Portland

I'm making up for not posting enough lately by posting a ridiculous amount of photos. We just got back from a nice little trip to Portland. Sean was out on the West Coast working for the week, so Lauren and I hopped on a plane on Friday and joined him in Portland for a long weekend. Our last family trip before we are officially a family of four. I'd never been to Portland, but Sean had been telling me for a long time that I would love it, and I did. Great city, amazing food, cool neighborhoods...I highly recommend. Most of the trip revolved around eating (I'm pregnant, y'all), but we also managed to hit the Portland Zoo, Multnomah Falls (Lauren BAWLED when we finally pulled her away) and do lots of shopping.

Lauren's favorite part, besides the waterfalls, was the goldfish they put in our room (the real kind, not the crackers) and pushing the elevator buttons. Oh, and it was a dog friendly hotel, so every trip to the lobby was an adventure. We learned that not everyone appreciates a toddler running up to their dog squealing. Who knew?

I was told we had to go to Voodoo Doughnuts, this little hole in the wall doughnut shop downtown. It was pretty funny, and of course I had to get the voodoo doughnut (see below). I should have named it "Lauren" after the temper tantrum she threw outside the store because she wanted to eat the doughnut immediately. Trust me, a throw yourself down on the sidewalk and pound it with fists and feet screaming tantrum is not pretty on a downtown city sidewalk when it's raining.

Above, a serene Lauren at breakfast at Bijou Cafe before the meltdown at Voodoo Doughnuts. She'd just had pancakes for Pete's sake!

Above and below is Bridal Veil Falls...there was this scenic highway that took you right by six or more waterfalls...absolutely gorgeous. Lauren had a great time waterfall spotting from her carseat.

The next three photos are from Multnomah Falls, the big one. Absolutely gorgeous. My favorite part of Portland might have been the moss. Not kidding. I had no idea, but I love moss.

Lauren sees my baby bump as less of a being that will rock her world, and more of a comfortable resting spot. Comfortable for her, mind you. Not for me. And not for her brother or sister, who lets me know that s/he doesn't care for the sitting, kicking and punching that Lauren often inflicts.

So this was a great lunch. Below, the menu from Pok Pok, an award-winning Thai restaurant in Portland (Ike's wings changed my life), and then after, just walk across the street to a parking lot full of food trucks (Portland is crawling with food trucks, in the best possible way) for some dessert. We ate like kings.

The rest of the photos are from the Portland Zoo. Lauren loved the monkeys, as usual, and the penguins (which we don't have in Kansas City).

All in all a really fantastic trip. Lauren even did great on the four hour plane rides to and from Portland. Not without some advance planning on our parts; turns out, much like her father, Lauren needs only snacks to be happy. She entertained the plane every time we went to the bathroom (did I mention that I'm pregnant? So that was about eight trips or so), smiling and waving as we went up and down the aisle.

She slept great in the hotel room, we had a bedroom that could be closed off so she slept in there in a pack 'n play with her noise machine, blankie and lovey and was perfectly happy. Oh, and we napped together on the big bed every afternoon. Every afternoon. For at least two hours a pop. Bless that child. That might have been my favorite part of the vacation. Scratch that, that WAS my favorite part of the vacation.

As of yesterday I'm six weeks out from my due date. I'm already bigger than I was with Lauren at the end of the pregnancy, and I'm starting to waddle. We are feeling the time crunch and now making lots of lists of things that we need to do before s/he arrives. Some priorities: pick out names (four of them, first and middle for both boy and girl) and buy bed for baby (Lauren is still in her crib, so we're going to try to buy some time with a bassinet). We'll probably make it. But in order to do so this baby needs to stay put for awhile. Wish us luck!