Ivory Gentle Aloe Scent Detergent

We have been getting ready for baby girl! From working in the nursery to buying essentials, we’re busy!

It’s no secret I’ve been shopping up a storm for her in the fashion department as well. There’s something about little baby clothes that I just LOVE! Having her little outfits washed and ready to go helps check items off the very long list we have to prepare for her arrival.

We recently started using Ivory Gentle Aloe Scent laundry detergent as we start to wash all her clothes. I like it because while it’s gentle enough for the baby, it’s also tough on stains for my two older boys.

Great for the whole family

My boys are VERY tough on their clothes, it used to bother me but after 10 years of being a boy mom, I’ve learned to just keep a strong detergent and stain remover on hand. It’ll be nice to have a product that the whole family can use and enjoy. Both my husband and son have sensitive skin so there’s a little something for everyone.

Several detergents that are hypoallergenic, are usually also scent free, but this one has a light scent to it which I really enjoy. The boys and my husband like it too! The Ivory Gentle Aloe Scent laundry detergent is made without dyes, phosphates, brighteners, chlorine or enzymes.

Where to Buy

You can find this detergent at Walmart, I added links throughout this post for easy shopping! Do you know someone with sensitive skin or who recently had a baby? Share this post with them, they should definitely try the Ivory Gentle Aloe Scent laundry detergent.

You can see a little sneak peek at the nursery in these photos. The wallpaper is going up this weekend and the crib should be here soon! Can’t wait to share the full reveal with you guys. 

Thank you for reading!

XO – Steph

We are officially 20 weeks pregnant so it’s time for a 20 week bump update! Time really seems to be flying by. I can hardly believe we’re already half way there. We have a sonogram this week, and since we haven’t seen the baby since our first appointment, Jason and I are really excited.

So far this pregnancy has been pretty smooth. I mentioned in my announcement post that in our first sonogram my doctor found a golf ball size fibroid. As a result, one of the things that we will be looking for in our upcoming appointment is ensuring that it’s not affecting her growth. I would appreciate your prayers! However, other than that, we’re doing great!

How Are The Boys Feeling?

The boys are a mixture of excited and annoyed with me since I’m buying so much to prepare for baby sister. It’s no secret that when they were born, we were a lot younger and not as financially stable. My oldest son rolls his eyes every time a package gets delivered because he knows it’s likely not for him! Ha! “You were broke when I was born” … this is a direct quote. These kids, I swear. I have to gently remind him he’s traveled to multiple countries, takes vacations every year and even went to the Bahamas and Disney World pre-COVID. In other words, leave me alone!

Since we are at the halfway mark, here’s a quick recap of what we’ve been up to the past few weeks!

20 Week Bump Update

Cravings/What I’m Loving:

• Spicy foods
• Sour gummy candy
• Cava (Mediterranean Food)
• Flavored Sparkling Water

What I Miss The Most

• Margaritas

Biggest Adjustment

• Sleeping on my side (I’m a back sleeper)
• Being so out of breath
• Body changes and clothes not fitting

Baby Must Haves (What’s been recommended so far!)

• Baby Brezza Formula Pro
• Doona
• Ergobaby Carrier 360 Cool Air Mesh
• DockATot
• 4Moms MAMAROO
• Boppy Lounger
• Uppa Baby Vista Stroller
• Clek Car Seat
• como tomo Bottles

How I’m Feeling

• Energized
• Excited
• Nervous
• Unprepared
• A little lost … haven’t had a baby in a LONG time
• Happiest when shopping

Nursery Purchases (To Date)

Bump Style Faves – Non Maternity

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go! I can’t wait to meet you baby girl!

Thank you guys for your support. I’m open to any and all suggestions, so please keep sending them my way! Have a great week.

XO – Steph

Well, if you follow me on Instagram, then by now you know that we are having a baby! Wow! That feels so good to finally be able to shout it from the rooftops. It’s been 2 months of keeping this little secret and trying to figure out the best way to tell all of our friends and family, and then of course you all!

Every week that I disappeared for a bit or didn’t post, can more than likely be attributed to pure exhaustion and all my energy being taken to grow this baby.

