Baby

doTERRA Hollystic Oils – GIVEAWAY

I’m always looking for natural remedies. Since the start of my pregnancy, I’ve become more aware of what I’m putting into my body and trying to use more natural products. Recently I’ve heard a lot about essential oils helping with many ailments and I knew I wanted to give them a try. With hormonal changes, lack of sleep, and healing from labor, what better time to start than during postpartum care.

Essential oils are natural oils found in many different plants. These oils have been found to have therapeutic benefits such as: antibacterial, anti-cancerous, antioxidant, stress relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties. Essential Oils can be used aromatically or topically. I normally place the diluted oils topically as needed to the bottoms of my feet, wrists, or back of my neck.

Since I am new to essential oils and their benefits I found it helpful working with Holly, a wellness advocate from doTERRA. She was able to recommend oils that were catered specifically to my needs. She knew exactly what combinations I should use for postpartum care. I am very thankful I found her and so far have had a great experience with the oils.

One of the blends she prepared is the Happy Mom blend. It’s a mix of fractionated coconut oil, balance blend, elevation blend, frankincense, and wild orange essential oil. This blend will help promote hormonal balance, calming and sleep, and stress and anxiety. So far I have been feeling great. I am definitely tired and trying to nap as much as I can since my little angel wakes me up every 2 hours.

Holly also prepared a calm baby blend. I can’t wait to try it on her. It is recommended that I wait until she’s 3 months old. Hopefully this will help her sleep through the nights in a few months. I’m keeping hopeful with my fingers crossed.

Holly and I would like to give away a doTERRA introductory kit (which includes Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Wild Orange, and Fractionated Coconut Oil) and a Happy Blend to one my wonderful readers.

To enter into this giveaway all you need to do is:

1) Leave a comment and let me know why you would like to win or what other natural remdies do you use

2) For an additional entry you can follow my blog by email or on bloglovin etc.. let me know in your comment that you have done that

3) For a 3rd entry follow me @withloveandrea and @hollystic_oils on Instagram and follow the instructions posted there.

Your chance to enter starts today April 21th and will close Friday April 24th at midnight PST.

Thank you for reading and good luck!!!

Winner was selected: Heather @hmbuckley you are the winner!!!!

Please email me wloveandrea@gmail.com to claim your prize!!

Thank you to all who participated and follow this journey with me!!

Fairyland Maternity Photoshoot

The past two weeks have been full of sleepless nights, crying temper tantrums, diaper changes and lots and lots of feedings. This morning baby Carlota was in her monster phase…which means she is finally fast asleep for a couple of hours and I have a few minutes to finally get a blog post in. I wouldn’t change it for the world!! We have so much love for our little munchkin and its all worth it.

These amazing magical fairy-esque photos are from my Maternity photoshoot with Shawna at Bleudog Fotography. For weeks prior to the shoot, I was debating whether to take maternity photos. I was looking online for photographers in the area and I think I contacted over 20 photographers/studios before finding this gem. Many had photo libraries of shoots that were not the vision I had in mind. The ones that had photos I liked cost a fortune, or weren’t located close to me. I started to get discouraged and thought about possibly not taking maternity photos. I was already feeling huge and not very glamorous. Did I really want to pay for photos that I’m just going to be disappointed with? Looking back at these pictures I am so happy I did them. Finding a photographer that has a similar vision or style is key to a successful photoshoot. Pregnancy is such a magical time in your life and I’m so thrilled Shawna was able to capture it so well for me. I will forever cherish my time having baby girl so close to my heart, feeling her kick and hiccup.

Dress: Asos on sale (Similar here, here and here) //

Family Portrait

Baby girl has finally graced us with her presence this Thursday March 26th at 10:48pm, weighing 7 lbs and 1 ounce and 20 1/4 inches long. Carlota Pi-Henderson. I am so overjoyed with emotions and lack of sleep!! hehe We have so much love for her already and she’s only 3 days old. I can’t imagine my life without her and I’m already sad that time is going by so quickly. I want to keep my little princess as this little tiny bundle of joy but I’m also excited to share all of her life experiences with her. So many mixed emotions….I guess that could also be due to all the changing hormones. I can’t wait to share photos and my birth story with you in an upcoming blog post.

Here are a few more of my maternity shoot photos from Bleudog photography. Shawna is amazing and I’m so happy I found her to get photos of this special time. I’m thrilled I can finally hold my baby girl, but a part of me still misses feeling her little kicks inside my belly. I miss having her so close to me 24/7.

