Tot Mom #40

Kristina & Ruth — Always Outdoors

Kristina was born in Colorado and lived in just about every area of the US due to her father’s career in the military. Her family finally settled down in Virginia, where her parents currently live. She attended William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and earned her degree in Psychology. During college she met her husband, Micah, while both were working at Staples. They didn’t hit it off right away, so it took some time of getting to know one another before falling in love. Micah was a few years ahead of Kristina, so he graduated and moved to Charlotte while she finished college. They held a long distance relationship until she graduated and moved here to continue their romance. They have been married now for about 8 years. Upon her arrival in Charlotte, Kristina went into human resources as a recruiter for a bank, yet decided it wasn’t for her, so she began looking into getting her Master’s Degree. She attended UNCC where she earned her Masters in Early Childhood Education. While taking classes, she got a job writing curriculum and loved it. Kristina is currently a stay at home mom and teaches a class at UNCC. She and her husband enjoy many activities, mostly those that involve being outside. They go camping, hiking, and indulge in the occasional motorcycle ride when they want to seek a thrill. This pair are also highly competitive and like to play boardgames, especially to beat other couples or family members. For their anniversary, they went miniature golfing and just to avoid any fun banter between the two, she threw the game. Her husband didn’t realize it until the last hole! Kristina’s hobbies consist of yoga and making greeting cards with stamps. She is also interested in getting back into ice skating, even though she states, “I’m not very good!”

Ruth, AKA tooter (because she toots a lot) and moobear, is an outdoors kind of girl who enjoys getting dirty. Her favorite activity is going worm hunting. She loves to dig up worms and bury them in her piles of dirt. Another outdoor activity she likes is going to the Lazy 5 Ranch to feed the animals. This active, curious 2 1/2 year old also has the silly habit of taking off her clothes. “She likes to be naked when running around the house and occasionally in public.” In fact, I witnessed her taking off socks, shoes, and pants. Yes, Ruth was running around in her diaper while having a play date with Madison and I! She is also very verbal and enjoys telling jokes to anyone who will listen. It comes to no surprise that she likes to be the leader and I have no doubt that she will continue leading the pack as she grows older.

The hardest thing about being a Tot Mom is watching your child when they get hurt, knowing there is nothing you can do but hold them until the pain goes away. The best thing is seeing everything through her eyes. “Everything is fun!”

Tot Mom #38

                                    Emma & Mama’s Boy

Emma, Kylee, Chloe, & Liam — Young Love

Emma was born in Romania and lived there until the age of 6. She and her family moved around a little, having lived in Oregon, California, and finally Chicago, where they have been settled for 20 years. She met her husband, Cosmin, at a wedding when she was 15 years old and they have been head over heels ever since. They are both Christian and made the decision to save themselves for marriage. After 4 years of dating, the two tied the knot and have been married now for 9 years. Emma stated that she feels blessed to have such a sweet husband and has cherished seeing him every day for the past 13 years. Fairy tale love is real!  Emma had a wonderful job in Chicago at Neiman Marcus before becoming a stay at home mom. The two moved to Huntersville 3 months ago for Cosmin to continue his career at Sprint Nascar as a computer technician. For fun, they enjoy street racing and are proud to say that they own a Mitsubishi Evo, which is just as fast as an exotic car. I’ll take your word for it! Street racing has come to a halt since they have 3 children, so Cosmin likes to drive the Evo to work. Emma said the engine is loud and she can hear her husband coming down the street every evening from work. Her hobby consists of playing the guitar and singing. She used to sing gospel at her church and looks forward to getting back into music soon.  We had the pleasure of hearing Emma play the guitar and sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Madison watched and listened intently as the sweet music filled the air. What a treat!

Kylee, Chloe, & Liam are all under the age of 6 and mommy had them all before reaching 26. Kylee is 5 and the stubborn one in the group. When she comes home each day from Kindergarten, “All hell breaks loose!” Emma has accepted she can’t change Kylee’s character, so she has revamped the way she disciplines her. Kylee is into Hello  Kitty and loves to sing. She and mommy do duets together and Emma admits she is good. Shopping and going out anywhere are high priorities for this little Vixon. You name it, she will be there! Chloe is 2 1/2 years old and the lamb of the family. She is very calm, never cries, and is considered to be the “perfect child”. Her favorite thing to do is play with her toy story dolls, which she has many. She also has a large bronco in the living room, which she likes to ride like Jessie, the cowgirl from Toy Story. Liam is 11 months old and a “mama’s boy”. He is obsessed with his mommy and attached at the hip. Emma even has to cook while holding him. He likes to play with his sisters and bug them, when he isn’t climbing on mama.

