I've had my share of awkward encounters, with the unsolicited belly touch to the wise predictions of the baby's gender after careful scrutinization of my stomach.* 

But the most interesting interaction I have had is with a woman who I worked with, but hadn't seen in some time. The first thing she did when she saw me was mime a baby bump, and when I confirmed that yes, I wasn't just bloated, she proceeded to have a very real conversation with me.

Her: Wow, I didn't even recognize you. Your face is so big.
(She isn't a first language English speaker, so by "big" I believe she meant swollen. An observation I had recently made myself - my lips are twice their normal size, but unfortunately so is my nose.)

Her: You must be having a girl because they say the girls always steal the mother's beauty.
(I think this may be a Russian belief, I haven't heard of this before.)

    

I didn't find her comments offensive as much as intriguing. I get told I'm glowing every day, but I know  it's because I'm wearing concealer and foundation - which I normally don't. My skin has actually been terrible in this pregnancy - does this indicate the gender of my child? I'm skeptical because I'm already mom to a lovely young lady, and I positively glowed like a halogen lamp during that pregnancy. This time around, my regular products are failing me miserably. My skin is dry and dull. My under eye bags have bags. I haven't exactly broken out, but I have bumps on my skin. 

It's like everything is too harsh but not enough all of a sudden.

So with that in mind, I've come up with an at-home scrub you can find in your kitchen. 

Sugar Scrub

I love using all-natural ingredients on my face. The brown sugar exfoliates while the honey and milk moisturize and soften your skin. And the rose water soothes and reduces any redness while making your face smell ah-may-zing! I've used this scrub twice in the last week and I feel fresh after every use. I also think it's definitely helped in reducing the swelling in my face slightly.

*Here, I would just like to voice my vehement dislike for nicknames for my baby: Bump, Pickle, Nubbin - stop calling it weird words, it's a baby. Call it a baby!