Babymoon at the Biltmore

As we countdown the few remaining weeks before Baby McCall makes his or her debut, it's easy to just focus on all things pregnancy and baby. It was important to me to schedule intentional quality time with Matthew before we become a family of three, so we planned a babymoon!

Asheville, NC has been on our destination bucket list ever since we lived in Nashville, but up until this point we hadn't visited. Now that we're within driving distance again, it was the perfect destination for a quick getaway! I couldn't wait for the glorious fall foliage, mountainous views and great food!

I learned travel is a tad different when you're nearly 30 weeks pregnant. Unfortunately, my SI joint flared pretty badly about 2 weeks before our trip, making it very difficult for me to walk. Luckily, my pregnancy belt arrived in the mail the day before we left, which seemed to make a positive difference right away.

Unfortunately, I couldn't fully heal in one day, which meant getting around was still a challenge. So, while I would normally be able to walk thousands and thousands of steps each day, exploring the area on foot, I had to listen to my body and take it as easy as possible. Thankfully, as I type this recap, I am almost 100% back to normal. Hallelujah!

Understanding my temporary limitations, we still had a phenomenal time. We stayed at a beautiful VRBO studio, which was the perfect location for sleeping in, bingeing Stranger Things, and taking afternoon naps. Our hosts were delightful and provided everything we could've asked for and more, including coffee, tea, chocolate and warm socks for the chilly nights. Speaking of sleeping in, I realized the Daylight Saving Time change was happening the Saturday night we were there. I told Matthew we had to really enjoy the extra hour of sleep, because rumor has it it's not as enjoyable with babies and small children!

Our biggest excursion was visiting The Biltmore Estate. The home originally opened on Christmas Eve, so the holidays are a really big deal every year. So much so, the house and grounds were already decked out for Christmas! One of our guides shared that the house has 55 brilliant Christmas trees inside. Incredible!

On our last day, we took a long drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping along the way to take pictures. Matthew wore an old Christmas gift from me, a Game of Thrones sweatshirt with the famous line "Winter is Coming." While this was unplanned, it made me laugh because I've jokingly used that phrase to talk about the baby's arrival (due in January). It's getting real, folks!

Asheville definitely lived up to the hype and we can't wait to return to the area. <3