We are thrilled to have Laura Lee Boswell of Walking in Memphis in High Heels curator January's Mommy Mailbox!!! Get Laura's hand picked mommy gifts here.
Walking in Memphis in High Heels has been a favorite read of ours. Tell me about why you started your blog.
I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I work in a corporate office so I have to dress up every day but I didn’t want to do the same pencil skirt and jacket combo forever. I wanted to hold myself accountable for coming up with new ideas and trying my own fashion ideas. I also wanted to show people how they can create a fun work wardrobe without a ton of money. I re-wear and remix things a lot and I love showing readers ideas to do that with their own clothes.
You recently added baby Leighton to your family, congrats! Describe your parenting approach.
I’m trying to take a more laid back approach. Sometimes that’s hard! I’m learning not to stress and I’m really learning about parenting as I go. This is a time when I’m learning to relax and to be there for whatever my daughter needs me for. When she first started crying at night, I felt like my nerves were shot! I was so on edge. Now I can tell myself, “She’s a baby, she’s okay, and she is going to cry.” I am just trying to enjoy every moment because I know this stage will quickly pass.
You recently returned to work at your corporate job. How was your maternity leave different than you expected?
Maternity leave was nothing like I expected! I thought it was going to be a six-week vacation and I was very, very wrong! At the very least, I thought I would get so much done. Instead, I’ve learned there are other things to do that weren’t on my to-do list.
My favorite time is after I’ve fed [Leighton] and I have a few moments to just sit and watch her. In some ways, it’s amazing and weird to think I have a baby now. And it’s crazy how quickly the pregnancy feeling is gone. It’s very fleeting.
We love the way your style brings glamour into the workplace and even the weekend. How has your style changed now that you are a mother?
While I’ve been on maternity leave, it’s been leggings and nursing ponchos every day and I’ve been wearing almost no jewelry, which is a huge adjustment for me! But now that I’m back at work, it’s definitely time for high heels again. Whenever we get out of the house with Leighton, even if I’m just wearing jeans, I’m ready to get back to the four-inch heels.
Fitness is another big part of your blog. How you will combine fitness and being a new mom?
I use my lunch breaks to work out. I lift weights, go to a Pilate’s class or even run on a track near my office. I haven’t run much in the past year so I’m dying to get back out there. My love is running outdoors so I got a good jogging stroller and I am already planning to take Leighton with me. I signed up for a 5K in January!
You were pretty open about choosing to do in vitro. Tell me about when you found out you were pregnant.
It was Valentine’s Day and I immediately started crying after I took the test. After all those years of disappointment, we didn’t want to get our hopes up but the line was there! The feeling was like nothing I had ever experienced before. We had given up for years and were sure it would never happen, which was a pretty sad feeling. We had always wanted to have a child; we just didn’t know how it would ever happen. Then we finally decided to go ahead with in vitro and it really felt like a miracle that it worked the first time.
What advice would you give yourself at 20 or 21?
Rather than constantly worrying, I would have told myself not to stress out because everything ends up okay. I definitely worried way too much and I found, from this entire experience, that anything is possible and it always works out for the best.