Mother Love

Time is such an odd thing, you know?

It feels like it goes so quickly and yet so slowly all at the same time. How does it do that? How does time have the ability to be both overwhelmingly quick and excruciatingly slow…? Somehow it just does. Somehow I both feel like the birth of our baby is so close and yet so far away yet. Some days I can hardly stand the wait any more, and then some moments I still question if we’re ready for this…

…and we are. We are so ready…as ready as any first-time parents can be who don’t fully know what their getting into. I know there are challenges…I know there are some big changes ahead for us in our home and relationship and family…but it’s all.so.very.good. If there’s one word I could use to describe this season of waiting is…ready.

So, thirty six weeks!

I clearly remember thinking ahead to these last weeks and feeling like they were so far away, and imagining how it would feel to be THIS close to the end…and now we’re here! Only a few weeks away from being full-term and HAVING OUR BABY. Unbelievable. But so believable! And wonderful!

I am still feeling really good in this pregnancy, although in the past week or so, I have some days when I am so.so.so tired. I’m not a big napper in general, but lately naps have been almost essential to make it through the day without falling asleep on my feet. I understand that’s pretty normal for this stage of pregnancy, so I just roll with it. I’ve been sleeping a lot better at night too, which is so nice! Sometimes in the evening before bed, I get the restless leg thing, but so far it hasn’t been bad enough to keep me awake.

My appetite is also a little strange too lately…because I have days where I feel like I could everything in sight and get hungry thirty minutes after eating a meal and just seem to eat.eat.eat all day long…and then the next day, I can barely finish a meal without feeling so overwhelmingly full and like I’m about to pop! I eat what I can, and then finish my plate an hour or so later when I feel like I have stomach space again. Still no cravings…and still eating a lot of yogurt and fruit and eggs and, um, chocolate. With the weather turning warmer (!!!), I’ve started making more smoothies in the afternoon to snack on and I usually throw in some spinach or cucumber or carrot to help get in more veggies. I tend to overdo the fruit part of the recommended daily produce intake, so if I can sneak my veggies into my fruit smoothies, that’s cool (i sound like a kid here).

My belly continues to expand ever outward, which is good obviously! I feel like I’m quickly approaching the waddle stage, and I feel more pregnant than ever. I actually do kinda love it, and I find myself just laughing at myself when I go to heave myself out of bed or off the couch or out of the car…there’s a time to be graceful and there’s a time to just do what you have to do to get where you need to go, haha. I can rarely wear my regular jeans without having the top button undone and using the handy dandy rubber band/hair tie trick, and my one pair of maternity jeans get a lot of wear these days! I’ve threatened to keep wearing the maternity jeans even when I’m not pregnant because they are so comfy.

Our baby room is juuuuuuust about finished, and all the major stuff is all set up. I have two little things I want to put together yet to make it complete, but I need some tree branches for these projects and have been waiting for the snow to melt so I can go forage in the woods. Hopefully this weekend we’ll be able to get out and find what I’m looking for! All of my baby clothes are washed and folded, diapers and wipes ready to be used, and rocking chair and blankets just waiting for that little one.

I recently came across this verse in the Message version, and it speaks so well for this season: “Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” – Rom. 8:24, 25

So we wait and we enlarge, with the greatest of joyful expectancy.

What about you: what are your tips/ideas/suggestions for making it through the last few weeks of pregnancy?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I used to be a facial product junkie.

I’ve never struggled with bad skin problems or acne, but as a teenager, there were always the annoying pimples and red spots that seemed to show up when you least wanted them too. I’d go into the store and scour the shelves for a product that promised to make my skin as glowing and clear as the magazine pictures…only to realize a few weeks later that this product was just as lackluster as the last one I tried! My bathroom was stuffed with a thousand different half-empty bottles and useless products, and it was annoying.

A few years ago, I majorly simplified my skin care routine, and not only do I save a ton of money and bathroom storage space, but my skin has improved dramatically. Win!

Now the only things I use on my face is a gentle soap cleanser in the evening before bed, splashes of cold water in the morning, apple cider vinegar toner, and coconut oil as a moisturizer. In the few years I’ve used this routine, I can honestly say that my skin has never looked clearer or felt healthier! I also try to do some sort of facial mask once a week using either plain raw honey or a yogurt-honey combination. I notice huge differences in my skin when I do these masks, especially in the winter when the air is dry.

Toners are used for restoring the skins natural pH balance, which is disrupted from the use of soaps, cleansers, and even just normal tap water. A normal pH balance on an adult should be between four and six (with the scale ranging from one to fourteen), and most soaps and facial products will change the level to an eight or higher. The acid in a toner will help bring the level back down towards the normal and healthy range.

I use raw apple cider vinegar in my homemade toner, because it’s full of all kinds of a great things for your skin and body. The natural antibacterial and antiseptic properties of ACV is useful for cleansing and purifying, as well as helping to break up dead skin cells to keep those pores open and clear. The toner does smell mildly of vinegar, but I always add a small amount of lavender oil to help mask the smell.

I’ve also recently started adding witch hazel to my toner. Witch hazel is a natural astringent, which helps tone and tighten facial skin by removing excess oils and shrinking down pores. I like to use it around my eyes (just don’t get it in them!) to help with puffiness and dark circles. NOTE: if you have dry skin, witch hazel is not recommended.

I keep my toner in a small apothecary bottle and simply pour a small amount out on a cotton pad or washcloth to use. You could easily store this in a small mason jar as well. Also, I like to use equal amounts of water and vinegar, but you will want to play around with the amounts to suit your own skin. If you feel your skin becoming too dry, scale back on the vinegar and/or witch hazel.

ACV Facial Toner

2 T. water
2 T. raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. witchhazel
a few drops of lavender oil

Combine in a jar and enjoy!

What about you: what is your facial skin care routine?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!