BABY BARTLEY

TOP: H&M Turtleneck Sweater BOTTOM: Ingrid & Isabel Active Pant; Ralph Lauren Mariah Riding Boots in dark brown

WEEK + DAY: week 33 day 0

WEIGHT GAIN: 23 pounds!

SYMPTOMS: sciatica is starting to keep me up at night. my belly just feels heavier & heavier as the day passes. i purchased a maternity belt & it actually provides some relief. had some issues with congestion & breathing but the crane humidifier has helped immensely!

FOOD CRAVINGS: still sweets. lawd have mercy. trying to curb my overindulgence tendencies with healthier options during the week. honey nut cheerios or dates have done the trick. as well as sprinkling cinnamon on a cut up honey crisp apple & baking for 10 min. makes me feel like im having pie ;) but definitely still having my share of not-so-good-for-you desserts. still craving milk so been having cereal for dinner multiple times throughout the week...by cereal i mean mixing & matching different flavors to create my own melange.

FOOD AVERSIONS: no specific thing to call out...hallelu!

EXERCISE: definitely moving even slower these days. if im not tired or have achy pain, i head to the gym & walk for 2-3 miles. i still do some light body-weight exercises like push ups & pelvic tilts on the stability ball.

NEW DISCOVERY: mommy's toolbox. a cute $15/month subscription of trial-size products for mama's from pregnancy through their child's first year. i just received mine this past week & it included some great organic & natural items such as argan oil, lavender deodorant, lip balm, facial wipes, etc. it came packaged with a personal card & a detailed product list of all items & their retail price. a fun gift for an expecting mama!

another great discovery was all the benefits & freebies i found out about through my work's benefits program. i enrolled in a lactation consultation program & was able to purchase the medela freestyle breast pump i wanted for $150 (a $400 retail value). not only that, but i received a bunch of free baby swag -- diapers, formula, onesies, bibs...even the what to expect when you're expecting book series. be sure to check with your company to see what they offer & take advantage.

LESSONS LEARNED: we had our labor & birth class this past week. our instructor made us participate in the "ice" exercise where you hold a few cubes of ice in your hand for a minute -- the length of an active labor contraction. the first time was hard! then we walked through breathing techniques, movement, partner massages, etc all while holding ice for a minute at a time. it was actually pretty amazing to see how you can mentally focus away from the pain. good exercise to try at home.

FAVORITE BABY PURCHASES: can baby clothes shopping be an addiction? i cant stop. found some adorable & affordable purchases from old navy baby...who would of thought! a few items are below...altogether cost less than $40. 

FAVORITE MAMA PURCHASES: well, more like parent purchase. i did a bit of research on baby monitors & didn't like the fact that most cameras didn't offer remote viewing. i also wanted a device that was compatible with our iphones to avoid a collection of handheld devices. we ended up purchasing the foscam f18910w which offers some great amenities:

• low price of $60 (amazon)
• remote viewing on any device (hello iphone)
• pan & tilt with motion detection
• zoom in & out
• 2-way audio (talk & listen)
• night vision
• easy UI on the foscam app
• sleek design; two colors: black & white

photo to the right - yup, we're nerdy. here is a screenshot of the app. you can see the different options to pan & tilt the camera..directly from your iphone. you can also adjust the lighting setting & even go into "walkie talkie" mode. clint & i are both in the IT industry but are probably one of the least techy people (ha!), & it took us some time to get this up & running...which would be my only downside so far. luckily in a world of youtubers, we found some help from this guy & his tutorial. let's see how this goes!