February 2009.
Found on www.tennisforum.com
+ The interview, translated by a member of tennisforum.com
“Just enjoying Jada, there’s nothing more beautiful!” Jada Ellie is turning one this week. And mom Kim Clijsters (25) and dad Brian Lynch(30) are celebrating that with an exclusive, enchanting family photo spread. Pictures that show pure happiness and an interview in which Kim talks about her daughter, her husband and her plans. In May, it will have been two years since ‘our’ Kim Clijsters said, in an emotional way, goodbye to her glorious career. Ever since, she hasn’t had anymore sportive top moments, but in her personal life she did. Kim’s marriage to the American basketball players Brian Lynch was one of those super moments. A beautiful day that was vibrating with love from the early morning till the late evening. And if possible even more beautiful, intense and emotional was the birth of their daughter. Unfortunately Kim, supported by her husband and family, also had to go through a very painful period when her father Lei lost a brave but unfortunately unequal fight with cancer.
VULNAREBLE In those difficult days, Jada Ellie, without realizing, was a welcome source of consolation for Kim. Her little girl made sure that, despite all the grief, a ray of sun kept shining. The birth of Jada Ellie, on February 27th last year, was international news. And a couple of weeks after this joyful event in the ‘new’ life of Kim, she and her husband Brian proudly presented in Dag Allemaal their biggest sweetheart to Flanders and the rest of the world. The images were simply heart warming and showed how Kim & Brian had taken on their role as a mum and a dad with love and inspiration. One year later, in the week of Jada Ellie’s first birthday, we serve you the exclusive picture reportage. Jada has become in the meantime a clever and very cute toddler, who is already saying her first words and makes her parents laugh with her cute facial expressions. And since she made her first unstable steps, the little girl brought even more life in the house.
Kim, a baby makes a person more vulnerable, isn’t it? How did Jada Ellie change you exactly? I don’t think that I’ve changed a lot as a person. But about that feeling of vulnerability, that’s right. Suddenly, you have big responsibility and that clearly has an influence on your daily life. For example, I’m quickly worried. I used to sleep very well, but now the smallest sound wakes me. And during the day, I look around more often.
Purely out of precaution. Exactly. I also miss Jada when I don’t see her, so when she’s asleep in her bed, I easily would go and check out on her.
To what extend has your relationship with Brian changed? Brian and I now feel even more like a close team. We also have to plan things a lot more. A spontaneous idea to go and have dinner or see a move, is not possible anymore now. But we don’t mind about that. We’re enjoying our daughter so much.
Can you already tell what Jada’s character is and who she looks like the most? It’s a bit early to tell that I guess. But Jada knows what she wants. It’s very difficult to fool her. And it’s unbelievable how concentrated she can be. Jada also love animals, but that’s not surprising with all the dogs in our house.
Is she a good sleeper? Oh yes. She sleeps a lot and very good, sometimes all through the morning. That’s definitely something she learned from Brian (laughs).
What do you find the most beautiful about your daughter? The pureness of a child. And everything Jada does, she does it herself, without Brian or my influence. It’s lovely to her looking, fascinated by all sorts of things, a bird for example, or a flower that moves in the wind. (laughs) Yes, she loves nature! And Brian and I enjoy very much to see how she’s teaching herself all sort of things.
Have there been moments that you and Brian were worried about Jada? Real worries, hardly. Now she’s started walking, we have to pay more attention of course. Because without you noticing, she’s walking away and suddenly you don’t know where she is. When Jada is ill and she’s coughing, we’re worried of course. The problem is that a little child like her can’t tell what exactly is wrong and how sick she’s feeling.
Since your marriage, you and Brian have known big happiness -Jada’s birth- but also deep sadness - your fathers decease. It’s been a very emotional year for us, that’s right. But we got out of it stronger together. I’ve had a lot of support from Brian, just like I had from the rest of the family. Brian has really been a big help, both with practical things as emotional. We talk a lot about it each other and like that it’s easier to get over it.
Everyone is starting to ask the question if Jada will be getting a little brother or sister anytime soon. We’re not really thinking about a second baby yet. I don’t know… it doesn’t feel good to think about that right now already. After the past year, Bran and I need some inner rest and first of all we want to enjoy Jada as much as possible. You see, we both follow our feelings. We’re both very much looking forward now to the baby my sister Elke and her husband Jelle will be having in a short while. Anyway, if we get a second baby, it won’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. A healthy baby, that’s the most important thing.
Is motherhood all things considering as you expected or hoped, or is it tougher? Motherhood surprised me in a very positive way: it’s even better, more fun and more beautiful than I expected! Having your own baby… it’s the most beautiful thing in the world I think. And it’s not that hard. Actually it’s all going automatically. Yes, I feel really very happy as a mum and as a wife.
Jada has made her first steps already. Yes she did. She’s been walking since the end of January. A great moment it was! Brain and I are really holding a close look on her but we don’t want to be overprotecting. I mean: if Jada falls on her face, we don’t act like it’s a big drama, to learn her to get up again by herself.
What kind of dad Brian is? Do you get a lot of support from him with taking care of Jada?
Absolutely! Brian is amazing as a dad. He also likes taking care of Jada. He tries to arrange things as good as possible with his basketball trainings (Brian now plays for the Antwerp Giants), so he can be a present dad. Since Brian plays in Antwerp, he’s in the car much longer. But he makes sure he misses as little as possible. He gives her baths, just like me, and he’s already become very good in changing diapers.
Would you describe yourself as a ‘normal housewife’, or do you have other important occupations and plans? Look, for now, I’m mainly a stay-home mum. But as Jada grows up and doesn’t need constant care anymore, I get more time now for other things. Sport again, for example. Or do something with the two of us. Brian and I find a good balance in that.
Who takes care of Jada when the both of you aren’t home? A couple of days a week we have a good friend who comes to help and my grandmother and grandfather are also very good babysitters. It’s good that Jada sometimes is not with me or with Brian, like that she learns to get used to other people.
Jada is really adorable. She looks like she eats well and she’s very playful. You’ve seen that very well. She eats very well indeed. For example, she loves soup, you can always give her that. And now she can walk, there’s nothing she likes more than a kind of primitive playing tag: I run away and she than comes running after me all shouting. So cute!
What was the first word she said? I guess that was ‘mama’. And now she’s mainly learning words from the books we’re reading to her: cow, horse etcetera. She combines Dutch & English for that. And she can already say her own name.
You look like a relaxed mother. Well, I am, I think. I try to get a good mix of begin worried and letting Jada find her own way.
Good on you. To end: what are your plans for the near future? For a couple of weeks, I’ve been doing regular training: physical and tennis. I tend to play some exhibition matches this year. And apart from that I will of course mainly spend my time with Jada. At the moment, that is going very well, also thanks to the help we’re getting.
So things can keep going like they are? Definitely. I hope to have a quiet but interesting year, so that Brian and I have time for our own interests but mainly for each other and our beautiful daughter!
We wish you all of that, Kim. Thanks for this talk!
Such sweet pictures ;D
Such sweet pictures ;D
