I feel like this photo pretty accurately captures my joy, my surprise, and my anxiety all at the same time. Seeing the photo reminds me to stop and breathe through these frustrations, because for a while I didn't think there would be another pregnancy for me. I took a few minutes out of my day that day and the next few to jot down a few thoughts, and I thought today was as good a day as any to share them with you. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

One of my biggest concerns nearing the end of this pregnancy was Caleb and how he would adjust to having a sibling. I know it's normal, and I know kids become siblings every day, but I wanted the transition to be a smooth one. So we have did a few things to prepare Caleb and make sure he understood what was going on in his world. 

Babies come on their own terms, so we had a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. We had mapped out who was going to be staying with Caleb at our home (which was really important to me so that his routine wasn't too disrupted), and how the daily routines would function. Since I was induced, we at least ended up knowing which day she would come and we were able to really prepare for that. We wanted to be sure that when Caleb came to meet her, it was just Eddie, Caleb, Chloe and I in the room (and our photographer, of course). It ended up working out where he was the first person to come in from the waiting room to meet her. Once they said visitors could come in, Eddie went to get him from the waiting room and walked in with him. He came in with the gift he had picked out for her and opened it up right away. We let him look at her and touch her feet. He wanted to carry her right away. We also had gifts for him from his sister. 

And honestly, it was love at first sight. He was enthralled with her. So much so that he didn't want to leave the room. Our family members rotated in, but Caleb stayed with Chloe and I the whole time. Every single person who walked in, he introduced them to her, "This is my baby sister Chloe!" He went to school the following day armed with a photo of his baby sister and showed it off to everyone at school. I couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. 

I can't tell you for sure which of the things we did to prepare Caleb to be a big brother really worked, or if he would have been as sweet with her if we hadn't done any of these things (it's very possible - because he has always been very sweet to babies in general). But I do know we talked a lot about his baby sister and about him being a big helper. And honestly, I think kids just want to be prepared, as much as we do. It's a life-altering event for them, too. 

And then there were four. 

I hope these help you in preparing your toddler to be a big brother or sister! 

​
xoxo, 

​Jenise

First off, my apologies for not having posted recently! The last few weeks of pregnancy were so uncomfortable that I could not sit for extended periods in front of the computer, and the first two weeks of postpartum were full of healing, and sitting in front of the computer was also out of the question then. I did try to work on hubby's laptop, but really, with a baby attached to you basically 24/7, it's nearly impossible. ​

So let's get right to it. After much anticipation, our little Chloe is finally here! As I mentioned above, the last few weeks of pregnancy were very uncomfortable. Filled with aches and pains, false contractions, and increasing number of Braxton Hicks, and an order from doctors to "take it easy," the last 3-4 weeks were pretty tough. I was fairly certain that Chloe would make her appearance early, around weeks 37-38. But she had other plans. While she was making me very uncomfortable and kicking my ribs every chance she got, she was quite comfy in there. 

Each week, when I visited my OB's office, they must have sensed my desperation. At week 39 on the nose, I went in and the doctor offered to do a cervical check. He said if I was dilating and effaced, then we could talk about inducing labor. We had already discussed it and all the doctors I saw agreed that I was a good candidate for it, because I had already had a successful vaginal delivery with Caleb (I was actually helped along during his labor, too). So when my cervical check revealed that I was, in fact, 2 cm dilated and over 70% effaced, the doctor asked if I'd like to be induced. Eddie answered for me and said, "Doc, if you told her to cross the street to the hospital right now, she wouldn't argue with you on it." I agreed, and we set the date for induction two days later, on February 28 (I would have done it the following day, but it was our wedding anniversary, and I wanted Chloe to have her own day). I also knew the possible risk of an induction ending in a c-section, but my doctors seemed confident that that would not be the case, so we went ahead with the decision. 

