33 weeks

Summer time is approaching us and boy is life getting busy. I had Brandon quickly snap this picture (realizing that I hadn't yet taken a weekly picture) while we were stopping home quick from a luncheon and about to take off again for supper club. 

the nice weather is returning this week and I just want to soak.it.up! I really want to enjoy and savor these last weeks with just the three of us before we soon become FOUR! it's a busy time though. finishing up the nursery. planning Harper's 2nd birthday. planning for Angela's baby shower- which will be soon after our little is born. it's busy, busy with lots of prep on top of the part of actually preparing for baby to arrive! one thing I was most happy I did before Harper was born was make freezer meals ahead of time. honestly, best thing I did to prep for baby! so add that to my list of to-dos!

anddd back on the prepping for Harper's birthday... since her birthday is July 13th and my due days is July 15th, we've decided to celebrate and have her party the weekend before. the 9th! I'm actually praying that baby boy does not come early! some think I'm completely crazy for planning her party so close to baby being due and the fact that I'll be 39 weeks pregnant... but what else am I to do!? I can't not celebrate her second birthday!

How far along? 33 weeks + 3 days

Total weight gain: 34 pounds

Maternity clothes? for sure. my favorite thing to wear has been dresses and tanks + maxi skirts. these last weeks I am all about the comfort! I'm getting more and more limited on what clothes I can wear. and the fact that my hips have been spreading/widening so much earlier in pregnancy this time- even some of my sweat pants aren't comfortable!

Sleep: sleep is good. no problems falling asleep. but there's something about those two minute trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night (twice a night) where it feels like it takes an hours worth of sleep from me. even though I have no problem falling back to sleep. in other words... I would have no problem staying in bed all day! :)

Current symptoms: by afternoon/evening my body is just done for. completely exhausted. there was one day this week that was non stop with errands and running around. I could tell I was having some swelling. that evening weird symptoms were happening! if they didn't go away as quickly as they did, I would've been more concerned and definitely been calling my midwife. some blurry vision on one side. then later followed by some numb arm and lip. yikes! sounds scary when I type it. but it wasn't all at once, didn't last too long, and has not returned in any way. thankfully!

Movement: oh yes. I do feel like I feel more movement than I did when pregnant with Harper, but I don't feel like he's crazy active in there. 

Food cravings: sometimes it's difficult to determine what is a food craving vs. a food preference :) 

Labor signs? no. although I am definitely noticing more braxton hicks as of lately.

Looking forward to: baby shower is this weekend!!

Xoxo

-Brittney

Hawaii | Babymoon

it's taken a few days, but finally feeling like we're back to 'normal' life around here.

the last few days of adjusting to reality of being home and trying to get our internal clocks back on track has included lots of sleep, caffeine, grocery shopping, easy dinner meals (like grilled turkey + cheese sandwiches and mac + cheese and dinosaur chicken nuggets), sleep, caffeine, laundry, unpacking (which still is not 100% done!), and some more sleep and caffeine!

but it was all so so worth it to spend 8 days laying under that glorious Hawaiian sun! I'm especially missing it since we came back to a weekend of rain here in Washington... so ready for those summer-feeling days to return!

there's just something about vacationing with the hubby before a new baby arrives. we did it when I was pregnant with Harper too by taking a vacay to Cabo. relaxing while soaking up the sun does wonders to the mind and body. it's a refreshing feeling and makes it a bit easier in accepting the reality that life is about to get a w h o l e lot busier real soon!

the very first photo I took on our trip was of this chicken here while we were waiting for our rental car! if you've ever been to Kauai you'll know what I'm talking about... these guys are everywhere!! no joke. chickens running free around the entire island. roaming the place like they own it. but I guess they kinda do ;) 

cats too. not nearly as many cats as there are chickens, but the most friendly, stray cats all around. Brandon took a liking to them ;) 

with all these animals, we found ourselves over and over talking about how much Harper would just love them all!

and on that topic... we took this trip without Harper and it was my first time everrr being away from her over night! and for the first time away to be so far and for so long... it was so tough to leave! I contemplated many times of just packing her along with us on that airplane... but in the end as hard as it was to leave, being on a child-free vacation was just what Brandon and I needed!

our two biggest decisions to make each day were "are we going to the beach or the pool?" and "what are we going to have for dinner?"

