Five Faves!

I want to share with all of my readers my five most favorite things that I have or like to do so you can get to know me a bit! :)

1. Michael Kors..everything!
~I am a bit obsessed with the Michael Kors brand! Purses are my absolute weakness, but I do love the sunglasses and wallets as well.

2. Renovation shows on HGTV
~ I could watch these shows all day long! Property Brothers and Flip or Flop are my favorites. I learn so much from those shows in hopes of renovating my own home in the near future!

3. Shopping!
~ I feel like this is a typical girl thing..but I love to shop! I could do it everyday. Some of my favorite things to shop for are: baby things, clothes, purses (MK), makeup (Sephora and ULTA), electronics, jewelry (Pandora), shoes..pretty much anything. :)

4. Cats
~ I am a complete and total cat lady. Totally obsessed.

5. My Cell Phone
~ My cell phone is so important to me right now because it is my only way of communication with my husband, who is currently deployed! You will never catch me without it in hand.

~~~Wife and Mommy-To-Be~~~

Dealing with "Baby Brain"

Any of you women who have been pregnant know exactly what I am talking about when I say baby brain. And for those of you who have not been pregnant before and have no clue what I am talking about, let me explain it to you!

Baby brain is just another lovely thing that comes along with pregnancy, and let me tell you..for being a type of person who loves being on top of things and loves having control over a situation..baby brain is not on my "Top Things I Love About Being Pregnant" list..as are many other things that I am not going to go on about. My experience with baby brain is basically feeling like a lost lunatic! And that's no joke. I feel like I cannot remember a thing to save my life, I have to write every piece of information down or else I forget it. I have done things that I could never explain what was going on in my head to anyone..You feel like you're constantly in a fog, or a different world from everyone else. It's not fun! So, here is my advice to you to try and overcome this (even though I'm pretty sure it is impossible to actually overcome baby brain) as best as possible!

Step One: WRITE IT OUT

Seriously, write everything down and write it in detail! I know from personal experience that if you don't write down the details, you will never remember them again. So, get a planner, a notebook, sticky notes, a calendar..anything where you can write down dates, times, notes, etc. and avoid having to come up with an excuse as to why you missed your family dinner last night or your grandmother's birthday party two weeks ago.

Step Two: Stay Calm

It is definitely very stressful dealing with baby brain. Especially when you miss something important like paying a bill. But the best advice I can give to you is to stay calm about it. Don't stress out because you already have enough on your plate and being a stress ball is not good for you or baby! Just tell yourself that this is just a phase and you will get used to it over time. Don't worry..you're not the only one!

Step Three: Just Explain Yourself

Although people may look at you like you're insane when you tell them you have self-diagnosed yourself with baby brain..tell them anyways. Explain to them what you're going through and chances are you will be forgiven! People understand that you're going through a lot being pregnant, especially if this is your first pregnancy. And your husband will probably never truly believe you, but what do men really know anyways? 

Even if "baby brain" may not be an actual sickness..the real thing is that you're pregnant, stressed, exhausted, scared and preoccupied which is completely understandable. Talk yourself through it and understand that you really aren't crazy..you're simply just pregnant. :) Don't forget to ask for help when you need it either! Stressing yourself out with a full schedule each day of the week is not what you need right now. If the dishes need done but you would rather take a nap, then I say TAKE THE NAP! Take advantage of napping while you can, because before you know it, your precious bundle of joy won't let you just take a nap whenever you feel tired!

Stay strong, momma. Understand that you're not alone!

Bonding with Baby

I don't think there is anything more exciting than being pregnant! Of course I have had a very easy pregnancy so far, so I really cannot complain. But, it has been great. I am so excited to meet my little man! I cannot imagine how it is going to feel holding him and looking at him for the first time. 

I want to embrace the experience of being pregnant however I can, but the most important thing to me is bonding with my baby while he's still in my belly! I have looked up different things I can do to bond with him, but here are three of my favorite techniques:

1) When the baby kicks, nudge back.

This one is probably my favorite to do only because to me it feels like I'm playing with him! When I'm lying down and he kicks my belly, I softly nudge back to the area of my belly where I felt him moving. This is a great way to bond and sometimes he will even respond with more movement! I love doing this, it is absolutely adorable.

2) Sing!

The baby can hear many different things whilst in your belly, but the noise that is most loud and clear to him is your voice! So sing to him, even if you aren't a great singer. Sing in the shower or in the car, anywhere just to make your baby even more used to your voice. This could be used as a soothing technique even when he is born.

3) Read out loud

This is another way to make the baby become even more aware of your voice. Read anything you want and you do not even have to read loud because your baby can still hear your voice.

There are many other great ideas to build a bond with your baby while he is still in your belly, but these are some of my favorites! So give them a try!