I met up with Whitney at a park near both our houses on Friday and we got a chance to meet each other’s kiddos (is her son Sonny not the cutest?!?!), hang out, and talk all things motherhood. First I have to say that Whitney was so lovely! She’s just a sweet as she is on TV and motherhood looks so good on her! Little Sonny was so adorable. I just wanted to eat him up! It’s hard for me to believe that Molly was ever that small. It’s funny how quickly we forget.
I loved hearing Whitney‘s thoughts on motherhood 3 months into the amazing, but trying, journey. Honestly, I felt like it helped me see motherhood through fresh eyes. Almost like I was brought back to the newborn phase when I wasn’t completely exhausted yet (although barely sleeping) and basking in that new mommy glow. Don’t get me wrong, I know I have many more years to grow and learn, but there’s something about those first few months of motherhood that I wish I could bottle up. I feel like talking about them with Whitney brought me right back to those moments.
We also discovered while chatting that we love a lot of the same products! I’ve been super vocal with you guys that Kevin and I want to have another baby so I’m always interested in the latest newborn gadgets and it was cool to see that there were some things we both used on our kiddos now! For example, with flu and cold season coming up we are both concerned about our little ones getting sick. And we realized that we both have and love the Nokia Thermo thermometer! And the really cool part is we were able to sync up with Nokia and get our followers 20% off the Nokia Thermo for your little ones! Just use code ALILUVS20 to get 20% off yours! It’s definitely a mommy must have! Trust me, I’ve had 3 different digital thermometers for Molly and this one is by far the best and most accurate. Plus I use it on myself too!
OK without further ado here’s what Whitney told me when we caught up and I got to pick her brain on motherhood!
How is little Sonny? What’s his latest milestone?
Sonny is so great! He is getting such a cute little flirty personality. I love watching all the new things he does! He is now discovering the world through his mouth so anything you give him he wants to immediately put in his mouth! Gross but cute at the same time.
What has surprised you about Motherhood? Easier than you thought? Harder?
The first couple months were definitely harder than I thought. I was not prepared for breast feeding at all. I thought my only issue would be if the milk didn’t come in but in fact when/if your milk does come in, that comes with a whole slew of issues! Over production, painful nipple, mastitis, pumping, etc. The list goes on and on! That has definitely been the hardest part. Once the first two months passed, the breastfeeding/pumping started to feel ok and I felt a lot more myself. He is now a part of my life and the emotional transitional period of becoming a mom is over.
What do you wish you knew before becoming a mother? In other words, what do you wish someone had told you?
I wish someone told me much more about breastfeeding- how it takes over your life and becomes another part time job. I just didn’t know there were so many complications that come from it.
Products you can’t live without? Top 3?
1) Nokia Thermo: This thermometer is amazing and keeps my mind at ease when it comes to Sonny’s health. It takes super accurate measurements from the temporal artery — the sensor takes 4,000 measurements to find the hottest spot. It just requires a simple scan over the forehead which means you don’t have to wake a sleeping baby!
2) Water Wipes: They are the purest wipes out there with 99.9% water and a just a drop of fruit extract! I change Sonny like 10 times a day so the wipes I use are very important to me!
3) The Halo Swaddle Sleep Sack: This has been a life saver for me. I was so nervous that I would never know how to swaddle Sonny when he left the hospital and then in turn would never be able to make him comfy enough to sleep! Someone told me about these swaddles and they are the fool-proof option for those who don’t know how to swaddle. All it involves is zipping him up and wrapping his arms in! So easy!
I love the Thermo too! Great minds 😉 Has Sonny been sick yet? Do you have your Pediatrician on speed dial?
Sonny has not been sick yet! Thank goodness! I haven’t had to call my pediatrician too much, thanks to a mom who had 5 kids (yes, I’m one of 5 ) but I am sure I will be needing her a lot more when I start getting him out and about in that dirty world of ours!