​So we took the next day to prepare everything, I finalized all the arrangements for Caleb's care, and since we had been told to be at the hospital before 7, tried to get to sleep early. On the morning of the scheduled induction, they called me at 5:00 am and told us to report to the hospital at 6:30. My dad picked Caleb up to take him to school, so we knew he was taken care of for the day, and we headed to the hospital. With Caleb, I did this whole process while having contractions, so this time it was much less stressful. After completing registration, we were on our way to our delivery room. Please note, after this, my timing is just guesstimates or cross-checking with my text messages and updates I was sending to my friends because I was a little busy! 

This is when it started to feel real. I changed into my hospital gown and got in bed. After getting settled in and setting me up with an IV, they gave me a bag of fluids so I would be well-hydrated. After that the doctor came in to discuss the action plan with me and he guessed that we would have a baby around 5:15 pm. He explained that the first part of labor would be the longest, with the least strong contractions. Once I was dilated 5-6 cm, he said it would move quickly. He also promised me that I would only push for five minutes. Yes, you read that correctly. FIVE. I was very excited about that, but highly skeptical. 

Once he left, just around 9 am, they started me on Pitocin. Pitocin mimics the oxytocin that your body creates during labor and makes your uterus contract, causing, you guessed it, contractions. At first he started me off really low on the dosage, and went increasing it little by little. He said his goal was to get my body started with as low of a dosage as he could. 

Side note: One of the things that we decided after Caleb was born was that Eddie and I would be in the delivery room by ourselves (I mean, there are like 10 hospital staff people in there too, but as far as family goes). However, after capturing birth photos for a great family a few months into this pregnancy, I decided I really wanted some for myself. My friend Cary from Cary Diaz Photography graciously agreed to do these for me. I think she was as on edge as I was in the days leading up to the delivery, but being induced made the day of feel much smoother. You can read her account of the day here. She captured everything I wanted her to, and she did an amazing job of it. What I really wanted captured were the emotions of the day, and I think she did an incredible job doing that! 

A little after 11, the contractions started coming on a little stronger. They didn't really have a super distinct pattern, but they were getting more intense. The monitor they had on my belly wasn't telling us how strong the contractions were, so my doctor inserted a monitor that would measure the intensity of the contractions from the inside. At the same time, he broke my water. 

At around 11:45, I got my epidural. Just like last time, I felt really faint after getting my epidural, so they had to push epinephrine because my blood pressure dropped so low (I have low blood pressure to begin with - even a very hot bath can make my blood pressure drop so low that I feel faint). The pain subsided after that, but I was still feeling pressure. At this point they also inserted a Foley catheter as well since I couldn't really move around anymore to empty my bladder myself. 

Around 2:30 pm, my nurse checked me and said I was at about 7.5 cm. I was feeling really intense pressure, so they gave me this "peanut" to put between my legs. It's like a birthing ball but in the shape of a peanut. You put it between your legs and it's supposed to help open your hips up to help the baby move lower down in your pelvis. 

By 4:30, I was feeling really intense pressure, and with every contraction, came the feeling of needing to push. When my nurse checked me, she said I was almost fully dilated, but that she thought I could push through it. She called the doctor in and he agreed with her. So they began preparing the room. By 5:15, everyone was in position and I was dying to push. I felt like I was going to burst with every contraction. After a few more instructions from the doctor and the nurse, I started pushing. I pushed through a contraction, and Eddie told me, "She's almost here. You're doing amazing." Once the contraction subsided, I took a break until I felt the next one coming. I pushed through the next contraction, and her head was out. The doctor told me to take a deep breath and relax for a few seconds. At the next contraction, he had me push again, and out she came, at 5:26 pm (and the doctor was right, I pushed for less than 5 minutes!)! 

They immediately put her on my chest and left her there for a few minutes, which is something I didn't really get to experience with Caleb. While this was going on, the doctor was delivering my placenta and there were a million things going on in the room. All I could focus on was my baby.

