Nine months of pure bliss. The delicate balancing act.

These last 9 months have been pure bliss. The pure joy I feel with my daughter is almost too much to bear. I feel like my heart might explode every time she discovers or does something new. She is becoming her own unique person and I feel a tremendous responsibility to set a good example for her and allow her to continue to develop in a safe space.

Becoming a mother has been a lifelong dream of mine but so has the dream of building a career for myself and becoming a designer. When I became pregnant I did not receive a lot of advice pertaining to what the 4th trimester might look like. I just received a lot of questions regarding if I intended to work after the baby was born.

Nothing could really prepare us for the challenge of balancing both right out of the gate. Of course JR and I would have crazy work assignments just after the baby was born when I returned to work. That is just how life works.

Que the insanity of our jobs- and the challenge of raising a child-

Balancing a career and a family is a challenge.  For any working mother I think the world can be cruel with judgement and non-support. People question your commitment level to your children if you choose to keep working.  I for one grew up with a working mother so I knew and experienced first hand the positive and the negative aspects.

Working is so engrained in me I can’t imagine not working and not designing. Having Auden has actually made me a more efficient designer. While I am at work I squeeze the most out my time as I possibly can. I have been able to manage my time more efficiently and make decisions faster.

Not having a typical 9-5 in the exhibit world is something that I can never fully explain to someone who has never experienced the pure insanity of this field. I never know what the day may hold once I walk into work- and so I have learned to just roll with it rather than trying to control and structure my days perfectly.

There are late nights and weekends

So how do I balance? I try to leave work by 5 to pick up my daughter from day care and then we head home. From 5 to whenever Auden decides to fall asleep I do not work. That was a boundary that I am not willing to compromise on. 5-8 is family time wether that means going to the park with our dog Kenzie, making dinner, or playing; JR and I are fully engaged with our daughter because the time together during the work week is so precious.

If work needs to be done I begin it as soon as Auden asleep. Is this perfect? No. Does it work? Kinda. Some days are better than others but overall we seem to be managing it okay.

Are we now controlled by more chaos? Yes.

There are a few things that I do every week to help aid in the chaos which I will be sharing next week.

Am I the perfect mom? No. But what the hell - I am giving it my all. 

We are not really sleeping – I feel more exhausted than I was in the last year of my senior year of college where I had a major and a minor, 24 credits, and an internship. Yep, definitely more tired now. Despite all of the challenges, we have a great time navigating through this world together just the three of us.

To the women who are wondering if you can have both have a family and a career- HELL YES YOU CAN! I never thought I had to choose one because I wanted both and knew that I could do both despite people telling me otherwise. In addition, it helps tremendously to have a supportive partner in crime. It also helps that I am really stubborn. I wanted to start a real conversation and not sugar coat anything about the quest for balance from a real mom's perspective who is trying to keep all the balls in the air.

As crazy as this all is, I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world!

Incredible photography by the beautiful Jessica Lynn Perry- Thank you for capturing our little family! https://jessicalynnperry.pixieset.com/