:: this is 32 ::

Dear 31,

Thank you for making me a mama. Thank you for being the year of a new city and our first home. Thank you for the chance to live near family. Thank you for the hard days (hello six weeks postpartum), the beautiful days and the constant growth.

Thank you for being the biggest year of change and yet, quite possibly, my favorite year so far. Thank you for the most perfect, sweet baby who I could literally eat. Thank you for drawing Chris and me closer and reminding me there is no end in sight for growth as a couple. You can always learn one another better and knit more tightly together. 

Thank you for the good, the bad and the beautiful. 

I have loved you very much. Now here we go, 32!

New Mama Self-Care Kit

A friend came to meet Mac soon after he was born. She brought a small toy for him, which was so sweet. She also brought a little bag of goodies for me - chocolate, lavender, Tuck’s wipes. The goods! I realized in that moment that this was not her first rodeo. She knew how much a new mom needs help with a little self-care. 

When you’re a new mom you spend so much time caring for your baby. For as much as I heard about self-care being important, I had no idea how impossible it would feel those first few weeks. Finding time to eat, sleep and shower feels hard. Anything beyond the essentials goes out the window in the beginning. 

There are a few things I am either glad I had on-hand, or wish I'd had, when Mac was born. Here's what I'd tell a mom with a newborn to order before the baby arrives:

A nursing nightgown // Criteria: comfortable, nursing friendly and one that makes you feel relatively cute. I got this one from Gap and have loved it so much. I, personally, would not want something expensive because milk tends to stain. But, you do you! :) 

Herban Essentials: Essential Oil Wipes // These wipes are dreamy. Sometimes, you just need a little something special for yourself. Wipe your body down, breathe them in, do whatever you want. Just keep them for yourself :) 

A good water bottle // If you're nursing, you'll want one with a straw. It makes it so much easier to drink. I would drain my 32 oz. Hydro Flask each time McCoy fed. Nursing makes you so thirsty!

Netflix or Hulu // I think I watched 25 episodes of Nashville the first few weeks. Nursin and Nashvillin. Find a good show and prepare to watch!

Protein packed snacks // I loved grabbing handfuls of cashews or eating these Protein Balls, which I made the week before Mac was born. It's nice to have easy, grab-and-go snacks on hand. Other options would be Purely Elizabeth granola, Kind bars, etc. Anything that requires minimal preparation and can fill you up a bit will do. 

Nursing bras // I got these Seamless Nursing Bras and they've worked so well. They have held up with daily wear and four months worth of washes.

A good shampoo, body wash and lotion // During those first few weeks, it can feel like a 6-minute shower is the only moment you get alone. Treat yourself to delicious smelling body wash and shampoo. Follow your shower up with a nice lather. 

Spare phone charger by the couch // I think this one is self-explanatory :) 

A soft blanket // My temperature was so irregular during those early days. I'd be SO hot in shorts and a tank and then suddenly freezing. It was essential to have a nice blanket nearby to snuggle up as needed. 

Meal delivery // My friend Jordan said they used Freshly, which delivered cooked, healthy meals to their house. Heat them up and go! We loved our Meal Train and I think this would have helped, too!

Good Begets Good

When McCoy was just an itty bitty newborn, my sisters told me over and over: sleep begets sleep. Every time he'd take an extra long nap, I'd repeat this mantra in my mind. 

Last week, I was listening to Jen Hatmaker's podcast and one of her guests said creativity begets creativity. It hit me in that moment that creativity and sleep are not the only self-fulfilling processes. The same goes for prayer, kindness, patience. I've noticed that in our marriage, sex begets sex. Communication begets communication. Saving money? Begets saving money. Speaking kindly begets speaking kindly. 

The more we practice positive habits, the better we become at living them out daily. Good begets good. 

Unfortunately, the same goes for bad. Anger, frustration and selfishness are equally as cyclical. The more we overspend? The easier it becomes to overspend. The more we nitpick our partners, the more easily it is to be frustrated, as opposed to practicing gratitude. The good in our lives breeds more good, just as the bad in our lives breeds more bad.

In the end, it's really just a choice: when we choose to be kind, patient, selfless, loving, they become daily practices.  

It's a super simple idea, but, when it comes to life changes, I've found it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I get where I want to go? How to we get back to who we were? It can feel impossible.

But the truth is, if we make small choices, over and over each day, we'll eventually find that we've changed our lives. 

Natural Skincare Routine

McCoy isn't the most snuggly baby in the world, but every now and then he presses his face against me and wants to stay there for a little while. And then I totally melt. :) 

Every time he does it, I feel so thankful that my skincare routine is pretty darn safe. I'd be so nervous if he was pulling away covered in scents or chemicals. Below is my current routine!

Night time:

TO WASH

I've shared Batty's Bath probably 10 times on here, buuuut I can't help myself. Her products are amazing. I found them a few years ago because she was recommended on EWG's Skin Deep. One order and I was sold for life!

Morning and night, I use her face wash. I've tried most of them and you can't go wrong. I definitely recommend taking her skin care quiz before selecting your products.

If I feel like I need to exfoliate, I used Goldfaden MD Doctor's Scrub. I recognize this is an expensive item, but I've had it for a full year and am not even halfway through. A little bit goes a very long way. Also, everything Goldfaden makes is gold. Aptly named!

TO MOISTURIZE

Nightly, I use Batty's Raw Radiance moisturizer for my face.

If I'm feeling really motivated, I'll follow it up with Goldfaden's Bright Eyes. Again, one year later and I'm not even halfway through the bottle. A dot does a lot. Like glue in elementary school.

On my lips, I use Primally Pure Grapefruit lip balm. 

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Day time:

TO MOISTURIZE

I use Batty's Raw Radiance (see above) mixed with a teeeeeny tiny bit of Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi serum. I am obsessed with this serum. I feel like it makes my skin lightly glowy and has really positive effects on how it looks - even after I've washed my face. 

FOR SUN PROTECTION

I use SuperGoop Unseen Sunscreen. Full disclosure: It has a 3 on the EWG rating instead of a 1 or 2, which I try to avoid. But the product is just so incredible! It works like nothing I've experienced before. 

I follow both moisturizers with mascara and I'm ready to go for the day!