Happy February, mamas! Kaitlin Fusiak here. If you're saying "Hmm... I don't know who that is," just look at any Stroller Strides selfie or Run Club photo and find the person who is striking the most awkward pose. That's me! When I'm not wondering what to do with my hands, I am mom to 20-month-old Abigail, wife to Tim, a registered nurse at Sentara Leigh, and a wanna-be urban farmer.
Like many of you, we are also Norfolk transplants. I am originally from Long Island, New York and my husband is from New Jersey. We met while he was doing his pulmonary/critical care fellowship in the ICU where I was a nurse. Sentara recruited him for his first big boy attending job after fellowship and we moved here in June 2016- just a week after we got married. After a couple years of luxuriating in dual income/no kids life downtown, we bought our house in Larchmont and along came Abby.
Finding FIT4MOM was kind of a happy accident for me. Abby pretty much cried for the first 7 months of her life straight, so I was mostly home bound for a while. Just as I got her issues settled and I thought we could finally go out in the world to do baby things, the pandemic hit and I was stuck at home again. I bought a BOB stroller and told my husband he was giving it to me for Mother's Day so I could start running again. We set out on our maiden voyage in our BOB and as I crossed Hampton Blvd I couldn't believe my eyes! Could that really be a whole herd of ladies working out WITH STROLLERS?!? I tried to look casual as I read the sign outside Brick Field and spent the rest of my walk trying to convince myself to try a class. The thing is, being among a group of strangers fills me with dread. I had to sign up for a class before I could think about how I wouldn't know anyone, how awkward it would be and the amount of small talk I'd have to make. Against all odds I actually showed up for that Stroller Strides class, and have been hooked ever since!
I came that day for some exercise and a way to get out of the house, but I keep coming back for the community. Raising a little human without friends and family nearby feels overwhelming sometimes, but knowing I have a tribe of ladies in it with me makes it so much less daunting. Since joining FIT4MOM, it finally feels like Norfolk is home, not just the place we live. I am so very grateful for this village! 
