Palm Desert Vacation

This is so so so so- so late!

like we got home from this trip 2.5 weeks ago. but life, yeah that, has gotten in the way of this post :) and well, taking care of my family will always come first.

anywho... I still wanted to document this trip- as it was sunny, fun, relaxing and I was with my little family!

This will mostly be a bit of a 'photo dump' of the fun things we did, places we went, and more of just us. However.. let me start off with a quick little story that I can't not share!

Day 1 of vacation. 

So the day we are traveling down to California. All went g r e a t!! Everything at the airport went great, our flights went great, and Harper did great! We couldn't have been more pleased. 

Brandon's parents have a condo down there and were also there for the week. When our flight landed, they were there to pick us up and we were so ready for this fun, relaxing vacation with our little Harper to start! I just couldn't wait to have easy, (low responsibility) days, play with her out in the sunshine, take her to new places, and of course spend some time at the pool! This little girl is a fish and loves the water!

After the traveling we were all hungry and ready for a late lunch. and we had just heard that a new In-N-Out had just (like a couple days ago) opened not far from the condo. We were all more than ready to give it a shot. I was pregnant and hungry and this was just what I needed! A burger, fries, and a strawberry shake! (the dietitian in me though - thinking yikes!)

We placed our orders and began looking for a table to sit at. and that's when it happened...

I'm holding Harper, standing right in the front entry, before I know it Harper is suddenly vomitting allll over me and anything within touching distance to us! I have to say my mama instincts reacted faster than I would have. Somehow I instantly knew where the restroom was (thank goodness I went through the women's door, not the men's) and bolted straight to it! all while she's leaving a trail of every food she's eaten earlier that day. To the sink she went. and I tell ya, it would.not.stop. It was horrible. and when she eventually had nothing else left to come up, her and I were completely covered! and then I was frozen. Brandon's mom came in to help clean up and thank the Lord, we had our suitcases in the car!! Out to the parking lot we went. Stripped down and threw on some fresh clothes.

Somehow following all that chaos we still then managed to go back in the restaurant, find Brandon and his dad, and enjoy our lunch :) not quite the start to vacation I was expecting (and thank goodness Harper was fine from there on out!) but happy to say the trip was uphill from there!

and that. was Harper's first experience to In-N-Out.
trust me, she won't forget it. we'll be sure to remember this story as she gets older :)

V A C A Y  P H O T O  D U M P!

pool days.

the living desert zoo.

birthday eve (out with hubs) bathroom selfie.

my birthday.

cute Harper, ect. :)

last picture before heading to the airport.

in the airport. wishing though that she wasn't :)

Since the day we got back home, we have so been wishing we could still be wearing our summer clothes! It's now just barely March, and sadly we have a few months still until it's shorts weather. but we're ready for it when it gets here!
It was a great trip and memories were made :)
and chances are that was our last flight with Harper as a lap child!
I am so happy we had the trip though and were able to really enjoy our time away. The quality time with Harper was priceless. It's likely that the next trip she goes on, she will be a big sis!

Xoxo

-Brittney

21 weeks

banner / hooray everyday

How far along? 21 weeks - belly really grew this week!

Total weight gain: 15 pounds. I can't remember how much I had gained at this point with Harper (total of 36 at the end of pregnancy), but man I feel like the weight is really coming on this time! 

Maternity clothes? I really, really need to get my booty to the store to find some jeans! I have one pair of jeans left that I'm somehow still able to button, but that isn't going to last much longer. Procrastination at it's finest!

Stretch marks? no new ones from this pregnancy

Sleep: oh sleep. it is so so good! :) I can feel my body getting more tired from busy days running around with a toddler, and by evening my body is so ready to sit down and rest. and I am more than willing to listen to my body!

Best moment this week: having Harper back to her fun and happy self after being sick last week.
oh and one more :) I also went to a Le Leche League meeting for the first time and thought that the support and info shared was so great for breastfeeding moms! a little reminder of what's to come with my newborn :)

Current symptoms: my feet are getting more tired by the end of the day from the extra weight. I don't know if that would really be a symptom... but other than that I'm doing great!
Miss anything? not at the moment :)

Movement: yes. more and more movement! lately I've been feeling a bunch of little, quick movements in addition to the feeling of him rolling around inside.

Food cravings: none lately - fine by me!

Gender? BOY!!

Xoxo

-Brittney

20 weeks

banner / hooray everyday

How far along? 20 weeks! half way there! (give or take a couple weeks/days)

Total weight gain: 13 pounds

Maternity clothes? no.. but I have got to get myself into some maternity jeans. and soon! the hair elastic trick is beginning to be less comfortable

Stretch marks? same as weeks prior and still using Palmer's Cocoa Butter and this essential oil prenatal balm after showers.

Sleep: so good! for me that is :) with Harper being sick this last week, we've had nights with her up.. but the last two nights she has been back to sleeping through the night and this mama is loving her rest!

Best moment this week: Brandon and I were out doing some errands and just chatting about new baby to come, and he said, "ya know, I'm actually looking forward to having a newborn again." talk about making my heart so happy! I just looove having a newborn. it's one of the things I am most looking forward to. to know he is looking forward to it too makes me love this man (who is an awesome daddy!) just that much more :)

Worst moment this week: Harper being sick :( breaks my heart seeing her that way. BUT so thankful she is being herself more and more now.
Current symptoms: I've been e x t r a thirsty lately! which of course then means more trips to the potty :) congestion is ongoing (and has been), so I keep the humidifier by my bedside and run it every night. I had the same thing with congestion all throughout my pregnancy with Harper too. other than that, symptoms are very limited! there are times I don't even feel pregnant. I'm going to hold on it while it lasts, because it won't be this way for too much longer I'm sure of that!
Miss anything? hard pear/apple cider on these sunny days we've been having and a cold turkey sandwich!

Movement: sure thing! I feel more movement with him than I did with Harper (however, she wasn't a huge mover). not sure yet if that's due to second pregnancy or if he is just more active. we will see in the weeks to come!

Food cravings: really, nothing lately! I was just telling Brandon how different this is with this pregnancy. with Harper I was all for the sweets. ice cream. brownies. fruit. lately I've had the same preferences as I normally do when not pregnant. if anything, I have less interest in foods. unless of course we're talking potato chips + sour cream ranch dip :)

Looking forward to: going to Sip and Savor on Sunday evening! it is so refreshing and uplifting to my soul!

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth