BANFF, CANADA, DAY 1

What a fun and crazy week! We drove over 36 hours in a car for a two and a half day vacation, but it was definitely worth it. Next time we'll make sure to do at least a 4 day trip though. It all started when I decided we needed a get-away before baby girl comes. She's not due until February, but October is one of the cheapest times to travel so I seized the oppurtunity and looked into going to Banff, Canada. It's a beautiful national park that I visited for a family reunion 8 years ago and loved it. Normally I am more of a tropical vacation kind of person, but Banff is soooo beautiful that it equals tropical for me. It has the most grande beautiful mountains and glaciers you've ever seen, with turquoise blue water in all of the lakes and rivers. It's truly stunning. The vibrant blue water looks like it belongs in the Carribbean or something. Ahhh i still cant get over it. Our stay was wayyyy too short and we didn't get to do everything we wanted. 

Let's start with the drive there...

we decided to drive straight through, and boy was that a mistake. Maps said it would take about 14.5 hours, but then you add in stopping time for eating, diaper changing,  baby-calming, a few wrong turns, and and suddenly you've got an 18 hour trip. We left around 10:00 am and got there around 4:00 am. Don't get me wrong, Kai did amazing. He seriously just sat calmly in his car seat most of the time. I bought him a new toy for the trip, a little steering wheel with lights and sounds,  (you can buy it here) and that was a lifesaver. He's just the best little traveler! I even sat in the front seat most of the time, since every time I went to the back he seemed to get more fussy. Anyways, Kolby was a saint and drove the ENTIRE way. (mostly because he doesn't trust my driving ha). He even spotted a bear and a wolf in the road when we were winding through the mountains at night. We played 20 questions to help keep him awake, and rocked out to our favorite CDs. 

When we finally arrived at 4:00 am, which was way later than we had planned, we were more exhausted than we had been in a longgg time. It was so nice to collapse in a bed and crash. However, we made the mistake of having Kai sleep with us that night, so he kicked us all night and pushed us off the bed. The rest of the trip he did great in his pack n play though.

I had spent hours researching where to stay, comparing prices and ratings (typical me) and finally decided on Lake Louise inn, a cute place just 3 minutes from the beautiful Lake Louise. I chose it because it was like a studio apartment with a cozy fireplace, balcony with a beautiful view, and a kitchen to cook in and prepare our meals. (There aren't many restaurants in the area and I was more in the mood for home-cooked meals, though we ended up eating mostly bagels, sandwiches, yogurt, and mac n cheese!)

We woke up the next morning a little late, still feeling extremely tired, ate some bagels, and decided to take a stroll around Lake Louise, probably the most popular tourist site there. Kai was like a little celebrity and everyone just had to stop and comment about how insanely adorable he is. A lot of the tourists even wanted photos with him. So funny!

I think these pictures do a better job of describing it's beauty than I ever could. However, it's way more stunning in person. You just gotta trust me on that one.

Kai's outfit: 

Boots- Kohl's

Beanie, vest, shirt- Target

Pants- Gymboree

22 week bump

Kai and some Japanese fans

(this is all he wanted to do all day, push this stroller around)

After Lake Louise we tried to go for a drive on a famous road with glaciers and beautiful views, but got turned around for 2 hours in the wrong direction. Whoops! We made it back just in time to enjoy Lake Moraine for an hour and snapped some photos there. Some of these of Kai are my favorite pictures ever. He was actually freezing and his lips started turning blue, so he was very calm for all of the pictures and seemed confused at this new concept of feeling cold.

We met a couple who had just gotten engaged a few minutes ago and they asked us to take their photos, so they took some of us! What a perfect place to propose.

Thinking about sweet baby girl in there

She already makes me smile.

This boy loves rocks and sticks. Such a boy!

You can't tell in most of the pics above because it was starting to get dark, but Lake Moraine's water was that beautiful turquoise blue just like Lake Louise.

I'll post the rest of our photos from the other days soon. We started calling baby girl a name during this trip and it feels right! Hoping it sticks! 

NUBY EASY GO SUCTION BOWL AND SPOON & BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHICKEN PUREE RECIPE

Hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend!

