Our Palm Beach Babymoon

{This post is now over a month late but...better late than never!}

While we were in Florida with my family for Thanksgiving, we decided to take advantage of the proximity to Palm Beach and take a little Babymoon! To be fair, it wasn't a true babymoon because A had to work some during the day. BUT because he was technically on a work trip, we were reimbursed for our hotel - so that worked out!

He was recruiting at a junior tournament held at the classic PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens (which is only an hour 15 minutes from my hometown), so we were able to enjoy the Palm Beach life for a few days of luxury.

Our first night there, we went to an amazing Italian restaurant that had gluten free pasta, so I was able to enjoy my favorite kind of food! 

The first morning, I spoiled myself with room service since A had to get up early to work. 

It was rough on me ;)

While A recruited that day, I spent most of the day at the PGA Spa indulging in the Mommy-To-Be package: a prenatal massage, facial and pedicure. Heavenly!

The second night, we splurged on a fancy night out in Palm Beach proper at The Breakers. If you've never been, you've got to make it there - especially if you're a Lilly Pulitzer lover! That's where it all began! The resort itself is like stepping back in time. (Side note: we were there the day after Sophia Vergara had her wedding there, so we got to peek at her reception room. Gorgeous!)

At The Breakers with actual breakers behind us!

Such a beautiful Florida classic

Apps at the Henry Flagler bar before an incredible seafood dinner

In the lobby (those flowers - gahhhhhh!)

The second and final morning, we went to brunch at an authentic Irish pub before heading back to my hometown. 

We had such a nice time eating, drinking (well, drinking for A), relaxing and celebrating this baby! I am so glad we squeezed in this quick Babymoon between my baby shower and Thanksgiving: it gave us the perfect little getaway, just the two of us! Although we probably won't have another vacation alone for some time, that's okay with me: it won't be long until we're doing real "family" vacations and I can't wait!

xo
KH

Favorites from our maternity shoot

I was about 32 weeks pregnant when we did our maternity shoot a few weeks ago, which was perfect timing to do photos for our Christmas cards! I found a wonderful new-to-town photographer in Columbia who was able to squeeze us in at the last minute.

It was a chilly day in Cola but a gorgeous one with pretty light. I love how they turned out and I'm so glad we did them to document this special season of life!

We're having a GIRL! {Our Gender Reveal}

I guess my mom instinct isn't right on yet, because every part of me thought we were having a baby boy. In fact, everyone thought we were having a boy - except Alex! He had been saying girl all along until we got to the week of our reveal - then he flip-flopped to Boy, so I guess he was technically wrong, too!

Our gender reveal was a small affair, with just our parents and my best friend Lesley -- who surprised me by driving almost 6 hours to Columbia the night before! It was SO special to have her here for this big moment. And I really needed my bestie!

With all that had come to light in the days preceding the reveal (namely, the results of our 20-week anatomy scan), we were not feeling very festive or much like celebrating. The fact is that there are still a lot of unknowns. But after being sad and scared for a few days, Alex and I said, You know what? No matter what happens, this baby will be celebrated. Baby deserves a gender reveal and has a lot of people who loves him or her! So on we went with our little gender reveal celebration and I'm so glad we did.

Two days before the reveal, Alex and I went to a local boutique and picked out a baby boy and a baby girl outfit. We handed over the envelope with the gender result, the outfits and our credit card and came back in 15 minutes to pick up the package that would tell us if we were having a boy or a girl! (And then I had to stare at that little blue box for 2 days...)

Since the party was small and in the middle of the afternoon (in between football games), we kept it pretty simple and mostly used decorations I had on hand. But I did want to include some festive balloons and pink and blue candy to make it very "baby"!

The outfits that Alex and I came home from the hospital in many moons ago :)

After stalling for awhile (because I wasn't in a hurry to find out: I just KNEW I already knew it was a boy!), our moms told us they were anxious and had to know! So we took a deep breath and unwrapped...

The box!

Shocked. Totally shocked. 

And here's the video so you can see the reaction in action and hear my dad's awesome commentary :)

It's a GIRL!!!

My stepdad was the only one who thought it was a girl - so the rest of the group was totally surprised!

After the reveal, with all of our parents!

Parents, Lesley, Alex and I (and baby girl's sweet little outfit)

Me and Baby Girl at 20 weeks, 5 days

The girls are getting a baby sister! 

We are feeling so, so blessed by this little girl and the things she's already teaching us. Parenting really does start before the baby even arrives! We continue to pray for good results from our amnio test, and ask for your prayers for her and for us. For now, it's all pink over here as we pray for good news and think positively, and know God has it all under control!

xo
KH

Favorites from our pregnancy announcement beach shoot

Sharing my favorites from our beach shoot a few weeks ago! We wanted to have pictures taken while we were down at Edisto Beach, a beautiful and old-fashioned type of beach destination. It's a special place to Alex, as he grew up going there every summer with his grandparents, and it's become dear to me, too.

Five on Friday: I'm back!

Hello friends! I didn't intentionally take a blogging hiatus this summer, but that's what happened. I got busy (poor excuse, I know). I wish I could say it was because of all the great trips we've been taking or all the crazy fun we've been having, but it was more due to work than anything else. And no one wants to write or read about work. Moving on...

The point is, it feels nice to write again and read your posts again. Looking forward to catching up with everyone!

One. 

Last week was our 4th anniversary! My how time flies. I am so incredibly lucky to have this man by my side through good times and bad, literally in sickness and in health. The last 4 years have been the best yet - and I know it's only going to get better!

Two. 

The traditional 4th anniversary gift is fruit or flowers. So I got us (uh, I mean I got Alex) Apple TV! Guys, why didn't we have this sooner?? Life changing, I tell you. After only having a digital antenna for the last two years, being able to sign into A's parents' cable account and watch live sports and shows ON A TV is amazing. No more crowding around the iPad!

Three. 

This week I got hooked on Unreal (thanks to that handy Apple TV contraption). If you haven't seen it, it's a must watch for Bachelor fans! It's about a Bachelor-like show but it's shown from the crew's POV - including all the manipulation they do to the contestants and story line. It's really entertaining: Lifetime brought their A-game with this one.

Four. 

Look at the progress my little garden has made since I planted it in April! I've only lost one plant (the cilantro) and everything else is doing really well. I even have a few blooms on my tomato plants, so I might actually grow a tomato! *happy dance*  Plus, the fig tree nearby (for which I can take absolutely no credit) is bursting with almost-ripe figgies. Yay for backyard produce!

Five. 

Life is good, friends. I'm feeling happy and optimistic these days! And I'm celebrating SIX MONTHS of being gluten-free and I'm feeling the best I've felt in a LONG time! So thankful that this experiment has seemingly kept me healthy and Crohn's-flare-free since January. Praise the Lord!

Have a fabulous weekend. Soak up some sun (but don't forget the sunscreen).
xo
KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci!