Infertility, Miscarriage, & Funding IVF with Cookies: Natalie’s Story

BoldLittleMinds MomCast
Written By Mom Identity Project

Episode 3: Infertility, Miscarriage, & Funding IVF with Cookies: Natalie’s Story

Welcome to the Bold Little Minds Blog, where we spotlight incredible moms navigating unique paths to motherhood, sharing invaluable parenting insights, and celebrating life's little joys. Today, we delve into the compelling story of Natalie, a mother, entrepreneur, and founder of Cookie Nookie, whose journey is as sweet as it is inspiring.

The Beginning of Cookie Nookie

Natalie's foray into the world of baked goods began long before she became a mom. A childhood affinity for baking evolved into a passion project that saw her whipping up treats out of her dad’s kitchen in Houston. It was a simple question from a coworker that sparked the idea: had she ever considered selling her creations? This innocent inquiry planted the seed for what would later become Cookie Nookie. Over time, with life's ups and downs—including meeting her husband, Wilson—the couple inadvertently transitioned her baking hobby into a full-fledged business. They never "talked" about starting it; they just did. Wilson’s support proved instrumental, whether it was tying perfect bows on cookie boxes or building a cute, high-end brand aesthetic.

Navigating the Challenges of Infertility

Parallel to launching Cookie Nookie, Natalie and Wilson embarked on a challenging journey toward parenthood. Confronted with infertility, they faced heart-wrenching miscarriages and the daunting paths of IUI and IVF. Undeterred, they persevered with hopes of having a family. Natalie candidly shares the emotional toll of their journey, highlighting the importance of advocating for oneself, a lesson she learned from switching doctors mid-IVF cycle to ensure the best care. These struggles further fueled Natalie’s determination to use Cookie Nookie as more than just a business. It became a beacon of hope. Part of the proceeds from her sales now fund micro-grants for mothers undergoing similar fertility challenges, underscoring her commitment to giving back to a community that supported her.

A Mother’s Love and Lessons

Now a proud mom to Cam, an energetic and affectionate little boy, Natalie relishes the invaluable lessons motherhood has taught her. She emphasizes the importance of being present, sharing stories, and cherishing everyday moments, like Cam's nightly dash down the hallway before bath time. Her experiences with infertility have cultivated a profound appreciation for motherhood. This gratitude is reflected in her parenting approach, where patience and affection are paramount. Natalie cherishes every snuggle, every playful tumble, and every moment of learning with Cam, understanding the fleeting nature of these precious years. Natalie's acting background also plays a unique role in her parenting, especially when engaging Cam with animated storytelling and playful theatrics—a fun reminder that life, much like parenting, is an improvisation.

Looking Ahead

As Cookie Nookie continues to grow, so does Natalie’s vision for her company. With plans to expand their grant program and create more delightful treats, she aims to offer even more support to those on their own fertility journeys. Her passion extends beyond baking; it resides in the drive to make a meaningful impact on the lives of families facing similar challenges. The story of Natalie is one of resilience, creativity, and boundless love—a testament to the intricate balancing act of nurturing dreams and family life. Her journey is proof that with determination and heart, we can turn life’s bitter moments into sweet opportunities for growth and generosity.

Connect with Natalie:

Discover more about Cookie Nookie and indulge in their delectable offerings by visiting their website at getcookienookie.com. Follow their journey on Instagram @getcookienookie and be sure to check out their variety boxes and local markets if you're in Houston. Each purchase not only satisfies a sweet tooth but also contributes to a cause that changes lives.

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Follow Bold Little Minds on social media for more inspiring stories and parenting tips. If you're a mom with a story to share or wish to connect, reach out to us at boldlittleminds@gmail.com. Let's support each other as we navigate the beautiful chaos of motherhood. --- Thank you for joining us today. Stay inspired, and we’ll see you next time!

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For Your Binging Enjoyment…

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hi everyone, you're listening to the Bold Little Minds MomCast, a podcast where we talk to incredible moms who share their unique journey to motherhood, practical tips, and some of our favorite low prep activities so you can enjoy that hot cup of coffee. I'm your host, Krissy, I'm a mom of two boys. I'm glad you're here with us, so pop in your earbuds and let's have some fun.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Welcome to the Bold Little Minds MomCast. My name is Chrissy, and I'm so happy to have you here with me today. I can't believe that this coming week is the last week of August. It's gone by so fast, but I am ready for the September weather. It's been a lot cooler here. I don't know about where you live, but man, I am so done with the 90 degree days.

But what I'm not ready for. The other day we had to go out in the morning, and I've been taking pictures of all the load that I'm carrying outside, and it's just getting bigger and bigger. I had to grab everybody's sweatshirts, and wow, I was not prepared for that kind of transition. You forget about those kinds of details when you're excited [00:01:00] about the next transition.

The things that, that get old real fast, you forget about real fast, too. So, that was kind of a reminder of, eh, it's not all fun and games, and not all like, you know, It's like cozy pumpkin spice lattes and things like that when the fall comes. It's also bundling everybody up and taking extra time to get outside.

Which for me, is already a lot. It's already a lot to get everybody outside. Even if we're not even wearing shoes. Getting them psyched up to go out has been Quite the process. My three year old isn't really into wearing clothes lately, although that is getting better. And it's even a bigger battle to try to figure out what kinds of shoes to wear.

And if we need shoes, then, uh, it's a whole thing. So I am not looking forward to needing. Extra steps to get people out the door because I want to get outside for a walk and I know that they benefit from being outside. Everybody is happier when we are outside, so feeling stuck inside or feeling like there's an extra layer preventing us from going outside, Ehh, let's just pretend that's not going to [00:02:00] happen.

Or let's think positively and maybe it won't happen, but you know that's something I'm not ready for. This past week, I don't know about you, but my kids were, like, on something extra. It's been really wild. I think my three and a half, or, it's not quite three and a half, it'll be three and a half in October, so I guess we're there.

But anyway, my three year old has been having these really emotional meltdowns. Where I think he's starting to hit developmental milestones where he's realizing his place in the world, and it's just a lot and My one and a half year old on the other hand is hitting different kinds of milestones And also I think he has teeth poking through so anything involving sleep has been a lot So my three year olds in this nap transition where he naps still even though he probably shouldn't.

