A Quick HELLO!

Goals. My goal is to fix the layout of my blog so that it doesn’t drive me nuts every time I view it on a computer! Some day, my friends. Some day.

Hiiiii btw! It’s me, Melanie. It’s been a while. The last time I checked in appears to be when I was 28 weeks pregnant. I had intentions of posting an announcement here but instead went the lazy route and posted on my Instagram page! I also shared the birth story on there but I am still wanting to type that one out so I can reference it in writing too whenever I’m feeling nostalgic.

One of my last pics while pregnant:

pregnancy 4

I am now a mama to three boys and a baby GIRL! Beautiful Ava joined our circus on July 31st, 2020. This was my longest pregnancy. She was born at 38 weeks and 4 days. She made her entrance fast and fierce just like her brothers. She was 6 lbs 15oz and 20 perfect inches. My experience at Willow Birth Center in Minneapolis (shout out!) was beyond amazing. I am so blessed to be able to say my fourth and final birth was everything I dreamt it would be.

Minutes before she was born:

Being surprised by the gender was the best decision. Not that meeting your baby for the very first time isn’t motivating enough when you’re in labor, but not knowing the gender just amplifies the anticipation and excitement! I was, and still am in disbelief that I have a girl. History repeats itself…I am the youngest of four children in my family. I have three older brothers. Now I have a fun fact to share when someone asks!

Adapting to a life with four littles has been a little nuts. Blake is freshly two and definitely acts like it. He adores his baby sis as do all of the boys, but he doesn’t quite understand that he is much bigger than her and that she is so fragile. I have to keep my eye on him more so than I ever did with the boys. But man is he cute.

The boys are all adjusting well to having Ava in the house. When they are away from me and her they tell me that they missed me, but that they missed her the most. Thanks guys. I love that love though so I am okay with it.

We are in the final days before moving into our new home. We are so gracious to my in-laws for letting us stay here, but it’s getting pretty cramped especially now that Bode is distance learning three days a week and Dana home-offices. Ava’s naps have been tricky because there’s a lot of tiny humans interrupting her slumber, so I’m hoping we can get her into a better routine once we move in to the new digs.

Cliff’s notes today but man it feels good to check in. I hope you are all well!

 

xoxoxo

Continue Reading A Quick HELLO!

28 Weeks Pregnant and Feeling GOOOOOOOOOD

It’s about time for a little check-in now that I am in my THIRD TRIMESTER. Are you kidding me? Each week is flying by in a blink of an eye.

28 weeks pregnant

How am I feeling?

Pretty darn amazing. My ulcerative colitis is finally starting to settle down, my energy level is improving hugely, and I am getting SO excited about meeting this baby. I am having quite a bit of heartburn and seasonal allergy symptoms, but besides that I am fairly comfortable!

I am staying super active with strength training, cardio, HIIT, and walks which makes me feel strong both physically and mentally.

Appetite/Cravings

My appetite has been funky. In the morning I don’t feel ready to eat breakfast until a couple of hours after I wake up (and after I’ve had my cup of coffee). That isn’t strange for me, but what is, is that I can never figure out what sounds good to eat. I have to pretty much force something down at breakfast time because I know I need energy. It’s totally unlike me as I’ve always been a breakfast person. Also, I’ve been preferring savory breakfasts which is new to me!

Typical breakfasts: bean burritos, salad and eggs, or egg burritos. If I go for a sweet breakfast it looks something like a smoothie, or Greek yogurt, or a banana with pb, but I generally have to choke those down.

When lunch time rolls around, I am usually ready for whatever and most everything sounds good. I’ve been all over the board with my lunches too: spring rolls, kale wraps, and salads have been my main go-to’s lately.

I have been eating small meals and snacks frequently throughout the day. It is what makes me feel best.

I haven’t had any really weird cravings that I can think of; just a very different appetite for a variety of foods that weren’t typically in my diet pre-pregnancy or even at the beginning of pregnancy. I have definitely been into ice cream as my go-to sweet treat!

Prenatal care during Covid 19

At the beginning of this Covid stuff, I was pretty down about the changes in prenatal care. This is my last pregnancy and I wanted everything to be as it always has been. But it has definitely been different, and I am trying to make the most of it. It broke my heart that Dana couldn’t be in on the ultrasound appointments with me. We made the most of it by FaceTiming during the entire thing. It’s strange that I meet virtually with the midwives and I don’t get to go in and hear that most incredible heart beat sound from my sweet little peanut like I typically would in the clinic every month or so. No weight checks, no measurements…it’s weird.