The hardest thing about being a tot mom of 3 is not having help. The best thing is just having them, they are a blessing.

Tot Mom #37

Jennifer, William, & Matthew — Generations of Love

Jennifer was born in Miami, Florida, yet lived in a number of areas. She moved to Knoxville, Tennessee for her father’s career and considers this to be her hometown since she was raised here. Jennifer went to Birmingham, Alabama where she attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  A short while later, she moved to Augusta, Georgia with her family.  She started her career at  a retina clinic as a certified ophthalmic assistant. After gaining experience in a diagnostic dye test, she accepted a position as head retinal angiographer in Wilmington, NC. She loved her job and ended up working for this clinic for 8 years before taking a position which involved research in Charlotte.  She rented a house in Southpark and started working at Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, & Throat in the Imaging department.  During this time, she joined the ever so popular eHarmony site where she met the love of her life, Tom. They were inseparable from the very beginning and were married in November 2008. For fun, this couple likes to go to the mountains, particularly Blue Ridge Parkway and Blowing Rock. They also like going to beach, which is convenient since both of their parents own beach houses. Jennifer & Tom love playing with their boys and working in the yard.  Jennifer’s hobbies include shopping, cooking and play dates for her boys. Her relaxation time is spent watching the food network to get ideas for gourmet dishes.

William is 18 months old and is the fourth generation, having been named after his father, grandfather and great grandfather.  He loves swimming and has been in the pool since he was 12 weeks old.  It also comes to no surprise that he enjoys bath time. Will is a sweet boy who loves his class at The Little Gym.  His favorite toy is his night soother ocean wonder machine (he never goes on a trip without it) and his favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. Matthew is 4 months old and named after his maternal grandfather.  He has just begun to smile and babble.

The hardest thing about being a Tot Mom is the sleep deprivation. Jennifer can’t wait to have her nights back so she can catch up on her sleep.  The best thing is that she and Tom have found the meaning of life through their boys.  She says everyday is heaven on earth.

Tot Mom #32

Michelle & Julia — “Social”

Michelle was born and raised in Long Island, New York and shortly after high school went into Property Insurance. She met her husband a few years ago through a blind date. The story is actually sweet! Her mother worked with a handsome fellow and showed him a picture of her daughter she had on her desk. She asked him if he would be interested in taking her on a date and of course he was since Michelle is pretty. Michelle went on the blind date, mostly because her mother set it up, and they hit it off. Shortly after she and Brian began dating, Michelle’s mother passed away. She never knew that her daughter and Brian fell in love and got married. They have been married now for almost 3 years and silently thank Michelle’s mom everyday. Michelle and her husband visited his family frequently down here in the Carolinas and they grew fond of the people, weather, and casual atmosphere. This laid back lifestyle fit their personalities, so they moved to the Charlotte area. Michelle transferred to the South Park area to continue her work in Property Insurance. Recently, she resigned because she wanted to have a family and be able to be with her children. For fun, she and Brian have a boat and enjoy hanging out on Lake Norman with their friends. One of their other favorite things to do is go to Jimmy Buffet concerts. Michelle’s hobbies consist of doing yoga and playing board games. “Yes, I am a geek!” she mentioned with a smile on her face.

Julia will be 20 months old on September 5 and loves climbing and socializing. Her confident, strong personality is a mirror image of Michelle. She and mommy do the adorable “Social” as they hold up their glasses and clink them together. Julia is a water baby as well and loves their boat. Among other interests, she likes dogs, especially her yellow lab Abby. Julia also enjoys eating, yet gravitates towards the healthy side and will pick up fruit instead of cookies. Recently she has gotten into Sesame Street, of course loving the famous Elmo the most. This little girl is like a mini wheat, so sweet and innocent on one side and full of curiosity on the other.

The hardest thing about being a Tot Mom is never wanting your baby to get hurt. The best thing is ” The way she loves me. It is so rewarding.”

Tot Mom #17

Tripp, Evan, & Rebecca– On the go

Rebecca was born in St. Louis, yet calls Kansas City her hometown. When she was a child, her family moved around a great deal due to her father’s job with IBM. They moved from St. Louis, to Atlanta (where her sister was born), to Texas, to Illinois, and finally Kansas City. Rebecca moved to the Charlotte area to go to Davidson College and she has lived here ever since. She graduated with a degree in Math (one of eight students in her class) and now works for Verigent, LLC, which is an IT staffing company. She and her husband (Trip) met in college at a party. Believe it or not, he owned a local Dominos and was the youngest franchisee in Domino history. They have been together for 18 years and got married on their 6th anniversary. Rebecca and Trip love to travel, go on cruises, and visit warm regions. Prior to having Evan, their traveling occurred more often! This Tot Mom also enjoys reading, specifically murder mysteries. Having a nice, quiet evening curled up with a great book is the best way to relax and have a mommy moment.

