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.

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