Birmingham
While dating my now-husband James, I made frequent trips between Auburn and Birmingham to visit his family or go to a show. Birmingham had a beauty to it that became comfortably familiar, as James drove me around sharing memories of growing up here. The winding mountain roads made me start to picture this beautiful commute into downtown for myself, not to mention the tantalizing local shops we’d pass—Magic Muffins always drew me in! When we found out I was pregnant with our oldest daughter, Abby, it became clear that after graduation we would need to choose our careers somewhere that would also fit raising a family. Six years and two daughters later, we know that we made the right choice by settling down in Birmingham.
Not only has Birmingham offered great options for kids’ activities, family outings, and restaurants, it has also given us a church family and lasting friendships. Through our church’s service projects and the countless birthday parties, I’ve started to get the feeling that I’ve driven to just about every corner of the city and its surrounding suburbs. Even so, we know that we’ve barely scratched the surface of experiencing the rich relationships, history, and culture that this city contains.
Mom
With three sweet daughters spaced over six years, we’re pretty sure that we hit the kid jackpot! James and I are proud parents of Abby, Ellie, and Maddie (and yes, we get their names mixed up ALL the time.) Having Abby just two months before graduating launched us straight into the world of parenthood without too many other young parents in our orbit to share experiences with. Thanks to our incredible network of family and friends, a superb parenting book, and the unshakable bond of support between James and me, we steadily figured out how to parent to the best of our abilities, despite my job taking me on training trips for 10 weeks in the first year.
Now, six years into the parenting game, we have full cars and full hearts. Each year has been vastly different given the girls’ ages and how much they can interact with each other, so we’re simply trying to appreciate and enjoy each moment of our family time.
Collective
I am so excited to be a part of Birmingham Mom Collective. After reading the articles for years and applying those lessons to my journey here and there, I realized that I have experiences of my own that I would love to share with this community of moms. Working outside of the home since Abby was three months old, I find relatability in discussing the struggles to stay up to date on each child’s development or continue nursing as long as feasible. On the other hand, I love sharing little parenting wins and questions with moms in any situation.
Personally, I think my field of industrial and systems engineering has several excellent applications to parenting, such as optimizing where to store all those toys, clothes, and board books! Having an outlet to record reflections and parenting wins has been a blessing to me, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you!
