Friday, September 7, 2012

20 Questions: Morgan





Tell us a little about who makes your house a home.
Matthew: my wonderful husband, best friend, partner in crime, and most recently a daddy

Aubrey Faith: our beautiful daughter, who is now 8 weeks old (crazy how quickly time flies!) We came up with her middle name when we learned after our first ultrasound that she may have something wrong with her heart and the doctor referred us to the U of M Children's hospital to get a fetal heart echo. We had to wait 3 weeks to get this done and within that time Matt and I made the commitment to each other that everything that may come up in our family was going to be completely given to God with complete trust in him and his plan for our lives. We then also decided that no matter what happened our daughter's middle name would be Faith. We now are blessed with a healthy, happy baby girl

What's a typical day in your household like?

A typical day right now in our house is a bit different than what our days will realistically be like. Since Aubrey's birth I have been fortunate enough to be able to stay home with her for the first 12 weeks. So our days right know are awesome. Matt and I have been able to spend more time with each other than we have ever been able to do since he does not have to teach in the summer.
 Soon though, we will have to go back to work full time and Miss Aubrey will be going to daycare all day.


Our days now go like this however:

6 a.m. or so Aubrey usually wakes up and is wanting to eat. My lovely husband gets up and changes her diaper while I get ready to feed her. 
6:30 a.m. Aubrey is fed and back to sleep. 


8:30-9 a.m. Matt, Aubrey, and I usually get up for the day since she is awake and hungry again
 9:30 a.m. Make breakfast or Matt works out.
 The rest of the morning is spent cleaning/organizing the house or sometimes just being lazy and playing with Aubrey.


12:00 p.m. We usually make lunch. We are big fans this summer of toasted turkey sandwhiches with fresh garden tomatoes, lettuce, mayo and cheese. YUM! 
After lunch we typically do the opposite of what was done in the morning---clean/organize or hang out with each other and Aubrey
. Dinner is usually made & ate together. We like to grill a lot on warm days. In the evening we usually try to do something fun, like go golfing together, visit my parents, rent a new movie together, etc.


9:45 p.m. is about bath time for Aubrey. She gets a bath, is fed, and sleeping usually by 10:15 (she now usually then sleep until 6 a.m. woo hoo!)
 After Aubrey is sleeping Matt & I spend time talking, and have been trying to be intentional about reading the Bible together before going to bed.


How has your lifestyle changed since having children?
Life has changed so much, but in SUCH a good way! Life is no longer just about you. Your schedule and plans revolves around your child, which I am totally okay with! We have had to learn to be more flexible because with kids, things aren't always going to go the way you had planned.


Have you ever felt the need to defend your decision to start a family in your 20's?

Fortunately I have not. Many of my colleagues at work are in their early 20's as well and many already have children and that is the same as with many of my friends of college. I have always felt very supported by friends and family with Matt and I's decision to start a family.


What's the most challenging thing about being a mom, and what's the most rewarding?

The most challenging thing for me right now is learning how to balance everything in my life. It hasn't been insanely difficult because I have one of the most supportive and helpful husbands, I think, in the world. He is always SO willing to help with anything with Aubrey or around the house. Many times he is more on top of the cleaning/housework than I am! Also, I feel the need to add that I am pretty sure within the first 3 weeks of Aubrey's life I only changed 3 diapers. Matt did all the rest, and with me not even asking... he volunteered and was happy to help out in any way he could. Yeah ladies...it's okay to be jealous jk
!

The most rewarding this about being mom is having the opportunity to feel that insane capacity of love and compassion you have for your kids! I would have never imagined being a mother would be this great and change your life so much for the better!


How are household chores divided up in your family? 
I'd say that household chores are divided pretty evenly. We don't have any one chore that is always done by one person except lawn mowing Matt has always done. Chores within the house are either done together or by whomever has the time. I must add that Matt probably does more of the household sometimes...he is much more organized and on the ball when it comes to that.


