The Westberg Life: Reinvention and Restructuring

"I am still making order out of chaos by reinvention."--John Le Carre


Ahh, the chaos of life. We have been in Nashville now for about 6 months, and this time has been one of restructuring, reorganization, and in many ways reinvention. A redefining, if you will, of who we all are and, for Joey and I in particular, our roles in this family.


Because of his job, I've had the opportunity to be at home with Kirby and Kelsey-- something I have always dreamed about doing but was never a reality for us.  I'm able to be that stay-at-home mom that takes her daughter to school, can attend functions during the day, and picks her up at 3pm sharp. Meanwhile, I get to be home with Kirby during the day, spending time with just her playing games and loving on that sweet little one. Something I had to give up when I was required to work outside of the home.


Is this "career oriented woman" bored out of her mind? Not at all.  I was fortunate to have a part-time side job turn into a full time opportunity to work from home. I am challenged daily and inspired by the work I get to do as an editor and writer and well, a multi-tasker for the small publishing company I've been with for a year and a half now. I get to have that career and be the mom I want to be. I'm incredibly blessed and at this point, I can't imagine changing my routine any time soon. I just don't want to give it up.


Not that it would be practical at this point. Because chaos presented its lovely head again in the Westberg family in October when Joey and I found out that we are expecting a surprise: A baby that will be joining our family in the beginning of June... and a baby BOY at that. We are thrilled (still a bit shocked!) but are ready for the reinvention of the Westberg family that this new little one will bring to the table. The two youngest will be 20 months apart, so needless to say I'm going to be  busy. But.... blessed.


So meet the newest addition to the chaos that is the Westberg Family: Our little boy, Grice Patrick.

A sneak peek...

Want to see my precious girls???

"Suddenly, through birthing a daughter, a woman finds herself face to face not only with an infant, a little girl, a woman-to-be, but also with her own unresolved conflicts from the past and her hopes and dreams for the future...".  

Music City, here we come!

It's official!  The Westbergs are headed to Nashville, Tennessee.  And for me, I am heading back to my second "home", a place that holds many wonderful memories for me.  A place where I grew up in so many ways as I ventured off to college, living alone for the first time, and discovered who I was.  It just feels like home.  I'm excited to get back to my old stomping grounds, to introduce my girls to some of my favorite places, and looking forward to a new adventure.  For some, moving is stressful and a dreaded event. Some people cannot function in the chaos that comes during the process.  For me, it feels like a chance to start over again, start fresh, and I enjoy the process.  I enjoy the temporary chaos that leads to a newfound calm and new beginning.

Septima Clark said, "I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift."

Moving "home" is truly a gift.  We are so blessed to have this opportunity, and I am welcoming this chaos with open arms.

A Long Awaited Welcome

A Mommy's Insight

Our family of 3 became a family of 4 in October 2010, when we welcomed our second precious daughter.  Our oldest daughter had long wished for a little baby sister.  Not a brother.  She was absolutely certain that she wanted a sister.  She wanted a friend.  A best friend.  Although when we first told her the news, it was not the “surprise” she anticipated when she heard that we had a surprise for her.  Wondering where her “present” was, and telling her simply she would have to wait another 9 months was not something a 4 year old was accustomed to hearing.  The afternoon we were able to share her new “present” with her was one that I will always remember.  There were tears in my eyes as I witnessed my daughters meeting for the first time, yet something told me this was not the first time these two souls had met.  Our oldest daughter looked down at her baby sister, smiled, and said, “I love her so much”.  That precious moment where I was able to look at both of my daughters together is something that I will never forget.  There’s something so innocent and sweet about the love of sisters.  Friends for life they will be, and I am so blessed to be their mommy. 

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Good Intentions

I always have the best intentions.  I just don't always have the best follow-through with things I decide to do for myself.  Like this blog.  I love to write. I love to express myself through writing.  I intended to blog regularly, to keep this up as a way to communicate my thoughts and ideas and feelings and document what is going on in our lives and our family.  And here I am..  nearly 7 months since my last post, and I decided to visit the blog today.  Ruh-Roh. 