[Caleb had the umbilical cord wrapped pretty tightly around his neck, and was having a hard time breathing, so I held him for maybe 30 seconds and then they whisked him away. I had been concerned about that with Chloe, but the doctor told us that with second (and subsequent) babies it's not usually an issue because the time they spend in the birth canal is so much shorter that the cord doesn't really become a danger to them.]

​While the doctor stitched me up (I was starting to tear in the wrong direction so he had to perform an episiotomy - I had one with Caleb as well), they cleaned her up some and weighed & measured her (7 lbs 4 oz, 18 inches) and gave her her Apgar score (9.9 baby). She cried loudly, and I cried with her. A baby's first cry is one of the most emotionally charged sounds a new mom can hear. 

I honestly don't know how I would have made it through either one of my deliveries without Eddie. He has been my rock. He counted for me while I pushed, he held my leg, looked into my eyes, and constantly told me I was doing an incredible job. He made sure my hair was out of my face, and that I was as comfortable as I could be. 

Once they cleaned Chloe up, Eddie got to hold her for a few minutes while they finished cleaning me up. Then they gave her back to me and I lated her on to my breast. This was something I really wanted to be able to do, since I hadn't been able to do so with Caleb, and I feel like that hurt the start of our breastfeeding journey. She latched on right away, which made me so happy. 

A few minutes later, Eddie went to get Caleb so he could meet his baby sister. It was love at first sight - I'll talk more about how we prepared him in another post. He brought her a present, and she had a gift for him. He wanted to hold her and hug her right away. Honestly, as a Mom, this made me happier than anything. Because it was the moment we became a family of four. (And now I'm crying again.)

The grandparents and my brothers each popped in for a few minutes, and about an hour after she was born, they took her off to the nursery to give her a bath and prepare her for her first night with Mom & Dad.

And that's the story of our baby girl's birth. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

At 38 weeks pregnant, I know that I can go into labor at any time (and I'm actually hoping for it to be sooner rather than later). For my labor and delivery with Caleb, I completely overpacked my hospital bag, which I wrote about here. I decided to rewrite my list and give it it's own new post, since I'm so much wiser this time around (that was a joke - I still have no idea what I'm doing). The list is pretty self-explanatory, but I will say that our hospital provided me with a LOT of things that I had packed the first time around and I ended up not needing. The hospital did provide toiletries and necessities, but I did enjoy having some luxe products with me that made my hospital stay just a little more pleasant (I bought travel sizes of salon products and some of my skincare products to keep in my bag). 

Some of the things I've included are completely based on personal preference and are completely optional (hair dryer and iron anyone?). But I did like to have the option of fixing myself up just a little bit and having some makeup on made me feel human for visitors. I liked having my own bath towel because hospital towels tend to be a little rough, and my own pillow, along with a bright pillowcase, just so I have some of the comforts of home. 

I didn't include this on the list but I do have a few snacks packed and an empty water bottle that will make drinking water while lying in a hospital bed a little easier. 

I don't pack reading material with me because [I'm not delusional] I know I will be plenty busy and/or catching up on some much needed shut-eye. 

Anyway, here's the list! What would you add or remove? 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Since I had Caleb a little over 3 years ago, there have been a slew of new baby products that have come on the market. I swore I wasn't going to go crazy with my next baby and get too many new products, but there were some things that I decided were worth trying out. These are the five products I'm most excited to use when baby Chloe arrives in a few weeks! 

I had four strollers by the time Caleb turned two. There was always a reason for another stroller and a specific use for each one. A couple months back, I entered a raffle for a Doona Car Seat. I, who happen to have the worst luck in the world for things like that, ended up winning the Doona in the raffle. The Doona is an infant seat that has wheels and converts into a stroller. This eliminates the need for adapters, going to your trunk, and two pieces of equipment. It really simplifies what is a huge necessity in the first few months of baby’s life, and cuts out the need of having four different strollers. I'm most excited about how easy this will make it to load both kids into the car, and to walk Caleb to class in the morning without having to move baby around too much! 

