Hi everyone! Welcome to the blog! You’ve made it and we’re happy you’re here!
Before we get into the details, I should probably introduce myself. For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Shelby. I am the mother of an 8-month-old baby girl named Saylor.
Let’s get into it! Back in 2020, I started this once-in-a-lifetime job that eventually turned into being a nanny. I’ve always loved children and I always knew I wanted to work with them so this job was perfect for me! After 2 & 1/2 years of watching kiddos, I found out I was pregnant! I was SO excited to finally be a mom! I had dreams of the day and how perfect it would be, I couldn’t wait! I was going to be the mom that had it all together in my mind. Everything was going perfectly! I told my family & friends and they were all super excited for me! Fast forward to August and the day was here. My little baby girl was born! I was exhausted, in pain, overstimulated, but most of all just thankful it was all over and she was here safely. Every day after felt like survival mode. If I could just make it to the next feed, the next diaper change, the next cry session, and the next bedtime then I could do it. At one point I was just sitting on my couch and I felt trapped. I couldn’t get up. If I moved I was in pain, but if I didn’t move I would regret not doing stuff before she woke up from her very short nap. I felt this overwhelming feeling of the unknown and I wasn’t sure what to do. So I did what I do best and I tried to pretend everything was fine and kept going on with my days as if I didn’t feel the way I did. Until one day it caught up to me. My feelings were so foreign and overwhelming to me. I didn’t understand how my perfect image of being a mom in my head wasn’t the way I was experiencing it. I didn’t understand how I could be feeling so down when there are other people out there wishing they could have children of their own. I couldn’t understand why I wasn't able to give my all to my baby. I was so frustrated. I lost myself and I couldn’t figure out how to get the old me back. Little did I know there would be parts of you that you just never get back when you become a mom. I felt like I was drowning at home and work. I’ve never experienced darkness like that before. Eventually, I felt like something had to give. So I ended up having to quit my job, which was very hard for me because I genuinely love those kids like family.
On a trip to Florida (with my then bosses, now co-owners. Yeah, you read that right.) the conversation came up about what I was going to do since I wasn’t going to be working anymore. I mentioned that I’ve always wanted to own a baby/kids boutique and I told them that the names I had in mind all reminded me of how I wanted to feel. I wanted to feel like I wasn’t trapped in a dark room drowning anymore. I wanted to feel happy again. I thought I would name the boutique something with “sunshine” in the name because I love how the sun makes me feel. I craved to have the feeling of warmth in my life again so that’s where we started! Sydney, Haley, and I were all brainstorming and we came up with “Sunny Babe Boutique.” We wanted to create a space where moms feel comfortable sharing what they’re going through so other moms reading can see, talk through, and hopefully feel like they are not alone - because you aren’t! So we decided our baby/kids boutique would also have a blog so we could have those open conversations if anyone is wanting to share their experience.
Saylor and I are doing so much better now with the help of others. I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I didn’t share what I was feeling. With that being said, if we come together and talk about the hard stuff and can help at least one struggling mom our mission for this blog will be complete and so incredibly worth it.