I’m just going to throw this out there – 2015 is a pretty big year for me. I’m turning the big 3-0 and becoming a mom for the first time to a baby boy in August. The best part is, that sentence doesn’t even scare me. I know I’ll make it through these life transitions because I’m married to the best guy I’ve ever met, a Texas boy named Preston, whom I met while living in DC. OK, you caught me. Actually, I’m freaking out a little. A lot. Ok, I’m terrified.

Being pregnant has brought on plenty of surprises so far. You always hear about the first trimester fatigue… mother of God… you veteran moms aren’t kidding! That struggle was REAL. How do you super moms do it while you have other children to take care of?! I salute you. I also never pictured myself pulling over my car to throw up on the side of the road on the way to work, but then again, I think I’m in for lots of surprises entering motherhood. I’ll just say I’m happy to be smooth sailing in the midst of the second trimester bliss.

You should also know, I think I’m hilarious and will often ask people, “did you just get what I said, wasn’t that funny?” (I just laughed while typing that). I love dogs with human names, I love loyal and solid friends that have your back, I love Ketchup (way, WAY too much), and I have retired from winter sports. I like to,  errrr realize I HAVE to, work out several times a week and it usually consists of running, weights, and yoga. I’m also the type of person who grows my hair long, cuts it short, and then curses myself until it is long again and we go through the process all over.

Our precious Boykin Spaniel, Winston

I am a proud graduate of Penn State University. Yes, I’m the weirdo from Plano, Texas who traveled all the way to University Park, PA to go to college. I traded sun for snow and traveled thousands of miles away from my little, Texas life. I am a Certified Child Life Specialist who realizes how lucky I am to hold this coveted title. Being able to help children and families navigate the hospital world in their darkest, scariest times is truly an honor.

From PSU, I moved to DC and worked for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. I loved the outreach work that I did to help prevent the online solicitation of children, but it wasn’t my dream job of Child Life Specialist. Thanks to the stars aligning, I was able to train in DC and Northern VA and received my first job. This doesn’t happen that easily in child life, so having everything work out so smoothly was evidence that child life is where I’m supposed to be. After Preston and I met, we decided to move back to Texas, closer to our families, and I worked as a CLS for Dell Children’s Medical Center.

After meeting Preston, I’m convinced the expression “when you know, YOU KNOW” is true. We were both working in the medical field, both from Texas, and had just recently ended our first marriages. I think the fact that we both had zero expectations of finding a partner any time soon was the exact reason we worked so well. We spent time together because it was easy, and being apart, frankly… sucked. Pretty soon after dating, we realized how incredibly lucky we were to have found each other. By no means is our relationship perfect, but it is built on love, laughter, and tolerating Preston’s each other’s  shortcomings. Being able to start a family with him as my husband in our home state of Texas is no doubt the biggest blessing of my life.

And last, but certainly not least, when it comes to getting to know a little about me, you should know my family. My father is the smartest and funniest person I have ever met, my mother is strong-willed and passionate about her life’s calling to help bring awareness and advocacy to the important topic of child abuse prevention, and my brother is a hard-working, focused, loyal 30-something who is going to do incredible things in this world.

I can’t wait to continue this adventure into motherhood with AMB and all of you!

Katie

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