Hello and Welcome! A Personal Bio:
I used to be a “stepmom” – and BOY do I give stepparents around the world a pat on the back and a HUGE kudos to them. Being a stepparent or with someone with a kid(s) is no walk-in-the-park.
I was with my ex-boyfriend for five years. His son was one-years-old when I met him (those were the easy days with the child), but not so easy on the relationship. So yes, I went through the divorce, the custody battles, and much, much more. Hence, the start of this site (so I could vent!). hehe. I can sit here and discuss the things I could have done better, argue the things he probably blames me for, and the unexpected feelings I had being in “stepparent” shoes, but I am now in a new relationship and with someone I truly love. I’ll get to that in a bit.
During my ex’s relationship, I wanted him to be the “ONE”, the father to my children, my husband, my partner in life…but our relationship ended due to cracks in the foundation that honestly, probably were always there, and just got bigger over time. Deep down I knew that having a child with him would have only caused me a much bigger headache – and thank God that never happened. I don’t regret being with him, because I believe from each relationship you learn from your experiences and grow.
In the relationship I did experience these selfish maternal feelings of not experiencing the first child together, of worrying would our child be loved as much as his first son, would there be jealousy, would my ex have given less attention to one or the other, and so on. I’m sure parents with more than one child may even experience feelings like this. They were feelings that I hated feeling, but at the same time were concerns of mine.
Now that I’m in a relationship with someone who hasn’t been divorced and doesn’t have a child, I have to honestly say, what a load off! If you choose or are in a position where you are with someone with children…again, my hat off to you.
At 26-years-old I began having these maternal feelings….um, like having a baby! It’s crazy how it sort of just kicks in. I’m now 29…almost 30 (eek!)…and there are moments and days that I want a baby like yesterday. I started to think we’ll maybe it’s a phase. But 4 years later, the feeling is still here. So since I’m no longer a “stepmom”, I am turning this site into step-by-step-mom. Taking it one step at a time to becoming a mother.
Dana Walsh’s Bio:
A graduate with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from NYU and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education: Special and General Education from Touro College, Dana shares her passion for teaching through fitness. As a national certified group fitness instructor for five years, Dana teaches fitness for Equinox Fitness Clubs, New York Sports Clubs and dance studios in her local area. She also has and currently presents at the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreational and Dance. Dana has also taught at numerous charity events through the years.
Using her knowledge of journalism, she owns FitCeleb.com, a celebrity diet and fitness based website with a focus on general health, beauty and fashion. She also has launched Revitalizing Events, which are events that focus on connecting health/wellness brands with health and fitness bloggers.
In her spare time, Dana is pursuing learning Spanish. Wepa!
