The Real, Actual First Mother’s Day

Me and my petunia on my first Mother’s Day

Yesterday was my first real Mother’s Day, with a live actual child outside of my body. My day was composed of:

• Sleeping in an extra hour and a half while Dave got up and fed the baby a bottle of pumped milk
• Eating a delicious breakfast made for me by my husband
• Being on a local radio talk show as part of a panel of mothers for their Mother’s Day show
• Seeing my mom and dad as they brought a load of furniture up from my hometown to populate our new house
• Doing some unpacking and rearranging in the house
• Taking a trip to Lowe’s for some items we need now and some price and style checks on other items we’re planning to get for the house in the coming year or years
• Eating pizza and chocolate ice cream and drinking a beer for dinner
• Gluing back together some pieces of 200+-year-old furniture on which the wood glue had finally fallen apart
• Watching 2 episodes of Doctor Who
• Folding laundry
• Writing my first blog post in almost a year to the day

All in all, a pretty satisfying day. Plenty more to catch you up on – it’s been rather a busy year, as you may have surmised – but I’ve missed writing. I may not do it so regularly anymore – at least not at first – but I’ll write when I can. First up will likely be some catch-up posts!

My First Mother’s Day Gift

I promise this is not going to totally turn into a pregnancy blog, but…today’s post is definitely related. And it’s definitely girly. Gentlemen, unless you really like all-natural and organic skin care products, you might want to skip this one.

So, last weekend I had the surreal experience of receiving a Mother’s Day gift…from my own mother. Considering I’m not quite a mother yet (I mean, yeah, I’m caring  for a fetus in my uterus, but there’s no infant to wake me up multiple times a night yet), I wasn’t necessarily expecting gifts on Mother’s Day. That said, it was a nice feeling to get that package in the mail. I guess it’s always nice to be reminded of your mother’s love.

Anyway, what she sent was a diaper bag filled with Basq NYC products. Basq is focused on making all-natural skin care products that are safe for use by pregnant women, new moms, and in some cases even babies. Their products are not cheap, as you might imagine, but they are really safe and not tested on animals and all that good stuff. I got four different products, so I’m gonna tell you guys about them, and if you’re interested you can go get some!

Rebalancing Facial Cleanser. Basq promises that this cleanser will get rid of acne, tighten pores, moisturize, fade dark spots, etc. I really, really like this one, so much so that I’m considering splurging on this in the future, despite the fact that it’s $34 for 2 oz. I can’t describe what this smells like, except that it’s good. Sort of fresh and herbal at the same time. It has little beadlets in it for exfoliating, and it makes my skin feel softer and less dry, but not oily. I’ve only used it for a few days, so I can’t say if it will get rid of my acne, but even if it doesn’t, I still like it. A little goes a long way, so I can see 2 oz. lasting me for a while.

Citrus Sugar Body Polish. This one is probably a bit self-explanatory – it’s a sugar-based body scrub, intended to exfoliate the skin. It’s also got some good oils in it for moisturizing. Basq claims it will help stop new stretch marks and repair existing ones. And sugar is not drying for your skin like salt is. It feels good to scrub on my itchy pregnant body – it’s not so scratchy that it irritates, but it definitely relieves the itchiness. I’m not totally sold on the smell – they claim it’s orange blossom, but it’s a little too…something for me. Not an unpleasant smell, but not my favorite of the group. I seem to be going through this one a lot faster, too – I guess I have more area to cover than just my face. It’s 8 oz., but I don’t see it lasting more than maybe 2 or 3 weeks if I used it daily, and $26 is a lot for 2 or 3 weeks worth. I like it, but I’m not sure I’d spend my own money on it.

Resilient Body Oil. Basq calls this the “Gold Standard of Stretch Mark Oils.” I didn’t realize there were so many out there that a gold standard would be needed! This is definitely a moisturizing body oil, though whether it will prevent or repair any stretch marks is beyond me. Even if it doesn’t, I like it. It has a whole bunch of different oils in it (hazelnut, sweet almond, wheat germ, grapeseed, rosehip, eucalyptus and vitamin E), but the predominant smell is of roses. It’s not a terribly overpowering rose scent; just a nice delicate one. And the oil absorbs into your skin quickly – I can rub it in and get dressed right away without feeling oily or anything, which is nice. This is a wonderful decadence for me – I’m not the type to use body oil usually. I rather like the pampering of it – it feels luxurious. And again, a little goes a long way – it’s $38 for 4 oz, but I think it can last for several months. And if it helps with stretch marks, so much the better! The only thing I wish was different is that it had some sort of spray mechanism – it can be kind of messy to try and pour oil in to your hand to then rub on your belly and then pick the bottle up again for more with slippery hands. I haven’t spilled any yet, but a spray would make it so much easier!

Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy. Image credit: Basq NYC

Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy. This is an aromatherapy oil intended to help mom (or baby!) relax, de-stress, and/or go to sleep. You can put the oil on pulse points, use it in a bath, drip it on a warm washcloth…lots of different ways. I’ve just been dabbing it on my wrists, neck, belly and behind my knees before sleep every night. I outright adore the smell of it – sweet almond, pear and lavender. I just wish the smell lingered longer – after about 45 minutes, I can’t smell it on myself anymore. Still, it definitely calms me. I can’t say for sure if it helps me sleep better, but the wonderful smell alone is worth it for me! The cost is $20 for what I think is about 2 oz., but being an oil, it will last a long time.

So there you have it! I know my mom got a special deal on this as a package set (because I fussed at her for spending so much, and she promised she didn’t). If you want to pamper a preggo or new mom in your life, I would recommend these products. I have really been enjoying them!

Basq NYC did not provide these products to me or ask me to review them. I have no affiliation with the company. I simply wanted to write about the first Mother’s Day gift I ever received, and this is it!

Stopping by to Say Howdy and Share a Little Something

Hello, world. It’s me, stopping by to say hello. I’ve apparently been gone so long that WordPress has completely changed the interface for posting things in the back end. I’m gonna have to figure out how to do all the slightly more complex stuff all over again, because those options seem to have disappeared. Hmph. [Edit: oh, never mind - figured out how to get back to the regular posting interface.]

Anyway, HI! How have you been? Did you miss me? I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to be back full time again yet, but hopefully more often than lately. I needed a break. Some time to burrow down into my own head. Some time to sleep and chill out and not think too hard. Coming up with things to blog about was hard, life was getting busy, so I stopped.

But now I have something to say. Something to tell you. Something that might explain my recent bout of brain exhaustion. Because you guys…I’m pregnant. Knocked up. With child. Hi! I’m gonna have a baby!

Okay – time for all the standard questions:

• Due date: mid to late October – we’ve had 3 different dates so far, so that’s as good as I think I can get.
• Are we happy? Well, duh. We’ve been married almost 7 years. This wasn’t an accident. So yeah, happy.
• Are the families happy? That might be an understatement. This will be Dave’s parents first grandchild, and my only niece is 8, so it’s been a while for my folks too.
• How am I feeling? Oh, it varies day to day. I’ve had some nausea. And vomiting (though thankfully not much of that). I have an Rx for nausea meds because it was interfering with things like, oh, getting up and going to work. I think – hope – it’s getting a little better, but I still have bad days sometimes. I’ve been exhausted, of course – that goes with the territory. I’ve had some of the other typical symptoms too – food aversions, super-sniffer (complete with smell aversions), etc. – no need to bore you with the details.
• How far along are you? Well, by the most recent due date, I should be 14 weeks today.
• How’s the baby? So far as we know, all’s well. Good heartbeat, first ultrasound was wiggly and good. As far as we know now, baby is happy and healthy.
• Boy or girl? A little too early for that yet – we’ll find out late May or early June. And yes, we’re definitely going to find out.

And I think that does it for the usual questions we’ve heard so far. Let me know if you’ve got another in the comments. As for me…I’m writing this on Monday night, and as usual, I’m about done in. Talk to you guys again soon, I hope!

She Wears a G for Generosity…

Obviously, this logo is copyrighted by the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Just in case you didn’t know, I am a proud former Girl Scout. I went all the way through Scouts, from Brownies to Seniors. I earned both my Silver and Gold Awards (the Gold Award is the equivalent of the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts). I believe I still have a Girl Scout family – friends who were in Scouts with me and leaders who shared their traditions, jokes, music, and values along the way. I remember many of the songs, the promise, the Girl Scout Law (which has changed a wee bit since my day, but is still basically the same). The title of this post is taken from one of the songs I frequently find stuck in my head.

