Our Early Babymoon Experience {Expecting Baby #2}

Hey trubeautys!

If you’re following me on instagram (@trubeautyMOVEMENT), then you know my hubby and I just announced that we’re pregnant with our baby #2!!  As you can imagine, we’re pretty over the moon about it!  While we were “trying” for a few months, (I took out my all-natural, no hormone, copper IUD when we decided we were ready) we actually booked our summertime island vacation before finding out we were preggers.  When we found out, I was 5 weeks along and I remember us laughing at the timing being like, “Haha oh no, now I can’t drink or eat certain foods on our vacation!”  Not that we’re people who HAVE to drink to have fun, but I mean, c’mon who doesn’t enjoy a great glass of wine or cocktail and, um, especially on vacation!  The other hard part was the food; at first I forgot and Collin mentioned to me that we will want to look-up the do’s and dont’s on pregnancy food, because it had been awhile since we had gone through it with our daughter and sure enough that meant no sushi, certain cheeses, and little to no caffeinated coffee (three major loves of mine)!

As we started packing and thinking about the vacation in a little more detail and activities we wanted to do with Melissa, I saw on my The Bump app, a pregnancy app I used for my first pregnancy that acts as a great guide if you’re someone like me who likes to be uber organized, prepared, and know what’s going on each step of the way, and they suggested taking a “Babymoon.”  For those who don’t know, a Babymoon is basically just a play-on-words of a honeymoon, but instead of taking it after a couple is married, it’s a trip a couple is encouraged to take before their baby is born.  The purpose is to give new parents a bit of a break from all the non-stop preparing, before the reality of no sleep and being on-point 24/7 for this new little human of yours kicks in lol.  I remember we did something similar before Melissa was born, when we visited my hometown Park City, UT for a little over a week and were happy we did!

So, while I imagine we will likely do some other kind of trip before the expected arrival of our new little one, due January 8th, 2020, I started turning around the limits on certain foods, sudden nausea, and kid only activities into a bit more of a positive mind-set and told my husband, this can act as our version of a Babymoon!  This attitude made it feel more special not only as a couple, but also as parents to our almost-3-year-old daughter realizing just how precious this 1-1 time with her really is before having our attention spread between TWO kids (eek something I’m still wrapping my mind around to be honest with you)!

On our trip, I ended up being 7 weeks pregnant and I remember it felt so weird, because we were experiencing all these new pregnancy symptoms and new emotions (hello random food cravings at 3am and hormone changes), yet no one else even knew we were pregnant.  Since we were only 7 weeks along, we hadn’t told our families or close friends yet, and definitely hadn’t announced on social media, so instead we took it as an opportunity to just unplug and completely enjoy the moment as a family and I gotta tell you—it was pure bliss!

We intentionally made the decision to COMPLETELY unplug on this trip and that meant no checking on employees, no checking email, and no posting on social media at all… like what-so-ever.  This may seem like no big deal to some, but for two business owners who’s incomes rely on the businesses we’ve built that can be a bit scary, not to mention let’s just be honest that’s a tall order to ask of anyone in this very plugged-in, modern world!  However, we had done this on a previous vacation last year and loved it so much and felt so much more rejuvenated and in the moment as a family that we decided to adopt it again (something I HIGHLY suggest you try if you haven’t done recently).  We even limited our communication with our families, not because we didn’t want to talk to them lol, but more because we wanted that “remote island getaway” feeling of completely unplugging and not filling our time texting pictures and updating every second.  Instead we focused on enjoying this incredible island paradise and simply relaxing, snapping memories along the way.

Once we arrived, we immediately checked-in and took a look at the 180 degree view of pure ocean, which you can see from the main building’s restaurants, spa and their biggest pool.  Then, we went to our condo… we’ve been to this island two times before and they upgraded us the very first time when it was our 1-year wedding anniversary, so now we always request that same condo, since it’s pretty incredible and feels like our own home away from home on the beach!  We walked in, dropped our bags, jaws-dropped at the ocean view, and sunk into the nearest chair or couch to just take it all in and rest before jumping into our first activity (traveling is exhausting with a toddler lol).

Throughout the trip, we enjoyed all sorts of activities like: taking a family bike-ride with Melissa in one of those toddler trailers to check-out the island and get homemade ice cream; ate off-site at local island hot spots, plus the on-site restaurant that overlooked the horizon; enjoyed lounging by the pool and water slide, while meeting a bunch of other young, fun couples who also had kids as we all laughed about the ups and downs of parenthood (I swear you really do join a special club when you become a parent); visited my favorite little on-site market for condo groceries and the most amazing locally-made chips, salsa, and guacamole that I basically ate every chance I got between meals to prevent nausea (what?! I’m pregnant hehe ;); lounged at our condo while enjoying the ocean view sans the heat or sandy toes and back-to-back movies just because we could; and OF COURSE the beach!

It was just the trip we needed and felt so special and almost like we slipped out of the real-world onto our own private island with our own private secret being pregnant that no one else knew, except for the random strangers we would tell, because we were so excited and wanted to shout it from the rooftops!

After we came back, we were so happy we took the time to unplug before the excitement—and also busy schedules—that are inevitable set-in after announcing to the world.  While traditional third trimester Babymoons are also wonderful, I highly recommend a super early first trimester Babymoon too for a total different experience.  I found I was able to really enjoy myself, because my body is still able to do most of what it can always do activity-wise, like our family bike ride.  Now, a bit further along in my pregnancy as I write this blog post (I’m 13 weeks now), it’s so fun to go through these pics and see how much my belly has grown in just a few weeks.  I can’t wait to share more of our journey with you all from our gender reveal to picking a name to Baby #2’s birthday!

Cheers to intentionally easing into transitions in our lives with grace and authenticity… I can feel this baby is teaching me that.  Make sure you’re following me on instagram for behind-the-scenes of our Baby #2 journey for everything from my pregnancy cravings (& how I’m aiming to reach for healthier options), to my growing baby bump, to decor, to adjusting to two kiddos, to maintaining my fitness and wellness routines both during and after for postpartum weight loss (and sanity)!

Until next time—be balanced, be tru & proud to be YOU!

xo! Heath