16 weeks

banner / hooray everyday

How far along? 16 weeks. already??! H O W?! this pregnancy is flying by.

Total weight gain: 8 pounds (I had gained 5 pounds before I even knew I was pregnant!) I was sure glad to find out what was the reason for that weight gain :) That didn't happen with my pregnancy with Harper so I was a little taken aback to know 5 whole pounds hopped on just.like.that.

Maternity clothes? not yet!

Stretch marks? oh, well... I got stretch marks at the end of my pregnancy with Harper, so I guess yes, I have them, but no new ones yet with this bump :)

Sleep: by the end of the night I am ready to pass out! Running after a busy bee toddler all day and then the energy it's taking to grow this new peanut, I am out as soon as I hit the bed and my eyes don't open again until I hear Harper awake over the monitor.

Best moment this week: whenever i can feel this sweet little babe moving :) it isn't allll the time so when it does happen, I stop and sit there waiting for it to happen again.

Current symptoms: some headaches here and there and achy hips and legs. I can really tell my hips are widening due to the aches.
Miss anything? the days before pregnancy where I had all the energy I could need to easily get through the day. I don't feel that first trimester exhaustion anymore, but I certainly have to stop and take a rest for my body during the day. well during Harper's nap :) thank goodness we have ourselves a toddler who is a good napper!

Movement: started feeling baby at 14 weeks. not strong movements, but feeling him here and there. love it when I do!

Food cravings/aversions: I do like the salty. but no big cravings. I've actually been having a hard time finding food that sounds good. ughhh. quite frustrating when my belly is growling at me.

Gender? we found out two weeks ago at our 14 week ultrasound that it's a BOY!!

Happy or moody most of the time: happy :) though these hormones can get the best of me at times. thankful for an understanding husband!

Looking forward to: getting the bedroom that will be baby's nursery cleaned out. not a fun project, but it will feel good once it's cleared!

tumbler / twinkle twinkle lil' jar

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

OUR TABLE || turkey meatloaf cups

It's been a little while since I've shared a meal on here. We still have been eating some good meals (here and there). However, it took a heck of a lot more effort on my part during the first trimester! BUT this baby brother and I are now into the second trimester and feeling more alive with energy to get back into the swing of things! and we'll start with sharing this favorite meal :)

During these winter days there really isn't anything like a home cooked meal. Am I right!??

The best is staying inside, enjoying a warm dinner right from the oven, and of course one that little effort and time.

and what's a better comfort food than meatloaf??!

Well the answer to that is these turkey meatloaf cups. I can absolutely promise you won't feel disappointed :)

In the past I made my meatloaf in my bread loaf pan, but discovered that these 'cups' cook more evenly and are easier to serve. This one is a favorite around here and gets thrown into the meal rotation quite frequently. Husband and toddler approved! A win win :)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey breast

1 lb ground italian sausage

1 medium onion chopped

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp dried oregano

salt + pepper to taste

1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs

4-6 slices of bread*

Glaze Ingredients:

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp yellow mustard

1/3 cup ketchup (I like to use the HEINZ no salt added)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Add all ingredients (except slices of bread and 'glaze ingredients') to a large mixing bowl.

-Tear slices of bread into small (dime sized) pieces and add them to the mixing bowl. 

*I save the heels of my loafs of bread, keep them in a bag in the fridge, and then use those in my meatloaf. It allows the bread to dry out a little by the time I am ready to use them for my meatloaf :)

-Now mix all ingredients in the mixing bowl together with your hands until well combined.

-Lightly grease muffin pan.

-Evenly fill all 12 'muffin spots' in your pan with your meat mixture.

-Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

-While meatloaf is cooking, mix the glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

-Once meatloaf is done, spoon glaze over each meatloaf cup.

Now add this to your weekly dinner menu and enjoy!!

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

It's a... BOY!!

How can it be that we already (at 14 weeks) know the gender of our sweet growing baby??!

We never expected we would find out this soon since with Harper we didn't find out until 21 weeks. With her we had two ultrasounds.

8 weeks + 21 weeks.

This time around we weren't able to get in for an early dating ultrasound until 14 weeks. I truly was bummed that we had to wait so long to see our baby, but I'd say in this case waiting paid off! :)

I didn't have my first appointment with my midwife until 9.5 weeks and since my period had really never gotten regular again since having Harper, we thought it'd be a good idea to get the early dating ultrasound done. BUT they weren't able to get me in until what I thought was 14 weeks. Well the ultrasound confirmed that we were just as far along as we had suspected. and b o n u s during that ultrasound I asked the tech, "it's too early for you to determine the gender, right?" Well to my surprise she answered "nope! do you want to know?"

...and there we had it... "it's a BOY!"

It's still taking some getting used to to say 'he', 'him', 'his'. But trust me when I say it's becoming more and more natural every day. Brandon and I feel so blessed that we are able to have both boy AND girl in our little family. The boy world is going to be so different than what we've been used to over the last year and a half, but we are so thrilled for it :) 

We have a son!

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth