Pregnant, Overwhelmed, and Still Painting Baseboards

Feeling the Weight of the 5%

Okay, I’ll just say it — I’m lacking motivation. There. I said it.

Normally, by this point in pregnancy (hello, third trimester!), I’m deep in full-blown nesting mode — organizing, painting, tweaking, scrubbing — basically turning into a DIY tornado with a label maker. But this time? Nothing. Nada. Zip. And it’s not that I don’t have energy… it’s more like my motivation is just being crushed under the weight of all the things coming up.

I’m going to paint the picture for you (with a paintbrush that probably needs to be cleaned and put away, let’s be honest). But do not mistake this as a complaint. If anything, I feel an immense amount of gratitude to be on the cusp of so many exciting, life-altering changes coming our way. Instead, think of it more of an explanation for why I STILL haven’t finished Malcom’s room yet, since I get DM’s on the regular from people asking if they missed the reveal…. Don’t worry, I am very well aware how exceptionally blessed I am. And don’t worry, we are not planning to leave the next homeowners with half finished built-ins.

The Never-Ending Home Project List

We’re so close to finishing Malcolm’s room and wrapping up what I call the “last 5%” of so many projects. You know — paint touch-ups, missing outlet covers, vent covers, fixing a few grout spots, resealing our bathroom’s concrete countertops because the sealer we used turned out to be… not it. It’s not a massive list, but it feels heavy. Mentally heavy. And just knowing it’s all waiting for me? That’s enough to squash my usual go-getter DIY spirit.

The House Hunt (That’s Slowly Breaking My Brain)

We’ve been putting in offers left and right — strong offers! Over asking. Escalation clauses. Waived inspections. Love letters. Earnest money. All of it. And somehow, we’re still getting beat out by cash buyers or the most random things (like one offer beat us because they put down slightly more earnest money ). It’s a weird, exhausting game, and not knowing where we’re going next is making it hard for me to plan anything. Which, as you know, is my love language.

Meanwhile, This House Still Has to Be Sold…

Once we wrap up those last 5% of projects, we’ll need to purge, clean, stage, photograph — all the things — and get this house on the market. And then… the actual move. Which, side note, has gotten more complicated thanks to the military changing their relocation policy recently. So now we’re trying to figure out if we even want to go that route or just DIY the move ourselves. (Of course we would, right?)

Oh, and I’m Having a Baby Soon

Let’s not forget — somewhere in the middle of all this, I’m also going to have a baby. Just a casual addition to the to-do list. Baby boy will be here before we know it, and while June should be a little calmer with Stuart’s schedule (thankfully we planned it that way!), May is about to kick our butts.

Stuart’s about to start his final demanding rotation — ten days on, one day off, 12+ hour days — basically, he’ll be MIA the entire month. So yep, I’ll be 9 months pregnant, holding down the fort, and trying not to go full feral while solo-parenting. I mean, I’ve never been one to go feral but if there ever was a time to do it, I think it’d be in May.

Upcoming Travel + Work Things

And because I’m nothing if not wildly overbooked, I’ve got three back-to-back trips coming up: a wedding in Utah, a work event the week after, and then another right after that. Cue the mental packing, prep, and pre-trip anxiety that always seems to hit hardest when you’re least able to deal with it.

Everyday Life Still Has to Happen

Homeschooling the girls, keeping the house semi-clean, feeding people three times a day (ugh, why so often??), and parenting Malcolm — who is currently in a very assertive “I do it MYSELF” phase — is taking up 98% of my brainpower. If dad’s home, great. If not? It’s mom or bust. The boy is a stage-five clinger right now.

And Then There’s The Business

I haven’t even touched on content creation — but that’s still running in the background of my brain like an open tab I never get around to clicking. I’ve got team members I love and want to support, and while I haven’t been producing as much as usual, the pressure to keep things moving forward is always there.

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So yeah. That’s where I’m at right now. I repeat, I’m not complaining — I truly do love my life and I know how lucky I am. But I’m sharing this because maybe you’re feeling a little “off” too, and you can’t quite put your finger on why. 

I think I might be missing the part of my brain that says, “WARNING: STRESS INCOMING” because I can be in the thick of a stressful circumstance and still never have a conscious realization that I’m overwhelmed.

Sometimes overwhelm doesn’t feel like overwhelm. It just feels like… nothing. Like you’re moving in slow motion when your brain knows you’ve got a million things to do.

Maybe this is my body’s way of forcing me to slow down. Maybe it’s quiet stress. Or maybe it’s just pregnancy hormones doing their thing. Who knows?

But for now, I’m taking it one bite-sized task at a time. One outlet cover. One closet purge. One deep breath. Maybe even one hour (or two) mindlessly scrolling Pinterest for inspo on the next house that we don’t own yet. We’ll get there.

If you’re in the thick of it too, just know you’re not alone.