Kathy and I “met” on Instagram. We both share a love for DC and strong family ties. She reached out about a family session and I was delighted when she agreed to write for the Motherhood series. Enjoy a peek into her life here in Dc and meet her sweet little girl Kenley.

 1. How has Motherhood changed you as a woman?

Motherhood has certainly changed my mindset on what’s important.  It’s has really put into perspective what life and unconditional love really mean. Life has become more about counting my blessings, focusing on the positive aspects of life and being grateful everyday that I have a family to love and that loves me back. I have never felt as grateful as I do now.

2. What is your full time occupation?

Currently, I’m a full-time stay at home mom to Kenley. In my professional life, I remain a pediatric speech-language pathologist. I’d like to say I pretty much fulfill my name cliché of “chatty Kathy” both personally and professionally. 😉

3. Tell us about your family (number of children, the family you were raised in)

I’m one of 4 girls raised by very Christian parents who instilled the importance of faith and family in us at a very young age. For much of my life I was a pastor’s daughter, and watching my parents in their leadership roles taught me so much about life.

4. What is one family tradition you have raised your family with?

We’ve created a few traditions with Kenley, especially around holidays. But my favorite one is every night before we put Kenley to bed we say, “Goodnight, God bless you and I love you” to each other before goodnight kisses. This is something my husband grew up with and passed onto me when we got married and now we love sharing it with our little one.

5. What are your “must-haves” as a Mom?

A supportive and helpful husband (thank you, Carl 🙂 , coffee and wine. In that order.

6. What is something you are talented with or passionate about?

My passions have really changed since becoming a mother. I put a lot of time and effort in raising our daughter with the mentality that she can do anything and building her confidence by example. More than anything I’d like for her to always believe in herself, do things that make her happy, believe in the power of helping people in need and understand the importance of being a “strong woman” both in the outside and inside. Shaping and teaching a little human is a lot of work and responsibility, but I love that this is the life chapter I’m currently working on.

7. Any advice for new Mothers?

It’s definitely not easy (being a mother), but it’s so worth it. The sleepless nights, the tantrums, the unsolicited advice, the feeling of isolation, the sick days, the constant crying, the strong-willed child….it’s all worth it. I’d take the hard times a million times over. Being a mother is and will always be my greatest blessing.

And my other small piece of advice would be to find “your village.” Moms are a strong force and once you become one it’s like all the other moms in the world get you and you get them. Find moms you can connect with, relate to and spend time with. I have found the connection I’ve made with other moms to be crucial on difficult days.

8. Where do you call home?

Washington, DC is our home for the past nine years. My husband and I are originally from the Philadelphia area, so we will always identify with that area as “home”. Go Eagles!

9. What is a favorite past-time you do with your child/children?

We’re big nerds and we love books. We love reading together before nap time and before bed, but really at any point in the day. Sometimes she grabs a book and plops down on my lap and says “read it, please mommy” and other times she can sit for long periods of time “reading” on her own.

10. What has motherhood taught you?

Motherhood has taught me so much. One of the biggest things is discovering strength I didn’t know I had. Being a mom has given me the opportunity to show inner and outer strength through emotions, persistence and determination. It has taught me to really believe in myself so much more than ever before.

Motherhood has also taught me to lead by example. And as a result has encouraged me to care more about my health and fitness routine, be a little more cautious about what I say and show our daughter how to be kinder than necessary in any given situation. There’s now a little human that really looks up to me, so I try and be mindful of that.

11. What is your favorite quote about motherhood?   “There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one.”

-Kathy