At home teeth whitening system

I just finished whitening my teeth with Smile Brilliant and I wanted to share my experience with you guys! Disclaimer: This product was sent to me to try out in exchange for a blogpost, but like always, I will be honest and share my true thoughts. I am NOT a doctor and you should always check with one if you are ever skeptical with ingredients in a product.

As most of you guys know, I am a new mom, which means VERY little sleep on my end. In turn, I have been upping the coffee and have noticed that my teeth have been taking a hit from this. I haven't whitened my teeth in a while, but I have in the past (I used to use white strips in high school and a few times after). After I had Luke (I didn't want to whiten while I was pregnant) I was super excited to get my teeth looking brighter, but after a round of strips from the grocery store, I just was not happy with the results and feel like I could not tell the difference. Another thing I really don't love about using the strips is that they are a one-size fits all kind of product and I feel like the strips go on my gums and and make them more sensitive PLUS I can feel my mouth getting all of the whitening gel all over it and it just can get really messy. I also felt like I was stuck doing nothing during the time that I was whitening my teeth because I couldn't talk (you pretty much have to keep your teeth clenched in order to get them to stay in place). I was ready for something better. 

I was sent Smile Brilliant whitening system to try out and I am so happy with my results. I had braces as a teenager and Invisalign last year and I have always been confident in my smile until recently. The coffee stains were just making me feel self-conscious and I could tell in pictures that my teeth were definitely not the shade they used to be. I am so happy that after completing this whitening system I can confidently smile again!

The process was super easy. I was first sent the kit, which included materials to take my own impressions and the whitening gel itself. I took my impressions (instructions are perfectly explained in a notecard included in the package) -- if you aren't comfortable another idea would be to Youtube how to take impressions! I took my impressions and then sent them off in the mail in the pre-paid postage envelope the next day. They also send you updates through email when they receive your package and then make the trays super quickly and send them back. I got them a few days later and they material that the custom trays are made of is super flexible and rubbery feeling, but they fit perfectly custom to your teeth! I have done Invisalign and had clear retainers and these are much more soft and flexible. The whitening gel itself comes in syringes, which make it really precise and easy to apply to the trays. Smile Brilliant also provides detailed instructions on how to do the whole process. I was also sent desensitizing gelbecause your teeth can get a little sensitive when whitening. My teeth used to be so sensitive when I used other products, so I was honestly a little nervous. I remember certain noises just made me cringe when after whitening with whitening strips that I used before. I don't know how to explain it, but the sound of zippers or nails scratching against my clothes seriously hurt my teeth so bad! I am sooo happy to report that I have not had any sensitivity after this process (note that my results could obviously be different from yours, but I am just sharing my experience!). 

I wanted to share my results from before and after. You can see that before my teeth were just looking dull and had staining from my coffee habit. I think I started whitening around mid-November and I just finished my last session. I went at a pace that I felt comfortable with and didn't want to overdo it. I am soooo happy with my results and feel so much more confident now with my smile. 

Smile Brilliant is hosting a giveaway for one of you guys to get your own whitening system! Head over to this link to see the details and enter for a chance to win! Make sure you use my code below too to save some money on your kit!

 Giveaway link: www.smilebrilliant.com/g/tiffanymeri

 15% off store wide code: tiffanymeri15

Tooth Whitening Gel

Organic Self Tanner Review: Nkd Skn

Hey guys! As you guys might already know, I have been on the safer beauty train for a while now! One thing that I have been wanting to switch over is my fake tan. Over the last few years I was just getting a tan from a salon, but it can get pricy and also, now that I have a baby it isn't really a priority of mine to go spend the time out and about getting a tan. I went and bought a Jergen's one from Walmart a month or so ago and when I got home I looked at the ingredients and it had parabens in it. Parabens are one of the most well-known toxic ingredients, so I immediately took it back! I wanted something more natural and safe for my body. You cover your entire body with a sunless tanner, so this just made sense to me that you really need to make sure it's safe. I am also breastfeeding, and while I am not a doctor and you should always check with your doctor on this kind of topic, the research that I have done doesn't give me any reason to believe that this organic self-tanner would be unsafe! I have been using the Nkd Skn Tinted Tan Mousse in Dark for over a month now and I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you guys! I will always keep my product recommendations completely transparent! By the way, this post is not sponsored or anything, just wanted to share with you! 

The good: 

This self-tanner has the most amazing, clean ingredients! It has absolutely no questionable ingredients and makes me feel super safe using it. 

