Hi there, Birmingham Moms! My name is Amy and I’m a Texas girl with a deep love for this city. I grew up as a military brat and our family moved frequently throughout my childhood. After living here for a few years as a teen, I vowed to get back one day and raise a family here. I’m happy to say I was able to accomplish that dream!
Birmingham
Like I said, I’ve lived in Birmingham on a few different occasions, once as a teenager and now as an adult. In mid-2011, I moved back to the area and I hope to stay here for the long haul. When people from back home (Texas) ask if I’d ever move back or why I love Birmingham so much, it’s an easy answer. Birmingham has all of the big city amenities (great restaurants, fun things to do, lots of family-friendly events) but with a small town feel. It’s hard to go to the grocery store without running into someone you know and, while that’s not convenient when you haven’t washed your hair in a few days and skipped the makeup, it makes it a great place to have community and connection. For the same reason I just described, I love raising my children here. It goes back to that “it takes a village to raise a child” thing . . . Birmingham is my village and it’s filled with people I love and admire.
2018 – Williams family
Moms
I am a mom to three girls, Landry (7), Dawson (22 months), and Whitten (4 months), which is a bit ironic since I always thought I would grow up and have all boys one day. Instead, Matt and I have a tiny girl gang going on and it’s impossible to imagine it any other way. I like to say my oldest daughter, who is adopted, grew in my heart and our two younger daughters grew in my tummy. As we regularly say around our house, though, the way they got here might have been different but the love is the same.
Big (Landry) and Little (Whitten)
Our middle daughter (Dawson)
And just to make sure to keep things real…
One of my favorite things about being a mom is watching their personalities take shape and seeing their unique, God-given gifts start to emerge. We do not lack for personality in our household, that’s for sure. I submit to you Exhibit A.
Strangely, I also don’t totally mind the chaos of motherhood (most days). I think that might come from having struggled with infertility for well over a decade. I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to be a mom but, thankfully, the blessing of adoption changed that. I didn’t have my first bio baby until I was 39 and then had another one not long after I turned 40. Now my husband and I are scared to be near each other. Irony! Anyway, back to my point . . . even during some of the craziest moments, I still find myself feeling very grateful.
The hardest thing about being a mom — as a type A, enneagram 8 — is letting them do things themselves. I tend to just want to get things done when, in reality, I know they need the opportunity to learn and do for themselves. Reigning in that inner-bulldog and slowing down to let them learn and just enjoy the process can be challenging for me at times!
Blog
I look forward to being a contributor to the Birmingham Moms Blog because I’ve always found writing to be cathartic. I also know it will be a great place to connect with other moms here in Birmingham. As a full-time working mom who has struggled with infertility, has fostered, and has also walked the journey of both a successful and an unsuccessful adoption, I hope I might be able to offer some perspective to those who might be walking (or considering) that path.
Also, in the midst of raising babies and working, I’m pursuing my personal dream of being an author and running a non-profit focused on helping families in the process of adoption. The work/life balance can feel like a juggling act at times and I’m sure other people feel the same way. I’m hopeful I can offer some unique perspective in those areas, too, and I’m looking forward to reading more from the other contributors as well.
