Things I'm Loving As a Preggo...

Through trial/error (and more trials), and recommendations from friends, I've discovered some items I could not have lived without through my pregnancy. This is really going to be more of a list than an actual blog post, but for those who are interested here they are:

1. Bella Bands: These were a Godsend when I was starting to grow out of my jeans/shorts, I even use them now (at 37 weeks) to add length to shirts I wear or to cover the belly bands of my jeans.
2. Drawstring Pants/Sweat pants: I still can (just barely) wear my pre-preg pants. These have literally carried me all the way through this pregnancy. Add to the fact that they're lightweight is a bonus (especially in Charleston, SC)
3. Maternity Jeans: buy at least 2 but make sure they have stretch to them. I bought 1 skinny pair which did not have any stretch at all and have kicked myself for not checking before I bought them; I was only able to wear them for a couple months. I also bought 1 boot cut pair, which I wear all the time.
4. Long/blousy shirts: note I did not say maternity shirts. I would say that 90% of the tops I've worn throughout this time have not been maternity. That being said I'm very lucky that the trends were such that I could get away w/ this...but just keep your eyes open because maternity anything will be more expensive than the non-maternity counterpart. Also don't be afraid to look in the larger sizes.
   
5. Body Pillow/Back Pillow: if you want to see me sleeping soundly (minus the multiple trips to the bathroom) you will find me cuddled up with these (much to my husband's chagrin). To keep them together, I made what my hubby calls the "contraption". Sounds like a torture devise but really it's just 2 pillow cases that I've cut/sewn together. I tried multiple pillows and this was the only thing that works for me.
   
6. Husband/Boyfriend Pillow: This is that pillow that looks like the top half of a chair. It's what keeps our fairly deep sofa comfy for me to sit in. When you get bigger you begin to feel like a turtle on it's back so getting up from a laying down, or in this case, sitting position takes some shimmying. This kind of helps me get to that point without causing an electrical fire with the static from my rear end.
7. Maternity Underwear: I'm actually kind of on the fence w/ this one. I got some and thought they were great until they started to unravel. I'm not a small girl, so just getting larger underpants wasn't exactly easy, but if you can-I say go for that instead of the maternity kind.
8. Freezable Dinners: This you can do on your own or do what I did. I went to Dream Dinners and made several meals to be stored in our freezer until after our baby comes. This way we still have home-cooked meals we can pull from the freezer, heat and eat-even husbands can do it!
   
9. Water Alarm: I've set 3 alarms on my cell phone to remind me to drink/refill my 32oz cup of water throughout the day. I'm always forgetting and these little alarms help me drink up my water quota.
10. Water bottle/cup.
    
11. Spa Day: if you can or at least a mani or pedi. I got a spa day from my parents for my birthday last year and decided to hold off on using it until I really needed it (which was last week). It was wonderfully relaxing and I'm so glad I was able to take the day for myself.
12. Slip-on Shoes: Believe me when I tell you that when the baby bump has turned into a mountain you will love those slip-ons. Putting on socks and tying shoe laces are a pregnant woman's nemesis.
13. A Digital Camera: I don't know a single person who doesn't have one, but if you're still holding out, now is the time to get one! I've used mine to cronicle my growing belly.
    
14. An Awesome Partner: Or someone you can lean on...all of these things are great, but without my amazing hubby I'd be sunk. He's always helping me out one way or another and almost never complains (and believe me, I've had my moments where "Michelle isn't here anymore"). Whether it's cleaning the toilets or rubbing my feet, I could not have gone through this pregnancy without him.
    

Is scared the right word?

This past Saturday some dear friends threw me a baby shower. I had a great time and really enjoyed seeing my friends and of course the gifts were awesome! I felt blessed to have so many people share in this special time.

Now, the thank you notes have been written and B and I went through all the goodies to organize C's room. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little worried. Not about the delivery, rather what comes next...caring for our little guy. I guess you could say that I'm an instructions and lists sort of girl, as long as I've got something to reference I feel I can do a "job" adequately. Well, I've read and am in the middle of reading books on babies but I still have feelings of apprehension. I've got more questions than I do answers and I'm not going to lie, I'm scared.

I've got all these great things, but with some of them, I have no idea when to introduce them to our baby or even how to use them. I don't know if sterilizing a bottle or pacifier means running them through the dish washer or if I need to boil them (and if so for how long?). Should I leave the bumpers on the crib or should I remove them? How do I know what toys to give him? And what about pumping, when do I start doing that? I'm an only child so I have never really spent much time with infants or babies and the time I have spent with the moms has been maybe a couple hours. I feel like I'm going into this HUGE job of being a mommy completely blind; like I should have been shadowing and "expert" before I get handed the little guy who's been living and growing inside me all these months and who will be completely dependent on me.