The Big Reveal!

In case you have not already heard the news, Baby Hansen is a GIRL!!

And we are overwhelmed, overjoyed and completely ecstatic to meet her! 

The news was revealed to our parents over dinner last night at Ruths' Chris, due to a little bet they had going on over baby's gender. All along, my parents have said girl and Chris' have said boy, so they wagered on it and the "loser" had to pay for dinner ( It was all in good fun though, as nobody had a preference either way!). 

So after a grueling wait yesterday, we met for our reservation, ohh-d and ahh-d over the framed sonogram pics we gave our parents and all enjoyed an A-mazing dinner. But because the reveal wasn't going to happen until the waiter brought the check to the losing couple, Chris and I had to bite our tongues all night and hope we didn't slip up and give the gender away. Hardest thing ever! So when it came time for dessert, I pleaded with our waiter (who was having way too much fun with this!) to bring out the check when dessert came because we simply could not wait another minute! 

And with a playful drum roll and much giddy anticipation from everybody, our waiter handed the check to my in-laws! And finally the news was public, we are having a GIRL!

I love their reactions in the picture above because everyone was just so happy!

It was such a fun and wonderful night!

Seattle Eats

One of my favorite things about visiting Seattle (and Portland) was the incredible variety of food we got to enjoy! Call it luck or fabulous recommendations, but pretty much every meal we shared on our trip was fantastic! It couldn't hurt that I appreciate good food even more now that I'm pregnant...which is saying a lot!

Here's a quick glimpse at some of the delicious fare we enjoyed ~

Byways Cafe - located in the heart of Portland's Pearl District. There is nothing assuming about this tiny diner, but oh wow, do they know how to serve up a good breakfast! I would highly recommend the banana bread pancakes.

Huber's - apparently the oldest restaurant in Portland and full of charm. My husband ordered two of their signatures: the turkey dinner and Spanish coffee (which they light aflame tableside) and claimed that both were wonderful.



Little stand in Pike's Market - So sad I can't remember the name, but we went on the recommendation of a co-worker who used to live in the city and claimed they had the best clam chowder. We devoured shared a bowl of said chowder and a blackened halibut sandwich. Yum!

Le Panier - The "Very French Bakery" located across from Pike's Market and quite possibly one of the best chocolate croissants I have ever tasted!

Wild Ginger - By far the best meal we had all week, making me even more proud to tell you that I found this one on my own! We dined on The Buddha Rolls and potstickers, followed by a few items from their satay bar, the mongolian noodles and the seven flavor beef. And they even suprised us with the chocolate torte for our anniversary. We left in the most blissful food coma!

Top Pot Doughnuts - Seattle's original doughnut and a "must try" according to most people. While it was a nice splurge (being a closet doughnut lover who rarely ever allows myself this treat), I wouldn't call it the best doughnut I've ever had, but good nontheless:)

The Pink Door - This is where we celebrated 3 years of married bliss (and culinary bliss, no doubt!). Not exactly what I expected in terms of atmosphere, but so much better! We dined outside, just overlooking the water and enjoyed the kitchy, retro comfort of the outdoor patio area, which was complete with mismtched vintage tablecloths. Love! They have nightly entertainment, which happened to be live jazz on this particular night. Everything from the pesto lasagna to the strawberry rhubarb crumble were completely amazing!

Macrina Bakery - Great pastries and an amazing {decaf} latte!

The Harbour - "Best fish & chips on Bainbridge Island" or so we were told, so we decided to try it for ourselves. Not only were we pleased with their infamous fish & chips, but Chris also found his favorite beer of the trip!

Delancey -  What can I say really? Delancey is simplicity at it's finest, serving brick oven pizza and a few lovely appetizers. Since I've followed the blog Orangette for so long, I was dying to try the restaurant that her and her husband opened about two years ago and I would venture to say it was so worth the wait! We ordered the Hot Salami with Porcinin mushrooms and barely left a crumb on our plates. And might I suggest that if you still have some room to squeeze in dessert, please do yourself a favor and order the bittersweet chocolate chip cookie with gray sea salt. You can thank me later.

And there you have it, a glimpse at our week of indulgence! The only saving grace that kept us from gaining 5 pounds each last week was the sheer amount of walking we did! City living is like built-in weight management and we loved evey minute:)

Snapshots of a Babymoon

Merry Monday, lovelies! We're back from our trip and I would love to share a bit of our experience with you, if you like! Naturally, this is just a glimpse of our week, but is was all so lovely! Be warned, this post is pretty heavy on the pics:)

Our week began with a day in Portland, where we started the day with a delicious breakfast at a cute diner and them made our way to Powell's books, which is absolutely a book lovers heaven!!

