A Trip to Amish Country

Kyle and I had always wanted to visit Amish Country and found a weekend where we could make the two hour trip up north. It is so beautiful and really an amazing part of the country! 

We stopped by a little market that had the best sandwiches and apple cider. 

Kyle found a piano out in the open and surprised me once again by playing a little tune. 

Horse drawn carriages!

We stopped by to have the best soft pretzels which is what the area is known for!

Legit name of the city...Bird-in-Hand. 

Cute little Amish girls getting ice cream. 

We picked up some homemade doughnuts and played a round of corn hole.

Beautiful farm country!

I am slightly...and only slightly...embarrassed by the number of covered bridges I made Kyle stop at so I could grab a picture. I loved them!

Such a fun day to visit an area we had wanted to see for a while!

Bumpdate: 18 Weeks & Trip to Harper's Ferry

This Week's Details:

How far along? 18 Weeks

Size of baby? An Artichoke or Sweet Potato (but let's be honest...they can be found in different sizes so it's hard to know exactly)

Stretch marks? Still nothing. I've loved my nightly ritual of putting on cocoa butter.

Sleep? Still doing okay at this point.

Best moment this week? Kyle and I finding out this little one is a GIRL! We had cupcakes made with the gender color inside and opened one together. I'm so glad we did it this way and I hope we continue this tradition for each baby.

Maternity Clothes? I am still holding out on not buying any!

Missing? Still missing deli meat sandwiches every now and then.

Movement? Not yet! I'm sure they are moving a ton but it may take a bit for my body to register what the movements are.

Food cravings? After opening up our cupcake on Monday, I've found that cake in general has been a craving. I now see a pattern with sweets although I've always been a sweets lover.

Food Aversions? I find that hamburger meat is still hard from time to time. It also depends on the day. Sometimes I will be wanting milk or something with calcium and other times, that is the last thing I want.

Bump? A tiny one! It still just feels like my stomach to me but I think I can see something starting to poke through.

Gender? Girl!

Names? Now that we know the gender, we have really started focusing in on names. I'd say we have about 5 that we are seriously considering. Kyle has given her the nickname of Squish from the get go and that has stuck for now.

Labor Signs? Nope! Although I do tend to get cramps every now and then but I think that is just my body getting used to the new weight.

Looking Forward To? Our baby moon in two weeks to Miami and the Florida Keys!

Kyle and I took a day trip out to see Harper's Ferry and it was the cutest little town. It started to rain on our hike so we warmed up with some hot chocolate....and maybe some ice cream afterwards. 

Baby is a.....

...a GIRL! 

I can hardly contain my excitement. The morning before we found out, my nerves were all tied up in knots! I somehow got through the first part of the day and then went to pick up Kyle where we had the most amazing ultrasound with the sweetest technician. We told her from the get go that we didn't want to know the gender and when the time came for her to find out, she asked us to look away. Kyle kept joking that he was peeking and it was so hard not to look! It seemed that she was able to find out pretty quickly. At that point, I was sure it was a boy and up until we found out, definitely felt like it was a boy based on my lack of symptoms. We had her write down the gender and seal in an envelope. We went to our favorite Sprinkles Cupcakes where they filled cupcakes with the brightest pink fluff. Kyle and I drove around trying to decide where we wanted to do the reveal and found a quiet spot down by the Potomac near the Lincoln Memorial. I'm so glad we filmed it because there is no way to describe my reaction. Kyle knew it was a girl which is why he doesn't seem that surprised, but I was expecting to see blue. Oh little girl...we can't wait to meet you! You already have our hearts and we think you are the sweetest and best thing that has happened to our little family.

All different types of cupcakes filled with pink! 

You can't hide that color.

We also got to take home some pictures of her beautiful profile. 

She definitely has my thighs.

Before we found out, my mom had sent me these. She knows me too well. She said even if we were

having a boy, I should hold on to them for the future because a child of ours would need to have kitten things.

Once we found out, she sent us the cutest little dress and baby's first running shoes!

I found the BIGGEST balloon ever for a picture to document. 

We are seriously so excited and can't stop talking about it! Can't wait to meet you baby girl!

Bumpdate: 16 Weeks

Ahhhh bump photos. I never know the best way to frame them. But this has to be documented somehow. 

This Week's Details:

How far along? 16 weeks!

