Like any first-time mom, Michelle Massarolo has plenty of questions about caring for her 4-month-old daughter Natasha.

She wonders how soon to expect her to begin crawling, what signs to look for if she is sick or when it is OK to cut her fine, coal-black hair.

“They’re just worry-wart questions,” said Mandy Davis, who helps counsel Massarolo through the trials of parenthood through the Child Abuse Council’s Healthy Families program. “She’s doing a great job.”

But Massarolo and her fiancé, Robert Burhans, also face some very real worries as they try to make ends meet and wait for their art careers to take off. “I want to be an animator or do comics; he wants to be a game designer,” said Massarolo, who picks up small jobs through her Web site.

The pair work opposite shifts at their part-time jobs to avoid child-care costs. But Massarolo is only now getting back to work as a cashier at Moline’s Hy-Vee since the pregnancy. Burhans works as many hours as he can at Taco Bell.

Their tight budget leaves very little for the “extras” they would like to have for Natasha, such as baby toys and books. Massarolo also would like to replace her old couch, which is uncomfortable and sits low to the ground — making it difficult to get up and down with Natasha in her arms.

As part of her weekly visits with Massarolo, Davis often brings toys and books to loan to the young couple. “I’m just somebody for her to talk to,” Davis said, adding that she always is pleased because Massarolo “actually does the activities we talk about.”

What Massarolo lacks in her own family support system, she gets from Davis, her fiancé and his family. “I just need stuff for Natasha,” she said. “His family is really supportive; they bring a lot of stuff for her.”

But the young woman is used to making it on her own since she was 18. Adopted as a child, she grew up in Japan before her parents moved back to the states for her to graduate from high school. They since have returned to Japan, and her contact with them is limited to e-mails, phone calls and Web cam talks.

Davis said she is impressed by Massarolo’s determination to do everything right with her baby and her pursuit of her goal to be an artist. “She knows she has to work this part-time job now, but she doesn’t give up on her goal.”