News from two doctors.

I heard from Dr. Drone that some interloper wild bees took over the hive this fall. I haven't been out to see them (on account of baby) but we've had such a mild winter, I'm confident they're doing okay. I've written "GO TAKE PICTURES AT BEE YARD" on a note in large, marker letters. Once i find that note again in a few months, I'm sure that will happen.

Pictures or no, I'm excited to imagine actual honey this year. I've been eating a lot of oatmeal with honey and almonds this winter and I've convinced myself that eating my own honey that I steal from bees with my own hands and put into a container that doesn't look like a bear will be the most delicious thing ever.

In a related story, I was discussing baby food allergies with our pediatrician and she mentioned that kids aren't actually allergic to honey, and that the recommendation to avoid it in infants is due to several botulism outbreaks from a few years ago. I'm nodding my head, like, yes, we don't like botulism, yes! And she adds, "so unless you're planning to feed her honey processed out of someone's backyard, it should be fine."

And then I'm nodding my head, like, yes, I am planning to feed her honey processed out of someone's backyard!... but maybe not until I've eaten a significant quantity myself? What is the social etiquette for telling your pediatrician you plan to feed vaguely questionable items to your child? Or is this a need to know basis?

This baby?

She grows fast.

(She did not

Oh, hey.

Oh hey, I had a baby!

She's pretty great.

Belly product review #3: Olive Oil!

That's right, plain store brand olive oil.

My awesome ex-hippy mum suggested this as her favorite go-to belly soother during all of her pregnancies and I'm always game for a natural solution to skincare woes.

Here's the breakdown:

1. Smell 5/5

I like the smell of a decent olive oil anyway, it's clean and natural. Better, the smell faded really quickly once it was applied. I was worried the heat from my body would make me smell like bruscetta all day, but I think maybe the scent molecules dissipated faster because of the heat. Look at me making bogus vaguely scientific claims!

2. Texture 4/5

This was surely the easiest application yet. I poured about 2 tbs. in little bowl and then just lubed up my hands and rubbed them all over my belly. Which is now giant, by the way. Yes- my hands were a little oily after and yes, so was my belly. I wouldn't throw on a shirt you value right away, but it absorbs very quickly, probably less than five minutes, so compared to the balm style rubs, this seemed really easy.

3. Skin outcome 8/10

There's a reason people have used olive oil to clean their skin for centuries. It makes your skin feel luxuriously soft. I only docked some points because a nighttime application doesn't seem to get me through the whole day- I'm itchy again by dinner.

Total 17/20

Well done Mom. Well done. I think I'm going to start using this on my face. And my dinner.

There are roughly 7 billion different products for itchy pregnant tummies out there. Any other suggestions for where I should look for the perfect one?

Test #2: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Cream

After more days of testing, I'm ready to report on another belly cream.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula

1. Smell: 2 (of 5)

I really liked the chocolate smell that came wafting out of the jar at first, it reminded me of the way my christmas stocking smells every year, but since the Palmer's (like Burt's Belly Balm) literally sticks with you all day, the smell got old really quickly. My nose is super sensitive right now and the last thing I want to deal with is carrying any strong scent with me everywhere.

2. Texture: 2 (of 5)

Again, there are notable similarities to the Belly Balm here. The cocoa butter is creamy and nice when your hands are warm and you're actually rubbing it on your skin, but getting it out of the tub is a total pain. Chapstick form people! Do you hear me R&D folks of the world?! Giant skin balm chapsticks...

My belly stayed sticky and a little greasy for hours and hours after putting this on. I'm kind of getting used to the feeling, but I wish I didn't have to.

3. Skin results: 7 (of 10)

This might have scored higher if I had tried it first. My skin was not itchy after over-night applications, but it wasn't particularly soft either.

In a slightly gross update, I am also developing tiny pink bumps, not unlike baby pimples, scattered across my belly. Dr. Google and my pregnancy book confirm that this could be a totally normal change due to hormones. Or we could blame the Palmer's. I do tend to have sensitive skin anyway, so for now, I'm discontinuing the Palmer's and I'm on to product number three: a left-field suggestion from my Canadian ex-hippy mom...

STAY TUNED!

Overall: 11/20

Proof

Can you see how rich this earth is? My landlord is really unbelievable for not letting me garden in this.

Spring is making itself known. Some informal data collection today turned up two inch iris sprouts in my yard, the tiniest breakthrough of what I think is probably last year's daisies, and buds on campus trees. The 50 degree sunny weather is practically coaxing life out of the ground.

My green fingers are twitching, but there isn't much I can grow here unless the perfect new place opens up with a garden-friendly policy for renters. I am trying to contain myself to growing humans this season, but it's hard to ignore the call of the dirt!

February showers?

The first thunderstorm of spring and we're not even in March yet!

Does that mean April flowers in our futures?

There is something so incredibly cozy about rain. We lived in a farmhouse with a tin roof when I was a little girl, and the percussion of a good storm is still one of the sounds of home to me. It doesn't matter how wild and fearsome the elements may be: I'm safe and warm with slow roasted pork and homemade potato salad, a lap full of cats and this baby's tiny flutterings. Seriously, do people wish for more than this?