Meet the Bloom Girl: Lily Hodes
We asked, they shared. Get to know the Bloom Girls that help our business grow.
If you frequent Babies in Bloom, you are probably pretty familiar with the lovely ladies that make up our retail team. From the moment you walk in, you’re bound to meet one or more of our Bloom Girls. They are always on hand to offer recommendations about classes, supplies, and goodies from our boutique. They can also provide information about everything to meet your needs, from BABY-WEARING to car seat installation.
With the wealth of knowledge they have to share on the daily, it’s hard to get to know know more about them while you’re interacting in the boutique! That’s why we asked each of our Bloom Girls to share a little about their lives outside babies, birth, and BABIES IN BLOOM – but it’s still very likely all three of these things will come up. What can we say? There’s a reason they are Bloom Girls, after all.
We can’t wait for you to learn more about these fantastic women. By the end of this interview, we just know you’ll feel inspired by, relate to, and want to be BFF’s with each of them.
Meet Lily Hodes, Bloom Girl since 2015!
What’s your story? Tell us a little about what makes you, you.
I was born and raised here in Vista. I met my husband in high school, but we didn’t date until after we graduated and he was in the Air Force. We moved back home to be closer to our families, and moved to South Oceanside when I was pregnant with Harvey (5), and I don’t think we’ll ever leave. I joke that I have a part-time bonus kid because my niece (10) is my son’s best friend and they are completely inseparable. I enjoy video games, movies, pizza and beer, and dropping the occasional F-bomb.
What brought you to Babies in Bloom?
Rochelle! After my son was born, I needed some lactation help and my sister demanded I go see Rochelle, whom she had seen five years earlier. I then came to Lactation Lounge weekly, stayed far past needing any lactation help, but came for the community. I have the best mom friends in the world thanks to Lactation Lounge, going five years strong!
What are some small things that make your day better?
Getting to check something off my list (I will 100% write something on my list that I’ve already done just so I can check it off), and unsolicited snuggles and/or I love you’s from my kiddo.
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
Crafting help or advice! My parents are both the crafty/fix-it types and it completely rubbed off on me.
What do you think you would grow out of but haven’t?
My husband and I are total nerds for films and video games. Our home is decorated with pop culture trinkets, video game figures, and other odds and ends. We wonder at what point we’re going to grow up and have an “adult” home, but I honestly don’t think it’s ever going to happen. We like to imagine our son will be a “cool kid” and be too embarrassed by our nerd gear to bring his friends over.
What is the best compliment you’ve received?
“You’re doing a good job!” Like most parents, I’m harder on myself than I should be. Hearing from loved ones or other parent friends that I am, in fact, doing a good job is validating in a way that’s hard to put into words.
What shows are you into, or would recommend to a new mom looking for some me time?
My go-to binge watching shows: Downton Abbey for drama or The Office and IT Crowd for a laugh. My guilty pleasure is teen dramas and I got teased quite a bit by my husband and son but just finished Teen Wolf. We also just ripped through The Umbrella Academy and Discovery of Witches!
Who inspires you to be better?
It’s cheesy and an obvious answer – but the kids. It’s such a joy to watch them grow and see everything with fresh eyes. It makes me appreciate the little things I had long forgotten about.
How has working at Babies in Bloom changed you?
It’s honestly done so much for me – I get emotional just thinking about it. When I applied, I had no idea how badly I needed to have something that was just mine. After working here about a month or so, I was so much happier all around. I didn’t know that you could be so genuinely happy about going to work. Getting to be a part of everything Rochelle and Babies in Bloom provides to the community and to new parents is so fulfilling!
