High Maintenance?

Believe it or not, I've been called high maintenance a time or two in my life. In fact my sister used to call me HM for short. I never really understood why. Could it be the fact that I grew up in the U.P. but don't prefer to wear hoodies every day? Or maybe it's that I like to wear shoes with heels sometimes, even in the snow.

Whatever it was, I never really thought the nickname fit. I mean I've done some serious roughin it in my day and I thought for sure that would erase all memory of the dreaded nickname. I've visited Guatemala twice, and let me tell ya, it was amazing, but it was not luxurious.

The first time I stayed at an orphanage with ice cold showers. My bunk bed collapsed nearly on top of me and the roof leaked so bad my bed got soaked, not just once, but twice!

The second time we stayed in a motel that cost $8 a night. The room was so dark we had to wear headlamps to look in our suitcases. The shower head was attached by duct tape and the water ran into the room during every shower. We rode in the back of a pickup truck for an hour to get to our worksite, all the while wearing hankerchiefs like bandits to breath through all the dust. Once on the job there were no bathrooms, unless you count the dried up cornfield which provided little privacy.

If those two trips weren't rough enough, last summer Kyle and I spent a week in the boundary waters! No showers, pit toilets with no walls, and worst of all NO MAKEUP - thanks a lot Mark. At least in Guatemala I had my makeup!

So after all that hard work at clearing my name of the high maintenance label, times are a changing. Baby boy Lein has made me more high maintenance than ever. Not just in the fact that I'm tired and so I like someone to bring me snacks or drinks, or a pillow, or the remote, or whatever I may desire at the moment. But now I love girlie things more than ever! A mani-pedi would be divine! These new shoes shown in the picture made my whole week! A cool new handbag or some fun accessories which were great before, now can make me ecstatic! Wearing pretty smelling lotions or perfumes make me feel like a whole new woman! The less comfortable my clothes are, the more I love these little girlie treasures.

So here's a tip to anyone out there who's pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant: While we can't all afford mani-pedi's once a month, we can take time to pamper ourselves a little. And a little goes a long way! A new eye shadow or haircut can make you feel good for a month. Soaking your feet or doing a body scrub on the weekend can rejuvinate you for days. And getting all the rest you want or need is an absolute must. Remember: a body pillow is a preggo's best friend!

Well I guess my sister was right when she named me HM. She couldn't have known at the time how spot-on it would be. It's time for me to give up the fight and let my true self be known. Until next blog.......sincerely, HM