Name: Jessie Dahlstrom
Occupation: A fulfillment associate at a small clothing brand in LA
Instagram Handle: @jessieannedahlstrom 

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child? I think that I wanted to be something different every week, to be honest. When I moved recently though, I did find a bunch of old projects from elementary school and there was one that was about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a picture of someone standing next to a dinosaur fossil in a museum and just wrote "that guy." Ha! As time went on some careers that stood out to me were, ballerina, chef, and artist.

What is the earliest memory you have? We used to have a GIANT basket in our house that my mom put magazines and books in and some little throw blankets. I loved it so much and I would always climb in it and play with toys in there, or sit there when I was watching TV. I don't recall my parents loving that I did that, but one day when I was really little and I was about to climb in there, my dad took out all the books and magazines and put pillows and blankets in it for me and picked me up and swung me around and walked around the house and I thought it was the coolest thing to ever happen. 

Do you think it is possible to be fully ready for a baby? No way. I did have kids young, so maybe other moms would feel more prepared, but I was pretty shocked at how all consuming it was. I think in terms of the things you have to figure out right away, like changing diapers, nursing, sleep schedules, etc, that stuff does kind of fall into place and at some point it clicks. For me the part that I felt so shocked by was how much your personal and emotional life changes, aside from the baby. It was so hard to go from being independent to all the sudden devoting and insane amount of time to another person. You miss out on things, friends think you are a whole other person, and while you want to connect with people in the same stage as you like other moms, you just want a sense of your old life for some normalcy. 

What do you look for in baby/kids clothes? I love vintage baby clothes, I just think they were cooler like 20 years ago! I love things that are comfy for them, but I also just love when my kids are wearing things that I would wear. Like cute adult clothes that are just tiny.

What do you like about Yay For You? First of all, I love the message behind it. Riley has been a very constant figure in my life before and after having kids, and I think she has a real gift of being friends with moms. She loves other people's babies really well and you can see that in her passion behind making clothes. I love that she has turned really cute adult like clothes into baby clothes...my dream! I really wish I could wear every single piece. 

What is your favorite piece from YFY? My favorite is the bucket hat! I got one for both of my kids and even when they aren't wearing them, I leave them out on a dresser or hanging up somewhere cause I think they are so cute. 

What type of traditions do you hope to make for your kids? I have always loved birthdays, maybe even a little too much, so I do try to make my kids birthday feel like a national holiday. Maybe I spoil them a little too much, but who cares! For both of their birthdays, I fill the living room with balloons and put up streamers after they go to bed, so when they come out in the morning of their birthday the whole house looks decorated. I really think kids deserve to be celebrated a lot. They change and grow SO much in one year, it feels good to make a big deal of all they accomplished. 

What is one tradition you remember from your childhood? For a really long time, my Grandma would drive to our house on my birthday every year and bring me a card with like $10 or something. She did that until she couldn't drive anymore, which was probably when she was like almost 90! I used to be so excited going home from school on my birthday because I knew that I would see my Grandma's car pull up in the driveway soon after. 

What is the funniest thing one of your kids has said? I was walking my kids home from the park and we walked past a Girl Scout Cookie stand and Noe said, "Can we get some cookies?" I said, "No, not today." and then she responded, "That is so depressing".