it's aloha friday!

Oh, hey Friday! You mean nothing to me, but TGIF to the friends that it does mean something!

I hate to "rush" time away, but can't January just be over with already? After my lovely friend Leah left, I feel like the rest of this month has been creeeeeeping on by. We're SO looking forward to so many things in February. Shall I tell you? Ok. First, I'll officially be in my 3rd trimester on Sunday! Thus meeting my next goal of making it to 28 weeks pregnant. Wowza. Second, Rob's sister and the girls are coming!! And lastly, my mom is coming for THREE weeks. MAXIMUM excitement over here.

I bet Nannie won't make him try one teeny tiny bite of asparagus... the horror. The drama. He insisted, "it'll taste weird!!"

After the excitement (not) of my trip to Labor & Delivery, I've been doing my best to stay off my feet. I had a followup with my doctor, which was actually a regularly scheduled appointment, and she was very reassured by everything the doctors from L&D relayed to her. All signs point to baby not going anywhere. Hurrah! I just need to stay super hydrated (I wonder if 150oz of water a day is enough? Hah.), and take it easy as much as I can. No bed rest, thankfully. My irritable uterus just needs to RELAX.

Christian has another soccer game tomorrow, which will promptly be followed by some frozen yogurt, I'm sure. Here's a few (hundred) super cute photos from last week's game. Christian is quite competitive, very fast, and has a BLAST.

The little boy that's next to him in basically every picture is his little buddy. They're definitely little stinkers together, and may or may not have knocked over the goal more than once. Just for fun. 

This week Christian also helped Rob plant our papaya tree and Calamansi tree. Produce fruit immediately, please. 

Also, I'm not hating our new Sunday morning drive views of Diamond Head. 

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!! 

my evening in L&D

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out in Labor & Delivery for a few hours for monitoring. This pregnancy had been sailing along smoothly, all things considered, until about Friday. On Friday, I woke up very nauseous, and terrified I was getting whatever has been going around. I was also exhausted. Thankfully the nausea passed after eating a light breakfast, but the exhaustion lingered and I slept on and off all day. I went to bed at around 8pm, and slept straight through.

During the times I would get up to move around on Friday, I was having some different/new pains in my abdomen. Nothing that caused me too much concern, because they weren't contractions, and throughout pregnancy, you experience many different sensations of pulling, stretching, etc. Usually attributed to Round Ligament Pain, basically the result of the growing baby, and everything moving and growing to accommodate said baby.

On Saturday, I woke up feeling WORLDS better. I needed that Friday in bed, clearly. But I still had some weird/different/new aches and pulls that I hadn't experienced before. I still wasn't alarmed because there were no signs of anything amiss - baby was active, no contractions. However, I decided on Monday I would put a call into my doctor to give her the heads up, since I have a routine appointment on Wednesday. I figured she could add it to her notes, so I could be checked out more thoroughly than usual. I did not expect her to call back and tell me to go to Labor & Delivery. Um, yikes.

Thankfully, Rob was home, and could stay with Christian while I made my way back into town. I checked myself in and waited to get a room in triage. Once I got in there, they put monitors on my belly to measure Baby Girl's heartbeat and contractions. Which, lo and behold, I was having. Yikes some more. The doctor (not mine) said that the monitor was picking up contractions, but I was not dilated and my cerclage was still in place. Praise God. So, the short of it, NOT IN LABOR. I did get to quickly see baby via ultrasound, she looked nice and snug in there. They estimated her at weighing 2lbs 7oz, which she said was good for 27 weeks!

She wanted to monitor me for a few hours to make sure all was ok before letting me go. So I got comfortable (HA HA), flipped on the TV, and turned into a human popsicle. About 3 hours later, two new doctors came in and re-examined. Thankfully, THANKFULLY, all still looked good, except those pesky contractions. On the positive side, I did not know I was having them, and they weren't causing any changes in my cervix. But they stopped short of saying they were "just" Braxton Hicks contractions, which are not the same as "it's time to have a baby" contractions.

Diagnosis: irritable uterus. Irritable mommy. Ha. No, but really she said it sounds like I'm doing too much, and to get as much help during the day as possible. And drink more water. When Rob is home, all is well because he is Super Husband and Super Dad. He does it all. But when he's gone, it's hard to stay off my feet... even when we're just doing stuff at home. She did not want me on bedrest, but "no more unnecessary trips to Target." AS IF.

On that note, I've been looking into part-time preschool for Christian (just a few hours a week), and I can't find anything in our area that is just part-time. There is one part-time co-op semi close by, but I can't physically meet the demands of the "labor" required. So, that's out too. Now, I'm even considering looking into hiring a nanny a few days a week that can just come over and hang out with us, take him to the park, and maybe even help me with some light cleaning.