It also has no self-tanner smell. I am not sure how they do it, but I have tried soooo many and this is honestly the only one that actually has no scent after you shower. 

There is a color guard. (Meaning: it goes on dark so you can see where you are applying it) For a beginner, this is amazing! I would highly recommend this tan for anyone who has never done one. It shows you where you are applying it so you really cannot miss any spots. I find that with a dark, non-gradual lotion self-tanner, I can miss spots sometimes. 

It is a mousse. I find the mousses to be the easiest of all self-tanners to apply. It also helps with it drying more quickly than lotions in my experience. 

The wear. I feel like this self-tanner really fades nicely. It comes off evenly in my experience. 

The price! Such a good price for an "Organic self tanner". It's only $19.99, which is amazing!

The convenience. You can pick this up at Ulta, which is great if you run out you don't have to wait for it to come in the mail! 


The bad: 

The Dark shade really isn't super dark. This could be good and bad, depending on your skin color. I am super fair skinned and I used the Dark and don't find it to be extremely dark on me. Especially after you wash the color guard off, it looks a lot more natural than some other self-tanners I have used (again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just the name might be a little misleading). 

The only true con about this product, in my opinion, was that it is pretty sticky on my skin. This wouldn't be that big of a problem, but since I am up every 2 hours in the middle of the night feeding a baby, I found that it wasn't completely drying down and ended up coming off partially when I would hold Luke or if my arm was bent in my sleep. It just felt a little tacky until after I showered. This may have to do with the fact that it uses natural products to give you the tan. It wasn't a huge con for me, but just something to note. I have white sheets and I found that it transferred onto them and on my baby's pajamas during the night. 

Tips: 

Make sure you exfoliate, shave and moisturize before doing any self-tan. It goes on a lot more evenly and in my experience it also helps with the longevity of the tan! Also, use a self-tanning mitt! I used one I bought off Amazon for just a few dollars! Make sure you moisturize after you use it to help prolong the tan too! I found that this really helped. Last tip: lay down a sheet over you pillow and bedsheets that you don't mind getting some transfer on (especially if you have white sheets, like me!) 

Overall: 

I would definitely repurchase this self-tanner and I am going to add in the gradual tan lotion to my self-tan routine as well. I think this would be a great addition and I will let you guys know if it makes a difference in darkening the color or anything! I love the organic ingredients and the price point on this brand. It gets the job done when I want to have a little color and I feel safe doing it! 

Target Shoe Round-Up: Boot Sale

Hey guys! I wanted to do a quick post on my top picks for Target shoes right now! Currently all boots are buy one get one 50% off in store (no need for the Target app), but they are so affordable anyways that even if you miss the sale these are definitely shoes you want to check out! I have so many shoes right now that I need to hold off on purchasing any, but I thought I would show you the ones that I would buy if I were needing some shoes! I included a couple of flats, but honestly it is so cold in Eastern Washington during the Fall and Winter months that I don't get much use out of flats. If you end up getting any of these let me know!! I have seen a lot of similar styles from expensive designer brands at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, so these are definitely a good way to get the look for less. I bought a pair of Givenchy boot dupes from Target last Fall and ended up wearing them soooo much and didn't feel bad if they got a little worn in the rainy/snowy weather.

Baby Boy Fall Fashion

I have had a bunch of people ask me where I get Luke's clothes and it inspired me to do a blogpost with a bunch of really cute and affordable baby boy clothes that I either bought for him or want to buy! It is so hard for me to justify spending a lot of money on baby clothes, unless it is something I know he can wear all the time and would last for another baby. I am super picky about baby boy clothes and tend to stick to things that look like a man would wear, but in a miniature size :) I love baby beanies, flannels, hoodies and jeans on little boys. I have a lot of solid colored things too, which is really nice because you can mix and match everything and make tons of different outfits. He definitely wears his jammies the most out of anything, but when we go out of the house I usually dress him in the things that I listed. I have gotten a lot of his clothes from Old Navy, Carter's, Target (mostly Cat & Jack) and also the thrift store. My mom is such a good bargain shopper and she has found so many cute flannels and just basics at the thrift store so make sure you check your local thrift stores out because you can find some gems there! I think I am going to do a post on what to look for at the thrift store when searching for baby clothes. Let me know what you think! I am also going to link his Carhartt beanies (super cute and super inexpensive) and a couple of cute small shops that have really cute baby boy clothes because I do like to support small businesses when I can!


