Author: Taylor Schae

So I’m a clean person and I take basic care of myself. But have you ever experienced times where you just seem to be falling apart and need to up your self-care game in order to keep up? Well, that’s been me for the last couple months. But I haven’t been investing the time or money in myself to fix those things that have been needing extra attention. It can be so hard for me to justify it sometimes!

My youngest sister texted me the other day saying, “take care of yourself.” And it kinda stuck in my head. Why is such a basic concept becoming more and more foreign? Needless to say, the theme of self-care was carried out during my birthday when I opened my presents from my sisters and got all kinds of fun shower/bath goodies. Ok guys-I’m getting the point!

But in all seriousness, I am getting the point. My random patches of eczema that I’ve never dealt with before, extreme thinning of the hair, painful razor bumps (change out your razors ladies), and exhaustion are wearing me down and keeping my mind occupied on those things instead of my husband, precious baby, and anything else that is more worth thinking about.

As moms, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends, we wear many hats! A lot of people need us throughout our day, and we can tend to forget that we can’t fire on all cylinders if the tank is drained. Self-care is not equivalent to selfishness and is a healthy practice to start if you haven’t already. You are worth the time and money to make sure you feel your best. After all, if you aren’t cared for, how can you care for others well? If someone hasn’t told you lately, well, “take care of yourself!”

You all, I’m realizing that the longer I am a mom, the more help I need! Over the weekend, Isla ran a low fever mixed with congestion. It just sounded like she could hardly breathe while laying down. She sounded so pitiful. I did everything I knew how to help relieve her discomfort. And it still wasn’t working. Night #2 of not being able to get any sleep made me lose my patience so much faster. I hate when that happens because I know Isla doesn’t want to be in her situation either and not being able to communicate clearly what’s bothering her makes it even more difficult.

As I was grumbling on my way to Isla’s room at 1:30 in the morning after hearing her cry for a few minutes through the monitor, Ross reminded me not to do anything out of anger. It was what I needed to remember that none of us are going to act our best when deprived of sleep. Before going into her room, I felt a patience come over me and I rocked her in my arms for 45 minutes as she fell back asleep for the rest of the night. She even slept in the next morning! Praise the Lord! These moments continue to remind me that in the thick of the hardest moments, remember that it’s only temporary. You’ll never regret those moments where you dug deep and prayed that the Lord would give you the strength to show unconditional love and kindness even when you’re sleep deprived.

I know I need to continue to lean on my husband for help when I’m feeling physically and mentally weak. Similarly, I want to rely on my fellow momma friends who go through the same things that I do! We may not all have the same triggers, but we all experience those moments where we feel like we’re about to snap. And I’ll be the first to say if you are ever in that moment, reach out please! Us moms need to stick together! My goal is to continue to have less and less of these moments lacking in love and patience, and I desire encouragement and accountability as well.

This week Isla and I were invited to join my friend Elise and her daughter Maddie at the zoo. My mother-in-law, Karla, and sister-in-law, Rachel, were able to join as well, and I’m so glad we went! Sometimes I need a push to get outside of my typical routine with Isla, and I’m always so glad I end up doing it.

The word “perfect” describes the whole experience. It wasn’t very busy, the weather was absolutely amazing, they gave us free Dippin’ Dots, and our kids had zero meltdowns and were happy the whole time.

There were many moments during the day where I just smiled and thought about how thankful I am to have these opportunities during the day with family and friends because I stay at home with my daughter. I realized how grateful I am to be able to make these precious memories every single day. My dreams of motherhood are being realized right before me, and I need to be present in every moment!

Isla is growing up so so fast. She amazes me with all that she picks up on constantly. And I am so excited to make outings like going to the zoo something we do more often.

