These are a few of my favorite things . . .

To mark the countdown (50 days until my due date!), I'm posting all my favorite things that make pregnancy easier. Some are product recommendations, some are more general.

• One of the first things I used to make life easier in pregnancy was a tummy sleeve, also called a belly band. The one I have (and love) is a white one from Motherhood, and it's held up great despite being much cheaper than the more fancy brands. If you've never seen one, it's a stretchy band you wear around your waist with your favorite jeans (unbuttoned when you can no longer squeeze into them). It holds up your pants and looks like a layering cami or tee. I've used mine from about weeks 9-28, and I anticipate using it again postpartum when I want out of the maternity clothes/pajama pants but can't yet squeeze back into my jeans.


• TUMS. Anyone who's ever been pregnant knows I don't need to say more. (But anyone who knows me knows I will . . . ) I have had increasingly worse heartburn with each pregnancy. When Katie was born with a full head of beautiful dark hair, I felt it was worth it. This time around it started in the first trimester--and it has sucked. Somehow a hairy boy just doesn't seem as worth the discomfort, but we'll see. I've heard that the new "smooth dissolve" TUMS are awesome, but I couldn't stomach the price tag for the way I chow down on antacids, so I've found that the berry flavored ones (and even the berry flavored generic) work great for me. P.S. Rolaids are not the same. The package my sweetie picked up for me in a moment of thoughtfulness is relegated to the car for emergency-only use because they are so chalky.


• A body pillow. Oh, heaven in a pillow. I have heard that some husbands are just as comfortable, but I can't squish mine under my belly, through my legs, and under my head in the same way. And considering I roll over and/or get up to pee at least every hour, I don't think he wants me to.


• A massage. I had never had a massage while I was pregnant until a week ago. I highly recommend it. Of course, now I'm craving one about every evening when my joints and muscles have reached their breaking point for the day, but just the memory makes me happier. Thank you, thank you, Adam for the sweet offer to get the massage! (I'm also really looking forward to a pedicure. I'm waiting until I'm farther along and ready to have the baby since I've heard there are pressure points in your feet that can help get things moving. I'll let you know how it goes.)


• My favorite maternity shirt: a v-neck tee from Target. Sometimes simple is best. This one just happens to be the most comfortable of my maternity shirts: no ties, low-cut necks, and it's cool because there is no need to layer. It's a flattering cut. And it was only $10.


• My favorite skirt: a basic black skirt from Target. Non-maternity, but a super-super stretchy waist (stretches to twice my regular size, and it's a good thing, too). I may wear this one home from the hospital. How fancy would that be, to leave the hospital in something other than sweats or pajamas?!


• A great haircut. Betsy at Legends Salon is awesome. Love the girl. She talked me out of a drastic haircut during the pregnancy blahs with the promise that she would do something fabulous with me postpartum, which in retrospect is a much better idea. Then she trimmed my hair back to a manageable--even good-looking--state, and now I will be able to continue to pull it up and not do it when I'm having "one of those days" during the remainder of the pregnancy or early postpartum.


• Babycenter's weekly newsletter. With my first pregnancy, I devoured all the books detailing every day of my baby's development, scoured What to Expect, and went through several baby naming books. With two kids running around, who has time for that?! And yet, there's something magical about looking down at your swelling belly and knowing that right now your baby is the size of a pear (or head of lettuce, or a poppy seed, or whatever). Babycenter does a good job of condensing interesting info and a bit of humor in a quick email, but providing links to more detailed info for those times you have more time or specific concerns. (I think even Adam has subscribed at one time or another because he sometimes refers to our baby as a cucumber or mentions that he should have kidneys by now.)

I could probably go on, but I'm getting really long-winded. I just wanted to share some of the things that make my life easier in the hopes that they could make someone else's life easier, too. And happy 50 days left to me and baby Max!