I don’t know about you, but especially in the first few months of motherhood I was worried about everything. I found myself googling the strangest things just to make sure Molly was OK. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve googled since becoming a mom? I’ll confess mine as of this week. I googled “there’s a long black hair coming out of my baby’s butt, is she ok?” Ha! It was the weirdest thing. She must’ve swallowed one of her hairs and it traveled through her digestive system. But I was so worried!
HAHAH!!! OMG, I just LOL’ed reading this. Hmmm, let me think for sec…I think the funniest thing I googled was ” is being cross eyed when newly born ok and will it go away??” For so long Sonny couldn’t focus on things and I thought maybe he was cross eyes but I learned that that is a normal thing and only felt slightly less worried!
What was your birth like? Mine was gnarly (but isn’t labor in general?) Everything go as planned?
My birth was actually OK! It was gnarly in the sense that it was very painful and crazy to have a human come out of a small hole but not as crazy as I thought it was going to be. My water broke in the middle of the night but I thought I had peed my pants so I went back to sleep. I woke up at 7 am with contractions, laid in bed for a while and watched a movie and finally was like – ok, THIS IS HAPPENING! I remembered my doctor telling me I needed to eat something before getting to the hospital because once you are admitted for labor they don’t feed you! I went to Bristol Farms and got the most random meal – orange chicken, tri tip and mashed potatoes! We got to the hospital and within two hours I was ready for the epidural. Once that kicked in I was cruising. So I checked in at 2 and had the baby by 12:30am on my due date! The pushing was pretty intense but other than that it was fine! My outlook going in was to not have a birth plan and that served me really well.
Balance is a word people throw around a lot regarding motherhood. Do you think there is such thing as balance? And if you have found it, tell me your ways!
HA! Yeah right! I am always looking for the balance but I don’t think it exists! I think there is always sacrifice and always something you could be doing more or less of. I think it’s just about feeling accomplished as much as you can- even if that means the only thing you did for the day was take care of your baby and watch some tv for some me -time. It’s all about not being too hard on yourself and knowing you are doing the best you can do.
What’s one quality you have that you hope your son has too? Or vice versa, what’s one quality you have that you hope he doesn’t get? What do you hope he gets from his daddy?
I hope he gets my patience. I am lucky to have this and think it gets me very far! I hope he gets my husband’s humor and personality! Timmy is one of those people you feel instantly comfortable around and I hope Sonny has that quality too. It’s a wonderful quality to have.
Do you want more kids? If yes, how soon? Will you wait awhile or have them close together?
I really don’t know! I thought I would want at least two but after being pregnant and now dealing with how hectic it is to have a newborn, I’m not so sure! We will see if the bug hits me later! I hear when your first is 2-3 yrs. old most start to want another baby so we will see!
Well, there you have it! Don’t you love Whitney even more now?! I couldn’t have had more fun getting to know her and chatting all things mommyhood. We’re going to get together again in the future so maybe you’ll see even more blog content from the both of us! If you’d like to see us do more blogging stuff together let me know in the comments below what you’d like to see!
Also, I’d love to hear if any of you use the Nokia Thermo as well! If you do, tell me your experience in the comments below! And if you don’t have one, don’t forget to use my code ALILUVS20 by clicking HERE. And in general, let’s just discuss any products that you can’t live without! Oh, and I want to know if you guys can relate to Whitney? What part of my interview with her could you relate to most? So much to discuss! I’ll do my best to respond to all of you in the comments! As always! Luv you guys!
P.S. How CUUUUUTE is the below photo of Molly peeking into Sonny’s stroller when Whitney and Sonny first got to the park?? She was SO interested in him. And right up on her tippy toes to get a look! Soooo stinking cute!!!!
I can really sense the love she has for her son. Just like you! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I could tell from our hang that she’s a great mom!
I can totally relate to Whitney’s response about having more children. I love how honest she is about this. I feel the same as my son is 16 months and motherhood has been quite the ride! I haven’t gotten the baby bug yet and still wonder if I will. I just am enjoying my little man so much right now!
