600px x 503px – Kaitlyn Motley
Photo Credit :: Little Love Photography

Hello mommas! My name is Kaitlyn and I am so excited to be a part of AMB and to share my journey through motherhood with all of you!

It’s been quite a couple of years for the Motley Crew – My husband and I first met at a Starbucks in Rockville, MD and had our second date that very night. Sometimes when you know you know, right? We married 9 months later and, two weeks after we walked down the aisle, we discovered we were pregnant (oops! Is it a shotgun wedding if you don’t know about it?). Our newlywed bliss was quickly turned into a whole new kind of adventure. We had to figure things out and fast!

We were both miserable at our jobs, both with high stress and long hours and not exactly conducive to bringing up a little one. Since my entire family was in Texas (I am originally from Spring, just outside of Houston), it was a no brainer. We chose Austin as our new home because of the fondness I have for the city from my days at UT (Hook ‘em Horns!!). We started the job hunt and after I received the dream job offer, we sold the house, and made the long drive. Road trips at 27 weeks preggers is UNCOMFORTABLE! So thankful for the many convenience stores and rest stations along the way to grab snacks and, ahem, relieve myself…often.

Shortly after we settled in, Teagan made a surprise early arrival. Unfortunately, she had to spend her first several days in the NICU as she had difficulty breathing on her own. The NICU is a scary place. It’s easy to blame yourself when you see your little one struggling. We had amazing doctors and nurses who assured us this was just Teagan’s time to come and that there was nothing we or anyone could have done to prevent it. We quickly learned to celebrate the wins: having her breathing tube removed; when she graduated from sugar water to breastmilk, even if it was still through a feeding tube; being able to hold her for the first time; the first time she latched on to breastfeed… There were so many wins that made the struggles bearable. Having her in the NICU was the hardest days of our lives, and felt like an eternity, but bringing her home was our happiest day – the biggest win of them all.

For all other NICU moms – it may seem hard right now, but your little one is getting the best care that they need right now, and always be kind to yourself and know that you are doing a great job!

Now that Teagan is home, she is thriving and it is hard to tell she is a preemie, other than her size, which is still closer to her adjusted age, but she is fattening right up! It is so much fun to watch her grow and develop. The NICU now seems so far away.

We are also proud parents to two fur babies, an old curmudgeonly cat who loves to cuddle and is quite forceful about it, and is not too fond of this new ‘thing’ who has taken over my lap space that used to belong to her. And, a puppy we adopted just days before we found out we were pregnant. If I had to do that over again… Training a puppy during the first trimester is NOT recommended.

I have an amazing husband who has been so supportive of me and is the most awesome father I could ask for our daughter. Since we found out we were expecting, he started doing a lot of the cooking and cleaning, and took care of the fur babies, which I couldn’t be more thankful for. I know I am a lucky woman. Do I wish we could have spent our first year in complete honeymoon bliss? Sometimes. But would I want it any other way than it is now? Absolutely not.

Now we are off to navigate a new city with a new baby. Can’t wait to get to know ATX all over again!

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