William Clark: Year 2

William is two! I can’t even believe it. The passage of time seems so crazy when I look at Will. It’s hard to really remember our life without him because it seems like he’s been part of us forever, but I also remember giving birth to him like it was yesterday. I know it’s cliche to feel that way about my little boy, but I do. There are so many aspects of his personality that have existed since he was in the womb. I first felt him move at 13 weeks (which is super early), and I felt him move constantly after that. I used to tell Ty that our baby was a gymnast because he was so active all the time. Now I watch him move, and it’s like he has an invisible pogo stick with him constantly. He is bouncy in all his movement and brings us endless laughter and joy.

There have been some rough stages this year, but it has also brought some incredible development. Will is a chatterbox. He talks nonstop, and he’s pretty easy to understand. Strangers often ask me how old he is and remark on his language skills. He also has continued to develop his very strong will. He has clear ideas about what he wants and how things should be done. It’s cute until it isn’t. ;) He is still a social butterfly and wants to be interacting with people all the time. We have to leave the house every day, or he is cranky.

Luckily for me, Will is still a snuggle bug. He wants “loves” before and after bed and naps and often asks to snuggle at random times throughout the day. He’s affectionate with people he knows well, but he loves to tease by not giving hugs when his aunts and uncles ask for them. He also still loves to read books, and we spend a lot of time reading the same books over and over for about a week before he moves on to new ones. He especially loves anything that has to do with animals, dinosaurs in particular.

Balls are still his favorite toys, and he’s developed a deep love for basketball this winter as we’ve trekked to Molly’s games. He can usually be found with his baby doll named Sarah under one arm and his ball in the other hand. It’s the perfect picture of who he is. He is wild and gentle, active and affectionate, kind and stubborn. I’ve been a little surprised by how rich his personality is at such a young age and how developed his preferences are. He will often tell me exactly where he wants to go and who he wants to play with, and he almost always has an opinion about what clothes to wear.

Swimming is still one of his favorite things, so that’s what we did to celebrate his birthday. We actually had his party a couple of weeks ago when his only first cousins were in town. We had pizza and ice cream and went swimming. He was thrilled with the combination. He got a tricycle that he’s ridden almost constantly since then. He also discovered how to play hide-and-seek the day after his party, and that has quickly become his favorite game to play. He loves to find his own hiding spots, and his silence while hiding is uncanny.

He talks about baby brother and his heartbeat a lot, and he likes to kiss and pet my belly to “be soft.” He loves to “help Mama,” and I’m hoping that that is a positive thing when the baby arrives. One of his favorite things to do is make cookies or dinner, and he is a true Bayles and wants to eat all the cookie dough (and the cookies). He also loves church and gets so excited when he realizes that it’s “nursery day.” He’s become the mascot of our Relief Society since I’m on the activities committee, and he usually has to come with me to planning meetings and to set up and sometimes to activities if Ty is working late. I think he has more friends than anyone I’ve ever known which is a gift that I don’t have and really admire in him.

I’m still honored and humbled by the opportunity I have to be Will’s mom on a daily basis. I hope he always wants to help me and knows how loved he is.

Here's a link to well over 200 photos of Will from the last year. It's been a wonderful adventure so far!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qp3lYIJICFkyVJr42

And here is a shorter version in video form:

Mamas and Bodies: A Tribute to My Mom

My mom has taught me a lot about life and love and sorrow and struggle. She’s my number one role model, and she is a fantastic mother. She’s someone who strives to be the best in every capacity she fills. Something I’ve been reflecting on as I prepare to give birth again is my relationship with my body, and it isn’t hard to see that the root of my feelings about my body come back to my mom.

I feel like I have a healthy body image. I trust my body. I do my best to take care of it. I know that it’s strong and powerful and a miraculous gift. And the reason I feel so positively about my body and empowered to do hard things physically is because of the way my mom talked to me about bodies and the way that she treated her own body as well. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized how rare it is to have such overwhelmingly positive feelings about my body.

My mom is strong, and when I think back on my childhood, that is easy to recognize. She used to rollerblade, pushing a stroller, to drop Hailey and me off at school. Now she has a physically intense job as a birth assistant where she uses all her muscle groups to help women give birth. She’s always talked about exercise positively, and I never heard her speak negatively about anyone’s body, including her own. She never called me skinny or chubby. When we talked about bodies, she would talk about being healthy and feeling strong.

We didn’t talk about or focus on sizes or weight in my house growing up. I don’t think it was something I ever even thought about. Even when my mom was working hard to lose weight after having babies, it wasn’t about getting down to a certain size or weight. It was about feeling comfortable in her clothes that she had worn before pregnancy and feeling strong and healthy rather than skinny. I’m grateful that that was the focus because even now I don’t worry about my weight or my size as long as I feel strong and healthy.

I also appreciate that my parents taught me about food. My mom taught me to cook. She always provided fruit and vegetables, and she explained the way metabolism works. I still vividly remember her describing the importance of breakfast in pulling your body out of starvation mode and starting your day off well. It’s something that made a huge difference in my college experience because I knew that it was important to eat before class. She talked to us about portion control. She also made and ate cookies with us. She wasn’t starving herself or only eating kale.

My mom wasn’t critical about what I chose to put into my body either. She would ask me sometimes if I had eaten anything with any nutritional value that day, but she didn’t make me feel guilty if I had three helpings of dinner or if I snitched a cookie out of the freezer. The lack of shame that I feel about food and my body is a gift that my parents gave me, and it’s one that I am super grateful as an adult.

I remember when my mom explained menstruation to me. She used words like miraculous, strong, and powerful. I learned that my body is a gift and that it is capable of incredible feats. It was a similar experience whenever my parents would teach my siblings and me about childbirth. I never had fear about those physical experiences. I actually was excited to give birth even as a teenager because my mom talked about what a spiritual experience it was and how empowering it could be to realize that you could accomplish anything.

My mom has taught me more than any other human on this Earth (with my dad’s help), and I am so grateful that she is the example of womanhood that I have continually seen. I hope I can be a strong role model for my children and teach them about the beauty and power of our bodies.