third trimester favorites

as I'm nearing the very (very!) end of the third trimester (which means the end of PREGNANCY all together!) I wanted to share what my favorite things have been these last weeks.

and with having a summer baby, it's mainly been geared towards comfort and staying cool.

comfy tanks // a comfortable tank that I can wear with absolutely anything has been my number one go-to. shorts and maxi skirts if I'm leaving the house. lounge pants/shorts around the house. and even as swim coverup when we're headed to the pool. I've always loved these basic tank tops. pregnant or not- I wear them all the time. they are long + stretchy + comfy! I've recently discovered these tanks and have a new found love for them! they're lightweight and there are so many color options that I may or may not have bought myself seven or so of them! but when they're on sale (and they are now- for only $6!) who can resist??!

Schick Intuition Razor // a friend of mine told me about this razor while she was pregnant and as I entered into the third trimester of being bigger and harder to bend down... I went and got myself one. it's AMAZING! you do not need any shaving cream! it makes for shaving my legs (which should happen far more than it actually does) so, so much easier. without this razor.. let's just say shaving my legs would be a task that would've gotten thrown out the window :) so we should allll be thankful for this razor! ha!

Flounce bralette bikini tops // I hadn't ever worn this style of swim top until recent. I picked one up before we went on our trip to Hawaii and after the first time of wearing it, fell in love! being pregnant there's a bit more going on up top ;) and these have great coverage! I can wear it all around the pool with a toddler whom I'm carrying, bending over to help, throwing around in the pool, and never feel like I have to be adjusting my swim top to keep things 'contained'. my favorites that I purchased were from old navy and are they ever on sale right now(!!), but I also JUST scored this one for $5!

Dr Teal's Epsom Salt // what pregnant woman doesn't love a nice bath soak in lavender epsom salts??! I wish I was able to do it more!

Tumbler // it's must to keep hydrated and it's even that much more important in the heat! a good (non-leaking) tumbler makes it simple and easy to drink throughout the day. I fill mine about 6 times a day.

Electrolytes // in the summer when sweating more, it's a must to not only replace fluids, but also electrolytes. this body has to be well hydrated and prepared for the marathon of labor! I also make a labor aid drink (provided by my midwife, but there are lots of recipes out there) that I freeze into ice cubes and add to my drinks throughout the day to just boost my electrolytes that much more.

labor aid recipe:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup honey

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp liquid calcium

6 cups water

-mix it all together & drink or freeze as ice cubes.

hydrated + comfortable. that's the focus this trimester!

and only about 2(ish) weeks left!! can't wait to meet you, sweet boy :)

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

36 + 37 weeks

full. 

term.

whoa.

baby.

we're here. we've reached the point where baby boy is welcome to come any day now! I'm certain he won't, but he's (semi) welcome to ;) I went 8 days past my due date with Harper & I still have a few things to finish up before he comes, but soon, very soon he's going to be joining us!

hitting the 37 week (full term) point (and still being low risk) gives me the 'good to go' to deliver at The Birthing Inn. 

we had an amazing experience bringing Harper into the world at TBI and as long as all continues as 'normal' we plan to grow our family and become a family of four the same way.

the last two weeks have been a whirlwind. 

day trip getaway + bridesmaid in Jill's wedding + pregnancy sickness/exhaustion

but I'm getting myself back to life now and we're all doing good! (and Brandon is still busier than ever with work!)
I've got a burst of energy back and have plans to tackle some freezer meals this next week for after baby is born. I did this with Harper, and hands down the BEST thing I did to prep for baby!

here I am. 37 weeks pregnant and officially doing the 'waddle' when I walk.

this baby is LOW! and I can feel him being all comfy there in my hips. lower than I ever felt that Harper was in pregnancy!

sunday afternoon as we're about to run off to the pool for the day, I realized I hadn't yet taken my bump pic for the week! so swim suit and all.. we hurried and got it taken care of!

adventure awaits.

it sure does!!

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain: 37 pounds. my weight had dropped when I was sick for a couple days, and it has now gotten back up to where we were two weeks ago.

