Our Long Beach Babymoon

I have to start this post by saying I use to think a babymoon was a super silly idea, but after taking one I will admit they're wonderful and every expecting couple so make time for. For Scott and I, the idea of a babymoon became appealing when we hadn't had a weekend away, just the two of us in almost a year. And that it wouldn't ever just be the "two of us" again so why not use the excuse to get away!

We wanted to go someplace we hadn't been before but was close enough for just one night away from home. After much deliberation we landed on Long Beach! If you haven't been, you should plan a weekend there now.

Scott and I also hadn't spent much time in Astoria, so we decided we'd take the long way to Long Beach and make a pit stop for some lunch and sight seeing. Note to any other folks like myself who aren't big fans of bridges... The Astoria bridge is SUPER long, like miles long. It made me a bit nervous both times we crossed over, but it really is beautiful.

Once in Astoria we used our handy Urban Spoon app and ended up at Bridgewater Bistro for lunch and a great view. A BLT for me and a burger with cajun fries for Scott filled our tummies and fueled us for a walk along the water.

We visited the Goonies house, the elementary school featured on Kindergarten Cop, and stopped at the marina to visit some vocal (and smelly) sea lions.

After all of our exploring it was time to head towards Long Beach!

We stayed at a super eco-friendly, modern yet rustic place called Adrift and would highly recommend it. They have bikes available for free use, fun games, movies, fresh hot cocoa and coffee and cold beer, all right in the lobby. Plus, they're super doggy friendly so we'll be going back with Lucy in the new future! Here's a few pics of our room:

The view wasn't too bad either!

Adrift is walking distance from town (even if you're pregnant) and even closer to the boardwalk, discovery trail and beach front. They also have a restaurant in the hotel (Pickled Fish) with live music, great food, fun beer and a phenomenal weekend brunch. I still dream about this oatmeal...

The little town of Long Beach seriously has something fun for everyone. Every place seemed to be dog friendly, there's a big arcade, go-karts, horses, mopeds, miniature golf, and great shops. We enjoyed a chocolate cookie from a little bakery, then overindulged a bit more with a scoop of ice cream from Scoopers (who can say no to 64 + flavors?). I could've easily sampled 10 different types but I tried to practice a bit of self control. As you can see, my hubby gets pretty happy whenever he gets ice cream!

After lots of walking around town we headed back to the room to relax. After a nice nap, we started getting ready when I quickly realized I had forgot the string for my dress that makes it look more like a maternity dress and less like a moo-moo. I was super bummed and started thinking of what I could possibly use to gather the dress, when I looked down and noticed Scott's shoelaces were black (the color I needed). Off they came and around my dress they went. It worked great and no one even noticed!

The highlight of our trip was definitely our dinner at The Depot Restaurant in Seaview (thanks again for the recommendation Megan!), a super small and quaint restaurant with the sweetest owners who treated us like family.

We made reservations for the Chefs table and got watch the Chef and Sous Chef work their magic.

I ordered the Southern Comfort Pork served with yam mashers and jalapeno cream corn and Scott opted for the Rib-eye. We both savored every bite of our meals and couldn't believe how good it was. The Depot is seriously a hidden gem, if you leave town without having dinner there you're missing out.

Blue cheese drizzled with balsamic reduction = delicious.

Seriously I'm drooling just looking at those pics... Aren't you?!

The rest of the weekend was lots of beach walking, laying around in the hotel doing a lot of nothing and talking a lot about the next few months to come and how excited we are for Baby Girl Slusser to join our family. This weekend was just what we needed before a busy Summer and before becoming a family of three!

This more accurately sums us up.. Total goofs

24 Week Update

Wow it has been a busy four weeks (almost five since this post is taking me forever to finish and I'm now 25 weeks along)! I feel like we've gotten a good dent in our endless "to-do" list which is super exciting. I've been trying to be more productive during the week after work since my energy is back. Staying active with lots of walking and prenatal yoga has made a HUGE difference in energy and mood. My Aunts, Mom and I have officially started sewing for little miss. In fact I've learned how to make crib sheets, which is super easy!

 

And I have to share this picture because out of all my maternity clothes, that tank is my favorite! I ordered it from Etsy and will be perfect for this Summer!

The Nursery.
Our nursery is well under way, we built her crib one night last week, assembled her dresser and crib and got her closet almost complete! I wanted to add more storage in there along with a second bar for hanging things so we went on a hunt for a closet organizer but ended up settling for a cube storage shelf from Target. It was only $40 vs. $240 and will work great now and when little miss gets a bit older.

Ok super cheesy moment coming, so you've been warned. Putting the nursery furniture together with Scott was so much fun! We kept looking at each other with these big smiles thinking about our little one sleeping soundly (we hope) in there in just a few months. Even Lucy had fun!

It's hard to believe how fast time has gone, but everything we're doing these days makes it all feel more real. She is just going to love her room!