Mentally I’m continuing to prepare for labor and delivery, and am praying for another successful unmedicated birth!

28 weeks pregnant with each baby: Bode, Ben, Blake, and baby #4

Just for fun! Left to right: pregnancy with Bode, Ben, Blake and baby numero quatro!

All in all, my pregnancy has been wonderful. I am so fortunate to have such easy pregnancies!

 

Continue Reading 28 Weeks Pregnant and Feeling GOOOOOOOOOD

First Pregnancy Versus Fourth Pregnancy

This will be fun.

First of all, I’m pregnant?! It seems I forget pretty often because there is little time to think about it! The three little people that are dependent on me don’t seem to understand that I am growing a human and expect me to keep up with them as if nothing has changed. The blessing of this is that it keeps me active and it has definitely made this pregnancy fly by.

Symptoms

Throughout this pregnancy I have been dealing with an Ulcerative Colitis flare. With past pregnancies, pregnancy hormones (or something) put my body into remission at about week nine. Not this time. Typically I would dive straight into my supplemental regime and kick this to the curb, but alas, adequate studies have not been conducted with supplements enough to make me feel comfortable with the “risk”. My symptoms have improved but I am still dealing with it today. That being said, this could attribute to some of my exhaustion, but mostly I would attribute it to the little people honestly. I’d say I’m a pretty tough little lady.

At the beginning of pregnancy, I dealt with mild nausea, but nothing that ever sent me to the toilet. I thank God often that I have had four pregnancies without extreme nausea. I experienced fatigue in the first three months, making sure I was tucked into bed by 8 pm at the latest.

Round ligament “discomfort”. I won’t call it pain because it’s nothing compared to labor, but the uterine growth and round ligament stretching has been way more intense this time around. This one doesn’t make sense to me. Doesn’t my body just know what to do? It’s been stretched many a times already so why is it screaming at me so much this time?! Oh yes….I don’t sit still very often. That could be part of it.

Diet

I’m a dietitian as you are all aware. That being said, I can tell you that my diet has been far from optimal lately. The beginning of the pregnancy was mostly white carb focused: gluten free bread, cream of wheat, crackers, cereal, but I was able to get a whole buncha healthy stuff in there too. When the nausea subsided, it was back to the usual nutrient-rich meals. Then COVID-19 hit. I’m at home with all of the boys. As much as I aim to focus on nutrition for myself and my family, we are in a bit of survival mode as we all are. There are a lot of baked goods going down around here, let’s just leave it at that. =) In all fairness, I know I am still doing a heckuva job trying to feed us all with nutrition as BEST as I possibly can given the circumstances. So there’s that.

Cravings

I’d say my cravings this pregnancy around are more intensified. As I mentioned, the Pop Tart craving wouldn’t leave me alone. There has been a lot of pizza yearned for and consumed this time around. I was really into fruit at the beginning of pregnancy but that has now normalized. I guess it was most intense in the beginning of pregnancy. I feel pretty normal now. Kind of boring compared to my first pregnancy.

Weekly Bump Pics?!

I was religious about taking weekly bump pics for all three of the boys’ pregnancies. This time around, I’ve gotten maybe five, three of which I took as selfies.

19 week pic. I have seriously BUMPED since this picture was taken.

When will it feel real?

In lieu of our current life situation, my mind is heavily focused on remaining positive, keeping my family and loved ones safe, and making the most of our home life situation. There is nothing that really needs to be done to prepare for the arrival of baby except to buy some super teeny tiny diapers. Because we aren’t finding out the gender, I would like to sort through the newborn baby clothes bin to find some gender neutral clothes to hold us over, JUST in case a little girl decides to join the family. If it is a girl, there will be a whole lot of pink flowing in this house, you better believe it. So I guess there’s that too.

My appointments with the midwives have been every five weeks. Everything is looking perfect. I have my anatomy scan next week. My first one was canceled due to the virus. As of now, Dana will be able to join me for that appointment. My following prenatal appointments will be completed over the phone which is going to be so weird and sad because I won’t be able to hear my favorite little heartbeat noise that I so look forward to at those in-clinic appointments.

I’m thinking that maybe the ultrasound will make this pregnancy feel more real?

When I was pregnant with Bode, I remember spending so much time planning for the nursery. The amount of hours I spent looking for a rug and wall decor seems completely unreal at this point. For goodness sake I even sewed him a baby blanket! I remember sitting in the nursery once it was completed, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my sweet boy.