So he's up all night. So we've had nights where he's in bed at like 11 and we're up at five with them or I'm up at five with them. My husband takes his turns on the weekend, but he's up all night working. So he [00:03:00] needs to sleep a little later because he stays up really late finishing up his work. Wow.

That's a lot. It's a late night and an early morning and then Like emotional kids on top of it with maybe teeth, maybe who knows what. It's so hard to figure it out because as soon as you try to figure out something, the behavior stops or the behavior changes and it's not what you expected or not what you were trying to fix and wow.

It's just been throwing me through a loop. Luckily, we've been able to still get outside So that clears our heads and gives us a reset and something else to do. So we've been going on walks. We found this little Creek by our house that we go down to, and there's some big frogs. My boys aren't into catching frogs.

But they will look at those big, big ones. We have a lot of the little ones in our yard, but they're not really interested in those. They're more interested in running around and chasing each other, but they really like at least walking down this path along the river. It's really fun to watch them cross the river back and forth.

So [00:04:00] that's been a lot of fun. And we're still able to go outside and play with the water table, which I love to do. It really does occupy them without having to have anything structured, so that's been a lot of fun. I've also started working on my main living area renovation. I've added another cabinet.

And then last night my husband and I moved our couch forward so that way we can use the back half of our living room as like a separate little space for the kids. So we had this big playpen. Where, I called it the toddler apartment, where we had their play kitchen and a little table. It's really an end table, a coffee table that I got, that is like perfect for the kids to sit at and eat.

And sometimes they would eat their breakfast and lunch there or snacks. And then there was also like a cube organizer for all the kitchen accessories. And that took up a ton of space, but totally worth it. The play kitchen takes up most of their attention throughout the day. So I am so grateful to have that and don't care to lose living space to that.

We couldn't have that play pen there anymore [00:05:00] because we couldn't access the back of the couch with that there. We needed a pathway. So in order to do that, we needed to get rid of the play pen, which was really bittersweet last night, taking it down. Right? Like. Removing all of the pieces and, and saying goodbye to this thing.

Wow. That was hard. And then we moved the, the kitchen next to the couch. And this morning it was just so cute watching them play. It was a really special little setup. I got to still sit on the couch and be a part of it. I can see myself drinking a coffee and playing with them in their little kitchen right next to the couch in the winter and the fall.

So that's really cute. And I'm excited for the next steps of whatever. I end up morphing that into I have some ideas, but I am really not a visual spatial person. I need to see it happen in real life to see how things are going to come together. So fingers crossed and keep your eye out on my Instagram for that big project that's coming along quick.

In this week's episode, I interview Natalie. Natalie is a [00:06:00] mom of a sweet little boy and she's the founder and owner of Cookie Nookie, which is an incredible company. Her cookies look incredible. She ships cookies nationwide. They all look so good. She sells monthly subscription kits. And she sells make your own kits, or you can buy whatever bundles that she might be offering at the time.

And they're such a great present you can send to your friends, instead of maybe sending flowers or something like that. A really nice gift. Or you can buy them for yourself. And also she's supporting a really great cause. So one thing to know about Natalie's story, this might be a little trigger warning for anybody, is we do discuss her infertility journey.

We talk about IVF and miscarriages. Through these experiences, Natalie has decided to give back to the community with Cookie Nookie. So as she moves forward, a portion of her sales are going towards micro grants that she'll give to moms who are also going through an IVF journey. Amazing. So the gifting or the purchasing of her cookies is really going to go a [00:07:00] long way to give back to an incredible community of people who are going through a really tough time.

Even though we talked about some heavy subjects, It was such a great conversation. We talk about her career path, which has some awesome twisted turns that was so fun to talk about. We talk about her love story, which is so cute and sweet. I just was grinning from ear to ear listening to this. I can't wait to hear what you think.

Make sure you go follow Natalie online and leave a quick rating and review of this podcast and make sure you subscribe 

'

Thank you so much for listening to the Bold Little Minds MomCast. My name is Krissy, I am a stay at home mom to two young boys, and I am here today with Natalie, who is a mom to a 20 month, 29 month old little boy. Thank you so much for joining me.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Thank you so much for having me, Krissy.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I'm so excited to have you here. Your Instagram page is probably one of the most dangerous ones I follow because you make such delicious looking cookies, rice, crispy treats, all these amazing looking goodies. And it's just amazing to watch.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Thank [00:08:00] you. I think that, that means we're being, we're succeeding at our goal.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: You

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Tempting

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: definitely

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: people in.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: It's very tempting. Absolutely. So tell me about cookie nookie and how that all started where, where, and your life before becoming a mom.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I mean, I started Cookie Nookie sort of unofficially many years ago. Even before I met Wilson and we've been together almost 10 years I was just like baking out of my dad's house here in Houston. And I would actually a coworker asked me if I ever sold, you know, my treats and that's kind of how it started.

And then as the years went by, kind of put it on hold, life changes happened. And then I met Wilson and I was still baking all that time. And then one day we just. I don't know. We, you know, I say this all the time when people ask and it's true. We never discussed starting it. We just started, you [00:09:00] know? Yeah.

And so we became an LLC and we did the packaging and everything. And, and here we are. I mean, it was related to our story, you know, our infertility story. And I don't know if you want me to go into that right now.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yeah. we can talk about that. How did you know that you wanted to become a parent? When did you know you were ready? I guess. You never know you're ready, but when did you know you want to start trying?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Well, I actually didn't always want to be a mom. And I remember

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yes.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: wow. So we exist. There's more than just me. But I remember like, okay, so in a past life, I was an actor and I was pursuing acting. And I was, I remember I was at a 24 hour fitness in LA and it just like hit me. It literally hit me. Oh my gosh, I want kids.

I think I was in my early 30s at that point,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yep.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: and I said to myself, if I'm 35 and I haven't met anybody and I still want to have kids, I'm going to do it myself, right? So I,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yep.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I knew, and I'm [00:10:00] in my 40s now, so I knew at that, from that time that I wanted a family, and guess how old I was when I met Wilson?

