Mother’s Day with a baby bump

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

One Saturday morning, Matt rolled over and asked me if I wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day this year?

Umm…I don’t know. I don’t think so.

Well you can celebrate it if you want to, but I am going to wait till next years Father’s Day.  His reasoning: he felt like I was actually parenting already, I was carrying and nourishing our baby where as he felt like his role hadn’t quite started.  I argued for a moment, but then replied, “ Well I am going to wait anyway.”

But then when Mother’s Day Sunday morning came around I found myself attempting to find a nicer outfit to wear; something that would make me feel a little extra special.

At church, I was handed a handmade flower and Matt leaned over and said, “ Happy Mother’s Day.” I can’t describe how I felt at that moment …except that my heart was doing a big happy dance.

During the walk home from church, I made sure to stick my baby bump out just a little further and rub my tummy every once and a while. Go ahead and laugh, but I wanted the whole world to know that I was a mom.

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Meet Jen owner of Itsy Bitsy Interiors

Monday, May 13, 2013

I want you to meet a beautiful mama that may look a little familiar.  Jen is a mom to two adorable boys (see for yourself) and owner of Itsy Bitsy Interiors- which specializes in designing nurseries, children’s rooms, playrooms, and provides organization for anyone with closets like mine.

I could have walked around Jen’s home for hours ooing and ahhing at the furniture pieces, curtains, and rugs she selected….(clearly I love interior decorating).

The rooms were unique and creative, yet they were extremely functional and simple.

Please meet Jen, mom to Thomas and baby Noah and owner of Itsy Bitsy Interiors.

 

Tell me about Itsy Bitsy Interiors

Itsy Bitsy Interiors is all about helping parents create special rooms for their children.

 

What services do you provide?

There are a few options for parents…

Full-design option: Turning an empty space into creative, fun, and fully functional room, down to every detail.

Organization option: This is a way to help parents reassess and declutter.  This is generally used for playrooms.

Update Option: This is a way to bring a tired, uninspiring room into a fun, age appropriate room by using existing items and adding new items.

 

What makes Itsy Bitsty Interiors unique?

I feel that the baby/child market has really grown. There are so many options now than just going to your local Babies R Us that most parents may not realize. I also know that being a parent or being pregnant can be a tiring job on its own, so I wanted to create an easy way to help parents decide on what to do with their space by bringing these options to them. When you have children you spend a lot more time in your home, my goal is to make each space inspiring, enjoyable, and functional for both parent and child.

 

If I want to completely design a nursery with you, what is the process?

  1. The process starts with an in-home consultation. I assess the space and talk with parents about what they would like the space to be like.
  2. Then we will continue to speak back and forth about options for the space.
  3. Once we have finalized most of the products they will then be ordered. The delivery time on some items could take anywhere from 1 week to 14 weeks.
  4. Installation with a contractor (if necessary) includes… wallpaper, new lighting, paint, flooring, shelves, etc.
  5.  We will then set-up the room with furniture, window treatments, an area rug, etc.
  6. And lastly, complete the space with accessories

 

When should I book if I want the nursery done in time for the baby?

A full-design option could take 2-4 months from beginning to end. Depending on how long it takes to finalize product, delivery times of product, and scheduling a contractor if necessary.

What inspires your choice of color, furniture, and accessories?

My clients. Everyone has different tastes and needs, so I try to go off that and create something that they will love.

 

Are there any trends that you love right now?

Modern and Playful

 

Do you provide eco-friendly options?

Yes, I can put together a full room with eco-friendly items.

How many children do you have?

I have two boys, Thomas and Noah.

 

What has it been like balancing family and business?  Do you have any advice or encouragement for moms with similar dreams?

Having help from my husband and in-laws makes having my business possible.

I would tell moms with similar dreams to go for it. The best part of having your own business is being able to make your own schedule. I can spend lots of time with my boys AND take a break from being a mom and focus on something completely different, all at my own pace.

 

What are some of your favorite local businesses?

