South Dakota Must Do's.

Another month has come and gone and we've been nothing but on the move!  At the beginning of the month, the kids and I headed to South Dakota with my parents to visit my sister and her family. It was a quick, fun filled trip with daily explorations of some of South Dakota's finest spots. The Reptile Gardens, Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, Spearfish Canyon, Rough Lock Falls, and Custer State Park all left us with a love for South Dakota and a desire to come back and visit again soon! 
The places I listed above are definite MUST DO's if you're planning a trip to South Dakota. If you're up for some driving, which is totally worth it, most of the locations can be visited in a weekend visit and at little cost. Mt Rushmore and Custer Park have car State Park entrance fee's. Wall Drug and Rough Lock Falls are FREE (who doesn't love free) and an afternoon at The Reptile Garden is worth it's price. The Reptile Garden ticket also allows for a multiple day visits if you want to go more than once.  Don't forget that photos make the best souvenirs for any vacation and South Dakota will leave you no shortage of opportunity for some beautiful photos.

It was an especially great weekend for us as we celebrated my nephew James and his choice to be baptized. What a neat experience for us to be there with him on his special day. 

The weekend was complete with a special birthday celebration for my late brother Hunter who would have turned 25 this year!  So special to be with my sisters and parents on his special day. 

I'm grateful my kids are getting so many opportunities to travel this year and see the wonderful places and history the United States offers. Even if it wears them out! 

20 Week Bump Update.

This is the post I would say most readers look forward to in a families pregnancy!  With Hunter it was THIS post. We posted the news about Hayden HERE. 
Sorry to burst your gender reveal bubbles but we won't be sharing that news today... or for the next 20 weeks!  However, today we did get to see our little baby at our 20 week appointment and we are so happy that he OR she is growing healthy!  It was scary thinking that we might accidentally reveal the gender but our UltraSound Tech was awesome at making sure we looked away anytime she thought the sex might be revealed.  10 fingers, 10 toes, strong 4 chamber beating heart and "tall" in fetus terms!  Our baby measured 21 weeks moving our Due Date to Jan 2nd. 

Since we aren't revealing baby's gender, I thought instead I would share my Top 5 Must Have Pregnancy Products - The 20 Weeks Along Version.
Number 1. Boppy Body Pillow.

At 16 weeks, sleep became impossible! I was so uncomfortable and tossed and turned all night. Luckily, I was able to find my body pillow, I've had since I was pregnant with Hunter, buried in the basement storage.  Usually I am a belly sleeper, so adjusting to my side takes me a few weeks.  I fell in love with the Boppy Body Pillow because within a few days my body is adjusted.  I love the head pillow and pillow that positions to go between your legs.  The contoured pillow is designed to follow your body line for maximum support on your neck, back, belly and hips. I love that the cover is removable and machine washable.  For around $55 it's an awesome investment. One that may even last you THREE pregnancies like mine!  

Number 2. Belly Lotion.

Maybe my first pregnancy I was paranoid about stretch marks but with baby #3 on the way, stretch marks have been the last thing on my mind.  However, I have loved having a belly butter that I know is giving moisture to my already stretch marked skin and helping prevent future skin damage as my tummy grows. I've been using Palmers Cocoa Tummy Butter for the first half of this pregnancy, mostly because I had it leftover from my pregnancy with Hayden, and it is more of a healing cream verses a preventative cream. With Vitamin E, Collagen and Elastin plus a soothing Lavender smell, it's been the perfect addition to my post shower routine before bed each night.  For around $5 its an excellent product for helping minimize stretch mark itchiness and appearance.   Number 3. Oat Mama Lactation Bars.

I really struggled to breast feed Hunter and Hayden and ended up pumping for only four months to bottle feed them both before switching to exclusively formula feeding. Knowing this could very well be my last baby, I've really tried to focus and educate myself on how I can increase my supply and really try to breast feed (or at least produce more milk) with this baby.  I was given some Oat Mama bars at an event I attended and fell in love with this product.  Oat Mama makes Lactation Granola Bars in several flavors that are geared and packed full of Galactagogues, which are foods known to help increase lactation.  You can find ingredients like rolled oats, ground flax, toasted almonds, cashew butter, sunflower seeds, honey, organic coconut oil, vanilla in cinnamon in all of their products. Although I'm not lactating yet (TMI??) I figured it wouldn't hurt to start pumping in some incredible super foods into my diet to help prep my body.  These bars are seriously so yummy. Who can resist Chocolate Almond Coconut or Apple Cinnamon Raisin.  Be sure to check out their website if you're expecting and get your Oat Mama Bars before baby arrives!  For around $36 you can get a 12 count variety pack.
Number 4. Gummy Pre-Natal Vitamins.

With my first two pregnancies I could NOT take Pre-Natal vitamins. They made me so nauseous and I HATED swallowing those two big pills.  When I found out I was pregnant this time around I asked my Dr. for an alternative and asked about gummy vitamins. My Dr. is really great and said to take whatever my body could handle. He said that any type of vitamin was better then none, in his opinion.  I found VitaFusion PreNatal Gummies at the store and decided to test them out. They've been awesome. No nausea. No yucky swallowing!  I've been so happy that i've been able to get the extra nutrition I need with this pregnancy with how busy our lives have been this first 20 weeks. The flavors of the vitamins are great. They are easy to chew and I actually look forward to taking them every morning.  I would definitely recommend this brand to anyone who is looking for that extra nutrition and boost, pregnant or not!  For around $10 you get 90 gummies. 
Number 5. Tums.

The answer to EVERY heartburn problem!  I have a big bottle at home and a small bottle stashed away in my purse!  Heartburn can be the DEATH of a pregnant lady when it hits unexpectedly and Tums work quickly to travel directly to the source of the burn!  Not to mention they are kinda tasty right?  DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT TUMS!  For around $4 buy 10 bottles.... you'll use them all before baby arrives. 
Well that's it friends. Really, this pregnancy has been pretty low maintenance while everything else around us has been crazy.  I'm excited for the next 20 weeks to watch and feel baby grow! 
PS. We're definitely open to any girl name suggestions... preferably starting with H because we gotta keep the pattern going right?  We have a list of potential boy names but are stuck with girl names. Gotta be prepared! 
Thanks for popping in for a read!