Today I went in your room to check on you after having quiet time for about 15 minutes. I walked in and almost started to cry. All throughout the day you’re so busy exploring, walking, talking, eating, smiling, that you had me fooled into thinking that you were such a big girl. Part of that is because you are such a big girl. But when I walked into your room today and saw you sleeping so peacefully, I saw someone who is still just my baby girl. Please don’t grow up too fast. I love watching you learn and grow and figure out everything about this world, but we should not wish time away or want to speed up the process. During those moments where I watched you rest today, I wanted time to stand still. Next month we celebrate your first birthday and I am so excited.

You have a certain smile that you give when you are super proud of yourself. It is very distinct and it cracks me up every time I see it. I mostly see it when you learn new things like walking, figuring out where the Tylenol is so you can see if there’s any extra medicine to suck out of the syringe, and figuring out how to push a button on a toy to make it turn on. I love that smile because it’s yours, and I now understand when other parents who have given me wisdom before you were born say that time goes by so fast and to enjoy each moment because in the blink of an eye they will be all grown, and for me, I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I probably won’t ever be ready for that. But please always give me that smile to reassure me that it’s just part of life, and I need to put on my happy smile too because I am so so proud of you and I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Written March 27, 2019

A couple of months ago, we took Isla to get her eyes looked at because her right eye kept turning in and was getting worse as time went on. We were hoping it’d correct itself sooner than later, but we are glad we ended up getting it checked out because she does indeed need glasses! I wasn’t expecting to hear that she needed them right away, but boy did it make a difference.

Glasses aren’t cheap! We paid just under $200 for Isla’s, so we were really hoping she wouldn’t pull them off constantly and would learn to enjoy wearing them because she could actually see better. And that’s what happened! She’ll tug at them here and there when she’s tired, as to be expected, but for as many hours a day that she does keep them on, I couldn’t be happier.

There aren’t many options at all from what I’ve seen for baby glasses. Her face is still just too small for anything other than Miraflex glasses. I will say that they do offer a couple of different frame shapes and enough color options that I stared at them all for 10 minutes before finally making a decision. I’m overall super pleased with our experience with these glasses and would recommend them for any of your kiddos.

If any of your little ones wear glasses, please share your pictures with me! Isla has always made friends with strangers in public, and her sweet new frames draw people in even more, and it’s so awesome to see the smiles she puts on so many faces.

I had lunch with my mom today. Before I go further, I want to encourage those of you who have the opportunity, to go grab some lunch with your mom in the near future. It will be good for the soul.

I brought Isla with me, so we had about as deep and meaningful conversation as you can have with a busy 11 month old, but in between those welcomed disruptions, was an exchange of life-giving words. I prayed on my way to lunch with my mom that my words and conversation would be of importance, spiritual value, and encouragement.

At some point, there is some sort of shift where you are not so much a dependent, needy child but instead more of a peer of sorts with your parent. Meaning, we can offer one another advice in many areas of life and share wisdom that we have gained with them if they are willing to listen. For parents, this may feel uncomfortable at first, but I think it can be so healthy as we go through different seasons of life. My mom has been in a stressful point in her life for a few years now as her academic career has brought her so close to the finish line in graduating to become a nurse anesthetist. She still has a couple of months left to go, and for her, and all of us really, the end couldn’t get here fast enough. Despite the endless homework and long clinical hours can lie true energizing moments. That amazing conversation with the patient before going under for a surgery, the constructive criticism from your boss helping you know how to improve, and the discipleship amongst your peers in school, give opportunities for my mom to make lasting impacts among all of these she interacts with. For you, this may look very different with what you have going on in your daily lives, but fellow moms, seize each moment with grace given from above.

My mom has endured so much throughout her entire lifetime. She is stronger than she knows, and I hope I can be there for her the way she has walked alongside me in my life. She may be in a stressful place right now, but she has been through so much already, and I’m excited to see how she uses daily moments to allow Christ to bring life in every circumstance.

My body will never be the same after having a baby. And I’m totally fine with that. It doesn’t mean that I’m fine with not getting in shape or being strong, however. We have to be strong and healthy so we can be there as best as we can for our little ones. Not to mention they watch everything we do, so we need to set a good example.