I am equally as excited about baby number four, there is just less time to think about it. I am planning on diving into the childbirth books in the next couple of months so I can begin to mentally prepare for labor and delivery, something that I seem to keep putting off in my mind.

I think I’m going to wrap this post up although I feel like I could go on and on. It’s becoming a bit of a doozy.

_____________________________________________________________________

I pray that everyone is staying healthy and safe. Take care, friends.

xoxo

 

 

Continue Reading First Pregnancy Versus Fourth Pregnancy

Preggo But I’m Still Doin’ Moves Like Beyonce

If you haven’t seen the baby mama dance, you can check it out at the end of this post (this is where the post title came from btw)! In case you missed it in my last post, yes, I am indeed pregnant with baby number FOUR! Wow, that sure sounds like craziness sometimes when I say it. I know I personally love to read about women’s pregnancies, so I decided I want to share a little bit about mine! Details:
  • Estimated Due Date: August 10, 2020. I am 17.5 weeks pregnant. Fact: all of my boys have made their presence 2-4 weeks early. Also, I have been uber pregnant in the summer for all of them so this will be nothing new! Thank God for AC.
  • I am feeling pretty darn great, all things considered. Minimal symptoms. Energy is starting to come back again. It’s hard to say if I’m actually more tired in this pregnancy or if it’s just the fact that I have three little boys that I am keeping alive on a daily basis? Who knows! Anyway, my bedtime has been around 8:30 pm, wake up around 5 am.
 
  • My appetite is fab. Three meals, snacks, chugging water.
  • Cravings? Mostly healthy foods—salads, fruit, whole grains, cheese of some sort, but also some totally randoms. Enter: Blueberry Pop Tarts. I couldn’t get them out of my head, so finally after three weeks, I gave in and bought some. They taste as good as I remember from childhood. I ate a half a tart a day until the box was gone and enjoyed every single bite. In a perfect world I would have just made some from scratch at home but guess what? It’s not a perfect world! =)
Image result for blueberry pop tart
  • Feelings of content. I have always wondered how women know when it’s going to be their last pregnancy, their last baby. When I was pregnant with Blake I questioned this all of the time. Well, now that I am pregnant with number four, I most definitely know. This is it. This is the last one. I am trying to soak up this pregnancy with every ounce of my being. I am so excited to have an even numbered family! What a weirdo I know.
 
  • What do my boys think? Bode is 5.5 so he gets it and he is SO excited. Ben is 3.5 and kinda gets it but doesn’t really. He understands that Daniel Tiger’s mom had a baby so he kind of knows what’s going to happen. Blake (19 months) obviously has no clue.
 
  • Not finding out the gender. This girl loves a good surprise and although it’s going to be SO hard for me not to know, not to plan, we are not finding out the gender of this baby. We found out with the other three boys and I told Dana if we were to have a fourth, that it was going to be a surprise. Fourth and final = go big or go home. My little boys think it’s a girl. I can’t imagine that to be honest.
 
  • Planning for natural birth. I birthed all three boys naturally, unmedicated. They were all smooth deliveries minus they were all sunny side up so gave me excruciating back labor. The plan going in is unmedicated again however, I have done my pain management research and want to have that in my back pocket this time around. It will definitely be a game time decision. Also, I always go in to labor and deliveries with an open mind because you just never know what’s going to happen.
  What else do you want to know? I’m an open book for the most part so ask away!   As promised, the Baby Mama Dance with Shay Mitchell (I’m a Pretty Little Liars fan!)… *Beware, the song is super catchy!!  
Continue Reading Preggo But I’m Still Doin’ Moves Like Beyonce

A Beautiful Surprise!

Not long after I wrote the last post announcing my pregnancy, we had a big surprise!

Benjamin Thomas was born on September 24th, 2016 at 11:41 am. He decided 36 weeks was a long enough wait and he just had to come meet us! His birth weight was 6#1oz and he 19 1/4 inches long.

He is a sweet and healthy rock star and has been from the start.

Labor and delivery was just like with Bode’s in a sense: quick. I woke up with back pain from what I thought was just a bad sleep position but then started noticing contractions fairly frequently. I was thinking these were Braxton Hicks contractions and began to time them out; about 10 minutes apart. I called the midwife and gave her the low-down. My options were to go into the hospital and have baby monitored for a couple of hours to see what was going on, or to first try to sit down and relax with a cup of water to see if the contractions and back pain would subside. Since I hadn’t had anything to eat that morning and had been on my feet since I woke up, I wanted to try to relax with a big cup of water first, and see if I was just dehydrated. As some time passed, the back pain was progressively getting worse and the brunt of it was coinciding with the contractions. Dana and I decided that it was time to go in to the hospital.

