Hospital Bag

I know it is a bit early to start planning a hospital bag but it seems with the way things are going lately with the moving, and everything being so crazy! I thought now is probably as good as ever to make sure I have EVERYTHING we are all going to need during that time. I would rather be safe than sorry and not have something when I do need it! So here a list I have come up with after a bit of research from other sites, blogs and even family and friends...

* Bathrobe - I know many sources say you wouldn't want to wear/ruin anything of your own, but I think it will feel so good being able to change into my own bathrobe instead of the hospital gown and I don't have expensive gowns anyways so no need to worry about it getting ruined. 

* Slippers - Everyone is telling me that I should definitely buy some comfy slippers since the floors are always so cold. I am thinking of just buying some of those Comfy Socks with Grips on the Bottom because I am worried about buying slippers and then my feet getting so swollen that they won't even fit.  They also come in some of the cutest little colors and designs. 

* Naked Juices - I am OBSESSED with these juices and I know I probably won't be eating much due to being in labor and such so I will definitely be throwing one or two of these in my bag. They are slam packed full of calories, nutrients and the greatest part, they are all natural! These are loaded with fruits & veggies, they are filling & they taste soooo good. 

* Dry Shampoo - I use this stuff occasionally when my hair a tad oily and I don't have time to wash it before heading out somewhere. This would be good in case you aren't able to shower on your own, this would be a lifesaver. I am also thinking of bringing shampoo & conditioner anyways, just in case I am able to take a normal shower.

* Chapstick, Face Wash & Moisturizer - I was told that chapstick is a MUST, so I will definitely stock up on several tubes of that. I have some cleansing cloths, Mary Kay Facial Cleansing Cloths that are wonderful for washing your face, all you have to do is get them wet and scrub away. I also use a Mary Kay Moisturizer that is just WONDERFUL, a little of this stuff goes a long way!!
* Johnson & Johnsons Hand & Face Wipes - They are super gentle on baby's skin & smell fantastic. A must-have for the diaper bag but also great to have lying around to use on pacifiers & your own hands. All of the others smell like alcohol or aren't soft enough, these will be my go-to wipe for any purpose. 
* Boppy - These things are AMAING! Whoever invented these pillows needs a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! I was recommended this for breastfeeding, snuggling & propping up the baby. If I have to have a c-section I won't be able to prop the baby on my belly so this would help a lot.  Can't say enough good things about these! 

* Camera, Phone & Chargers for both - for sharing the news & capturing all of the first precious moments! We will most likely be having a photographer there for our special moment but I am not taking chances with a dead phone. 

* Hand Sanitizer - I love this stuff and I even keep a bottle of it in my purse. They even make little travel bottles to make it easier to throw in a bag while in a hurry. It is all natural ingredients and it would be wonderful for you and your guests. Babyganics Hand Sanitizer is the BEST!

* Pillows & extra blankets - for the hubs since he might be using the window as his seat/bed :)  

* Snacks - Every hospital I have been to hasn't exactly had the best food so we are going to stock up on little snacks and even thought about bringing some small packages of sandwich meat. Even some little jello and pudding packets would be wonderful.  

* Nursing Bra & Soothies - I have heard these things are amazing and I plan on stocking up on them ASAP!! They are a stupid expensive but I have been told numerous times that they are a total TREAT and a complete lifesaver when it comes to cracked and irritated nipples. 

* Baby Hats! - I am planing on buying a few hats to throw in the bag since the ones they give you at the hospital are usually so thin and it is going to be freezing outside. It also gives me an excuse to dress her super girly once she gets here.

* Going Home Outfit for Baby - Definitely going to get something comfy & warm. I also hear that the hospital will be keeping her in either onesies or just diapers. That means no need to bring multiple changes of clothes. 

* Going Home Outfit for You - I recommend anything loose, five times larger than regular size, etc. I am probably going to get some super comfy pair of yoga pants and maybe a stretchy maternity shirt to wear home since we are only going to be in the car.

Things that I was recommended to leave at home because they either give or let you use at the hospital... The breast pump, lanolin, bottles, pacifiers (I will probably bring one just incase), swaddle blankets, onesies, diapers (I will probably pack a few just incase, you never know), water cups & towels. So there is no need to pack any of those things... The hospital should be very accommodating, I am hoping! 

I am also thinking of bringing a night light! From past experiences of being in the hospital all of the room lights are soo bright! At bed time, I still want to be able to see my little one or be able to see to get around, but it is going to be impossible to sleep with the awful room lights on... or even the bathroom light. So I am definitely going to bring a small plug in one!

19 Weeks!

How far along? 19 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Didn't gain any weight this week so in all, still +6 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I am mainly wearing my jeans with the BeBand or occasionally a dress if it's hot out.

Stretch marks? Nope, none to date!

Sleep: I still have my good days and I have my bad days!

Best moment this week: Going to Hobby Lobby and finding the cutest little things for her room, and also the PERFECT fabrics to make her crib set!!

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? The only thing I am really missing is coffee, I miss StarBucks so much:(

Movement: Our little girl is such a little wiggle worm, I guess I am going to have to get her signed up for ballet asap!

Food cravings: I still crave orange juice like crazy but now I am starting to miss coffee so much!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still smelling some one smoking or even the smell of alcohol makes me sick!

Have you started to show yet: Still only a little bump so far...

Gender: PINK PINK PINK, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am still dreading the day I do... 

Belly Button in or out? IN

Wedding rings on or off? ON

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but occasionally feel a tad depressed for some reason. 

Looking forward to: Decorating her nursery and making it super girly for her!!

Milestones: Making it to 19 weeks, only 1 more week until we are half way there!!

Spoiled Already!!

Nathan and I decided to go out last night to do a little shopping after his EPD. Needless to say we had to buy a few things for the baby! Just so you know, not everything in the pictures is what we bought. The majority of it is from my mom!

We only bought 2 of these little sleepers, the other little sleepers and gowns come from my mom. I must add that none of these were over $10.00, which I am pretty proud of by the way!

The little cowboy boots were from my mom, she believes every little girl should have a pair of boots! We only bought a few pieces out of this stack. The most expensive outfit was the little stripped dress with pink ruffles around the neck. It was from the PX on base! I got the large pack of diapers from Target and I plan on sewing a panel of fabric in the center then adding her monogram to them to make little burp cloths. I am so excited to see how they turn out once they are done. I didn’t have to pay the high dollar price for them in a baby store.

I can't wait to spoil our little girl with cute clothes and ruffles and BIG hair bows. Nathan has even threatened to make her a daddy's girl!!

It's A...

I guess I will give you a little update as to what has been happening this past week. 

This past week I went and stayed with my parents since Nathan would be working late every day and that way it would give me some time to spend with family and with my mom. Thursday morning at about 2am I had woke up with some of the worst cramping I have ever felt in my life. I tried everything possible that I knew that would maybe help, but nothing helped. I was walking the hall ways, laying on my left side with a pillow in between my legs and even took some tylenol in hopes that it would help; nothing helped! It finally went away after a few hours of laying in bed so at about 9am I finally got up and I felt fine. I ended up going to work with my mom to spend some time with her and in hopes that me moving around a bit would help from cramping up again. I felt great through out the entire day until about 3pm. The cramping come back full force like that morning, I finally told my mom and she said that if I could wait until she got done at 5 then she would go with me to the dr's. By the time 5-6pm came around the dr's office was closed and were forced to visit the ER. That wasn't the funnest time I have to admit but I was starting to get super nervous that something was not right and I would feel terrible if I there was something wrong with our baby and I didn't get it checked out. Whelp I am not 20 weeks so unfortunately I couldn't be seen right away. I believe one of the dr's had even said that he could not help me and that I believe his exact words were "whatever happens, happens!" Well after spending 2 hours in the waiting room, we were finally called back to the main side and by that point I had done a urine sample was told that I will have to have an ultrasound, pelvic exam and most likely a bag of fluids. I was called back to Ultrasound first and there I was able to finally find out what our little bundle of joy was! I got to lay there and see our wonderful little miracle move and wiggle around on the screen for about 45 minutes. At first the ultrasound tech was not even able to get a clear image because the baby was moving around so much and even had it's head hiding behind my hip bone. Coming out of the ultrasound I was grinning from ear to ear to happiness, I couldn't wait to tell my husband! After having blood work done, a pelvic exam and sitting for about an hour waiting for an IV with a bag of fluids to pump through; we had spent about 6 hours in the hospital and was after midnight by the time we had left to head home.  