I’m lucky, I realize. I know that some people had absolutely horrible Girl Scout experiences. I’ve heard stories. But I was surrounded by an active and passionate bunch. I had many of the same leaders throughout because they moved up to the next level with their own girls who were my age. My mom was a leader for a couple of my sister’s troops, and she was always willing to step up to help with either of our troops when extra adult hands were needed for driving, camping, supervising, organizing cookie orders, etc. Scouts taught me to love folk music (I couldn’t even tell you how many times we sang “If I Had a Hammer” and “One Tin Soldier” in my leader’s van), to build a campfire, to cook, to play, to pull the most delicious pranks (leader bras up the flagpole, anyone?), to sing the silliest songs (Princess Pat!), how to sterilize water out in the woods, to care for the environment, to administer basic first aid, and a million different other things. But more importantly, Scouts taught me to treasure strong relationships with other women. Scouts taught me to be kind and courteous, but also to stand up for myself and others when confronted with unfair treatment. Scouts taught me love and tolerance and and confidence and fighting for what I believe in. I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I hadn’t been a Girl Scout.

Yesterday, the Girl Scouts of the USA celebrated their 100th year. I think Juliette Gordon Low would be so amazed by and proud of the organization she founded. Scouts are leaders in their schools and communities, they do so many wonderful charitable works, they help girls become strong and smart women, and yes, they sell those damn cookies most of us have a love-hate relationship with (but I always make sure to buy a few boxes every year). I believe in the Girl Scouts. I believe in what they stand for and I am proud of the person I am today because of my involvement with the organization. So really, I just wanted to join the celebration – yay! 100 years! – and also say thanks. Thanks to all the GSUSA and Council staff members who organize the camps and programs; to the camp directors and leaders who share their strength and their belief that women are amazing with girls every year; and to the girls themselves who will grow up to lead the way in this country – not just in women’s issues, but in everything. Thanks to my mom for getting me involved in the first place and then supporting me in every way (including camping in the cold October rain once) so that I would stay involved. Thanks to all the wonderful leaders I had over the years, especially Gail and Debbie. And thanks to my GS friends who are all still there for me when I need them.

She wears a “G” for Generosity;
She wears an “I” for Interest, too.
She wears an “R” for Real-life sportsmanship;
She wears a “L” for Loyalty! (for loyalty!)

She wears an “S” for her Sincerity;
She wears a “C” for Courtesy.
She wears an “OUT” for Outdoor Life. (for outdoor life)
You can bet she’s a real Girl Scout!

(Apparently other GS sing “And that Girl Scout is me!” for the last line, but that’s not what we sang…)

Reverse Bucket List

Prompt courtesy of Mama Kat’s Losin’ It: Create a reverse bucket list that names the top ten things you never want to do. (Told you guys I was feeling not-bloggish and would be writing to prompts more while I try to get my bloggy mojo back…)

1. Be naked in public. Surely I don’t have to explain that.
2. Have Lasik eye surgery. My eyes are awful, and I know several people who’ve had the surgery and swear it’s worth it, but the idea of someone cutting open my eye with a laser, peeling back part of it to then laser the inside, all while I’m still awake really, really skeeves me out.
3. Be buried alive. Seriously, this is terrifying to me. That scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman digs herself up out of the ground? Every time I see it, that’s the most convincing thing to me that she’s a bad-ass. I would be so paralyzed with fear I’d probably just flail around all panicked and ineffective.
4. Get divorced. This is not a danger, by the way – Dave and I are all happy and snuggly – but I’ve seen too many friends and family members go through this kind of pain and messiness. I don’t ever want to do it.
5. Eat at Cici’s Pizza ever, ever again. Oy. Pizza is pretty much my favorite food group, and I adore cheap dinner out. Cici’s has an entire pizza buffet for $5 a person, but it’s so gross even I don’t want to eat it. I’ve got indigestion just thinking about it.
6. Ride the subway in Asia. Notice a theme here, between my buried alive theme and this? I am really quite claustrophobic.
7. Open a restaurant or retail store. My husband has latent dreams of owning a restaurant or a comedy club, and I used to think owning my own bookstore would be heaven. I’ve since come to understand exactly how much blood, sweat, tears, heartache, and usually failure is involved in such things. I’m far too financially conservative to risk that much money on an enterprise that will be nothing but hard work and is very unlikely to be successful.
8. Have anything other than my ears pierced. I think teeny tiny nose piercings are cute…on other people. I think eyebrow rings look edgy…on teenagers. Other people have all manner of body parts pierced, and I’m not put off by it at all, but I do not want it for myself. I already have 7 holes in my ears; that’s quite enough.
9. Drive a big rig. I’ll be honest – I’ve had to drive SUVs (small, medium and large), pick-up trucks, moving trucks, delivery vans…I’ve hated it every time. I’m not comfortable being the biggest vehicle on the road. It makes me feel like I’m about to run somebody off the road. Not a good feeling.
10. Actually be on a jury. I’ve been called for jury duty once in my life, and I was dismissed by mid-afternoon and never called back. I know, it’s my civic duty and everyone has to do their part and yadda yadda yadda. I even know some people who think they’d relish the opportunity. I am not one of those people. I don’t want to sit through a trial and have to pass judgment on whether they’re guilty or innocent, deciding if a person will have to pay a fine or damages or serve jail/prison time or possibly even get the death penalty. No thanks.