I love this photo of my first child Pinxo. Shows the love we have for each other. He has been so good with little Charlie and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I think he’s still a little confused of what’s happening in our house and who this new addition is, but he’s so gentle with her. He is her little body guard. He needs to be close to her, but doesn’t get too close. He also occasionally likes to smell and kiss her. I think he’s a little jealous now that our attention is shared between the two of them. He was an only child for 7 years so that’s totally understandable!!

Dress: Felicity and Coco non-maternity I just went up a size //

4 Moms RockaRoo Giveaway!!!

I can’t believe I’m already 37.5 weeks along with my pregnancy. This means I have less than 3 weeks until baby girl arrives. So much to do and so little time. Not to mention who knows when she will decide to make her debut. She could decide to come early or stay warm and cozy in her little nest for a few days past her due date.

As much as I’m excited to meet her, I still want her to bake a little longer in my belly. I still need to get the final touches done with the nursery, make sure to pack that perfect hospital bag and get the house completely organized and clean. Not to mention I have patients to tend to and get all stable before I’m on maternity leave for 2 months. Thinking about all of this makes me exhausted.

Thankfully I have all the necessities needed to care for my little angel when she decides to arrive. One of which is the rockaRoo by 4 moms. I know the first month after baby girl arrives will be very challenging and exhausting. I have heard that it is very helpful to have a swing or rocker to help sooth your baby. The rockaRoo is just that. It moves with a gliding motion at 5 speeds with 1/3 the size of traditional swings. Not to mention its super light so you can take it with you wherever you are around the house. Your newborn never has to leave your side. I know this will be perfect for me when my family and guests leave and I’m home alone with baby girl.

This product had been on my registry from the very beginning and I am so happy to finally have one and to have the opportunity to give one away to one of you as well.

To enter into this giveaway all you need to do is :

1) Comment below and let me know why you would like to win.

2) For an additional entry you can follow my blog by email or on bloglovin etc.. let me know in your comment that you have done that

3) For a 3rd entry follow me @withloveandrea and @4moms_hq on instagram and follow the instructions posted there.

Your chance to enter starts today March 11th and will close Saturday March 14th at midnight PST.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!

Baby Shower for the little princess!!

My past few weekends have been so frantic getting all the final touches ready for the arrival of baby girl, that I’ve been very behind with my blog posts. I think after baby girl arrives I will still have a bunch of maternity pictures to post.

I am so excited to share with you the pictures from my gorgeous baby shower. I am very thankful that I have such wonderful people in my life, who care so much about me and helped me put together such a beautiful day. I’m the type of person that is always keeping busy. Most days I am so busy that I almost forget I live so far away from my family and many of my best friends. When life moments happen, such as having your first child, it really hits you hard. Many important people in your life are not there to share each step along the way. These moments also make me realize the new family and friends I have made here in LA and how thankful I am to have them. My sister-in-law Raquel and bff Nora stepped right in to take charge and throw me the most magical baby shower. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

The party was filled with friends and loved ones who came for mimosas and brunch. We had a make your own mimosa bar and a virgin cocktail bar for those of us not drinking or expecting. There was a desert table filled with chocolates, doughnuts, cupcakes and a beautiful strawberry cake.

Two of the pregnant ladies in front of the desert table….how fitting!!!

The table setting was perfect. It made me think of Alice in Wonderland meets rustic glam. I loved that we all sat together on the long table. My sister-in-law Raquel made these wonderful Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrubs for all the guests as party favors for attending the shower. All natural ingredients and they smell amazing!!

Games and activities are a must during a baby shower. One of the games was to wear one of the pink necklaces below and try to collect them from the other guests. Whenever anyone mentioned the word “baby” they had to give away their necklace to the guest that caught them in the act. The lady with the most at the end of the shower won a prize.

The ladies competed in changing a diaper blindfolded game. This is much harder than it sounds. Veteran mom Jen was obviously the expert at this and blew everyone else under the water.

My favorite activity was having everyone decorate a onesie for baby girl. How cool is this idea! Now we have many onesies that are made with love specifically for her.

I wore this beautiful dress that I received from my BUMPstyle box!! You can read all about them in one of my previous blog posts!! It is such a great asset for pregnant women because you get a personal stylist that selects maternity pieces specifically for you. Dressing the bump is not an easy task, and there are limited options. This takes away all the hard work and frustration. You just have to decide if you like the pieces selected for you or if you want to return them and wait for your next box.

