fashion, style and more; bump & beyond blog — #gratitude

It’s finally happened and you’re ready to scream it from the rooftops. You’re about to be a mama. Yas! So, what should you do first? Well, after you’ve got over the dizzying high of it all, perhaps you need to download some of these awesome apps. Check them out, mama!

Hello Belly: Pregnancy Tracker

Meet the pregnancy tracker with a difference. This one is like having a helpful girlfriend to give you support at your fingertips. Hello Belly has all you could need to follow your pregnancy from helpful info, advice, and even tips on pregnancy yoga. It’s basically your go-to guide when it comes to motherhood. What more could you want?

Download: iOS app and Android app  

Baby Names

Tom, Dick, or Harry?! Picking out your baby’s name is a seriously mind-boggling task. After all, you can’t change it at a later date. It’s a massive deal! You need to make sure that you get this 100% right the first time around.

Luckily, there are loads of baby naming resources out there and even apps that could help you make the tough decision. Baby Names is an easy-to-use little app that is packed full of around 30,000 names. Plus, it has their meanings, pronunciations, and origins too. Easy.

Download: iOS app and Android app

Expectful Pregnancy

It ain’t easy carrying a human being inside you. Nobody said it would be, mama! If you’re struggling to relax during your pregnancy, this app is the one for you. No, really. You need it. Expectful Pregnancy helps you chill out when you need it the most. Each day, this handy little app will remind you to take some time out and meditate. Now breathe!

Download: iOS app

What to Expect

Unless you’ve been living under a rock your entire life, you will have heard of the ‘What to Expect’ book. It’s basically the bible as far as pregnancy is concerned. You get the deal. But if you don’t quite have the time to sit down and read the whole darn thing, there’s an altogether more modern option out there. Yes, the popular book now has an app which means that it’s easier than ever to get the info you need.

So, what’s inside the new app? The main part of the app is a daily newsfeed that’s packed with articles, advice, and help that you may need when you’re carrying your first baby. As though that weren’t enough to tickle your fancy, there are also weekly videos too, which will entertain, engage, and maybe even enlighten you. Fun!

Download: iOS app and Android app

My Pregnancy Today

Ever wondered how big your baby is compared to a piece of fruit? Of course, you have! What mama hasn’t? This app will tell you just that and a whole load more too. From tips and guides to week-by-week information about your little one’s development, there’s just so much to love here. Watch out… You may just get addicted to this one. We warned you.

Download: iOS app and Android app

Sprout

It might not feel like it now, mama, but this whole pregnancy thing is actually going to fly by. We know.  You don't believe us now.  Just wait until your "baby" is 13-time does fly. It goes way faster than any of us expect. Seriously. Blink and you might miss it. So, it’s oh-so-important that you make memories and keep them somewhere safe. That’s where the cute Sprout app comes into play.

Snap and collect! Whether it’s a pregnancy belly picture or your latest ultrasound scan, the app has a place where you can keep it all safe. Just take snaps of all the moments that you want to remember and add them to your collection. You can even make pages that can be printed out and stuck in your memory book. Adorable, right?!

Download: iOS app and Android app

After asking hundreds of moms IRL in the shops the past moth, we agree, these are the ones.  Got others?  Things keep changing-shoot us an e-mail hello@momstheword.com.  Let us know what your faves are.

There is a saying, "Time is on your side", and the Stones sang "Time is on My Side" but, seriously?! Whoever said that did not have children. 

And time has changed.  These things were said before Pokemon, before Twitter, before Instagram, before Facebook, before Pinterest, before email! You know, in the dark ages.

How Time has Changed

Now added to parenting; places to post pictures; emails to respond to; pins to find tonight's maybe-dinner before you just order dinner and look for vacation spots quickly, so you have time to go back and check all those parenting blogs to make sure that you're parenting alright (hopefully after day 2 you gave up on "right")....oh, and hold on, the kids want some time.  Riiiiight. 

I just bought a car.  The pile on the right is the manuals.  On the left, the "getting to know your new car" pamphlet. I might read the pamphlet. Maybe. I already have a license, and insurance, and credit, so, they're not really worried. 

 Where's the Manual for this thing?!

No one has time for the manuals.  The same with parenting.  If you read every book and blog you'll be overwhelmed.  Not a good thing.  Keep your eyes on the road/the baby. You'll do fine.

The manual/books/blogs are there if you need them. Seriously. If you feel too terrified, sad, scared, depressed- hire a professional. There's no shame in that if it's in the budget, if it's not in the budget, there are hotlines and services, no shame in that either.  The experts have time to read the manuals!

A Word on Doing it Right

You're doing it right.  Perfectly?  No.  Right?  Yes.. First baby?  You've never done it before, and it's really important, you want to make sure that you read the manual for the right year's model. But. They are all different.  Which is wonderful, but means that there is no manual. You have to read a little here and a little there and then look at your baby and talk to friends and family and do what feels right to you. 

And.  You will make mistakes.