35.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: 35. Oh my gosh. I love it. The biological clock is real. Yeah.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: For sure. So, so we started dating and everything. I wasn't really thinking about having kids, you know, at that moment, but then, you know, we moved in together and we did all this stuff. And, you know, I, when we met, I would, so, I was 35. So when we got really serious, I was closer to 40. And so we started talking about it.

And I remember, I don't know if he wants me to share this, but I was just like, okay, look, we don't have to get married right now, but if you want to have kids, we need to get on that. Okay. Cause you know, it could take us years. Right. And little did I know I was right. So that's how that started. And we, we, you know, we started trying.

I think it was 2019. end of 2019, or 2018 maybe, end of [00:11:00] 2018. And then I found out I actually was pregnant three months after I went off birth control. But, you know, we, that one ended in a miscarriage. And that was, that was really, really, really hard. It was this like, It was a surprise. I didn't, I didn't think it would be that fast.

 I remember I was, it was New Year's and I had been spotting and I just thought that was, you know, my cycle about to start and my mom was visiting and she was just like, well, maybe you're pregnant. And I was like, no, you know, and then, I went and I took a pregnancy test.

It was New Year's Day and it was positive and I called Wilson. I was like, this isn't right, right?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Right?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: And I took another test because I was just like, if anyone could mess up a pregnancy test, it would be me. And Wilson agreed. He did. He agreed. So I took it again and it was positive again. We didn't even tell my mom even though she was there.

We were just like, let's You [00:12:00] know, go to the doctor and see and all of that. So, I mean, all of that was really, you know, fun and, and everything. I just, but it just didn't end, you know, the way that we had hoped. But, you know, from, especially from when I met Wilson, I knew that I, I knew I wanted to have children with him.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: And that's amazing. I mean, it's so hard, I've been there too, and especially around holidays, it is, it's such a wild rollercoaster of

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: and to

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: to that is tough, but I'm so glad that you're able to still, like, share this story in such a fun loving way, because we deserve to have that. You know, even though it

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: end the way we wanted to, it's such an incredible milestone and, and we deserve to have that story and, and own it and feel great about it. So, it sounds like, it sounds like you've gotten there in some ways, maybe?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: In some ways, and it's also easier to talk about now. I mean, I was devastated for [00:13:00] several months, you know, when we found out I mean, because we had gotten to the point where there was a heartbeat. So, and that was an appointment without Wilson. And then we had another appointment where he was there and that's where we found out we were miscarrying.

So that was really hard, but it did propel us into cookie Nucky and devoting all that. Time and effort into it, you know, and that becoming a baby of sorts, right?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yes.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: evolution of cookie, nookie and, and how we've incorporated cam into that,, like I never dreamed of any of that, I never dreamed of any of that when I first started Cookie Nookie.

It was just like a fun name, right? But now, Cookie Nookie means so much more. To me, it means Cam, it means the big girl dream that I have for it to help other families struggling like us. So, yeah, that's why we, That's, that's really why we have kept going, even when [00:14:00] there are times where we're like, is this a time?

Is this a sign to stop? You know, but here we are, we're still going strong. And I'm really excited about the things that are happening with Cookie Nookie.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: That's great. So you, you had that, you know, that, that start, right? Not sure where things were going to go. How long did it take for you to start seeing a specialist? Because I know that's a really tough thing. Doctors don't really know when to recommend to continue moving on to somebody else. You don't know when you should, because I mean, we have no information ahead of time and if the

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Right.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: you to, you don't know.

How did you know? And where did you go with that?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Well, actually my doctor, the, from the time I got, I had the miscarriage, she actually recommended I see a fertility doctor because of my.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: after one miscarriage, wow,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah, because of my age, because of, you know, certain factors, right? She recommended I go to and, and again, it's been such a long [00:15:00] journey, right? Like that doctor recommended we go to a specialist.

We went to a specialist. I mean, and I'm going to tell the like abridged Cliff Notes version, right? Cause it's an incredibly long story. So that doctor did a bunch of testing and. Well, blood work, right? And then said she recommended IVF. We could not afford IVF because it was going to be like 20, 000. And so we went with an IUI.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Mm

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Um, and we did four of those and they were all, they failed, right? And so we got back together with a doctor and she was just like, well, you know, we're here. We are with IVF again, right? The suggestion for IVF and so we were just like, well, all this money. I think there were like 5, 000 a pop.

All the money that we put into the IUIs, we could have, you know, but it's woulda, coulda, shoulda, right? Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: turn around. Yeah.[00:16:00] 

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Right, but so we started going the IVF route, like the testing for that and we switched clinics somewhere in there. The memory is hazy for me now, but I do know that I, there was something about that experience didn't strike me as There's something not right, right?

So we switched clinics and the new fertility doctor did different testing, right? Did all the blood work, but then did what's called a hysteroscopy.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Mm

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: And so they go in and they take a look at your tubes and everything. And sometimes if they catch something, they can fix it then and there, right? So I'd never heard of a hysteroscopy before this doctor.

And it turns out I had a blocked tube. One of my fallopian tubes was blocked, and the other was partially blocked.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Wow.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: of course diminished the chances of the IUIs working. You know, and I, I, for years I was so mad because we wasted all, it felt like we wasted all this money, [00:17:00] you know. Yes. And time. And when you're a certain age, you know, this time anyway.

So, so we started prepping for IVF, knowing what we knew now. And and then. We got pregnant again. Naturally.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Okay.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: We went on vacation and we came back and I got pregnant and, and again, it was around the same time. It was New Year's. And it was just crazy. And we were baking. We had a big order, right? Like a big order.

It was still in the early stages of Cookie, Nicki. So this meant a lot to us. But it was great. It was a distraction. So whatever. I remember, you know, I was at Sam's club and I was rushing because I had to get back home. We had to bake and I was not looking where I was going and this is not where I expected this conversation to go.

But [00:18:00] anyway, I was not looking where I was going and I slammed the cart into this metal pillar in the middle of the, the Sam's floor. Right. And it, I mean, I slammed hard. It was painful. It hurt, but you know, I just carried on, shook it off and went home and you know, we started baking and stuff. And then I started bleeding.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I will never know if it was because of that or if it would just wasn't meant to be at that time, but I will always think that that was. That was the reason that I miscarried, but that was right before we were supposed to start the whole IVF process. So, of course, we carried on and we got you know, we had like 10 embryos and then well, 10 eggs.