Dress: BUMPstyle box Tees by Tina //

Kimono: Lottie and Holly old (Similar here and here) //

Necklace: Bauble Bar //

Nine Naturals beauty

Over the past few years I have become more conscious of what I was putting into my body. I started to want to eat more natural and organic foods and developed an awareness of all the toxins and health risks of GMO and heavily processed foods. This has become amplified since becoming pregnant. I want to make sure that my baby girl gets all the necessary nutrients without all the added hormones. I am no saint and have a major sweet tooth…so I still do indulge in chocolates and cupcakes. I am just trying my best to nourish my body and babys’ to the best of my ability. Somedays are harder than others, depending on my cravings!! 🙂

It has only been since being pregnant that I came to the realization that toxins and chemicals can also be absorbed through the skin and affect your growing baby. I have had to change my daily skin routine, as my facial acne creams were not pregnancy safe. This made me think about all the other products we use…how safe are they?? Daily body washes, shampoos and creams, can all be absorbed by my developing baby and I don’t even know half the ingredients listed on the side of the bottles.

I discovered Nine naturals and haven’t looked back. Their mission is to “make beauty simple, smart and safe for moms and moms-to-be”. The company was developed for this purpose, so all the research on health and safety has been done for you. Their formulas are 100% plant-based, with no added Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, Petrochemicals, DEA, Synthetic Fragrances, or Artificial Preservatives. I have no questions on the products I am using and know that I am doing my best to provide a good home for baby girl.

They have a range of products from shampoo and conditioner, to belly butter and stretch mark creams. Everything an expecting mother could want, they have.

Nine Naturals Nourishing Conditioner //

Nine Naturals Nourishing Shampoo //

Nine Naturals Soothing Body Wash //

Nine Naturals Natural Belly Oil //

From the start of my pregnancy I was concerned about stretch marks and what I can do to prevent them. My OB stated that there wasn’t anything I could do. She mentioned that it depends on your skins elasticity but moisturizing the best you can may help. Even before I had a belly I was constantly putting on creams. Prior to finding Nine Naturals, I started with other natural belly balms, but both my husband and I weren’t too keen on the fragrances. This made me not want to use them very often….and was not going to be good in my attempt to keep things as moist as possible to stop those stretch marks. The creams from Nine Naturals have a minimal non-invasive fragrance so I love putting them on!! My husband has not complained since!!

Nine Naturals Belly Butter vanilla + geranium //

Nine Naturals Moisterizing Body Cream //

Nine Naturals Belly Oil //

Nine Naturals Repairing Body Balm //

Nine Naturals Lip Balm //

My 30 weeks of pregnancy!!

I haven’t really written a blog post about my pregnancy, other than my fashion choices. I constantly look to other pregnant bloggers to see weekly updates of how they are feeling and what changes they are going through. I decided it was time to share with you all my journey thus far!!

I am pretty thankful as I have had a fairly easy pregnancy. During the first trimester I felt nauseous a handful of times but nothing that made me run to the washroom. I was constantly tired, but was still functioning at work without a hitch. The funniest part of my first trimester was that I developed an aversion to coffee. The thought and smell of it made me sick. This was actually perfect because it kicked my morning coffee habit in the butt.

Throughout the entire pregnancy I have been able to continue with crossfit. My husband and I have been going to SpeedX for about 2 years now and I was determined to keep up with my fitness. As the pregnancy progresses, I am modifying the workouts to suit my comfort level and growing bump. I am also trying to take walks with my little pup as much as I can.

As I entered in my second trimester I was so excited. This was the point where I could share the news with all my friends and family and was when the pregnancy felt more “real”. I started to develop my little bump. It was so exciting to finally start seeing and feeling the little being that was growing inside me. They say the second trimester is the best out of them all….I would agree only slightly. Around week 15 I started breaking out. Having suffered from Acne previously and finally getting things under control this was hard for me to endure knowing there was really nothing I could do or use to make it better. Thankfully as the weeks progressed and my hormones regulated I have noticed a significant improvement. I began going for facials regularly, and I believe this played a large factor in the improvement.

During these months I have also started to gain a significant amount of weight. I guess I had always envisoned myself as one of those pregnant ladies that is all bump….thats not happening. I have already gained 30 lbs at 30 weeks. This is the recommended weight gain for the entire pregnancy and I still have 10 weeks to go. As long as I’m providing a good, healthy nurturing home for baby girl I have to stop being selfish and get over it.