I see my doctor tomorrow for a routine appointment, so it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say. All I know is that Baby Girl needs to cook for 3 more months, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens, including LOTS of prayers!!

I am hopeful I will make it full-term, and I have a positive outlook. But in the end, it is not my strength that gets me through the anxiety I inevitably feel. My sixth pregnancy, a high-risk pregnancy, a cerclage, weekly progesterone shots, and already one trip to Labor & Delivery.

Today while scrolling Instagram (for the 93874928374th time), I came across this verse from one of my favorite grammars - hegreaterthani.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. -- Psalm 61:2

Three more months. Nothing in the big scheme of things. We can do this, Baby Girl. 

soccer saturdays

Today was Christian's first soccer game, and I am exhausted just from watching them. The sun came out full blast and it got hot, fast! Just like mine do, Christian's cheeks got so flushed from running around that I was basically forcing water down his throat. Most importantly, he says he had fun and it sure looked like he was having a blast out there! So much fun that even after the game was over, he wanted to keep playing, so Rob and Papa went out on the field for a few.

When we were leaving, he sat down and basically said he was done walking. Thank goodness for Papa! 

Afterward we celebrated with frozen yogurt! The perfect lunch. Cheeks still flushed, game face on. 

And obviously, he's napping in his soccer jersey. I'm surprised we were able to get his cleats and shin guards off. 

What a fun and perfect morning!!

aloha friday!!!

What could she possibly have to say today that she didn't say yesterday, you ask? Not much.

It's currently approaching 3am, and I'm awake. Not wide awake, but awake enough to crave a bowl of oatmeal. Which was pretty darn satisfying, by the way. I also got to text with Rob for a few minutes while on his van ride to the airport before making an 11+ hour journey back to the islands. My plan for the afternoon is to go to a park that Christian happens to love, that also happens to basically be under final approach to watch Rob come in to land, wave like maniacs, and then ask him if he saw us, to which he'll reply, "no."

Tomorrow is Christian's first soccer practice, and he is insisting, "I AM GOING TO WIN!!!" I tried to explain the value of team work, and how the Paw Patrol is a team and they work together, etc. But he blew me off and eh, I tried. I'll leave it to the coach on Saturday. But oh my word, do his little cleats just look absolutely precious. And little shin guards, and little soccer shorts. He is so excited, as are we.

Yesterday afternoon was a real treat! Literally. Usually the ice cream truck makes his rounds during Christian's nap time. Heh. But yesterday he did a drive through a bit later. Can we be honest for just a second? Rob could not believe that Varina did not have an ice cream truck. Yes, he's been there. Many times. So yesterday, Christian and I had our first experience buying from one! We heard the music, and he waited so patiently for that truck to come around. But dang, I was tired of sitting out there too, so we ended up walking down the street to "meet-up" with the truck.

Waiting patiently...

"Will hell freeze over before I get my ice cream?" No he didn't ask that, but since I had come to the conclusion that if we continued to wait, that yes, it would freeze over, we started walking.

And finally, ONE happy boy!!

I believe that's all I got for right now. Maybe I'll try to get just a wink or two more of sleep before the sun rises. But since I just got the TwoDots "Full of Life. Play again!" notification on my phone, I'll probably just go ahead and do that first. 

I'll leave you with my contribution to #FlashbackFriday. 

Happy aloha Friday and have a wonderful weekend!! 

mind dump

With Facebook and Instagram, it's hard not to know what's going on in someone's life. And with this blog, I'm probably the queen of overshare, although I try to reign it in. Sometimes. Anyway, at this moment I'm sitting at the Kailua Whole Foods, sipping my Viennese latte, killing a few hours while Christian is at bible study. I love this Whole Foods, and I love Viennese lattes. It's the perfect combination of honey, cinnamon, milk, and espresso, and I want one everyday.

Now, excuse me while I mind dump.

Life lately has been a lot of fun! I am truly loving our new home in our new little part of the island. It's so wonderful to have a space that is actually and officially ours. There's still lots of unpacking and decorating to do, but we're getting there. I made a solid dent just the other day when I decided to unpack a suitcase that had seemingly become a permanent fixture under my window. Our walls do not have any pictures hanging just yet, but I want to make sure it's exactly what I want, where I want it, before putting a bunch of nails in our freshly painted walls. And we're desperately in need of a rug to go in our bedroom, but priorities, I guess.

I haven't given you the rest of the house tour yet. Our guest bathroom is still in the "deconstructed" phase, but Rob has been working really hard fixing those walls since that ugly wallpaper came down. We bought a new mirror (Ross $30 holla!) and a new light fixture. I'm still set on painting it a lovely shade of mint, but perhaps it's more borderline turquoise.