Later on, we drove to Multnomah Falls, an absolutely breath-taking waterfall!

Then Monday morning, bright and early, we drove the three remaining hours to Seattle, making our first stop Pike's Place Market!

Had an obligatory treat at Le Panier (more on that tomorrow!).

And visited the Space Needle. We got there just before sunset and were able to get pics of the city during the day and some more after dark! Seattle is a beautiful city!!

{Love Mt. Rainier in the background!}

One of our anniversary outings was a trip to the Washington Park Botanical Gardens for a lovely and scenic walk. The weather was absolute perfection!

And on Wednesday we walked by the infamously gross gum wall...it was interesting.

And then rode a ferry over to Bainbridge Island.

Gorgeous Seattle skyline!

And lunched next to the pier. 

After an amazing dinner at Delancey, we made our way to the Ballard Marina to watch the sunset. 

Our last day in Seattle we drove to Bellingham to spend the day with my dear friend, Lael. It was such a delight to see her and explore her charming little town! Sadly, the only pictures I got were of the precious dessert shop she works at!

Did I mention how lucky we were to have amazing weather all week? All-in-all, it was a perfect and lovely getaway and I can hardly believe it's already over!

{Since we experienced culinary bliss this week, I thought that deserved its own post. So, coming tomorrow, Seattle Eats!}

{BabyBump} Week 18

{This week I'm giving you two belly pics:) I feel like the bump is more visible in the first one, but in honor of our babymoon, we wanted to take a pic in front of the infamous gum wall in Seattle. So there you have it, double belly shots!}

Baby Hansen has done some major growing lately, which is definitely visible in my expanding belly! Now roughly the size of a sweet potato, our sweetie is doing lots of moving, twisting and kicking, though I am still only feeling those little flutters. Hopefully I start feeling more frequent movement soon!

Week 18 has without a doubt been my favorite week of pregnancy so far! Our getaway has not only been the fun and romantic retreat we were hoping for, but it's also provided us some much needed quality time together! And not to mention, Seattle is a pregnant woman's dream in terms of amazing food! I can't begin to describe the abundance of lovely meals we have experienced this week and how happy my taste buds are!

We feel extremely lucky for the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of life for a week and enjoy our last big vacation before becoming parents! There is so much to look forward to these upcoming months and we are more excited than ever to take it all on together!

Baby Hansen,  we already love you more than you'll ever know and cannot wait to find out who you are!

3

Three years of marriage and my heart couldn't be happier!

Happy anniversary to the man who still sweeps me off my feet!  I love you!

Babymoon Bound!

Happy Friday, loves! Tomorrow we begin our long awaited road trip to Seattle and we can hardly contain our excitement! Our bags are packed, snacks are prepped and we're hitting the road nice and early. We'll be staying the night in Portland so we can spend Sunday exploring the city. Then Monday morning we will drive the few remaining hours to Seattle and begin our adventures there for the week. We're looking forward to checking out the many lovely recommendations we got from friends and can't wait to share the fun details with you when we return! Have a wonderful week!

image/via

{BabyBump} Week 17

It's funny how being pregnant suddenly means that each week is a tiny milestone of sorts. For me, every Wednesday means we're another week closer to meeting our precious one this fall. Seventeen weeks and I still anticipate my weekly emails from BabyCenter and TheBump telling me what's new with baby!

In pregnancy events this week:

I felt the first "flutters" of baby kicking!! I was laying down getting my eyebrows waxed and at first couldn't tell if it was just gas bubbles, but after a few minutes of the soft patter in the same spot, I knew it was definitely my little munchkin! What an incredible feeling to know that he/she is active in there! Can't wait for those first major kicks that Chris can feel, too!

My husband started talking to my belly this week, since all the books say baby's ears are developing and they begin to recognize voices at this stage. It felt kind of silly, but I loved it!

We are less than two weeks away from finding out who this little one is! Thankfully, I've been so distracted with work and prepping to take a week off that the time flew right by! Before we know it, we'll be back from Seattle and finding out if baby is a boy or a girl. And then my friends, let the shopping begin!!

In a pleasant turn of events, I am back to drinking green smoothies regularly! Perhaps I forgot to mention that right after we found out we were expecting, I had a sudden aversion to anything and everything green (with the exception of avocados!). But happily, these last two weeks have left me craving them again! Good for me and baby!

