A Journey Into The Real World: July 2015

Today is the end of a chapter. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new one. It is hard to believe I have been a mom for over 11 months now. If you count growing baby B, almost 2 years... Monday morning will be a new step for me as a mother.

The past 9 months have been a huge challenge for me. I have dealt with a lot of emotions resulting from being away from Braeden so much. July 20th I begin my new job... a stay at home, jack of all trades, MOM. I am excited and nervous...

Braeden's first day of daycare at 12 weeks!

Being a woman is a tricky, sticky subject. You have lots of different types of women. You have the career oriented woman who beautifully climbs the ladder to success. You have mothers who do part time work. Last but not least, you have full time stay at home moms. The subject can get alittle sticky, but I am glad to say I tried it all out, and eager to start the job I love.

The very first weekend I met Dan, we sat around talking for hours. We discussed the future, each others passions, and pretty much everything under the sun. At the time, I was on hiatus from college, and he asked me what I "wanted to be" when I "grew" up. I point blank told him I wanted to be a mom. That is a really weird thing to say, but I always knew it in the back of my head. In college, I was the "mom" of the group. It came to me naturally. When I finally finished up college, and moved up North, I started working in research. There is not a whole lot you can do with a bachelors in Biology. I was blessed with a great job at the same hospital as Dan.

When the day came, and we found out we were expecting, I didn't know what the future held for me. Dan and I decided that it was best for me to continue working a while longer. If you don't know, Residents don't make a lot of money. Actually, they make less than some people with bachelors degrees. Imagine this scenario... You go to college for 4 years and then medical school for 4 years. During that time, you cannot work. You rack up well over $200,000 in student loans. Then you finally start working and you make barely enough to get by. So needless to say, the second income was definitely needed to live comfortably.

I pushed through and put in 3 years as a research technician. Although I enjoyed the people I worked with, I cannot say that I love what I did ( the last year has definitely been better). When the day came that my boss told me he was moving I was kind of relieved. I had never had an "out", and finally, the day came. I was offered a position in the GI clinic, but after talking with Dan, the perfect "pausing" time came into view. I never liked the idea of quitting, but its as if God put everything into place, and the timing could not have been more perfect for this transition. Dan graduated his residency a month before my last day.

I know being a full time mom is a lot of work... probably more work then I am expecting, but I welcome it with open arms. I cannot believe how fast the past 11 months of Braeden's sweet life have gone by. I want to soak in every minute with him. I didn't think it was possible to have so much love in my heart.

So for all of you working momma's who have children. Keep up the good work. You are making a beautiful life for your family. It is incredibly hard to be away from your child, trust me I know.

For all you stay at home momma's. Send on the tips and encouragement. I know it will be a lot of work. I am ready for this next chapter!

Huge shout out to Braeden's sweet teachers over the past 9 months (Dawn, Jamie, Brittany, Carol, Karen, Chelsea, and Jamee) !!!