The first half of our weekend was spent Babymooning and the second half has been spent cuddling up with a feverish toddler. Thankfully Chase seems to be improving today but he actually requested a nap this afternoon, so there’s no denying he’s still a little under the weather.
Friday
Ryan and I spent all day Friday in Charleston, South Carolina and it was so much fun. Incredibly windy but fun! We lucked out with temperatures in the upper 60s in Charleston both Friday and Saturday which made strolling around the city quite comfortable.
Dress: Audrey & Olive / Chambray Top: Liverpool Jeans Company via Stitch Fix / Shoes: TOMS Avalon Sneaker (my go-to comfy casual sneakers to pair with everything) / Tote: Kate Spade via RueLaLa
Our Friday morning actually began on Kiawah Island with breakfast sandwiches and a walk on the beach followed by a 45 minute drive into Charleston where we kicked off our time in the city with lunch at Leon’s. A few of you recommended this hot spot to me and Ryan read about their amazing fried chicken so it ranked high on our list of places to try.
The exterior of the building is rather unassuming but the fact that every table on Leon’s patio was full quickly told us we made a good choice.
We avoided a wait by grabbing two seats at the bar and ordered chargrilled oysters to share which were fantastic!
I don’t normally love oysters that have been seasoned in any way and prefer my oysters raw but since I’m pregnant, I’m avoiding raw oysters at the moment and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the cheesy chargrilled oysters we ordered. I could’ve easily polished off a dozen myself but knew I had a kale salad and two pieces of fried chicken coming my way.
Once we were done with lunch, we walked along King Street for a bit and bought a couple of treats: Honey from Savannah Bee Company, a rocket ship bath bomb for Chase (it apparently makes the bath water blue and sparkly) and a second pair of lululemon align pants for me because I LIVE in the only pair I have right now and felt like a second pair was quickly becoming a maternity necessity.
Eventually we made our way to a local park to meet up with a small group of people for a tour of Charleston led by Two Sisters Tours. Ryan and I both wanted to learn a bit more about Charleston’s rich history and figured a walking tour would be a great way to explore and learn a little something along the way. Our tour was led by Mary Helen, a long-time Charleston native whose knowledge of her city was only trumped by her obvious love of Charleston.
The tour lasted just over two hours and took us all over Charleston via back streets and alleys that were absolutely stunning and filled with gorgeous historic homes.
Once we were done, we were ready for another bite to eat! We put our name in at Poogan’s Porch for dinner and then walked a couple of blocks to grab a piece of coconut cake from The Peninsula Grill to enjoy for dessert. With cake in tow, we walked back to Poogan’s Porch and sat at a table on the front porch overlooking the street and dug into a delicious array of shared dishes, including she crab soup, pimento kale salad, short rib ragout, fried green tomatoes and BBQ mahi mahi.
We agreed we would order every single dish again but the standouts for me were the she crab soup and the short rib ragout. Amazing! Thank you guys so much for recommending this spot to us for dinner because it was a winner for sure!
After a very full day and lots of walking, Ryan and I were both ready to head back to our hotel after dinner and ended up digging into our cake in our room before cuddling up and eventually drifting off to sleep.
I slept better than I have in weeks on Friday night which felt like a HUGE gift (I also randomly had a dream about Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen… not sure what THAT was about) and woke up on Saturday ready for more Charleston fun!
Saturday
Ryan and I heard from my mom first thing on Saturday morning and she told us Chase had a fever and a bad cough but was still acting normal and eating well. We planned to head home on Saturday anyway but cut our time in Charleston a little short and opted to leave around lunchtime rather than in the evening because we wanted to get home to our little guy.
We intentionally kept our agenda wide open on Saturday because one of our favorite things to do in new-to-us places is simply walk around and explore.
We ended up covering just shy of five miles on foot on Saturday morning and had a blast grabbing breakfast at the Charleston Farmer’s Market in Marion Square, soaking up the sun along Waterfront Park and strolling along the shady streets lined with some of the most charming homes with stunning window box floral arrangements.
We left for Charlotte around lunchtime on Saturday and made it home in the late afternoon to find Chase looking a little worse for wear. We ended up taking him in to see the doctor who took his temperature and told us to monitor him for 24 hours and bring him back in today if things worsened. Thankfully he seems to be on the up and up so we’re hoping he wakes up from his afternoon nap feeling even better than he was this morning!
I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope to see ya around the blog again later this week!
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I vote for occasional weekend posts!
Sounds like the two of you had a fun few days away. I also like having a day or two free of any plans when I’m travelling to just explore and see where my feet take me.
Occasional weekend posts are a great surprise. Sounds like a fun getaway. Sending healing prayers for Chase! Hope he feels better soon.
Thank you, Sue! I hope so, too!
You look so freaking cute and happy
I hope Chase is feeling better already! It’s so sad to see little ones sick. It really tugs on my heart when my daughter acts lethargic when she’s not well. Usually she’s a huge bundle of energy (even sick!) so when she’s mellow, it’s so different. On another note, Charleston looks so beautiful! Looks like you had such a great trip 🙂
Chase is the same way. He never is still enough to even place his head on my chest normally so when he’s all about that, I know something is up.
I liked the weekend post! Glad you had such a great trip, I hope Chase feels better soon!
Hope Chase is feeling better, poor guy. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun exploring! Loving your hair color too!
Aside from cutting it short, sounds like it was a great weekend! I hope Chase is feeling all better soon!
Sounds like a lovely trip. I definitely appreciate the hotel recommendations. I do wish that some bloggers would stay at more reasonably priced hotels which the average person could afford to stay at. For example I try to look for courtyards or marriott brand hotels in the area because they are usually in my price range. Do you think in the future you could give a review of the average price of hotels you stay at is?
