our babymoon plans

I am so excited that we were able to plan a babymoon. I wasn't sure how my vacation days with work would pan out, but luckily I've got two days left so we'll be taking a long weekend. Since we aren't going until I'm 35 weeks pregnant, we were leery to go anywhere too far just in case something were to happen. Hopefully it won't, but Will is being extra cautious! We didn't want to fly (I don't even know if I can being 35 weeks) because of travel costs and the distance issue so we'll be taking a good ole fashioned road trip. 

We're calling it Tour de Tennessee.

We live in Memphis so after throwing around a lot of different options, (and not being able to decide on one particular place) we finally decided on going to 3 places.

First up, Nashville.

We love Nashville. It's special to Will and I because it's where he proposed to me (see above - Gaylord Opryland Hotel). I'm sure we'll make a stop at the hotel to stroll (yes, stroll....or waddle) around and reminisce about our engagement. 

I also was really wanting to go to Nashville so we could go to Franklin. If there's anything I'm a sucker for, it's a good antique store...and Franklin is not lacking in that department. I can't wait to hunt for some little items for Crew's nursery!

We'll be spending the day in Nashville, spending the night and getting up the next morning to eat at Pancake Pantry. Yum!

 Where else should we check out in Nashville?

Next on our stop is Chattanooga.

We've been to Chattanooga a few times, but not as much as Nashville. Where should we be sure to visit?

We'll probably go to Lookout Mountain and I also want to see the winding sidewalk (below). 

We went to Ruby Falls last year and also rafted the Ocoee (which is not even an option this Summer!!).

Third and final stop, Gatlinburg.

I'm not sure that I've ever been to Gatlinburg in the Summertime. We'll probably do more strolling around downtown. Gatlinburg has some great trails so I want to do some hiking...or whatever you call it when you're 35 weeks preggo. I'm sure I won't be able to make it very far!

We're also planning on going to Cade's Cove at some point while we're there. Anywhere else we don't want to miss?

So those are our plans as of now. Anything could happen in the next four weeks, but hopefully Crew will decide to stay in a while longer. I am so looking forward to our babymoon. I love, love, love spending quality time with Will. He makes me laugh so much and I know we'll have a great time. Though we're going to 3 different cities, it shouldn't be stressful as we'll be breaking up the driving over several days. I'm sure my back will thank me for that! This will be our very last trip as a family of 2!

Other babymoon options that didn't make the cut:
San Antonio (too far)
New Orleans (too much walking)
Gulf Shores/ (too far/probably would spend more money than we wanted)
Savannah (too far)
Charleston (too far)
Atlanta (too busy/stressful!)

If you missed my post on planning the perfect babymoon, check it out here!

planning the perfect babymoon

Will and I have been talking about going on a babymoon for months and months now. I'm currently 31 weeks and time is flying by. Our weeks and weekends have quickly filled up with doctors appointments, baby showers, breast feeding classes, nursery decorating and so many other things. We've finally been able to narrow down a weekend when we can go on a babymoon and it just so happens to be the last possible weekend that I'm even allowed to travel. Talk about cutting it close! 

So what goes into planning the perfect babymoon? I've narrowed it down to a few key things:

1. Location, location, location

Sure, I'd love to travel to some exotic foreign country or Caribbean beach, but at this point it's just not feasible. Taking into account just how pregnant you are is important when deciding on your destination. Seeing as I'm 31 weeks, flying to a different country is out of the question. Whether you'll be flying or driving, be sure the trip isn't too long. Nobody wants to be stopping for a bathroom break every thirty minutes on a 10 hour road trip and the same goes for a long flight. Relaxing is key on a babymoon so be sure that sitting in a car or plane for hours on end isn't going to add any stress to your trip!

