"The Fuel of Elijah"

My passion for the Early Childhood Field is fueled 100% by my 8th month old son Elijah. Once I held my son for the first time in my arms, I instantly knew that he would change my life forever. Prior to the announcement of my pregnancy in April of 2010 and the birth of my son in December of 2010 I was taking classes online to obtain my Master's Degree in Child Psychology. As many first time online classes I struggled with developing a routine to juggle my career and school. Once I became pregnant with my son I continued to take online classes in pursuit of my degree but began to experience new challenges due to my pregnancy such as extreme fatigue and stress. As a result I made the decision to withdrawal from the online university with the intentions to devote the next 9 months to my pregnancy, and return to online courses once my son was born. The first 6 months after having my son was a challenge with lack of sleep, higher levels of stress, and increase in demands. Returning to school was consistently placed on the "back burn" with my various excuses such as "how will i manage school and a infant?", "where will i find the time to complete school work?", and "will i still have quality time to spend with my son?". Once I stop making excuses and came up with a plan I decided to return to school and pursue my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Studies. I chose Early Childhood Studies because I enjoy watching my son develop from month to month his personality, motor skills, communication skills, and emotional skills. I wanted to pursue my degree in a field which will enable me to use the course information and skills learned to apply to my career, my son, and future children.