What did you do this summer? Well, Natascha Pearl-Mansman gave birth to a beautiful baby girl AND opened a doughnut shop - no big deal ;) We caught up with Natascha of Darling Doughnuts and her husband Joe to find out all about their newest addition, Georgia Louise. Read on for their sweet story, including how they shared the news with family (hint: with a doughnut pun, of course!).
I’m Natascha Pearl-Mansman and I live with my husband Joey Mansman, our two beautiful daughters Clementine and Georgia, and our two cats Oliver and Mischa close to downtown Glens Falls. I own Darling Doughnuts in Saratoga, and Joe manages a retail store in Albany and plays and records music with his band (Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band). I love that we live in walking distance to schools, shops, parks, and playgrounds, and are able to enjoy so much of what Glens Falls has to offer without even having to get in the car - when the weather permits of course. Both Joey and I have lots of family close by, and we live in a duplex apartment next to Joe’s brother, his wife, and their child - so we have excellent neighbors! If and when we are able to purchase a house someday I’d love to stay right in our neighborhood.
On Sharing the News
Funny story - my mom was asking if we were thinking about having another child, but then said we should wait since it would be a really inconvenient time with my store opening - and I said, well that’s funny because I’m actually pregnant now! The universe has a really interesting sense of humor it seems, and we ended up opening the store just a few weeks after Georgia was born. When I told Joe he didn’t seem surprised since he said he had seen prenatal vitamins in the bathroom - but I was still taking them since I was still nursing Clementine at the time!
Photo: YM Photography
On Finding Out the Gender
When I was pregnant with Clementine I was convinced we were having a boy, so it was a big surprise when they told us we were having a girl! We had only agreed upon a boy’s name, and Joe was in California for work at the time, so I called him from the office and gave him the news. This time around I just knew we were having another girl, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when it was confirmed at my ultrasound. Joe was unable to attend most of my appointments during this pregnancy because of Covid, but was able to support me during the birth - which at one point seemed uncertain with all the new regulations! Being pregnant during a pandemic was nerve-wracking to say the least - but I was thankful for all the extra time we got to spend together before Georgia was born.
Because I was pregnant during lockdown, we didn’t have a gender reveal or shower or anything, but I did share the news with our friends and family in the best way I knew how - with doughnuts! I made letter doughnuts that spelled ‘oh baby!’ with a ‘dad’ doughnut, a mini doughnut for Clementine, and a ‘pregnant’ doughnut for myself - with a pun ‘our family is getting a hole lot bigger’.
All about Georgia
Georgia Louise Mansman was born on July 3, 2020 at 10:20pm after less than 5hrs of active labor. I was not expecting such a quick birth as I was in labor with Clementine for 36 hours! The nurse had just left the room for a moment when I suddenly knew it was go time - Joe hit the emergency button and no less than 8 people immediately came rushing in and Georgia was born barely a minute later. She was 6lbs 3oz and 18” long. Everyone thought she’d be born on the 4th of July but she surprised us all!
I love how much of a personality she has already, and how different she already is from Clementine. It’s amazing to me that two babies that I’ve grown and birthed could be complete opposites of each other.
Honestly, my favorite thing to do together is nap! I only have one day off from the shop each week, so on Mondays the girls and I stay in our pjs all day, order takeout, and if I’m lucky we all take a nap!
On Naming Georgia
Joe and I have very different tastes in names, but we both liked the idea of a name that could be shortened to ‘Jo’ as a nickname. He didn’t like Josephine and I didn’t like Johanna, and somehow we stumbled upon Georgia and it just felt right!
Photo: YM Photography
On Parenthood
My favorite part of parenthood so far is just how much joy it brings to our daily lives. It reminds me of that scene from The Grinch where his heart ‘grows three sizes’ - I feel like my heart has grown with each baby and I’m filled with so much love for them. The most challenging thing has been trying to juggle all of the responsibilities - between the two kids, two cats, the apartment, our jobs, and everything else it’s hard to find any time for ourselves - and let’s just say there’s more than one pile of laundry waiting to be folded laying around!
Being a parent has taught me that I’m capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. It’s motivated me to follow my dreams, work harder, and set a good example for them. Since becoming a parent I’ve definitely became more confident in myself, and more able to live in the moment and appreciate the little things.
On the Future
I’m most looking forward to watching the girls grow up together - they’re going to be quite a pair! They’re three years apart so right now they don’t have a whole lot in common, but when they’re older that difference in age won’t seem so big. Clementine is always saying that her baby sister is her best friend, and I hope it stays that way!
On Good Advice
The advice to ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ is something I used to roll my eyes at - when Clementine was a baby her naps are when I used to get work done around the house. But this time around on the rare occasion that both girls are sleeping, you can bet that I’ll be sleeping too, the laundry can wait!
My advice for new parents is just to really hold on to these moments - being a parent is incredibly hard but so rewarding at the same time, and they grow up SO fast. Also - don’t be afraid to ask for help! I relied so much on the wisdom of my parents and friends who were already parents to get me through - whether it was answering my silly questions (is this normal poop??) or giving me a shoulder to cry on (if you’ve had a baby with colic, you know!).
A Dream Night Out
Admittedly chances for a night out are extremely rare these days, but if we were able to I’d love to walk down to Farmacy and dine outside before it gets too cool out! The food and service are always excellent, and now that I’m not pregnant anymore I could even enjoy a cocktail!
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