Meet Our MOMumental Mom of the Week (September 18th)

Meet Meredith, our ninth MOMumental Mom of the week.

Name: Meredith

City: McKinney

Marital Status: married

Mom to: 11 month old Aiden Thomas

Occupation: Integration Manager for Frito-Lay

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
Smart People – I enjoyed it – It really hit me the impact to family roles due to the loss of a spouse and parent and how children have a tendency to take on a parenting role if the spouse is unable to find their way back.

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Parent’s magazine

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
I’ll love you always and forever my baby you will be

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got?  Who gave it to you?
You will under-estimate the impact of having a child to your life but take it day by day and remember the people that were a part of your life before the baby because you will have a tendency to forget even your spouse

What are three products that you could not live without (e.g., your journal, your Blackberry, your facial moisturizer – anything you use constantly!)
Coffee – I have a baby ☺

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
A daycare that has a concierge service and a coffee bar

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom?  If so, how?
Absolutely – success to me now is simply being the person I see through the eyes of my son and husband – don’t get me wrong, they have big expectations ☺

What do you do in your “me”-time?  How do you protect it?
Ride horses – schedule in advance with my husband

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
My husband and son have given me the greatest gift – an open heart to experience a magnitude of love that I didn’t think could exist – I am open to what the world has to offer now and willing to take more risks for love

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
Interestingly enough, the week up to my baby being born and two weeks following were probably the most conflictual weeks of my life. I always wanted to be a mother, I underestimated what I would feel when he arrived (my expectations were pale in comparison to the reality) and the balancing act was more extreme and tiring than I imagined it would be. To the expectant mother I would say be comfortable with asking for help and don’t feel guilty for the feelings of doubt you have – they will pass as you become accustom to your new life but work hard to balance don’t think the right answer is to focus all your love, energy and attention on the baby – a good mother is a well-rounded mother one that recognizes the priority of her child in her life along with the priorities of her husband, friends, family, home, work and all that she had before the baby arrived. I like to think of it in a simplistic way: I am working with the same deck of cards, they simply got reshuffled.