So there's no baby yet. But I thought since I have the time right now (and can still think and remember), I'll include my list of top ten items that helped me through my pregnancy. Hopefully these will help other pregnant women out there too!

First, I highly recommend a body pillow. I bought one when I was about 6 months pregnant and I wish I would have bought it earlier. It's recommended that you always sleep on your left side and when you start showing and have to swing that belly over from side to side at night, it's nice to have the cushion of the body pillow to rest it on. Plus it keeps your body aligned. I bought mind from Bed, Bath & Beyond for $20 plus the microfiber suede cover for it. It's been worth every penny.

Second item that I recommend beyond any other item in this list is the NAP pillow from Brookstone. It's filled with something (they don't say what) that is patented, and molds to you. However, it's not squishy and when you lean on it, it gets hard enough to support you in whatever position you are in while molding to your position too. Starting at 6 months, I began experiencing excruciating back pain on my right side that would last all day, everyday. It was so bad I had to go to the ER one day. They couldn't figure out what it was so I went to my ob/gyn the next day. He thought it might kidney stones or gall stones so I had ultrasounds done to rule that out. Those turned out negative and my ob/gyn said it's most likely the way the baby was sitting that was pulling a muscle only on that side. I was miserable and had to go to a wedding in Texas that same week that the pain started and almost canceled my trip because I knew I couldn't sit on a plane for 2 hours without experiencing the horrible pain. Enter the pillow. I discovered it the night before my trip because my parents had it. I rested my back against it and voila! No more pain, literally. I took that pillow on my trip and when I got back gave it back to my parents because my mom got me one as a gift. WHAT A RELIEF, TRULY. I have carried it with my EVERYWHERE and it has really eased my back pain for the last 4 months.

Next item: pregnancy belt. I bought it at Motherhood Maternity and it really helped support the belly weight as I got bigger.

Fourth item: Dreyer's Slow Churned Ice Cream, No Sugar Added. I am not a big fan of diet foods, but I had mad cravings for ice cream everyday. My friend told me about this ice cream and said it was really good and satisfied her cravings for ice cream when she was pregnant. I tried it and loved it. It helped control my weight and probably saved me from getting gestational diabetes.

Fifth and sixth items: The books, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "My Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." The first one I borrowed from a friend and the second I received as a gift from a friend. Both of those books helped normalize all of the weird body changes that happened during pregnancy. They also helped me understand what labor is, the stages of labor, what to pack in my hospital bag, what to buy for the nursery, and a whole bunch of other things that I never even thought of. "My Girlfriend's Guide" was also hilarious and laid things out for me so realistically.

Number seven: Ole Henriksen Muscle Comfort Lotion. I mentioned this item in a previous blog but wanted to make sure to add it to the list.

Eighth item: Rachael Ray and her 30-minute meals. On days when I was too tired to make anything elaborate or to even go out and get something, I made a 30-minute meal. Healthy, delicious, and quick.

Ninth item: This is something you have to work on throughout your pregnancy and assemble at the end. It's a scrapbook chronicling your pregnancy from beginning to end. This was not my idea, it was my mom's. At the beginning of my pregnancy she gave me a scrapbook and stickers to put in it. Throughout the last 9 months I took pictures at all the different stages and just finished putting the book together last week. I am SO GLAD I did it, because I will never be able to capture those moments again. I even saved cards to put in it, like when my brother and sister-in-law sent me flowers at work congratulating us on the pregnancy. I saved the card that came with the flowers and put it in the book. I look at it now and can't believe how much has happened since I got pregnant!

Last item, as a group: Husband, family and friends. I could NEVER have gotten through all of this without Chris, my family, and my friends. The physical changes and emotional ups and downs would have been so difficult without all of the support. I can't even imagine having to worry about all the other stuff, like furniture shopping, assembling things, cooking, cleaning, and everything else you can't do by yourself once your belly shows up. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many supportive people. And I thank God everyday for bringing Chris into my life. Through these last 9 months, he really catered to my every whim and did everything he could to make me happy and comfortable. He's going to be an amazing father, in addition to already being the amazing husband and best friend he is to me.

So, now let's pray the next post I write is about me being home on the first day with the baby!!