Backing it up a bit…

My plan was to deliver at a small birth center with two beautiful suites, and my hope was to try for a water birth again. Because I was potentially going in to labor at 36 weeks, which is considered premature, I was not going to be able to deliver at the birth center. The good news was, my midwives could still deliver the baby at two local hospitals. I chose one of the two (one that we hadn’t toured) and that was that. It wasn’t what I had planned but such is life.

Again with our “plan,” the plan was to pack for the birth center/hospital that particular weekend. As a couple who likes to be prepared, this whole surprise threw us off our rockers a bit!

Okay back to the story…

We tossed a suitcase together. We hustled and rounded up my neighbor and then my parents to take care of Bode so we could head to the hospital. The drive there wasn’t so bad. I made a couple of phone calls and had a snack since I hadn’t eaten breakfast.

When we got to the hospital, we spent a good 10-15 minutes just trying to figure out where to park and where their labor and delivery floor was. By the time we got there and got into triage, I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart and I was 3-4 centimeters dilated. At that point, the nurse told me I wasn’t going anywhere. The flood gates opened and my emotions drowned me. I was ready, I wasn’t ready, is Bode going to be okay?, am I going to be a good mom to two kids?, am I mentally prepared?. It didn’t matter if I was ready or not, because this baby had an entrance to make! I pulled myself together and started getting into my “place” so that I could mentally prepare myself to get this baby into our arms.

After the midwife arrived, I walked myself to the labor and delivery room. Just as with Bode, Benjamin was in the “sunny-side-up” position which equals terrible back labor. And just like his brother, he turned himself just enough before making his way down the birth canal. To speed things up a bit with the story, I transitioned very quickly and had that baby about an hour and a half after arriving into that room. People were serious when they said the second time pushing baby out tends to be easier! The pushing part lasted all of about five minutes. Not complaining about that.

When baby was placed on my belly, I looked down and saw a head of thick dark hair! Dana got his mini me! All of his screenings came back perfect. We got to go home 48 hours later.

I am so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy boys. Bode is adjusting and we are beginning to notice some behavioral changes with him. I know this is all normal and we are all learning how to be a family of four.

That is the birth story in a nutshell! Life is so good.

And just for fun, a couple of my last pregnancy pics:

Continue Reading A Beautiful Surprise!

Quick Black Bean Burgers

Happy Monday to you all! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Mine was great! We got a lot done around the house and finished up some last details in preparing for baby’s arrival.

We had our last prenatal meeting with our doula over the weekend which means the next time we see her I will be in labor. Yay! We are getting so close!

So this weekend I was a rollercoaster of energy; pretty typical at this phase in the game. I would go nuts in the kitchen, go through old bins I haven’t touched in literally 10 years, clean, organize, and then all of a sudden, whoa, I need to sit down and have a snack because I am wiped! By the time dinner time rolled around, I was hanging on to only a few last bits of energy, but I still wanted to make something healthy for dinner.

One of my kitchen tasks completed earlier was making black beans (from dried). They were still out and needing to be put into zip-loc baggies and then into the freezer, so I thought I would incorporate some of those into dinner somehow.

I decided on black bean burgers. Here is what I came up with! My apologies for the photos in advance, I was too hungry to really get any good ones.

black bean burgers black bean burgers black bean burgers black bean burgers black bean burgers

I literally whipped these up in a little over 15 minutes. This recipe is incredibly easy! (recipe inspiration from The Pioneer Woman).

Black Bean Burgers
Print
Serves: 4 patties
Ingredients
  • 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used fresh from dried and measured 1 and ⅞ cups to equal about 15 ounces---it's not exact, it's okay!)
  • ½ c. oats processed in food processor into smaller crumbs (bread crumbs would work great too)
  • a few sprinkles of garlic powder
  • a few sprinkles of onion powder
  • a sprinkle of chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp. salsa
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, smash beans using a fork. Some bigger pieces are ok. You don't want it to be a complete mush.
  2. Add remaining products to bowl. Mix well.
  3. Warm a skillet over low-medium, to medium heat. Spray heavily with olive oil. Let pan warm.
  4. Form four fairly flat patties with hands. Place onto skillet.
  5. Cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side, and 5 minutes on the second (or until both sides have darkened slightly).
  6. Serve warm on a bun or with a salad. Add cheese, onion, tomato, and whatever other toppings you would like!

