BLOOMING Birthday

Welcome to 2019 and to the 1st post for This Twiggy Mother!

This is my budding year as I feel a change within myself riding the momentum to a happy & healthy self! I've just celebrated my birthday to welcome the new year, to which both pregnancy and mommy brain have held my memory captive, but I'm pretty sure I turned 28. This year feels like the year I jump onto the "New Year, New You" bandwagon. My emotional and mental well-being have found inner peace and contentment since the storms of two years ago, and as for my physical well-being...er, let's just hope that these kegel exercises will do some good for the bouncing back after the splitting of my vaj for the third time this Spring.

Despite the heavy-with-child feel weighing on my pelvis, I'm very thankful that I'm having yet another healthy pregnancy with a wonderful husband that caters to "baby's" every craving...even if it's a run to the store for that one scoop of strawberry ice cream (as the rest of the tub has just been sitting in the freezer icing over untouched), or for that single cheesy chip I needed in the moment to salt my tongue.

I didn't grow up celebrating birthdays or holidays, so I'm learning the joy of such occasions as we have been starting to build our own traditions of celebrating for our little family in recent years.

Thank goodness for Pinterest! A clickity-click here...a clickity-click there, pinning one pop-up of inspiration after another.

So, I didn't expect much activity for my birthday; maybe a little guilt-free shopping just for the mama, a whole day of soaking up kisses from my hubby and my kiddos trailing my every move with the sweet sound of their tiny voices giving me "happy birthday mama" wishes throughout the day, and ending the day with a skin-scorching hot soak in a filled-to-the-brim tub steaming with the scent of the kids' bubble bath. Uninterrupted. Except for the sound of my Pandora playlist drowning out all thought for a whole, rejuvenating hour.

MY BIRTHDAY WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS

SHOPPING!

Mama got to shop to my heart's content with a generous allowance from my hubby, splurging on cute clothes and pretty shoes that my pregnancy body and swollen feet can't even fit into... but they're sooooooo pretty to look at in the mean time! Let's just hope my body bounces back enough so I can tuck my post-pregnancy folds into those boutique finds. Okay, so it was more of a binge-shopping spree on eBay, but trust me, they are super chic and perfect for all my playing dress up days that I usually resort to only dreaming about wearing...while kicking up my feet in my cozy slippers and three-day-old mommy elastic sweats. But I'm so glad you asked, cause yup! those very finds will make their appearance in my hand-curated outfits to inspire you in my Foliage Of Fashion lifestyle page.

DINNER PLANS!

I woke up my birthday morning to a flurry of surprises... one of those a phone call from my husband calling to ask if I wanted to go out to dinner at my favorite handmade-pasta restaurant. Uh, hells yeah honey! Mama finally gets to pull out the goods in my closet and dress up in my military-styled, brass-buttoned Ann Taylor cardi and squeeze these piggy-pregger toes into my sleek rum-raisin tone Banana Republic chunky heeled boots, peeking out from under my maternity culottes. I was even ambitious enough to pull out my curling iron and doll it up. But...my usual, no-fuss pony tail ended up working out just fine too.

SPECIAL DELIVERIES!

What felt like an endless showering of surprises ensued with deliveries to my door like I was living my urban New York City girl dreams of getting on-demand priority spoiling. I received an icebox packed with a decadent chocolate cake from Bake-Me-A-Wish (and low and behold it's based out of NY! just to emphasize a small town girl's living it up large with the big city luxuries) and shortly after a vase of arranged flowers from a local florist shop, all arranged from my sister who lives out of state. Each delivery had the most heartwarming messages from her that truly put the icing on top. I mean, I was starting to get used to all the spoiling at that point that I was beginning to expect another knock from someone coming to take my clothes to the dry cleaners and promptly brought back crisp and clean in time for my dinner outing. Chop-Chop people! But seriously, it was my first time ever receiving such lavish deliveries just for moi, my husband is usually the delivery man for a fresh bouquet.

I felt truly special, like a birthday girl on my birthday.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY!

Shortly before heading out to dinner, I met with an old acquaintance who proposed a job offer to me and I could not feel anything else but truly honored that they thought of me in specific to join their team as they plan to expand their business endeavors. They have extended a hand to me for a job that would be available in the coming months, crazy perfect timing after my third is born and I should have enough time to recoup before hitting the ground running in a potential future career. This position still allows me to be a stay-in-nest mother, something so important to me in being hands-on in the one raising my chickies. One of my reoccurring challenges with being home with my kiddos is my inner business woman desiring to work, to do something more that I can find personal fulfillment in as a woman, in addition to my identity as a wife and mother. I could not be more grateful for this opportunity that has come my way and is ironically so perfectly suited to my past experiences and abilities to be able to handle, and am ready to roll up my sleeves and tap into my working-"moman" side shortly after the birth of my little spring chicken.

Pinch me, please!

THE COCOA POWDER DUSTING ON TOP

As if my birthday could be topped any better, as I was already reveling in the riches of pure happiness, I ended the evening surrounded by the loves of my life at dinner of a scratch-made meal that I not only didn't have to cook, but got an age-determined whopping 28% off discount for that meal ( hmm...I could really get used to the perks of growing old! Senior coffee at Mickey D's here I come with my cane in hand... ), topping it off with a deliciously cocoa-dusted silky slice of tiramisu done right, and then basking in the compliments of an older woman who was moved to greet us due to our well-behaved kids. I mean, let it rain!