Marla Sokoloff has posted her final pregnancy blog entry over at People.com today!

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. My husband and I stayed in town and laid low. We watched movies, ate, slept, ate, spent quality time with friends and family … and then ate some more.

The official countdown is in full effect … I cannot believe that in two weeks time I will be a mommy!

In the grand scheme of things, these nine months went by pretty quickly. Yes, there were weeks that seemed endless and yes, I’m currently complaining about my feet swelling up like balloons and the general discomfort that comes with the end of pregnancy — but all in all the journey has been one that I will never forget. Dare I say … I’m even looking forward to doing it AGAIN?!

Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy these final moments of solitude, but I just want to jump to the part of pregnancy that comes with a baby already!

My four best friends threw me the most perfect baby shower a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful brunch and was so flawlessly planned I don’t think I could have done it better myself! I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of all who attended — we pretty much got everything we could possibly need for our little one, and then some.

I truly don’t think I could have made it through pregnancy without the help and advice of my mommy friends who had babies before me. Everything from baby gear to stretch mark cream — my friends were on it!

So, before I leave you to step into the baby bunker (don’t worry — I’ll be back to update you post-baby), I decided to leave you with a list of my pregnancy must-haves. Please enjoy and feel free to pass along to other mamas!

Favorite Maternity Store: A Pea in the Pod

One stop shopping for all of your changing body needs. I purchased everything from underwear to my little(ish) black dress that I wore to my baby shower (see above photo).

Favorite Maternity Jean: J Brand — Mama J Skinny Jean

These jeans are by far the most comfortable and flattering jeans that I could find. They don’t have a panel on the belly (which I never found to be very comfortable) — instead they have side elastic panels that grow with you so you don’t need to buy multiple sizes.

Favorite Before, During and After Dress: Anything by Rachel Pally

Rachel Pally makes the most comfortable and flattering dresses for women no matter what size you are. I’m wearing one in the nursery photo below. Her gorgeous creations got me through three weddings during my pregnancy and I know I will wear them again post-baby and beyond.

Favorite Body Pillow: My Brest Friend 3-in-1 Body Pillow

This pillow has all the support you need, complete with a wedge for your growing belly. Trust me, this wedge will save your life as your bump gets bigger and heavier!

Favorite Pregnancy Memoir: Exploiting My Baby by Teresa Strasser

I personally LOVED this book. Informative yet beyond hilarious and didn’t scare me the way some of the other books did. You’ll want to be best friends with Teresa by the end of it!

Favorite Pregnancy Book: The Pregnancy Test by Dr. Emily Sikking and Melissa Heckscher

I mentioned this book in my first blog post, but I wanted to give it another shout out. I can’t even tell you how many times I referred to this pregnancy guide. Saved me a few phone calls to my doctor — who actually wrote this book. Great for expectant fathers too!

Favorite Stretch Mark Cream: Basq Advanced Stretch Mark Butter

Great for preventing stretch marks before and after pregnancy. My favorite thing about this cream is that it isn’t greasy and absorbs quickly so I can put my clothes on soon after using it. Smells yummy too!

Favorite Breast Cream: Novena Organic Beauty Breast Cream

Yea you heard me … I’m talking breast cream! Those little/big guys are susceptible to the same marks as your belly, so you can’t abandon them! This one is my favorite because it’s odorless and paraben-free.

Favorite ‘Faux Glow’ Makeup: Benefit Benetint

For those days when your “pregnancy glow” just isn’t happening. I put this rose-scented liquid on my lips and cheeks and instantly look and feel refreshed.

Favorite Hydration Buddy: Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle

This thing didn’t leave my side! It’s super important to stay hydrated when you’re pregnant and this bottle is the perfect portable size. I also love that it’s glass so there’s no icky plastic taste to my water. On days that I was feeling extra crazy, I would add lemon or mint to fancy it up.

I hope you find this list helpful — feel free to add to it and share in the comments section. Maybe my next list will be my favorite baby items?

Until then, you can follow me on Twitter @marlasok or catch me in The Chateau Meroux, which is out now on DVD.

Xo,

– Marla Sokoloff

Marla Sokoloff recently did an interview with Celebrity Baby Scoop where she talked about her new film “The Chateau Meroux” and her plans for giving birth and more!

Actress and musician Marla Sokoloff is set to welcome her first child – a girl – at the end of this month. The mom-to-be tells Celebrity Baby Scoop about her latest flick, The Chateau Meroux, a romantic comedy about California wine country available on DVD Tuesday, January 3rd.

The Practice alum also opens up about feeling “pretty good” in the home stretch of her first pregnancy, her excitement to become a mom, and her low-key birth plan: “I’m not one of those pregnant women who have a 40-page birth plan ready to go.” Continue reading about Marla’s first pregnancy, her hopes for a natural birth, and her new flick.

CBS: Tell us about your new film, The Chateau Meroux. What do you like best about this film and your role?
MS: “I play Wendy, a city girl who struggles with both her professional and personal life. She gets a giant wake up call when her estranged father suddenly passes away and leaves her his winery. She is obviously very unprepared for this responsibility so she’s undecided on what to do with this newfound business. There is also a sweet love story element to it so there’s a lot going on. Oh and I get to kiss Barry Watson which is a big plus. It’s available on DVD on January 3rd.”

