I've had a whirlwind last 9 months! Aaron and I decided to move to Indianapolis last June and we both landed new jobs (on the same day), and had to find a temporary apartment in Indy in a single weekend! We moved down here to simplify our lives to start a family. Aaron calls it "growing up" to leave the downtown Chicago city life and buy a house (with a yard!) and start a family. We decided on Indy because his parents are 2 1/2 hours north of Indy so we'll have quick access to the lake house and grandparent help. Most of all, living in Indy is SUPER affordable compared to the raising a family in the city of Chicago OR back in my hometown, San Jose, which the cost of living is arguably higher!We moved to Indy on 4th of July weekend and I went back to Chicago to work my last day at my company, then drove with the dog back to Indy to join Aaron. The next morning, I found out that I was pregnant! It was a complete shock, but in our minds the news that we were going to be parents validated that our move to Indy was "perfect" for the next phase of our lives together. At the end of December, we closed on a house that we'll be able to raise our family in and spend decades in! We're so excited to have found a place to call home and again, the timing was perfect because now, we're expecting our baby girl literally ANY day now! Our due date is March 13. Our lifestyle has been so crazy, but one thing that we don't give up is our healthy lifestyle. Check out my post from Dec for survival tips.
Last night, I was catching up on reading my magazines and was excited to read First Lady Michelle Obama's interview from Glamour's 2009 Woman of the Year awards. Michele Obama has focused her efforts on issues like childhood health, nutrition, and obesity since she became First Lady. In fact, she's leading by example White House organic garden that the chef uses to make meals for the staff and first family. Last February, Michael Pollan was interviewed on the NPR show, Fresh Air, talking about his Open Letter to the President in which he advocated for a White House Garden. I was happy to hear that the Michelle Obama followed through to do this as an example for the rest of the country. When asked why they created the White House garden in the Glamour interview, Michelle Obama responds:
"...When I was a working mother with a busy husband, a very demanding job and two little kids to feed...I had to learn what it means to feed and care for your kids in a country where fast food was abundant, where time is a rarity, where eating out is a trend, because families are so busy...Yes, I'm First Lady, but I know the struggles."
She "gets" it! I loved reading this because it reminds me, while Michelle Obama is now First Lady, she really lived through the struggle to find balance of raising a family with the fast-food culture in America. Nutrition is priority to me because I know that I have one body in this life and I want to keep it healthy so I'm around to enjoy my family many decades to come. But with the outside pressures of a demanding schedule and from the fast-food overloaded culture, we can see how many people give into the "easy way" to put food on the table.
Most importantly, Michelle Obama, is a career-driven mom. She's a woman that came out of her South Side of Chicago working-class roots to go to Ivy League college and law schools, but always kept her down-to-earth perspective when she became a wife and mom. She's the first, First Lady, that I can relate to as I'm about to embark on this new journey of a career-driven mom, myself! She's an executive, mother, and wife, and has never given up her family values. The common thread in her interviews is that she believes that being mentally present for her family is top priority. I'm with you, Michelle!
Michelle Obama is my inspiration as I think about raising my daughter and being a loving wife. I'm going to breastfeed my daughter for at least the first year of her life, giving her the valuable antibodies, perfect nutrition and most importantly, feeling of comfort and security. My nutrition passes onto her in this time and in the future when we sit down for family meals together in the years to come.
Who are your inspirations? Michelle Obama revealed that her inspirations were always her parents. That's rock solid! I hope my girl grows up respecting the moms and power women out there!
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