Pregnancy Faves

This pregnancy has treated me very kindly; I will truly leave it behind with nothing but fond memories. Sure, I experienced moments that were less than flattering, but I'll even think upon those moments with a smile. If they brought me to this point, days away from meeting our precious twosome, then they were completely worth any discomfort, embarassment, or irritation.

So as I spend my final days in this "condition", as one elderly woman once said to me, I reflect upon the items that I came to appreciate over the last nine months. Some of these products were on my list of favorites prior to pregnancy, and some were new to me, but they all brought me happiness and comfort as I baked our babies.

1.  GAP Maternity:  I fell in love with the clothes sold at the GAP Maternity store (Mayfair, online) early in the pregnancy.  What I loved most about them was that they do not scream "MATERNITY!!!" as so many other maternity clothes seem to.  In fact, I have thought about wearing some of my favorite maternity items after pregnancy! 

2.  www.thebump.com and www.babycenter.com:  Before we announced the pregnancy to family and friends, I didn't have anyone to talk with about my symptoms and feelings (Well, there was Jim, but I don't think he really wanted to hear about some of my issues.).   Enter Baby Center and The Bump.  I quickly registered at both websites to gain access to articles, weekly pregnancy updates, and chat groups that connected me with other women with similar due dates.  To this day, I still check in regularly with both sites.



 3.  Starbucks Hot Cocoa:  Ahhh, Starbucks.  I'm convinced that they put crack in their beverages.  Before pregnancy, I stopped in at the local coffee shop for a steaming cup of a flavored mocha or a refreshing cup of green tea lemonade.  After learning that I was expecting, I could not possibly halt my frequent trips to Starbucks; instead, I changed my order.  True, there is probably a load of caffeine in their hot cocoa beverages, but I would like to think that there is less in the hot cocoa than in the mocha or green tea.  My favorite hot cocoa?  Salted Caramel.  So.  Good.

4.  Macaroni and Cheese:  Early in the pregnancy, the sight of meat repulsed me.  I didn't want anything to do with chicken, beef, or pork.  What I craved most was macaroni and cheese.  I ate it for lunch nearly every day for a while, and even came home some nights to eat it again for dinner!

5.  Ben, Jerry, and Edy:  If our children don't come out craving macaroni and cheese, they will definitely emerge from the womb with a hankering for one of these two frozen treats.  We all know about the infamous meltdown that I had when I found no Ben and Jerry's ice cream in our freezer (This would have been one of the less flattering moments that I had referred to earlier) and about Jim's heroic actions to remedy the situation.  Clearly, I had a problem.  Well, after polishing off the 5 (Yes, FIVE) pints of ice cream that he had bought for me, I seemed to have had enough of Ben and Jerry.  It was time to move on to a new man and a new frozen treat:  Edy's Fruit Bars.  The bars come in a variety of fruity flavors, but my favorite is the lime.  The bonus?  The fruit bars are fat free and are chock full of vitamin C!

6.  Messy Nest Necklace from The Vintage Pearl:  When I saw the Messy Nest Necklace online, I quickly added it to my Christmas wishlist.  Steve and Deb were kind enough to present it to me as a gift, and I've literally been wearing it ever since.  You can make your own necklace using the tutorial found here. 

7.  Words with Friends:  Back in January, I began playing Words with Friends after I had heard from others about the game.  For those of you that do not play, it is a virtual game of Scrabble played amongst friends.  Although I am not very good at the game, it has been fun to play when I wake up in the middle of the night.  I typically roll over, pick up my phone, and check to see what a friend's latest move was.  My only complaint about the game?  There's no "Flip the Board" button!  For those of you that know me, I'm awfully competitive and may not always accept losing well.  To this day, Jim will not play Scrabble with me because of the 1 time that I flipped the board, tiles and all, on him! 

8.  Pinterest:  I know, I know...you're sick and tired of my admiration for Pinterest.  Truly, though, the website connected me with a wealth of ideas for the nursery, baby products, and more.  Through the site, I found directions on how to make the fabric pom poms and the paper mache name letters that now hang in the nursery.  I discovered links to tips for photographing newborns and for revealing the babies' genders.  I've already begun to pin links to ideas to use once the babies are here...potty training and discipline advice, kid-friendly recipes, and more!