And then we did genetic testing because of my age and things like that. [00:19:00] And we got, we had two genetically normal embryos and my acupuncturist said that that was amazing for my age, you know, And so, and they were identical in every way. And so we moved ahead and I just asked our doctor, just pick one, because if they're the same, you just go ahead and pick one.

And our first frozen embryo transfer worked and it was scary in the beginning at week six and week seven, I had heavy bleeding with clots. And I remember the first time. It was around 11 o'clock at night and I started bleeding and I was just devastated because I thought I was miscarrying again. And I called the on call doctor and it happened to be my doctor and she talked me off the ledge.

She, I mean, I was still terrified, you know, but she was just like, it could just be bleeding. You know, this is [00:20:00] actually, I never knew this. And there are a lot of women who don't. When you have, when you go through IVF and when you have an IVF pregnancy, it is common to have bleeding.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I didn't know that.

So, I tried, you know, to believe her. Right? Because I'd also heard that the other two times where I was bleeding. But I didn't know, the circumstances were different this time. So, the next morning I went in. And she, you know, did an ultrasound and then there was a heartbeat and everything was fine.

And so I returned again week se week seven, and of course I was terrified again, but just hoping, you know, and everything was fine. And she could see where the blood was on my ultrasound. So that was comforting. We don't know why, you know, where it came from, why it was there, but she just kept monitoring.

And, you know, now we have an almost two and a half year old.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Amazing.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I [00:21:00] mean, he's everything. He is absolutely everything.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Amazing. I, I love how your journey went from you trusting your gut and switching to somebody else who took a better, a closer look at things to, all these scares and, but, but having this really good feeling with your doctor. I think that's such an important thing that I think I want moms to know is like, you can switch doctors. You

can There's no reason not to.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Actually. And I left this part out. We switched doctors in the middle of our IVF cycle as well.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Wow.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Again, my gut was telling me I wasn't getting the treatment that I should have been getting. And that coworker of mine actually had the same doctor. She was going through IVF and she had the same doctor and her experience

And so I was just like, and I spoke with Wilson, I'm like, should, should we switch, should we switch? So I spoke up and I said some, I mean, I advocated for [00:22:00] myself,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Sure.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: and so we switched. And so that new doctor was the one who was there through, she is the one who did the transfer. I mean, yeah, the transfer.

She's the one who was my own call doctor. And. She is still my fertility doctor now as we're trying to prepare for another round.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: yeah, I think that we have to advocate for ourselves every, I mean, you do hear that, but it's so important and you know, sometimes it's more important than others. You know, sometimes it is life altering whether it's your health or trying to start a family, I think that you have to trust your gut.

As women, we need to trust our gut. You know, if something doesn't seem right, we have to listen to it, even though, I mean, it was scary and, you know, like, oh my gosh, in the middle of an IVF cycle, should I be doing this? But it turned out to be the most amazing thing to have done. Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: such an intimate relationship that [00:23:00] we feel bad, right? We feel bad sometimes that we're like dumping this doctor, but it's good. for them. I mean, it's a relationship, it's personal, but it's also business and, and it's important. So if it's not the right vibe, if it's not the right fit, if something just doesn't feel like it's going well, shop around.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: that you can, that you look for. So that's a really powerful message from this. So you said that you started Cookie Nookie kind of as a project, right? And you're, you had this really supportive friend that said, go ahead for it.

And you never really had a conversation to turn into a business, but when did it go from being this fun hobby to kind of a side business to something that really was meaningful in your journey?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: That's a good question. You know, I think when Wilson and I didn't have the talk, I think that's when it went from being a hobby to like a side hustle, but [00:24:00] somewhere along the lines, I think maybe when we were. When we really were starting to go into the IVF process, that's when it, it became more because I mean, for us, it was like 30, 000 all out of pocket, you know, we all but drained my 401k, we put the remainder on five credit cards, like I literally busted out, we busted out five credit cards and it was like, can we split it, you know, so, you know, It was just knowing that we had this mountain of medical debt that we were just like, we have to try for something.

So, that's when it became more than just a hobby and more than just a side hustle. We started this business to try to help ourselves and pay down debt, but I've always wanted to, I mean, like, even at the holidays, I send treats to my friends, right, because I just want to do something for them, right?

And I can't necessarily afford to [00:25:00] buy gifts for everybody, but this is something I make myself for them, right? So that's kind of what Cookie Nookie is for me. It's like a way of Giving to people and so it kind of was a no brainer that we would start, trying to use it to help people in the infertility community.

I don't think we had a conversation about that either, you know, and for a little while there, what we were doing was giving, we would do an infertility warrior giveaway. That's what we call it. And it would be a box of our treats because we, it's not like we've, we haven't paid down our, our bills yet.

Right. The IBS bill. But I still wanted to start, you know, so we would have people would have this giveaway and then every month we would select a winner who would get a free box of our treats completely free. So now we're just kind of going for it, even though we still haven't paid down our debt, we're now, we're just going to start doing [00:26:00] small grants.

So it's going to be like 500. My, my hope is that in the beginning stages, we can do one every quarter, you know, so a percentage of our proceeds will go towards these grants. And so that we can actually start giving people, you know, that's what my dream is, right. To give grants, but I'm talking about bigger ones, but still 500.

is nothing, you know, to sneeze at, right? So we're, we're starting that now. And so I'm really excited to be able to do that. You know, I tell people, this is our business, you know, that people were at my day time, my day job. Some people, people know that I have a bakery or whatever, but I don't think they realize, you know, that the minute Cookie Nookie starts to do like really well, that's what my focus will be.

Yeah, because it

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Peace out.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: gives me purpose, you know, I'm actually like helping people, you know, my current job, I'm not helping anybody,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: [00:27:00] Sure.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I really want, I want to do something that has meaning, you know, so. That's why it's, it's definitely, it's another full time job. Wilson and I both have I, it would not be where it is without him at all.

