The Bringer of Joy

   As a mom I have tons of routines and rituals.  Most of them are not note worthy.  Every day I cook dinner, wash clothes, pick up shoes, pick up toys etc.   Those are the routines I can do with out.  Some of the little rituals that I adore are drinking my morning cup of coffee, taking a hot bath before bed, reading right before I fall asleep.  Ahhhhh those are the soothing parts of my day.
    Ten thirty p.m. is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the entire day.  Tate and I have a routine, I wake her up every night to pee.  She probably doesn't need me to wake her up right before I go to sleep anymore but I'm scared of what all I'll miss.  I laugh out loud every night.  She makes the sillies faces and says some crazy stuff in her semi-conscious state.  Some of my favorites are "I'm a princess and you are too", "Mama you're very pretty in you robe", and " I love going potty with you".  Last night was my favorite Tate night rambling : "You know I'm always gonna love you Mama".  The wet puddle on the floor is where my heart melted. 
     Tate is my challenging child.  She is boisterous, independent, head strong, and some times out right mean.  But the flip side to that is she can also be the sweetest child on the face of the earth.  I think the contrast of her two sides makes the sweet things she says that much more special.  She repeatedly pushes me to my breaking point, then while I teeter on the edge of loosing it she does something so funny or tender that all her mischief fades away and seems so unimportant.
    The name Tate means bringer of joy.  That is exactly what my daughter is, she brings joy along with her everywhere she goes.  I couldn't enjoy being pregnant with her.  I had just had a miscarriage and was scared if I felt happy about the new pregnancy that it would be taken away from me too.  The minute she was born all that changed.  Joy came with Tate.  She melted the bitter parts of my heart that pined for the baby I didn't get to have.  She changed Turner from my baby, to this protective mature little man of a big brother.  She tamed Sweetness.  That big man is putty in her tiny hands.  Tate brought joy to all of us.
     I pray that for my and Tate's future we are always close.  For now I'm her mom, enforcer, teacher, task master, and chef.  Later when she is an adult and mature enough, I hope to be her best friend.   Right now I'll try to stifle my laughter when she tells her brother that he is "Beating the hell out of Papa at the Wii'".  But even when Tate is being bad she is still living up to her name and bringing me joy.