I'm Jaime, super mom extraordinaire. Or not. I'm a full-time student with a full-time job and I struggle to balance those two things with being a mom and a wife. I usually feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I want/need to. My kids are the most important people in my life and I am a fierce mama bear when it comes to all four of them. I learned a long time ago that I am their best/only advocate and I will fight for what is best for them. Yes, I am *that* mom. I am very passionate in my beliefs and I'm proud to call myself an extremely liberal feminist. I am pro-choice, support the rights of all people to choose their own lifestyles, extremely pro-breastfeeding, and pro-family. I'm also a Christian. I'm sure you'll hear more about all of that at some point. I had Lap Band surgery in February 2008, lost quite a bit of weight right off, but I've struggled since then. I'm currently trying to get myself back on track and lose the weight I've regained and the rest I need to lose.
Eric is my husband of 12 years. We got married when he was 20 and I was 19. Eric is a very hands-on dad and does everything I do. We're a parenting team, though he's usually the good guy and I have to be the bad guy. Daddy is just too much of a pushover for his cute kids. Eric works in retail and has the kind of schedule that allows him to see the kids off to school in the morning and get home in time to get them off the bus, do homework, cook dinner, and all that.
Christian is our first child and only son. We struggled for almost two years to conceive him and the day he was born changed my life forever. Christian is now 9. He has Asperger's Syndrome, but he is extremely high functioning and simply brilliant. His greatest aspiration is to be a paleontologist. Christian taught me how to fight for what my children need during the three years that it took for us to get a diagnosis for him. Intervention and therapy proved to be incredibly important to Christian, who went from barely saying a handful of words to talking incessantly in a matter of months when he was 3. We celebrate Christian's differences and to us, he is a quirky boy who just sees the world a little differently than most. The view from Christian's head is very colorful and refreshing.
Hailey is our first daughter and just 18 months younger than Christian. After struggling with infertility, Hailey was a surprise for us. My pregnancy with her was extremely difficult, ending with an emergency induction at 33 weeks due to severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome. Hailey has been a fighter for her entire life, spending only 12 days in the NICU after her birth. The only lasting issue related to her prematurity has been a speech delay and mild asthma. After Hailey's pregnancy, we were advised to not have any more children, but someone else had other plans.
We found out we were very unexpectedly expecting Sydney in October 2008, the same month we finally scheduled a vasectomy for Eric. Since I was already pregnant, we decided to hold off on having that done when Eric had scheduling issues at work. I had a wonderful pregnancy right up until I ended up in the hospital with a slight bit of bleeding and found out that I was in preterm labor at only 20 weeks pregnant. Sadly, Sydney was born at 20 1/2 weeks, on February 10, 2009, and lived for two hours. Being Sydney's Mommy has changed me forever. I've struggled in every way imaginable with losing her. When I held her for the first time, I held a true piece of heaven and I knew then that she was too perfect and innocent for this world. Losing Sydney shook me to my core and caused me to question every belief I've ever held. I still struggle with guilt, anger, and unending sadness, but in the last 20 months, I've also learned how to celebrate her life and how to carry her memory with me. Sydney is as much a part of our family and a part of me as my living children.
After losing Sydney, I knew that I wanted to have another baby. I needed to fill my womb and my arms again. Nobody could ever replace Sydney, but after experiencing my pregnancy and loving her so much, I knew that I wanted to have another living child to love and raise. On August 1, 2010, at only 31 weeks gestation, our rainbow arrived. Kelsey Grace was born 9 weeks early due to severe pre-eclampsia. She spent a long 64 days in NICU and finally came home the day after her due date. Kelsey is a balm for my soul, a beautiful, perfect baby girl that I feel was handpicked by her sister to help ease our pain. I've come to realize that Sydney's and Kelsey's lives are completely intertwined. Many would say that Kelsey wouldn't be here if Sydney hadn't died, but I say Kelsey wouldn't be here if Sydney hadn't lived.
Finally, we can't forget the furry four legged member of the family, Tigger. Tigger is our 13 year old gray tabby cat. He's getting grumpy in his old age, but we all love him to pieces.