I loved this interview!
❤️ Chrissy
Enjoy your son! So glad you can relate to what she said 🙂 And I feel you about it being quite the ride. For me too! We want another asap but certainly don’t feel “ready” for it. We shall see!
Just curious as to why you want another baby “asap”? So close in age. 🙂
Because we always wanted 2 kiddos 2 years apart. I just feel like I wasn’t as close with my siblings growing up (we are close now) because we were 3 and 4 years apart. Whereas Kevin and his brother were 21 months apart and BEST friends.
I don’t think 2 yrs apart is asap. We wanted another one right away but couldn’t get pregnant into our older was 10 months. I love having two close in age 🙂
Do you know what brand of wipes she uses?
She said Water Wipes above!
Loved this post!!! I liked how honest she was about her transition to motherhood not being so easy. I have a 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter. When my son was born, I was so overwhelmed. Social media makes it seem like the early days are blissful. There is the excitement of a new baby but also the adjustment to motherhood, learning how to care for a baby 24/7 etc.
Hope to see you and Whitney do more. Maybe you guys can do a shared activity together? Like make a favorite recipe or something.
I hear you. For me, the first coupe weeks was the “blissful” stage. But then it got REALLY hard. I’m STILL adjusting.
And that’s a great idea! I will have to talk to her about that!
Loved this. I’m a new mom of a 5 week old and have been dealing with all the same new mom struggles. No one tells you just how difficult of an adjustment it is! I love that Whitney has been open and honest about new mom life…it makes me feel like I’m not alone! You can love your baby more than anything, but still have a lot trouble adjusting to your new life. So refreshing to see that when we live in a world of perfectly posed social media photos and people not being honest about how tough things can really be! 🙂
Congrats on your little baby! It’s definitely not easy and I’m so glad that women are starting to feel more comfortable talking about it!
I really enjoyed this interview! I follow Whitney as well as you on social media. My husband had the same concern about the cross eyes… They eventually went straight, thank goodness. 🙂
I can’t remember if Molly had that or not. But I know I read about it being really normal with little ones.
I love reading your blog because my son, Sullivan, is about 2 months younger than Molly and it is fun to hear about your experience with Molly, so I know what to expect in the next couple of months with Sullivan. Even when you were pregnant it was nice to hear that I wasn’t alone with some of the same thoughts. I also love watching Whitney’s web series, “I love my baby but..”. She is really honest and it’s nice to see someone who goes through these struggles and isn’t afraid to put it out there. To see you two together is awesome! You are the two people I regularly follow, so I’m so happy you did an interview with Whitney. I hope to see you two do more together!
Thanks for reading Alyssa! I haven’t seen Whitney’s web series yet but I am totally going to Google it now! She’s awesome so I’m sure it’s awesome! Thanks!
This post makes me so happy! I’m currently 6 months pregnant with my first baby and both your blog and Whitney’s video series “I love my pregnancy but…” and “I love my baby but…” have been my favorites to follow. Your blog is so helpful, so many great posts so it’s been great seeing what motherhood is like for another first time mom and Whitney’s video series has been so real and I am able to relate to so much of what she says. Nothing is sugar coated which I appreciate because often times what you see in social media doesn’t match reality. Please do more posts together! With my journey into motherhood just starting I would love to see more of what the two of you have to say 🙂
6 month pregnant! Congrats! SO exciting. And I am just learning about Whit’s series. I am trying to watch them now but my computer is being soooo slow!!!
I love Whitney! I was addicted to The Hills and she was my fav for sure. Seemed like someone you would wanna be friends with!
I love all your mommy blogs, I’m pregnant with my first and I love your lifestyle and really look into products you talk about or advice you give out!
Congrats on your pregnancy! Yay! Gosh I feel like I was just pregnant with Molly just yesterday and years ago all at once. Ha! I will be having A LOT more mommy blogs coming up soon!
