OY! KRISTEN

This was the day that my two-year-old wrote in pen on my white bed spread.

This was also the day he lunged toward the garage door as it was closing. Thank God for motion sensors.

This was the day that I cleaned bedrooms and went through old baby clothes while my 2-year-old zoomed trucks around my piles for his soon-to-be-bro. This was the day I did a zillion loads of laundry and cooked some freezable meals while he built block towers around my ankles. This was the day we finally collapsed in exhaustion onto the couch, and decided to watch Christmas Mickey Mouse on Netlflix (his favorite) with our feet up (my favorite). We both ate graham crackers in silence. Mickey gave Minnie a necklace.

This was the day that the 31-week-along baby in my belly learned how to do somersaults. Nay, learned to master somersaults.

These kinds of days aren't for the faint of heart. Keeping up with these boys requires all my concentration and energy, and even then, sometimes it doesn't feel like enough to fuel me through the day. When someone asks a mom (especially a pregnant mom), "How was your day?" the answer is almost impossible to summon. My day was wonderful, hilarious, exhausting, infuriating, impossible, delightful, and then exhausting again. As a mom, you can't sum up your day in a few words. Each new hour ushers in a set of circumstances and emotions that unbutton my pride and reveal my weakness once again.

During this pregnancy I've been on my feet a lot. I'm trying to refrain from being on them too long, but let's be honest - a woman's gotta walk! A mama's gotta play trains! And this lady has to get the laundry done, beds made, and meals doled out. After being on my feet too much and an enlightening visit to the ER (which I shared about here), it was recommended that I find a really good belly support band to help alleviate the weight and pressure. I shared last week about my favorite 2nd Trimester essentials, and one of those was the Blanqi Support Band that I started wearing when I was about 27 weeks pregnant. The band has made such an enormous difference in my day-to-day, and when I reached out to the company to spill my praise about the amazing support I've received from it, the lovely ladies over at Blanqi sent me a few more support pieces to try. And I am almost undone about the quality and, for lack of a better word, magic of these clothes.

If you want to know what I've been wearing for the past two weeks (by themselves and layered under other pieces), you're looking at it. The Maternity Belly Support Tank Top offers insanely maximum lifting support - it literally lifts my belly up and take so much pressure off my lower back. The Maternity Support Wear Leggings offer moderate support and keep everything smooth and taut underneath clothes. And I've been wearing these two items together since they came in the mail - imagine the double support I've been experiencing! I was actually really sad yesterday when I was laundering everything again, just because I was missing out on the inexplicably great lift of this shapewear. I'll admit that the only downside to this shapewear is feeling hot from time to time- if you're like me and feel hot all the time when you're pregnant, then wearing leggings in this 80-degree Georgia heat can present some challenges. But still - I wish I would have known about this game-changing gear during my last pregnancy. It would have really alleviated that last 6 weeks of back pain.

I love sharing when I find things that really, really work for me. And these pieces are the real deal, a must for any maternity wardrobe. I am so grateful that I discovered this brand so that the final leg of my pregnancy doesn't have to be quite as miserable as the last time around. And it's just a bonus that the ladies who run Blanqi (which is based here in Atlanta - what are the chances?!) are the sweetest, kindest moms who just want to help other women have easier, more comfortable pregnancies. I love supporting U.S. businesses, women's businesses, and most importantly, businesses creating something that MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

These pieces might not be able to get the ink out of my bed spread, but they are allowing me to stay on my feet a bit longer to get all the home life chores done that need doing. So I can not only keep up with my boys, but keep myself well cared-for, too. Every pregnant mama's dream.

You can shop Blanqi with this link and receive 20% off your order, friends!

P.S. if you have a pregnant friend, this is the perfect gift to give her - seriously! She will thank you every single day for the remainder of allllll her pregnancies :)

Outfit Details:
Blanqi Support Tank (c/o), Blanqi Support Leggings (c/o), Wendy Bellissimo Maternity Poncho (on sale here!)