Hi! I am Alyssa! Toddler chaos coordinator, aspiring minimalist, lover of hobbies, and proud extrovert.
If you saw me out in public, I would have my typical mom uniform on: grey v-neck Tee, cropped black yoga pants, and a pair of kicks I got from the local Costco. I would be baby wearing, carrying two toddlers that are refusing to walk, and holding a conversation with a kindergartener who excels at holding a conversation without catching a breath. There is a good chance I would have some sweat on my brow and a smile on my face, kindly nodding and laughing as strangers tell me I have my hands full.
I live in the Ann Arbor area. I graduated from the Ann Arbor Douglas J Aveda Institute with my State License in Cosmetology. Later, I moved far up north and attended Michigan Technological University. My boyfriend at the time also went to MTU, and when he graduated, we both moved down state and got engaged. Steve and I got married in September 2011 and moved to Ann Arbor for his job. I went back to work for Douglas J as a stylist and Salon Coach.
Pregnancy and Kids
We always knew we wanted a large family. Before getting married, we would go back and forth about having kids and what our goals as parents would be. So we started trying to get pregnant soon after getting married, and we remember hearing from someone, “Sometimes it takes a few months.” Well, months turned into a year, and a year turned into almost two. We started talking about fertility specialists, even scheduling our first appointment, temping, and using ovulation kits. After finally getting a positive test and telling our families, we suffered a miscarriage. That loss rocked me. I remember not wanting to leave bed, feeling this haze of having to tell everyone. I was confused and felt let down. Quickly after the miscarriage though, we got pregnant again. I continued working during my pregnancy, deciding around 30 weeks along that I was going to stay home full time and raise our daughter.
In 2013, we had our first daughter Addison. We lived in South Lyon for the first year of Addison’s life and then decided that we would move our family to Erie, Pennsylvania for a job advancement for my husband. Throughout all of this, we were trying for baby number two. Knowing how long it took with our first pregnancy, we wondered what that would mean for following attempts. We lived in Erie for one year and then made the hike back to Michigan. After two years of trying, we decided it was time to schedule an appointment with a fertility specialist. A few days before the appointment, I took a “Just in case, I better check” test, and it was positive! Our second was born in 2016. His name is Callahan.
Let’s circle back to the beginning of my introduction when I said that Steve and I both wanted a big family. Remember that? Well, when Callahan was five months old, we found out I was pregnant with baby number three. Blair was born in 2017.
And let’s revisit that big family thing ONE more time because yep, you guessed it: when Blair was six months old, I found out I was pregnant with baby four, Keegan. We are a proud family of four kids that are five and under, and we love it. Every loud, crazy, and chaotic moment.
Birth Advocacy
I am also a proud C-section mama. Four cesareans. My first was a surgery that followed a 72-hour hospital labor and failure to progress. It was scary, and it was nothing like I imagined my birth plan being. So alongside a wonderful OB-GYN, we decided to make my following C-section births a birthing experience that I loved. We used clear drapes, so that I could watch as each baby was born. The doctors held the babies up to the clear drape, so we could be face-to-face while they delayed the cord clamping. As soon as the babies could safely join me, I was able to be skin-to-skin, breastfeeding them. For as much as I disliked my first C-section experience, advocating for gentle C-sections with my following three babies was so empowering and absolutely wonderful.
What Else Am I up to?
We are currently in the process of getting our license to become foster parents. In Michigan, there are approximately 13,000 children in foster care and 300 children who still need an adoptive family. We don’t have a giant house with 10 bedrooms; I mean, I drive a Honda Odyssey with goldfish thrown around like confetti. But, we have four amazing kids and a heart to help other kids who need it. I encourage anyone who has felt a pull on their heart to get involved in foster care to follow that and really consider it.
To spice up my schedule, I also lead a Girl Scout Daisy Troop, and I am involved in MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) where I lead a table of mothers. I am the founder of The Motherhood Mixer, a motherhood workshop series in Ann Arbor, as well.
The life that my husband and I are building is built on our faith. We raise our children to know and love God. Our family tries our very best to show God’s love in practical and real-life ways. The community and friendships we have built are truly amazing.
We thrive off of this sleep-deprived childhood loudness. Our home is, in fact, busy with children, but it’s also busy with joy, busy with prayer, and busy with love and a whole lot of grace! We are raising a tribe of children, having a big family, and sacrificing things for the best reason.
