Babymoonin

We had big plans for a babymoon but as my pregnancy progressed and I got more uncomfortable we lowered our standards dramatically. Sweden (where Justin served his mission) turned into New Orleans. New Orleans was downgraded to a week on the beach in Destin, Florida. And eventually we settled on a mountain getaway in Gatlinburg. It was only a 2ish hour road trip, which is about all my aching pregnant back could handle sitting in one period. 

Gatlinburg turned out to be a darling town and we wished we could have stayed forever! 3 days was not nearly enough.

We ate flapjacks at one of the zillions of infamous Gatlinburg flapjack houses. Doesn't it just sound rustic to say flapjacks? 

I had a large stack of jacks loaded with black walnuts and slathered in homemade orange marmalade. Justin chose a stack loaded with chocolate chips. 

We also road a ski lift amidst trees colored gloriously by the fall. We played mini golf. We worked out. We treated ourselves to the Melting Pot. We played hours of arcade games in Pigeon Forge.

However, the highlight by far was buying spontaneous tickets to the Dixie Stampede.

You guys, I literally ate a rotisserie chicken with my fingers and drank bottomless Pepsi while watching horses do tricks and listening to endless Dolly Parton music. Does it get better? 

No. Absolutely not.

More than anything, Justin and I got to spend a lot of time connecting before Charlie was born. I'll blame all that connecting for the fact that we took like ZERO pictures the entire trip. Oops! 

20 Week Pregnancy Update

The Baby

It feels really great to have reached the half way mark! The size and growth of this little baby just blows my mind; this week the baby is as big as a banana.

The Bump

Sweet mercy, this week my belly has EXPLODED. I have heard from many women that there was a point where their belly seemed to just "pop", but this could not be more true for me. Seriously, it was like BOOM and then one day it was just THERE. Since we were in Las Vegas all weekend, I had to improvise for our weekly progress pictures. Cue the most expensive banana of my life from the hotel market and a bikini. But hey, it works. Since returning from Las Vegas, I have to admit that my belly has shrunk back down a lot. Perhaps it was all the eating out and consuming foods that were likely loaded up with sodium. After my body normalized from our trip, I think I have gained about 9 pounds so far. 

The Cravings

-Turkey and cheese sandwiches (like I probably ate this at LEAST once a day on our trip)

-Smoothies
-Raw broccoli
-Caramel corn (there are not enough places that sell this!!)

The Exercise
As I mentioned, this week, Justin and I spent 4 days in Las Vegas, which meant a ton of walking. I'm not exaggerating here, in a single day I clocked a quick 2.5 mile run on the treadmill in the morning and then we walked over 12 miles on the strip. 15 miles total!!! But my body handled it extremely well. I felt great all week and had enough energy to do everything we wanted to do. 

The Pros

Due to the aforementioned belly popping, I noticed a few ladies sneak a peak at my belly. Sheer joy, I tell you! I can't wait to be out of this "fluffy" pregnancy stage where it isn't completely obvious is your are pregnant or just gaining weight.

We also had our anatomy ultrasound this week...which you know, was freaking exciting! 

The Husband
You are either crazy or love me a whole lot to agree to a vacation in Las Vegas with your pregnant wife in 100+ degree weather. Thanks for taking things slow when I needed to, mapping out routes through the casinos so we could avoid the heat, rubbing my swollen feet and aching back at the end of the day, taking me to Coke world (twice) to fulfill my craving for a root beer float and listening to my none stop babbling about all things baby. I loved our 1-on-1 time together! Every day I am more sure that Baby T and I are the luckiest in the world because your are ours. 

Paradise: Part 4

As much as I loved our adventurous excursions, the days at sea were a perfect combination of relaxation and fun!

These pictures speak for themselves! Please take me back? 

 We tried a variety of new foods! From lobster tail to frog legs to alligator to shark.

We even celebrated New Year's Eve aboard the ship. We rolled the new year in with style by playing countless spirited rounds of pounce, popping open a couple bottles of (non-alcoholic) bubbly, and smooching at midnight.

HAPPY 2014!

Paradise: Part 3

Is it possible to choose a "favorite" part of such an extraordinary trip?

If I had to choose, I would pick our day in Belize. 
It all started with a hike through the tropical rain forest to a river that runs into the country's natural cave systems. 
Armored with inflatable tubes and headlamps, we spent the afternoon exploring those amazing caves! 
After that, we ate a traditional Belizean meal of beans, rice, and spicy chicken thighs. Not to mention the fresh coconut. I may have eaten 1.5 of those things all by myself and have been craving it ever since! Perhaps it is time we invested in our own machete...I'll suggest that for Valentine's Day.
Anyways...
Unfortunately, most of the pictures from this day were taken on little waterproof disposable cameras and didn't turn out so well. Darn it! But we still managed to snap a few coconutty gems.

Paradise: Part 2

Every day of the cruise was a new adventure!
At our stop in Mexico, we rented jeep wranglers and took a scenic drive up the coast. 
On the way, we spotted a live crocodile and some ancient Mayan ruins. 
Our final stop was at a pristine little beach for an afternoon of snorkeling. My courageous husband dove to the ocean floor to touch a live stingray! Be still my soul, I was terrified that thing was going to kill him dead. Fortunately, he emerged unscathed. I, on the other hand, was perfectly content holding the starfish we found. Seemed pretty harmless...

On the way home the rain started pouring down. 
It made for plenty of puddles to speed through. As you can imagine, my husband, the driver, was in absolute heaven.
We ended the day dripping wet because our jeeps were windowless and had cloth roofs, but boy, did we have the best day.

A huge perk of marriage is inheriting an amazing bunch of baby siblings! Isn't Emma just the cutest with her stylish glasses and cheeky smile? Please stay 9 forever. 

Paradise: Part 1

Sunshine, pina coladas, salty hair, and ocean waves.

We set sail for Honduras, Belize, and Mexico a couple of days after Christmas

and I've been trying to convince J to pack up and move back ever since.

Not that I don't love the subarctic Utah winters.
Oh wait, I don't love them! 
But I digress, let the pictures speak for themselves. We had an absolutely smashing time!

First stop: Isla de Roatan, Honduras