Photography.
Some other exciting happenings... We've officially scheduled our maternity and newborn photographer. We selected Christina Mae Photography after seeing her work through some friends that had their photos done by her. She really captures emotion and the way she uses light is so beautiful. We're excited to have her capture these memories for us! Next step- pick outfits to wear. That has to be like the second hardest thing to pick after you've selected a photographer! ;)

Registering. 
One word- overwhelming. But right after that comes exciting! We actually took two days to register, mostly because the night before day 1 Scott came down with a nasty bug. Although he tried to power through the day I could tell eh was miserable and I really wanted the day to be fun for him too. So we knocked off some big items then called it a day. The next time we went he was way more cheerful and we had a blast. It was exhausting, and the rest of the night we mostly relaxed on the couch with our feet up but it's so fun thinking about the stuff we'll need once baby girl is here!

I think the most overwhelming part of the whole experience was the number of options Baby's R' Us has. There had to have been 30 different kinds of strollers, 10 different pack and plays, 10 different high-chairs and a million different types of diapers and wipes. We ended up just trying to test each big purchase as much as we could and picked what we liked best. Everything has to meet the same safety standards so we decided reviews wouldn't be as helpful as just trying it out!

Once we get some parenting under our wings, if we love what we selected I'm sure I'll blog more about them in hopes of helping another future momma some day!

Scott even had to purchase his favorite book from his childhood so he can start reading to her. He was so excited, it was heart warming to watch him light up over some of the things we selected. Love that guy so much and am so excited to see him become a Daddy!

Here's the monthly down low...

Maternity clothes? Is there anything else?! Love feeling comfortable in my clothes and I think it's super important for any other preggo Mommas out there as well. Your body changes so much that some days you can feel very self-conscious. Having clothes that fit well and make you look pregnant vs. over stuffed is definitely helpful!

Sleep: I've been sleeping ok despite multiple trips to the bathroom at night. The pregnancy pillow is still my life saver along with regular prenatal yoga. I usually wake up feeling ok but can tell I'm starting to get more and more hip and lower back pain when I'm in bed too long!

Best moment this week: Scott feeling her kick for the first time! His face was priceless and I know it's starting to feel even more real to him now. We also got to see her kick so hard the other night that it moved my belly. Seriously, that feeling is the best ever. 

Miss Anything? Coffee.... Real, caffeinated coffee.

Food cravings: Still loving ketchup on everything that it can go on (without being gross), eggs and avocados.
 
Symptoms: I have been so lucky and haven't had many ailments. I definitely get tired a lot easier than I use to but staying active has seemed to help. I've also noticed the varicose veins in my legs are back which is a bummer but she'll be worth it!

Have you started to show yet: Yep - no hiding this baby bump!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Our birthing class and decorating the nursery

Gender Reveal Party!

A couple of weekends ago we gathered our families and hosted a gender reveal party for Baby Slusser. My Mom and I spent  few weeks prior to the party planning all of the details. Party planning is seriously our thing, we had so much fun! And while we normally have the full entourage of my Aunts helping, we didn't this time and it still turned out great!

We had light appetizers and lots of pink and blue treats. My cousin baked blue and pink cupcakes and was the only one who knew Baby's gender so she put together the reveal box.

While I thought it might be hard to have our appointment then not find out the gender until three days later, it wasn't at all! We had already waited a few months and knowing that our families would find out with us was so exciting! Plus, just as my pregnancy has gone so far, time flew by and before I knew it we were opening the reveal box.

Oh, and in case you're wondering... IT'S A GIRL!!!!! We are so excited and can't wait to start planning her nursery, preparing for her arrival and then finally meeting her in August!

Here's a few pictures from our party that I snapped with my phone. We haven't had a chance to get the pictures from my Uncle who took a bunch that day, but these will give you a glimpse into the par-tay...

I hope our daughter and I have the same relationship I have with my Mom. Love her so much!

Lucky to be going on this adventure with that guy by my side. He is going to be a wonderful Daddy.

Halfway There!

Well we've officially hit the halfway mark. Which is crazy to say, so I'm hoping time will slow down now as we prepare everything for our baby to arrive in August! We're excited to announce that Baby Slusser is a GIRL!! I'll be sharing more later this week from our gender reveal party my Mom and I put together, it turned out perfect! We had a small gathering with our families and loved every minute of it.

Total weight gain/loss: Not 100% sure as I weighed myself backwards at the doctor last week. I really don't want to focus much on this as I have been trying to make mostly healthy choices. As of 17 weeks I had gained 7lbs so I would anticipate I'm probably at 10lbs now.

Maternity clothes?  YES! In fact I haven't worn my regular jeans in quite some time. I invested in a couple pairs of maternity jeans, dresses, skirts and yoga pants. They make a world of difference and being comfortable is totally necessary. If you're newly pregnant, make sure you invest in some good clothes, you'll thank yourself later. You can find sales too! I got two pairs of yoga pants from GAP for $30 the other day, just watch out for sales.

Sleep: Besides a lingering cough/cold I have, I've been sleeping fairly well. A friend of mine let me borrow her pregnancy pillow which has been life changing. It's so nice having support for my back but also not having to set up 5 pillows. I often spend nights turning from side to side but overall my sleep is better

Best moment this week: Finding out Baby Slusser is a sweet baby girl. Name TBD

Miss Anything? I miss lunch meat and over easy eggs. Oh and I would love a rare steak but I'll wait patiently. Totally worth it!

