Some may think I have my act together but if you were to ring my doorbell, say mid-day, you might find me in my pj’s, my hair in a greasy bun, my children running around without clothes and a pile of clothes waiting for me in the laundry room. Where did my, peaceful “all about me” life go? I thought “not having to work,” getting married, and having a precious bouncing baby would be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong!!!!!
I went to college for 7 years. I never got my degree. I couldn’t land on anything I wanted to do for the rest of my life and besides, I always aspired to be like my mother, a stay-at-home mom. She informed me those jobs were impossible to find. So I trudged through many harebrained schemes trying to make money without really needing a degree. Some of my attempts were, retail manager, personal trainer, clerk in the ER, furniture flipper, jewelry designer and bartender, to name a few. Fortunately, everything I tried was great training on landing my dream job…wife and mother!!! Who says dreams can’t come true?
After years of dating and many failed relationships, I met Austin. We met the new age way, on Facebook! I discovered his handsome face on a mutual friend’s page. I was compelled to write him. “Hey!” was my witty one liner, and it worked like a charm!!!!! He responded, “Well, hello there!” I discovered Austin was not just a pretty face. Our romance continued for 5 years before we married on October 27, 2013. He has introduced me to a world so exciting and adventurous. Our main goal in life is to make everyday fun! Although life with Austin is pretty perfect, we found out life isn’t always a fairytale. We wanted to start a family, but in 2015 I was diagnosed with infertility.
Finding out that I was not going to get pregnant the old-fashioned way, we entered the frightening world of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). I left our consultation with a heavy heart and tears running down my face. For someone deathly afraid of needles, this was an ironic situation. I would have to self administer over 100 shots and have my blood drawn more times than I can count. Before starting the infertility meds, I would have to endure several painful procedures, meanwhile none of this guaranteed we would be able to have a child of our own. At the same time we started IVF, I discovered, by accident, I had been born with a rare gene, CDH1. My discovery was a blessing in disguise because through IVF, we were able to genetically test our embryos and choose the ones that did not carry the gene. We were rewarded with our sweet baby boy, Arie in September, 2016. Two years later, in May of 2018 came our second precious miracle, Eliza June.
The four of us live together in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico at the base of the Sandia Mountains. In May of 2018 we made a dream of ours reality and purchased a cabin in the woods near Chama, New Mexico. We go there every chance we get to play outside, fish in the river, and explore the vast wilderness. We have always been outdoorsy, so if we aren’t at our cabin, we are skiing, biking, or hiking. I also have a passion for interior decorating, organization, and making our house a beautiful sanctuary to come home to.
In our home, everyday is a learning experience. In all honesty, Motherhood did not come easy to me like I believed that it would. I struggle with postpartum anxiety, OCD to the max, and because of CDH1, a fear of leaving my husband, son, and daughter behind before my time.
My sister, and best friend, Polly recently moved to Albuquerque with her family and I have never been happier. It has always been a dream of mine to live near her. Since the day she arrived, we have made a decision together that we will not let our CDH1 rule our lives. We instead follow the rule of healthy eating, an active lifestyle, and a happy home. We decided to turn our lemons into lemonade and share our story in hopes that it will inspire others to live healthy lives that may perhaps turn their diagnosis or family history around.
Stick with us and hopefully we can all learn from each other the importance of a healthy lifestyle and what impact that may have on all of our futures and lives!
XOXO Taylor