Article by Membership Coordinator, Emily Doran
After taking some time off for the summer, we’re back with our monthly Moms Who Inspire feature! For August, we’re featuring Elaine Lim, an awesome mama, with an inspiring story about the birth of her first daughter, their family’s love for travel, and what it’s like adjusting to being a working mom of two.
Tell me about your family…
I’ve been married to Egan for six years and have two daughters Ellie 4 years, and Evelyn 9 months.
What brought you to Brentwood?
My husband had clients out here, we knew it was an up and coming area back in 2009 but we both worked on the other side of the bay so it was mainly a weekend house initially. In 2013 we officially moved to Brentwood full time.
What made you join the MOB?
We hadn’t built a network out here yet, but I knew a couple MOB members who highly recommended it. Ellie was almost 2 years old; she was ready to start socializing and me as well!
Tell me about the birth of Ellie…
Ellie was born with a hole in her heart. It should have been detected before birth, but it wasn’t found after she was born either. When we took her for her first pediatric visit at Day 6 of her life, the doctor detected a heart murmur. Two weeks later, she had an echocardiogram & ekg where the pediatric cardiologist found a 1 cm hole in her heart and a muscle bundle in her right ventricle. If the hole wasn’t repaired, the heart would work harder and cause the muscle bundle to grow bigger, ultimately restricting her breathing and could cause fatal issues in the future. They told us she needed open heart surgery at 4-6 months of age. We had not a second, not a third, but four opinions and they all told us the same thing.
We’re so fortunate to live in the same area as one of the best pediatric heart surgeons in the world and we did everything in our power to secure him. Stanford’s Lucille Packard Children’s hospital advised scheduling her surgery at two months old. It was the worst two months of our lives leading up to it. Ellie’s open heart surgery lasted 5 excruciating hours. She then spent eight days in the hospital and an additional six weeks recovering at home. We are forever grateful for the team that performed her successful surgery. Thanks to them, our first born will be able to live a full and normal life.
And adding Evelyn…
With my first pregnancy I was carefree and excited just to be having a baby. However with Evelyn I was more stressed and worried just knowing all the things that could go wrong. But I also had a three-year-old to keep alive! It was a huge sigh of relief when Evelyn was born heart healthy. The challenging part was adjusting to 2 kids and balancing their individual needs. Seeing the special bond the two sisters share makes it all worth it.
What’s it been like returning to work (Elaine went back to work two weeks ago)?
It’s nice to know I haven’t forgotten everything! I went to work with a former boss, so that helped as well. The challenge is doing the work of a full-time job within part time hours and balancing the time. I’m still nursing, but a lot can be taken care of by other as well. And I still do all the other mom stuff. I started going back to the gym again, which is giving me more structure and a routine and that has been helpful as well.
Did you always plan to travel after kids?
It just happened. My husband and I have always loved traveling. We didn’t have any plans on stopping after having kids. We’re pretty fortunate that being in real estate allows us the flexibility in our schedules to continue our travels. Thailand was Ellie’s first international trip at 8 months old and since then she’s been to Spain, Greece, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and France (Also Turkey if you count when she was in my belly). Fortunately, she’s always been a great traveler. Adding Evelyn into our trips hasn’t been a walk in the park but it has still been just as rewarding. People say ‘they’ll never remember’ but it’s the memories you build with them, and that’s priceless.
Advice on traveling with small children?
Kids are so resilient and they will adapt to their surroundings no matter where they are. Be willing to come out of your comfort zone and have an open mind. We used to pack our itinerary when it was just the two of us, but now with kids, we are more flexible and slow things down for them. Break up the site seeing by adding in some playground time. Traveling with kids is also the easiest ice breaker. We get to interact with the locals, learn about their cultures, and the overall experience becomes even more enriching. It also helps a ton that my husband does more than his fair share to help out. I definitely couldn’t do it without him.
What’s the biggest surprise of motherhood?
Your kids consume your mind and all your thoughts 24/7. There isn’t time to worry about much else. I’m trying to be better at carving out time for myself, date nights, and quality time with friends.
What do you always carry in your purse?
Typically only the essentials: Wallet and phone
Favorite restaurant in the area?
Oakley Bistro, the French combined with Hawaiian food is a match made in heaven!
Best part of being a mom?
The love! All the love you get from them. It’s crazy that you created these little miracles.