Food cravings: Still loving ketchup on everything that it can go on (without being gross), love eggs, ground beef, OJ and mostly anything sweet!

Symptoms: I think I felt baby move yesterday but it's so hard to tell since I don't know what I'm looking for. Also feeling much more pregnant these days!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes! Some days more than others, but my bump has definitely made it's appearance and I love it!

Gender:GIRL!

Wedding rings on or off? They're still on thankfully. I get some swelling later in the day but hopeful I can keep them on for a bit longer.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Planning our nursery, registering and birthing classes.

Dinners with Dad

Dad and I - Circa 2012

I'm just getting back to my home office after a quick dinner with my Dad and feel an urge to get this down on paper before I dive into some work related writing.

Dinners with my Dad have grown to be one of my favorite things. And lets not just limit it to dinner, it can be lunch, coffee (where he always gets an Arnold Palmer instead of coffee), or simply going for donuts on Sunday morning.

From the time I can remember, every once in a while my Dad and I would get up early on a Sunday morning and go down to Frank's donuts, just he and I. In fact I don't remember a single time we ever let anyone else come until recently. I've always loved time with just Dad and I and we have great talks. This has turned into lunch and dinner dates more than donuts but that tradition will never go away!

Tonight my Mom is away on business and my hubby is working late so Dad and I planned dinner at Taco Time. Nothing fancy, but that doesn't matter. We sat and talked about nothing but at the same time everything. It is time I cherish and will always remember. If you haven't had dinner with your Dad or even your Mom recently, I highly recommend it and your parents will love it too. Call them up, and plan something, don't over think it and just go. And every once in awhile just make sure it's the two of you. Life gets busy, and when we have families of our own we often only spend time in big groups which can take away from those one on one relationships.

I can't wait to start these dates with our Children and I hope one day they think they're just as important as I do today.

Sunny Weekend Recap

If you live in Washington state, you can agree that this weekend and last were absolutely gorgeous and unlike our normal February weather. It was over 50 degrees both days with loads of sunshine. And seriously, who doesn't get motivated by sunshine?

Saturday morning Scott and I both got up early to start our day. Scott had to go into work for a couple of hours so I met my friend Justine (who's also prego, in fact she's exactly 4 weeks ahead of me) for a 30 minute walk. It was a bit chilly but the fresh, crisp air felt amazing and it was good to get my legs going. I then picked up my Blissfully Organic Co-op (BOCO) Basket. If you live in the Puyallup or Lacey area I highly recommend you check out BOCO. I usually buy a full share every other week and I've yet to be disappointed. I use the veggies and fruit to inspire my weekly meal planning and love being able to get all of my grocery shopping done early on Saturdays!

After picking up my basket I met my friend Ashley who I haven't seen in years for breakfast at the Buttered Biscuit in Sumner. I have to say, it's not really worth the hype. I ordered a breakfast burrito and it was just ok. Ashley got the "Kim Kardashian" which is eggs benedict but includes bacon, ham and sausage. Her meal looked pretty good so I may have to go back and try something different. They give you HUGE portions that are definitely perfect for sharing!

Saturday afternoon Scott and I made a trip to Home Depot to get some bark for the yard and laid it in our front flower beds. I seriously LOVE the look of fresh bark and it makes a world of difference. Oh and I can't forget the awesome new area rug and table lamps I got on clearance at Fred Meyer! I got a $200 rug for only $67, can you say bargain? Love finding new stuff for our home on sale!

We capped off Saturday with a fun dinner at Samurais with our good friends where I ate ridiculous amounts of fried rice, and I don't even feel bad about it.

Sunday morning I woke up bright and early (without an alarm clock) and decided to do some baking. I had some blueberries I needed to use and found this "lightened-up" blueberry coffee cake recipe on Pinterest. It turned out DELICIOUS and our house smelled so good while it was baking!

The rest of the day included some much needed R&R, cleaning up around the house, a walk with our Pup, and the much anticipated Oscar awards!

What did you do this weekend? Did the sunshine make you more productive than you'd normally be?

Soul Sisters Take Seattle

As you may remember, I have 3 friends who I call my Soul Sisters. They are seriously the 3 best friends a girl could have and I absolutely love our time together. Unfortunately only 3 of the 4 of us are local to Washington State since Debbie moved to Iowa, but we still get together quite often for mini-adventures. In fact, we're in the midst of planning our next adventure with all of us.

Presidents Day we were all off work and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get together. We picked Seattle for our meeting point and while it seemed daring to explore Seattle on a February day, we got so lucky and enjoyed a beautifully sunny day. Plus, FREE parking!!

We got pedicures, ate fresh Greek yogurt from Ellenos (a must have while in Seattle), walked around Pike Place and all around the area then finished up with lunch at Etta's. My first Tom Douglas restaurant experience. Needless to say, I'll now have to try them all! I loved that most, if not all of the food is locally sourced and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant was awesome. I'll be back for brunch, that's for sure!

Marionberry Pie Greek Yogurt from Ellenos

Grilled Cheese w/ Cranberry Jelly and clam chowder. YUM!