Hello mom-blog lovers! I’m excited to join the team and start collaborating with this network of warriors. In my guest post about going back to grad school while I was pregnant, I mentioned the importance of building a network of moms – and I’m happy to add this blog as another piece of that puzzle.
I’m a born and raised Iowa native. I grew up in a small town west of Des Moines, Earlham, Iowa. Now, my husband and I live in Johnston with our daughter Riley, 3, and bulldog Dexter.
My first job after graduating from Drake University was writing for the community newspapers of the Des Moines Register. My beat was in Urbandale, Johnston, and Ankeny. I fell in love with Johnston while working that beat and knew I wanted to raise my family there.
Now, I work at Drake University where I’m also a two-time graduate. As assistant director of public relations, social media, my days are filled with advancing the image and reputation of the University that is so important to my life.
I’m glad to have this new outlet to take my writing beyond my love for Drake. But, nothing is as rewarding as my family, which I call the Niki Refueling Station. You know when Wall-E recharges using his solar panels? My husband and I make that recharging noise when we get a hug from our daughter.
Everyone gets a kick out of the Facebook page I made for my daughter, Riley Is Not Impressed. She just has this stare where she takes the world in with great focus. Many find it quite comical, and I wanted to share it with the world.
As a mom, I wear my birth story like a badge of honor. I’ve told anyone who will listen (and who doesn’t), that I labored through 30 hours with back labor, and ended the process with 3 hours of pushing. I am intentional in talking about it because labor shouldn’t be a taboo topic. Everyone is birthed in some way, and we should celebrate the hard work any mom goes through to bring a child into the world. Plus, every time I share my story I often hear, “I didn’t know that could happen.” I learned a lot of things throughout my own labor, even after taking the classes and reading tons of birth stories myself.
I look forward to learning from all the great moms who make up this great metro. I’d love to see more interaction from our readers, so if you ever have any questions please reach out to any contributors!
Let’s get a conversation started. For starters, you can email me with any questions at [email protected].