40 Weeks

We are officially at 40 weeks and eagerly awaiting baby girl's arrival! The hospital bags are packed, the carseat is installed, and the smell of Dreft fills the air every time we open the nursery closet. I am so grateful that we were able to capture these pictures back when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Franzi, one of the photographers from Deer Baby Photo, did a beautiful job photographing my growing baby bump. We can't wait for her to take photos of our newborn very soon!

Time to eat some more spicy foods and take a long walk... come on, baby!

My Top Ten Pregnancy Products (so far)

We are officially over halfway through our pregnancy! It is hard to believe I have already been pregnant for 22 weeks with our baby girl. Over my first and second trimesters I tried out a lot of pregnancy products to alleviate my symptoms. After hours of online research, reading, and trial, here are my top ten pregnancy products so far... 

1. Honest Company Organic Belly Balm: My mom sent this balm in a care package right after I told her I was expecting and I have been using it ever since. I love how it smells and absorbs into my skin. I use it every night after my shower and before bed- it is one of my favorite pregnancy rituals! 
2. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula: I couldn't stand the smell of this lotion during my first trimester (anything sweet made me feel nauseous), but I am liking it now that my morning sickness has past. I use this every morning on my belly after showing; it is more absorbent than the balm and perfect to use before getting dressed for work. 
3. Snoogle Total Body Pillow: Emily gave me this pillow for my birthday and I love it! It helps me stay on my side while sleeping and is super supportive. I think I might continue using it postpartum because I like it so much. 
4. Blanqi Maternity Belly Support Leggings: My mom bought me a pair of these leggings on Black Friday and I immediately got a second pair! They are comfortable, supportive, and opaque. A lot of my friends had complained about their maternity leggings being see through, so I was so excited to be gifted these right away. I have been recommending them to all of my pregnant friends- they are worth the investment! 
5. Kiss My Face Break Out Botanical Acne Gel: My skin has been an absolute nightmare since getting pregnant. People say that girls tend to make you break out more, and I would have to agree 100%! This gel has been helping, along with a few other treatments including this cream. 
6. Mama Mio Gorgeous Glow 3-Step Set: I purchased this set as a safe alternative for some of the products I used before conceiving. I really like how the lotion and face wash smells, despite what some of the reviews online said. I also love the eye cream and use it daily! 
7. Gin Gins Original Chewy Ginger Candy: During my first trimester I was most nervous about getting sick on my hour long subway commutes to and from work. I always had ice cold water and dry cereal with me to cure my nausea. I also loved having ginger chews and Preggie Pops at all times. They really helped! I am happy to report that I made it through my entire first trimester without throwing up (even though I often felt like I needed to!). 
8. Designs for Health Prenatal Pro Essential Packets: I take one or two of these vitamin packs every day. Brian is a health educator for Designs for Health, so I feel very confident about this product! So many vitamins are packed with unhealthy ingredients; it is nice to know that these are natural and high quality. 
9. Glow Nurture- Pregnancy Tracker: I have used this app throughout my entire pregnancy. It allows you to track a ton of symptoms, along with your daily weight and vitamin intake. It helps me remember to take my vitamins every day and provides a lot of information about how I am feeling based on what I log. 
10. Apple TV: Okay, I admit this is not be a pregnancy product. But we got two Apple TVs soon after I got pregnant and they have made my weeknights and weekends so enjoyable! It is amazing being able to stream HBO Go, Netflix, and YouTube at 1080p. I love watching concerts on YouTube while I lesson plan and catch up on work at home! 

Moms, what are some of your favorite pregnancy products? I still have 18 weeks to go! 

*This is not a sponsored post. These are all products I use and love. 

First comes love, then comes marriage...

...then comes baby! We are 16 weeks along now and are all so excited to welcome Baby L. at the end of May.

Blogging was extremely challenging during my first trimester, hence the lack of posts for since September. Honestly all I could think about was sleeping. I slept more in those first 12 weeks than I have in my entire life! I was very grateful that my nausea never resulted in throwing up. I was so nervous about my two hour commute on the subway each day- the smells and crowds often make me feel sick even when I am not pregnant! But luckily I survived with lots of ice cold water, ginger chews, and Preggie Pop drops. I am feeling much better now and am more energetic every day.

If you have any must-have pregnancy or baby product recommendations please leave them in the comments below. We are creating our registries now and are a bit overwhelmed!