What's in Baby's Hospital Bag

I have read lists, after lists, and blogs after blogs about what everyone puts in their baby's hospital bags. Of course it ranges from someone bringing a whole bunch of stuff, to someone bringing just the baby's take home outfit. Which both to me makes sense. Because yes, the hospital will provide everything that baby will need those few days in the hospital. But some people want to bring what they will be using for their baby. Packing a bag for baby is a good idea because you will already have the diaper bag packed and ready to go. 

I honestly couldn't wait to pack her diaper bag! And I'm one of those parents who will want their baby in my stuff from the beginning. And maybe some of you are second time moms are will probably roll their eyes and think I'm crazy for bringing all this stuff for my baby. But hey, you live and you learn! If I'm bringing to much then I will know for the next baby what to bring. Also, every hospital provides different things. 

I finished (I think) packing her hospital/diaper bag about a few weeks ago. So I decided to share what's going into her bag, so maybe it'll help some of you with what to put in your diaper bags! 

 Inside her diaper bag

 Wipe case, extra wipes, pacifier, and newborn diapers.

 Newborn diapers are the absolute cutest little things. 

 I bringing two sleepers. The right one is size 0-3 months, and the light pink is newborn. Since I don't know how big she'll be I want to have one that she'll fit into comfortably. 

 This is her maybe take home outfit. I haven't fully decided because I have another idea but I just haven't bought it yet. So if I don't get around to it. This is what we will be bringing her home in. Not pictured, a mint crochet hat with a bow that my mom is making for her. 

A receiving blanket, regular blanket, two pairs of mittens, and an extra pair of socks.

I feel that the receiving blanket is a must because I would rather swaddle her in a blanket from home, than in one from the hospital. Everything I have read, they always say to bring mittens! Because their tiny little nails are so sharp and you don't want them scratching themselves. 

It doesn't seem like to much that I'm bringing. And I honestly don't think it's a lot. There might be a few more things that end up in her bag. But for now this is what I have packed. 

I'm still working on mine and my hubby's hospital bag. It's almost finished! But there are a few things I still need to get before I'm done with it. Once I finish it, I'll defiantly show you what's in ours. 

<3 

Preggie App Review (Enter to win a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro Tablet!)

When I first found out I was pregnant, I downloaded so many pregnancy apps. But I have only used one or two out of the handful I downloaded. 

A week ago I was contacted my Preggie to try out their new app and write a review. Of course I jumped on this opportunity! Since I love finding new pregnancy apps. 

I don't know about you, but for me when I try a new app I always want it to be easy to understand. I hate downloading an app and it's way to confusing..which some pregnancy apps I've tried were way to confusing so I ended up deleting them. 

The Preggie app is pretty straightforward and easy to understand. And did I mention that this app is FREE! Most nice pregnancy apps you have to pay for and that really turns me off. So that's another plus in my book. As soon as you download it you create an account and it takes you to the homepage. 

You also have a timeline..that shows people all in your country that you choose and what they're posting. You can also follow others, so if you find someone who is close to how many weeks you are, you can follow them. 

You can also choose from different categories to read if you don't want so many different posts. 

The weekly updates are so fun and informative too! The main reason why I don't use just one app, is because most apps are a little different in what they explain that goes on in a new week.

A cool feature that I haven't tried yet, is you can chat with people who you follow. Even though I haven't tried it, I think it's a really cool feature that most apps don't have. 

The app is really laid out nice and just is really easy to use. You don't really have to guess where or what things are. 

Another awesome feature that the app has that a lot of others don't. Is called Live Moderation, users can tag @preggie in their posts asking just about anything and they're always there to help. 

I have only had the app for about a week. And only made one post but it's really interactive. A lot of people will comment/like your post. Most apps that I'm a part of I've seen some posts go unnoticed. If someone asked a question, no one would comment. But this app people seem more willing to help someone out or comment on their post. Which I really like that. It feels more like a community than a forum. 

**My one suggestion would be to make more categories based on pregnancy and babies. Like first, second, and third trimester topics. Let people create groups based on their due date. I have found that I really enjoy being part of groups with others that are due when I am. 

Overall I wish I had this app in the beginning of my pregnancy. But it's not just for pregnancy. Their are also moms on there. So you have support during your pregnancy and after the baby is here. I plan on keeping this app downloaded and I look forward to more changes and updates as it progresses! If you're pregnant, just had a baby, or even have a few kids, I recommend downloading this app and trying it! 

Want another reason to download the app? You could win a Lenovo Yoga 2 Tablet Pro! Who doesn't love a giveaway! All you have to do is download the Preggie App and invite your mom & mom-to-be friends! The drawing for the tablet is September 10th...so hurry and download the app and invite your friends. App is available for apple and android! 

