Moms on Mondays - Nicole from Cheeky Cheeky Baby

Today I am so happy to feature Nicole from Cheeky Cheeky Baby - home of the infamous cactus leggings!  This mama is so sweet and talented and we LOVE her stuff!  Here's Lemon sporting some of her goods, please read her post and then go shop!

 

My name is Nicole and the name of my shop is Cheeky Cheeky Baby. I came up with the name from a song I made up for my son, Landon, to keep him from crying. I wanted the name to be cute AND meaningful!  We are also on Facebook and Instagram. 

I sell baby and mommy products such as nursing scarves, baby moccasins, headbands, bodysuits and more. I also have plans to get many more items in the near future. 

I've always been a crafty girl (I actually have a popular blog - Diary of a Mad Crafter), but when I had my son, I decided to stick to baby stuff. I never had babies in my family, up until the past couple of years, and I'm a huge DIY lover, so I always try to make gifts rather than buy. I completely fell in love with making baby things and that's how Cheeky Cheeky Baby arose. The store has been open since January 2014 and I've loved every minute of it!

Before I had my store, and my son, I worked at Michael's Arts and Crafts where I usually spent my entire paycheck. I also have my nail technician license and have a few clients that have been coming to me for their mani and pedi needs for almost 10 years. After graduating high school I went to The Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC to learn all about cooking and eating healthy, which landed me at Pure Food and Wine where I had the time of my life working. Eventually, the commute (2 hours each way) caught up with me and I decided to leave. I always look back and smile but I love what I do now even more!  {Wow, you are talented in so many ways!}

 

My husband and I have been married 3 years this September, and started trying to get pregnant 3 weeks after our wedding. After a year of negative tests, and doctor's appointments, we found out the chances of conceiving naturally were extremely slim. When I say that I've wanted to have a baby since I was a child, I'm not exaggerating. I had been waiting for this since I was about 10 years old. Anyone who knew me, knew how much I wanted to be a mother. I was heartbroken finding out this news. But, that only lasted for about 5 seconds. I was determined to get pregnant no matter what it took, and only looked forward. Our option: IVF. We had heard of it but had no idea what it entailed. Due to our age and situation, we got pregnant with our son, Landon after just one try. I stayed positive throughout it all, and my mantra "everything happens for a reason" had never been so right! I think back now and if we had gotten pregnant on our own, or if I had gone to the doctor's sooner rather than later, we wouldn't have gotten our Landon, and wouldn't appreciate motherhood as much as I do. Now that I have him, I would go through what I did a million times over again to get him again. He's my everything, my little soul mate.

  

I think my long(er than normal) journey to get pregnant also made Cheeky Cheeky Baby happen, because once I had my son I just wanted to make him everything in the world, and whenever I made him something I'd always get comments on how beautiful it was and that I should sell it.

My dream job has always been to have a successful store (whether it be online or physical), and I have tried again and again, but now, since I've started Cheeky Cheeky Baby, I have never had so much fun making things. There's just something about creating these itty bitty baby things that I can't get enough of!

As much fun as I have with my shop, it's also A LOT of hard work with a baby. At first it was that my son wouldn't nap anywhere but in someone's arms, and now it's that he's crawling and standing on everything! Thankfully, I live in the same apartment complex as my parents and sister and they're right across the lawn from me! {So fun!} Cheeky Cheeky Baby would definitely not exist without them. Whenever I get a bunch of orders, I drop Landon off at their apartment and get everything done and shipped. On the days that I can't get out to the post office, my awesome husband will do a run for me after he gets home from work. I literally can't thank my family enough! 

My favorite product in the store would have to be my baby moccasins. There's just something so delicious about them! They're so tiny and cute! I'm also extremely proud of them because I made the pattern from scratch and many trial and errors. Unlike most baby shoes, they don't fall off five minutes after putting them on, they stay on the feet for hours until you take them off. And did I mention that they're tiny and cute!? 

Some favorite shops that I have yet to buy from, but drool over pretty much anything they list, are Little Nugget Republic, Little Hip Squeaks, Albionfit, and Little Bird Blue.

Thanks, Nicole, this was great!