Here we are at another Friday! At this point, I’m just three weeks away from my due date, so the anticipation is definitely building as our family prepares to welcome a new member soon. We FINALLY have the nursery (mostly) ready, but still left on the list is packing hospital bags for Kevin and me. (Maybe we can tackle that this weekend…) But really, we’re mostly there — eek!
While part of this feels so familiar (the whole waiting to meet a new baby thing), I know so much will be different this time around. Not better or worse, necessarily. Just different.
For one, we have an older sibling in the mix this time! She’s SO excited to be a big sister, and while I know there will be so much joy in that role for her, I also know there will be some struggles we’ll have to help her navigate.
We’re also having this baby during a pandemic, so life will look a lot slower, I imagine, and certainly more insular. Right after having Maggie, I loved getting to take her everywhere. We were so on the go — meeting up with friends and out and about — and that activity helped me feel so much like myself right away. We won’t have the ability to do that this time.
My job situation is so different this time around, too. Instead of a set number of weeks of maternity leave, where I know I won’t be getting any work emails or be responsible for work tasks, I now work for myself. I’ll take a few weeks off of teaching Pure Barre, but as far as my other two gigs go — freelance writing and Beautycounter — it’s up to me to figure out how to fit them in alongside caring for a newborn. I certainly plan to pare things down to a degree, but I also know that keeping them going in some capacity will likely be good for me (and might help me achieve that “feeling more like myself” effect I was able to get early on with Maggie, too).
So…lots that’s kind of TBD and that we’ll deal with as things come up, but mostly we just can’t wait to get to know this tiny person who’s just about ready to grace us with his presence. We plan for this to be our last baby, so I’m trying to soak in these final weeks of pregnancy as best I can, and am thankful to be feeling really good.
Whew — that update was longer than I meant it to be! Let’s get into some Friday Favorites now, huh?:
–I’m totally hooked on these Modern Piggy corduroy scrunchies! The elastic in them is perfect — they hold my hair incredibly well, even for a fast-paced Empower class — and they come in lots of great colors. I have the olive green so far, but have also ordered the black and the peach dust. (And remember: You can save 10% on any Modern Piggy order you place when you use the coupon code CURIOUSER at checkout!)
–Looking for a wonderfully trustworthy news source (and one that’s pleasant to follow along with)? Be sure to check out Jessica Yellin over at News Not Noise. (My favorite way to engage with her content is via Instagram.) Jessica is an experienced political journalist who has reported for CNN, ABC, and MSNBC. While at CNN, she worked as the Chief White House Correspondent. All that to say, she knows her stuff, and I appreciate the thoughtful approach she brings to News Not Noise. As her website says, “We give you information — not a panic attack.”
–I’d been on the hunt for a silicone face scrubber for a little bit, and finally landed on the Peppy Co. Cleansing Egg late last year. I’ve been using it since early January and IT IS WONDERFUL! When you turn it on, its silicone bristles vibrate gently to really help your cleanser work harder, resulting in softer, smoother skin. (Seriously — I noticed how soft my face was after just a handful of uses.) I use it both morning and night and can’t rave about it enough!
That’s it for favorites this week — short and sweet! Any new finds you’ve made recently? You know I love hearing about them, so please share!!!