Click here for Carhartt Beanie Carhartt Beanie

Little Bipsy

Minted Method Shop (where I got his Herschel beanie)

Styling $17 pair of jogger pants 5 different ways

Hey guys! I recently found these joggers from Walmart (WHAT!?) for $17 and they are literally the most comfy pants ever. Whenever I buy something I always think in my head how many ways I can wear it just to make sure that it is really worth it to buy. If I can only thing of one way then I put it back. I have another pair of black joggers, but they are made out of a sweatpant material and they always collect every little bit of lint or (dog) hair and just look a little scrubby I think. These ones from the Time & Tru line (which by the way has really cute stuff!) are made out of a more dressy material (think a nice pair of dress pants). I am all about comfort, especially now that I am a mom and am constantly carrying around a baby, sitting nursing for long periods of time, getting up and down off of the ground playing on the playmat, etc. I love that these pants can be dressed up or dressed down and I wanted to show you guys some easy ways for an everyday girl to style them.

•   The first outfit I did a men's crewneck sweatshirt (I think I got this on clearance at Forever 21...why do they always have better sweatshirts in the men's section?!) with some plain heeled black booties! I actually took this photo last and swapped the boots out for some black and white Adidas slides and it looked super cute to run errands in!

• The next outfit I did a "casual cool girl" outfit. I paired the pants with some plain white sneakers, a band tee and a black leather jacket. This outfit would be perfect for going shopping or out to lunch during the day. 

• Next I did a nude body suit, black leather jacket and heeled black booties. This would be good for a date night out to dinner or a concert! 

• The fourth outfit I did was a plain white thermal tucked in to the pants, a long grey jacket and some chunky combat boots. I LOVE the look of joggers with chunky combat boots, it looks so cool I think! 

• The last outfit was super easy and probably my favorite. I just threw on a plain, tight, black turtleneck, black heeled booties and a cute cross body purse. This one could definitely be office-appropriate or you could wear it out at night. 

My top 10 favorite baby buys: 0-3 months

I recently did a post on newborn mommy and baby must-haves, but I wanted to share my favorite baby items that I have purchased (may not be must-haves, but things that I have really come to love!).  Keep in mind that Luke is only about 3 months old, so these are my favorites thus far! I will link the items below and in no particular order :) If I couldn't find a clickable picture-link, I will put a hyperlink after the item, otherwise they are all at the bottom of the post.

1. Angelcare Baby Bath
This isn't technically a bath, but more of a lounger to put in an actual bathtub. I LOVE this thing. It's so cheap, easy to clean, and Luke seems to be really comfortable in it! It has kind of a rubbery mesh bottom so it seems like it would be pretty comfortable to lay in. It has a little hook on it too so you can hang it up to dry. I registered for this and my sister ended up getting it for me and it's honestly one of my most-used items.

2. Comotomo Bottles
These are kind of a luxury bottle when you look at the price compared to a lot of other bottles, but we love these so much. If you keep up on cleaning bottles you really don't need THAT many of them, so I don't think the price is bad at all. These are made of a silicon-feeling material and have more of a natural shape. I am not sure if Luke would have had issues taking any other bottle because these are the only ones we tried, but he took it right away. They are super easy to clean and I love how they have a wide opening at the top so you can easily get a scrubbing brush in without pulling it out and flinging milky water all over you. I think the silicon material will make it easy for him to hold when he gets old enough to hold his own bottle.

3. Nuna Pipa Carseat
One of our priciest baby purchases, but the most important in my opinion. I did a lot of research on carseats and also the difference between an infant carseat vs. convertible. We went with an infant carseat because I figured that babies are always sleeping in the car and if you go in a store or somewhere and have the convertible carseat, you have to take the baby out and put them in the stroller or carrier and potentially wake them up. I was debating between the Nuna Pipa and Nuna Pipa Lite and ended up just getting the original because we found a good deal with a stroller included for only $100 extra. I love how padded and luxurious the carseat is, you can tell a lot of attention to detail was put into it for sure. Another feature of the Nuna Pipa (but not the Lite) is that it has a Dream Drape, which is basically a carseat cover that is built in and just unzips out of the shade portion. It's really cool! If you look on YouTube I am sure you can find a demonstration!

4. Bouncy seat
My mom bought this for us from Walmart for super cheap. They have all different levels of fancy-ness, but I think the cheap ones work just fine. This one is super light and I have it on our kitchen table and put Luke in it when I am doing dishes or stuff around the kitchen. It has a bar across the top with some toys and you can buy links to put other things on it too, which is what we did. It also vibrates and has a music setting you can use. We just use the vibrating feature and he seems to really love it!

