32 Weeks Pregnant | Little Life Stories

I've had your fairly standard pregnancy thus far. You know, get pregnant while living with your parents (awkward), move into a beautiful (albeit at the top of your price range) apartment, are fantastically sick, learn the reason you're so sick is because you're actually pregnant with twins, realize the beautiful third floor apartment you now live in is impractical for both pregnancy and having two babies (so... many... stairs...), your car breaks and you have to purchase a new one (which is a great car, but now you have more monthly bills), impress everyone with the way your morning sickness vanished and you're suddenly doing just fine, surprise everyone with how well babies are doing and how your belly isn't as big as the moon (though your feet begin to swell to the size of the moon), and are still able to participate in summer family vacations and get around just fine.

You know, standard pregnancy.

Until 31 weeks hits you like a ton of bricks and you're suddenly faced with your belly aching because your girls don't have enough room, feeling like your ribs are broken, waking up twice a night to pee and struggling to get out of the bed, barely being able to breathe, feet bigger than King Kong's and hurt with each step, back pain, pelvic pain, stressing over all the things you have to do and/or buy before babies arrive, doctors appointments twice a week taking up your time, and just living with general discomfort and pain.

You know, standard pregnancy.

Today I am 32 weeks pregnant, went to my doctors for one of my twice a week non-stress tests, and told my doctor that I was done. With work. See, I've been working full-time up until this point and while I enjoy my job, and am good at my job, being in the office 40 hours a week is beyond exhausting. I'm up and down out of my seat all day, don't have time to put my giant feet up, and when I get home am too tired to tackle the long list of things I need to do (partially just from all the stairs I have to climb to get home after work).

I can't clean my home after 8 hours of work, which leaves cleaning for the weekend, but my weekends are often too busy with baby or bridal showers, vacations, and other tasks that need to be done. I haven't had a full weekend at home in probably a month, and my apartment shows it.

Chris does so much to help out and typically he's the one doing the cleaning. But that's not always fair. Yes, I'm pregnant, but I'm ridiculously stubborn and hate having people do things for me. I hate admitting I may need help and having Chris do all the work around the house makes me feel like a bad wife and a lazy human being.

And let's not even get into what'll happen after babies come and I will be leaving my job, leaving Chris to be the sole money maker in the home (unless this blog finally starts making me money at some point). I've always been someone who wants to work. Being a mom is a job, but transitioning out of full-time employment in an office to full-time mom duties will definitely be a change for me. But in having twins, it would not be possible for me to continue my job. Trust me, I've looked at it from every angle, this is the best solution for me and my girls.

Anyways, today I got my doctor to write a note saying I can only work 20 hours a week up until my official maternity leave, which is only five weeks away. My boss was super accommodating, he understands my situation and wants what is best for me and my babies (which, reading through pregnancy forums, is actually a rare thing, I'm pretty lucky I work where I do).

Switching to part-time is a huge weight off my shoulders, despite the financial strain this causes. But I believe that things will work out. I've been looking for part-time online positions I can do from home for some extra cash and have been researching on how I can make money through this blog (because over 5 years and not a single cent is pretty sad). But also, from experience, I can say that I blog a lot more when I'm not working. Like today. I'm actually posting something because I didn't have to work. Therefore, working part-time and when babies come, I'm sure I'll have a lot more blog posts for you guys.

This post was mostly me complaining/venting, which John Tesh told me I shouldn't be doing. But I hope you'll forgive me this one time and I'll work on less complaining on this blog in the future.

In summary, being pregnant isn't my favorite and hasn't been easy on me. I'm beyond thrilled for my girls to arrive and to be a mom. They have stayed very healthy through this whole pregnancy and I couldn't be happier about that, but me, personally, I'm falling apart at this point. But I have five weeks left until I'm being induced and I want them to stay in until them to give them the best chance at a healthy delivery and life.

Well, if you've made it to the end of this post, congratulations! Here's your reward: a couple of photos from an impromptu, unofficial maternity shoot from one of my favorite photographers, and my friend, Mariah.

BTW, that dress is too short now because of how big my belly has gotten and these were taken a month ago. I'm growing like crazy! Good for babies, not so good for me personally.