each day we did a whole lotta nothing. and that's just how we liked it!

this was actually a double babymoon since we were on this trip with Tyler (Brandon's brother) and Angela. we were able to enjoy our babymoons together since their expecting baby boy in September!

we love vacationing together :) Brandon and Tyler can get a little bit of golf in and then Angela and I can do our girl thing at the pool/beach with the guys joining us after golf.

this sign was perfect! and completely accurate. if you're to look at the Kauai weather forecast, it says rain every.day. BUT we were on the south side of the island and that wasn't even close to being true with the sunshine and blue skies we had!

all I have to say here is... WHITE PINEAPPLE.
no other pineapple will ever compare! if you ever go, get yourself a local white pineapple!
you won't regret the $17 it costs you. promise. and yea... really... we spent $17 on this pineapple.

a quick stop to see a couple of gorgeous, powerful waterfalls on our way to the airport.
absolutely breathtaking.

PHOTO DUMP!!

we're on the homestretch to welcoming our sweet boy into this world, and this babymoon was perfect. we were able to leave feeling refreshed and are now ready to push through these next 8(ish) weeks!

Xoxo

-Brittney

31 + 32 weeks

Two weeks of catch up here! Since we left early Thursday morning for Hawaii, blogging was not on my to-do list :) which means a 31 week update wasn't gonna be happening. at least not on time. it's been all about relaxing and zero responsibility! 

So here we are at 32 weeks (!!!) all refreshed and this baby belly is at its largest.

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: ??? this I am totally unsure about right now! with the heat from Hawaii, different climate, long flights, and my diet being different from normal- I have so much swelling. because of it, it's impossible for me to truly know my weight gain until my body has had sometime to get back to normal and get rid of this excess fluid! we had the red eye flight back home Thursday night/Friday morning. because of it I didn't get up once during the six hour flight (sleeping was my main focus!). but I now really know why they say it's important to get up and walk during flights while pregnant. goodness are my feet and ankles ever s w o l l e n! 

Maternity clothes? yes. although the last 8 days have been mostly about living in my bathing suit, so not too many 'real' clothes have been worn. with the exception of comfy non-maternity dresses.

Stretch marks? still using Palmer's Cocoa Butter and this essential oil prenatal balm after showers. but I think I may have noticed a new stretch mark this week. hard to tell though if it's one that was already there from pregnancy the first time. whether it's new or not, it is what it is and there isn't much I can do about it :) of course I'd rather not have them, but they're worth it for my babies!

Sleep: sleeping pretty good. I've had more restless legs and leg cramps so that can make it tough being able to fall asleep. it's also getting MUCH harder to roll over in the night to change positions.

Best moment this week: well we're technically combining two packed weeks here, but how can I not say it was babymooning in Hawaii! so so nice to relax, sleep in, have zero responsibility, and soak up some much needed husband/wife time. along with my brother-in-law & sister-in-law who we vacationed with :) double babymoon since they're expecting their first little in September!

Worst moment this week: worst moment, but also so great at the same time. when we got back to town Friday morning and headed to Brandon's parents' to pick up Harper, the moment I saw her my emotions flooded and tears ran as it really hit me just how much I missed her over the last week. it was so hard to think I had spent so much time away from her and for the first couple of minutes I felt a little disconnected from her. soon after though, we were right back to normal and she was giving me the sweetest loves and talking to me all about her fun week at papa and nana's. thank you, Lord that I didn't have those emotions during our vacation- I would've been a wreck!
Miss anything? I certainly did miss being able to lay on my stomach while we were out at the beach and pool. I was in good company with Angela though and well if you're to see the backs of our legs, they're no more tan than when we left Washington last week ;)

Movement: all over the place!

Looking forward to: getting back to our normal this week. as fabulous as vacationing is (and it is so so good!), there's nothing like it to make you appreciate just how great real life is at home with my little family.

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

30 weeks | pink blush giveaway

three quarters of the way (+/- a little) to meeting our baby boy!

if I've said time has flown by before, I know I will be saying it in a couple of months when we have our little one in our arms! just two months left! say what?! gets me a little (ok a lot) sentimental thinking of allll the changes to come for my little family!

he has been all over the place today. left. right. high. low. using up allll of his space and making me oh so aware of it :) 

with a 30 week bump + one that is not little, finding clothes to wear can be a challenge!