5. Play Gym/Mat
I was gifted this by a coworker and absolutely LOVE it! This and his bouncy seat are his favorite toys at the moment. Its nice too to have somewhere to lay him down in his bedroom so I can put away his laundry and clean up his nursery. This one is so inexpensive and does the trick. Luke loves grabbing all of the little attachments on it and its really light so we can bring it anywhere.

6. Bottle Sterilizer
I surprisingly use this a lot. I sterilize pacifiers too because they are always dropping on the floor and my pump parts! This is a really good thing to put on your registry because who wants to spend $70 on a bottle sterilizer!?

7. Copper Pearl Swaddle Blanket
I think just having one of these nice swaddle blankets is great. I bought so many muslin swaddle blankets and honestly never used them other than as a cover for breastfeeding. I don't think they are very easy to swaddle a baby with either because they don't have any stretch. I personally love these Copper Pearl ones (I have the camel one and love how it goes with everything). They are super stretchy and light. This was my favorite one to swaddle Luke with when he was a brand new baby because I could get it super tight. I always have this one in my diaper bag and use it as a cover too because it is huge. Would be a great gift idea! (my friend, Jill, got me mine!)

Copper Pearl Swaddle

8. The Ollie Swaddle
This is the kind of swaddle that I was recommended to have baby sleep with. To each their own, but to me this kind of swaddle (either velcro or zips closed so baby can't get get out and move the blanket over its' face) seems the safest. I had originally bought a Halo sleep sack and liked it a lot, but the problem is that the bottom is sewn shut so you have to buy a new one every time baby outgrows it! There were also a lot more steps to getting baby in that swaddle. I heard about the Ollie Swaddle from Taking Cara Babies (which you also NEED to check out! I talk more about it on my newborn must haves post, but you can look on Instagram @takingcarababies). I was a little skeptical to buy one because they are $59, but if you think about how many times you have to buy a $20-35 swaddle every time they grow, it really is such a better investment. You only have to buy one because the bottom is open and it just ties wherever baby's feet are. The material is super nice and stretchy plus made out of a breathable material so you don't have to worry about overheating. This would be an amazing gift for someone and the packaging is adorable (I have an unboxing on my Baby Stuff Highlight on Instagram @tiffanyxmeri)

The Ollie Swaddle

9. Portable Noise Machine
My mom found this one on Amazon and I wanted to include this specific one because it is chargeable and has a hook on its' tail that you can literally hook anywhere! We like to hook it on his carseat or on the Rock and Play. It plays songs or white noise (I think it has a few other "soothing" noises as well) and has a little night-light built in. I love that you can charge it too so you don't have to worry about batteries.

Portable Monkey Sound Machine

10. Rock and Play
This was in my Newborn Must-haves as well and I wanted to include it on here because it is so great. I first love how slim and compact it folds down to. Our baby sleeps in it so I can move it around the house really easily and pack it in the trunk of my car. It's really cost-effective and I have heard a lot of people say that they prefer this to a lot of the fancier swings and stuff they have out there. Luke doesn't like this for just hanging out, as a baby would do in a swing (because it's fairly flat you can't really see out like you could in a swing) so I am not sure if they are that comparable. However, it is awesome as like a little mini bassinet. Side note -- I am not sure it is approved for sleeping, it is just what we use so do your own research!

My fall wardrobe staples

While I'm not ready for cooler weather yet, I am totally ready for fall fashion! Fall is definitely my favorite season for dressing. I love boots and jackets, so it's really perfect for my style. Summer was pretty much a bust for me as far as my style goes. I just had a baby at the end of June and none of my summer stuff fit me. I bought a couple of basic pieces to just get me by, but now that most of my clothes are fitting I am super excited to start putting together outfits from pieces I already own and adding a couple of new ones. I wanted to share with you my staples for what I am going to be wearing this fall and probably winter as well. Since I wear a lot of black, I am going to try to incorporate more blue denim, white shoes and cream or white tops. I have been really liking that look lately, but I am sure I will resort back to my usual all black outfit occasionally. I feel like I share this with almost every fashion post, but I LOVE neutrals. I love that between all of these pieces I can mix and match so many different outfits with them and get the most with the least amount of items! Keep that in mind when you are shopping :) I have links to all of my favorite picks below!!!

The first staple is a backpack purse. Especially since I am a mom now, this is even more convenient. Lugging around a carseat pretty much narrows it down to a cross body bag or a backpack for me. Having your hands free is major key! I have a gift card to Nordstrom Rack and I am dying for the French Connection ones! Backpacks just make your outfit look that much cooler! 

