this and that

Hello Tuesday!

It's been an eventful few weeks, with the move, doctor's appointments, and just the normal daily happenings when you have a toddler. Christian is currently on a mission to find Baxter, who has run and hid from him. "I'm going to GET THAT BABU!" he shouts for the 32nd time this morning. Poor poor Baxter, never gets a break from one enthusiastic toddler who loves him dearly. We call it his (Baxter's) daily enrichment, but he loves any attention he can get.

In other news, yesterday, Rob's mom and I went to Home Depot and narrowed down colors for the various rooms in the house and picked out some samples. There's a few rooms we're waiting on, like the hallway bathroom that has 90s fabulous wallpaper. As soon as the wallpaper comes down, the paint goes up. But for now we're focusing on the kitchen, master bedroom, master bathroom, and Christian's room. Rob and his mom will be painting while the new floors are being installed, so I'm sure there will be some dancing around each other and the contractors. Rob's mom has a great eye for how to coordinate different colors, their undertones, and how it'll fit with the surrounding wall colors. She also kept my thoughts organized as we looked through SO MANY colors.

Rob's parents were also over this entire weekend sorting and packing and pitching and organizing all of our cabinets, closets, and drawers. To say we are thankful for their help and patience through all of this would be an understatement!! They are truly GREAT. We've made a lot of progress, but there's still a lot to do. However, as of yesterday, we have our moving date set. Closing is this Friday, and floors will be delivered on Friday too.

Today is the final walk through, which only Rob will be there for. Christian and I have Mighty Moms on Tuesdays, and that mom time and fellowship is part of my survival during the week.

Yesterday I had my last ultrasound for a while. My doctor said I may have one more, but yesterday I had the BIG one. Anatomy, inspecting baby's organs, all that stuff. We knew it was a girl a while back, because of a blood test we had done. And praise God, baby is healthy in every way. I am so so so so so thankful to my friend Chandra, who has been able to do all my ultrasounds. This pregnancy has been so completely different than all my others, thanks to my amazing doctor, and the best ultrasound technician a girl could have. Probably some of the best news we received (besides a healthy baby, obviously) is that the cerclage and progesterone shots are doing their job, and my doctor is confident I will be able to carry to full-term.

Speaking of progesterone shots, I get to self-administer this time around. The first one, I went to the office to get. The second one I tried on my own, but failed miserably, so had to go back to the office to get a lesson from the nurse practitioner. And yesterday, I successfully put into use her instruction and was able to give myself the shot. Thick oil, big needle. Eek. But I don't mind, because it's easier than driving up to the hospital once a week if I don't have to.

In other news, our handsome boy got a much needed haircut.

We've been referring to Baby Sister as... Baby Sister. But the other night, Christian said, "how about Humuhumunukunukuapua'a?" Also known as the Hawaiian state fish. And yes, Christian does actually known what that is, and how to pronounce with most of the syllables. ;) I think we'll stick with Baby Sister for now. He is so so so sweet, talking to my belly. Shouting, "HEY! IS ANYBODY IN THERE???" Patting my belly. He's excited to be a big brother, and it's just so very sweet. Today Rob said, "Soon, you'll have a baby sister to chase around." After giving that a little bit of thought, Christian responded with, "But she'll probably crawl slow..." Love this boy to the moon and back. 

Have a wonderful day! 

aloha friday!

Good morning! And happy aloha Friday!

(Lack of) Nap time! There's got to be an easier way, especially since it's a bed.

Whew. Well I can say it has been QUITE the week for the entire family. I think it's safe to say that we'll all be happy when this week is officially over. There have been a lot of answered prayers this week. I haven't had my procedure yet, but I have faith in God and my doctors, and that by this afternoon I'll be resting comfortably at home with a short recovery time. Thankfully Rob picked up some Ben & Jerry's and I rented Happy Christmas from Redox to "help" with my recovery. I know I'm being overly dramatic about this.

Like I said, I'll go to the hospital this morning for my cerclage. It's a small, not uncommon procedure that I'll have to venture downstairs (operating rooms) to have done. I don't like the feelings that going down there brings, and I'm sure you all know why. However, this time it's different, and I'm relieved that there's something that can be done to help my baby, and give her the best possible chance of a full-term ride in my belly. They'll give me a spinal, and sedative to put me in a "twilight." I don't think the procedure takes more than 15 minutes. I pray for the hands of the doctors, and that there won't be any complications.

Can I just say that I love my doctor. LOVE. And how I even got to be her patient is a total "God thing." I mean, truly. Not only do I love my doctor, I love that my friend is my ultrasound technician. I met her at Kaia, and I just love her and the fact she's doing all my ultrasounds. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be part of this wonderful practice. Christian got to see Baby Sister (our "official" name for her) for the first time on Wednesday, and his exact words were, "it was REALLY SUPER COOL." Rob couldn't be there, but he told him all about how Baby Sister was kicking her legs.