The DockATot is one of those items that I had seen all over social media and that is recommended in basically every mommy group I am in. It's a multi-functional lounger and co-sleeper. When Caleb was first born, he slept with us quite a bit, especially in those early breastfeeding days, and I always wished we had a barrier for him so that he was safe and sound in between us. The DockATot comes in two sizes, the Deluxe for babies 0-8 months, and the Grand for 9-36 months. It's tested for breathability, and is all natural and made of 100% cotton.  And how gorgeous is this floral print? 

Oh, how many times I took Caleb to the grocery store and wondered how the heck I was going to manage with him and the infant seat and all the groceries. The Binxy Baby solves this! It's a shopping cart hammock that can be used for babies until they are big enough to sit in the seat on their own. And when they're too little to go in the hammock, it can hold your infant seat - this leaves you the whole shopping cart basket to put your groceries or products, so you can resume your Target runs without worrying that you can't buy everything you need (or that you don't need but ends up in your cart anyway)! 

Confession: I never did a baby book with Caleb. I thought I would create albums via one site or another, and I never did. The last book I printed was of my maternity photos and baby shower (when I was pregnant with Caleb). I've done a few vacation ones, but never took the time to document Caleb's milestones and special moments. I knew I wanted to do that differently this time around, but I also wanted to be able to complete a baby book for Caleb! Enter Artifact Uprising. They have some gorgeous, classic products. And their baby book is no exception. It's very simple, and it contains prompts for you to fill in as baby grows. I ended up ordering Caleb's book after receiving one for Chloe as a gift, and I've already begun filling it in. My goal is to finish as much of it as possible before baby sister shows up! 

So there you have it! The things I'm most excited to use as a second time Mom! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

So there are a lot of things I haven't been really great about this pregnancy, and eating super well has not been one of them. With both of my pregnancies, my first trimester has been all about the carbs. Second trimesters I've been pretty balanced. But this third trimester I have been feeling pretty exhausted (read: lazy). I would definitely say that I have been lacking in the department of a well-balanced diet - thank goodness for vitamins! 

But a couple of months ago, local Miami chef and author Lauren Arboleda of Food from the Heart sent me a copy of her book Pregnancy from the Heart. Her book is really great because it talks about how to keep yourself healthy during pregnancy, along with tips for staying active, and preparing for baby's arrival.

​Last week, I was feeling a little yucky with some of the food choices I had been making, and I was really craving an açaí bowl. So I opened up the book to a page I had bookmarked, with the recipe for homemade granola and an açaí bowl. While I didn't have all the ingredients for the granola, I mixed together a few of the ingredients I DID have, and then made the açaí bowl. It was exactly what I needed - it was filling, and it made me feel like I was at least getting some veggies and lots of vitamins and antioxidants in! Read below for the recipe, along with what else I've been loving from this book! 

Acai Bowl 
recipe can be found on page 121

Ingredients
1 frozen package of açaí (no sugar added) [Trader Joes has, I also found at Publix]
1/2 banana
1/2 cup pineapple
4 cups kale (I actually subbed for spinach because I didn't have kale)

I also added a tablespoon of peanut butter since this was my lunch and I wanted to add a little more protein. 

1. Add everything to the blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Pour in a bowl and sprinkle granola on top. 
3. Add anything else you would like - I added fresh strawberries and drizzled with a little local Orange Blossom Honey that we picked up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. 

Something else that is different from my pregnancy with Caleb - with Caleb, I made the time to go to prenatal yoga at least once a week during all of my second and most of my third trimester. This time, I never got around to it. But, Lauren has included a section in her book that has all the yoga poses you will need to help with all the typical pregnancy ailments. So I have actually been doing some of these yoga poses to help alleviate heartburn and back pain! 

I've also jumped around the book checking my list with hers for how to prep for baby's arrival and what to pack for the hospital. 

