Top 10 things that have saved me while being pregnant

This top ten list will probably change as I get farther along but for now it stands as this...

10. Lemon juice and stevia- during my first trimester water made me gag! Even the thought of it would make my stomach start turning. Normally I love water and I drink it continuously through out the day, but that came to a screeching halt! I know better then to believe that getting some sort of liquid down is better then nothing at all. I need water. So I stared adding lemon juice and stevia to my water and was able to get it down. I could drink my regular amounts every day and keep the baby healthy by not drinking sugar pop all day.

9. Dresses- I bought 2 floor length dresses with an umpire waist. I seriously wear them almost every day. Besides Dave's sweats, they are the most comfortable thing! Ha Ha Ha. Best investment I've ever made!

8. Tennis shoes- Oh my feet! First of all, after I got home from my mission my sister started calling me "hobbit feet" because they had flattened out from all the walking/standing all day. So my feet are already in bad shape it begin with. Now, they are much worse! The only thing that brings any relief (besides sitting) is to wear my tennie's. I wear them as often as I can. Yep, I even where them with my dresses. Ha Ha, those who know me are probably dying laughing.  They give such good support I just can't resist.

7. Realizing its OK if I hate being pregnant- Many women say they love being pregnant, and they have never felt more beautiful! That is a bunch a crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But of course I felt like there must be something wrong with me for not loving it. I started really getting in my own head and thinking that I am going to be the worst mom ever because I am not enjoying it now. Then one day I snapped out of it and realized that it was totally ok that I'm not enjoying this right now, and I will still love my baby, and we will still have a special bond, and I'm going to be a great mom! Whew, glad I figured that one out!

6. Chocolate Greens- While I was going through my really sick stage, I wondered how the baby was possibly growing with out getting any nutrients? While that is a miracle I will probably never understand, I found the best solution. At any health food store, they'll have a selection of "greens" Its a small jar of all the best things for you, dehydrated and ground up. It'll have around 10 servings of organic fruits and veggies, antioxidants, fiber, enzymes, probiotics, vitamins, minerals and even a little protein. The kind I usually have is more veggie based, so it is literally a green drink. But there is enough fruit in it that it really doesn't taste so bad. (Trust me, I have the gag reflex of a 3 year old eating brussel sprouts). Despite the not so bad taste, there was no way it was going down, and staying down!  SO, I found a chocolate greens! They add organic cocoa to the mix and its delish! I would mix it with Almond Chocolate milk (the only kind of chocolate there is if you ask me. Its dark and sooooo creamy! And that is coming from the girl who will drink whipping cream out of the carton) Anyway, I was able to get something healthy to the baby every day and if nothing else, it gave me peace of mind.

5. Bare Mineral Makeup-  I have been wearing this for a few year and I love it. I love it even more these days, now that I really need it! I have gotten the ever so lovely pregnancy mask.  Which is basically dark spots on your face. (Very similar to age spots) I have a pretty big spot on the bridge of my nose, on the right side and a lighter one under my left eye. Yep, I look like a boxer who just lost! Ha Ha. Dave, my Dad and sister Cassidy have all tried to wipe it off, thinking I went a little crazy with the makeup. I just sit there while they wipe it and wait for them to realize it aint goin no where!  Bare minerals is the only thing that even comes close to covering them up. Just a few extra dabs and it just about disappears. Other concealers don't even compare!  They say that baby girls steal they're mom's looks while in the womb. If thats true, then its definitely a girl!

4. Netflix- I don't know what I would have done without Netflix!!! I watched sooo much T.V. while I was sick. Not my proudest moment, but some days it was all I had the energy to do. I stared and completed Mad Men (thanks Ya Ya), I watched at least 5 seasons of Seinfeld (thanks Dave) I finished the last 3 seasons of Lost (Dave again), All of 30 Rock and Battlestar Galactica (ha ha, yep Dave) a ton of sappy romantic movies and at least a million documentaries. Undoubtedly the most unproductive time in my life. Dave would argue that it was THE most productive time of my life, growing a baby and all. Thanks for the perspective babe!


3. Midwife- My midwife Kat has been the best! She comes to my house and usually spends about an hour and a half with me. She answers every question I have and then some. She has really tried to inform me about what is going on with my body. I feel very empowered with the knowledge she has give us. I always pass the info on to my mom and many times she will say " wow, I never knew that". or "I wish someone would have told me that."  It feels good to be doing things the way I am comfortable with, and what I think will be healthiest for the baby.

2. Organic Ginger Tea- If Dave wasn't so great, this would be #1!!! To put it bluntly, I had pretty much stopped pooping. I would go about 2x a week. And it was awful every time! I started taking a ton of flax seed morning and night (which normally would clean me right out) but it didn't do a thing! I was miserable and started hating going to the bathroom cause I knew what I had to look forward to. Well, before we moved my sister Davi brought me some ginger tea for my nausea. One wiff of the tea bag, and I packed it up and put it away. I wasn't going to put it near me because of how sick it instantly made me feel. After my nausea went away, I was reading the box and it said it was used for digestion. I was desperate to try anything. After one cup of tea, the next day I though I was sick because of how much I was going.  The tea cleaned me out for about a week. Then, I was going normally and regularly!!! Now I have a cup every night with cream and stevia and I no longer suffer from the typical "pregnancy constipation" This may not seem like such a big deal, or that it should be at #2, but trust me, it totally is #2 worthy!

1. Dave- of course my sweetie pie husband is #1. He has been so great through all of this. He has been supportive of my changing body and moods and acts as though he doesn't even notice them (maybe he doesn't and I am giving him more credit then he deserves ha ha). He has never once complained about a lack of prepared dinners. He didn't get a cooked meal from me for 5 months, so that is pretty impressive. (But during his first block week, he was home most of the week and I tried to cook him breakfast, lunch and dinner to makeup for it). What I appreciate the most is him never making me feel guilty for taking care of my self. That means sleeping in till 10 or 11, watching T.V., taking a nap in the after noon, more T.V., buying Arby's for dinner and off to bed. All the while he would go to school early, stay late, study all night, do the dishes, take out the trash, check on me if I was "sleeping too long" and get me what ever I needed/wanted to make me more comfortable. What a man! So glad he is MY man! I couldn't have made it through with out him.  Those days are behind us now, and just the other day Dave said to me, "Welcome back!" Ha Ha Ha. It feels great to be back!