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n e x t d o o r yolunda taylor o c c u pat i o n ? obgyn at associates in women?s health h us ba n d ? jonathan p. taylor, m.d. c h i ld r e n ? caroline, 18; camille, 16; cecile, 12 h o b b i e s ? play piano, read, meditate, spend time with family
, play tennis d r. yolunda taylor overflows with joy and enthusiasm, probably because she has one of the greatest jobs: bringing babies into the world. she greets every day as a new adventure to share with her favorite people
: her husband and three daughters. her vivacity spreads to everyone she meets, and she is proud to be the social engineer who makes the plans to get her friends and family together. dr. taylor acknowledges her busy life can get crazy, but her dedication to being present makes every moment worth it. by joy holden how did you meet your husband? y: medical school. i graduated from lsu, and then i went to med school in d.c. he was the guy that looked 100 percent college preppy. he?s an awesome guy. tell me about your children. y: caroline is pre-med at tulane, looks exactly like my husband but she is me on the inside. very confident, social, bright, and has so many of my characteristics. camille has my husband?s personality. she is very introspective, exceptionally smart, and is athletic. she plays soccer and lacrosse. she has type 1 diabetes which has changed the dynamics of our family. cecile is the spitfire of the family, who knows what she wants. she is very persistent and loves soccer and singing. all three play classical piano better than their mother. three things you always have with you? y: cell phone, raincoat, and something to read. three words to describe yourself? y: outgoing, caring, inquisitive. first thing you notice about people when you meet them? y: their smile and whether it reaches their eyes. most recent proud parenting moment? y: my daughter was really nervous about science fair at st. joseph?s. she had to present, and she got first place in her division. she knocked it out of the park. last mom fail? y: i was on call all night and i worked all day the next day, and when i got home, it was dinner and homework time. my second daughter and i were having a conversation, and i fell asleep. i felt terrible, but she finally forgave me. how do you keep it all balanced? y: it?s really sheer will. we have wonderful parents that are there for us at all times. i have the best nanny that anyone could ever have. we are able to have what feels like a normal family life. and we have understanding children. if you could invite anyone over for dinner, who would you invite? y: michelle obama because she?s a girl mom like me, had a very successful career, and then became the first lady. i would make her gumbo and ask her how she did it. what?s something parents shouldn?t feel guilty about? y: strong discipline. it?s our job to raise good people. we have to start early. it?s difficult sometimes to be that strong person for your child. a lot of times it doesn?t make them happy, but you know that in the end, they will be grateful. it?s important we try to hold the line. what good habit do you have that you would like to pass on to the kids? y: listening and trying to be present. i also want them to talk to their parents and siblings every day when they?re not living under the same roof. they are each other?s best friends. hardest thing about being a mom? y: treating each child as an individual. our children are so different. i had to learn to approach each daughter and discipline and encourage each in their own special way. what would people be surprised to learn about you? y: that i was a country girl raised on a farm and even showed cattle. how did you react when you found out you were going to be a mom? y: absolute anxiety. i was an obgyn resident, and jonathan was a surgery resident. i was immediately nervous about how we were going to bring a new life into our already busy and crazy lives. we had to do a lot of planning beforehand. what do you like to do as a family? y: we like to travel. we like to go to california, ski in the winter, go to europe in the summer, but we are also fine going down to new orleans for the weekend. 3 8 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8
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