High Heels and Sippys

Twelve years ago, I was slammed into a motherhood consisting mostly of kicking, screaming, blood, guts, and stretchmarks.  And that was just the first day.

I was just another statistic. A young, unwed mother. So young in fact, I was actually a young, unwed TEENAGE mother, *gasp*, although I try to leave that last little tidbit out in normal conversation. I mean, who really counts 19 as a teenager anyway?

Despite the mini human growing inside of my stomach, I managed to drag my suddenly fat ass down the halls of the local community college. Which, by the way, was NOT my original 'life' game plan. Or my parent's for that matter. Regardless, I gave birth the week of finals that first semester. And by give birth, I mean, have a 9 lb. 11 oz man-child ripped from my deepest guts while the little demon baby held on to my ribs in protest. Whoever says c-sections are the easy way out clearly did not share the same experience as me.

Life progressed from that point as one might expect. I was surrounded with obstacles: emotional, physical, & financial difficulties that a 19 year old isn't quite equipped to overcome. But we did. All three of us, quite successfully by the way. Me, my baby-daddy, & the baby. The baby-daddy, is now the husband, so he did make an honest woman out of me, although IT TOOK FOUR YEARS.

And here we are, 12 years, three kids, and too much drama to even count later, just as happy as can be. Most of the time at least.

We're a modern family, only without any of the interesting diversity that seems to have found it's way into our society. We are just an average Dick & Jane couple, all grown up, and with three little kiddo's.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating teenage pregnancy. It was miserably tough, and full of more sacrifices and mistakes than I'd care to admit or remember. But, we survived it. And I know that we are, without doubt, better for it.

What makes us modern however, (besides being statistics) is that fact that both of us work, and have since our oldest was 2 years old. And, not only did we work, attend college in night school, and send our kids to daycare, but we did it all on our own and managed to create a stable, loving environment for our little family.  I'm a mom and I have a successful career outside the home.  I work as a paralegal for an Intellectual Property law firm in downtown Houston.  It's demanding, sometimes stressful, but very rewarding.  Kinda like my other life as a mom.  Finding the balance between those two worlds is my ultimate challenge; and surviving the chaos created when those world's collide is a constant hurdle I have to jump every day.

These writings are my thoughts, memories, and experiences of living this life I've created with my family. Just a little peak into the world of a modern day working mom, trying to balance her life, hopefully a little bit better than she balances her check book. (And not kill the husband or the kids in the process).