Pregnancy: Week 28 (and Our Babymoon!)

These smiling photos are nice and all, but how about one that more accurately represents my state of mind as I enter the third trimester?

My belly is officially big enough to act as a convenient shelf for resting my hands while Aaron takes a few test shots to figure out the lighting. I take this opportunity to make interesting faces.

Our baby is almost 16 inches long, weighs about 2.5 pounds, and is the size of a coconut. I’ve gained 1.6 pounds since last week, which puts me up about 20 pounds overall. I read an article that said I should be putting on ½ pound to 1 pound per week in the third trimester, and I’m like, hello, have you heard of bagels? Obviously not, and I am sad for you.

I am, however, definitely feeling the effects of this weight gain on my back and feet by the end of each day. I’m starting to look forward to the not-being-pregnant-anymore part in a few months. I’m really not looking forward to the increased discomfort that’ll come before then.

On a fun note, I recognized little baby hiccups for the first time this week! One night while I was lying in bed, I felt tiny, regular pulses in my belly — almost like a heartbeat, but definitely not kicks. It took me a second to realize what it was. So strange, but so cute.

The big, exciting event this week was that Aaron and I went on our babymoon! Rather than plan a big trip somewhere far away, we decided to enjoy a quiet weekend in Leavenworth, which is an adorable Bavarian-themed town about two hours east of Seattle. We did a fun springtime trip there back in 2013 (during which I did a 17-mile marathon-training run… OMG), and an awesome (boozy) trip with three other couples last January. We love us some Leavenworth!

We typically choose an inexpensive hotel or Airbnb room when we travel, but this time we splurged on a romantic, rustic B&B that my former co-worker highly recommended: Run of the River.

It. Was. Awesome.

Each of the six rooms has spectacular mountain and river views, a cozy fireplace, a jetted spa tub, heated tile in the bathroom, etc. It was far nicer than the level of accommodation we’re used to, so it was a really amazing treat for us!

I cannot overstate the amazingness of feeling weightless in this tub. I guess I need to take more baths in our (comparatively tiny) tub at home!

The view from our balcony was stunning. While Aaron went mountain biking one day, I wrapped myself up in blankets and ate my favorite brie and crackers while sitting in an Adirondack chair, just staring at nature. I might’ve been in heaven.

Aaron didn’t have too much success with mountain biking since the snow wasn’t packed hard enough, but at least he got this cool photo!

Perhaps the highlight of our stay was the five-course breakfast each morning, which was served family style alongside the other 10 guests at this big table.

We started with yogurt (mango with shredded coconut one day, then apple-cinnamon with granola the next), followed by fresh fruit, an egg scramble (chorizo/onion/pepper, then migas), a carb (heavenly pancakes, then hash browns), and finally, a dessert (baked apple, then pear crisp). Plus, we had freshly made juice, coffee, tea, etc. SO FREAKIN’ GOOD. We had high expectations for the breakfast, thanks to my co-worker’s recommendation, and it completely lived up to the hype.

There was also coffee and tea available all day, plus a freshly made cake set out around 3 p.m. The day we arrived, it was a dark-chocolate wine cake (amazing), and the next day it was a pineapple upside-down cake (also amazing). We took full advantage. Like, multiple-pieces-of-each-cake advantage.

Away from the B&B, we had a lovely time strolling around downtown Leavenworth amongst the lights as snow fell…

…strolling around Waterfront Park to enjoy the views…

…and eating wonderful dinners at South and Watershed Cafe. Watershed is a new-ish farm-to-table restaurant with an ever-changing menu, and it was our splurge dinner that also doubled as our early Valentine’s Day celebration. It was incredible — a must-visit.

We also spent many hours just hanging out, chatting, and watching the highly addictive Making a Murderer. It was the perfect relaxing weekend!

As much as we enjoyed the peace and quiet, we also saw so many adorable little families walking around Leavenworth and got really excited to come back to visit next time with our daughter on the outside.