME

11. What is the most difficult challenge or health issue that any of your children have faced?
Jacob had UTI when he was 7 weeks old, had to be hospitilized-pretty scary for us ,Julia came out breathing to fast, drs thought she might have a bacterial infection but she did not, just said that she delivered so quickly that she didn't know how to breathe correctly, she was on oxygen for 36 hours, waiting for her breathing to regulate and her cultures to come back, which was really hard for us, especially Corey but my Mom was there and really helped us through it

12. What's your favorite part of being a mom?
Seeing them grow, seeing their personalities form, seeing how much they are like Corey and me but how different they are also. There are moments during the day when one or more of them will say something and I think "Oh, we did good." I love hearing them and watching them individually and together.

13. Do you think it's easier to be a mom or a dad?
I think both jobs are pretty hard. I don't let on to Corey that his job is hard but I would hate to leave everyday and miss out on those things that go on in their life. He works and even though he is here a lot he does miss out on things that I can only tell him about, just not the same. I would say my job is very hard too. There are days that I feel like the score is MOM 1 and KIDS 4 and they are jumping up and down saying,"WE WON!! WE WON!!!! but it is very satisfing and those bad days never linger for long in my mind, it is the good days that linger and that I remember.

14. What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone who is about to have their first child?
Hand your child over to God, let him lead you on how to raise them, pray for them constantly on everything, from the people they come in contact with to who they will marry someday.Take pictures and write things down-take the time to do it.

15. Did you always think you'd have kids?
Yes, I always wanted kids (4 to be exact, I really like balance). I did not think we would start so young but "surprise" we did, so our plans changed and we knew we wanted them to be close in age and we wanted to be fiinished before a certain age.

16. What's been the biggest surprise about motherhood?
The love I feel for each of them, very scared when Jacob was born that I wouldn' love him as much as I did John-so not true. I can't explain how you can love four people and not love one more then the other but I do. I just look at them and feel this overwhelming love for each. Also how much I want to protect them, that instinct is huge. There are things that I never thought I could do just to protect my child and without even thinking about it, I feel like the Mother Lion sometimes. I have always been able to let things people say just roll right off of me but when they say them about my children negatively, I can't explain how I feel or what I want to do, but say,"Lord, hold me back."-this is such a big surprise to me because I am not easily angered.

17. Are there things you miss about life before kids?
We pretty much do the same things we always have, we may have to strap one of them on us or carry them and supplies but we pretty much do the same things we always did.

18. How many children do you have?
(4) John Anthony, Jacob Alexander, Julia Katherine, Jillian Karol

19. Do you plan to have any more children?
not in the plans

20. Who's the mom that you admire most?
My mother, I remember as a little girl I wanted to be like her and be a mom. She just taught us, loved us and gave us experiences and let us grow. I don't think she ever held us back from things even though she had to sacrifice or was scared that we would get hurt. She taught us about God, not only through her words but through her actions as well and her amazing faith in Him. I didn't realize until I left my mom's house what we were shielded from, tv programs and moveis we weren't allowed to watch, how much she screened our friends and those we hung out with. She just did her best to fill us with the Holy Spirit.