It's a beautifully illustrated book, and a great resource for a healthy, holistic pregnancy. I think it would make a beautiful gift for anyone you know who has recently announced their pregnancy, or even as a gift for yourself! You can buy it by following this link, or on Amazon, or at Books & Books in Coral Gables (my favorite bookstore ever and actually where I held Caleb's baby shower!). 

Keep it cool, mamas! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

As a mom, I am always questioning myself. Am I doing this right? How can I be better? I wish I had more patience. Motherhood is a constant finding of oneself. It’s the feeling of wanting to be needed, but also needing time to yourself. It’s all these little contradictions. It’s hard as hell, but it’s worth all its difficulties.

Recently, I was chatting with a friend who is also expecting, but this is her first. She asked me tons of questions about labor, and she confessed to me that she was petrified of labor.

It brought me back to my pregnancy with Caleb. I don’t remember being scared of labor itself, just apprehensive about all the unknowns. When you’re used to being in control of just about everything, something that brings so many unknowns, like labor, can be a little scary.

But whenever the conversation came up, and people asked me how come I wasn’t scared, I would always respond with, “Because my body was made to do this. I was born to be a mother.” The fact that millions of women have been doing this, since the beginning of time, with way less knowledge and way fewer medical advancements, was always a huge comfort to me. I always used the image of Mary, and said, if she could give birth in a stable, surrounded by animals on a bed of hay, then I can certainly do this in a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors.

This time around, I am way less apprehensive about the process itself. My body has already done this once. It can certainly do it again. But like always, those little fears creep in. Should I be induced? What if I forget how to push? What if the pain is too much to bear? What if I don’t make it to the hospital in time?

But every time those fears creep in, I remind myself, I was BORN TO DO THIS.

You can find this tee at Therapy For Moms Shoppe. Therapy for Moms started out as an Instagram account that was meant to just help moms get through the days. Their latest venture has been a shop with products created by moms, for moms. They have some great pieces to help remind you of the journey you are on - some funny and some uplifting. Lisette, the founder, reached out to me a few months back and sent me this tee, asking me to share my story. I thought this was a great reminder of how we as moms can forget that we are made to do exactly what we are doing, and that as much as we doubt ourselves, a mother's instinct kicks in. 

So don't doubt yourself, momma. Because you were born to do this. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Want one of these tees for yourself? Visit Therapy for Moms Shoppe and get 20% off your order when you use the code JENISE20. It will get you 20% off your entire purchase, excluding $5 Deals and Therapy Boxes. Coupon expires 2/2/18. 

One of the first things people always ask me when they find out I am having a girl is, "So have your pregnancies been different?" The short answer to that is a firm yes. There are so many ways in which my pregnancies have been different, but a lot of them are not huge differences. And while I'm going to attribute some of the differences to the difference in sex, I'm also going to say that age, circumstance, and experience have a lot to do with it as well. 

I will say that one of the biggest differences has been that when I was pregnant with Caleb, since I was a first-time mom, everything was a big deal. I worried about everything, and my pregnancy was basically all I thought about. When you have a child outside of your belly already, you don't have the time to focus as much on your pregnancy. 

With Caleb my belly was pretty big, and it was high and wide. I felt short of breath from very early in my pregnancy with Caleb, and he stayed high up right up until I was in labor! This pregnancy, my belly has been way lower from the beginning. It's also not as big. My stomach did bloat right away with this pregnancy, but it ended up leveling out. Since my belly doesn't protrude as much, I definitely feel more movement from her than I did with Caleb. 

With Caleb, I lost weight in my first trimester, then gained weight steadily throughout the rest of my pregnancy, with a total weight gain of 24 pounds. With this pregnancy, I have gained a whopping total of... wait for it (and don't hate me, please)... FIVE pounds. I'm actually almost embarrassed to say it, because most women who have been pregnant roll their eyes at me. At first I chalked it up to the nausea I experienced in my first trimester. But then the nausea stopped and I just didn't gain weight. I think there are a few factors at play here, including the fact that I was very active, what with chasing around a toddler, and working all the way through my busy season as a photographer. I've also not been able to eat very large meals during this pregnancy, and have been congested through most of it - which has definitely given me a decreased appetite. 

