They say life’s greatest adventures are often unplanned—and that’s certainly been true for Kait Smith. A small-town girl who decided to try her hand at finding love on reality TV, she didn’t end up with the farmer on Farmer Wants A Wife—but she did find love afterward, with one of his best friends.

Now just a few years later, Kait is settling into life as a new mom to her baby boy Rowdy and the founder of a children’s clothing brand inspired by him. It isn’t the life she pictured—it’s better.

Below, we get to know Kait in this latest season (one without cameras rolling!) as she shares about her journey to motherhood, the inspiration behind her new brand, and life with Rowdy. 

What was your birth experience like?

My birth went perfectly, I was very blessed. I went into the birthing experience with zero expectations other than to deliver a healthy baby. I ended up getting induced since I was almost a week past my due date. We also live about an hour and a half from the hospital so I was terrified I'd go into labor at home and not be able to make it to the hospital. After the induction started my water immediately broke and the whole process happened so quickly. A few hours later Rowdy Jack joined us earthside. One thing that surprised me about the whole experience was how challenging mentally it was to push. I felt very prepared to endure pain physically but as I was pushing I was completely overwhelmed emotionally. I couldn’t speak or open my eyes until I  heard a cry. I truly believe giving birth is the closest experience we can have with God while still being here on Earth. It was truly the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. The feeling of holding your newborn in the hospital is so surreal, I could live in that moment forever.

Your son’s name is so cute. How did you come up with Rowdy?

Very early in my pregnancy (around 5 weeks) I randomly threw out the name Rowdy and Lucas instantly loved it so much and said that’s his name. I wasn’t totally sold and wanted to keep brainstorming but nothing seemed to click in my brain the way Rowdy did. We chose Jack as his middle name after my brother to keep it simple. As soon as we read his full name out loud “Rowdy Jack Phillips” we knew that was it!

Speaking of Rowdy, you just launched a children's clothing brand by the same name. Tell us more!

I recently created a kids clothing brand named Rowdy Kids! The heart behind it was my desire to bring back that old-school, all-American outdoor childhood. I wanted to embody the kind of childhood where you play until sunset, scrape your knees and make memories that last forever. The brand is inspired by nature, because I've always believed it’s the best playground a kid could have. Every piece is built to hold up through grass stains and sunshine. The name Rowdy Kids comes from my son Rowdy, and the kind of childhood I want him to have. So far I have released the first half of my autumn collection with plans to drop the second half in November along with a Campfire Christmas holiday collection! This really is a brand straight from the heart and I couldn’t be more excited to share Rowdy Kids with the world. 

What’s your go-to “mom all day”outfit right now?

I love to be comfy! I’m usually in some sort of oversized sweater and flowy pants. I’ve been having a lot of fun trying to find my style again now that it’s fall! Whenever I go into the city I like to dress up a bit with a long flowy dress and some cowboy boots!

You were a contestant on Farmer Wants A Wife. What was your experience on reality TV like? How do you think you’ll share about that experience with Rowdy as he gets older?

I had an amazing experience while on Farmer Wants a Wife. I know the reality TV experience isn’t great for everyone but I got really lucky with the people I was surrounded by. It felt like summer camp with my best friends. I’m extremely grateful for the show because it’s actually how I met my husband! Lucas is one of Mitchell's (the farmer I was matched with) best friends. We met after filming ended at a FWAW event in Nashville. I actually chose not to do any sort of PDA while filming because it felt extremely weird to do that in front of production and several cameras. Ultimately I'm very glad I made that decision because if Rowdy ever wanted to watch his mom, aunt Sydney, and uncle Mitchy on TV when he’s older it won’t be as weird!

You shared that you always imagined yourself being a young mom. Has it been everything you pictured?

I always knew being a mom would be amazing but I could have never even imagined how incredible it really is. I truly believe my purpose here on Earth is to be a mom to Rowdy.  Motherhood is tough and complex and every day comes with its own challenges but I’m very lucky to have such an amazing partner who loves being a dad and always makes sure I'm taken care of whenever I'm needing to recharge.

Three favorite baby products right now:

Sleep sack, Solly Wrap, and popsicle molds for teething!

What’s on your Solly wishlist?

I have the Bleu Toile pajamas and wrap. I’m eyeing the Pomegranate Matching PJ’s for Rowdy and I this holiday season!

Rapid-fire q’s!
Drink of choice: Iced vanilla latte
Favorite sans-baby activity: Trying out a new recipe
Motherhood topic you could talk about forever: The importance of finding mom friends or community!
Most recent baby milestone: He's starting to babble “dada” all day long
Post-bedtime with baby snack: Anything sweet!