And Baby Makes Three
Meeting the people behind Wimgo…

My name is Mick, the Wimgo Toastmaster, and I have the honor of working with people at Wimgo who are simply top notch. They are not only professionals who work hard, but also add a lot of character to halls of Wimgo HQ. We recently gave you an update on one of them, our programming friend Isaac, who decided to take part in the extremely cold OKC Polar Bear Plunge. And this week we want to introduce you the young woman who is the public face of Wimgo. You’d know her smile and laugh instantly because she is featured in all the video and radio shows for Wimgo. Something beautiful, incredible and miraculous has happened in her life recently and we wanted you to hear all about it from her.

Mick: So what’s the big news Wendy? What’s the big thing that’s been going on with you recently?
Wendy: I just became a mom! If you watched the weekly ‘Wendy with Wimgo’ videos during 2010 this is not a shock to you, as there was no denying that my waistline was expanding! On November 16, 2010, my husband and I welcomed our beautiful, healthy baby boy, Cannen Ace, into this big ole world.

Mick: What changes did Cannen bring with him?
Wendy: During the last nine weeks I can tell you I’ve never showered less, my house has never been messier and I’ve never been more tired in all of my life. And I can tell you with complete confidence that I would not change it for anything.

Mick: Going back a bit, what was the worst thing about being nine months pregnant? The best? Can you even think of one thing?
Wendy:  Can I think of one?! Oh please, I can think of many! Now, I don’t want to scare off anyone that may be considering getting pregnant and having a kid…but pregnancy in general wasn’t awesome for me. The first trimester was absolutely exhausting. The second trimester was okay because I got some of my energy back. But once the third trimester rolled around I was exhausted again and just ready to meet my son. My body ached, I had ‘pregnancy brain’ and I was a roller coaster of emotions.

I think one of the worst things about pregnancy is the vast amount of information available. I know, I know – information is a good thing. But trust me, there is too much out there! There’s information telling you how to sleep and how not sleep, what to eat and what foods to avoid, cleaners to use and cleaners to avoid, exercise tips and probability of birth defects. Not to mention all of the information on giving birth and so on and so forth. It’s overwhelming. And, when you have 9 long months to let your mind wander about what could happen, it kinda drives you crazy.

With that said, I didn’t hate being pregnant. It was amazing to me that a life was growing inside me and that I was all he needed. I loved to feel him move and kick. I loved imagining what he would look like and the special bond I began to have with him while he was in utero.

Mick: Did you have any weird pregnancy food cravings?
Wendy: No, I just wanted to eat all the time!! And, admittedly, I had my fair share of Chips Ahoy cookies.

Mick: How did you and Kyle settle on the name ‘Cannen’?
Wendy: Wow – that’s a long story! Basically we could not decide on anything so we bought a book.  You know, one of those books with 100,000 + 1 baby names. After scouring it for months and finding absolutely nothing, I finally told Kyle that maybe we should try to find a “K” name. He was reading off names and I heard him say “Kannon” and I absolutely loved it. I asked him to read the meaning and it wasn’t something I liked. At all. And I didn’t feel comfortable naming my son that although I loved the name. But, as luck would have it, the name was also spelled with a “C” and had a meaning I could live with, so Cannen it was! And I should probably mention that Kyle really likes the name, too. I wasn’t going to name Cannen that unless we both agreed.

Mick: What were the first seven days like with Cannen?
Wendy:  Exhausting. I had him on a Tuesday by c-section and we were in the hospital until Friday. Recovering from a c-section is no joke and it was painful getting out of bed and even walking around or taking a shower. My mom came and stayed with us for a few days once we were home and it was so nice to have her help. Cannen – that little stinker – had his days and nights confused so he would sleep all day and want to party all night. It already seems like such a long time ago, though. It was a blur and it was terribly difficult but I loved it just the same.

Mick: Is there such a thing as “me” time any more?
Wendy: Sure – on my drive to and from work! Since my husband works from 1 – 11 p.m., it’s only me and Cannen in the evenings so ‘Wendy time’ is practically non-existent. But Kyle is great about watching Cannen on the weekends when I need to run errands or spend time with friends away from the house for a bit. I have plans to go on a girls trip in March which will be so nice – although I know I’ll miss Cannen like crazy!