Angela and I went shopping this weekend to look for some good Hawaii clothes for our vacay (next week!) and boy was it frustrating! with a dressing room full of tops + dresses + skirts- I would call it a fail... our 'usual' go-to clothes do not fit well over these baby bumps! 

it's all about the fit and the style. I like to go the more fitted route. tops and dresses that don't hang loosely from the ta-tas to the hips where there's question to where one may begin and the other end. ya know what I'm sayin here?? a little bit of shape still please!

I love this dress from Pink Blush!

it's fitted enough up top. the waist line is in just the right place. it's cute. lightweight enough for hot days. and it is comfortable! because comfort is just as important as the fit!

it will most certainly be packed up in my suitcase for Hawaii!

details at the bottom of this post for how to enter to win a $75 gift card to Pink Blush!

they aren't only maternity wear! they have everything. the cutest women's (non-maternity clothes), jewelry, shoes, bags, tons of baby gear/accessories, and goodness so much more!

this giveaway is for everyone + could be used for some great gifts too!

(scroll to the bottom on how to enter)

banner // hooray everyday
dress c/o pink blush

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 30 pounds (and my app says baby will triple his weight over these last few weeks!) hopefully I don't do the same ;)

Maternity clothes? most certainly. a combo of maternity and non maternity that happen to be stretchy and longer fits. whatever is most comfortable (and clean) ;) at the time.

Sleep: give me all that I can get. I'm still able to sleep well at night and napping when able. I was talking to Brandon this week and gave myself permission to stop feeling the guilt of napping. it's been a struggle! I feel that I ought to be more productive rather than sleeping... b u t reminded myself to take advantage of it now because I certainly won't be catching up on sleep when the baby is born! so, sleep? yes. it's a big part of my life lately.

Best moment this week: oh little one has been so active! it's my favorite thing feeling him all throughout the day. I love to try imagining how he's placed in there and picturing him moving his little long arms + legs. most certainly long! thanks 6'6" hubby ;)

Current symptoms: really just that third trimester uncomfortableness kicking in. nothing in particular to complain about though. for quite a few weeks now, I've been noticing some braxton hicks here and there throughout the days. it isn't anything that causes me great discomfort, but I notice some lower back ache when having them. that's exactly how they were with Harper too.

Looking forward to: HAWAII!! only one week away! so darn excited for this, but it will be my first time being away from Harper over night and I know that part of it is going to be very tough on me... at least I'll be in paradise :)

Love this dress as much as I do?? Pink Blush has been so kind as to offer up a $75 gift card! Head on over to my Instagram (@brittneyhjelseth) to enter the giveaway! 

giveaway ends Friday (5/6) at 10pm MST and the winner will be announced on Saturday.

Xoxo

-Brittney

Life Lately

life. the little thing called- life.

it's been great lately. but so often (due to pregnancy tiredness) I have a little battle within myself where I want to just do nothing all day and hang out at home vs. doing all the fun things with Harper during these last weeks while she's still my one and only little. 

of course the easiest thing to do with an almost 22 month old is to just stay home. and that's the homebody in me :) but honestly, running around in and out of the car is not always the easiest. although she does do great on days out of the house! we've been finding a good balance and days where we're home for the day (with the weather being so nice) we've been spending lots of our time out in the backyard. 

and we love it.

the comfort of our own home, but yet the playing + fresh air + sunshine.

though I know it is going to be an adjustment having two babes- one that we can't quite prepare ourselves for- I am so looking forward to our littlest being here in a couple of months and having him join our sunny summer days at home :)

well.. over a month ago (!!!) we had Easter. little miss had tears over putting her slip on, but all was good once we got passed it :)

grandma she-she came for a visit!

this girl loves her dog 'my-no' (mylo) :)

Harper's first 'movie night'

Madagascar! and she fell in love with licorice just like her mama and daddy :)

EE and Tyler are having a BOY!!

I never want to forget how she 'hops like a rabbit' 

thank you bubble guppies for this one ;)

zoo days. and lots of them!
I think the zoo pass has already paid itself off!

errands with mama. always making the most of it!
my little best friend is so, so good and tagging along.

lots of playing out in the yard + sunny weather walks!

extras: P H O T O  D U M P!!

and another week has almost passed again... Happy Wednesday all!!

Xoxo

-Brittney