16 weeks

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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

BABY HJELSETH #2!

We are so thrilled to be adding a second baby to our little family! A family of 4! I can hardly believe it's true!

This pregnancy is already going by so quickly and I'm sure before we know it we're going to have our second little bundle home in our arms :) We're already at 14 weeks and into the second trimester. 

The morning we found out... 

Friday, November 13th. 

I took that pregnancy test with high hopes that it would be positive (partly because I had an unexplained 5lbs of weight gain!) and sure enough, two lines appeared! Positive! Now I had to share the news with Brandon - the most exciting part :) Harper was still asleep and I wanted to include her in this reveal. I very impatiently waited for her to wake and wrote and rewrote the chalkboard over and over. The minute she woke, I dressed her quicker than ever and brought her downstairs to hold the chalkboard for her daddy. When Brandon walked around the corner from the kitchen to see her and noticed what the sign in her hands read, oh I wish I had a picture of his expression! Priceless. He was sooo shocked and sooo excited + I cried + Harper didn't know just what was going on :)

And there we have it. Baby Hjelseth #2 with a due date of July 15th! The same month our Harper will be turning two :) her birthdate is July 13th so it's possible we could have birthday twins!

With the timing of this new baby it was so fun getting to do our reveal on New Years day!

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Harper Monaé || 18 Months

It's here. 18 months. 1 + half years old.

She's smarter than ever. funnier than ever. and bigger than ever. and she's about to grow up even a whole lot quicker with the arrival of a new baby in our near future!

Oh this girl. She makes her mama and daddy happier than they ever thought possible.

Her sweet, sweet spirit - yet sassy, sassy self :)

And all this post is going to be is a big 'ol photo dump, because that explains better than words what this last month has been like with our little sweetie!

I love you so Harper Monaé. You are the light of my life. The joy to my days. The hopefulness in my mornings. I love how every month that passes, you and I can grow closer and closer. I know you are going to be such a great big sister and I am excited to see you transition into that role. I know your kindness, giving heart, and sweet loves will make you the best big sister. Your little brother/sister is already so blessed to have a sister like you. Thank you for making it so easy to love you and making my days brighter.
I love you baby girl.

xoxo

-Brittney

OUR TABLE || TODDLER FRUIT POPSICLE

I know it's only 'just' January, but there are days I find myself already longing for summer!

the sunshine. the swimming. the summer walks. the food. the flowers. the long days. the bbqs with friends. 

and for Harper... the popsicles!

We've made homemade fruit popsicles and she just looooves them! (and as a dietitian mama these healthy ones give me no guilt in giving to her). She was having them as a snack all the way into November. I'm thinking it's time I make some now just to feel the spirit of summer (this picture here is a couple months old). and I'm certain she won't object. I mean just look at that face :)

So here it is. They are just too easy not to try.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen fruit (we use mixed berries)

1/2 cup milk

Combine both in a blender until smooth. add more or less milk if you desire a different consistency.

Pour into popsicle molds, insert the stick/handle and freeze.  We like these Nuby Pop Trays. They don't make too big of a popsicle for our little pint-sized-Harper, and have a lip that helps catch the drip! Amen from all the mamas :)

that's it! two very, very healthy ingredients for growing littles in a yummy, mama approved snack!

Enjoy! Cheers to pretending summer is just around the corner ;)

xoxo

-Brittney

CHRISTMAS 2015

Best Christmas to date.

The joy of a child on Christmas makes this holiday (which is already our favorite) that much more magical. I had family come to visit before and after Christmas, which made our holiday extend just a few more days (like 6 more) - no complaints here!

Christmas. A day to celebrate Jesus' birth, and that we did! 

We started Christmas Eve with going to the late afternoon candlelight service. Rather than sending Harper off to nursery, we decided we wanted to share this experience with her. Seeing the amazement in her eyes along with her little innocence, brought tears to my eyes.

Following the service, we headed back to our house to spend the evening with family. It was full of eating, drinking, sugar cookie decorating, and a gift exchange for the adults - which causes more anxiety than should be normal as everyone stresses about which gift they are going to end up with!

Once everyone had left and we finally got Harper down for bed, it was time to play Santa and get ready for the morning. Brandon and I were filled with so much excitement at the anticipation of Christmas morning for Harper to see her gifts. No doubt, more than her! :)

Christmas morning was even more magical that I could've imagined! Harper had so much fun opening packages, playing in the wrapping paper, enjoying her new toys, and then repeat :) Once we finished breakfast + gift opening, we headed over to Brandon's parents' to continue on with 'Christmas morning'. 

We shared a great meal with a house full of family and friends. 

Harper never made it out of her jammies.

Took naps.

And failed at taking a family picture.

It was all just perfect :)

Being that at this point we have also had New Years Eve... here's how the night finished out with family.

A game of Apples to Apples + jammies + chamomile tea.

Happiest New Year to you!!

xoxo

-Brittney