Other really super cool things?

Parachute time.

And finding multiple uses for floor samples. 

Right now I am supposed to be in Seattle for Stroller Strides Instructor training. However, for the 3rd time it seems, it just wasn't meant to be. I had that feeling. When I originally signed up to be an instructor, I was PUMPED. I love Stroller Strides and all that it has provided me - mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. It has been a huge part of my life since Christian was little. But then the hurricanes came the first weekend I was supposed to go, so it didn't happen. I rescheduled to go to Phoenix in October. I got the dates wrong, which is so unlike me and my Type-A personality. (I blame pregnancy brain and the raging sinus infection I was battling.) I rescheduled again, for this weekend in Seattle. But with so many other things on my plate, my heart just wasn't in it anymore, and the whole idea of going just felt like "too much."

I didn't exercise much during the first trimester because first trimester. I've lost a lot of endurance. There's been a lot of doctor's appointments I've been juggling, all the buying a house stuff, and just plain and simple, I did not feel like getting on an airplane to fly to Seattle because I am tired and overwhelmed. Since we're buying a house on the other side of the island, I wouldn't be teaching for Honolulu. I just felt like what's the point? But on Wednesday, my doctor said, "no, cancel the trip." I am so grateful to my husband who said (despite the fact that we could lose all the money we paid to register for training), to do what I felt was best for me. He supported my decision to go or not to go, no matter what. I love that man. He really gets me. We still may lose the money I paid to register. Originally, the best they could do is put the funds on hold for another time, which I can't imagine would happen within the next year-and-a-half, but I guess we'll see. I will say that our franchise owner has been wonderful in trying to make this work for me.

All THAT being said, I would rather NOT have to have a cerclage, and still be able to go. With the cerclage in, I am limited to normal daily stuff, that does not include exercise. My doctor said I could do upper body work, and floor Pilates, just no lifting (including Christian) or running, or walking more than "general walking." Thankfully Christian doesn't want to be carried much these days anyway, and it'll all be worth it when we're holding our baby in our arms.

Ok whew. Long winded much?

Yesterday we took a small break from racing cars to paint a few pictures. It was short lived because nothing trumps racing cars. Thanks Nannie for the new "off road" Cars! They're obviously a huge hit! He sleeps with them. 

T minus 1 hour and we're off to the hospital. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

please stay

My love, 

Please stay. 

Stay where it's safe, where you can grow, become a fat baby, and then come meet your family that has been praying endlessly for you, including an excited big brother, and a less excited big cat. You see, you are our unexpected miracle, the baby we didn't ever think we would have, but you surprised us in the best way possible. And for now, you are right where you belong, protected and safe.

Today we found out that I will need a cerclage; and coupled with my weekly progesterone shots, we're hoping these things will give you the best possible chance of being able to stay right where you need to be. We are desperate to meet you my love, to hold you, to kiss you, to look longingly in your eyes, but not until we're supposed to. God gave us you, and we are so grateful to be able to love another life, another baby. 

Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." God, thank you for this miracle. I am asking, pleading, please let her stay. Amen. 

a new house & new floors

Most of you know that we are in the process of buying a house! Obviously, it's a VERY exciting thing to own a home, especially in Hawaii. We're currently in escrow, and our closing date isn't until December 1st. We have plenty to do between now and then, like pick out paint for the entire interior of the house. BIG THINGS people.

The house was built in the mid-90s, so there really isn't a lot to do outside of cosmetic fixes. New paint, new floors. It was the model home for the neighborhood and the inside hasn't really been updated. Eventually we'll do kitchen and bathroom renovations, but not now. The exterior of the house was just painted a few months ago, so we'll leave that be for now. However, I would like to repaint the trim.

Yesterday, we made our first big decision, FLOORS. Currently the house is a mix of tile and carpet. For now we're keeping the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms because it's in good condition, but the carpet MUST GO. Especially anything in the color scheme of "dusty rose." 1996 called, they want you back.

Picking out flooring wasn't easy. There are SO.MANY.CHOICES. Being on an island, we're kind of limited to what's "in stock," and if they have enough to do the whole house. Otherwise it takes 6-8 week (or more) to send over. On a boat. We really don't have that kind of time. We also decided on wood laminate because hardwood + Hawaii's termite problem = no. I wanted something a bit more homey than tiling the whole house, and carpet is not an option. So off we went to Home Depot. Three times. We also checked out a local flooring store, but didn't love anything there. At Home Depot we were able to narrow it down to two options - Pergo Highland Hickory or Pergo Hawaiian Curly Koa. 