Next, I am still loving the mom jean trend. I just feel like they make your outfit more fashion-forward than a regular skinny jean. Although, I will never get sick of black skinny jeans! This would be such a good one to find at a thrift store, since this style of jean has been around for years. I love the Target ones (advertised as a straight leg) and the American Eagle distressed mom jeans (I own both of these pairs and they are pictured above!). 

I have always been a big fan of leather leggings! They are so comfy if you get the right pair. I personally don't own the Spanx ones, but every blogger raves about them! They have a pair of similar ones at Target that are Assets by Spanx and only the front is leather, which may be more flattering. I have the Wild Fable ones (also pictured above). They are more of a liquid legging rather than faux leather, but really high waisted and only $16 for someone who just wants to try out the look and keep it inexpensive. 

This is one of my favorite trends that has been going on for the last year or so. I have a pair of off-white booties from Target that I love (pictured above and listed on my Love List). They are a more tamed down version of white booties, but I just ordered a buckled flat pair from Boohoo and I cannot wait to rock them! They brighten up your outfit and just give it that cool-girl vibe. 

I love a good beige or camel jacket. It's so classic, timeless and can be worn over literally anything. Plain white tee, turtle neck, dress, etc. This might be an item worth splurging on. I love the lighter color and if you have a shedding German Shepherd like myself, this color will come in handy. 

Neutral colored tops will be in my rotation of fall outfits because A. they are pretty much all I own and B. you can wear them under everything and are so easy to mix and match. My clothes are almost always budget-friendly, but even more so with this staple. I bought that cream off-the-shoulder sweater at Plato's Closet for $6, the muted rust color tee from Plato's for $6, white tee from Target $4, pretty much all either clearance items or thrifted! You don't have to break the bank, get creative! 

I think white sneakers are a good staple for year round fashion. I have had this pair for like 4 years from Target on clearance for $8 or so. I just use a Magic Eraser to clean them up every so often and they look brand new! I love how they make your outfit look a little more laid back and tomboyish. 

This is my absolute favorite thing I am sooo excited to wear! ANIMAL PRINT BOOTS. I didn't even know animal print was a trend for this fall, but apparently it is. I am obsessed with snakeskin and leopard (always have been). This is such a fun way to make your outfit more edgy and interesting. I got my snakeskin booties from Windsor Store for $35, but I linked a couple of really cool affordable ones as well. I ordered the Billabong leopard print boots too, but shortly after I saw those $20 ones from Walmart on another blogger's Instagram and was shocked at how cute they were! 

Surviving your first few weeks of motherhood/ Newborn essentials

I haven't posted in a while on here and the reason why is the last thing I have wanted to do with my very little free-time is write a blog post, no offense! This motherhood thing is kicking my butt, but I am starting to get the hang of things and have gotten a little better with trying to manage everything, while also just enjoying this precious time with our little guy! If you didn't know, I recently had my first baby, Luke, about 8 weeks ago. I wanted to share a couple of things that have really helped with surviving the first few weeks of motherhood and my must-have products for mom and baby!

Amazon Fire Stick: I have spent so much time on the couch, especially in the first couple of weeks when I was still recovering from child birth - which, by the way, is super unglamorous and rough (probably a future post itself!) It did help to make sure I walked around the house a little bit every day, but for the most part I just wanted to sit down and rest and snuggle our sweet new addition! While I felt a little guilty for being "lazy" (totally not lazy, but when you are used to a routine and being busy sometimes you just can't help but feel that way), what other time in your life do you get an excuse to just hangout on the couch and not have anywhere to be or anything to do really? Make sure you have a subscription on Hulu or Netflix and get some good shows stacked up to watch! Let me know if you want my recommendations :)

Amazon Prime: If there is anything you need that you can't get up to go to the store for, this will be so helpful. I didn't know how big Luke was going to be so I didn't really buy newborn stuff and ended up that he wore them for about 5-6 weeks. I had my Mom and husband that could run to the store so I didn't end up using Amazon, but if you were home alone this would be a life saver for anything you needed!

Portable Phone Charger or long charging cord: I don't have any outlets by my couch and my phone was constantly dying, so having a portable charger was key! I have one by Sonix brand that my best friend got me and I love it!