With Caleb, I barely had nausea. I had terrible sciatic pain in my first trimester, then it went away when I started using a pregnancy pillow. I had terrible heartburn all throughout my pregnancy with Caleb. I also had minor swelling with Caleb, and my nose definitely widened some. My feet grew, too!

Like I mentioned above, this time around, I had nausea through the whole first trimester. I have had sciatic pain on and off throughout my pregnancy, usually when I spend too much time on the floor for whatever reason. I've had some heartburn with this pregnancy, but more often when I let my stomach get too empty. I've also had no swelling, and no changes to my nose or feet (praise Jesus!) yet! 

This has been where I have experienced the biggest difference. My thoughts this time aren't consumed with a new baby. My thoughts are consumed by Caleb. I had more feelings of guilt this pregnancy than anything else. At one point, when Caleb was really sick with Roseola and battling high fevers every day for over a week, I was exhausted and on the verge of tears. I called my mom and told her, "I feel so guilty because I keep forgetting I'm pregnant, and all my attention is going to Caleb." Her response made perfect sense to me. She told me, "The one in your belly is taken care of. Make sure you take your vitamins and drink water, but don't stress over that baby. The one that's not in your belly needs you right now, and he can't take care of himself. Let go of the guilt and do what you need to do." And you know what? She was 100% right. The moment I let go of the guilt and reminded myself that that baby in my belly WAS perfectly cared for, I was able to be a better mom to Caleb. 

Those have been the biggest differences I have noted during this pregnancy. I have thus far been blessed with very healthy, very easy pregnancies, for which I am eternally thankful. 

Did you have big differences between your pregnancies? I'd love to hear about them! Share in the comments below! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Chalk it up to not being a first-time mom or something like that, but I have been terrible at documenting my belly this pregnancy. For some reason, when I read my 33-week update this morning, I felt a little guilty about not having captured my belly more, so before we headed out today I had hubby snap a quick one on my phone. 

So yes, I am 33 weeks along. You read that correctly. Thirty-three! I can hardly believe it. That means that in just about seven weeks, there will be a new human living amongst us. Pretty crazy thought. I've been feeling about as decent as it gets when it comes to pregnancy.

Some things I'm feeling: 

• Lower back pain. Totally normal, since my center of gravity is off and my belly is carrying extra weight. 
• Braxton-Hicks contractions. Last week I felt them pretty heavily towards the beginning of the week and I knew it was a direct result of not drinking enough water. So I have started carrying around my water bottle everywhere and have made a conscious effort to drink a LOT more water. Which brings me to my next point... 
• Visiting every bathroom available because I have to pee every seven minutes. Every time baby girls shifts positions, I get a crazy urge to go.
• I also cannot laugh, cough, or sneeze without crossing my legs, otherwise I will have to go change my pants. Truth. 
• Round ligament pain. You literally feel the ligaments in your groin area stretching to help accommodate what your body will go through during birth. It's not painful, just uncomfortable. 
• Shortness of breath. My organs are all scrunched up in there, so I guess that's understandable. I find it really funny that this time last year I was training for a half marathon and could run a decent distance before losing my breath. Now? I can't even walk across the house. 
• Fullness. I don't know how to name this one but I eat like 3 bites and I'm stuffed. No joke, I had two slices of pizza the other day and I ended up throwing up because I ate too much. Lesson learned. 
• Tired. Exhaustion is creeping in. By the time my head hits the pillow at night, I'm typically out. 
• Anxious. This always sets in when you reach a certain point, I guess. Babies arrivals are unpredictable, and when you're a planner (or even when you're not), you just want to know. So I've started making lists for just about everything I can think of. 
• Emotional. I keep thinking how this will be our last this or that as a family of three. I also know that Caleb is going to go through an adjustment phase. So we have been trying to do things as a family of three and I've been spending time with him more consciously because I know that it will be harder to do that once baby arrives. 

