TriCities_FlipBook - page 11

mommag.com
11
Nikole Baird
Gets real!
Cover MOM
As a pediatric RN and former
elementary school teacher,
Cover MOM Nikole Baird has
worked with a lot of children.
Now she shares about her most
important job, being mom to her
son, Maddox.
Family comes first.
All families are unique. Tell us
about yours.
My husband, Mike, and I have been
together for six years and will be
celebrating our third wedding anniversary
in October. We have two amazing dogs: an
Australian Shepherd, named Sherman,
who is the happiest, smartest and most
energetic dog I’ve ever met; and his
sidekick, Jax, a 2-year-old, long-haired
Chihuahua. We welcomed our first child,
Maddox, this past April and are absolutely
loving this season of life.
What is the most fun you’ve had with
your family lately?
We took a last-minute road trip to Calgary
for the Calgary Stampede and stopped in
Banff along the way.
When did you know you wanted to be
a mom?
I’ve always known I wanted kids, but the
excitement of actually being a mom didn’t
sink in until I met my husband and was
able to imagine what it would be like to
raise a family with him by my side.
Tell us about one of your most humbling
mommoments.
Maddox and I arranged to tag along on my
husband’s work trip to Canada for the week.
We showed up at the airport and couldn’t
board the flight because he didn’t have a
passport. The requirements to cross the
border differ depending on whether you are
traveling by air or by land, and we had
gotten the two mixed up. It was 6 p.m. on a
Sunday, and my husband had to be at work
in 12 hours. We rented a car and made the
10-hour road trip in the middle of the night
so that he could be at work the next
morning. I’ll definitely make sure to double-
check the travel requirements next time!
We’re all moms so we know that no one
is perfect all of the time, or even some of
the time. Tell us about your most recent
“Mother of the Year”moment.
I heard Maddox start to cry while I was
finishing up some chores around the
house. He had been napping in his swing
so I assumed his cries were because he was
just starting to wake up and was hungry. I
decided to finish what I was doing before
going to get him. When I finally went over
to pick him up, our overly affectionate dog
Sherman was standing over him, licking his
face. A few hours later, Maddox developed
a pretty nasty eye infection which landed
us in the emergency room.
What do you wish for your son?
So many things! I wish for him to have
good health, integrity, close-loving
relationships and strong moral values. I
hope he is kind and compassionate toward
others and has a lifelong sense of wonder
for the world around him.
No one works harder
than mom.
We know that being a mom is a full-time
job. Tell us about your work or
volunteerism outside of the home.
I’m fortunate to have a job that I love. I
work part-time as a pediatric RN at Seattle
Children’s. The Tri-Cities location has 19
specialists, many of whom are the only
pediatric specialists in the area, so we see a
wide variety of conditions. I love that I can
be an advocate for our patients and ensure
they are getting the best possible care.
How do you balance (or not)
motherhood, activities, work,
volunteering, household
responsibilities and life in general?
As a new mom, I’m still figuring this out! I
try to be very purposeful with how I spend
my time and not let the days get away
from me. I try to be present in whatever
situation I’m in and not split my focus.
When I’m home, my attention is on my
family, and when I’m at work, my focus is
on my job. I also have an incredible
husband who helps out.
What have you learned professionally
that has helped you as a mom?What
have you learned as a mom that has
helped you professionally?
Before becoming a nurse, I taught
elementary school. My professional
experience in these two careers has taught
me that children can achieve great things
when given the opportunity. I learned to
never underestimate a child’s creativity,
strength, intelligence and problem-solving
skills. My experience as a mom is teaching
me to be present in every area of my life,
including my job.
What was your first job and what did
you learn from it?
When I was in high school, I worked at
Chuck E Cheese. During my time there, I
learned that work doesn’t have to feel like
work, and that it’s possible to have fun and
work hard at the same time. I also learned
the Chucky costume never gets washed and
is super hot and difficult to see through!
What was your worst job and what did
you learn from it?
My worst job was actually at a daycare. I
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