CBS: You’re in your third trimester of your first pregnancy! How are you feeling?
MS: “I feel pretty good! Sleeping isn’t really happening anymore but other than that I’m happy.”

CBS: When are you due?
MS: “End of January.”

CBS: You’re expecting a girl! Do you have any names picked out?
MS: “We do but we’re keeping it a secret. We love the name so much and came up with it super early and just decided to not allow any opinions weigh in. Our families are starting to get a little bitter about it.”

CBS: Do you have a birth plan? Are you hoping for a natural birth? Are you planning a hospital birth/home birth?
MS: “My birth plan is simply getting her out safely! I’m not one of those pregnant women who have a 40-page birth plan ready to go. One of my best friends had it all planned out then wound up having an emergency C-section, so you really never know. I’m really trying to go with the flow the best I can in every capacity of pregnancy. Not to say I’m being flippant about the process – I’ve definitely thought about it and educated myself on labor and delivery. I trust my doctor 100% so that is also giving me the confidence to take this on without added anxiety.

I plan on delivering in the hospital and would LOVE to tell you that it will be a drug free experience, but I don’t think that’s in the cards for me.”

CBS: What are you most excited about in becoming a mom? Do you feel ready?
MS: “I’m most excited to hold this little girl! I dream about it all day long. Every time I walk into her nursery I feel so emotional because I just can’t wait for her to get here. I feel as ready as I can be. I’ve never done this before so I have no clue what being ready entails. But whatever it is, I’m super excited for it.”

CBS: What did you do for the holidays? Did you stay close to home in case baby arrived?
MS: “[Stayed] in town for sure and just [spent] time with friends and family before we disappear into the baby bunker.”

CBS: Do you plan to take a maternity leave? What’s up next for you after baby arrives?
MS: “I hear the first 3 months are super intense and the most trying, so I will most likely get through that phase and then get back to work. If something were to come up sooner I of course would be happy to do it. I will just need a minute to get back to my fighting weight!”

Great news! One of Marla Sokoloff’s latest movies, “The Chateau Meroux”, is now available to purchase and rent starting today!

Today, December 19th, is Marla Sokoloff’s 31st birthday! Marla Sokoloff Web would love to wish Marla an amazing day today from her fans around the world!

This week, Marla Sokoloff was a guest on her friend Judy Greer’s web series “Reluctantly Healthy”. They talked about some Healthy Travel Tips and of course shared some great stories! You can watch the video at Yahoo.com!

Marla Sokoloff has posted a new blog entry over at People.com today!

Well hello there, third trimester!

Just when I thought this pregnancy was moving slower than molasses, week 30 seemed to appear out of nowhere! It feels like just yesterday I was dying for my belly to turn into an actual baby bump and now I feel as if I’m venturing out of the cute preggie phase and catapulting into the just plain GIANT phase.

This phase can be dangerous territory for your friends and family. They will still tell you how beautiful and glowy you are — yet the guy in the checkout line at the market will say, “Holy moly — you are ready to pop!” or my personal favorite: “Wow! Are you expecting twins?”

Now that the official countdown has begun, it seems like there are a million and a half things to do before our little one arrives. Our office has now been converted to a pretty pink (yes PINK!) nursery and most of the furniture is starting to arrive.

Even though my husband was very anti-pink from the get-go — the giddy look on his face when he saw it freshly painted will forever be etched in my mind.

Putting her room together has been my favorite part so far — to think it’s currently an empty space filled with baby essentials, and in just a few weeks there will be this new little person living in it. Truly a surreal and awesome feeling!

Sleeping is starting to become a wee bit uncomfortable and from what others tell me, it will only get worse from here on out. (And then it becomes non-existent right?)

Yes, I purchased the favorite pregnancy pillow that everyone swears by and to be honest — we have developed a pretty intense love/hate relationship. I’m either lugging it around the bed or I wake up in the middle of the night only to find it on the floor.

I just can’t figure out how to make this relationship work! My poor husband is really looking forward to putting my new sleeping partner in storage until the next go round.

I must say, one pregnancy plus that I will surely miss is the kindness of strangers. People open doors for me, hold elevators, and even let me cut in line in the ladies room! Definitely a nice little perk!

As our checklist got shorter, I realized that we forgot to plan the newly popular babymoon getaway. How many of you decided to take one before having your first child? It was something that I was kind of on the fence about, but I knew one last vacation with my husband would be such a fun thing to do.

I truly hate to fly, so we decided to drive to Santa Barbara for a few days of relaxation and spa treatments. It was absolutely perfect. We took those cliché long walks on the beach and got couples massages and I watched as my husband drank fine wine. (And by watched, I mean drooled.)

It was the perfect way to spend our last Thanksgiving as a twosome — next year will be sweet in such a different way and I just can’t wait for it.

Would love to hear about how you got ready for baby or how you spent your babymoon if you went on one! Send me a Tweet @marlasok.

– Marla Sokoloff