You will start to go down that one way street the wrong way, you'll run that "yellow" light. Good odds that that beloved bundle will roll off something-a bed, a chair, your lap, a changing table, a stair.  Completely unscientific survey?  Most do.  You and baby will be fine.  The odds are with you.

Time is Relative

And time? Time is on your side.  Let the urgent things slip slide away.  Focus on the important.  Enjoy the next fifteen minutes.  If it feels okay, try the next fifteen. Whatever feels okay to you, take the time when you can.  You don't get that new car smell back, or that top of baby's head smell either.

There used to be, written in cement, at the corner of Clayton and Fell in San Francisco "Time is Money. Save Some Today".  I don't live over there any longer.  I often wonder if it's still there.  I have't had time to look.  That's okay.  It's not that important.  I'll save that time for something else.  It's a choice:)

Let's talk about the eagerness of soon-to-be grandparents. 

They're pushy, over excited, always ready to step in with an opinion and we love them all the more for it!

We can't tell you how many times we get the shy newly pregnant mama coming in with their moms who are ready to put everything but the kitchen sink in the dressing room! 
Of course, it can be a little much for the expectant mama, but they're sooo excited, and it is so cute to see!

They've already brought life into the world and raised wonderful men and women so of course, they want to be apart of the journey for their children. They want to provide as they always have and sometimes that means arguing with you about how many pairs of jeans you need and making sure someone gets you in the right bra size. Do we always want them to buy three of the same shirt? Maybe not, but we're always thankful to them later on when we realize that maybe we do need more than one pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. 

Speaking from someone who has yet to have children, but is looking forward to starting a family, my parents and in-laws are already in the category of the eager beaver. I've had people give me babysitting schedules, ideas for nurseries and of course buying anything they can "just in case" as if they would know before my husband and me! Again we love them for it. Just the other day my mother and I went to lunch, and she let me know she found some very cute Wonder Woman and Batman teethers (my husband and my favorites) because she just so happened to be at a Baby's R Us. It's that sort of unbelievable thing that shows just how willing and ready our parents, grandparents, in-laws, and friends are for us when it comes to babies.

So when someone wants you to try on that one dress in every color it comes in, when they're sending you pictures of all the different cribs and stuffed toys they've found, and when they eventually go out to buy these things for you and baby, just remember it comes from a very excited, very eager place of love.

Some days, we all need a little comforting. The world is wide and wonderful in so many ways, and, as discussed with a mama 2b the the other day, it is important not to lose sight of that. 

And to laugh and smile.

This mama was trying to get her head around the tragedy going on in the world around her, and was feeling like all she wanted was "comfort food and comfort dressing".  So, she was bringing on the mac and cheese big time apparently, and was in for a duplication of the outfit that she was wearing, in different colors, "I just can't seem to really change my clothes every morning, and my husband, bless him, said that I look beautiful, but suggested that maybe the shop had these pieces in other colors? Ha!"

This is  what she wore in:

This is what she wore out -apparently she really had been wearing the same thing for 3 days and knew that her sanity and a degree of happiness could be achieved just by changing clothes.  "Plus, my husband will know that what I keep saying is true, I really am okay-hormonal, weepy, tired, but, caring about what i look like, and changing clothes might make him believe me!" 

And, at the risk of pushing it, we suggested a pair of the softest jeans ever, and she admitted that they were the softest ever, and maybe "real pants" in her closet would not be a bad thing, so, she added those and went home, saying that she felt like they should go out to dinner now that she had changed her clothes!

Fashion means different things to different people.  What makes you feel good is personal, and can change from day to day, but clothes do matter, they do make most people feel better.  We get to witness this every day.  And we are thankful.

Dede's back in SF! Anyone who remembers her from her previous stint at Mom's the Word has a child age 7 or older!  Crazy.

We are so happy to have another "now mom" MOM rejoin the team of moms, not moms and one grandmom.  Making this retail company work for our moms, and people with moms, is just all part of the mission-got a PTA meeting, husband out of town, teenager needing a little direction, your mom really wants to Zumba with you?  We've got you covered. 

Meet Dede.

I am a wife, mom, and style enthusiast.

I am a people person and my favorite part of my job is making people feel good.

In my spare time I enjoy stepping on Legos barefoot, asking kids to put their shoes on (I prefer to ask repeatedly with, no one responding), getting tangles out of My Little Pony’s tails and answering questions like “If Hulk and Thor got in a battle, who would win?” And subsequently defending my position.

I love adventuring and exploring with my family- hiking, trips to the river, camping, road trips, flea markets, outdoor movies, and hosting play dates that turn into  impromptu dinner parties.

My style is California Lifestyle: easy and low maintenance. Lots of denim, knits, maxi dresses and rompers. I have a weakness for jackets, sweaters and boots. I top off every outfit with a piece of unique jewelry.

Now you know why she just belongs here?

She worked with us when she was pregnant with her first, and modeled for us with her second. 

Dede's cute, and our amazing and fabulous photographer, Rob Prideaux, did his thing-making MOM models who have never modeled, look fabulous.

Welcome back Dede!