Mick: What are some of the things you’ve learned as a mom so far?
Wendy: I’ve learned that I can function on a very small amount of sleep day after day and night after night. Even when I think I cannot make it I somehow find the strength and energy. It must be the knowledge that there’s a precious little life that depends solely on me and no matter how tired I am I will always find a way to care for him. It’s as if love takes over when my body cannot.

I’ve learned that my heart is capable of a massive amount of love – more love than I thought possible.

I’ve learned that Cannen’s bodily functions don’t repulse me and that everyday is a complete surprise!
I’ve learned that I’m much stronger than I ever thought myself to be and I respect my body more. Pregnancy and childbirth are not easy but all of the bad things, the painful things, the unpleasant things and the downright awful things disappeared the first time I held my baby.

I’ve learned to appreciate my parents more even though I’ve only been a mom for a short amount of time. I’m beginning to understand their love for me and I know that understanding will continue throughout my lifetime.

I’ve learned the things I once thought of as sacrifices no longer seem like sacrifices.

I’ve learned that the mother instinct simply just kicks in. Before Cannen (BC as I like to call it), I had never been comfortable around newborns. Sure I’d held babies, but I never really knew what to do with them. When they cried I immediately handed them off to their mother. Now I was going to be the mom and people would hand my son to me when he cried…and that scared me to death. I was so worried that I wouldn’t know what to do or how to handle him. But, much to my surprise, the instinct took over the second I first heard my son cry in the delivery room. That magnificent, boisterous scream gave me the confidence that I could do this. And when I was finally able to hold that precious little boy in my arms, I knew everything would be just fine.

Mick: If you could sum it all up into one bit of advice for soon to be first time mom’s then what would you say?
Wendy: You can be as prepared as you want to be but at the end of the day what’s going to happen will happen. Roll with it and don’t stress about the small things. And buy yourself some Spanx.

Taking the Cold, Cold Plunge
Meeting the people behind Wimgo…

It was a perfect day for a plunge. Clear skies, not much wind, but a plunge in Oklahoma City in January?

That was the plan for about a dozen people who showed up to take part in the Third Annual Polar Bear Plunge. Some of the contestants looked eager, some not so eager. If you’re not familiar with it, a Polar Bear Plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. The cold varies from place to place and in some cases the ice has to be chipped away to make room for people to jump in.

Lake Hefner is the annual site for the Polar Bear Plunge put on in part by the Oklahoma Outdoor Adventure Group. The contestants compete for a prize to see who can stay in the freezing water the longest. One of our programmers is a member of the group who decided to the take the plunge on New Year’s Day.

Isaac Hildebrandt joined about 50 people on the frigid shore of Lake Hefner. Most people were bundled up for the cold, which according to the forecast the temperature was 32° but the ‘feels like’ was only 23°. The wind literally hurt any exposed areas, at least for many of the crowd.

The plunge official gave the go and a dozen people entered the water walking out far enough to reach their waists. The official had them stand there for about five minutes before yelling out “drop to your necks”. By that time there were only three people still taking part, including Isaac.

After another five minutes it looked like all three of the “bears” were stubborn enough to not give in to the cold. The official called them in closer to the shore for the next phase. The finalists had to lie down at the shore in the water on their bellies. After a couple of minutes it was clear that the last three were just not going to quit. If anything two of them almost seemed to be enjoying it as if it were a summer day on the lake. The official called it a three way tie after thirteen minutes in the water.

The secret of his success? Isaac says he’s taken part in events similar to the polar bear plunge before, so he wasn’t worried about how well he would do. He was ready to go when the official gave the word.

Isaac hopes to convince several people from Wimgo to take part next year. We’ll see how convincing he is the next time the plunge comes around.

Isaac is the programmer who built the Wimgo framework that the website sits on so anything you’ve used on the site he’s touched in some way. He has a degree in Illustration from Oklahoma State University. Isaac has been with Wimgo for two years but has had an assortment of jobs including flooring and hotel management. You can find him on Twitter as @KingIsaac.

The Oklahoma Outdoor Adventure Group is a new outdoor club formed in Oklahoma City. The group is for enthusiasts who love hiking, kayaking and camping. You can find out more about them on Facebook and at their website.