I can’t post about this interview series without participating myself! So to kick off the Mom Series – here are my answers. Just poured a glass of rosé and I am ready to dive in! 

I am a 31 year old married mama of 2 boys. Ben is almost 4 and Noah just turned 1. As you all know, I’m a family medicine physician – now 2 years into my practice after residency. 

Motherhood journey

My motherhood journey – at least getting to this point has been relatively easy. I feel extremely fortunate for that as I know it doesn’t happen that way for everyone. My husband and I were able to conceive relatively quickly with both our kids – both pregnancies were planned. We did have a chemical pregnancy in between the boys that was unexpected. A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage – less than 5 weeks. A lot of women don’t even realize they are having one – it could just look like a late, heavier than normal period. Unfortunately I knew what it was. And it was a difficult thing to go through even with it happening so early on.

Unexpected things since becoming a mom

This may be an obvious thing to many of you, but for me I think the emotional component of being a mom has been unexpected. For example, the swing of emotions postpartum, the easy crying over sappy children’s books, and in general the intense love I have for my kids. The degree of these emotions I think is what’s been surprising to me.

Hardest thing since becoming a mom

Honestly, I think the hardest thing for me is the daily grind. As a working mom, I come home after a day of making hundreds of decisions and having many people depend on me; to two little boys who are also dependent on me (until bedtime anyway!). More often than not, I get to the end of a work day after their bedtimes and I just need a moment / a breather. I don’t really feel like I unwind from the day until after 8pm. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have this chaos – but that’s what it is, chaos!

Favorite thing about being a mom

My favorite thing about being a mom is being the safety net for my kids. I love being able to be their source of comfort. I love providing them a safe place when they are hurt, sick, upset or just at random when they need it. I love that I’m the person they seek out when they need that comfort. Ok, they find Dad sometimes too but still! I also just love watching them grow, learn and meet new milestones. Being in charge of another human is a truly amazing experience.

Favorite thing to do with your kids

My favorite thing to do with my kids is be outdoors. I love playing in our front yard with them or taking them for walks in the park. We have a great trail system near a couple playgrounds and this summer that has been my favorite activity with them.

Favorite thing(s) to do without your kids

My favorite things to do without my kids include golfing, chatting with my husband uninterrupted, reading on my Kindle, spending time with my girlfriends, taking a yoga class and now working on this blog!

Anything you miss about life pre-kids

I would say I do sometimes miss flexibility. I miss traveling. And, I miss going out to nice restaurants. We keep our kids on pretty regimented sleep schedules – they are both amazing sleepers, but we lose the flexibility sometimes with plans and that is hard. Bryan and I used to travel more – we actually went on a couple big trips the year we decided to start trying for a family. I think at that point we felt like we had done enough. It’s a little ironic that I’m saying I miss traveling now! I know we will start planning more trips as they get older – I am looking so forward to that. And, we still go out to eat with the boys, don’t get me wrong – I just miss the date nights I think. Now, if we get a babysitter – we prioritize golf over dinners!

Anything you would tell your pre-kids self

 I think I would tell myself to just enjoy – enjoy the quiet, enjoy the lazy weekend mornings, enjoy the spontaneous plans. I would tell myself to try to be in the moment more and to not be in such a rush. Now, I’m not just saying in a rush to motherhood. I spent most of my 20s in school and then in training. I think I always had the mindset of “just get to the next step, get to the next phase.” I wish I would have enjoyed the journey for it all a little more.

Favorite kid age so far

With my kids, again almost 4 and 1, my favorite age has been right around where Ben is now at 4, in preschool. His little mind is constantly working, he asks tons of questions and we are able to do so much with him now. Also, the no diapers thing is pretty great too! I have a feeling as the boys get older, I’ll continue to enjoy the older ages more. Bryan and I both have decided we don’t love the newborn / baby phases. We are feeling very confident in our decision to stop at two kids.

A must have baby item

I have a couple. I love our Eufy monitor, it’s super easy to use, we have 2 cameras, one for each boy and then one monitor that toggles between their rooms. The Hatch Sound Machine is another item, it has so many settings – both different sounds and night light colors. It also has bluetooth capability so we can control it from our phones. Ben likes to have his on an “ocean” sound with a blue light, and Noah’s is white noise with no light. In the morning, when it’s time to wake up, we switch their sound machines to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then they know it’s time to get up.

Finally, I wouldn’t consider it a “must have” but I really love our Veer wagon. It’s a wagon that easily fits both boys, you can push or pull it. It has attachments like a basket, snack tray and sun shades. They love it and we love toting them around in it!

If you enjoyed reading through my answers and want to participate in the Mom Series yourself, sign up below! I’ll email you these questions and will share your responses here!