This is the first part in our 3 part series on how Fission parents handle work and life. Check out part 2 and 3! 

Just for fun, what’s one cool thing about you that people wouldn’t otherwise know?

Roz: I twice went to Asia by myself. The first time was to the Philippines on a research project, where I spontaneously tagged along on a trip into the mountains with a Senator, top journalist, and ED of a major women’s org. The second time was when I took off 6 months in my 20s to travel around Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Highly recommended. Also, I have a Makerbot 3D printer I assembled myself. Email me if you have a cool model for me to print! Read on: Cindy is way cooler than me ;)

Cindy: I had to ask my son if he thinks I am cool (I couldn't think of anything myself). He thinks I am the coolest mom in the world because I am a technologist. I can fix anything, from the transmission of my Fiat when I was a teenager, to re-wiring our house to X10 protocols and using a USB Linux driver to control it years before X10 was well established, rooting and flashing new ROMs on any hardware, and most importantly, applying for and being selected to be a [Google] Glass Explorer. I also play video games and am an Ingress agent.

Lori: I don’t know. I have a blue belt in Taikwondo. I’ve traveled, backpacking around Europe alone when I was 21 … but that’s the same thing as Roz. I met my husband during high school in a youth group. We started out as friends, with the same last name before we married … we were both Goldbergs! We joked about being cousins. One day we got to talking and realized we liked each other a lot and very quickly dispensed with the joke.

Max: Sometimes people don’t associate a developer with a person who knows a lot about mechanics and cars, or who rides a motorcycle on the beach. People think that we are nerds. We are not! I know a lot about mechanics, almost everything on my car. What I don’t know how to fix is the technology code of the car -- I don’t know how to deal with the car’s computer because it uses specific hardware. I change brake pads ... everything that is mechanical. I love anything that has a motor. I have a motorcycle, ATV, car, and truck. And I live in a VERY small house! Actually we are planning to move.

When did you start working again after having a child and what were you focused on?

Roz: I didn’t really take any time off. At first I tried to have my husband (who is an accomplished entrepreneur) fill in for me, but I found myself sitting next to him while he was on Skype calls, whispering my opinion. At that point I decided to just jump in and work as much as I could -- 4 hours a day, then 6, then 8, back to full-time in about a month.

Cindy: Initially I didn't take time off. I had a telecommuting contract and thought I could do that while the baby napped. I quickly found that babies take more effort than that, and, since we didn't have any extended family to help out, I came to the unexpected decision to be a full time mom. My husband and I had a consulting business and we had both worked as contractors, but, it made more sense for me to not pick up new contracts. However, I did unofficially work on contracts with him, and, I did a lot of volunteering -- doing software for local non profits. After our second child, I started our own project, a photo website. It is still successful today, almost 10 years later. I then picked up more contracts and eventually became full time again.

Lori: I took a pretty standard 3 month maternity leave (or a little bit less) after each of my two kids was born. This time I started part time and built back up to full time.

Max: I was working from home at the time and took 3 weeks totally off from work, then started half day, then back to full time when my daughter was 2 months. When they are so little they need so much attention. You have to do a lot of things. It doesn’t take as much time and attention as now, so my wife is here now with her. At first there isn’t much to do besides diapers, smiling, kissing, and hugging.

Please stay tuned for parts two and three of this series coming later this week!

Adriana Dakin is Vice President of Strategy and Research with Fission. She’s a board member with Young Women Social Entrepreneurs and has a masters in public policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School. Tweet her @apdakin.