2. Prime time

I've read in several books and on several sites that the best time to take your babymoon vacation is during your second trimester. Oops. I'll be about 4 weeks away from my due date when we take our trip so I think I failed at this tip. Most people probably don't want to take a babymoon during their first trimester (for obvious reasons) so the second trimester is really the best time. You feel great, have tons of energy and don't feel like a beach ball yet! Unfortunately, our schedules just didn't work out for a second trimester trip, but I'll take what I can get!

3. Relaxation is key

I think this is so important when planning your trip. The point of a babymoon is to get away with your significant other before your bundle of joy comes into the world. Let's face it: your lives are about to make a 180 degree turn into a different world. Right now, our home consists of my husband and I and our two dogs. We can go to bed when we want, sleep when we want and wake up when we want. It's going to be very different in just a few short months. You want your babymoon to be relaxing. No itinerary, just relaxation. It's important to have that last one-on-one time together before a sweet baby is added to the family.

4. Activities

Be sure that wherever you're going has some preggo-friendly activities. If you plan on going to the beach, then you're set! But not everyone lives close enough to a beach for that to be an option. For example, at this far along I don't think I'd be comfortable or happy about walking all over NYC...neither would my feet/ankles. Choose somewhere that will make you and your hubby happy!

5. Medical Presence

Hopefully, no one will need any kind of doctor while on their babymoon, but I think it's smart to at least just be aware of where the local hospital is. If you're going to a resort, I'm sure they have some kind of doctor on staff. Just be sure to always have your doctor's number on hand with your insurance card. Also, if you're traveling out of the country, do some research on your insurance coverage IF anything were to happen while overseas.

Have I missed anything? What have you learned from planning a babymoon?

Good luck and have fun!

Weekend Recap - Nursery Painting

This recap will be short and sweet as I just wanted to say that we painted the nursery! Woo hoo! I am so excited and feel like things are finally starting to come together. Hopefully it's smooth sailing from here!

Remi was so embarrassed last week when I tried to use him in a swaddle demonstration for Will

 31 weeks! I really think I grew overnight! I also see a little belly button poking out too.

Hope everyone has a great week! I am trying my best to make it to the end of the week with more blog posts than just my weekend recap and bumpdate. Will and I both have lots of post ideas floating around in our heads, but getting the nursery together has been taking top priority lately! 

SO looking forward to our first baby shower this weekend too!

30 weeks

How far along are you?

30 weeks - I can't believe he will be here in 10 weeks or less. Wow.

How big is Baby?

He is the length of a large cucumber (though I've never seen a cucumber this large) - He measures between 15.2 and 16.7 inches and weighs somewhere around 3 pounds - His wrinkly skin is smoothing out as he develops more baby fat - His brain is growing every day - His grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger

Weight Gain?

24 lbs.

 Gender?

a boy!

Maternity Clothes?

same ol', same ol'

Stretch Marks?

none on my belly

 Sleep?

Terrible...I'm so tired all the time, but can never get to sleep

Symptoms?

Headaches are back - back stiffness/achiness - my legs and hips have also been really sore in the mornings - shortness of breath - tired

Movement?

He's been very pushy lately! Sometimes it seems like he's trying to bust out!

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Still loving sweets

Labor Signs?

No - may have had braxton hicks contraction the other day when we were on a walk, but I'm not positive

Belly Button in or out?

I think it's on the move out. Crew has been pushed up against that part of my belly the past few days which makes it stick out more!

What I miss?

laying on my stomach - being able to get up/down easily

What I am looking forward to?

Getting the nursery painted finally and our upcoming baby showers

Best moment of the week?

Picking out a paint color for the nursery! Yes, you read that right. I finally decided on one I liked. It's about time.

Found out I passed my glucose screening

Got a bunch of baby  boy clothes from a friend and started organizing the closet

Finding the perfect dresser on Craigslist for the nursery to repurpose

Daddy’s feeling?

"Can't wait for Crew to get here! We have his paint color picked out and will be done with his nursery soon!"

I'm feeling?