I would never have been able to do, I probably would have either just given up or paid the Multiple people, a lot of money to do the website to find, to help me. I mean, he helped me find, he listened to my vision. We argued a bit and then he made the vision a reality, you know? Cause it's hard. Like he's trying to understand what it is I want.

And I'm like, What do you mean? I just wanted to be super cute and pretty and but like really look, you know, high end and stuff. So just

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Right?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Don't you know what I mean?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: professional. Yes. Make it happen. Make magic.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Well, I mean and he has and you know, like we tie bows on our boxes [00:28:00] as like I remember I'm like I want I want bows I want them to be tied up in bows and I tried tying a bow and it was like not cute Wilson ties the bows

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yes.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: ties the best bows and he hates it. He regrets showing me that he can tie a bow every time he ties a bow.

It's so great. So it's very much the two of us, It's our business, you know, our other full time job. It's a family business. His parents come and help, you know, pack things up and all that. And, and then we have Cam, which is like a direct result of all of that, you know? So it means more to us than any other job could.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I love that. Yes. I I I love that. Anything that has a purpose, it makes you feel driven. And this is such a personal one for you. What an amazing thing to give back to the community that you've been become a part of. And it, you know, 500 is, you know, for people. a week of groceries nowadays. It's

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Oh,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: So, you

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: yeah. Yeah.[00:29:00] 

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: that's, it's huge just to not be thinking about it, not to think about that piece of it. It's just giant. So, kudos to you. I am so thrilled to be able to help you share this with, with, with people. Hopefully some people that can benefit from it. So that's great. And now you've cam right. And you're a mom and you're living

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: doing it every day and you're figuring it out.

Just like, figuring out your job and this business and being a mom. Now tell me how this has changed your life. I it's, it's huge, right?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yes. It's, I mean, life altering as with all appear, I think. But I think Cam has changed who I am as a person. I mean, he is just, he's just amazing. And I think that our struggle has really made me appreciate being a mom and him and just children, period. Like, so at our, we, we do in-person markets and at these markets from our first [00:30:00] market.

Or maybe after our first market, which was a disaster we've started giving away treats to kids 10 and under. And it's like a direct relation to Cam, you know, and having him and our mission and everything. Right. So, yeah, he's just, I think that I'm a better person because of him, you know, like I, I try, I work on myself more because of him, you know, I am more patient because of him because I could easily not have had him.

Right. And so, you know, I catch myself if I ever get frustrated or something with him or something that he's done, you know, I take a moment because He's a gift, you know, and I don't ever want him to think that he's ever done anything that means I don't love him or I love him less or, you know, it's not something that, you know, mommy can get [00:31:00] over, mommy can forgive or, you know what I mean?

Like, I just see right now he's going through the, He's fresh. He's actually very well spoken for two and a half year old, right? He can express a lot of things, but sometimes he gets really frustrated. And so he does the hitting thing. Not a lot, but he does, right? And so that is something that. You know, I catch myself and I just like take a moment and I look at him because he, he does it and then he looks at me, right, and he's like waiting to see what I'm going to do, what am I going to say, and I just know he's looking to me for, for something, for help, for guidance, like, what do I do now, you know, and so, We at Wilson and I both were just like, we know you're frustrated.

We know that you wanted to do this and mommy and daddy are saying no, but we can do it later. You know, just, I don't know. I don't know that I would have been able to do that before him. And I don't know that I would have been able to do that before our struggle with infertility. If I was just able to get pregnant and stay pregnant, you know, I don't know if I would be able to appreciate [00:32:00] him as much as I do. 

I also catch myself, like, I have some, you know, neuroses of my own, right, and I catch myself, holding back on him witnessing that, right, but also trying to, recognizing that these are things I need to work on because I do not want him to pick up on that and, and him take that on himself as well.

Right? So he is just really, every day, we, Wilson and I just look at each other and we're just like amazed by this human being, you know, like whenever it's bath time, it's, it's especially bath time because we do, we do potty. And then we take off all his clothes, and then he runs naked down the hallway, and it's just the cutest, funniest thing, because he's still a little, he's still a little unstable, and he's just like, he runs, and we're like running after him, and it's just like, every night we have that moment, and I just love it, and he's awesome.

two and a half on the 16th. [00:33:00] And I'm just like, I still cannot believe that he's here. I still, you know, so I'm just so, so grateful for him.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: That's

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: so, oh, well, I mean, I'm just so grateful.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I know these kids, they, it's so funny. People will say things like finding yourself again or, or, you know, going back and it's so, in some ways it's so true because we aren't who we were. There's no way we could

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Right.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: were before.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Hey,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: different people now. So it really is finding who you are again and, and figuring out where you fit in.

What are your new passions? What are the, your new, your new things that you're interested in? And. The bathtub thing. Oh, it's so cute. brings me back. My little one, I mean, he doesn't take a nightly bath anymore because he hates it, but, and they're, you know, that's fine. The doctor approves. It's okay. And he, but when he was real little, we had watched that documentary about Woodstock 99, right?

And Philly from Red Hot Chili [00:34:00] Peppers was running around naked on the stage with his guitar, right? And and so after that, we just started calling them flea. We're like, well, you know, those

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: say, run away naked baby, run away naked baby, I mean, it's like the weirdest thing, right? But for you and your family, it's like, exactly, it's just, those are the moments. So,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: are the moments. Absolutely. It's just so special. And I love hearing that. Now in your past life, you were a child actor or not. You weren't a child actor. You were an actor for children.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: well, I went to school for acting and my goal wasn't necessarily to be, you know, children's theater actress, but that's kind of like a path. A lot of us, a lot of actors take, right. As you are, you know, auditioning and as you're trying to put yourself out there and so on. So yes, I, I mean, it started right out of college, actually right out of college.

I went to. An acting conservatory in New [00:35:00] York City, actually. It's a Broadway theater that has an acting conservatory. So I did that, but then I realized, I mean, I did a year of that and I realized I was hiding behind training. Right. Cause I, I went to school for acting and then I did this lab summer program for acting, which is training.