Feeding app: Super helpful to have! I have the Glow Baby app and really like the format! This will suck all of your battery, so make sure you get the last must-have :)

Nursing tanks: Something I did not buy, but really wish I would have! I pretty much lived in just pajama pants and a nursing bra for the first few weeks because I was constantly feeding and lifting my shirt up and down just seemed like too much work when I had to do it again in an hour.

Cozy sweats and pajamas: You will be living in these, so make sure you have comfy ones!

Healthy snacks: All I wanted to eat was anything high in carbs after I delivered because I had gestational diabetes and wasn't able to eat many carbs for the last few months of pregnancy. While it was nice to indulge for a while, it honestly started making me feel sick. It's hard to make time to get up and prepare healthy snacks so chips, crackers, cookies were all so much easier. I was soooo hungry all the time and a lot of other women I have heard are (especially if you are breastfeeding). I would highly suggest getting some healthy, but good snacks to have at home before baby is born! Pre-cut apple slices from costco or celery with nut butter, bananas, nuts and seed mixes, healthier chips/crackers with guacamole or hummus, string cheese, sparkling waters and yogurt are some good and easy snacks to have!

Boppy: This will save your arms from burning! I was holding Luke the majority of the day and so my arms would seriously BURN they were so tired! I also just used pillows from my bedroom on the couch around me so I could rest my arms, so that will do the trick too. I would also use my Boppy as a holder for all of my remotes and snacks, haha!

Heating pad: Check with your doctor, but I would sleep with this a lot on my couch because my back would hurt from the constant baby holding and feeding.

Yeti or good water bottle: Drink TONS of water. Even if you aren't breastfeeding I think it will just make you feel way better as you recover. Whenever I am sick or not really moving around a whole lot, drinking lots of water helps me not feel so "stiff". If you are breastfeeding, this is super important. I made the mistake a few times of becoming dehydrated and not drinking enough water and literally felt like pure crap, which makes it really inconvenient when you have to feed and care for a baby -- I would not recommend getting to this point! If you ask my husband, I am sure he got so sick of me asking him to fill my water bottle up a million times a day after that.

Taking Cara Babies: The reason I am able to write this post! Okay guys, I JUST started this a few days ago, and I usually like to try things out for longer before making a recommendation, but I know this is amazing and really wanted to include it. I plan on doing a post on it later after a few months, but do yourself a favor: in the last few weeks of pregnancy, when you are going crazy and getting anxious, TAKE THIS ONLINE CLASS. I wish I would have done it earlier! My friend recommended it and I didn't listen until a few days ago and it is truly amazing! It is a class on newborn sleeping/how to calm your fussy baby, etc. Check them out @takingcarababies on Instagram and checkout her website for more info!

Community: ASK FOR HELP! There are sooo many mom's out there that are in the same position as you! Asking questions has really been helpful for me! There are lots of Facebook groups or podcasts on motherhood that make you feel less alone! I really like the Babes and Babies podcast with Jade, Carly and Liz from the Bachelor! Also, don't be afraid to ask friends or family for help even if it is just holding the baby while you take a shower!

Some kind of petroleum jelly or Vaseline-like product: The first few days of baby poop is literally tar and sooo hard to get off even if you catch it 5 minutes after. One of the nurses at the hospital told us to get some vaseline and put it on their bottoms after every diaper change and their poop will just slide right off! Sounds gross, but trust me it will make your life so much easier! I also used this on the inside of his diaper after he got circumsised, so if you plan on doing that I would highly recommend rubbing vaseline on the inside of their diapers so nothing gets caught!

Zip up jammies: Literally all Luke wore for the first few weeks. The easiest to change them into and out of. I find that he RARELY wears over the head onesies and I have so many of them. It's hard because you don't know if your baby is going to be small enough to wear newborn sizes, but I had barely any of these so my mom went out and bought a bunch of newborn ones after he was born. I love Carter's brand, they are definitely my favorite! And they always have sales.

Rock n Play or swing: Whatever one works for you will be amazing for setting baby down in or to take naps! I have the Rock n Play and love it because it's really affordable (I'll link the one I have) and folds up to be really light and compact so you can bring it wherever in your house and when you travel! We always bring this with us when we travel and it easily can fit in the trunk of a car or truck. A lot of the affordable swings I looked at had really big bases and took up way too much room so this one was nice.

Velcro or Zip up Swaddle: These make life so much easier than swaddling with a blanket. They are safer too! I use the Halo Sleep Sack and really like it.

Baby carrier: Wish I would have used mine sooner. I have the Baby Bjorn and really like it, but I have heard a lot of people like the wrap style as well. This will be a game changer, especially if you are home alone with the baby and want to be able to get up and actually get a couple of things done around the house.

