Machael and Chris Robinson got a late start on building their family. Despite trying and hoping for 20 years, it just didn’t happen.
Then suddenly, it did when Machael hit 36. After 20 years of being just Machael and Chris, baby Caleb made three. It was life changing, she says.
Then came news of baby No. 2, Caylee Naomi.
“It was very challenging in the beginning,” the Canton mom says about becoming a mom the first time. “In the beginning, you don’t know what to expect. You get all these opinions and advice from other people and you are overwhelmed.”
There was a lot of adjustment for everyone. And Caleb, now 2, cried. A lot.
“It was a unique experience in the beginning for us, more overwhelming than not mostly until we got the reins on it and we got used to it. When we got past that, it was beautiful. It was an experience of ‘OK, now we have this, now we have a routine, now we’ve learned our child and his behavior and we can put it against what everyone was telling us,'” she says.
Once Caleb started hitting milestones, the first smile, the first coo, the first time he stood, Machael began to think, “this parenting thing is really cool.”
In the days leading up to Caylee Naomi’s birth, Machael, who fought significant morning sickness the entire nine months and turns 40 this year, was trying to stay calm, cool and collected.
Becoming a mom has taught her a few things: Parents can’t lose themselves in the sauce while putting everything they have into giving their children the best life possible. And patience. She admits she wasn’t always patient, but becoming a mom forced her hand.
“When you hear that, take that to mind. Patience is key,” she says.
Her biggest piece of advice for other moms struggling with infertility: “Never give up. … I wanted it so bad, I prayed every day. When it did, I was so overjoyed. If there are moms out there that are having infertility issues and they don’t quite have the money and resources to make those things happen, don’t give up hope. It will happen in the right time for you.
“It’s a great joy when it does.”