And since the holidays are gone, Caleb's birthday has passed, and my due date is drawing near, I'm getting my butt in gear and starting to prepare for this little girl's entrance into the world. Here are some of the things I'm working on: 

• Getting items that weren't gifted to us from the registry. Some things weren't necessities, but others were so I've gone ahead and started finishing that up. 
• Organizing baby clothes. I spent yesterday morning organizing clothes by size and getting ready to wash them all this week. 
• Setting up the nursery. There's not a lot that needs to happen, but it does need to be organized, the mattress needs to be raised, and some decor has to be changed. 
• Packing my hospital bag. You can read more about what I'm planning on taking here. 
• Taking old gear out of storage and sending it for cleaning. We have a storage unit and the pack n play, mamaroo, bassinet, and a few other things have been in there for a little over a year. Those need to be taken out and sent to be cleaned before baby can use them. 
• Finalizing plans for Caleb's care. We are really fortunate to have four grandparents who can tend to him at any time, but Caleb's comfort and well-being is my biggest concern at the moment. Eddie and I will have everything covered at the hospital, but Caleb can't watch himself, and I don't plan on having him in the hospital with us for long periods of time. 

There are about a million things running through my head at the moment and the mental load is real. But I'm so excited to become a family of four and I can't wait to have my little princess in my arms!

Until next time! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Happy New Year! I'm so excited for what is to come in 2018, including the arrival of our baby girl! A couple of months ago, Justine over at Little Dove reached out and said she wanted to do a giveaway at the beginning of the year for expectant mamas. Her idea was for each of us to contribute something that we absolutely could not live without when it came to our babies, and then one lucky mama would win all of our favorite things. I decided to go with the fridababy Bitty Bundle of Joy Mom & Baby Healthcare and Grooming Gift Kit. I actually had this kit on my registry, and received it at my baby shower,  along with duplicates of some of the items to keep in my diaper bag. 

If you are pregnant or have had a baby recently, you probably grimaced when someone first told you about the NoseFrida. I know I did. When I was pregnant with Caleb and we were working on our registry, I shied away from this product when I realized how it worked. Suck snot out of someone's nose? No way. 

One day, Eddie and I were in a baby store, and he pointed out the NoseFrida and asked me what it was. When I explained it to him, he was a little put off at first, but then he said, "That actually makes a ton of sense. We should definitely have one of these." Fast forward to Caleb's first cold, and boy was I glad I had this baby on hand. I actually ended up with a second one that I kept in our travel bag. 

Something similar happened with the Windi. Someone gifted it to me and I was like, oh heck no. That is NOT happening. Well, lo and behold, one day Caleb was crazy gassy and fussy and hadn't pooped. I pulled these babies out and NEVER LOOKED BACK. 

The NailFrida is awesome because it has a little window so you can see exactly where you are cutting. We actually nicked Caleb the very first time we cut his nails so this will make me feel much better the first time we cut baby girl's nails. 

And the final item in the box is the Fridet, or momwasher. Raise your hand if you took home like four of those plastic squeeze bottles from the hospital, because I certainly did. This is a little like those, except the nozzle is formed in such a way that you don't have to contort yourself (a hassle in and of itself after giving birth) to tackle your perineal care. 

So these products aren't glam. But I promise you will get so much use out of them. So SO SO much use. But with our giveaway, you too can have these products!  If you're a resident of the US or Canada, follow the link below and make sure you complete all the steps to enter before the contest ends at midnight on January 13! 

Also, make sure you check out the other ladies' posts so you can read about why they included their items! 

​Justine at Little Dove 
Shani at Sunshine & Munchkins 
Mary Leigh at Live Well Play Together 
Marette at Floradise 

Good luck! 

Xoxo, 

​Jenise