Water Wipes: These are awesome and Luke has not had diaper rash yet and I think it is because of these amazing and gentle wipes. They are made with water mostly and a little bit of fruit extract, so they are super easy on baby's skin. Plus, you can use them for wiping their face or yourself too since they are really gentle!

Honest Healing Balm: I love this stuff! You can use it on anything, but I really liked it for cradle cap.

       

What's in my hospital bag?

I packed my hospital bag around 34 weeks, just to be safe! I asked around to friends and did some research to see what I actually needed to bring. I feel like I ALWAYS overpack, so I wanted to try to keep it simple. I also only live about 10 minutes from the hospital I will be delivering at, so if needed someone could always go grab something for me! I've heard from a lot of people that the hospital provides a lot of things like mesh underwear, pads, diapers and more disposable things, so I didn't really bring any of those. First, I used my diaper bag as my hospital bag for me and the baby. I'll link which one I have below, but it's super functional and actually holds a lot! Plus, it's a backpack, which I always find so easy to grab and go. It's the SkipHop Chelsea bag in black with gold hardware.

For me: I picked up a plain, waffle jersey-knit light-weight black robe to wear (I have a really nice white Hotel Collection one Chris got me for Mother's Day, but I thought white might be a little risky at the hospital). I picked it up from Wal-Mart for $12 and I think it will be perfect because I can just tie it up and don't really have to be wearing anything else if I don't want to. Plus, I know I'll use it all the time after! I also picked up two comfy nursing bras from Wal-Mart. For pants I just did my Lululemon Align leggings and a pair of jersey-knit pajama pants from Old Navy. It's going to be super hot I'm assuming so I just brought two loose tank tops to go with them and I guess I'll just wear one of those combos home. Like I said, it takes like 10 minutes to get there so I didn't really put a lot of thought into a "going-home outfit" or anything like that. I also packed my Adidas slides as my sole pair of shoes. They have good enough traction on the bottom for walking around and I could wear them in the shower too since they are waterproof. I packed a washcloth and a travel size face wash I already had (I figured it would be easiest to just do travel sizes of things instead of grabbing all of my regular sized things that I will be using up until I go into labor), a washcloth, face wipes, dry shampoo (my hair is such a pain to wash/dry), a pack of elastics for braids (I think braids will be my go-to to keep my hair out of my face and not have to deal with washing/drying my hair at the hospital), a comb, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste set, floss, a razor (we will see how much I end up caring lol) and then I will just grab my makeup bag on the way out the door. I keep deodorant in my purse so that will be included as well. The most exciting thing for me to pack was a couple of snacks haha! I haven't been able to eat many carbs or any candy or anything from my Gestational Diabetes, so I stocked up on some protein bars (figured they would be more beneficial than just a candy bar) and my favorite Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears to eat as soon as I pop that baby out! Chris has the phone chargers in his bag too. I think I will pick up a pack of gum/mints too to throw in there for when I have visitors hah. That's pretty much it though.

For baby: I really didn't pack much. I packed two outfits (cross your fingers he can fit into newborn sizes lol). If you have seen any of the clothes I have bought him you know I really only like white, black, gray and blue, so the outfits are super neutral. I also packed two cute little newborn beanies and a muslin swaddle blanket. Also, our carseat is on it's way to our house (see last post to read what happened there), but obviously I will be packing that as well. That's really it for him. Let me know if you feel like I am missing out on anything!

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 34-37

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past few weeks! I have been super busy and SUPER tired. I have been taking naps every day when I get home from work, and have been enjoying every second of them while I can :) At week 34 I had another doctor's appointment, which was quick and easy. Then, I went back to the Dr. at week 36 for my final 2 week appointment. At that appointment I had the Strep B test (google it if you don't know what it is lol). He also checked to see if I had dilated at all for the first time. I wasn't at all. After that appointment he said he wants to see me every week until the baby comes, which I think makes the time fly so much faster, the fact that I get to go in every week now and hear/check on the baby. I can't believe he's coming in 3 weeks or less! I think I told you guys a while ago that because I had gestational diabetes he had said at my diagnosis that he would likely not let me go past my due date for that reason. I am not sure if that still stands, I'll have to ask him when I go back in! The only reason why I am wondering is because I have been managing my diet so well and haven't had to do anything extra or any kind of stress tests or anything like that for the GD, which I know isn't always the case. My blood sugar has been great! Honestly, its really hard! But, I am the kind of person that when you tell me instructions on how to do something, I follow it to a T! As hard as it is to stay away from carbs, my health/the baby's health is so much more important to me. Plus, I already packed my hospital bag and put in some of the foods that I have been craving for after I have him! Kind of like a little celebration :) Speaking of hospital bag, I packed mine at around 34 weeks and so did Chris. I think I'll do a next post on what is in my hospital bag and then after I have him maybe I will go back and let you know what I actually used!