Mucky Kids- Local Children’s Art Studio

Lester Harry’s- Local Children’s Boutique on Newbury St

Isis Parenting- Local Baby Store/Mom & Baby Classes

 

Does Thomas have favorite places to go within/near Boston?

He loves the Museum of Science and of course all the playgrounds in the area!

 

You can view more of Jen’s work through her website: Itsy Bitsy Interiors.

 

 

 

 

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Pregnancy “Cravings”

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Just days after we saw those two little pink lines appear on the pregnancy stick, the morning sickness began.  And at 5 weeks hyperemisis gravidarium a.k.a. severe morning sickness began to show itself . Every ambition of eating a healthy well balanced diet dissolved as routine sprints to the bathroom began. My stomach protested and returned every food item and concoction within the house. And I began to lose weight…a lot of weight.

My husband and I searched for anything that would bring the smallest amount of nutrition to myself and the baby. These long often futile searches led me to care less if the food I ate was greasy, processed, or completely fake.

Matt scoured the grocery aisles multiple times a week and sometimes at all hours of the night.  As I lay at home and in bed, he would walk the aisles listing off each food item…from fruit to chips…to frozen dinners until he found 1 item that I thought I could eat.

Sometimes I ate just oranges until my tongue burned…other times bags of spinach, and one week I think I only ate croissants.

So when asked over the past months, ” What are you ‘craving’? ” I have answered with…

1.Homemade Popcorn-made extra salty  (so salty that Matt could hardly eat it…and he eats anything).  I would eat entire mixing bowls full of popcorn.

2.Oranges

3.Croissants

4.Spinach with strawberry dressing

5.Tater Tots or potato chips- both dipped in ketchup

6. Raw Almonds- my protein lifesaver

7. Mint and Lemon tea with an occasional chance of lemonade

8.Taco Bell- I have only eaten Taco Bell maybe three times in my entire life, two of which I received food poisoning.  Yet I found myself  in sweatpants with bags under my eyes and hair unbrushed driving through the streets of Boston searching for a Taco Bell restaurant that I, sadly, but probably for the best, never found.

9.Mac n cheese (not the healthy kind pictured above. I wanted Kraft … I apparently was craving dyed powdered cheese).

10.  And now…now it is fruit.  pineapple, cantaloup, strawberries, blueberries…smoothies:)Our apartment looks like a fruit stand!

As I continue to recover and leave behind the symptoms of severe morning sickness, my heart rejoices as I begin to experience strength, the five food groups, and all the little blessings of normal every day life.  It has been a hard start to the year, but I would already do it all over again for my coming little girl.  The joy set before me has been one of the greatest motivations to persevere.  As her kicks increase, my heart builds with excitement and I can’t wait to hold her in my arms!!!! I know already that I would have endured an even harder journey, just for her.

 

 

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The baby bump arrives

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

We began to wonder when- I began eating everything in sight at the daily Christmas celebrations, when hourly bathroom stops were needed on our way to the mountains of Vermont, when the smells of  dinner sent me running to the bathroom, when my  body looked like it was curving in a way my “teenage” build never had before, and when I was winded after one ski run down the mountain. I remember looking at each other, Matt and I, thinking… ” We must be, we must be?!”

The ride home from the slopes of Vermont back to Boston felt so long as I excitedly but also nervously thought of taking the test.

At first only one line appeared…and my heart sunk.  I went to leave the bathroom when Matt said, “look!” And then it was there, the second line had appeared!

My emotions and thoughts sailed from pure joy and excitement to…” is this real?!”

My small amount of disbelief disappeared in the next few days as I began to enter what would be months of severe morning sickness.  As I ran multiple times to the bathroom each day and struggled to eat the smallest amounts of food…I knew a baby was definitely on the way.

In these last weeks the sickness has begun to slowly fade, but a new sign; a much welcomed sign shows that our little girl will be here soon!  After weeks of asking Matt, ” Can you tell?” His answer is yes…the baby belly has arrived.  And I couldn’t be more excited!!

Oh and if you are wondering, we are due September 3rd (that means we are more than half way)!

(And yes, I will now be booking again. You can schedule through July and I will be returning at the end of October)

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