I decided to document our pregnancy as a way to get all my feelings and emotions out and to later look and remember this beautiful time in our lives while noticing the differences and similarities with our first pregnancy. I hope you enjoy if you decide to follow along on this life changing journey.

This week has been a little busy especially dealing with the after affects of Tropical Storm Harvey. We were extremely fortunate enough to not have any damage or flooding in our home but the anxiety alone of the possibility made it a tough week as well as helping family members who did get flooding in their homes. However, we are finally back to normal around our household so we can focus on getting last minute things done before baby boy's arrival. I finally got majority of his clothes hung up however we do not have a dresser for him so all his pjs, socks, bibs, etc are in a pampers box for the meantime. I have also created a hospital bag checklist that I still need to actually pack and I plan to share that with you all in the next few weeks but for the meantime you can see what we took to the hospital when we were expecting Sophia. I also still need to register for the hospital but we have been waiting due to some insurance stuff going on but that is also on the checklist for this week. It already sounds like another busy week but I do enjoy it as all these things are a reminder of the gift we are about to welcome into our lives.

We did have our 32 week appointment on Friday and baby boy is still doing great. Strong heartbeat and lots of moving around despite being cramped inside my tummy. My blood pressure is also still doing great, praise the Lord, and continuing to pray that it stays normal. With Sophia I had late onset preeclampsia which is a worry of mine during this pregnancy. 

Overall, I am still having a hard time sleeping comfortably but at this point it is just preparing me for the sleepless nights to come with a new little baby in my arms and that will definitely make all this discomfort and exhaustion worth it.

Sophie the Giraffe – I am pretty sure everyone has heard all the rage about the Sophie the Giraffe teether but I also know once you see the price for it, there is hesitation. There was for us. But we still bought it and gave it a try and I am so glad we did. It is the only teether Sophia has ever had and used. It is that good. So think of how much money you spend buying those $2-$3 teethers and you probably bought about 10-15 to find the right one with no luck. Well you just spent the same amount of money on various others teethers when you can spend that same amount or less for just one teether. Also, if you follow the proper cleaning and care instructions that come with your Sophie you won’t have any mold issues. That whole situation really is a user error and not a product error.

The Ollie World Swaddle – I am super excited to try this swaddle out. Newborn babies have a moro reflex, or a startle reflex, that can wake them if they are sleeping so swaddling a newborn baby helps the baby feel secure and to not wake up. Sophia always broke at least one hand out of her swaddles (we used standard cotton swaddles and muslin swaddles) and would wake up every time she had a startle reflex. The Ollie Swaddle has velcro closure on the sides that help keep the Ollie secure and it has easy access to change diapers through the opening at the bottom which allows for diaper changes without having to unswaddle and reswaddle.  (If you use my referral link, you will receive 10% off all products at Ollie World - offer expires 09/07/2017)

Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock – Having a newborn and a toddler doesn’t leave much room in a shopping cart when you have to get out to the store so I am excited to be able to try out the Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock. You strap the hammock onto the cart and you can place either your carseat (no waking the baby, yay!) onto the Binxy hammock or you can put your infant in the hammock as there is a buckle for either way you decide to use it. This is definitely a product I wish I had with just one kid but so glad I found it now that I will be having two! (If you use my referral link, you will receive 10% off all products at Binxy Baby)

Since some of these products are new to me, I will be doing a more in depth review of each one once we get to try them out with baby boy. Crazy to think we only have about 8 weeks left, give or take!!

When Sophia was first born, I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked when it came to breastfeeding. I was induced three weeks early due to preeclampsia (read her birth story here) and I thought I had more time to get what I needed but birth doesn't always go as planned so you just roll with it. 
1. Nursing Pillow - Nursing pillows are great support for your arms when holding that little babe up to nurse at the breast but it can also support your arms if you bottle feed as well. I also heard that a nursing pillow is great if you have a C-Section as it can help relieve the pressure on your incision site when you are holding your baby. The one I have is discontinued but the Boppy Nursing Pillows are the most popular on the market. Plus, you can find tons of small shops that make custom slip covers that can fit your taste and nursery decor.

2. Milkies Milk-Saver - I have just heard about this product and I can not believe I didn't know about this sooner. I was a leaky mess with Sophia. So bad that I had to stuff my bra with cloth diapers and I still leaked through those. Imagine how much milk I could have saved if I would have had this!? It is definitely a must have now that I know about it.

3. Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - If you have been around my blog, you know my love for this book. I even did a book review here. It is a must have for any momma considering breastfeeding as it is super informative and helps debunk a lot of the misconceptions there is out there on breastfeeding.

4. Washable Nursing Pads - As I mentioned, I leaked a lot when I breastfed Sophia however not everyone leaks a crazy amount like I did, in fact some women don't leak at all but in case you do leak, having washable nursing pads available are helpful to prevent having wet spots on your shirt. I have the Medela ones and they are extremely soft and they come with a laundry bag which helps reduce the chances of losing one. I also use the laundry bag to contain them in the diaper bag.

5. Nipple Cream - I used the samples my hospital provided and those lasted me so I never had to invest in nipple cream but also I didn't need to use the nipple cream as much as other breastfeeding moms did. I guess constantly leaking helped prevent me from get dried out nipples. However, I am planning to use Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil if I do need a cream for my nipples this time around since I already have it on hand and it is natural compared to lanolin. I also use coconut oil to moisturize my growing tummy - I did this for my pregnancy with Sophia and now with baby boy. Plus one container has lasted me an entire pregnancy and some so more bang for your buck going this route.

6. Nursing Bra/Tank - I have used nursing tanks, nursing sleep bras, nursing sports bra, and everyday nursing bras however I still haven't found the perfect everyday nursing bra yet so I am on the hunt for one and actually plan to write a post going into more depth of why you need different types of nursing bras. For the mean time, any nursing bra will work and help make breastfeeding easier. I have heard great things about the Bravado brand (I plan to try them out next) so maybe start there.