Spotlight: Ashley Weeks Cart

 Today we have another young mom who is doing her thing and ready to conquer the world, kid or no kid. Meet Ashley Weeks Cart, a 26-year-old newbie mommy of one. Her little bundle was born in May, so she’s got her hands full but I bet you she’s loving it.

Again, I’ve got some contributors who are on the ball – she wrote her own intro as well:

Hi! I’m 26 and just gave birth to my first child, a beautiful baby girl. I run my own small, green business with my sister called Green Eyed Monster, focused on reusable shopping bags from a fun, artistic angle!

Now that I’m a mom, I’m balancing running my own business, graduate school (I’m getting my Masters in Public Art from University of Southern California) and life raising my daughter.
I’m now even more committed to making GREEN and environmentally sound choices in my life thinking about my daughter’s future.

I don’t have any other friends who have children, since I made my choice to be a 20-something mommy, I’m really looking to connect with more and build a supportive community for myself!

You hear that, ladies? She’s looking to connect with more young moms! So make sure you visit her site, say hi! Let’s dive into the interview. It’s long but well worth it.

1) ) What was your situation when you had your baby girl? Were you in school? Working? Dating? Engaged?

Ashley: To preface all this, at age 22 I found out that I was essentially infertile when my doctor checked my hormone levels and they were majorly out of whack and like that of a pre-menopausal woman. My doctor informed me that the sooner I tried to conceive, the better in terms of my potential success. I was definitely not in a place to have children right away, as I had only just recently graduated from college, was earning barely above the poverty line in an entry level job and my boyfriend (now husband) was doing likewise an hour away.

Fast forward to July 20th, 2007.

James, my boyfriend, proposed and we booked out wedding for September 6th, 2008 (our five year anniversary). Around May of 2008, just a few months before the wedding I decided that I wanted to start trying to get pregnant.  Months went by, and no surprise, no baby.

After our wedding, my husband immediately moved to LA into transitional housing to start a new job, while I began my Masters in Public Art at the University of Southern California, and commuted from our home up in Santa Barbara (as I was wrapping up a job in that area and house hunting for a new home in LA). Exactly five days after the wedding, while living apart from one another, I realized that my period was late and took a pregnancy test all by myself at our home in Santa Barbara and lo and behold, I WAS PREGNANT!

Talk about our little miracle baby who had been with us for our wedding vows. I managed to complete the 1st year of my Masters degree right before my beautiful baby girl was born on May 18, 2009. Now I have the summer off to spend with my baby, before going back to school to finish the degree and write my thesis in September. I feel so very lucky.

2)Were you happy/nervous/excited about becoming a mom?

Ashley: Completely excited, but also completed overwhelmed because I was the FIRST of my friends to be pregnant, and all of them want to wait many more years before they have children. We also lived across the country from our family and friends (we grew up and went to college in the Northeast) AND our lives were in complete flux! My husband and I essentially lived away from each other during my 1st trimester, until we moved into our new house in LA around Thanksgiving! It was wild!

3) What advice would you give other young moms? Any thing you wish you had done differently?

Ashley: Young moms shouldn’t feel scared or like they’re any less qualified to be a mom than women who choose to have babies later in life. Babies do not come with an instruction manual- you learn, trial by fire… so young or old, you’re learning as you go.

Also, babies cost next to nothing! [Editor note: I don’t know if I believe that. LOL] It’s easy to get wrapped up in the commercialization of the baby STUFF industry and feel like you need the hottest stroller, or most expensive bouncy seat, but in reality, an infant just needs love and affection more than anything else in the world, and that comes for free!

The only thing I would do differently is to try and enjoy the pregnancy more (next time I hope to not be as overwhelmed by all the changes with my body) and to not stress about the small stuff (like housekeeping, looking my best, etc) once the baby arrived. These moments are so fleeting, it’s best to just enjoy them. Who cares if the bed is made? Also, all mommies, young and old, should consider hiring a doula for support during the pregnancy and childbirth. I don’t know how I would have done it with out mine. As my husband said about our doula, while sitting in recovery after the birth of our daughter, “She was worth EVERY PENNY!”

4) What was the biggest challenge in the first few months of becoming a mom? What was the best part?

Ashley: I am a busy busy bee, someone who makes lists every morning and likes to efficiently check through that list during the day. It is just no longer POSSIBLE to have those kinds of expectations for myself with an infant. My days move much slower, and there’s no schedule, which is tough for someone like me who is so accustomed to functioning on a schedule. I just have to constantly remind myself to slow down and cherish this time, because it’s not going to last forever.

By far, my favorite part of being a new mom is relishing in those quiet moments I share with my daughter, right when she’s done breastfeeding and is warm and snuggly and happy, and studying her every feature and just looking in complete joy and awe at this perfect little miracle in front of me. To be able to feel more love than I knew was possible, and to fall in love with my husband all over again as the father of my child. It’s incredible. I’ve never been happier or more fulfilled.

5) Where did the desire to create Green Eyed Monster come from?  

Green Eyed Monster began when my sister and I made a pact to start up our own business because we didn’t want to work a 9-5 job in an office and thought we’d use our liberal arts educations (both from Williams College) to do something fresh and fun and totally ours! You can read our story here: www.greeneyed.com/thesisters). We’re really trying to spread awareness about the significance of the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) trend. Now that I’m a mom, I’m even more concerned about the state of our environment for my daughter’s generation. All parents should be raising their children with a green mindset.

6) Let’s talk about your dreams for the future. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

 More than anything I’m committed to my family and raising happy, productive, caring children. I would like to have more children, and my husband and I are strongly considering adoption because there are so many children in the world in need of a loving home. I would LOVE to continue to run my own business from home so that I can spend as much time as possible with my family and be heavily involved in my kids’ lives. My husband and I both had parents that worked from home and it was amazing to grow up knowing them so well. Also, the flexibility of working from home is amazing, and also the passion and joy I feel for running something that is 100% my own. The responsibility is heavy, but it is incredible.

Got all that? Want to be featured as well? Think your story is just as noteworthy? Hit me up at youngmommychronicles@gmail.com or through the Contact form.