Life Lately

This year has been full of forward and backwards movement. It has truly been one of the most difficult years of our marriage. I feel like the worst is behind us now and I'm ready for a fresh start.

I hate to put so much pressure on our move to Hawaii but I honestly feel like it's the change we need right now. Even with the chaotic and most likely stressful move ahead of us, I see so much promise in Hawaii. 

But before we even start packing for our move, we still have the holidays (as well as Liam's birthday and this tiny baby's arrival) to get through. We're keeping things simple this year. I am letting go of the need for control and perfection with our decorations, mostly because I'm on a no-buying mission. There are so many things I wanted to add this year (a new garland, more decor) but in reality, they were all unnecessary. I want to focus on experiences rather than things so I put away our expensive glass ornaments and decided to let the boys do most of the tree trimming. I think that's a better memory anyways. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holiday season always makes me miss my family in the states but I'm a very lucky lady to get to spend time with my boys (husband included) and tiny baby. I'm so thankful for this life, this time, this love and yes, even this chaos. We hope your Thanksgiving is full of smiles as well. 

Natural Hair Journey Update

It has been 10 months since I shared a hair update (after I cut off quite a bit of hair) and my hair has grown quite a bit. I'm still wearing wash and go's (I'll share that routine soon, I promise) about 99.8% of the time. Partly because I'm lazy but mostly because I hate the way other styles look on me. I experimented with twist outs and noticed that I touched my hair way more than when I just wear a wash and go.

For awhile I felt like my hair wasn't growing. It wasn't until I looked at the pictures from January that I realized its not only growing but I've been able to retain length as well.

Although a lot of people feel you can't retain length and grow long natural hair on a wash and go regimen, it seems to work for me and my kinks and curls. 

I'll be updating regularly especially once the baby gets here since I'll likely experience postpartum shedding (bye-bye edges).

If you have any questions about my hair journey so far, feel free to leave them below!

Dear Tiny Baby...

As I feel you move within my body, I realize that life wouldn't be the same without you in it. With every kick and stretch, I fall more and more in love with you. This is a feeling that only you and I share and maybe I'm a little selfish but I like it that way. Even though I share the magic of your movements with your dad and brothers, I know that it's not the same. It's almost as if we share a secret world that others get to visit. As much as I want to hold you in my arms, to finally see your face, I'm not ready for this secret world to end. So I'll keep cherishing this time we have together before I have to share you with everyone else. 

Love,

Mama

Pregnancy Notes // 29 Weeks

It's been awhile. I've mostly been away because my phone (which had already had its screen replaced once) broke. I also lost my Nikon charger so I haven't taken any pictures over the last couple weeks.

But on to this little baby! We had our last appointment last week (at 29 weeks exactly) and everything is looking great. The baby is measuring a week ahead (which doesn't bother me since I usually give birth around 37 weeks). My doctor (who I adore) said that the baby has already engaged so I shouldn't have to worry about a breech birth (although it is possible, just unlikely). All in all, everything looked great except for my iron levels. He gave me a prescription (which I still need to fill).

I am hoping to be far more prepared this time around so I have started obsessing over the things I need to do. I'm so ready to hold this little baby in my arms but for now, I'm going to enjoy our last few weeks of pregnancy. 

Currently...

Doing: Trying to get a schedule down which is hard for our family. We seem to live in a constant state of chaos. I'm hoping we find a balance soon since my energy and patience levels have started to drop. 

Watching: We have been watching a ton of kids movies on the German Netflix. Our favorites, okay, my favorites are Megamind and Brave. 

Reading: I recently started checking out library books on my Kindle. It's super convenient since I don't have to leave the house or remember to return books. There's a waiting list for the books I want to read so until one frees up (or I think of a different book to read), I'm just patiently waiting. 

Thinking about: All the preparing I still have to do before the baby gets here. I randomly started freaking out about packing the hospital bag and had to snap myself out of it. We still have a lot to get but most of the necessities are taken care of. 

Looking forward to: Christmas! This will be our last Christmas in Germany and most likely our last snowy winter for a couple years. Snows on the forecast this weekend ❄️🌨☃

Loving: Having this sweet little baby in my belly. It really is a miracle and when I see my belly twitching, I can't help but smile. 

This new series was inspired by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet who was inspired by her friend Megan.