Maternity clothes? honest. I would prefer to run around in my sports bra and underwear all day. the weather is suppose to get nice again this next week (it's been yuck lately!) so maybe I'll live the days in my swim suit at the pool. I don't think Harper would oppose tagging along for that.

Stretch marks? oh yeah. just embracing it, because who really cares :) and what am I to do about it anyway.

Sleep: hit or miss. the last few nights- great. the few nights before that- not so great.

Current symptoms: here's to the longest list of pregnancy symptoms I've ever had... carpal tunnel syndrome. random throwing up + achy stomach. sore back and neck and feet and hands (time to get in for another prenatal massage!).
Miss anything? sleeping on my tummy!

Movement: yesss! he's settled on a side though and seems to be staying put. 

Food cravings: no cravings. lunch has been a struggle. for some reason it's the meal of the day that I just do not have any desire to eat. I'm finding myself to snack my way through from breakfast to dinner.

Labor signs? just irregular braxon hicks throughout the days. nothing consistent, though I sometimes do find them to be more uncomfortable than ever before.

Looking forward to: we're on the weekly schedule for check ups now so after having an appt this week, we'll be back again next week to check that all is still going well!

I had forgotten how itty bitty teeny weeny newborn diapers are!!

(especially when I'm currently seeing Harper's size 5's every day)

here's to the very, very tail end of carrying our sweet baby boy!

I am so thankful for the blessing of carrying to term and that God has entrusted Brandon and I with these sweet children we've been giving.

it's true- children are life's greatest blessing.

can't wait to meet and hold you baby boy!!

Xoxo

-Brittney

Family Getaway | Cannon Beach, OR

life is busy. life is great. 

and it's about to get a whole lot busier and even that much better.

but before we bring the fourth member into our family (and while traveling is still ok for me) :) we decided to put a pause on 'normal' life for a day and took a little family day trip to the beach!

and it's just what our hearts needed at just the right time.

I tell ya... there honestly isn't anything in this world like family time. 

these two are my life and bring me more joy and happiness than I ever could've imagined I needed.

ok, enough with that... here's our trip! :)

a three hour road trip didn't sound too bad with a toddler. we had snacks packed, books, toys, and when needed, we could pop down the dvd player in the car.

little miss is currently working a couple two year molers in and well... enough said.

though she isn't really that bad of a teether, it does play on some of our days/moments.

about 45 minutes from arriving, and she was not having it. getting tired + cranky. and just not falling asleep... ahh! we were really having to practice our patience to say the least ;) 

and then. no joke. two (maybe three!) minutes out. she fell asleep.

cue driving around town to buy a little time for her to at least get a small cat nap in.

three hours of driving when there was perfect opportunity for a great nap... the life of traveling with children!

...and the real estate world... never.sleeps.

I was too eager for this day to really begin to just keep waiting in the car while Brandon worked and Harper slept...

so we woke Harper, got some lunch, and began to explore!

the candy store!!

this girl LOVED going around to each taffy bin and filling our bag one salt water taffy at a time! :)

and 10 dollars worth of salt water taffy later...

happy campers!!

it was just a perfect day all around. 

my absolute favorite though... watching Harper explore the beach for the first time. 

she was in heaven! we all were :)

leading up to going, we had been talking about our road trip and going to the beach. and Harper couldn't stop talking about it.

"road trip!"
"beach. ocean."

"see whales. fishies. dolphins."

this was the moment she had been waiting for!

building sandcastles with daddy.
even today she's still talking about her sandcastles :)

time to make our way to the water! this pacific northwest ocean water is cold, but she had so much fun dipping her feet in!

oh my heart. the bond between these two is enough to bring me to tears. their love for each other is so sweet.
just looking at these pictures now and remembering our day makes my eyes water. the pregnancy hormones could have a little to do with that! ;)

it was thee best day.
just the three of us away together.
it was the first day trip we've taken and I foresee it being the first of many!

Xoxo

-Brittney