Evan, also known as Little E, is sixteen months old and has started walking recently within the last week. Mommy and daddy are very excited! Just wait guys, it gets even better. What I noticed about Little E the most is that he is always smiling. It must be easy to entertain him since he loves just about everything. His favorite thing to do lately is to play with blocks. He takes them all out of the box, then puts them all back. Or he will shake the box and they spill out and he puts them back. Fun! I wish I could be entertained like this, life would be much simpler. Evan also likes to play Boo. He places his hands over his face and lets go, shouting “Boo!” Like mommy, he will also sit in his chair and read books. Besides going to Little Gym, Evan and mommy go to the Huntersville aquatic center and will be taking swim lessons this summer. Good luck, Evan, you are going to be great.

Rebecca told me the hardest thing about being a Tot Mom is getting Evan to hurry up so they can reach their destinations on time. He is often in a great mood and just takes his good old time. The best thing is when he sees her, his face lights up. They could be in a room full of people and when he makes eye contact with her, it is like he knows everything is going to be fine.

Tot Mom #15

Kathryn & Vivian — The story of love

Kathryn is from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania  and attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. After graduating with a degree in Technical Writing, she moved to Los Angeles California to pursue her dream of screen writing. Her career took an alternative route as she moved into the world of technical writing, which consists of writing user manuals, training guides, etc. As Kathryn put it, “I wrote everything that nobody reads.” We had a nice laugh with that comment. Kathryn moved to Charlotte in 2004 to help take care of her grandmother. Along with her move, she switched gears on the work front and joined Real Estate with Coldwell Bankers. After a short while, she decided to open her own Real Estate Company,  Dream Realty. Kathryn left realty to get back to her writing “roots” and is now a business process analyst. It’s a great job because she gets to travel occasionally and work at home part-time, meaning more time with Vivian. Dream Realty is still alive and well, however, because it is now run by Merrill, her husband. She and Merrill met each other through Match.com and have been married for three years next month. For fun, this couple enjoy multiple activities. They love going to concerts and live shows, as well as baseball games, particularly to see the Charlotte Knights. Their favorite places to dine include The Liberty and Sullivans, located in the south end of Charlotte. Kathryn used to be pretty athletic, having run in several sprint triathalons, 5 ks, and 10 ks, along with being an avid tennis player. She is hoping to get back into the groove and lose the baby weight, “if you can still call it baby weight”, as Kathryn put it. It came to no surprise when I asked Kathryn about her hobbies and she began discussing creative writing. She has a great passion for writing and still pictures herself writing a screen play some day. As she spoke about her life in Los Angeles, there was a spark in her eyes. She went on to tell me about her moment in the spotlight when she pitched a show in Hollywood to Carsey-Werner Productions (That 70’s show, The Cosby Show). Needless to say, her show was not chosen, yet she continues to smile and say, “One day!”

Vivian, also known as Viv or Vivi, is 18 months old. She is 34 inches tall and Kathryn says the height comes from her husband. Vivian is one of those babies you hear about that does everything a little early for her age. She started walking at 10 months and has been talking since she greeted the world. Being a talker, she knows many words, including the adorable “night,night” she whispers to mommy before laying down to sleep. Vivian is also a lover of water! In fact, Madi and I met them while playing in the Birkdale Fountain. Vivian was walking through the water as it shot up from the ground and didn’t even mind the fact that she was fully clothed. In addition to playing in water, she also enjoys playing at Freedom Park and climbing on everything. Kathryn stated, ” She is going to give me a heart attack!” Don’t worry, mom, the fun has just begun.

Kathryn told me the hardest thing about being a tot mom is keeping up and chasing an 18 month old. The best thing,however, is the unconditional love, happiness, and shear joy when she sees her mommy. She continued on to say that if she knew motherhood was going to be like this, she would have started years ago.