So what do all of you think it is!? Any guesses... PINK or BLUE!!

I was so nervous that our little one was not growing like it should because I have been having such bad cramping and not gaining barely any weight, I was so SCARED! The Ultrasound lady and even my other dr assured me that everything looked prefect! Soon as I saw our little miracle I felt such a sigh of relief. I watched our precious baby for almost an hour and it was the BEST moment of my life; I just really wish my husband had been there with me. You could see the tiny heart beating away. Little feet and hands moving everywhere. We got to see it's little brain and spine too, even little leg and arm bones and even it's little ear and pinky finger as well. Unfortunately I didn't get to get any Ultrasound pictures due to them not having a printer in the ER but I sure did enjoy just getting to see our munchkin! Our little one was measuring 17 weeks and 3 days during the ultrasound, the heartbeat was 152 and weighing between 8 and 9 ounces.

and if any of you were wondering

IT'S A....

GIRL!!!!!!



Little Miss Carolina Dawn Penn

She is just so PREFECT... We are already so in love with our little angel... and she is our little dancing queen!!

I am already so excited about my next appointment in a few weeks. I can't wait to see our little princess again!! 

18 Weeks!

How far along? 18 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 1 more lb this week, so in all +6 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? Still wearing mostly dresses or leggings when it's a little cooler out but occasionally will throw on a pair of jeans with my BeBand. 

Stretch marks? Nope, and I pray it stays that way!

Sleep: I have my good days and I have my bad days!

Best moment this week: Finding out what our little bean burrito is:) I will update as soon as everyone in the family knows!

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? I miss being able to finish a full meal and not feeling full from only eating maybe 6 bites. 

Movement: The baby has been such a wiggle worm lately, kicking and moving all the time but mostly at night laying in bed. 

Food cravings: Still craving orange juice, and I am in love with pineapple. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smelling some one smoking or drinking coffee, which is a shame but I miss coffee!

Have you started to show yet: Still only a little bump so far...

Gender Prediction: I will be posting the gender VERY soon:)

Labor Signs: Nope, I am still dreading the day I do... I'm terrified to have to spit this baby out. It's safe inside!

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Posting about the gender of the baby, I promise I will have it posted by tonight or tomorrow! I am also looking forward to finally doing some shopping!!

Milestones: Making the decision to move in with my mom until base housing opens up on Quantico. Nathan and I will be away from each other for a few months but we can make it!

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 2 more lb this week, so in all +5 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? Still wearing mostly dresses or leggings when it's a little cooler out.

Stretch marks? Nope, none yet!

Sleep: I barely get any sleep because I can never get comfortable!

Best moment this week: I will update the minute something exciting happens!

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? So many things... But at this moment, I miss SLEEP!

Movement: Still the same as last week, but I can swear it is like digging under my ribs on my left side. We have both been able to feel it move on the outside. My mom tried feeling it but no luck yet.

Food cravings: Still craving orange juice, and now cool aid or Tropical Punch juice. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything other than drinks.

Have you started to show yet: Still only a little bump so far.. Nathan says it has gotten bigger this past week though.

Gender Prediction: Everyone is still thinking girl but we will find out very soon!!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm terrified to have to spit this baby out. It's safe inside!

Symptoms: I have been having some pretty bad lower back pains lately, and terrible headaches!

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing them. I could swear my fingers have shrunk in size since I've gotten pregnant. My rings fit a lot looser then when we got married. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Still a little bit of both, I am happy during the day but morning and nights I feel so moody and miserable.

Looking forward to: Really looking forward to finding out the gender, hopefully in a few days!!

Milestones: Making the decision to move in with my mom until base housing opens up on Quantico. Nathan and I will be away from each other for a few months but we can make it!

Boy or Girl...

It's a boy if:

You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy

Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute 

You are carrying the extra weight out front 

Your belly looks like a basketball 

Your areolas have darkened considerably

You are carrying low

You are craving salty or sour foods

You are craving protein -- meats and cheese 

Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy

 The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy 

Your hands are very dry

Your pillow faces north when you sleep 

Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you

 Pregnancy has you looking better than ever 

Your urine is bright yellow in color 

Your nose is spreading 

You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles 

You are having headaches 

You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number 

It's a girl if:

You had morning sickness early in pregnancy 

Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute 

You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear

Your left breast is larger than your right breast 

Your hair develops red highlights

You are carrying high 

Your belly looks like a watermelon

You are craving sweets 

You are craving fruit 

You crave orange juice 

You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy 

You are moodier than usual during pregnancy 

Your face breaks out more than usual 

You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread 

Your breasts have really blossomed! 

