SNOW DAYS

We had a huge snow dump on Sunday that has stuck around for a few days, with more expected this weekend. It’s the most snow I can ever remember in ten years of living here, and 100% more than there was in my childhood (hello, California and 50 degree “winters”). It’s been fun! Lots of quality time with Trey, and an out-of-the-ordinary weekly schedule.

By day three we have our routine down: we do breakfast, get geared up, and go for a walk. I am still trying to get one mile in every day this pregnancy, snow or not, and so far so good. Getting outside, even while frigid, makes a huge difference for me (and Trey!) in our days. Trey usually walks for half of it, and throws snowballs along the way, then rides in the stroller for the way home. (I loved our stroller before, but because of the way it handles in the snow my love for it is on a whole new level, it’s this one.) Then, while we still have gear on, we go sledding in the backyard until we’re frozen, come in for a “hot tub” full of bubbles in the bath to warm up, then lunch, nap, and more playing in the afternoon. Daniel has been home early because of the closures which has been fun too. One night this week we did “night sledding” at our neighbors after dinner who also have toddlers and a big backyard hill. It’s been really fun. Cold but sunny, unexpected but welcomed, surprising but needed, and we’ve really been enjoying it.

Fielding some questions on Instagram about my snow boots, I bought them years ago and love them. Linked here.

PRE-SPRING THINGS

Happy February! We had the sunniest January that I can ever remember in Seattle and it has been a delight. My first Seattle January experience was my freshman year of college, in which there was a record set for number of days in a row of rain. We had almost the opposite this year and it has made all the difference. So happy to be another month closer to warmer weather, daylight savings time, and baby!

Approaching 24 weeks now and feeling mostly great. I’m still getting sick daily, in the mid afternoon through the evening, but I’m having a vastly different pregnancy from my first go-around, and am much more active and much less stressed about the baby and all the changes to come. So thankful. Living in this dress by Ripe.

Discovering First Honey products. This a brand new company that launched last summer, and they’ve created a more natural version of common antibacterial first aid products, using 100% honey. They’ve found it to be more effective at healing the cuts and scrapes of common childhood. (Note: While honey isn’t recommended orally for infants under one year, it is safe to be used topically, for cuts and also for other skin treatments such as a diaper rash cream. Check with your medical provider before using if you have concerns. Even though it’s safe for people who are allergic to bee stings, it’s a good idea to double check, especially if you have something more directly related like a honey allergy.) More information on how it works here.

Nesting like a crazy person. No surface or closet is safe around here. I am Marie-Kondo-ing like it’s my part-time job and everything that does not bring me joy has got to go. The nursery is started but has a long runway before it’s ready, and I’m in the midst of all the de-cluttering, rearranging, and remodel dreams (half of which will not come to fruition, but I’m having fun in dream mode). I love the light our living room (and whole house) gets, and that was a big selling point for us on the house and continues to be one of my favorite aspects of our home.

Reading:

Feeding A Family

Cozy Minimalist Home

Homebody

The First Forty Days

And Baby Makes Three (or four for us!) A John Gottman book on prepping your marriage for baby

Shared in partnership with many companies listed, affiliate links in post, not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

MY WORD FOR 2019

I’ve done a couple “one little word” projects for the past few years.

In 2015, it was “simplify,” after I read Marie Kondo’s book and really started to pare down our possessions and schedule.

In 2016 my word was “grow,” and that was the year I became a mom, and perhaps the most physically and emotionally growing year of any other year in my life.

In 2017 my word was “play,” as I knew play was where the magic really happens for babies, and I was playing for most of my days. Ironically, halfway through that year I went back to work, but as a pediatric speech therapist, so much of my work is play, so it was fitting.

In 2018 I skipped a year. We had just bought a house, we had an 18 month old, I had a very full plate, and for some reason I didn’t feel the pull to have a guiding word that year. Retrospectively, I would say my word for 2018 was “active.” In May I started a workout challenge with a group of friends, and I decided to run two miles or walk one mile, every single day, and I was going to only do it for a month, but I felt so good that I kept going. I made it all the way from May 1st to December 1st., every single day. The consistency of it shocked me. There were months in the summer when I was clocking two miles daily, in sunny, 6am weather, and months in the rainy fall when I was so sick from pregnancy and could barely limp one mile, but I really think the activity helped save me from even more severe morning sickness like I had with my first. Even among the toughest circumstances, even on long travel days, I prioritized my health and somehow got it in. It was the single biggest game changing factor in my mothering, work, and overall life and I am so proud of that season.

My word for 2019 is “present.” I get to welcome another baby this spring, and I will get to spend a good chunk of next year on maternity leave, and I want to be so present for all of it, because I know how fast it goes. I want to be present in my conversations, present in my friends’ lives, present at home. Really listen when Trey or Daniel tells me a story. Soak up all the baby snuggles. Know that I’m in the exact right place for me at this moment. And a spin: I know this baby is the biggest present we could ask for. I know how precious these little lives are, and what a gift it is to carry them and raise them. I have walked through too much baby loss with close friends in recent years to not “unsee” this. I get it. It is a total, gracious, undeserved gift, and the most challenging and rewarding role, to get to mother.

Happy 2019, friends. Thank you for visiting this space.