**To make this dairy-free and gluten-free:

  • replace egg with 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed and 3 Tbsp. water
  • make sure to use gluten-free oats
  • serve on a salad with a side of quinoa and eliminate cheese

And then I crashed…:smile: It was a very nice productive weekend!

What is your favorite way to use black beans?

I love tossing them into salads, into soups, and into tacos or nachos! Num.

Continue Reading Quick Black Bean Burgers

36 Weeks Pregnant!

It’s that time again. Time for a lil’ bump update!

I am now 36 weeks pregnant. Next week, at 37 weeks, baby is no longer considered pre-term. It’s amazing to think that he could present himself to the world at any moment. He could on the other hand, choose to wait another 4 weeks. We will see won’t we?!

36 weeks pregnant

At 36 weeks, baby’s average weight is about 6 lbs and length is 20 inches long. Most of his systems are fully developed, and he is continuing to plump up and build up his baby fat. Bring on the baby rolls. There’s nothing better!

Watching how the body changes and grows during pregnancy is one of the weirdest, most miraculous things. To actually think that there is a little human growing inside of me right now is beyond me. I am supporting a life. With every bit of food that goes into my mouth I think of the baby. It’s been strange seeing the changes happening: seeing my bump grow, my legs get thicker, and seeing my weight go up. It’s strange, but it’s lovely. Do I miss my non-maternity clothes? Of course I do, I’m only human, but I know that some day I will be wearing them again. For now, I am trying to embrace the bump.

So how am I feeling, you might be wondering?

Mentally…

It’s hard to focus on anything but the baby at this point. Mentally I feel my brain is a bit scrambled. I am still able to work just fine but notice myself making lots of little mistakes that I’m not used to making. This could be due to some serious lack of sleep also.

Mentally I feel I have prepared myself for birth as much as possible. I am fully aware that labor and delivery in regards to your own “birth preferences” can alter in an instant and that has to absolutely be okay. What is important is that baby and mom are both healthy in the end. I have heard horror stories, I have heard incredible stories also, and I choose to remember the good stories and focus on those rather than letting fear get the best of me.

Physically…

You know what? I really can’t complain a whole lot. I feel very lucky to have felt this good throughout pregnancy. I’m slowing down a little bit but still going pretty strong. I walk nearly every day and continue to do my yoga stretches daily. I am getting stronger Braxton Hicks contractions that feel like menstrual cramps and that sometimes radiate to my back. This is perfectly normal and it’s my body practicing for the real deal. At night I am waking 6-8 times either to go to the bathroom or just to switch sides due to discomfort. So yes, lots of broken-up sleep. Again, my body is preparing me for what’s to come. 🙂

Other pregnancy symptoms I’ve noticed: clumsiness, forgetfulness, increased hunger (and yet some days I feel my appetite is completely normal), some mild swelling, dramatic mood swings, hot flashes, super hot hands, and nesting.

 Eats

What’s been tickling my fancy these days?

  • I am still drinking my chocolate peanut butter smoothie EVERYDAY. I still can’t believe it.
  • I’m still really into burgers but am also branching out a lot!
  • I have been wanting more fresh veggies and salads lately, so that’s good!

veggies and almond butter with craisins

  • My sweet tooth is pretty much insane. Chocolate and ice cream are dear friends of mine right now and I am okay with that.

Pearl Street Brewery Ice Cream

  • I’m eating three meals a day (usually smaller meals) and 2-3 snacks. My favorite bedtime snack is still Greek yogurt with honey.

Greek Yogurt

Let’s see, what else?

We have our last shower on Saturday! After that we will do some shopping and get anything else we feel we will need. Overall though we are feeling very ready.

I’ve left my wedding rings off because they were getting too snug for comfort and I know too many people who have had to have their bands cut off. Yikes.

How about I stop there? I could go on all day about all of the excitement I’m feeling. There is just so much anticipation!

Check in with you all later gators!

Continue Reading 36 Weeks Pregnant!

Babymoon/Anniversary Getaway

Oh, HEY!

So last weekend Dana and I took a mini getaway babymoon/anniversary celebration to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Yea, we got real fancy this time around. My travel distance is limited at this time, so we made do as best as we could and we had a great time in doing so!

If you all recall, I completed my dietetic internship in La Crosse. It is truly a beautiful city and while I was there I tried to enjoy it, but I was pretty sad about being away from home especially after just being away for five years for my undergrad program so I didn’t soak up the beauty as much as I could have.

