Harrison McNeil is Mrs. McNeil's son. He is the first born son. Mrs. McNeil says that, "Harrison is so loved by all of his family. He is the first grandchild on my side so he's super spoiled. He has the best grandparent's, aunts, and uncle's." Photo by: Patricia Ortiz
By Patricia Ortiz
Last year, around the same time, four PHS teachers became parents for the very first time.
Mrs. Jyll McNeil welcomed home a baby boy named Harrison. Mrs. Melissa Faulstich gave birth to a baby girl named Payton Grace. Mrs. Allison Hargrove brought into the world a baby boy named Sawyer, and Mr. John Kozlovich became a dad after his wife gave birth to their son Henry.
It has been a year since these teachers first became parents. Since all of them were new to parenting, there were a lot of things they may have not been expecting. Mrs. Hargrove says that the past year with the baby has been “crazy! It really is true that having a baby changes everything. My schedule, my finances, and my decisions are all decided first and foremost by Sawyer. He is such a blessing, and it has been exciting to see him grow and change. There are things that only a mother or father can understand, and once you have a baby, you have instant understanding of everything your mom or dad told you for years.” Mr. Kozlovich says that the past year with his baby has been a rush of “emotion! Excitement, exhaustion, laughter, and worry. Watching your child discover the world around them is the greatest feeling in the world.” Mrs. McNeil says that the past year “has been amazing,” and that her and her husband feel “so blessed everyday to have Harrison in [their] life.”
Multiple emotions were felt by all the teachers when they first met their baby. All of them can agree that they felt relief when they saw that their baby was healthy. When Mr. Kozlovich met his baby he says he felt “Extreme relief that he was healthy and safe. After the moment of relief passes and things calm down in the delivery room, I just wanted to have some quiet time with Henry. I could have watched those big blue eyes look about the room forever!”
Payton Grace Faulstich is Mrs. Faulstich's daughter. Payton is the first born. She will not be the only child for long because Mrs. Faulstich is expecting her second baby. Photo contributed by: Mrs. Faulstich
Life has surely changed for all the teachers since the birth of their baby. Mrs. Faulstich says that since the birth of her baby they are “busy all the time! Even when we are at home, we can’t relax too much because you never know when Payton will start climbing the stairs, playing in the dog’s water or who knows what!” Mrs. Hargrove says that since the birth of her baby, her life has been very busy. She says she is an anxious person, therefore she worries about Sawyer when she is at work.
The schedule of a teacher is always hectic, so every moment spent with his or her child is precious. Mrs. Hargrove’s best memory of her son, Sawyer, is “when he gives me hugs and kisses. He is a sweet little guy. He randomly will walk over to both my husband and I and give us kisses and hugs. It melts my heart.” Mr. Kozlovich’s best moments with Henry are when they share a giggle “or laugh with Henry is great. I love watching his sense of humor develop.” For Mrs. Faulstich, the best memories she shares with Payton are when they cuddle and she puts her to sleep. Mrs. Faulstich’s daughter likes to “put her face really close to mine and play with my hair. I always get hot from her breathing on me, but it is worth it,” and this helps create one of the best memories.
All of the babies have begun to talk and walk. The most popular words among them has been “dadda.” Payton, Mrs. Faulstich’s daughter, has been saying words and is saying lots of animal sounds like, “gobble gobble and moo. Her favorite thing is cuppa and booka because she loves drinking milk and reading books,” says Mrs. Falustich. All of the babies have walked between furniture or to people. According to Mrs. McNeil her son took his first steps at “his grandma’s house when we were visiting. She was so excited to get to see it!”
Henry Kozlovich is Mr. Kozlovich's first and only son. Henry is now 16 months old. Photo contributed by: Mr. Kozlovich
The age of 18 can be difficult for people. Mrs. Hargrove has advice for Saywer when he turns the difficult age of 18. Her advise to Sawyer is “I would tell him that I hope he always loves God. I would also tell him to be himself, to always strive to make right choices, and to always treat others with kindness and respect. I would tell him to be a person that would make his mommy proud.” Mrs. Hargrove is not the only one who has advice for her child. The advise Mrs. McNeil would give to Harry is to “Be well-rounded, have fun, and do what makes you happy!”
When asked if having a baby was all they had expected, the teachers had a variety of answers. Mr. Kozlovich summed up all the answers by responding that parenthood is all that he expected and “much, much more.”
Mrs. Hargrove is already thinking of advice to give Sawyer when he is eighteen. Photo Contributed by: Mrs. Hargrove