I knew early on in my second pregnancy that I was having a girl. I just knew it. The give-away? It was the acne (this 3-product regimen by Murad was my lifesaver, I only wish I’d discovered it earlier on in my pregnancy), the crazy hair (this product by Kerastase became my other lifesaver) that was breaking off at all angles and was brittle as brittle could be. I was ugly. For nine months, I was just plain ugly. And you know that old wives’ tale, right? The one that says that girl’s steal their mother’s beauty while in the uterus? Well, it couldn’t have been more true than it was with me.

Everyone told me I was having a boy, and I started to believe it (trust me, no one was more shocked than my husband was when the doctor pulled her out and she was A GIRL). Maybe I even just assumed this baby would be a boy, because I grew up with a brother. But there was still that nagging feeling inside of me (and my outward appearance) that spoke to a girl. In any event, we chose not to find out her sex, we wanted the surprise. Our first, Sweet Pea, was a surprise, too, although again, my husband was convinced she was a girl. At least he got that one right. (Funny aside: shortly after Little Bean came out, my husband said “Oh my God, now we have to pay for TWO WEDDINGS!) Mind you, my husband is delighted to be the daddy of two little girls. And I always knew deep in my heart that he was meant to raise girls. He is so amazing with them.

But now that Coco is 6 weeks old, I’m starting to slowly get myself back. The skin is clear (I’m now using this 3-product regimen from Murad to deal with the aftermath of the breakouts), the hair is getting back under control and I am committed to regaining my pre-pregnancy body. It feels good to get back to me. It feels good to drink a cup of coffee again. It feels good to sleep on my stomach again. It feels good to not pop Tums like my life depended on those chalky little sweet-tarts (you know, heartburn). And oh, it feels sooo good to be able to take a long, hot bath again. Yum.