And then I went to the conservatory, which is more training. And I realized I was hiding behind it cause I was scared. So I, you know, I left the conservatory and I started auditioning and I got into some children's theater. It started with two person tour. So there's two of us playing multiple characters.

And then. a four person tour, and these were regional tours. And then my, the highlight of my professional acting career was doing national tours where I was singing. I was a singer, and it was Berenstain Bears the musical.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: What?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: two of them. There was Viola Swamp, or Miss Nelson Has a Field Day, which actually, I've never even seen [00:36:00] these children's books.

I have a child now, and I haven't come across them yet. But maybe because he's younger. But then, Berenstain Bears, I mean, everyone has heard of the Berenstain Bears. And I was Mama Bear.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh, we are amongst royalty, everybody. This is incredible.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah. Yes, you are. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. I was mama bear. And as a matter of fact, in the, in that show, she was pregnant and she has a baby. I forgot about that. Yes. Yes. There's a song. I, I could sing it for you now. I will not. But there's a song where she's talking about soon we'll be We soon will be a family more than name only.

Now we're three mama, papa, and son, but we could be four before the day is done. It's singing about her about to have a baby

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: that's so

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: anyway. Yeah. So I was doing that. And so, on tour, it was amazing because I got to go to almost every [00:37:00] single state in this country, right? Because of tour. And we did shows in LA and that's what made me, I made the decision that I was going to, after tour, go to LA.

And so I went back to New York, which was home base. And I had planned to go to LA and I was actually, there was this. Casting director networking thing. It's like a week long program that I signed up for. So I went out for that. I had a boyfriend at the time. He was already out there. We had made the decision separately, right?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Okay. Oh,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: while I did this program. And then I had the opportunity to stay, right? So the, I worked in a restaurant in New York and they had an LA version. They were really good. And they were like, you, you can start today, but if you are going to say you're going to go back and come back in a few months, we can't guarantee you a spot.

So I stayed. I had the one [00:38:00] suitcase that I had just brought for this program and I stayed in LA and I was there for three years. Doing these casting director workshops and auditioning and, and all that stuff. And it just wasn't for me. LA wasn't for me because I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a very social person and making connections with people is important to me, but I realized that when I would meet people and say, Oh my gosh, we should hang out or let's do something together.

They, I was being genuine, but they weren't, they didn't know who I knew. Okay. So they were like, of course, let's be best friends, but they were just keeping their options open in case I could help their career in some way. So, I went back to New York and New York was different. And then too, like you could pursue film and television in New York then, right?

Both theater and film and television. So I went back to New York and then that was amazing. It was a different time. Cause I was in New York cause I wanted to be there versus following friends. And. I was in a [00:39:00] great acting class. I had like professional headshots. I had a reel.

I was ready to go. And then there was a death in my family and my father's, my father's wife passed away unexpectedly. He was in Houston and I'm daddy's girl. So I dropped everything and moved here to be with him. And here we are. I know that was a long way of answering.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: No,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: but

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: it. Yeah. But now you're good. You're close with your, your father, right? And that's really important to be in your family or.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Well, he's not here anymore.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh, I'm so sorry.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: It's okay. No, no, no, he's not like he's passed away or anything. He's in Florida. No, no, no. I just mean he's physically not in Houston anymore. Right. But so I'm here still. Wilson's laughing. But I'm here still because of Wilson. So, you know, we met here.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: of course.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah. So I stayed here because of Wilson.

And now we have Cam and Wilson's family is here and everything, so.[00:40:00] 

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Great. Great. I love it. So how did, do you think you're acting, do you see some of that coming out in your parenting?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Oh yes. Oh my goodness. And I see it coming out in cam and I love it. Yeah, well, I mean, okay, so he's very dramatic and I think he gets that from Mama, for sure. But so it comes out in how I read to him. It comes out in how I play with him. You know, it, I mean, when he's upset, how I try to distract him, like singing or whatever, he makes up songs.

You know, like he'll make up songs and he'll like, you know, we've read to him from before he could even hold his head up. Right. We've always read to him and now he can read some of these books and he reads them in an animated way. Like he's not just reading the words, he's like, you know, acting it out.

And so I really think that that's because of me and I love it. You [00:41:00] know, I want him to have a way to express himself, right? And that's, that's what's amazing about acting. And that's why a lot of people have gone into acting. It's an outlet, right? And that's what it was for me. Especially singing, which I always loved.

And so I want him to have that, you know? Like, a lot of kids don't have a way to express themselves, a way to work through things that are going on in their lives, right? Being a kid is hard, you know? It's hard. Every stage of it is hard. You just like look at him and you're just like, oh, you're just frustrated because you just can't say what you want right now, you know, so I really, I, I love watching him.

I love the little parts of me, the good parts that I see in him, you

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: And I will gladly take credit that my son is a little bit dramatic.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: love that. And it's going to be a confidence builder too. The problem solving, the logic, it's all going to stem from that. So that's,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: He's got balanced parents, you know, because Wilson [00:42:00] is the logical, like, good at math, you know, all of that. And I'm the creative one, you know, the one who's going to be, I mean, Wilson will be silly too, but I'll be the over the top one, you know. I made up a song yesterday. What was the, Oh, about apples.

I was just doing this every time Cam had a piece of apple. And he was like, again, again,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: you have to remember the lyrics that you just made up because they remember them. And if you do it a

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I don't remember if he asks me today. All I remember is that I did this break dance. Don't remember what I sang,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: And

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: but yeah,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: be sometimes really frustrated that you don't remember. Oh

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I just started recording it.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: You should. Yes. You're a little cookie nookie song minute, throw

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I'll start a podcast.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yes. I would listen to this podcast. Absolutely.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: thank you.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: So one thing I love to share with or hear from my parents is their favorite go to [00:43:00] activity. So they can get a minute of privacy. piece. Maybe it's making some cookies or doing some work, or maybe it's just drinking your coffee or scrolling on your phone for a hot minute.

Like what is your go to with cam?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I guess we kind of have to like he really is into building things right now. Right. So we have these blocks we have. It's actually Jenga. We have this like oversized Jenga game that we got. I think we got it. Before we even got pregnant, you know, and then one day we pulled it out and cam and we were just like We say we're building the biggest house in the world right so he loves He loves those blocks and then we got some extra ones now so we can build an even bigger house And so he loves playing with that.