Also, LOVE the weekend posts because that is when I have time to catch up on Blog reading!
We love Charleston! It’s such a great southern town. I hope Chase is feeling better, though. Hopefully some good snuggles from Mom and Dad are exactly what he needs. And I vote for the occasional weekend post! My blogfeed is always so empty on the weekends and it’s usually the only time I can read things they are posted!
I also love occasionally reading blog posts on weekends from other bloggers so I was hoping it might be of interest if I get around to it here and there. Thanks for weighing in, Sarah!
Hope Chase is feeling all the way better today. Glad you guys had fun!
Looks like you had a wonderful Babymoon. Thank you for sharing your long weekend with us. From now on I’m going to check to see if you have a Sunday post up – I would have loved to read this yesterday ?
Hope Chase is on the mend quickly.
We love Poogan’s Porch. Charleston is such a great place to visit
I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip and that Chase is looking better! As far as your posts go, my motto is the more the merrier. Post six times a day seven times a week, and I’d still be happy as a clam. ❤️
I love where I live now (just outside Knoxville, TN), but I think I could happily move to Charleston if I could afford it. It has to be one of my favorite cities. I’m glad you had a good time!
Aw hope Chase is feeling better! Your babymoon looks like such a great time, it makes me want to go back to Charleston SOOOO badly!
I love occasional weekend posts, so I definitely vote yes! Sick kiddos are the worst- hope it’s a quick moving virus and you can both enjoy the week!
thank you! we got an email from his preschool last night that said a lot of the kids and three teachers were sick all weekend, so i think it was something going around his school. he seems much better today (only a lingering cough) but i’m keeping him home from school just so he doesn’t pass anything along to anyone else! he’s back to his energetic self today thankfully! <3
Your baby moon looked gorgeous, Julie!! And you are glowing, so absolutely beautiful! Charleston looks like a place I would greatly enjoy, maybe we will plan a trip there in the future! I hope Chase is all better soon, poor buddy! I love all of your posts, so the more the better! Xoxo
What a fun getaway. 🙂
An occasional weekend post is a-ok in my book! Looks like you guys had a blast in SC! What a fun babymoon!! And you are looking radiant as ever 🙂
What a fantastic vacation weekend! This trip looks right up my alley. Hope Chase is feeling much better today!
Did you have a chance to see those very classic and cool Charleston Iron gates? That was one of my favorite things looking at when I strolled Charleston about 10 years ago this time of year!
Hope you continue to have a good and healthy pregnancy
What a fun babymoon! My husband and I went to Kuaui for ours last month and lucked out since they’ve been having some crazy rain lately, but the week we were there was sunny for the most part. I love the occasional weekend post!
I actually went to Charleston for my bachelorette party a few years ago and sent the post where you asked readers for suggestions on fun activities in the comments to my maids of honor (I had 2). The first night was just my MOHs and we spend the day/night in Charleston. It is such a beautiful city, but we were there in August, so holy humidity! especially since I was coming from Denver! We went to Poogan’s Poorch for dinner and it was amazing! We then headed to Isle of Palm to meet up with the rest of the girls to hang out on the beach. We did do one night in Charleston with all the girls and had dinner at Slightly North of Broad (or SNOB) and that was also delicious! Highly recommend if you go again!
Hope Chase is feeling better!!
I love reading your blog, thanks for sharing so much of your beautiful family! I’m due in early July, not too far off from you, and i’m wondering how the Lululemon pants fit over your growing belly? Are they comfortable?
Yes! You can pull them right over your belly! They are so soft and forgiving and honestly feel like you’re wearing nothing — in a very, very good way!
I think I need a pair 🙂 Do you wear your pre-pregnancy size or did you size up? Thanks!
pre-pregnancy size!
I would love occasional weekend posts! A lot of bloggers don’t post in the weekend, but I love having something to read then. Charleston looks beautiful! I hope I get to visit one day.
Poogans porch! What a great place. My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner scheduled to be there about 19 years ago…. Unfortunately we had a hurricane the week of our wedding so we moved everything to Atlanta. But it all worked out. I love hearing that Poogans porch is still around. So glad you enjoyed your time in Charleston. We love that city! Hope your day boy feels all better very soon.
As a long time daily reader of your blog, I would say as far as your posting schedule goes, I always default to what works for YOU! I’m supportive of your time and what fits into your schedule. It’s always a hugely pleasant surprise to see a new post on the weekend, but I’m also supportive of the schedule that works for you. I’m just grateful to have these posts, period!
lol lol lol lol lol lol on dreaming of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. That’s the best. I’ve had crazy celebrity dreams before, and they’re always unexpectedly kind of hilarious.
I love, love, love, LOVE your travel recap posts, always. I’ve read everything from this Baby Moon trip and I love it. Charleston and the surrounding city are someplace I’ve always wanted to visit, so I’m just drooling over your photos and your food! I’m so happy you always include meals in your recaps, because eating on vacation is always one of the most fun parts! Me and my husband also really really enjoy walking around and exploring a city, so your itinerary is right up our alley! I’ll bet it was pretty magical to spend this focused time with just the two of you. So good for our relationships to keep the dating alive!
It looks like you two had an incredible trip! You look lovely and so happy! I was in Charleston for less than 48 hours a few years ago and am dying to get back. Seems like the perfect place for a Babymoon. Also I’m dying over every food pic (especially that she crab soup….).
Occasional weekend posts are a great surprise, however, I genuinely am disappointed when you don’t get a post up on the week days ? love starting my day reading your blog and love all your recommendations
Where’d you stay in Charleston? Going to be there for 1-2 nights in Nov. with my hubby and would LOVE a reco! <3