Birmingham Moms Blog :: Introducing Becki

0

Birmingham

Hello! I am Becki, and I spent my childhood in Mobile and Tuscaloosa before moving to Birmingham in 2001 for college. After seventeen years in the Magic City, I have no plans to move. My family lives in Hoover, I work in Homewood, and our church is in Vestavia. I spend a ton of time on Highway 31!

I originally fell in love with the size of Birmingham, which allowed for a greater diversity of friendships. However, our two biggest anchors in this amazing city are Children’s of Alabama, an award winning medical facility that we use extensively, and the growing tech community that allows me to have a career that I love. The only down sides to Birmingham are missing my parents and longing for authentic Cajun and Creole food.

Moms

My husband and I have one son, a five year old named Gabe. He is the happiest little boy you will ever meet! Gabe loves all things Disney Junior, has impeccable taste in music, and enjoys spending his time with his friends. We also have a Springer Spaniel named Rigby, who keeps us entertained. She and Gabe have formed a sweet bond, which often saves Rigby from the consequences of her behavior.

Blog

After a very typical first pregnancy, our world became anything but typical when Gabe coded at birth. We spent almost a month in the NICU, learning that an unexplained event caused a global brain stroke for our precious newborn. Gabe has multiple diagnoses, including Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. The first year was excruciatingly difficult as we grieved a life we thought we would have, and watched our sweet boy face a mountain of obstacles. Our faith, some good counseling, and a loving community saw us through dark times, and now we cannot imagine our life any other way. Gabe brings joy to everyone and is the world’s biggest snuggle-bug. 

We knew nothing about being special needs parents before we had our son, and now we are committed to raising awareness. We believe this is best achieved by sharing our failures, victories, and laughable moments. We have learned we and typical families are more alike than different. I hope by sharing our story in blog posts, families can feel more at ease around individuals with special needs and even get involved with a community that will use all of the help we can get!

 

Previous articleBirmingham Moms Blog :: Introducing Kathryn E.
Next articleBirmingham Moms Blog :: Introducing Tiffany
Becki I
Becki is a resident of Hoover, and works full-time as a software product manager. She has been married for eight years to her husband, Garrett. She is Momma to Gabe, a precious 5 year-old who loves music, animals, affection, and making new friends. Becki is a fan of football and gymnastics, enjoys planning trips to The Happiest Place on Earth, and loves spending time with her small group. She has a Springer Spaniel, Rigby, who is more an extra child than a pet. On the rare occasion that Becki has time to herself, she enjoys learning more about Myers Briggs (she's an ESTJ), practicing public speaking, and having deep conversation with friends. When Gabe was born he suffered an extensive brain injury that led to multiple diagnoses, primarily Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. While their journey is not what they expected, Garrett and Becki are grateful and honored to be parents to a son who has exceeded the joy they thought possible. Team Irby loves sharing their story - the good, the bad, and the ugly - to increase awareness and kindness.