Last night Mr. Charming & I went to start our registry. 

Insert all the girlish, happy, blissed-out squeals here. We decided to do it earlier than later, because we are already to starting to make some of our own, larger purchases, and we wanted the amazing rewards from Babies R' Us that go along with it. (No, this is not a sponsored post. I just think their registry program is that awesome.) 

Along with this post just being a super happy dance on paper, er screen, I also recommend my suggestions for where I think organic is best. 

In almost two hours, we only made it through about a quarter of the store. Most of our time was spent choosing what we believe is the best stroller and car seat for us. I let Mr. Charming take the reigns on this, since I chose the crib. We found a perfect match for both of us and baby. It's sleek, streamline, lightweight for little ol' Mandi, comfortable, high safety ratings and converts to last until baby is 4 years old! Win. Win. Win. 

And can I just say, seeing your husband testing out your first child's stroller? Priceless, endorphin surging, swoon moment of a lifetime. Seriously almost cried. Thank you Jesus for these moments. 

It's an overwhelming selection of EVERYTHING when you go to register, and when ours is complete, I'll post what I believe we needed vs. what I felt we didn't. Doug's five sisters and my three sisters have had plenty of littles over the years, so we've got to learn a lot about need vs. want when it comes to infant gear. 

Although, the wiper and bottle warmer were pretty cool. I mean, would you want a cold, wet rag on your behind in the middle of the night? Doesn't sound too pleasant. I try to put myself in their booties when weighing what's necessary. 

Right now I'm researching some organic brands offered at Babies R' Us to see which we are going to go with. Burts Bees vs. Honest vs. BabyGanics Vs. Earths Best. I also like the attributes of Pampers Premium to protect my little baby's bum So far, Burt's Bees has the best lavender lotion, as I miss the old J&J lavender night lotion of the past. BabyGanics smelled too earthy for us and Earths Best seems to have a good selection. New waters to explore, and so many options. But happy there are so many organic options. With Johnson and Johnson and other popular baby companies coming under fire for so many harmful chemicals, it's good to know we can opt for better options for our developing little one. 

The items below are where we are going organic or chemical-free in the nursery and our home, once completed I'll publish my faves, once I've tried them out. 

All Bath & Diaper Products
Our Crib Mattress
Most Clothing
Mittens and other items that touch the face
Toys (Eco Friendly and Chemical Free)
All Cleaners For Home & Baby Clothes

I'd love to hear your feedback on your favorite organic baby brands! Leave it in the comments below!  

​How far along? 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Still under pre-pregnancy weight. Even with my little bump. 
Clothing Options? Mostly fitting my regular clothes, had to get some maternity shorts! 
Pregnancy Symptoms? Still nauseated on and off, but not all day anymore!! 
Sleep: Sleeping good. Starting to have to pee more. 
Best moment of month FOUR: Traveling to California and getting to visit family and shoot a music video with my record label. 
Biggest Fear of Month FOUR: Pretty blissed out right now. Second trimester baby! 
Movement: Felt little butterfly bubbles and little flicks!! 
Food cravings: Really bad food :( Eating healthy but craving things I havn't eaten in YEARS. Like quesadillas. Sonic Tater Tots (I know, SO BAD) and grilled cheese. Vegan Mac N' Cheese is having to do. 
Aversions: Meat sometimes. 
Belly Button in or out? In 
Mood:: So happy <3 
Looking forward to: Seeing my little bump grow! 

In other news... I started to learn about what pregnancy can do to your body. After shooting a music video and attending a party to launch the magazine I was exhausted for DAYS. Mr. Charming also had a day to ourselves so we went to some fun places around L.A. - including the Botanical Gardens - and walking up hill was NO JOKE with my lessening lung capacity and the weight baby is starting to put on my legs. 

From the first post in my First Trimester Chronicles to here, it's been a roller coaster of sickness, fatigue, emotions and sheer joy. I've always like to share my journey as is, so I thought I'd keep going with my series to allow you all to glimpse, well 1. why I've barely been blogging, and 2. what's really going on with me while I grow this little miracle. 

And without further adieu... part two of my First Trimester Chronicles from a tired mama.  

My husband has always been the doting kind. Generous, loving, strong, romantic. But these last three months? Oh man, he has carried the weight of working, taking care of home and taking exceptional care of me and our baby-t0-be on top of it all. He truly gets ALL the brownie points. And the brownies, just as soon as I feel good enough to bake them and stomach the aroma of baked goods again. 

This has been the hardest part for me. I ADORE that I'm pregnant, starting to picture our little family and our adorable surprise bundle, and I've struggled with the guilt over the frustration of feeling so sick for almost 90 days straight. But I met some other blessed mama's-to-be who gave me some advice and some ways to extend to grace to myself and I am starting to accept the fact that I need to rest in this season. But yeah, the person that dubbed it morning sickness is a liar. A big liar. From 6 weeks to about 11 weeks it was all day long. From 11-13 weeks it hits me mostly at sundown until bedtime now, which is much more favorable than all day. So I'll take it. Grow baby grow. 

From a self-professed water lover, I absolutely had no idea how hard it would be to stay hydrated. My body craves water, but water makes me want to vomit. So. It's been a challenge to say the least. I spend many moments in the day finding creative ways to get water down. Some days it has to be SUPER HOT for me to tolerate it, so Peppermint and Decaf Green Tea has been my friend. In the beginning it had to be SUPER COLD, so that was easy, i'd just refrigerate it. (I'm normally a room temp kind of girl from my days as a professional singer). And some days it has to be in soup broth or a diluted juice form or it's just not going down. 

This one was easy for us when it came to immediate family, (we chose right away, since it was amazing to have their support through our loss last year) but we waited the traditional 12 weeks for everyone else this time, including our close friends. We just wanted to spend the first trimester in prayer and with me being so sick and sleeping so much it was easy to not run in to too many people. Had I seen them. I totally would have blabbed. I'm just so stinkin' excited. 

This was really hard for me. I always said when I was expecting I'd stick to my Paleo or even my #Whole30 lifestyle. Ha. For being as sick as I was for 6 weeks, I ate what I could get down. I'm still 100% gluten-free and dairy-free, but some days carbs, such as rice pasta or oatmeal, was all I or baby could stomach. I had to start listening to my body while still being conscious of my health and the health of Baby P.  Now that I'm in week 13, I'm craving meat and veggies and most of my day is Paleo, but I want to stress that it's ok to listen to your bodies cues and make sure your getting the vitamins and minerals needed. My body is making a whole other person, I couldn't do that without carbs, and I dropped 8 lbs in my first trimester. I am now entering my second and have yet to gain a pound. Make sure you ask your doctor about any health, weight or food concerns you may have.