I wanted to go back because La Crosse truly is a beautiful city. It’d been three years since I had been there! Geez how time flies!

On our way out there, we stopped in Maiden Rock, WI to take in the views and we stopped at an adorable bakery along the way. We split a cardamom roll which was insanely good! Who would have thought, right?

We took in the gorgeous bluff and river views along the way…maiden rock wisconsin

After 3.5 plus hours in the car, I was one swollen girl. I haven’t experienced much pregnancy swelling until this point, and my feet, ankles, and hands were all pretty beefy. Once we got to La Crosse and shoved some food in our faces, I made sure to put my feet up.

Shredded pork wrap…

lunch at waterfront

We drove by my old apartment and I reminisced along the way.

We made sure to stop by the famous Pearl Street Ice Cream Parlor. Ice cream with homemade waffle cones on one side, and this candy goodness on the other. Willy Wonka anyone? Can I buy a Wonka bar?

Pearl Street Brewery Pearl Street Brewery Ice Cream

Night one was fairly quiet. The whole thought around the weekend was that it was meant to be relaxing, and that it didn’t really matter what we did. So, I made sure to bring my cozy socks and wrapped myself in one of their over-sized white robes, and Dana and I watched some shows and played some games.

Saturday

Saturday was much more productive. We started the day by going to the farmer’s market which was right outside of our hotel along the river. It was super-duper chilly but we still managed to buy an acorn squash (baking as I type actually) and wax beans (yellow beans).

For lunch we went to Dublin Square and I had one of the best veggie burgers I have ever eaten in my entire life. It had walnuts in it and that’s all I know. I ordered mine with green olives, cheese, and tomatoes on top. So GOOD!

walnut burger La Crosse

We made our way to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was stunning. We went to a mass and walked around the area. It was so calming and peaceful. Plus, I got my “hike” in from my fall bucket list! We had to hike up a hill for about 15 minutes to reach the shrine. It’s amazing that a 15 minute hike is now such a huge accomplishment. I can’t wait to get my cardio stamina back!

shrine of our lady of Guadalupe

We made sure to make a stop at Viterbo University where I completed my internship, and also drove by the hospitals and clinics where I did my rotations. It was fun to see it all again, but I am so happy that it is over with!

On Saturday night we celebrated our three-year wedding anniversary with a fancy French dinner at Le Chateau. This restaurant is in an old home that is quaint and romantic. Not to mention the food is dynamite. We cheers’ed to three years with my sparkling apple cider and his wine.

fancy anniversary dinner at Le Chateau

For starters I ordered butternut squash soup and Dana got escargot. All I could think of was Pretty Woman while Dana was eating the escargot. He said it was really good!

For our main dishes, we ordered gnocchi with edamame and roasted tomatoes in a brown butter sauce. Dana got the same thing except he also had scallops on top. On the side we ordered brussels sprouts with prosciutto.

dinner at le cheateau

We had WAY too much food! It was so good but my stomach is pretty pinched right now so I can’t fit too much in there at one time! This main dish was so delicious. That brown butter sauce was a major winner.

Sunday

We relaxed for a long while in the morning then made our way home. On the way home we stopped in Lake City at an apple orchard (another one of my fall bucket list items!) and although it wasn’t an orchard where we could pick our own apples, we were still able to purchase fresh apples directly from their on-site orchard. I still need to find an apple cider doughnut though!

apple orchard

 

We grabbed lunch and ice cream on the way home.

It was quite the weekend and the perfect getaway for us! I loved every second of it—even the swelling. 😉

I meant to post this post yesterday and was planning to link up with Becky’s Treat Yourself Tuesday because there were a whole lotta treats this weekend, and even though it’s Wednesday I’m still going to!

Have you taken any weekend getaways lately? Where did you go?

What’s your favorite way to use orchard apples? I’m planning on making apple crisp but I’m pretty sure I’m going to have leftovers still!

Continue Reading Babymoon/Anniversary Getaway

Baby Showers

First of all, I want to wish my incredible husband a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Three years of pure bliss, right babe? 🙂

wedding

•••••••••••••••••••••

I am crazy nesting lady over here but I quickly wanted to share with you some of my shower photos from this weekend. I had two showers and both were fabulous!

Cutting to the chase…

baby showerbaby showerbaby showerbaby showerbaby showerbaby showerbaby showerIMG_2245 baby shower

So much love from family and friends, so much delicious food, and so many generous gifts! I am overwhelmed with gratitude. This little one has no idea how good he is going to have it!

We are getting closer!!

Continue Reading Baby Showers
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