MEET JENNI

Next up on the Mom-series is Jenni, she is our Pregnant mom, here is her story…

A Short intro..

My name is Jenni, I’ve been a mom since December 2015 and baby 2 is due May / June this year. I married the man of my dreams & best friend at our dream wedding in 2014 having only been together for 2 years. Although I was born & raised in Cape Town I lived in London for about 3 years in my early 20’s. I have another business that focuses on the luxury traveller visiting South Africa which I started in 2009. Travel is a passion of mine and my husband and I try to travel overseas at least once a year and locally as regularly as business allows. My blog, which I took public in 2018 is called My Journey as a Mom and I love sharing my journey with the world in the hope to help others navigate their way.

Describe your typical day in 5 words or less:

Busy.  Entertaining. Sometimes sweaty.

Name 3 things you can’t live without:

My husband, my son, ice cream.

Attach a picture of your current mom bag and what’s inside:

Name 1 thing you wish you knew before you became a mom..

The “books” should be thrown away and you should rather trust yourself & your own mom.

What do you do when the kids are asleep or napping?

Work on my blog, surf Instagram, read or sleep.

What’s the best part of your day?

Morning snuggles, bedtime stories, pick up time from school – that little face and hugs when he sees me!

Name a few of your mom Guilty pleasures:

Snuggles and kisses when Tristan’s asleep.

What has been the scariest moment of your mom life and who did you look to for support?

Weirdly enough the day I went to see my psychiatrist for the first time; his offices were originally based at a psychiatric hospital. I was petrified he would meet with me and tell me I had to go straight to a ward and not be able to see my son & husband for a period of time. I was all alone so I had to just trust that it would all be ok.

Who is your hero and why?

My mom & dad. Having become a mom myself I see how hard it is and how much burden a parent bares for their child/ren. They have always handled things calmly (I need to learn to do that) and with compassion and understanding. Their marriage is also strong and survived when I know many marriages failed through children.

Name one thing (anything) that you would do if you weren’t afraid and were fearless  and there were no consequences and nothing to hold you back..

Travel the world with my husband and kid/s.

Name something that your mom taught you that you have taken into your own motherhood / parenthood.

Preggy brain and really can’t think on this!

If you could be anyone for just one day who would you be?

I don’t believe in wishing to be anyone but yourself.

Worst mom-fail?

Haven’t had any that I can recall to be honest.

How has motherhood changed you?

Made me a gazillion times more emotional; taught me to put my child before myself 90% of the time :-), given me a new appreciation for me-time and complete silence. I never used to enjoy being alone now I can’t wait for when I get the opportunity!

Proudest Moment?

The day Tristan was born.

If your house was burning down, name 3 things you’d grab besides the kids and pets?

Passports, printed photos and Tristan’s memories folder.

Name one thing you would change about yourself and one thing you wouldn’t.

Nothing to do with motherhood but I would love to have perkier boobs (roll on 40^th birthday gift lol ) but I wouldn’t change my hair & eye colour.

What piece of advice would you give to a new mom starting her journey?

Trust yourself. Stop googling how things SHOULD be, just let it be. It will all be ok!

Who is your biggest support?

My husband.

Best book you’ve ever read:

Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers.

Worst parenting advise you ever received?

To be honest I can’t think of anything because I don’t take much advise to heart. Maybe it was telling me to read parenting books because they speak of a perfect baby and no baby is perfect. It made my PND worse so I stopped when I realised and just trusted my gut.

How do you find the energy to have an active toddler and being pregnant, is it a struggle or is it a breeze?

The first 15 weeks or so were rough. I was nauseous all the time and just wanted to sleep. As I entered the second trimester I found my energy returning which has been amazing! I’ve been fortunate to be able to nap most afternoons either with Tristan (he sleeps daily from 1-2:30 ish) or while he’s at school.

Did you plan the gap between your kids, what do you think is the perfect gap?

Initially I said I only wanted 1 child so didn’t think of the age gap much but saw friends having 2 under 2 and was like, “are you people mad? It’s mayhem!”. So when we decided to have a second I said Tristan had to be at least 3 years old but ideally 3,5 years because then he’s more independent, understands more, is able to help, etc and I guess we’ve ended up exceptionally lucky as baby 2 is due end May beginning June this year so we’ll almost nail the age gap to the day! Boom! Lol.

Jenni, thank for for allowing me a glimpse into your life, home and heart. All the best with your upcoming bundle of joy.

You can follow Jenni over on Instagram at @my_journey_as_a_mom