I had to work a lot, but I've gotta support my buying-Kai-clothes addiction somehow right? Gosh I just love dressing him up. Is it odd that I'm not extremely excited to dress my little girl up? I just feel like everrrrything is pink (yuck), and it's impossible to find non-pink non-flowery non-lacy non-frilly stuff. We'll definitely be sticking to navy and gray and neutral colors for her.

So the pregnancy fatigue is still in full force. It seriously feels like I have mono. I change Kai's diaper twice, feed him breakfast, and then I'm already in desperate need of a one hour lay down session. Anybody else have this kind of can't-get-out-of-bed pregnancy fatigue? Mannnnn. It is brutal.

What's also brutal is the fact that Kai is probably the pickiest eater there ever was, and I'm struggling to find snacks and meals he will not throw on the floor or close his mouth to. One of the only things he WILL eat is my homemade butternut squash and chicken purée. Cut a butternut squash in half (lengthwise), put it in a long glass pan with an inch of water in the bottom of the pan, throw it  in the oven on 350 until it's soft, scoop it in the blender (take the seeds ouT first) , add some chicken broth (I use one at Costco that's organic low sodium chicken broth), add 1-2 breasts of cooked and cubed chicken, and blend until it's a good consistency. Easy and babies love it. Then I freeze it in small containers and have a nice big batch of it to feed him throughout the next 2 weeks.

Something that's been helpful in helping him learn to start feeding himself is this Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl and Spoon. It suctions to the high chair tray so he can't throw it off :) This also makes it easier for him to scoop bites out of since the bowl doesn't move.

We used it during our 18 hour road trip this summer  and it was so nice to have in the car with us. The spoon doesn't get lost since it snaps into the lid which is handy! 

 

They are also microwave-safe, so I can heat up his frozen food in them! And they are BPA-free. I have two of them, and I use them every day. We love these! You can buy them here on Amazon. 

Gosh I love this little boy. His eyes get bluer and his cheeks get more scrumptious everyday! I'm almost exhausted from so much swooning.

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20 WEEKS PREGNANT

I would say that I can't believe I'm already 20 weeks and halfway through growing this sweet babearoo, but I thought I was at 22 weeks! Then, at my ultrasound, the doctor said baby girl is measuring 2 weeks behind so she moved my due date to Feb 10th (it used to be Jan 28th.) My money is on a Valentine's baby! I am slightly worried that she's measuring so far behind, especially because I was very certain about my last period. The doctor said it could be a problem with the placenta, but most likely it's just a due date that's a little off, so we will do another ultrasound later on to see if the growth is still behind. Grow little one grow! We already love you so much. Neither Kolby nor I can picture having a little girl, it's all still so surreal.

We walked around temple square in Salt Lake City and snapped a few shots with our new Canon. I'm loving it already! Funny thing is...we got a call yesterday saying our camera randomly showed up after 2 weeks. Yay for not being stolen! I'm not sure which one to keep now...

Here's mah stats!

How far along? 20 weeks today!

Baby’s size: A cute lil mango

Total weight gain: I started at 101 and now I'm at 118...so yeah do the math. It ain't pretty.

Maternity clothes?: Fall is here and I need to figure how to dress this bump! Last time I was pregnant in the summer, so it's a little different this time around! 

Best moment this week: Spending time with Kolby and Kai :) Also just seeing Kai grow and progress and do so many new things! He can now wave bye bye, point to things that I ask him to, and give us things when we say "give it to mama or give it to daddy"

Miss Anything? Not really...but I wish I could eat sugar without feeling guilty that I'm hurting the baby somehow.

Movement: Every night I feel a little bit of movement. It's so sweet and one of the best feelings in the world.

Food cravings: Still craving any and everything I shouldn't be eating while pregnant 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sometimes chicken and eggs

Gender: sweetsie little girl

Symptoms: Still feeling exhausted...some parts of the day I just have to lay in bed or I can't function. Also a little emotional. The weight gain is probably the most obvious symptom though! (eek)

This moment captured below best summarizes my life lately...I chase this little prince everywhere!