New OZ Mama

Hi Mamas--

I know, I know, "She thinks she is going to make money and blog from home by doing ANOTHER mom blog- haha, good luck!" I totally get it, and have had the same thoughts, but honestly, this blog is for ME and a way for me to navigate my new role as a mama. If I can help other mama's on the way, great.

Now that we are past that-- for those that do not know, my name is Abi! I have a very predictable story of a small town girl who fell in love with and married her high school sweetheart. We purchased a home in our hometown, and most recently, added to our little family of four [we have two HUGE pups], as our baby boy entered the world on December 19th, 2019. When we learned of our pregnancy, we planned on both continuing to work, but at six months pregnant, we were thrown a plot twist to our generic story.

My hubby continues to kill it as his current job and received another promotion that requires him to be in the office two hours away (when not traveling the rest of the globe). With this being said, we decided it was best for me to quite my full-time job (which I LOVED), stay home with the baby, and travel back and forth between a home near the office and our current house . This allows our little man to be with his daddy during the week, while giving me the opportunity to receive support from my family at home when my hubby is traveling. So far, it's working- but it is SO chaotic. Packing, loading up 250 lbs of dog, and 300 lbs of baby stuff [no joke!] to drive 2+ hours one way multiple times a week is not necessarily ideal, but it is what's best for us!

With all that craziness in addition to figuring out how to be a mama-- I realized I needed a place to channel the passion I still have for my formal job. I need another role than just mommy and taxi driver. So here I am, adding "blogger" to that list.  So what did my formal job entail?  For the past five years, I worked in the homes of family's with special needs. Using a very play and development based approach, I helped train and guide therapy teams to help kiddo's with special needs meet milestones by working directly with the kiddo AND by guiding the family. It was SO special and SO rewarding. I miss it everyday. In addition to my work experience, prior to the workforce, I completed my masters and became a board certified Occupational Therapist-- which helped me not only in my job, but also as a new mama as I have a greater understanding of child development. I hope to use my education and experiences to create a helpful blog for local mamas.

As you explore the website, you will notice that I will write and share a mixture of items for all mamas and for mama's with kiddos with special needs (AKA superheroes). These mamas are so inspirational, as many of them have navigated and conquered the special needs world all on their own. Their determination and love inspired me to create this website. I hope this website can help all mamas navigate the beautiful process of child development, in addition to providing them with the guidance needed to find appropriate support when unexpected hiccups occur. God knows there is DIRE need for more guidance in our area.

Here are my four main goals for this blog website:

1. Share my experiences with brand new mamas with hopes that I can prepare them for the things that may have caught me off guard.

2. Share fun and creative activities that will facilitate child development.

3. Share resources regarding development and information needed to advocate and seek-out professional help when delays are noticed

4. Connect mamas with local events and programs for ALL children, with emphasis on ones that are modified for kiddos with special needs.

Thanks for poppin' in and I welcome you to join me on this journey! In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding my life or anything in regards to mommy hood, please reach out! I would love to help or help you find the help :)