And so those blocks are really a really good. Distraction for him, but also And I know this might be a faux pas, or, you know, people have strong opinions on this, but for us with Cam [00:44:00] screen time, but the screen time specifically, a show called Number Blocks, which is mad. You know it?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I know it and I love it. Yes,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Right? I mean, okay, so this is like Broadway caliber, like, performances on this cartoon, right?

He, he, it's just, and I, like, I'll, we will sing these songs to ourselves. Like, I wake up singing, my favorite song is the Hundred Song.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Okay. I don't know that we haven't made our, know, three year olds they're in and

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: you know?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: interested in, but

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Well, but Pam has been obsessed with this for a while, so he will, more than, more so than even with the blocks, he will sit still and he will watch number blocks, because he's studying it, so he can count to a hundred, he can count backwards down from a hundred, he can do some math, he is obsessed with the times table, this is all number blocks, so, you know, in the beginning we were very like, oh, I, I was very like, no screen time, no screen time, you know, turn it off, turn it off, I don't want him in the room with the TV [00:45:00] on,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: see.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: You know, but now he like, we read to him a lot.

We do a lot of, you know, stuff with the TV off, but in a way, this is like more than we can teach him. You're like, yes, I can sit down and go, okay, cam one plus one is, but they're singing about it. You know, it's more engaging and more fun and we can sit and sing with him and all that. But it's just like, just to watch him and his teacher, like the other day, she was just like Miss Natalie, I was just walking by Cam and I overheard him counting down from 100.

I was just like, yeah, he knows how to count to 100 and count down because he, you know, he's so into numbers and he loves to show number blocks. So he's absorbing it. So I'm not, it's so hard because, you know, I don't want a lot of screen time for him. But he's learning so much and he's loving it. And then he's singing it when the TV is off, you know?

So those are, those are two of my go to's.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: They live in a [00:46:00] world full of screens and they are going to be living in a world full of screens that we can't even imagine. And so I think it's, it's good to help them make healthy choices

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: build these boundaries. But also I think it's great for when I think about my childhood, I loved the moments when I was snuggling up. Watching TV. Like there's that you, you snuggle up and read a book, but there's something just special about sharing a movie with your

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: you're just like laying there and, and there's nothing important going on and you're just vegging and relaxing together and that feeling their heartbeat, feeling the snuggle.

It's,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: I remember that.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: piece.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah, I agree. And I want him to always have that and know he can always have that, you know, but also as a parent. Those moments are amazing. I love like just feeling the weight on him, you know, as we just sit and watch TV or whatever. It's just like when he just comes over and sits on me.

I just am like, [00:47:00] I'm just so grateful that you're here. You know, I have this moment, right? And we know we're not always going to have those moments where they want to snuggle up with us, right?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Right.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: So yeah, cherish all those moments.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Yeah. We're lucky to have them.

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: Yeah, and he, oh my gosh, for a while now, he wants to bake with me.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Oh,

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: wants to bake with me, so that's like, and I love it too, like, he helped me bake bread the other day, and the bread came out, like, tough, right?

It was just terrible. But, yeah. But I, how could I, like, not let him play with that dough and knead and everything? He wants to do these things with Mama. He has a little oven that he plays with, trying to be like Mama. I'm not gonna stop that. I just, oh my gosh, oh, it means everything to me. And he's going to be a little baker as soon as he, you know, is balanced enough that I can help him, we can bake together more, right?

Like, he can dump things and like, sort of. Pretend to help. But like, I just, I just love those [00:48:00] moments and I'm, yeah, yeah. I keep saying, I'm so grateful for all of those little things and him wanting to do these things with me.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: It shows, it shows you are it's definitely comes through how much love you have for this little guy. One thing I love to do in this podcast is we have a lot of experience and a lot of research that we've done as moms, but we don't really ever get to use it again. Like sure, you get to use it for your, if you have a family.

A next child, but you don't get to like, then continue on, right? It's not this, we have expertise, but we're not developing it. It just kind of goes away. So I love us to be able to have a moment where we can feel like an expert with all of this information that we have and to give some unsolicited advice, because who doesn't want to do that without hurting somebody's feelings?

So I have this question from Reddit, right? And I'd love to get your take on the post is passing on mental health problems. I worry a lot about passing on mental health problems to my kids. My mom's whole [00:49:00] side of the family is really dysfunctional. I'm better than my mom, but I still struggle a lot with emotional stuff.

I think about I think all the time about how to avoid passing on those emotional problems to my kids, because I think I probably, I think probably a lot of it is learned behaviors. see my mom and myself sometimes, and it really makes me worry, what's your take on this?

natalie_3_08-04-2024_150038: well, first of all, it resonates so much with me because my mother suffers from clinical depression that she's managing. My brother suffers from clinical depression and he couldn't hold on a job until recently. So it's definitely mental health issues run in my family as well. So I have thought about this a lot.

Some things you can't control. Right. I do agree with the learned behavior. Sometimes I see my mom and my sister in me and I'm just like, okay, I see these things. I don't want to follow in this path. Right. So there are [00:50:00] some things that you can control your actions, your behaviors, but when it comes to like, you know, depression and things that are genetic, there's only so much you can do.

But there are things that can help, right? And so like, in terms of my son, I do worry. What I've said to myself is I'm just going to watch, you know, and see if I see any signs and I don't know if you know, , a lot of people who suffer from depression or other, You know, we'll say ailments or disabilities or just mental health issues have turned to acting or turn to dance or turn to, you know, this is the creative side of me as an outlet, right?

Because of course, if I saw something, my son needed help, of course, I would, you know, get him medical help or medical intervention. This is why it's so important to me to be involved with [00:51:00] him and to, to be creative with him and to sing these silly songs and, and, and apparently show him how to create songs of his own.

So he has an outlet, you know, because that can help as well. Stave off some of these things. Right. And I don't think anybody can control whether their child suffers from depression or, you know, any of those genetic diseases. If, if, if it's, if it's going to happen, it might happen, but we can help give them the tools to deal with it.