My stomach may never be as toned, and with the ab separation that still seems to be creating a weird hanging pouch when I do a plank, I can confidently say that it’ll never be the same again.

So let’s celebrate our changing bodies mommas! I wouldn’t have this new body if it weren’t for my baby girl, and I would rather have her a million times over than have a firmer stomach. It almost sounds silly to think about the things that were once so important to us before we became moms. I don’t want acceptance of my “mom bod” to be an excuse for complacency though. Everyday I get to work on gaining my strength back and being an example to my daughter on what good disciplines look like.

So moms, let’s encourage each other to embrace the “mom-strong” body we now have. Whether it looks like stretch marks and loose skin or wider hips that force us to size up in pants, we all have in common the strength that moms share. And for adoptive moms out there facing infertility struggles, this post is not meant to trigger negative emotions about what your body didn’t do for you, but instead celebrate the life that’s in your home and the love that you can shower your littles with because you are also incredibly strong.

Isla is 10 months old now, and I’ve got to say, I haven’t experienced what you would call “baby fever” yet. But what I have been feeling for the last month or so now is what I am calling “family fever”, meaning that I don’t necessarily want to go through having more babies so much as I am just so excited to have all my kids here with me (however many that may be) so that we can all be a complete family and my kids can begin growing up together. Planning for vacations would be easier for sure. Knowing how we will fit all our kids in our 3 bedroom home would also be nice—especially if we have more than 2-3 kids! Sometimes I think one more baby would be perfect. 2 kids. My husband and I wouldn’t be outnumbered, and they would have each other as best friends. Then I have days where I think I could handle 3, maybe 4, or more kids! What makes me think I can realistically handle this-I have no idea. All I know is I love my family. My baby that I have already, as well as my unborn children. My husband and I are having conversations about adoption as well and when that would take place down the road. With all these unknowns floating around in my head, I just have to pray that God captures my thoughts and helps me to enjoy today that I have with my Isla girl.

She most likely won’t be an only child forever, so why not spend as much time with her as I can! I know that I have family fever like crazy right now, but to wish away time is definitely not the answer. How do you guys deal with “baby” or “family” fever? I’d love to know your thoughts!

Before I got pregnant, during pregnancy, and after pregnancy, I haven’t changed my diet besides adjusting my caffeine intake. Over 2 years ago I cut out meat and dairy due to digestive issues I was experiencing, and I’ve never looked back! This post is not to say that this is what you should or should not eat, but rather to share what works for me personally, and if you have any questions, I’d love to answer them!

Before breakfast, I take my favorite probiotic, which is Good Belly. It’s non-dairy, and the flavors are delicious.

For breakfast, I have a bowl full of brown sugar oatmeal and sometimes a piece of toast as well if I’m extra hungry. Also, I can’t go without a cup of coffee! I just add stevia in the raw to sweeten it.

For lunch, I usually have a veggie burger, rice, and some sort of veggie like broccoli or green beans.

For an afternoon snack, I’ll try to go for fruit like banana or apple with peanut butter.

For dinner, I normally have a baked potato with lentil vegetable soup or a family fave which are sweet potato tacos. If you’re curious about these, let me know, and I’ll share how I make them!

For an evening snack, after I’ve put Isla to bed, I’ll have a cup of decaf coffee with half of a Lenny and Larry’s vegan protein cookie or a couple Biscoff cookies.

What I eat does not vary a whole lot, unless I’m going out to eat, and in that case, it just depends on the menu. But I can almost always find something to eat anywhere, and I honestly love my diet. When people ask if I miss eating steak or ice cream I can’t deny that it may smell or look delicious, but I know that how I feel outweighs any indulgences that I no longer give in to. Plus, there are so many dairy and meat free options now, that I hardly ever feel like I’m missing out!