More info on the giveaway: http://blog.preggieapp.com/2015/08/win-a-lenovo-yoga-2-pro-tablet-with-preggie/

Hope you enjoy it

<3 

Link to the Preggie website: http://preggieapp.com

34 Weeks

34 weeks!
Baby is the size of a butternut squash...have you seen those? Those aren't tiny by any means..
I now start my WEEKLY doctor appointments. Which is crazy because it has come so soon.
Also babies born at 34 weeks and on usually have no health problems. Which is defiantly a relief. But little girl can stay in there longer for sure!

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain: I honestly don't have much of a clue. I forget what I weigh after each appointment! And quite frankly when I step on a scale...my belly is in the way and I can't see! 

Maternity clothes? Defiantly, I want to be comfortable these last few weeks.  

Stretch marks? Not yet! Still applying Vitamin E oil and Palmer's Stretch mark lotion every morning and night. 

Sleep: It would be great if I didn't have to wake up and pee so much. I tried to stop drinking water around 7 pm. But I am just so thirsty all the time that I've given up and just drink as much as want. Either way I still have to pee. 

Best moment of this week: Completing a few to-do lists! I have her hospital bag all packed and ready to go, just need to finish ours. 

Miss anything? Feeling comfortable and being able to sleep all night long. 

Movement: Yes! I there's nothing better <3 Even with her kicks feeling pretty painful, I still enjoy them. 

Food cravings: Iced coffee....well more specific. Starbuck's Caramel Ribbon Crunch...oh it is heaven in a cup. Other than that I really don't have any food cravings. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.  

Gender: A sweet baby girl! 

Labor signs: Nothing except braxton hicks contractions

Symptoms:  Sore back and my sciatic nerve seem to be acting up. I go to the Chiropractor every other week and it does help. Heartburn that is awful...I have to chew about 4 tums to calm it down. My favorite is waking up in the middle of the night with a burning sensation in my throat.

Belly button in or out? It's still an innie-outie but more on the flat side. But it pops out when she's laying right there. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and off. If I'm at home I won't wear them. But when I go out I will because I just hate not having anything on my finger. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy. But I do have mood swings that occur once in awhile. 

Looking forward to: September! It's going to be a pretty busy month between more baby showers and birthdays. My sister-in-law and I are planning our other sister-in-laws baby sprinkle and I'm SO excited to see how it's going to turn out. It's a surprise theme so I can't really share any details yet. AND it's the last full month until we meet our little girl!! 

33 Weeks

33 Weeks!
Baby is the size of a cauliflower or a cantaloupe. and weighs anywhere from 4 to 4 1/2 lbs. 


I haven't talked about something they found at my 20 week appointment because they said it really wasn't an issue unless nothing changed in 10 weeks. So therefore I didn't feel the need to bring it up. At my 20 week appointment everything was good with baby but they found my placenta was to close to my cervix...which means when the day came for delivery I wouldn't be able to push the baby out so I would have to schedule a c-section. Which is something I did worry about because I just don't want a c-section. I know things happen and  who knows I may have to get one. But I rather it not be planned. Which sounds weird but that's just how I feel about it. Anyways over the past 10 weeks I just had a good feeling that it would move up. Plus the doctors told me that 98% of the time it moves on its own. So we got good news Friday that everything looks good! Even though I had a feeling, it was really nice to get good news that I'm good to go! 
Besides the good news, we of course got to see our little girl. And had it confirmed that she is indeed still a girl...hey I've heard stories so I just need reassurance! But the ultrasound tech did a few 3D shots by surprise and it was so amazing. Seeing our little girl just makes it all more real. During the whole ultrasound she wouldn't keep her hands out of her mouth and away from her face. No matter what I did to try and get her to move. She's defiantly a little stubborn girl. 
So here's a glimpse at our little girl

You can see her little mouth open and she has her arm and hand going right for it. Of course I got teary eyed as we watched her on the screen and realizing that in just 7 weeks we will get to see her face and kiss those cheeks is just an indescribable feeling. 

I made a separate post sharing my baby shower here!

How far along? 33 Weeks

Total weight gain: I honestly don't have much of a clue. I forget what I weigh after each appointment! 

Maternity clothes? Defiantly, I want to be comfortable these last few weeks.  

Stretch marks? Not yet! Still applying Vitamin E oil and Palmer's Stretch mark lotion. 

Sleep: It would be great if I didn't have to wake up and pee so much. And with waking up at 5 am just doesn't make for a good nights sleep. 

Best moment of this week: Getting a surprise 3D ultrasound! And of course just seeing our little girl, getting completely pampered, and my baby shower! I had quite an eventful but amazing weekend. 

Miss anything? Feeling comfortable and being able to sleep all night long. 

Movement: Yes! I there's nothing better <3 

Food cravings: I still don't have any cravings right now. I can't think of a single food that I could really go for. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.  