Size of baby? An avocado :)

Stretch marks? Still nothing but stomach is starting to get itchy which tells me there is growth there.

Sleep? I usually only wake up when Kyle starts to get up which tells me that sleep is going pretty well. I could only last a couple of minutes on my stomach the other night so I think those days are gone for now.

Best moment this week? As weird as it sounds, best moment was accepting that it is okay that I can't button up my shorts. I went shopping and got pants that will be a little more roomy and accommodating.

Maternity Clothes? I am still holding out on buying maternity clothes since skirts and dresses are doing an okay job right now.

Missing? I miss my morning energy at the gym. It may just be psychological but I feel like I am not able to just hop on the treadmill at 5:50 like I used to. It takes me a bit longer to wake up in the mornings so I'm hoping that I get some more energy as time goes on. It also totally depends on the day though. The other morning both Kyle and I were both able to get up and exercise without a problem.

Movement? I lay still every night with my hand on my stomach and try to see if I am feeling anything. I feel like I may have felt things in the past but it may have just been my stomach grumbling. I read the other day, for the first pregnancy, it's hard to feel anything before week 20. I am just so excited for the first bit of flutters!

Food cravings? A bad sweet tooth has crept in. I mean...I guess it's always been there but I feel like I need to have something sweet every night. Kyle went out and got me some cashew milk ice cream and I've tried to only have a couple of bites instead of a whole bowl.

Food Aversions? I'm doing better in this area. I've been able to get down most things especially with me getting hungrier.

Bump? Showing up a little more each day. I feel like it's a lot higher than I thought it would be, but that just may be the overall expansion of my belly as a whole. It's so fun to see it in the mirror.

Gender? I think Kyle and I officially decided we would have the doctor write down the gender and we will do our own gender reveal with a cupcake somewhere in the city. I honestly have no idea at this point. Kyle is still strong on the girl side but I can't say one way or the other. We will see!

Names? I laugh every time Kyle will bring up a name and I can say 'no' without even thinking that hard about it. I find that with names, in order to even consider it, I have to like it from the get go. There are some names that we used to like but they've slowly lost their appeal. Who knows? We could have a totally different name picked out by the time they come.

Labor Signs? Nope.

Looking Forward To? Feeling this little one flutter inside me and finding the gender!

Here are a few other things from this week: 

I went to a USU Alumni lunch and they picked a pretty great spot with a gorgeous view. Also, the scaffolding is coming off of the Capitol, revealing a newly renovated dome. It's extra sparkly now.

This book has been so fun! It talks about how different parenting is in France compared to America. The writer is very witty and it's been fun to look at why she thinks France has a better model to raising children. 

My mom sent us these items the other day. No, we still don't know the gender but this little kitty looks too much like Boo.

If it's not a girl, we will definitely hold on to these for the future (if we have a girl).

My bump was really showing one afternoon and this guy fell asleep on it (probably appreciating the warmth).

We took a Sunday drive out to Great Falls Park and watched the rapids. It was so peaceful.

I find that the more places we visit, the more excited I get thinking of taking our little one to explore! Also, I love Kyle.

A Walk Around the White House Gardens ✿

We have been here almost three years and FINALLY got some tickets to visit the beautiful White House gardens. It was such a warm spring day and although we had to wait a little longer than we thought in line, it was so worth it in the end to be where so much history has lived. Almost every president has planted a tree near the White House including President Andrew Jackson. They keep the grounds immaculate and I loved everything from the trees and flowers to the playground built for the Obama girls. Our next goal is attending the Easter Egg Roll on the lawn hopefully with our little one in tow.

Loving this little one already.

I told Kyle I was secretly pretending that we were there invited for dinner and just walking out in the gardens before going inside.

President's seal in the background...official business.

It really is a pretty house far away AND up close. 

I was DYING over these lavender trumpet vines on the stairs railway. They smelled so sweet and I imagined wearing a Scarlett O'Hara type gown and gracefully walking down these steps. The hoards of people visiting kept getting in the way of other pictures but I somehow got this picture people free.

HOARDS of people again. But a great shot of the
Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in the background. 

The Rose Garden! Full of tulips now but I would LOVE to see all the roses once they come into bloom.

I keep wanting to label these pictures as a 'baby's first' but I think we may
have to wait until they are actually here in person for it to be official.

Thanks Mr. President for letting us attend your little garden party!