Our Aug Bean of the Month comes from San Francisco, California! Baby Ella Josefina is 4 months young and looks absolutely precious. Really, these pictures aren't from a photoshoot...she really is that adorable and that good in front of a camera! Thanks to Mama Isabella for sharing these beautiful pictures and for all of your recommendations too...
TWB:Can you give us a brief intro about your family and where you are from?
@isabellafrancesca:
My husband and I were both born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. The cultural diversity in the Bay Area is a great reflection of our blended families and Ella’s heritage now too as she is of Filipino, Portuguese and Sicilian descent.
Ella has an older fur sister named Kona who is very much a part of our family too. A mixed pup herself, Kona is part German Shepherd, Siberian Husky and Australian Cattle Dog. At 76lbs, she comes off as an intimidating guard dog but she is super loyal, attentive and protective of Ella. We all suspect she knew I was pregnant before any of us did!
TWB: What The Wee Bean items did you buy/get gifted and how do you like our products?
@isabellafrancesca:I love the Boba Collection! One of my favourite childhood desserts was this Filipino drink called sagot gulaman made of tapioca pearls, brown sugar, chunks of grass jelly and water. Present day, we drink boba..a lot haha (it’s hard to resist when two cafes are just a 2-3 minute walk from our apartment building ;-). I also appreciate the organic materials and softness of the products, especially for Ella’s sensitive skin!
TWB: What items do you recommend for first-time moms?
@isabellafrancesca: Our Favourites: Swaddles with zippers and Velcro; baby carrier and bouncer; a reliable thermometer; an electric nose suction (only one of us has the lung strength for the Frida suction LOL) + saline drops to break up the stubborn boogers
Honourable Mentions: Keekaroo Peanut Changer - Easy to clean after messy diapers and there is no need to wash cloth covers. Also the Sprout Baby App - This must be a millennial thing (as my parents and older colleagues have joked) but the app tracks your baby’s feedings, diapers, sleep and even your pumping sessions. For data nerds like me hehe, there are graphs and charts to illustrate trends and patterns. We also find it super useful for Ella’s doctor appointments when we’re asked about her average feedings in ounces and number of diapers.
TWB: What's your favourite activity to do with your baby?
@isabellafrancesca:Honestly, my favourite (way to start my day) is greeting her with a “good morning!” which she returns with a huge smile. It gets me every time haha.
TWB: Best baby-friendly places to go to in your city?
@isabellafrancesca: Due to Covid, our outings are mainly limited to neighbourhood walks to take fur-sister, Kona, out to potty. As Ella gets older, we’d love to take her on more hikes as there are so many coastal and inland trails to choose from in neighbouring cities and counties.
TWB: What's one tip you have for all the new mommies/daddies out there?
@isabellafrancesca: Your body created, nourished and housed a tiny human for nine months so be kind and gentle with yourself in your postpartum journey to heal and “bounce back”. Ignore the noise and toxicity of snap back culture and remember that a lot of social media accounts are totally curated moments of motherhood. I like to follow accounts that share more relatable day-to-day musings, stories and images of motherhood and I lean on a support system of other like-minded moms.
Also, if you’re a full-time working mom who happens to be 100% remote like myself, caring for a baby (and dog) can and will be hard. If childcare is not an option, aim for a routine that aligns your working hours with baby’s sleep/nap times. My husband works 12-hour shifts as a cop so we’ve developed a routine that alternates our baby duties. It’s helpful when one parent is on duty for the other to work, get a workout in or most of all, sleep LOL.
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*Bean of the Month Series*- Every month, we select a baby to feature as our Bean of the Month and this special little Bean will receive a prize of HK$50 off their next purchase.
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