Nicole Neesby of ‘Today Is My Favorite‘

We love all things Nicole Neesby has to offer! She is a fantastic mother who is unbelievably creative, honest and pure. We can’t forget to mention she has one of the cutest little boys there is. Nicole writes about the ins and outs of her adventures in life, in travel, and in motherhood. She is a beautiful person in and out and I am so excited she has shared with us the lessons she has learned as a mother thus far.

Nicole Neesby of ‘Today Is My Favorite‘

Name: Nicole Neesby
Children: Emmett Dane, 5 months
Blog/Company: Today Is My Favorite

What are your favorite baby products?
I love love love our Aden & Anais cotton swaddle blankets. We have eight that are on constant rotation in our house. They are used every night for swaddling Emmett, but we have also grabbed them in the moments when we needed a burp cloth, a sun shield for the car or stroller, a nursing cover or for tummy time when we are out and about. We never leave our house without one.

I also can’t imagine doing without our amazing Kinderwagon Hop stroller. It’s compact and has plenty of space for my purse, Emmett’s things, shopping items and someday {hopefully} another baby!!

On a completely frivolous note, I adore all my chalkboard baskets from Target. I love that they help me maintain my style in our home, but are also practical for organizing Emmett’s things. We have used them for toys, diapers, and clothes.

Two things you learned that no one could have prepared you for:
I spent so many years nannying for many families before we had our own little dude this year. I had observed so many ways that people choose to parent and I thought I knew what we wanted to implement ourselves someday. But suddenly you find yourself with your own little person in your arms and it isn’t black and white any longer. My husband and I often say that it feels like we are just making things up as we go along. Our faith and family values play a big part in how we want to raise Emmett, but the reality is, we really don’t have everything figured out. We are learning little by little each day.

Also, I had no clue what overwhelming love you experience when you hold your very own baby in your arms. The thought that you made this little person because of the love and commitment you have with your best guy in the whole world?! Breathtaking. I had no idea that that love would be so life changing. No idea that I would want to hang out with him so much. No idea that life could be so full and beautiful.

Best advice you received:
The best advice I have tried to learn is about staying humble as a mama. There are days when things go along so dreamily with Emmett. . . the morning he lets me sleep in until nine o’clock, the times he sits through church without a peep, the way he goes along with a crazy day of running around without any meltdowns. These are the moments when I am tempted to think I have figured out the secret to perfect babies, until I remember the words of my own mom. You usually think you have this parenting thing down, until your second child comes along. That’s when God humbles you.

I am trying to remember that I am always learning and that my job isn’t to be a perfect parent, but rather to just love my babies well.

Something you struggle with as a mom:
It is so easy for me to compare myself to people I admire around me. . . successful bloggers, other mamas I admire, creative small business owners. I struggle with staying true to myself and realizing that I have something to offer just the way I am. One of my favorite quotes by Jon Acuff says Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. My journey is beautiful and unique and I am learning to embrace it for exactly what it is today.

How do you balance the demands of your career, family, life, etc.?
Lists, lists, lists!! When I was going through major nesting at the end of my pregnancy with Emmett, I became a list-making fanatic. I had lists of things to prep for baby, lists of house projects I wanted to complete, grocery lists, my list of lists went on and on. It’s been almost six months since Emmett’s birth and I should now be long past nesting, but my love for lists is not.
I recently made a list of daily things I need to do if I want to actually make steps towards accomplishing some of my dreams in life. They are simple things really, but I feel so much more balanced when I follow them each day. Here is an excerpt from that list:

// Spend time reading to Emmett.

// Wash one load of laundry.

// Write what God is whispering to my heart daily. Journaling, blogging, list making, anything.

// Make a list of steps towards accomplishing my dreams. Take a baby step each day.

// Surround myself with people that inspire me.

{you can read the full list here}