Gender: A sweet baby girl! 

Labor signs: Nothing except braxton hicks contractions

Symptoms: Sore back and ribs. Just feeling uncomfortable especially in the evenings. I have also had a lot of congestion and my sinuses have been killing me. I don't know if it's the weather or just pregnancy since that can happen. 

Belly button in or out? It's still an innie-outie but more on the flat side. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and off. If I'm at home I won't wear them. But when I go out I will because I just hate not having anything on my finger. 

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm pretty happy for the most part! Except if I'm tired or uncomfortable. Then I can be a little moody. 

Looking forward to: Checking off all of the things on our list that need done before she's here! I'm almost done...we just need a few more things. 

Pink and Gold Princess Baby Shower

This past weekend I had my baby shower. But before that I got to get pampered. And I highly recommend to ALL pregnant woman out there....get a prenatal massage and a pedicure. Seriously you will feel amazing. My husband and his parents got me a gift certificate to Warm Springs Spa and I decided to use it the day of my shower. I can't tell you how nice it is to be pampered when you just feel pretty uncomfortable all the time. Also...I can barely paint my toes so having them done for me was perfect and will last until I have her. 

My baby shower was perfect and adorable! I didn't know any of the details except for where it was and the time. My parents hosted my shower in their backyard and it was beautiful. I was worried about the heat since of course I'm hotter than normal and it was one of the hotter days this summer. But since it was evening and they have lots of shade it wasn't to bad. Here are a few pictures from my shower...I can't share some of the ones with the details because they have her name in them and we aren't publicly announcing her name until she's born. So here's a few of my "Pink and Gold Princess Baby Shower" 

Enjoy! 

 The four amigos....I mean preggos ;) 

All of us are due in the span of a month and half...lots of new babies to welcome!

 Amazing macaroons made especially for me <3

Tables sparkled with gold glitter

  

 The guestbook is "The Princess and the Pea" 

Guests signed the book and wrote little wishes in it for her. It actually brought me to tears reading everything that people have said to her. I seriously can't wait for her to be able to read and understand what it says! She is indeed OUR princess. 

My sister-in-law made a watermelon baby carriage. So cute

Have to be goofy with my sister-in-laws! 

I had such an amazing evening celebrating our princess! A special thank you to everyone who helped put it all together. It was beautiful! Also a special thank you to everyone who came, we are so grateful for all the wonderful gifts we received. This baby girl is SO loved!

<3

32 Weeks

32 Weeks!
8 more to go! 
Little miss is the size of a squash...and is defiantly squashing my insides ;) 
I am getting more anxious about getting everything prepared for her arrival that I seem to have the need to clean and organize everything. I guess nesting is in full swing! 

Wearing Pink Blush Maternity top. Super soft and light. Defiantly recommend this brand to any pregnant ladies out there! Everything is so cute and comfortable. And when you're pregnant and feeling far from cute...you need clothes that make you feel pretty! 










How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain: I've stopped paying to much attention. My doctor said that my weight gain is good and that's all that matters. 

Maternity clothes? Defiantly, I want to be comfortable these last few weeks.  

Stretch marks? Not yet! Still applying Vitamin E oil and Palmer's Stretch mark lotion. 

Sleep: Off and on. I can have a few nights where I can sleep for a few hours at a time before waking up. But others where I'm up every hour. I'm pretty sure it's preparing me to have a newborn :) 

Best moment of this week: Learning that she's head down and in position already! 

Miss anything? Feeling comfortable and being able to sleep all night long. 

Movement: Yes! I always love feeling her movements. And they're stronger and will move my whole belly sometimes. 

Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week. I still prefer some foods over others. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: A few smells have seem to started to bother me again. 

Gender: A sweet baby girl! 

Labor signs: Nothing except braxton hicks contractions

Symptoms: Sore hips, back, and ribs. Defiantly dealing with heartburn again. I'm starting to have shortness of breath sometimes. Also super thirsty...not sure if it's a symptom but I could just drink cold water all day long. 

Belly button in or out? It's still an innie-outie but more on the flat side. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and off. If I'm at home I won't wear them. But when I go out I will because I just hate not having anything on my finger. 

Happy or moody most of the time: If I'm tired I can be pretty moody. But otherwise pretty happy, 

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound tomorrow and my baby shower Saturday! 

Maternity Photoshoot

Sharing a few of our maternity photos. They turned out so well! All day I was stressing on what to wear, well because I've never had maternity photos taken before! Then it hit me, go for simple and classic, and show off the bump. Because well that's what maternity photos are all about! 

Thank you so much to the husband and wife team at Brandt Family Media that took our pictures. It was so fun working with them! And I've known Steph and Adam ever since I was little so it was pretty neat to have them shoot our maternity session. 

I loved our photos and it was hard to choose a favorite! 

Enjoy :)