It seems like just yesterday my mom and I were sitting at Aldo’s trying to figure out how to expand our small belly casting, home-based business. Here we are a few years later with a full retail store front, endless services and above all else, I have a family of my own! This time last year, I was 7 months pregnant, swollen feet, throbbing calves, but grinning ear to ear helping mommies who were just like me! It’s been an amazing ride, meeting and getting to know all the moms and their little ones, but my most favorite part is simply being a sounding board when that new or expecting mom comes in the store completely exhausted and overwhelmed.
For first time pregnancies, it’s the 14-17 week baby bump, that looks more like you’ve eaten too many burritos the night before, which has you still squeezing into your old pants, but feeling completely awful about it. It’s trying on maternity clothes for the first time and looking in your reflection with tears welling up behind your eyes and that knot in your throat, telling yourself to keep it together. We are growing tiny humans and for that, we need to cut ourselves some slack and embrace the bump…regardless of how it has you feeling in your favorite pair of skinnies.
For first time mommies, it’s the 2-4 week old baby, that has you in a constant state of exhaustion. You’ve transformed into a zombie walking through the store as you restlessly attempt to find a nursing bra that fits your newly engorged mama-jamas. You have your first hour to yourself and you don’t know whether to sleep, shop, or cry.
There’s a first time for everything…and while those “firsts” sometimes aren’t so glamorous, there are the counter acting moments that make it all worth while…
For first time pregnancies, it’s when your belly finally pops and everything you try on looks cute, because the stranger can actually now truly decipher if you’re pregnant or not. It’s when you get to feel the baby kick for the first time. Better yet, when your partner gets to feel the baby kick for the first time and you see their reaction. It’s finding out the gender of your baby and being able to finally say “she” or “he”, instead of what other silly name you’ve created. It’s hearing from the doctor that you are dilated finally and it should happen “any time now”.
For first time mommies, it’s seeing and holding your baby for the first time. It’s counting their fingers and toes and thanking God for the miracle that rests on your chest. It’s their first smile, even if it is just from gas. It’s their first bath and even their first cry.
As the year goes by, it has a funny way of feeling like it’s never going to end, but then it also went by way too fast. Pregnant or a first time mom, you are walking through life a little glassy-eyed. But every picture you turn back to, makes you smile. Every week, every month, there was a milestone you can put your finger on that makes you feel proud, accomplished, and eternally happy.
This first year in business, has had many of those moments. Our first dollar. Our first radio spot. Our first pregnant mommy who gave birth. Our first belly cast in store. Our 200th belly cast. Our first mommy expecting twins, who visited on a weekly basis for new clothes. Our first Christmas season and now our first Spring. Our first in-store seminar. Our first in-store baby shower. Our first TV spot. Our first lady shopper, who bought all of our non-maternity clothes! Our first donation to local charity. So many moments, all worth saving a memory for. And now, our first baby photo contest!
As I’ve gone through the first time pregnancy thing and now the first time mommy-hood moments…I can’t help but get excited for the next year ahead. Cooper turns one year in a few short months and I wish I could slow down the hands of time, but simultaneously speed them up so I can enjoy all of his “firsts” right now. I’m thankful for every mommy who walks through the door of the store to share her moments. They fulfill me in ways they couldn’t know. I think everyone was put on this earth for something and I’ve always had the goal of being a mom, but the store gives me a new meaning behind motherhood. I get to be a mom everyday all day, not just with Cooper, but with customers who have now become friends. Thank you for sharing your first’s and I hope you continue to, as I intend to share with you.
Happy 1 Year Modern Maternity…cheers to many more babies and many more mommies!
My Lil Deuce "Coop" 