GPP: Your children are all different ages and in all different seasons. How do you balance it all?
Lisa: We each have our daily roles and tasks to do to get through the day. In the mornings, my husband takes my oldest son to school after he helps me get the two littles ready and in the car. I pick out what everyone wears the night before and prepare lunchboxes. He gets everyone ready in the morning so I can get ready.
My older kids help out a lot, also. My teenager can run errands for me now, and both my older can do chores around the house.
For football practice each night, we all go as a family. This gives the little ones time to play on the playground and run, while we adults get to walk the track and exercise.
Edwin and I both help cook dinner — he cooks the meats and I cook the sides. I wash the clothes, and he folds them.
GPP: Three of your four babies were premature and in NICU. What was the most challenging part of this experience for you?
Lisa: The hardest part was seeing them so sick and not being able to bring them home for weeks.
A lot of simple things are challenging when taking care of premature babies. I am very thankful to the nurses and doctors who taught me so much in the NICU. They let us do as much as possible when caring for them.
When I had the choice to stay in the ICU or bring my baby home on oxygen, I chose to bring him home because I had already been taught how to do it all. Feedings were difficult because they would get tired so quickly. I would have to constantly rub my baby’s face to keep them awake.
Two of my babies had severe milk allergies. If they got sick, it meant a hospital stay for oxygen support and monitoring. We stayed home and didn’t have visitors, but both of my boys still had ICU stays for viruses.
GPP: What resources did you find helpful while your babies were in NICU and to help them and you transition into coming home?
Lisa: The nurses spent many hours with us teaching the ins and outs. For example, how to keep them awake while feeding by gently stroking their face.
We spent so long in the hospital it was a second home and I know way more about the medical field than I ever wanted to. It was always so nice to bring a baby home to a quiet house without all the lights and beeping monitors. All of my babies came home on the NICU schedule, so it took a while for all of them to sleep more than 3 hours at a time.
GPP: What is a piece of advice you would give to new moms? Especially those who might be walking through high-risk pregnancies?
Lisa: One thing I did when I was in the hospital for four weeks for poor blood flow? I looked at being there as a blessing. I knew my baby was safe because I had the monitors strapped to my stomach, and I had all the help I would need right outside my door. It gave me peace listening to his heartbeat on the monitors.
I found positive things to focus on — like I could binge watch my shows and order anything I wanted I eat.
GPP: How do you fill your own cup and avoid feeling burnt out?
Lisa: I take time for myself and do what I can to make the things I have to do easier. I’ve recently been decluttering my home, and it has freed up so much of my time. Less stuff means more time relaxing or planning fun things to do.
I also plan easy, quick meals to cook during the week. We plan to go out to eat every Wednesday and on the weekends.
GPP: What are some things you and your husband do to prioritize one another and stay connected?
Lisa: We get our older kids to babysit, and we go on dates twice a month. We make sure each has what they need each day. For example, he may ask if my lunch is packed or offer to fill my gas tank.
GPP: What are the values you and your husband prioritize in your parenting?
Lisa: We both want our children to be kind and good humans. We also believe in giving our kids opportunities to excel in what they want to do. By opportunities, I mean whatever sport they want to do, we provide what they need.
We want all of our kids to go to college and support them in doing so by paying for prepaid college tuition. If they don’t get scholarships, they can still go to college and not worry about how to pay for it.
Rapid Fire Questions
- Cozy Cabin or Beachside Bungalow? Cabin
- Coffee or Tea? Coffee
- Vacation or Staycation? Staycation
- High heels or Cowboy Boots? Boots
- One word to describe yourself. Creative
Edwin and Lisa Nelson have been married for 24 years, after meeting at the Pensacola Fair, and have four kids. Edwin works for his family’s business, Ensley Septic Tank Service, and Lisa works at Molino Park Elementary as a special needs pre-K teacher. Their oldest daughter, Alexis (19), is a barrel racer and attends college classes locally. Bradley (12) plays football. Charlie (3) just finished his first year of Buckaroos Rodeo, and Delaney (7 Months) is the center of attention as the baby of the family and smiles constantly.
