Birmingham
I’m an Alabama native, raised in the small community of Pinson, who decided to go to college on the West Coast (insert culture shock here). It was there that I met my husband, Mario. When he proposed, I knew it would take some convincing, but that we’d eventually land back in Birmingham. That was 13 years ago, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! It took us a while to find a suburb that was the perfect blend of Alabama and California, but we finally settled on Homewood, mainly for its walk-ability and charm. My favorite thing about Birmingham is the familiarity of the city. It feels like the old friend I can call up at any moment, picking up right where we left off. Watching the city blossom over the last few years has been so much fun! I feel like there’s always something new to see or do, and I can’t wait to show that side of our city to my daughter.
Moms
I swore most of my life that I’d never have children. But, I had this crazy dream as I was entering my thirties, and it shook me to my core. I’m a big believer in fate having a hand in things, and dreaming that I was holding my future daughter changed the course of my life entirely! I woke up from that dream KNOWING I was supposed to be a mom. However, it’s one thing to want something and an entirely separate thing to actually get there. Mario and I struggled with infertility for four years before learning that we were pregnant with our daughter, Teagan. She was born in March of 2017. She’s everything I imagined my daughter would be, only not in redhead form.
Motherhood has been this wonderfully exhausting chapter of my life. Teagan was born at 32 weeks and spent 48 days in the NICU. She was also born with a genetic defect that causes hearing loss. We are slowly learning to navigate the world of hearing aids and childhood hearing loss. It has not been an easy process, but we are blessed to be able to walk this path with our beautiful baby girl.
Aside from navigating my new role as mom to Teagan, I constantly struggle with maintaining a work-life balance. My career as a successful realtor in Birmingham is one that I’m proud of. Before Teagan, I was consumed with work and really didn’t allow time for anything else. Since having her, however, I desperately want to be present for her every moment. It’s been tough to do that and juggle my career. I’m managing, though! And learning along the way. Some days I feel like superwoman, and others not-so-much.
Blog
I’m excited to join the ranks of Mom Bloggers! Writing has always been a mode of expression for me, and before joining the Birmingham Moms Blog, I wrote when time allowed on my personal blog, A Few Extra Limes. I love to travel, and we plan to take Teagan with us as we experience new places. I’m looking forward to sharing those experiences with everyone! As someone who chose to have children a little later in life, I don’t have a ton of mom-friends (if that’s a thing), so I’m also looking forward to meeting other moms and reading about their successes as well as their struggles.
I’m generally an open book and tend to overshare. I’m looking forward to oversharing with fun new peeps!