Highland Hickory

Hawaiian Curly Koa

I loved both for entirely different reasons. So naturally I just texted everyone who's opinion I trusted to get their feedback, most people leaned toward the Highland Hickory. The Hawaiian Curly Koa is supposedly extremely popular here, which doesn't surprise me. It's very "islandy." But I loved the classic look of the Highland Hickory, and it looked more like real hardwood. 

BUT THEN... our contractor went over to measure the house. He recommended we go to his guy and look at what they carried at his store. So off we went. Twice. They had lots of great options with a wide range of high quality floors. We were kind of hung up on Pergo because of the name, and it's reputation, but they didn't have either of the above options. SO, we ended up picking out a Pergo Abbington Fruitwood. This store was pretty cool because their entire floor was made up of most all of their floors options, laid out in kind of patchwork, so you could see it on a bigger scale. They had something very similar to the Hawaiian Curly Koa and once I saw it laid out in a large area, NO. I did not like it at all. Anyway. 

Pergo Abbington Fruitwood

If I were to be completely honest, I wasn't in love with it. I really really really liked it, but I wasn't a huge fan of the red undertones. But later that night Rob's mom texted that she'd done a bunch of research on different flooring brands/options/etc., and maybe Pergo wasn't the best bet after all. She apologized a lot for adding more decisions to the mix, but WE WERE GRATEFUL because we want to love it, and it's going to be in the whole house. So, THANK YOU MIMI! 

We went back over to the flooring store armed with a lot more information and lots of questions, and FINE-A-LY decided on something that we love. AND they have enough in stock for the whole house plus extra. WOO HOO. We decided on Shaw Natural Acacia, and WE LOVE IT. It has more the brown undertones I love vs the red of the Fruitwood. I just love it, and it has great ratings. 

Are you still awake? 

Next up, paint color for our glaringly white kitchen! Help me, my trusty "team" of interior decorators - Christen, Robin, and Jen! Oh, you didn't know you were my trusty team of interior decorators? Well, thank goodness Robin writes a FANTASTIC blog about many things, and I happen love her interior design taste (and fashion and and and). I basically look at her blog everyday looking for ideas. Jen even created a Pinterest board specifically for decorating ideas for the house. I love everything about Christen's and Jen's and Robin's homes, so yes, all of you are my trusty team of interior designers. 

So, back to the kitchen. 

The kitchen is SO WHITE. The counter tile is a bit of a gray-ish color (with some back splash behind the stove), but we definitely need some color. It's a very open floor plan, so lots of light. Ideas? Like I said before, eventually we'll do a full renovation, but for now, we want to spruce it up and love it until that happens. 

My brain feels like it's about to explode, but in a good way. 

we picked pumpkins!

Now that Halloween is over, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some photos of our trip out to Waimanalo Country Farms to pick pumpkins! Hah. That was supposed to be a joke, but I think that's lost in the print. I've been seriously slacking.

Every year, for the past 3 years, we've gone to Aloun Farms to pick pumpkins. We love Aloun Farms, because you actually have to cut your pumpkins from the vine, and you can pick corn. They have tractor rides, and all kinds of other little rides for the kids. And we usually make a big fanfare out of it, coordinating with friends so we can all meet up there together, and then head over to the Ko'olina Lagoons afterward for a sunset picnic on the beach. It's always a blast!

Alas, Hurricane Ana had different plans for us. On the day the hurricane was supposed to hit Oahu (and I use the term "hit" very loosely), was also the day we were supposed to go pick pumpkins. Needless to say, it was very, very wet, and not conducive to happy pumpkin picking. So we scrapped Aloun Farms for this year. We couldn't go the next weekend (the last weekend before Halloween) because Rob was coming in from a trip late on Saturday, and leaving again on Sunday late morning. 

We decided to checkout the more local Waimanalo Country Farm instead. It was definitely a nice substitute, and I am super stoked we got to "pick" pumpkins this year, even if it was a small break from tradition. The views, and the mountains were gorgeous. Such a special place we live. They had a little Moo Train that Christian got to ride all by himself, which he loved! There was a small (albeit, slightly sad) petting zoo, and lots of other pumpkin games to play.

One of my favorite things was the Strawberry Lemonade. YUM. 

Looking at these pictures, especially from the ones of years past, I can't get over how much Christian has grown! 

Next year we'll be (hopefully!) living on the west side of the island and Aloun Farms will be super close. I'm also hoping that there won't be any hurricanes standing between us and our pumpkins! 

And viola! One of our carved pumpkins! :) Christian had a blast "helping" Daddy carve them. And you know how hard it is for a toddler to let go of things... so as the pumpkins currently sit inside our house rotting, it reminds me of what a blast this "fall" season has been for us so far!