I just had my second son almost 6 months ago and it’s so different reading these types of responses once you have your second baby! It’s like you don’t even have time to think too much into things or google too much (although I’m still pretty infamous for googling things). I totally second what she said about breastfeeding though. I feel like everyone always talks about birth classes, but honestly a breastfeeding class would be much more useful to first time moms.
I did a breastfeeding class before Molly was born and it was one of my favorite classes!
I have a 5 week old at home right now and can totally relate to her breastfeeding struggles. My late pre term little girl had trouble latching and was so small that she got too tired so I was exclusively pumping and giving her a bottle of breastmilk to make sure she got enough. Once she learned to latch I got mastitis which was horrible. We seem to be in a good routine now but some days it feels like all I do is feed her, pump, wash bottles and laundry.
I would love to see you do more collaborations with Whitney and talk about what products worked for you and what ones didn’t work for you.
I feel for ya girl! I am soooo lucky that I never had any issues with breastfeeding Molly. But I’ve heard so many other stories form other moms and I just can’t imagine! Don’t we have enough going on the first few weeks of motherhood!? Sigh
I loved reading this! I love how real Whitney is with her responses. Although I do not have any kids at the moment, I love to hear what you both have been experiencing with motherhood and beyond. It helps me know a little better what to expect for the future! Love the blog in general! 🙂
She’s great right!? Thanks for reading!
I LOVE that you guys got together! You’re my two favorite people on Instagram so i freaked out when i saw this! Hope to see more in the future!! Maybe a video??
Awwww yay! I really hope we do something together again in the future! Fingers corssed
We use water wipes too!! Sooo many what ifs and things to research when becoming a mom ( cars seats, cribs, vaccines, strollers..,) I feel like once I become a mom a light bulb went off and I just started research everything! Not everything is a one size fits all ;). Breastfeeding was by far the hardest thing but we are 2 years in and I don’t see an end in site unfortunately lol. I’m starting to get baby fever again however I’m not sure I wanna bring another child into this world right now..
I totally hear ya. Scary stuff going on in this world. And congrats on breastfeeding for so long even though you had a rough start! I know that takes so much hard work and dedication.
I love Whitney, so cool you got to chat with her! I can relate to Molly standing on her tippee toes on the stroller, reminds me of my little one, just turned 1, they grow too fast! It’s like they want to be ballerinas or super tall! I just love it! I feel with every month the bug for another one.
Molly getting up on her tippy toes is one of my favorite things! Her little feet just look so precious!
Can you tell us where you got Molly’s jacket and shoes?
I wrote about Molly’s Jacket (and linked it) here: https://aliluvs.com/blog/2017/10/26/perfect-mornings/
And these are here shoes: http://bit.ly/2zpmKDz
LOVE how she talks about not being sure if she wants more kids! I always thought I wanted 3, but I REALLY struggled with my first (and only) – colic and reflux. Oh. My. Gosh! We had to go through IVF to conceive our sweet girl and I have one more embryo ready to go. I carry a rare genetic disorder and I’m beyond fortunate to have a healthy baby, and one more waiting, but I’m so unsure about having another. The guilt I feel for possibly not wanting to transfer my last embryo eats me up inside (tearing up as I type this because who feels this way?!). Adjusting to motherhood was so hard and I don’t know if I want to go through that new baby struggle again…
Kimberly, I’m so sorry you are struggling with this. Do not feel guilty! Whatever you decide is best for your family IS what is best. Everything will turn out just as it should. Even if that means soaking up every second and giving all your mommy love to your sweet girl!
Hi Ali,
I love reading your blogs! This was an exciting one too as I used to watch The Hills! Sounds like the two of you had a great bonding session!
I am currently having infertility problems so it’s hard to relate to the motherhood stuff except for thinking about how the whole ride has it’s ups and downs. I used to think that everything would go smoothly. I wasn’t so aware of the challenges, complications, and difficulties that women face. Both you and Whitney brought that up by discussing breastfeeding challenges and getting anxious about your childrens health. Thank you for normalizing these experiences!
