Motherhood Q&A with Carrie

Hey guys! Happy Monday. Elle and I just got back from a fabulous trip to Florida, thanks to the wonderful folks at the Hilton Sandestin. The sand was so soft, the water was so beautiful, the restaurants so delectable, the rooms so comfy, the hospitality was incredible, and the company so awesome! I look forward to sharing more about that trip with you here soon.

But in the meantime, I’m happy to bring you my first ever motherhood Q&A! We’ve done a few question and answer posts recently — a general one and a business one. Thanks so much for receiving those so well. I’m trying to open up and share more, even if that doesn’t come naturally to me.

You all have been so sweet in asking about my baby girl, asking about how motherhood is going, and even asking for advice, so I thought I’d answer a few of your questions. Keep in mind… As I often tell my pregnant or new mom friends now… I am by no means an expert! But my experience is at least very fresh. So I am always happy to help in anyway I can. This pregnancy thing and the motherhood thing can be overwhelming and even scary sometimes! So, let’s lean on each other when we need to.

By the way, Elle is nine months old today!

How did you come up with her name?

Well, that’s a funny story! Elle is not at all what I / we had originally chosen. In fact, it was never even discussed until after she was born! Read more about how we chose her name here.

How was your delivery? I’m giving birth in a few months and I am so scared!

Well, first of all, take a deep breath. I was pretty darn scared by the idea as well. Heck I have been known to pass out at the site of needles or drugs, so the idea of birthing a baby for sure freaked me out.

You can read more about Elle’s birth here. Long story short, my water broke early, they admitted me to the hospital, induced me to speed things up, and she was born naturally relatively quickly and without too much pain. And yes I did have an epidural.

What is your absolute favorite thing about motherhood?

I’ll give you two answers…

1. The continual feeling of awe and wonder. 

Seriously, I am amazed by her every day. She is joy personified! She fills my days with smiles and laughs and sunshine. I get such fulfillment from watching her learn new skills and seeing her personality emerge.

2. Learning a new kind of love. 

I thought I knew what love was. But nothing compares to how deeply and completely and totally I love her. Literally, nothing could separate her from my love.

What is it like having your first baby at an older age (no offense intended – haha)? 

Ha! No offense taken! For those of you who have known me for a while, you’ll vouch for the fact that children weren’t in my plans. Long (very personal) story, but suffice it to say that life just hadn’t worked out that way. Imagine my surprise when I became pregnant at 39.5 years old!

Given my age, the pregnancy was considered high risk. And I did in fact have some complications that put me out of commission to a large extent for quite a while. However, Elle, as you know, is perfect.

As for raising her, I think perhaps I have an enhanced sense of wonderment with everything she does! Each and every little thing is magical to me. I didn’t expect to experience motherhood, so I appreciate every little aspect very much. Also, I know this is my only shot at motherhood, so I try not to take any phase for granted. I’m trying to soak it all in.

Funny side note: When random strangers ask me if Elle is my first, I have been known to respond, “Yep, first and last!” – tongue in cheek of course.

Do you worry about not having enough energy to keep up with her as she grows? Do you worry about her maybe being parent-less at a younger age than most? 

Deep questions. On one hand, yes of course I think about these things. On the other hand, no I don’t worry about them. My experience in life has taught me that life always works out the way it is supposed to. From my faith perspective, I trust that God’s plans are better than mine. I believe things happen for a reason.

For those of you who might not know, my daughter’s dad is substantially older than I am. So, she has aged parents on both sides.

But from a practical perspective, I think we as older parents (not just us as her parents, but all of us older parents) just need to do our best to stay young and healthy. It’s more than just a preference to prioritize our health and fitness. I’d venture to say it’s a fiduciary responsibility we have to our children. We also have a weighty responsibility to plan for the future – both financially and otherwise.

Be prudent. Be positive. Be proud.

What do you find to be one of the more challenging things about motherhood? How do you handle balancing work life and mom life? 

These two questions go hand in hand for me!

My biggest challenge these days is being productive. My level of productivity is just not what it used to be. Things just seem to take longer with a baby. Does anyone else experience that?

I still have great ideas and big plans, but executing on those doesn’t happen as easily. I still want to workout, but free time is harder to come by.

Thankfully I have a great team helping me! Business wise, I have such a great, supportive group who helps make things happen. Plus, from a personal / motherhood perspective, I have wonderful support too. I am fortunate enough to have a nanny to help with Elle. Really, words can’t describe how wonderful this woman is! She has quickly become like family to us. She loves and cares for my baby as if she were one of her own. So much love and gratitude for my support system.

What would you say were a couple of your newborn essentials?

Well, I hate to be a tease, but stay tuned… We are planning an article about this very soon.

You’ve traveled with Elle a few times now – what pieces of advice do you have when it comes to traveling with a baby?

Yes, indeed! I love traveling with her. It’s one of my great joys – to experience travel through her eyes. And really it’s a longterm goal to travel with her as much as possible.

As for nuggets of wisdom, well, I’ll preface this by saying that Elle is just generally a sweet, happy, easy baby! I am blessed / fortunate / lucky.

But here are a few tidbits I’d suggest…

First, just go for it! Don’t let your fears or nerves of traveling with a baby get in your way. You will miss out on so much if you let those insecurities stop you for embarking on adventures!

Second, you don’t need as much crap as you think you do. People over pack when it comes to babies, in my estimation.

Third, try to plan it so that your baby is awake and alert during the lead up to the flight, but winding down towards nap time during the flight. Elle has been on eight flights so far, and she has peacefully slept through each and every one.

Fourth, have a bottle or pacifier or something handy for your baby to suck on during take off and landing. Elle has really never had any problem with the sudden altitude changes of a flight. When she was slightly fussy a couple times, just a little bit of sucking on her bottle seems to alleviate the pressure on her ears.

My baby shower is coming up. What items would you recommend I register for? 

Eek! I don’t mean to pass on another question, but stay tuned for more info on that soon… If you need info in the meantime, just email me!

What pieces of clothing are you currently eyeing for Elle?

You know, I can’t get enough of Hanna Andersson! They make the best modern and colorful, yet child appropriate clothing! They make the best play clothes and pajamas.

For special occasion clothes, I am loving new-to-me, Texas-based brand Little Goodall! If only this flamingo dress came in Elle’s size! I also like The Tot for dressier pieces.

I also find some cute things at Baby Gap, but some of it can be too cheesy with the cartoon characters and such. Not really my cup of tea. Also, never pay full price there! They run sales so often. Buy then.

 

Mom advice for others? 

Take a deep breath. Enjoy the journey. They change so quickly! Don’t compare. Let your baby grow and progress and learn at his or her own pace.

A Few More Things

I hope you enjoyed today’s Q&A! I’m happy to answer your questions, so feel free to email me or message me on Instagram at any time. We’ll continue to do these articles for as long as you’d like us to!

And have you shopped our 50% off spring sale yet?! It’s still going on for a little while longer, so be sure to shop shop shop!

Have a great rest of your Monday and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!