Hello, all! My name is Paige Pacini. I am so excited to be a new contributor for Albuquerque Moms Blog.
ALBUQUERQUE
I am a Colorado native who now calls Albuquerque home. After college, my husband got his first “real” job at Sandia National Labs. We excitedly packed up and headed to New Mexico. We’ve found so much to love here, many wonderful friends, and a great church. My husband truly enjoys his job and co-workers. People often assume that we miss Colorado and occasionally we do. But we feel very loyal to Albuquerque. I am frequently looking at the breathtaking desert sunsets or the city lights twinkling across the valley and saying, “Albuquerque is beautiful!” In my opinion, Albuquerque doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Plus, me (and my hair) love that crisp, dry Albuquerque air.
MOMS
After moving to Albuquerque seven years ago, I quickly became pregnant with our first son. Like many first-time moms, I imagined myself floating gracefully through nine months of pregnancy to deliver a big, healthy baby with minimal medical intervention. My high and mostly unrealistic expectations about pregnancy and motherhood were shattered when I unexpectedly delivered my son at 24 weeks gestation. He weighed 1 lb. 5 oz.
Within a few hours, I went from being a naive, excited mom worrying about the perfect nursery decorations to a first-time mom of a critically ill baby who might or might not ever get home to sleep in that nursery.
Our amazing son, Isen, came home to sleep in his own crib after 169 days (about 5 1/2 months) in the hospital. Isen, now six, is a happy, bright, determined, and truly special child. About two years later, I was overjoyed to deliver our second son, Bowen- at TERM! At age four, Bowen is a sweet-spirited ball of energy whose biggest life goal is to never sleep alone in his bed. Last year after another relatively smooth pregnancy, I delivered our third son, Corbin, who is currently 10 months old. He enjoys watching his brothers, putting rocks in his mouth, and giggling at the dog. My husband, Ben, and I have been married 13 years. We were high-school sweethearts who married at age 19 and have truly enjoyed “growing up” together.
BLOG
I am excited to write for Albuquerque Moms Blog because I believe that, for many of us, pregnancy and motherhood did not go exactly how we expected. Being honest with other moms in our struggles is very healing. I hope to be an encouragement to other moms who have experienced a few unexpected turns in their mothering journey. As a mom, I’ve had some low lows and some high highs, but I believe that my path is the one God placed before me and I am grateful for it.
Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked as a licensed mental health counselor in a residential treatment center for troubled adolescents. I loved this work but had always wanted to stay home with my children when they were young. I hope to someday return to my counseling career, but for now, I spend my days playing with dinosaurs, tools, and vehicles. Still, I am a true counselor at heart. I love chatting with other moms about our kiddos, our families, and of course, our feelings.
We are so much stronger when we can laugh, cry, complain, and celebrate this journey of motherhood together!