I cant believe I’m in the final lap of pregnancy. These past couple of weekends have been all about getting all the necessities for baby girls arrival. So much to do and only a few more weeks left. We finally decided on pieces for the nursery. I can’t wait to start putting it all together!! I know we are kind of late….but I guess the third trimester just kind of snuck up on us. I am counting down the weeks until I get to meet her, but am also trying to enjoy the last few weeks of quality alone time with my husband.

The Bump Nest

I love to sleep. I am one of those people who needs to have their 8 hours of sleep every night. Even with my 8 hours, I still like to catch up on sleep on the weekends. I sometimes wonder how I managed to survive my dental school days during exam time when maybe 3 hours of sleep was all I got. I guess I will find out soon enough once baby girl arrives.

I heard that as your pregnancy progresses and your belly grows, sleep can become a challenge. When my sister-in-law told me about the pregnancy pillow and that it was a sleeping necessity I knew I had to look into it further. I did my research and came across The Bump Nest. “With support in all the right places, the Bump Nest^® Pregnancy Pillow relieves the aches and pains associated with a woman’s journey through pregnancy, including sciatica, restless leg syndrome, lower back pain, and symphysis pubis dysfunction.”

This little fella wouldn’t mind a bump nest of his own.

Pregnancy pillow: Bump nest (Similar here and here)

This was one of my first pregnancy purchases and I couldn’t be happier. My husband and puppy on the other hand are currently not huge fans of the pillow since it takes up cuddling space. I can’t wait to see how much it will help me during the third trimester. Do any of you have any pregnancy must haves that I should look into??

With love…..

Andrea

Gender reveal party!

I love the idea of a gender reveal party. As I had previously mentioned in an earlier post, I had gotten this idea form one of my best friends and was so excited to host this party. My husband on the other had just wanted to know the baby’s gender right then and there at the doctors appointment. He played along with me…after much convincing!! I only had one week to get it organized as he wasn’t going to wait much longer!

You can get information on both our looks on my previous blog post.

My sister-in-law Raquel was so generous and helped me organize the entire party! She has such a great creative eye and decorated our place beautifully. The most important party piece was the cake. I love Susie Cakes bakery and decided to have them bake my cake. At my 16 week doctors appointment, I had the radiation technician write down the baby’s gender on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. We then brought the envelope to the baker and had them put either pink of blue icing in the middle. When we cut the cake we found out what we were having.

I am unable to post the video of the cake reveal here but you can click on my Instagram feed/link to see the video there. We were both very excited and happy.

We are so pleased to announce that we are having a beautiful little GIRL!! We couldn’t be more thrilled. Its now time to decide on the name and get started on her nursery!!

Thank you for sharing this amazing journey with us. I look forward to sharing more with you all!

With Love…

ANDREA

Boy or Girl!!

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, other than wishing for a healthy baby, we were curious to determine whether we were having a boy or a girl!! My husband was especially anxious as he is already planning on painting the nursery and needed to know where we should begin.

One of my best friends who recently had a baby had a gender reveal party!! This was the first time I had heard of this and knew I had to do the same. Currently we are 17 weeks pregnant. Our gender revealing ultrasound was scheduled for week 20. On our 12 week appointment my OBGYN casually mentioned that it could be possible to see the baby’s gender at 16 weeks, and if the technician allowed us to sneak in the room, we could possibly find out then. My husband was convinced we were finally finding out!! At our 16 week appointment, we sweet talked and convinced our doctor and the technician to sneak us in the room and take a look. Although he was ready to find out right at that moment, I had asked them to write it down on a piece of paper and seal it. We brought this paper to our favorite bakery and had them put either pink of blue icing on the inside. Pictures and details of the party will be on my next blog post!!

Dress: Ted Baker Heels: Jimmy Choo Similar Here and Here

Husbands look: Jacket: Etro (old) Pants: Scalpers Tie: Scalpers (old) Shoes: Toms Similar Here and Here

As soon as I saw this dress I knew it was going to be my outfit for the party!! It has an A line cut with a front pleat that fits my growing baby bump perfectly. I love the embellished collar detail, it makes this simple dress complete with no accessories needed. I paired the dress with simple metallic heels. The dress is so bright I knew I needed something neutral to balance it out. These were my wedding heels and I guess are my go to special occasion pumps!!

Find out what we are having in my next post in a few days!! Thanks again for sharing this amazing journey with me.

With Love…..

Andrea