How about you? What are some things you never want to do?

Perfect Moments

I’ve been pretty cranky this past week, but I’m trying not to focus on the crabbiness. I’d like instead to celebrate a few small perfect moments from the past week or so.

• “Popcorn reading” (i.e., taking turns reading aloud) the first Harry Potter book with my niece and husband – the first time reading the story for both of them.
• Making the winning brownies to take to a Super Bowl party – the entire 9×13 pan was almost gone by the end of the night.
• Opening a big box delivered this week as a Valentine’s Day gift from Dave’s parents…and realizing shortly after I’d cut open the top of the box that they sent us a giant box of Biscoff spread (after reading our tweets about loving it but lamenting that it’s too expensive to buy very often).
• Finding a picture of an exceptionally ridiculous wedding dress and sharing it with a friend because I knew she’d want to blog about it.
• Stroking the cheek of a friend’s 3-day-old crying baby and feeling how soft it was, and loving how that seemed to comfort her a bit because she got quiet again for a few minutes.
• Singing at the top of my lungs with my husband to some of our favorite songs driving home from Richmond in the middle of the night after a party.
• Being able to help three different friends with three different internet problems – all over Twitter.
• Walking the doglets and letting them off-leash for a bit, and seeing them romp and run and revel in their freedom.

How about you? Did you have any wonderful, perfect moments this week?

Sometimes, Life Really Sucks

Yesterday, I went to the funeral of a dear friend’s father. He was only 66 – not much older than my dad. He was a good man, by all accounts: a veteran, a family man, patient and kind but with a wicked sense of humor. Not only was he too young, he never got to meet his fourth grandchild: my friend is currently 35 weeks pregnant with her first child (her older sister has a teenager and twin preteens). He isn’t in pain anymore, and for that they are all grateful, but I’m very sad for my friend – and her whole family, of course, but especially for my friend. I know she hoped so much that he’d hold on long enough to meet her first baby, but he just couldn’t.

Of course this kind of event makes you think about your own experiences with death. I have rather more than most people my age simply because I grew up in a family that was very close to extended family members. One of my first memories is of going to my great-great aunt’s funeral. I knew three of my great-grandparents and went to two of their funerals. I was close to almost all of my great-aunts and great-uncles and have been to many of their funerals, and I’ve lost five of my six grandparents (and – duh – attended all five funerals). One of those grandparents was from a suicide when I was 16, a grandparent I was very close to, who lived next door to me and helped raise me (but that’s a story for another day). I’ve sadly even been to a funeral for a friend just eight months after her wedding, which might be the most tragic experience I’ve ever personally had, and a close friend of ours lost her sister (who we also knew and loved) to cancer, leaving behind a new husband and a nearly preteen daughter at the time of her death. So I’ve seen enough death for a lifetime already, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I love lots more people who I can still lose. It seems the next logical group is aunts and uncles and parents, and I am really, really not ready for that. So a friend my age losing her dad terrifies me.

Does it make me insensitive that this is what I’m thinking of on the day of my friend’s dad’s funeral? I don’t think so. I ache for her, on her behalf, for her pain. I think it’s perfectly human, though, to relate that kind of pain to yourself…and I don’t want to. I don’t want to imagine losing a parent. I don’t really have a point to all this except that sometimes, life sucks. And you can be damn sure I’m going to hound my loved ones even more to take care of themselves as much as they can. Sometimes stuff happens anyway, I realize, but they’d better do everything they can to stay with me. And I’ll do the same. Scout’s honor.