Introducing Lea: A Sterling Heights Mom

::Welcome::

Welcome Metro Detroit mamas! My name is Lea and I can tell you this: I love being a Mom with every fiber of my being. It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had – with the least amount of training. But I don’t need training to know that extra-long snuggles, story times, and sweet bedtime rituals are fleeting, and that I need to soak up every second of my son’s toddlerhood as he marches toward independence. I also know my job as a mom is exhausting, painful, and some days just simply impossible.

I’ll never get back my hot body or quick wit. My brain and metabolism are much more comfortable at a snail’s pace these days. Pregnancy brain turns into mom brain; I now walk into a room and have no idea what I’m looking for. I’ll bet you can relate. Yet, as we know, it is incredibly worth it. I’m honored to be a part of this blog and share with all of you the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I hope to bring you refreshing honesty, a good laugh, and maybe a happy cry or two.

::Down with Detroit::

If you would’ve told 16-year-old me that someday I would be a stay-at-home mom living approximately 1.3 miles from my childhood home, and less than a mile from where I graduated from high school, I wouldn’t have believed you! But I’m back in Sterling Heights and couldn’t be happier. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Family + Youth Studies from Central Michigan University, I headed to San Francisco to follow my dream of advocacy and nonprofit work.

But then something unexpected happened: I couldn’t wait to get back home at the conclusion of my internship. I missed my city. And I missed my family. I missed the unique culture and people of Detroit. Although I love to travel, I cannot imagine calling anywhere but Detroit home.

We love to spend our weekends exploring new restaurants, exhibits, and downtown markets. Some of our favorite spots are Belle Isle, Milano Bakery,  Motor City Wine, and the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center. I encourage other suburban mamas like me to head downtown and start exploring all of the exciting culture Detroit has to offer.

::My Life::

I’m a stay-at- home momma by day and a dance instructor by night. I work at a remarkable dance academy in Madison Heights and offer technique consulting for high school dance teams and private one-on-one lessons for students. Dance has helped me travel, introduced me to the most amazing friends, and allows me to have a rewarding career while staying home with my son. Dance will forever be my first love.

My second love is my sweet husband Ryan. We met in high school and started dating when we were both away at Central Michigan University. I chased him for years with no luck, but I am a very persistent little lady. He finally saw the light and asked me out to dinner when we were both home on break. I often wonder if his sudden change of heart had anything to do with the fact that I had scored a gig with the Detroit Tigers that summer. He swears that had nothing to do with it. I know he’s fibbing. We’ve been together 12 years and married for 5.

Aside from being a momma, I love baking and cooking. I have a Facebook group called Mitchell’s Mangia! Mangia! where I test recipes and post weekly. I love politics and advocacy, traveling (mostly to Disney), volunteering, reading, extra-large iced coffees, spending time on the lake in Lexington, naps, and exploring new places with my toddler. You can usually find us downtown, at the zoo, a library, or exploring a new park. My son is also my protest partner. He can be seen around town, holding signs and chanting for equality and peace. He’s one smart little cookie.

::Babies and Beyond::

And that brings me to my third love, my son Charlie. My journey to him was a wild one. Ryan and I got pregnant shortly after we married. Within a few weeks I experienced terrible, stabbing pains and drove myself to the hospital. The sweet resident tried to not  show it on his face, but I knew I was losing the baby. My pregnancy was ectopic and I needed emergency surgery. After much emotional and physical healing, and a thousand ovulation kits, my Charlie was born. He was worth every second of the wait. I am a stage 5 clinger for my child and I am not ashamed to admit it. To this day I stare at him in disbelief that my body could grow such perfection.

I was overjoyed after Charlie was born, but soon after I began to struggle with debilitating postpartum anxiety and postpartum OCD. I never saw it coming and it completely knocked me off my feet. Then, I checked myself into a hospital and it was a horrific experience. The doctor told me I was an imminent danger to my baby and then locked me in a room away from my husband. I felt like the world was collapsing around me. How could someone so prepared to become a mother be so completely paralyzed and nonfunctioning? It was incredibly traumatic and still haunts me.

If I ever win the lottery, every cent of it will go towards educating health care providers on postpartum disorders (and maybe one park-hopper trip to Disney). Every day I am thankful for my husband and the therapist who willed me back to life. If any of you reading this are currently struggling with any sort of postpartum disorder, you have my word that the darkness does lift and you will breathe easy again.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. I am so honored to be a member of the DMB community. Mothering takes a village and I cannot wait to have you all as part of mine!

Introducing Lea: A Sterling Heights Mom