My pregnancy is long over.  In fact, Kirby Claire will be 6 months old in 10 days.  YIKES!  Time marches on, ready or not.  So yes, my intentions are to blog, but I have failed miserably.  Maybe it is the combination of being a working mom and a new mom.  I'm exhausted.  I take care of everyone and everything else, and then I am left at the end saying, "What about me?".  So, while this blogging was intended to be for me, it has fallen to the wayside.  Shall I recommit now and promise that I will do better?  I wish.  I think if I can just survive the interrupted nights of sleep for a little while longer until Summer break, I will be able to step out of this fog and maybe, just maybe, control this chaos a bit more. 

But, boy.. these baby girls are definitely worth the chaos in my life.  Worth it every day.

Lessons from a Pregnancy

I have not posted any sort of updates on this pregnancy on this blog, but if you're a friend on Facebook, you are well aware of the struggles I have faced, and oh boy, has this baby girl put me through the ringer!!  Though this is not my first pregnancy, I have learned or have been reminded of quite a bit in the past 8 months.

1)  Throwing up sucks.  I have thrown up more in the past 8 months than I have in the past 8 years.  I did not get sick one day with Kelsey, had some nausea, but never actually got sick.  This baby girl?  She has a mind of her own, and I am lucky to keep any meals down each day.  The upside?  I have not gained much weight!

2)  I have an addiction.  Tums are my best friend, particularly peppermint tums.  I pop them like candy.  YUM!  My best friend was in town for a visit, and actually expressed her concern over my Tums "habit"... hey, what can I say?  They soothe the heartburn and nausea.  I love them.  Now the moment I am no longer pregnant, I will be repulsed by them, but for the time being, my bottle of Tums is never more than just an arms reach away.  My name is Kristin, and I am an addict.

3) Being pregnant means buying a ton of toilet paper.  Frequent trips to the bathroom because the baby won't get off your bladder = using rolls and rolls of TP.  Enough said.

4) You can truly live with a minimal wardrobe.  I have a pair of maternity jeans, a pair of maternity shorts, two pair of maternity capris, a variety of tops, and some dresses that have worked for me throughout this pregnancy.  That's it.  And my closet stays neat and organized.  Maybe I should continue with this minimalist wardrobe post-baby??  Probably not.

5) I am much slower these days.  Slower going up the stairs.  Slowing going down the stairs.  Slower rolling out of bed (literally, ROLLING out of bed), in general, I've just slowed down.  This totally goes against my nature and my personality.  I'm normally go-go-go nonstop.  Pregnancy changes all that. 

6) Pregnancy causes insomnia.  I know they say to rest while you can, but it physically becomes impossible.  You can't sleep on your stomach (obviously), and you aren't supposed to sleep on your back. You are supposed to sleep on your left side to increase blood flow and circulation, but it is nearly impossible to stay in one position all night long. First of all, my arm falls asleep from laying on my side.  My back starts to hurt from being in one position, and the weight of the baby pulls the muscles in my back.  It's awesome.  I've taken to passing out around 10 PM, I get up every hour or so for a bathroom break, only to "wake up" around 2 or 3 AM and get up for a few hours.  My DVR and I have done a lot of catching up.  Maybe it's just the body's way of preparing you for the sleep deprivation that is soon to come.

7) Bedrest is torture.  I was on hospitalized bedrest for almost a month when I was pregnant with Kelsey.  I thought I might escape it this time around.  Nope.  I ended up being put on bedrest at 36 weeks with this baby, but at least I'm at home.  Have to stay off my feet as much as possible and rest.  This is very difficult for many of the reasons listed above.  Add an almost 5 year old to the mix who keeps us very busy around the house and well, you'll see the bedrest is really amusing.  The idea of it is fantastic when all you want to do is slow down and sleep... the reality of it just isn't practical.

8)  Pregnancy brings out the worst in you, but the best in others.  It gives you plenty of reasons to complain, whine, be in a bad mood, etc.  But there are people in our lives who are supportive, caring, and remind us daily of the blessing we are carrying, not a burden.  It really is a beautiful thing.

9) People can't STAND secrets.  Everyone wants to know-- what are you having?  A boy or a girl?  We revealed that early on.  But we decided to keep this baby's name a secret until she is born.  Just something that we can share with others that will remain a surprise.  This doesn't go over so well with everyone else!  But we are enjoying it immensely :)

10)   As old as pregnancy gets, every time this baby girl kicks me, I smile.  It is a gentle (sometimes!) reminder that life is growing inside of me, and this little bitty person is just as eager to meet us as we are to meet her.  I feel truly blessed and look forward to welcoming my new baby girl into the world, whenever she is ready.  Hopefully it will be soon!