Ultimately having a child is a blessing. Molly is absolutely adorable and she makes all of us smile and laugh!
I have been a big fan of yours since Bachelor/Bachelorette Days! I enjoy reading your blogs and watching your IG lives! Nice to see you and your family so happy! I wish you and your family all the happiness in the world. Your genuiness and kindness radiates from your posts and you deserve only good things.
Xo Ashley
Ashley. Thank you for your sweet and honest post. I am so sorry to hear about what you are going through. I will be thinking about you and hoping that everything works out the way it’s supposed to. But my heart feels for you. I can only imagine what that must be like. Sending you lots of HUGS. Ali
I loved the interview with Whitney! It’s always great when you read about other moms experiences. I have two boys under two( well oldest boy has his 2nd birthday tomorrow!) it’s definitely exhausting but so worth it. I really hope they become best friends and have a close bond.
Molly is so adorable and by the looks of her peeking in the stroller I’m sure she will be a great big sister when the time comes!! 😊
I think she will be a pretty great big sister one day too 😉
Love this interview! Thanks for sharing! I’m due with my first baby in March and I’m always interested in hearing the, “what do you wish you knew” answers! I feel like it helps me have the right mindset as I begin this new adventure!
I wish I knew (even though people told me – but I couldn’t really understand) how much I should have enjoyed the alone time while pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, pregnancy is HARD! But motherhood is harder….in my opinion. I wish I just soaked up and enjoyed the relaxation while I could! I never get to relax anymore. It’s impossible with a toddler.
I love reading your blog and following you on Insta stories. I am a new Mommy of a three month old baby girl, Shayna, and I love the honesty of other moms that are willing to share! Makes me realize when things are normal and not to freak out too much! So, thank you! I also thank Whitney for her “I love my baby, but…” YouTube series. The raw honesty is so relatable. Thank for all you both share!
I just watched a bunch of that series and it’s soooo good! If I have another baby (fingers crossed! 😉 I plan/hope on doing some video blogging too!
And congrats on your baby girl!!!! It’s a wild and amazing ride! This whole motherhood thing 😉
Great read! I’ve been following Whitney on her YouTube series and it brought me here. 🙂
My twin boys were born around the same time as Sonny so I feel like I’m going through motherhood alongside Whitney! Everything she discusses is all so relatable. I agree in that I wish I knew more about breastfeeding (it was a lot harder than I anticipated). From her videos, I know she struggled a lot with that. But it seemed like she found her groove and is doing amazing with it!
Bordeaux Butt Paste is a must have! Works instantly.
Thanks for posting!
Hi Fanny! Welcome to my blog! I am glad you found me 🙂 I LOVE connecting with other moms and plan to post A LOT for mommy content coming soon!!! Twin boys! And if they are Sonny’s age they must be about 3 months. You go girl! So glad to have you as part of this community of mamas. xoxo
Hi Ali!
I️ love hearing all about other mommies experiences and tips and recommendations. So keep ‘me coming! 😃 Is there a backpack diaper bag that you could recommend that you’ve used or have heard of other moms loving? There’s so many to choose from I️ can’t decide so I’m trying to get everyone’s opinion!
Thanks, Kaycee
I can’t get enough of Molly! She’s so adorable. She has to be the most beautiful baby since I gave birth to my own daughter…lol
Hey Ali
I actually got the thermo and have to disagree I really don’t like it. It always gives me the same reading – I found it so frustrating. I tested it on 3 people always the same temp showed up- my son was feverish cause I check by rectal so I know the forehead reading was off. 🙁
I saw you on home and family, you mentioned an app that allows you to track feedings, sleep and diaper hanges. What is the app called? I’m due with my first baby in 3 weeks 🙂 thank you!
Hi Ali! Where did you find Molly’s shoes? Love them, so cute!
I know this post is almost 2 months old but looking for a really easy and accurate thermometer for my little girl (she is 15 months) and she never holds still ! I’m willing to give this one a shot, however I went to use the coupon code and it says not valid?