Babymooning in the Pacific Northwest

Our little family traveled to the Pacific Northwest a little over a week ago as a final getaway before numero dos arrives in a couple of months. We flew into Seattle for a few days to stay with some friends, and then drove down to Portland for the remainder of our trip. It had been awhile since we've visited our friends from the Northwest, so it was a blessing to be reunited again and finally meet their littles. However, as with any travel plans, things never fully go according to plan. And just from the one week we were traveling, both Mike and Little J caught the flu at different times, our rental car was rear-ended by a driver who apparently provided us with false information (thankfully it was just a fender bender and we were all ok), we meandered off into the wrong side of town the first night we arrived in Portland and Little J lost another shoe the last night of our trip (I guess this has become a ritual?). All that was enough to dampen anyone's travel mood.

But aside from the madness that comes with the unpredictability of life, we took things at a slower pace and managed to make the best of our trip. The plus side was that despite its reputation for being gloomy and rainy up north, the sun was shining nearly every day, minus one afternoon with some light rain. The last time I had been to Portland was when I was a tween, so coming back and seeing the changes in the city reminded me of an introverted version of San Francisco, or Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We ended up stumbling upon some unique little stores and delicious eateries in Portland - best part of being in the state of Oregon is that everything is tax-free!

I've included some recommendations below, based on the places we ventured to and ones that were recommended to us by friends and family- and here comes the photo diary...!

Recommendations:

{ Seattle, WA } 

Elleno's Greek Yogurt

Pirohsky's

Serious Pie

Ezell's Fried Chicken

{ Portland, OR }

Eat:

Little Bird Bistro

Screen Door

Maurice

Grassa

Salt and Straw

Barista

Stumptown Coffee Roasters 

VooDoo Donuts

Blue Star Donuts

See:

Multnomah Falls

Shop:

Powell's City of Books

Canoe

Frances May

Stay:

Inn @ Northup Station 

Central location in front of a cable car station, and the inn offers complimentary passes, as well as breakfast and a Wednesday wine-down hour. 

A Delayed Christmas Gift

I know I've been awfully behind on blog posts, but I figured I should get the "surprise" out there on the blog! I am currently close to being 7 months pregnant, and time is going by faster than ever. I don't recall the first pregnancy going by this quickly, but I suppose it is only natural because I have another child to take care of this time around. I do however, feel less anxious and much more relaxed with this pregnancy (maybe a little too relaxed at times). The downside is the fact that we have not yet decided upon a name!

Little J seems to be somewhat excited when we mention that he will now become a big brother. He started off by being particularly needy with me after we told him the fact, and then there was a time when he would want to rub belly balm on my growing belly and smother the bump with hugs and kisses. He has also developed a huge interest in other babies, and began babying his stuffed animals. Lately, he has been saying that his "little brother" will be playing cars with him (I assured him that would all happen in due time), so I think he's starting to get it. I know that Little J will be a wonderful older brother!

The thought of handling two children is a bit daunting, but I am trying to enjoy this time of having one as best as I can until that day arrives. I hear the challenge is not just double the trouble, but that it becomes exponentially more challenging. Either way, we are very excited for this new addition to our little family and will attempt to take it one moment at a time.

Palm Springs II

Some delayed photos from our vacation back in November- one of the perks of living in SoCal is the fact that Palm Springs is only a couple of hours away, making it a stay-cation I suppose? The desert has basically become our family's annual getaway. This trip was perhaps the first time in awhile where we didn't make any set plans for each day and literally slept in (as much as we could with a toddler) and cooked most of our meals in our little villa for the week. Each morning we made breakfast and sat out on the patio, watching Little J feed and chase after the ducks that loitered around. He's been developing his own little personality that packs a big punch, and it really has been a joy to see. I am thankful for these moments where we are able to spend time as a family (along with walk-ins from our extended family members!) without too many distractions from our daily routine. That is what I would define as the difference between traveling and vacationing, and sometimes it's good to have a balance of both.