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Now that I’ve gotten my feet wet in the blogging pond again, I wanted to do a little post catch up. So much has changed in my life since my last post (even my last newsletter), that it’s only fair I give some updates.
I have a baby (we’ll call him E).
It’s such a weird thing to type or even think. I’ve always wanted kids and now I have one. My mind is still blown. That’s probably been one of the biggest (obviously) changes in my life. It’s been hard and wonderful all at the same time. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll spare the boring details.
I’m no longer working full time.
This was probably the other biggest change in my life lately. I’ve always thought of myself in terms of my career and there was never a question of if I would keep working after I had E. But when I came back from maternity leave, things just weren’t working the same anymore. My job and I parted ways and I’m now taking care of E full time. It’s not the permanent plan, I do plan to have E go to daycare eventually, But, since the daycare that E is supposed to go to delayed their opening, it actually ended up working out well for now. When it comes to me getting a new job, I’m still figuring out if I want to go back to the nonprofit world or if it’s time to move now.
I’m training to be a fitness instructor.
Let’s be honest, I don’t know how to not work and we still need some additional income coming in. So when a local group had an opening to become a fitness instructor, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s a great organization that is dedicated to moms and some of the classes actually involve kids! I’ll talk more about the organization once I start teaching. Right now, I’m just working my way though the online training. Since my only free time to do the training is during E’s naps, it’s taking a bit to get through everything. But, it’s nice to take something at a slower pace.
Books Books Books
My reading has been crazy lately, but in the best possible way. I’ve been reading so many good books and inhaling audiobooks. I don’t have a lot of time for reading, but I’ve been reading before I go to bed and listening to audiobooks when I’m doing chores or going for walks. Books have really felt like a lifeline in my last six months of postpartum and I’ll share a little bit more about that later.
Since I know I’ll get questions, here are some amazing books that I’ve read recently:
Long Walks
I might completely change my mind about this by end of summer in D.C., but right now, long walks are one of my favorite parts of the day. After I had my c-section, my doctor said that it would be good for my recover to walk everyday. My mom and husband really encouraged this and by the end of my maternity leave, I was going on hour long walks every day. Since leaving my job, I’ve picked it back up again and I love it. I throw E into his stroller and we just wander around the neighborhood. E used to fall asleep right away on walks, but as he gets older and a little more aware, he’s been looking around at things more and more. It’s so fun to watch him take in his surroundings. I’ve also been using that time to listen to my favorite podcasts or audiobooks. It’s been a really great way to just zone out for an hour, but also get some exercise in.
Getting back into needlepoint
During my pregnancy, one of my old wrist injuries starting acting up and needlepointing had to be put on the backburner. Now, I’m trying to get back into it and pick up some of my old projects. The number of partially finished canvases I have is ridiculous, but that didn’t stop me from starting a brand new project. I think I might also try my hand at finishing some of my canvases, but I need to finish one first.
More fun with shopping
Okay, this might be a little more window shopping than actually buying. Or looking for things for other people. But either way, I’m remembering how much fun I use to have putting together outfits. Below are some of the pieces I’ve come across that I really like (but not necessarily ordering, which I explain a bit more in this post).
My favorite clothing pieces
Even though I’m having fun with window shopping, I’m still just rotating through a few pieces that fit me right now. J.Crew’s shirts have been a life saver, as have my Freedom Moses sandals and Kiziks. I also decided to keep the Boden shorts because even though they were more expensive, I would rather have one good pair of shorts than three pairs of so-so shorts right now.
Here is what’s on rotation in my closet right now:
New TV shows
During pregnancy and maternity leave, I really leaned into rewatching old shows. I just needed that comfort in knowing everything would turn out okay. I’ve started to add some new shows in my rotation and new seasons of shows I use to watch. I have also started keeping a list of shows I want to watch in my phone, so I don’t forget about new ones. Some of the shows I’ve been watching include Royal Pains, So Help Me Todd, Miss Scarlet and the Duke (the newest season), Young Sheldon, and A Gentleman in Moscow. Let me know if you have suggestions of other shows I should watch!
Making my own Chai Lattes
Getting chai lattes from Starbucks was a fun little treat throughout maternity leave, but it’s been even more satisfying making the iced ones at home. It’s also been significantly less expensive. They’ve been a perfect afternoon treat
Quick question! Should I write a maternity clothes post?
I had no intention of writing a maternity clothing post, but then I accidentally wrote it. Well, not a post, but I wrote an email for my cousin with some of my maternity and post-partum recommendations. Then I ended up forwarding that to a friend who is also in the middle of her pregnancy. I realized then that it was the post I wanted when I was pregnant. There are so many cute pregnancy clothes out there, but let me tell you, pregnancy clothing can be incredibly expensive and you only use them for such a short time in your life. I spent a lot of time looking for inexpensive clothes and it would have been nice to know what to look for when I was pregnant (and what to avoid).
I think I just convinced myself to write the post while I was writing that paragraph. I guess a maternity clothing post is coming your way soon!