I actually got into a minor car accident this past week on my lunch break at work. Someone rear-ended me, but it was honestly such a low impact she pretty much just tapped my car. It freaked me out thought because it could have been really bad. I called my Dr. to let them know and they said it is protocol that you have to come in after a car accident, especially since I was 36.5 weeks at the time. The good thing was that I got to do a practice run of going to Labor and Delivery haha! I could still feel the baby moving around and stuff after the accident, but I wasn't sure if the tightening of the seat-belt did anything or if it hit my stomach against the steering wheel. I went to L&D and they hooked up one of those band things around my belly to monitor everything. They said my blood pressure was fine and the baby seemed fine too, but wanted me to stay around for a couple of hours to make sure nothing changed. She also told me I was having contractions, which I had no idea I don't even notice. They sent me home after a few hours and told me to just keep my normal appointment for the next morning with my Dr. I definitely feel extremely blessed that no damage was done during the car accident!

Symptoms: Just feeling huge! My stomach actually hurts towards the front because it is stretching and I can feel the baby pushing on it. No stretch marks so far, so hopefully I am in the clear! I feel like I am kind of waddling now and my feet/ankles are feeling worn out from the extra weight I am carrying around. I don't think it helps that I don't wear the most supportive shoes most of the time when I am at home. I have also been waking up with really bad charlie horses in my legs and luckily if I flex my foot they go away after a few seconds, but they seriously hurt so bad!! I think I have been nesting like a crazy person too, which I don't know if it is a "symptom", but I thought I would include it anyways. Over Memorial Day Weekend my husband and I deep cleaned the house and changed out the air filter, finished painting, cleaned out all of the vents, all of the drawers and cabinets. It felt really good! Now we just have to keep it clean until the baby comes! I also washed all of his clothes and blankets. I put together his bouncer seat and organized all of his drawers. We ordered his stroller  and carseat over a month ago and just got an email this week saying they cancelled our order because it is no longer available. That was annoying! Luckily I found the same deal somewhere else and it shipped the next day, so I need to at least hold onto this baby until June 14th because I don't have a car seat lol. We ordered a basinet that I put together and set it up in our room! Chris picked it out, which was really cute :) It's super easy to assemble and comes with a carry-bag so you can bring it with you if you travel so I'll link it below in case anyone is interested! Also, we have a name picked out, and most of our friends already know, but I will wait to announce it when he is born!

Cravings: Basically everything that I can't eat! Any kind of sweets and tons of fruit! Unfortunately, when I have too much fruit my blood sugar is too high, so I usually stick to one or two Halo oranges a day or half of an apple. Peanut butter has been my savior! I can eat as much peanut butter as I want without my blood sugar spiking. I have sadly gone through 2 giant Adam's Crunchy all natural peanut butter from Costco over the past few weeks (I'm pretty sure they have like 60 servings per container hah!!). I try to stay away from things that are "sugar-free" because I know the artificial sweeteners are not the greatest for you, but my one "bad" thing that I eat is the Danon Light and Fit yogurts (I think they are made with sucralose or something). They have 12g of protein and help cure my sweet tooth, so I figure if that's the one thing I splurge on this pregnancy, who cares! Another thing that I like to have now that its getting super hot out is sparkling waters. My new favorite is the Cascade Ice Organic Sparkling Water in Pomegranate Mango. It's sooo good when it's ice cold.

That's pretty much it as far as an update goes. Here are the bouncy seat, basinet and travel system that we got. I obviously have never used them before, so I don't know how they are going to work for our baby, but they are all really good quality and decent prices. It's so easy to spend sooo much money on baby, especially being a first time mom. But, I have been trying to find good deals on decent quality things. Hope you enjoy!

6 Summer Accessories: Affordable way to look trendy this summer

Hey guys! I wanted to do a post on some really cute accessories for the remaining summer. These are easy ways to dress up your existing spring and summer pieces to make them a little more on-trend! If you are like me and love basics, this will help dress them up. Trendy things are hard for me to invest in, so it makes me feel better when I can spend a little less on things like this! Hope you enjoy :)