That's our job as parents, right? So for me, it's just watching him closely and letting him know that he's loved and letting him know in those moments where he's frustrated, that it's okay to be frustrated, that mommy's here and it's going to help him through that. And I'm going to give him that. As many tools as I can as a mom to have an outlet to deal with the difficult things in his life, you know, [00:52:00] and take it from there.

I don't have all the answers

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I'm not a professional. I can only do the best that I can, can as a mom. Right. And so I'm going to give him as many tools as I can and just watch him and help him wherever I can. And if we need medical intervention, then we'll take it that way. But I think there's a lot to be said for.

Giving our kids tools, giving them outlets, you know, letting them know that they can come to you, you know, if there's ever something going on or, or something they don't know how to process, right? I remember when I was younger, I went to my mom cause I thought, you know, I'd seen it in her and I thought that I was suffering from depression and she told me to snap out of it.

oh,

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: So I won't do that with my child. Right? She was just in a bad place at the time. You know. So I don't think she was able to be there for me. So [00:53:00] I, I want to do everything I can to be there for him. And to give him all of these outlets that, you know, will help play with him. You know, put him in a, I'm gonna put him in a dance class.

He's in swim. I'm going, you know, like all these things that just gives him a way to express himself, you know, as he grows older he'll be able to tell me what he wants to do, you know, what's a good outlet for him. So that's it. That's my goal. And I also just pray that he doesn't suffer from depression as well, right?

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Sure.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: So, but if he does, then we'll, we'll do what we need to do to, to take, to help him.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Help support him. Yeah, absolutely. And, and I think it's important you brought up the, listen to what he's interested in. So he seems to be really creative in wanting to do these classes. I, my child, Also very creative, also super, you know, imaginative and whatnot, but really not into group situations.

So

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: putting him, I was going to [00:54:00] gymnastics classes, story times, all these things. And I started noticing all the anxiety that he started biting his nails. He didn't want to, he wanted to stand in the corner, but I'm a super social person. I wanted to meet other moms. I wanted to be with the

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Yeah,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: But I mean, baby Krissy would have loved this situation. But my kid is not that kid. So leaning into it and supporting him, letting him be who he is, is I think a really important factor of it too.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: our kids are not us,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: right,

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: know, that's amazing that you listen to that, you know, and recognize that. That's, I mean, that's huge, right? A lot of us. And that's what I keep saying to everyone, to my family, to Wilson, I'm going to expose him to all these things, but if he doesn't want to do it, then I'm not going to force him, you know,

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: You

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: but I want him to know that they're there because there's some things like you said, like baby Natalie.

would have loved to be in like the little gym or would have loved [00:55:00] to take this dance class or learn to play the piano but not all kids want to do that so that's amazing of you to see that

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: And it's hard as a mom to not do those things

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: yeah

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: you intrinsically think that this is what being a good mom is like, but they don't need that. They need something different sometimes and that's, that's

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: yeah

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Um, and another piece I want to bring up is therapy. I think therapy is a really important thing to try to at least to go to.

I know that scheduling things as a mom, like another appointment appointments are the worst. But I go like once every six weeks, just as like a maintenance

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: yeah

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: just to jump

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: yeah

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: about what's going on and, and try to, he, she helps me really sort out like what's a big deal and what isn't or, or the, the ways that I can cope with them or the ways I can reframe things.

So

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: that's amazing i

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: I never feel when I go to therapy, like I need it. But then I leave and [00:56:00] I'm like, I needed that. So I think that's a big piece.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Yeah, I'm a huge advocate for therapy. As a matter of fact, right now I'm like in between just because like you said, appointments and the insurance and all of that is just a struggle, right? But before, before, you know, getting married and any, everything I was, even while I've been here in Houston was in therapy and I think it's huge, like you said, whether something is wrong or not, it's really helpful, you know?

So I will always advocate for therapy as well. And if he needs that, yes, absolutely. You know, so good for you, good for you.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: You know, we're just doing the best we can.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Yeah.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: of us, we're just figuring it out. So thank you so much for being here with us today, Natalie. This has been such a lovely conversation. I've really enjoyed going on your journey with you and hearing about everything that you went through and where it's taking you here now Just incredible.

So I'd love for you to share what's again, revisit some of the things that are coming up next for Cookie [00:57:00] Nookie and plug your social media. Tell us all about where we can find you and follow you and buy your treats for our sugar fix.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Oh, well, thank you. So you can find us on Instagram. Our handle is @getcookienookie, not just Cookie Nookie. It's GetCookieNookie, which is also our website. So you can order on our website at www. getcookienookie. com. And then we're on Facebook as well. And that's just cookie nookie. I mean, but it's all linked.

If you try one thing, you can get to the other, you know? So if you go to our website, you'll be able to get to our Instagram and vice versa. And we do monthly variety boxes. So we have our like a la carte treats, but we have a monthly variety box. And this month's, which hasn't actually been revealed yet, but is our Rice Krispie Treats variety box.

So it's like different flavors of Rice Krispie Treats that I make myself. But that changes monthly. The Variety Box changes monthly. And we also do in person markets. So, if you're in [00:58:00] Houston, you can check us out. We do like two to three markets a month. So, and that also will be on our Instagram as well.

So, it would be awesome for people to check it out.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: Definitely. And I'll put all the links in the show notes below and know that your purchases are clearly going to a good cause. I mean, with all your big dreams, this is just incredible to hear about. I'm, I'm

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Thank you.

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: be, to be talking to you. What an amazing story. 

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Thank you so much. I'm

krissy_3_08-04-2024_160038: to share your story, please reach out to me at boldlittleminds at gmail. com. I'd love to share your story with the world. Every mom has a story to tell and it's really important that we, we connect with each other and have this time to do it. You can find me on social media at Bold Little Minds.

I'm on primarily Instagram, but you can find me on Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, Pinterest, all the things. And if you want to. If you liked this podcast, please leave us a rating, review, share with your friends, and be sure to subscribe. And I'll see you again in our next episode [00:59:00] with another inspiring mom. Thank you so much. And we'll see you next time.

natalie_4_08-04-2024_155005: Thank you for having us, Krissy. You take care. Say bye bye

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