Birmingham
My first introduction to Birmingham was Zydeco for date parties and the Galleria for shopping trips to Forever 21 while in college at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!). Fast forward a couple of years and I was meeting my now husband’s parents in his childhood home in Mountain Brook while helping him move into his first “grown up” apartment in Highland Park. By 2014, we were engaged and renting a loft apartment downtown and spending our time exploring a side of the city my husband never knew! After a brief but exciting year in Long Beach California, we returned to Sweet Home Alabama in 2018 and set roots in Homewood, where we have been busy raising our two babies alongside neighbors that feel more like family.
It’s amazing how many different lives we have already lived, all here in Birmingham, and as my son prepares to begin elementary school, I have no doubt there is so much more of this great city to discover. You see, that’s the thing I love about Birmingham–it offers city living and small-town charm, incredible local food and small businesses, along with wonderful people and resources for children, families, and moms. I have always loved Birmingham’s approachability and charm, but once I became a mom I realized just how special of a place this is to call home.
Mom
I am a stay-at-home-mom to two littles—Mills (4.5 years) and Mae (19 months)—and we live in Homewood with my husband, Max, and our pug, Bruce. The transition into motherhood is something you can never truly understand until you’ve experienced it. It is both joyful and overwhelming, fulfilling and draining, and it shakes you to your core in the most incredible way. I am so grateful to be able to see the world through my kids’ eyes, and experience their innocence and sense of wonder. There are moments that I wish I could freeze time, but each stage brings new things to love and discover about their special little personalities.
Don’t get me wrong, there are days I want to scream (and I usually do!). Personally, trying to balance it all while maintaining a sense of self, especially as a stay-at-home mom, has been a challenge. Some days I am touched out or feel like I am doing it all wrong, but knowing that I am not alone in this makes all the difference. I am so thankful to be a part of a generation of moms that are able to be open and honest about the challenges and rewards of motherhood.
Collective
I am excited to be a contributor here at Birmingham Mom Collective and to be able to share my story and learn from other local moms. So many of us are searching for those connections, resources, and tools to help be the best moms we can be. As someone with anxiety, I have been on a personal journey to find balance and wellness in my life and to reframe my thinking about self-care. I am learning that you have to take care of yourself first in order to be able to care for the ones you love, and I look forward to sharing some of my experience to help other moms who might be in a similar situation or phase of life.