I’m going to answer a few questions that have come up so far and share a 1st trimester update in today’s post.

1st Trimester Update

The weeks seem to be going by fast right now, but I know towards the end the waiting game for baby will feel soooo long. I’m just trying to enjoy every day. My first trimester went pretty smoothly. I was about 7 weeks pregnant when I had my first doctor’s appointment. At that point, I was experiencing extreme fatigue, tender breasts and some pretty heavy mood swings. My sweet husband was such a champ during that time, because I know I was driving him crazy.

Discovering I Have a Fibroid

During my first appointment, we discovered that I have a uterine fibroid about the size of a golfball. The doctor actually found the tumor before he found the baby. I won’t lie, in that moment waiting to find the heartbeat for the first time, I was bracing myself for him to say that the fibroid would be a problem or that I wasn’t actually pregnant anymore. After a bit of searching, our doctor found the baby’s heartbeat! It felt like the longest few minutes of my life but hearing a heartbeat for the first time is well worth the wait.

I see the doctor every 4 weeks right now, which is nice. I hate that my husband, Jason, can’t be in the appointments with me, but I’m so glad he was able to at least be there for our first one.

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is not something I’ve ever really dealt with in any of my pregnancies, but this time around I did have a few bouts of feeling nauseous and desperately needed to lay down. That was one of my first indicators that I might not be carrying a boy this time around. I’m so glad that is behind me now!

Slowing Down

I have to say, even with everything happening with Covid-19, being pregnant right now and being able to slow down significantly has been an amazing blessing. I do miss traveling for work and being on the go, but my body needed this break. I received a few questions on baby related things, so let’s dive into the Q&A next!

Baby Q&A

Were you guys trying? If so, for how long?

We honestly were not seriously trying, it was more of a if we get pregnant cool, if not, that’s great too. I do not say that lightly because I know that getting pregnant does not come easy for all.

I took my IUD out in June 2019 because I was ready to give my body a break from birth control. We were extremely careful and used other contraceptives to prevent pregnancy once my IUD was removed. I think we finally loosened up at the end of the year (December) early January and stopped being so careful (basically we were tired of condoms haha) and I got pregnant pretty quickly after that.

How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?

Thankfully only feelings of nausea a few times, nothing too crazy. I feel really fortunate that morning sickness is not something I suffer from.

Yay! A girl! Were you hoping for a girl?!

My husband and son have always said they wanted a little girl in the house. When I was a lot younger, I used to pray that I’d only have boys! In fact, I wanted 4 boys. But then I had 2 and the idea of little girl didn’t seem so bad after all 😉 I love being a boy mom but I’m also looking forward to switching things up around here.

Do you still have any baby items from when your boys were little?

I got rid of everything. I think I kept some clothes that are sentimental to me, but other than that .. it’s all gone. We will be totally starting over! And I’ll certainly be reading lots of blogs from new moms for help on what to buy.

How did your work respond to you being pregnant?

They were so sweet! My boss is awesome and everyone is super excited!

Will you be creating a baby registry?

Yes! I already have one started at buy buy BABY and Amazon, but it’s more so a visual way for me to make sure I don’t forget anything. I hope we can have a shower if things settle down with the virus, but if not, I’m sure we’ll find other ways to celebrate her!

I bet baby girl will be so stylish!! Where do you plan to shop for her?

I’m still figuring it out! I have a very specific idea of how I want to dress her (outside of your typical onesies and loungewear), so I’ve been researching all the brands and boutiques that I see some blogger friends share. Some I love, some I don’t. I’ll do recap of what I find once I narrow it down a bit more. But I am very excited to be able to dress her up. My boys only like to wear athletic clothes. And if it’s not basketball shorts or sweatpants, they aren’t interested … so you can probably imagine … I’m ready to go crazy with all things girly!!

I’ll do another update after the 2nd trimester! Thank you so much again for all of the well wishes and sweet messages. We are over the moon excited. My boys are definitely “mamas boys,” so my husband is looking forward to having someone on his team! I am almost 17 weeks this week and still feeling good. We have an appointment on Thursday, and I can’t wait to check on baby girl.

Talk soon! Love you guys!

XO – Steph