How do you find a balance between your commitments and family time? 
I haven't really had to tackle this yet since I haven't really had many commitments yet or had to return to work, I'll take a rain check on that one.


What's your most embarrassing mom moment?
 My most embarrassing moment so far (and could have been potentially dangerous) is driving with Aubrey in the car in her infant seat, attached to the car seat base like it is supposed to be... but the base was in no way connected to the seat! Whoops!


Who (or what) has influenced your parenting style the most? 
I'd say so far our parenting style in very relaxed. We don't tend to get upset or stressed about things very easily. I think I can say that this has come from both my parents as well as Matt's. Throughout my pregnancy I have been very intentional about observing other parents in action to see what types of parenting and discipline techniques I’d like developed in our home. I do want to read the book “Loving your kids on purpose” and incorporate some of those parenting techniques in to our parenting style.


Since becoming a mom how have your friendships changed? Have you made new friends, strengthened friendships, or lost friends? 
My friendships haven't changed much so far, since they haven't had much time to change since Aubrey is only 8 weeks old. I can predict however, some of my friendships strengthening with those friends who already have kids or are having kids very soon... that’s just another major thing that we will have in common!


How do you fit in time for your romantic relationship? 
Right now this isn't a problem since Aubrey is so young and is a very content little girl. We don't feel strapped down with her and do not feel like we are unable to do fun things together. I feel that this summer and maternity leave has been a blessing in more ways than one... one of the blessings has been the amount of time we have been able to spend together. I feel like our relationship with each other and our marriage has gotten so much stronger! We have already had to opportunity to take some time away for ourselves and go golfing together while Grandma watches Aubrey.


What's one piece of advice you have for future/new moms? 
Cherish every day! They grow up way too fast! And don't be afraid to send the baby to the nursery at night when you're at the hospital. It may be the only time that someone will be there for care for your little one so you can get some decent sleep! (It doesn’t make you a bad mom) Also, when people family and friends offer to help, take them up on their offer especially if you are feeling overwhelmed!


What's your childcare set-up and why does it work for you? 
Aubrey will be going to daycare full time with Shannon Thompson. We are super excited because it seems like a great fit for us. Right now, we do not have ability for one of us to stay home with our daughter so Daycare is really our only option. Maybe someday I can be a stay-at-home mother...we will see though!


Do you ever get time to yourself?
Right now, yes! Aubrey still sleeps a lot and Matt has to work on weekend nights so during that time I get some time to myself in the evenings. As she grows older though, I do plan to try to make time for Matt and I to spend time alone or with friends
.

What was the toughest adjustment going from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 kids? If you only have one child what was the biggest adjustment after baby was born? 
Remembering that you now have another life to care for and love and it isn’t all about you and your husband anymore. You have to be a lot more organized and plan things ahead of time. Another adjustment we’ve had to make is getting up early enough to be to places on time. It took us a while to realize how long it takes to get yourself and a baby around and fed. We kept being late and we are not those kind of people that typically run late!


Has having children changed your relationship with food?
Right now, I have to admit it hasn’t really changed much. There are certain foods I stay away from while nursing but other than that I’m not eating as healthy as I could be. I do want to get back to an active and healthy lifestyle with my husband because I’d like for us to be role models to our children on what a healthy lifestyle looks like!


What are your plans for your child's education?

This hasn’t been discussed too seriously yet since it’s a bit far away still. But it will depend of where we are living mostly I am sure.


How is discipline handled in your family?

Haven’t had to deal with this yet… I could let you know in a year or two.


If you could change one thing about your current set-up, what would it be?

If I could change anything I think it would be that we were closer in distance to Matt’s family so that Aubrey was able to be around both sides equally. I know that his family really misses her and I know as she gets older she will miss them as well. Right now we try to make trips to see them as much as possible! We will see where God takes us in the future.


Finish this sentence, Before having kids, I wish I would have known….

How much stuff a baby needs and how much that stuff requires! I feel like our house is packed full already, lol.


1 comment:

  1. My son use to go to Shannon Thompson, she is wonderful

    ReplyDelete

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