Tot Mom #14

Ashley & Harlow — Speed Demons, or should I say, Angels

Harlow — Water Baby

Can you take a guess where Ashley was born and raised? This city is in Indiana and has become well known, as some say, for hosting the fastest, richest race in the world. That’s right, she is from Indianapolis, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If I was a betting girl, I would bet money that the Indianapolis 500 sparked a passion through Ashley, since her career is in NASCAR. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, and majored in Business Marketing and International Studies, with a minor in Spanish. After graduating, she moved to Charlotte in 2006 and landed one of the coolest jobs to date. Ashley does marketing for Red Bull Racing Team, which is home to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne. She used to also do PR for the team, which required her to travel to all 38 races each year. After having Harlow in 2009, she switched to a Marketing job and only travels to 15 races each year, leaving more time to spend with Harlow. She met her husband in 2007 through some mutual friends in the sport. Both having a love for the sport, it was only natural they hit it off and have been married now for over 2 years. During their free time, they enjoy boating on LKN, wakeboarding, attending concerts, and attending The Cove Church in Mooresville. On Tuesday evenings, they go to Charlotte One, in downtown Charlotte, which holds a special, more modern service for young couples to enjoy music. Being married to a preacher’s son myself, I think this is something we may need to try out! Pre mommy days, Ashley used to love running and ran in several mini marathons. Now being a tot mom, she is unable to find the time to get back into running, yet somehow manages to stay in great shape. How do you do it?

Harlow is 19 months old and one of the tallest babies in our Little Gym class. Ashley stated she doesn’t know where Harlow gets her height, neither she nor her husband are tall people. A nickname that stuck with Harlow is “Puff”. Ashley doesn’t have a clue where or how the name started, she just started saying it. It might have something to do with the fact that “Puff” is a great eater. Ashley takes full credit for her baby’s love of fresh fruits and vegetables, since she has made all of her food from scratch. One tip from this tot mom is to always make the food from scratch so the nutrients remain in the food. Ashley purees the fruits and vegetables and stores them in ice cube trays in the freezer. Once the food freezes, she pops out each cube into Ziploc bags, so she knows portion size. I was literally mesmerized with this information and will definitely take Ashley’s advice. For fun, Harlow likes to color, play play-dough, and push her baby stroller at night around the neighborhood with mommy. She has also grown an obsession for water, so Ashley is going to give her swim lessons this summer, since she used to teach swim to babies and toddlers. Besides Discovery Place and Little Gym, one of their favorite places to have a mommy/daughter date is the Tot Lot in Davidson. This large playground is fenced in and consists of a huge sandbox already furnished with toys, as well as many riding toys located around a circle sidewalk. Yet again, another place Madi and I need to visit!

Ashley stated the hardest thing about being a tot mom is working full time and traveling, while having a husband who also works full time and travels. They never feel like they spend enough time with Harlow, so every minute counts. The best thing is everything. You don’t know what love is until you have a child. So True!

Tot Mom #13

Stacy & Eryn — Sugar and Spice

Stacy was a Michigan girl, born and raised, and attended Michigan State where she earned her degree in Kinesiology (sports medicine). She is a Radiology Tech at CHS and giggled as she shared this with me because it has nothing to do with her degree.  Growing tired of the cold weather, she decided to move somewhere a little warmer. She had some friends who lived in Atlanta, Georgia, so off she went to the land of peaches. Her friends threw a big barbecue for Memorial Day the first weekend she was there, and low and behold, she met her future husband, Derek. This couple is a perfect match for one another, both of them being soft spoken and sweet in their demeanor. As I was having a conversation with them, I found myself trying to lower my voice, which is a good thing!  They have been together for six years and married for two and now have a beautiful baby girl, Eryn. Stacy and Derek have only had the pleasure of living in the Queen City for one year. They moved to Charlotte last year so Derek could pursue his career of computer programming for Aon Hewitt. For fun, this couple love to go to movies, dinner, and bowling. Their favorite spot is University Lanes. Stacy loves to read and will read anything, partly because she enjoys the alone time. Keep on reading, mommy, you deserve it!

Eryn is seventeen months old and goes by the nickname ‘Snooky’. Dad said when she was first born, he took one look at her in the bassinet and said, “She looks like a snooky.” Eryn loves to be outside and enjoys taking strolls with mommy down on the boardwalk on Harris Boulevard. As they stroll, she loves to people watch and will say hello to just about anyone. Her favorite thing to do is catch people off guard and startle them by running up and shouting “HEY”! Eryn also likes dancing and will turn the music on in her room and dance in the crib. Like most babies, she also adores bubbles. She has a hippo bubble machine and just can’t get enough! This fun loving tot is energetic and outgoing, so I have a feeling mom and dad won’t be soft spoken for very long.

Stacy says the hardest thing about being a tot mom is not having much mommy time. It is all about the baby and they come first, which they should, but it is hard sometimes when you need some quiet time. The best thing, she continues, is that it is all worth it!

