APPLICANT #26: April Denley

April Denley is a mother of two from Shoreline, Washington.

Here is April's video application:

Here is April's current situation:

"Hi, my name is April Denley. I have lived in Seattle my entire life. When I was younger, I fantasize about growing up and moving to New York City. Everyday would be an adventure. I wanted to become a writer or actress, or maybe an inventor. Life was going to be fabulous. Now that I am 27, and a mother of two little boys (Milo 2years & John 2 months) I realize that while I still live in Seattle, leaving here isn’t going to happen.

Instead the adventure has found me. No two days are ever the same, some days I wake up and make it out the door fully clothed without any spit up on me or Milo crying that he wants to go with, other days I’m lucky to get a shower by 3. The baby is still working on sleeping through the night, and my idea of romance is when my husband changes a diaper or takes the 3am feeding. Life’s become a mix of juggling chores, work and babies. There is never enough time in the day. I used to be able to spend watching movies or reading a magazine, that’s over! I’m lucky if I can take a shower alone in the bathroom. When I arrive somewhere on time, that’s getting there early to me.

I never realized how rewarding it would be to just sit down and talk to your child, as he spouts off things he did that day or singing you a song. The satisfaction of knowing that no matter what else I do wrong in my life, or the errors that I have made or make in the future it will never outshine the greatest two things that I have done.

I was by no means or stretch of the imagination prepared to become a mom, but like most things in life-ready or not here it comes. I think my husband & I were just shocked that we were about to be parents. We barely knew what to do with ourselves let alone a tiny baby. It’s amazing how in the blink of an eye you go from individual to mommy. Never realizing it but without even thinking you automatically put this little person first in almost everything thing that you do, every decision is made solely on how it will effect this tiny person.

Don’t get me wrong, I won’t mother of the year anytime soon-I don’t drive a minivan, I don’t make pancakes or bake cookies daily, I don’t know the perfect song or rhythm to calm down a baby within seconds, I still get spit up on multiple times daily, my laundry is piled high, dinner is never ready on time and since I was unable to find a stay at home job on my maternity leave, with a great deal of trepidation I returned to work, leaving my babies, the internet and my Face book addiction at home.

I live in the same city, with the same economy as everyone else-seeing that nobody has been left untouched. I have seen homes get foreclosed, Friends get laid off, my husband was laid off one month after finding out we were expecting our second child, and 2 weeks before Christmas.  Watching your savings dwindle to nothing, credit card balance rise and the desire of wanting to go back to school but without luxury of not having to working.

You and I are one in the same. I know what it’s like to have to watch your money, chose wisely what is considered a necessity, ask yourself daily if you are doing this right.

Half the time I feel like I have no idea what I am even doing-my entire parenting experience has been based entirely on trial and error, but then again isn’t everyone’s experience like that? Nobody is born knowing all the answers. And THAT is what makes me real, understanding that I don’t know it all and that sometimes all a mom can do is wing it!"

Here is April's blog post:

"What does it mean to be a mom? Does anyone really know? There are probably over a million books on the topic but the truth of the matter is there’s probably no real answer, I doubt that there is even such a thing as an expert. How can you be an expert on something that is so unpredictable? But as erratic as it can be, the unpredictability is one of the greatest parts of parenthood.

My first child, Milo, was nearly perfect, he slept through the night from day one, only crying if he really needed something, ate all his vegetables, and could melt even the most cynical of hearts with a flash of his dimples. As far as babies go, he was as close to perfection as babies can get. So, when I became pregnant with my second child, I naively thought that it would be smooth sailing. I’m not sure if it’s ever been documented how wrong a person can be, but I am pretty sure I would be in the top 10. I gave birth to Milo’s polar opposite!! John is only two months old but I’m beginning to think that all those “experts” have forgotten to include the chapter “Good luck with that” in their books.

John is fussy! He doesn’t sleep through the night, refuses to sleep in his own bed, needs to be held about 23 ½ hours a day, and shows his affection in the form of projectile vomit. Combining this with Milo’s terrible two’s lets just say that I’m no longer on cloud 9, if I had a bubble-it would have burst!

Milo had begun showing signs of his “twos” right around his second birthday. It happened pretty much over night-I believe it was shortly following the removal of his full leg cast he got as a result of a freak sliding accident involving riding down a slide on my sister’s lap. Did you know that it’s a common injury? Because I‘m pretty sure on the ER doctor at Children’s had that information. Never the less, I held it together didn’t throw up, or cry (that much), and my heart eventually started beating at a normal rhythm again. He got his cast on and then off 4 weeks later. If you think having an infant was tough, try telling a 2 year old to sit still!

Out of everything that becoming a mother has taught me aside from knowing now that I can function on less then 2 hours of sleep a night, get Vick’s vapor rub out of hair, do laundry-cook dinner & rock the baby to sleep all at once after working a full day. The one thing I love the best is motherhood is unpredictable, we learn from them just as much as they learn from us.

If you have never believed in love at first sight, you have never had a baby……..then the first 24 hours end and you discover that perfection comes with a price.

April"

The Verity Mom Team