Your pillow faces south when you sleep

Your urine is a dull yellow color 

You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side

You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number

We are hoping that we will find out in only a matter of days, but we are not sure yet!
Both if us are still thinking GIRL and so is all of our family, but who knows... Hopefully we will find out very soon!!

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 1 more lb this week, so in all +3 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I still wear mostly dresses.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: I barely get any sleep!

Best moment this week: Nothing yet but the week has just started.

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? So many things... but I still miss waking up and not feeling sick!

Movement: Still the same as last week, but I can swear it is like digging under my ribs on my left side. We have both been able to feel it move on the outside. 

Food cravings: Still craving orange juice, and now cool aid.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything other than drinks.

Have you started to show yet: Still only a little bump so far.. still gets much bigger at the end of the day!

Gender Prediction: Still thinking girl but we find out very soon!!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm terrified to be in labor!

Symptoms: I still have really bad stomach cramping, but everyone claims it's normal so I am hoping for the best.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Currently still on, and they actually feel a little loose at times. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both, I am happy during the day but morning and nights I feel so moody and miserable.

Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender at hopefully my next appointment, August 17th!

Milestones: Finally making it to the second trimester!

Welcome Everyone!!

My name is Brandie, I am the proud owner and photographer of "Brandie Penn Photography" and I am married to an MP in the United States Marine Corps. Nathan and I have been married almost a year now and I must admit, it has been a roller coaster from the start... We married April 16, 2011 and then Nathan deployed only a few short months later in July. He recently come home this past February after a very long 7 months of being away. We are currently 16 weeks pregnant with our first child and we couldn't be more excited about starting a family together. We currently live in the beautiful sweet southern state of North Carolina but will soon be moving to Quantico, VA because of new PCS orders in hand. It has been once crazy and wild ride but we have enjoyed every minute of it together.

Being a military wife is a HARD job but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 

This is our journey in life, follow along on our ride.

15 Weeks and a Day!

How far along? 15 weeks and a day

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 3 lbs this week, so in all +2 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I wear mostly dresses now a days.

Stretch marks? Nope, none yet!

Sleep: Definitely haven't gotten much sleep lately!

Best moment this week: Nothing yet but the week isn't over yet.

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? So many things... but I miss waking up and not feeling sick!

Movement: Nothing serious yet but I keep feeling little bubbles and like bugs in my stomach. Nathan swears he can still hear it and feel it a little:)

Food cravings: Still craving orange juice and ginger ale.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything other than ginger ale.

Have you started to show yet: Only a little bump so far.. still gets much bigger at the end of the day!

Gender Prediction: Everyone in my family is thinking girl, but we find out VERY soon!!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm terrified to be in labor!

Symptoms: I still have really bad stomach cramping, but everyone claims it's normal so I am hoping for the best.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Currently on and I'm praying that I will be able to wear them the whole time.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both, I am happy during the day but morning and nights I feel so moody and miserable.

Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender at hopefully my next appointment, August 17th!

Milestones: Finally making it to the second trimester!

Also did I mention that we ordered the babies Car seat/Stroller (Travel System), and also the Pack n Play we wanted. Yes, they match!! Target was having this huge sale last week and Monday was their day for baby stuff and low and behold they had those few things we wanted on sale. We were able to get the Travel System for only $95.00 (originally $180.00) and the Pack n Play for only $120.00 (originally $160.00). We were so excited when we noticed they were on sale so we were able to save a ton of money by buying them on sale instead of original pricing. 

 This is the Travel System we got and we are so in love with it. It looks even better in person than it does in photo. We were able to this at almost half the price than it originally is offered for. Paid only $95.00, when originally $180.00.

This is the Pack n Play we got at a great deal and we actually already opened it and put it together at my mothers house to see how it would be. I must say that it was so easy to put together and to take apart. It also come with a nice bag to store everything in while traveling or moving. I am in love with it and I think this will be perfect to baby naps during the day while I am trying to get things done once the baby gets here.