Tot Mom #12

Jennifer, William, & Benjamin — Love to Cuddle

Jennifer is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Texas when she was in high school. Continuing on with Texan pride, she attended Texas Tech University, where she earned a degree in Speech Therapy. Jennifer is now a Speech Therapist for Pediatric Expressions, which is a private practice she started in 1999. When deciding where she wanted to live after college, Charlotte was high on the list. She had always liked Charlotte and just needed a reason to move here. Finding a job in Speech Therapy gave her that reason and she has been living here for sixteen years. She and her husband, Rob, met through a dating site (match.com) and knew from date one that they clicked. They have been married for five years and keep the sparks flying by having dinner date nights, especially at Birkdale Village. Jennifer also threw in the fact that date nights are amazing because she doesn’t have to cook or clean and she can have uninterrupted conversation. All mommies can say Hallelujah to that wonderful statement! Having time for hobbies is a no go for this busy tot mom. During her spare time, she keeps busy with her own baby business, CuddleTug. Jennifer stated that her babies would pinch, pull, and tug while she was nursing, so she decided to make nursing necklaces to keep her babies entertained. What a great, unique concept! This tot mom is not only intelligent, but creative as well.

William, age 3, and Benjamin, age 1, were the sweetest little boys. Madison and I were walking in Birkdale Village and ran into the boys as they were playing. William began talking to us immediately and Benjamin held up the basketball as if he wanted us to come play. Who could resist? The boys’ nicknames used to be Turkey 1 (William) and Turkey 2 (Benjamin). William decided he wanted to change the names since he was three and Benjamin was one. It was only fair since he was older! Now, the boys are referred to as Turkey 3 (William) and Turkey 1 (Benjamin). The boys both love going to Discovery Place Kids, having play dates with friends, and being outside where they can play sports. William also adores babies. He was playing with Madison the whole time, giving her toy cars and hugging her when he had the chance. It was absolutely a treat to watch!

The hardest thing about being a tot mom, for Jennifer, is trying to find balance between her family life and career. Luckily, she has a great babysitter. The best thing is seeing everything through her tots’ eyes and she counts her blessings everyday, so thankful for the life they have.

CuddleTug Nursing Necklace

Tot Mom #11

Kelly, Milan, & Michaela — Ladies and the gentleman

Kelly is a Louisiana girl at heart, born and raised. She lived there most of her life and attended Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, where she earned a degree in PR and mass communications. Kelly is now an advisor at UNC Charlotte for the newspaper staff, working with them in advertising sales. She met her husband, Milan, at a Japanese Steakhouse in Lousiana. He was the Hibachi chef there and let’s just say Kelly enjoyed  the show! They have been married for 5 years this June and have two beautiful twins, Milan & Michaela. Their soul purpose for moving to North Carolina was for better employment, yet they have really grown to love the Charlotte area. For date night, they enjoy dinner and a movie, specifically the Cajun Queen down on 7th street. This tot mom of two is busy with her babies and stated that she doesn’t have any hobbies that lay outside of the realm of taking care of her twins. She is heavily involved with her Charlotte Mothers of Multiples group and enjoys attending consignment sales, as well as lunch dates with other twin tot moms. It was amazing to talk with Kelly and feel her positive energy as she shared her life with me. When asked if she had a tip for other tot moms, she replied, “Make a schedule and stick to it!” Maybe that is why she was so bubbly, happy, and full of life.

The twin’s nicknames originated in Slovakia with their grandmother. Milan is named after his father, so he became known as Milanko, which means “little Milan” in Slovakian. Michaela’s nickname is Miska (pronounced Mishka). They enjoy many activities including Gymboree in Lake Norman, playing in the Birkdale fountain, and going to their friends’ birthday parties. The tots are also very fond of one another. If someone enters the house and one of the twins is sleeping, the other will put their fingers over their lips to shush the guests. Milan is also a little gentleman when it comes to his sister. He always grabs two cups of milk and kindly delivers the goods to sweet Michaela. Their only squabble at this point is when Milan cries, in which case Michaela will place her fingers in her ears. Smart tot! It was incredible to watch the two of them play so nicely together as if they already know they hold a special bond.

Kelly stated that the hardest thing about being a twin tot mom is when one is upset and she is trying to console him/her, it is hard to give attention to the other. She tries to convey to her little ones that she loves them both, yet sometimes one needs more attention at the moment. It is hard to get that point across to toddlers! The best thing is when her babies smile because they are happy and content, which is what every mother wants to see in her tot.