Also, please check out more of Mariah's photos on her Instagram page by CLICKING HERE. She did my sister's engagement photos and they were so gorgeous and she's a Farnes family friend so she's done a lot for us. If you live in Utah, particularly Davis County, check her out. She's amazing.

Lastly, up until recently, this dress has been my go-to for a comfy, cute outfit. Here are some similar dresses, all $50 or less, that I would have also loved.

My Foundation Routine | Fashion & Beauty

Hello friends! By now you should all be well aware of my obsession with Ipsy. It's how I afford makeup. I'm poor but I can pay $10 a month for samples of makeup and beauty products. I'm also a hoarder of makeup, so it lasts me a while as I try to get through it all.

But while about 85% of my makeup routine is probably Ipsy products, my current foundation routine is not... with the exception of my makeup brushes, but that's totally irrelevant.

Today I am sharing with you my three, yes three, foundation products that I am currently obsessed with. These products in combination give my face natural coverage and I'm in love when the way they work so well together.

DREAM LIQUID MOUSSE

AIRBRUSH FINISH IN CLASSIC IVORY

BY MAYBELLINE

Now if you're a long time follower of my blog, you may be aware that I also have an obsession with Maybelline. Because of my lack of money, Maybelline is my go-to affordable makeup line, not just for the price but for the quality. I honestly believe it is the best product quality for the price of any drugstore makeup line. 

I am, however, new to this particular foundation. While the next product has been a staple for me for years, I decided to try this product after running out of a particularly wonderful Ipsy foundation. But I am loving it. 

This foundation does a fantastic job at covering my pores and imperfections, giving my skin a smooth finish. It's very lightweight and doesn't weigh heavily on my skin, nor does it look heavy. Best part, a little goes a long way so it'll last a long time, making it worth the cost, not that it costs that much to begin with. 

I highly recommend using a foundation brush to apply it though. If you use your fingers, you tend to get uneven coverage and, in my experience, end up using more to get the coverage where you really need/want it. I'm currently obsessed with my Luxie Dreamcatcher Precision Foundation Brush 660 that I got from Ipsy and love the softness of the brush and how easy it is to blend with. 

INSTANT AGE REWIND 

DARK CIRCLE ERASER IN BRIGHTENER/ILLUMINATOR

BY MAYBELLINE

I've talked about this one many times before and even have a review you can READ HERE (though it's not the best review and I may write up another since I've been very into reviews lately). This product is literally my favorite beauty product of all time. I cannot live without this and some type of mascara. 

I currently have the highlighter version, which is weird for me, since I used to often use this as an all-over foundation in a pinch, and I can't really do that with this shade. But regardless, it works well to cover the dark circles under my eyes that are always present. 

My favorite thing about this product is that it lasts all day and blends ridiculously well. I never have to worry about my dark circles popping up again later in the day. I'm ridiculously in love with this product, you don't even understand. 

I use this after the liquid foundation so I just dab it on under my eyes and blend it out a bit with my fingers. I will sometimes use the same brush from my foundation to blend the colors of the two a bit better, but typically just dabbing it on does the trick. 

MATTE POWDER FOUNDATION

IN FAIRLY LIGHT

BY BARE MINERALS

If you're looking for a good powder foundation, this is the only one you need. Bare Minerals is a more expensive brand and it is the most expensive beauty product that I consistently purchase. But it's something that I feel I always have to have around. 

This powder has fantastic coverage, hides pores and imperfections, is super lightweight, blends with your skin tone well*, and often doesn't even look like you're wearing makeup at all. In fact, I've worn only this powder without the foundations underneath and it gives me the imperfect look I crave with little work. 

(*If you really want to be sure it'll work well with your skin tone I recommend going to their store and having them find your correct shade. I did that a few years ago and it has made all the difference, and the guy was bored and gave me a whole makeover, bonus!)

Because I use the liquid foundations, I use this powder to help keep the liquid foundations in place as well as giving a final blend to my look. I use the C427 Duo Fiber Crown Brush from an Ipsy bag to dab and blend on my powder in the areas I know tend to fade (this is technically a blush brush, but it has worked well for me thus far). I have fairly oily skin so I use the matte version of this powder to keep my skin looking natural. Honestly, this powder gives me a more natural look, which I love. 

If you would like a video on my full makeup routine, leave a comment below and let me know. For now, you can check out my previous makeup routine video HERE. 

THANK YOU FOR READING!!