Otherwise, I'm still feeling good, energetic and {ahem} slightly hormonal...

Happy Thursday!

A Little Surprise

I was completely delighted last week when I walked out on the front porch and noticed a pretty little bloom on the liliums we planted this Spring! I've been patiently waiting for them to bloom, after what seems like months and months of sprouting green stalks (which are now over 2 feet high!). Apparently the last week of sunshine and  90 degree weather was exacty what these little guys needed to come out of hiding! Which is more than I can say for our tomatoes, which, if we're lucky, will be ready to pick when we return from Seattle...but for now, I'm happy to enjoy these pink beauties while they last!

Sustenance

As I mentioned in this post, one of my to-dos last weekend was planning out and prepping the snacks we will bring on our road trip. And I've got to say, I'm pretty excited with the spread I decided on! Silly I know, but in a quest to avoid stopping for nasty fast food, I wanted us to have plenty of healthy/tasty options while we're on the road. And I think I've succeeded!

Here's the rundown of what will be in our cooler:

Orzo salad w/ shredded chicken: I will be making my own version of a Mediterranean inspired pasta salad for lunch.

Lemon protein bars: After making these last week, I knew they would be a great road companion! Perfect little "dessert" without the sugar overload!

Fruit/veggies: We'll have plenty of options, like: berries, grapes, apple slices, carrots, bell peppers and celery to snack on.

Individual peanut butter: I usually wouldn't spend the moolah on these sort of convenience foods, but the chocolate and maple flavors were a steal at 2/$1! They will be great to spread on celery sticks and apple slices. Plus, I grabbed a few extra to keep in my purse for those pesky hunger pangs that sometimes strike unexpectedly.

Hand picked trail mix: A blend of raw cashews and almonds, pumpkin seeds, banana chips, dried cranberries and shaved unsweetened coconut. This is really for my husband, who can't get enough of the stuff!

Jerky: A must for long trips!

Larabar minis: I was planning on just packing two Larabars, but then I found a box of minis in some of my favorite flavors! How could I resist?

Water: And lots of it!!!

That should be enough to get us through the roughly 10 hour drive (maybe 11 with all the pee breaks!). And of course, we'll be at our first destination by Saturday evening, so dinner will be in Portland!

Getting There

This past weekend started out with a pretty hefty to-do list. In preparation for our trip to Seattle, I wanted to get as much done ahead of time so this upcoming week wouldn't be such a blur. Thankfully, just about everything on my list got checked off, with a few things left to do today and tomorrow. Phew, I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief knowing I just need to gracefully get through the week and then it's time to relax!!

And on that note, I don't think I've ever been so prepared for a trip in my entire life! Go me!!

Here's what I accomplished this weekend:

House is clean

Laundry is done and put away

Outfits are {mostly} decided

Travel toiletries are purchased and packed

The Jetta got new rear brakes and an oil change

Hotel reservations are confirmed

Road trip snacks are planned (more on that this week!)

Anniversary cards are purchased

Meals are planned for the week using food we already have 

Dog sitter is confirmed

Oh, the sense of accomplishment ;) Hope you had a delightful weekend!

{BabyBump} Week 16

Here we are, 16 weeks along and our little sweetie pie is measuring about 4 1/2 inches long. According to Babycenter, baby is getting ready for a big growth spurt and in the next few weeks will double in weight and length, which I'm guessing will make this mama extra tired!

In the land of pregnancy, this week has been fantastic! With a bump that almost makes is obvious I'm expecting, I'm beginning to feel more comfortable in my skin. And with vacation one week away, I couldn't be more thankful for that!

My recent food cravings have consisted of Dreyer's all-fruit popsicles, hot chocolate and La Bou tuna sandwiches. And if I get them all in the same day, I'm a happy girl! Though sadly, I also had my first instance of heartburn a few days ago, which was followed by multiple popping of Tums. Ha! Pregnant much?

And it turns out, crazy dreams aren't exclusive to pregnant woman. This week, both my husband and a co-worker had funny dreams about the baby. One of them included me having 12 lb. twins...let's just cross our fingers that one doesn't come true!

Have a great weekend!

Here To Stay?

Guess what finally showed up this week? Summer!! And we are savoring every last drop by taking our meals outside and firing up the grill! Here's what we've enjoyed the past two nights...

Avocado Bacon Turkey Sliders & Garden Salad

Grilled Pork Chops, Corn on the Cob & Roasted Veggies

And of course, Abby's been gettin' her swim on like it's nobodys business:)

Looking forward to several more months of sunshiney bliss!