Tired. Between being in the third trimester and changes at work, I am just plain worn out. I recently got a promotion at work which brought on a lot of extra responsibilities so by the time 5:00 rolls around, I'm just ready for dinner and bed. (Don't get me wrong though, we are so thankful for that promotion and how it's helping us out financially! It's really an answer to prayer.) I have so many things I want to blog/write about, but just have not had any time. I don't even want to look at a computer by the end of the day...especially not when I could be in bed resting with my husband and puppies! Hopefully I can get some posts ready this weekend!

I also discovered that the crazy pregnancy hormones come back during the 3rd trimester this week. Will was really making me laugh the other day. He was on a roll. I laughed so hard until I cried....but then I just started bawling. Poor Will. His eyes were huge and I could tell he had no idea what was going on or what to say. I didn't even know what was going on! In the middle of my sobs I just kept saying, "I don't know why I'm crying, I don't know why I'm crying..." Of course, we went back to laughing about it right afterwards, but boy can pregnancy make you do some crazy things!

Check out weeks 12-29 bumpdates here!

Weekend Recap - making progress

We had such a great weekend. I feel like it was our first "normal" weekend in a long time because of Will's recent world traveling! 

I had two Craigslist jackpots this weekend. I picked up these two chairs for $10. Yes, they need a lot of work, but they were too unique/retro/awesome to pass up. A little elbow grease and spray paint and they'll be good as new!

Our second Craigslist find was on a dresser for Crew's nursery! Yay! I am so, so excited about finally finding a major piece of furniture for him. If you remember what I've said before, the crib is the only item that we're buying "new" (& probably the glider too). Everything else will be refurbished furniture. The dressers that I had been seeing on CL in the style I was wanting were ranging anywhere from $200-$400 and we scooped this one up for $70! Woohoo! I am so excited to be making progress on the nursery. Now I'm giving myself to Wednesday to make the final decision on the paint color. I'll post a pic of the dresser soon!

My most recent craving (besides anything sweet) has been purple cows. Have you ever had one or even heard of them? I'm not sure if this is just a southern thing or not. It's just like a coke float but with grape soda. Will had never had one and hated it at first, but since he's been sneaking bites each night I have one I think it's growing on him. He said I'm brainwashing him.

This is what I woke up to on Saturday morning. Sheesh.

My dad came over to do a little more work on our new closet Saturday morning. It's making progress and almost done!! He and Will also had to replace a bunch of rusted out pipes under our house that day. Our kitchen drain got majorly clogged last week (thanks to me) which led to Dad finding leaky and rusted cast iron pipes under our old house that needed to be replaced anyway....at least that's what I'm telling myself. Oops. Note to self: next time just throw away the pork tenderloin instead of throwing it down the disposal. Thanks, Dad!

After church on Sunday we came home and rested for a few hours. I slept terribly on Saturday night (which actually led to me organizing Crew's closet at 2am) and was so tired. Later that afternoon we went over to a friend's house to go through some boys baby clothes she was getting rid of. She has 3 boys so there were plenty of clothes to go through and I am so excited!

Our loot 

Remi must think he's a parrot perched on my shoulder or something? Either that or he's just run out of room sitting on my lap.

Last night we went to Tyler & Amanda's for a delicious dinner. BBQ pork, grilled corn on the cob, mac 'n cheese, rolls....is your mouth watering yet? This was all followed by a homemade fudge pie (YUM!) and another dessert called sweet crust (I think that's the name...). I had never heard of it, but it was full of blueberries and so delicious. I can't wait to get that recipe from Amanda and try it out! All of the dessert of course was accompanied by some vanilla ice cream. It was heaven for my sweet tooth, pregnant self.

Sweet (and usually shy) Bentley finally warmed up to us and cuddled up to me and Crew for a few minutes.

My car is in the shop so we borrowed Will's dad's Jeep this weekend...his lifted Jeep that I've needed a lot of assistance getting in and out of too. Will was dying to put the top down last night because it felt so great out and he snapped this pic of my very wind-blown hair on the way home. Needless to say, getting a brush through that tangled mess was not an easy task.