My friend Leah came to visit from LA, and it was a blast. A very low-key blast. I am now addicted to and invested in The Bachelor. I had to text her the other day just to ask if the show has always been such a train wreck. I mean... And if you're a Bachelor fan, please, for the love, read the blog i hate green beans for the most hilarious recaps.

Excuse me while I just swoon over this.

Christian is just the most amazing little boy. He is so smart and funny. He surprises me every single day with something new. Like this morning when I discovered him getting dressed BY HIMSELF. This is a big deal for parents of toddlers. And the other morning I went into his room, he jumped up in bed, gave me the BIGGEST SQUEEZIEST hug and said, "Good morning Mama! Good morning Amber!" We're on a first name basis over here. He asks questions about "baby sister" aka baby state fish of Hawaii, like "did Baby Sister have good dreams last night?" I can't wait to see him in his role as Big Brother. I sure hope Baby Sister likes race cars. Although, I am not sure if Christian will be willing to share Daddy. I'm guessing, no. 

Speaking of Baby Sister..

Names. Finding the perfect name is SO hard. And we're hardly there. With about 95% certainty, we've decided on middle names. Like Christian, this girl will also have two middle names. One traditional, one Hawaiian. We're also about 95% settled on the Hawaiian one as well, but recently I've been on the fence because there are two that I really like. First name? I really don't know. We want a family name, but there really aren't any I loooove, so I'm banking on/hoping/praying that we'll have at least another 4 months to decide.

25 weeks! I have made it to 25 weeks. When I got my cerclage put in at 16 weeks, my doctor said my first "goal" was to make it 24 weeks, and then 28 weeks. Baby Girl and I are currently hanging tough at 25 weeks and change. Praise God! According to Baby Center, our baby currently weighs 1.5lbs and is almost 14 inches long. And according to Wikipedia, if Baby Girl were to arrive this early, she would have a 50-80% chance of surviving. What's even more amazing, a baby's chances for survival increases about 2-3% per day between 24 and 26 weeks of gestation. But I pray she keeps cooking, and my doctor was confidant I would carry her full-term. Have I mentioned how much I love my current doctor? Only 1000 times? Oh, ok.

I'm feeling pretty large right now and am perfecting my pregnancy waddle. I wonder if Blake Lively had a pregnancy waddle? Survey saaaaays, probably not.

For the love, woman. Btw, I told Rob I liked the name Serena, and he said it only made him think of the tennis player. (Blake Lively was on one of my favorite shows, Gossip Girl, and her name was Serena.) I also said I loved the name Leighton (Blair's on Gossip Girl actual real life name), and that one mostly got vetoed as well. 

I'm 99% sure I passed my Glucose Intolerance test, to test for gestational diabetes. I took the test yesterday, and my results were in standard range. I know this because the network that my doctor is in has this handy app for the iPhone where I can look at all my test results. I don't think I passed my anemia test though - those numbers were all lower than standard range. I'll give my doc a call today to see if that's correct. I have had low iron for as long as I can remember, and also had low iron with Christian, so this isn't surprising. 

Baxter

As most of you know, Baxter went on a Grand Adventure. That left me sobbing quite a few nights. But thank you God, he came back. A friend recommended leaving his litter box out, because that trick worked for them. So I did just that. Sure enough, he came back in the middle of the night. He really hasn't bugged us too much to go back outside. I will most likely let him back out, but not without a collar and tag. And since I haven't gotten around to any of that, indoor he stays. He seems to be fine lounging around in front of the open doors. Or in the 2 inch window ledge in our bedroom.

My free time is coming to an end. My latte is all gone and the flies are making me angry. If you read all the way through, GOLD STAR for you! Have a wonderful Thursday! 

my (new) skin care routine

Let me just start out by saying that this past week has been a total blast. My friend Leah flew out from LA for a visit, and even though I promised her it would be an "easy" week, how many times can two girls go to Target in the span of one week??? Don't answer that. Seriously, do not. I'm looking at you Jen. Fortunately, we did take advantage of this beautiful weather and make it to the beach a few times.

Leah is so knowledgable about "all things health" - she writes a blog sharing her wealth of knowledge, Ask Leah Renee, and also posts lots of interesting/funny/informational posts on her Facebook page. I highly recommend you follow along.

Leah and I this having afternoon high tea at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, for my friend's baby shower!

She has completely opened my mind this week to so many new things! I love it and I can't get enough! She has taught me how to make my own hand sanitizer, and facial spray, make "cookie dough" I can actually eat while pregnant, gave me a basic lesson on essential oils, among many other things (trust me), she has opened my eyes to a whole know realm of skin care and products. You see, Leah has amazing skin. It's really no surprise since she eats very clean, but I am so thankful to her for sharing some of her "beauty" secrets and favorite products. In the few days I've been following a routine using these products, my skin looks WORLDS better. I seriously can't get over how soft my skin feels, how much the tone has evened out, and how the dark circles under my eyes are less dark (and baggy). A seriously noticeable (at least to me) difference.

I bought all of these products at Whole Foods, as I'm sure you can too, except for one product that I doubt any Whole Foods besides those in Hawaii would carry. But yay for you, it can easily be ordered online.

First, let me tell you about my skincare regime before all this. There wasn't one. I would sometimes wash my face at night (most recently with Dove soap), and sometimes in the morning. If I didn't wash my face in the morning, I would use a baby wipe. I rarely wear make-up except bareMinerals on some days and usually never mascara because I did not want to be obligated to wash my face at night. SO LAZY, right? You're probably also thinking, SO GROSS. C'est la vie. Luckily, unlike my middle school-era skin, I can basically do nothing and still have clear skin. I use this to my advantage, don't judge. My skin is for the most part combination, with a tendency to be on the oilier side.

However, NOW, after seeing how much better my skin looks by using these products in a matter of DAYS, I'm convinced I should have been doing this ages ago. Especially since these crow's feet aren't getting any younger.

I would also like to add that I own the Clarisonic Mia 1, and would highly recommend it to anyone. It just cleans your skin so silky smooth. So I've also been using that nightly, whereas before I was using it about once a week, or whenever I happened to remember that I owned it.

Let's do this.

1. Avalon Organics CoQ10 Repair Facial Cleansing Gel ($12.99) - This stuff smells heavenly. It's the smell of lavender and white tea, and I love the smell of lavender. It's made with organic ingredients, without synthetic fragrances, sulfates, parabens, and other bad things. No animal testing either. A nice little bonus is that a little goes a long way. My face feels clean, but not stripped after using this, if that makes sense. 

2. Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate ($29) - Made with certified organic ingredients, without the yucky chemicals, and also no animal testing. Now, with this stuff, a little really really goes a long way. I use about half a pump, and it's plenty for both eyes. I've used eye creams off and on through the years, but seriously, it's time to start using it every single day and night. I get a lot of sun exposure year round, and I've seen some of those bathing beauties that have been at it for years. Let's just say, they are not my skinspiration. Ahem, Magda. It also helped with the darker circles under my eyes and general puffiness because let's be real. 

3. Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer ($29) - Let me step aside for a minute and shout my praise for another product first. I swear by bareMinerals Original Foundation (the old school powder kind). I use it almost daily. I live at the beach, and chase around a 3-year-old every single day, so no need to get fancy. I love it's coverage and that it's lightweight. I'll always be a fan, and always have it on hand. THAT being said, this tinted mineral moisturizer, is fabulous. When I use bareMinerals, I start with my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (1997 holla)! Or as every single female my age knows, it's the yellow stuff in the square bottle that we all used in high school. 

With the Juice Beauty Tinted Mineral Moisturizer, I've been skipping that step because obviously, no need! This stuff is just as light weight as the bareMinerals. I've tried BB Creams before, and just couldn't tolerate how thick they feel. This stuff blends right in, and you'll never know you're wearing it. The coverage is light, but very good. Also, wearing something with an SPF is a necessity when you live this close to the equator (see Magda reference above). But I think it's generally a good practice anyway. :) 

4. Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Cream ($30.99) - This may be the only one listed that you won't find in your local Whole Foods if you don't live in Hawaii, and that's because it's made with honey from bees on the North Shore of Oahu. I love that it's local, organic, and uses honey. If you've never used a moisturizer with honey, you are missing out. (Side note: this is another one of my favorite moisturizers made with honey that I was turned on by a friend while living in LA.) Truthfully, I had never heard of Honey Girl Organics until Leah told me about this awesome company. I actually use this face and eye cream as a night-time moisturizer. When I wake up, my skin feels oh so soft. They also point out that their bees/beehives are "holistically managed" and that it's "cruelty free." It's scented with Oil of Rose and other essential oils, and I just love the smell of rose. (You can also buy it for Extra Sensitive skin, without the scent.) 

These products are made with quality ingredients, free from the toxic stuff. If you're curious, I recommend checking out the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database of the Environmental Working Group - http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. They rate products based on their ingredients on a scale of 0 - 10. With zero being the best (non-toxic), and ten being bad news bears (RUN!). We generally try to stick with products rated three and under. Try. 

If you're curious about those pesky parabens, please check out this fantastic and informational post Leah wrote about it, with even more of her favorite products. Also, I realize this post was out of the realm of usual things I post about, but I am loving these products so much that I just had to share!! 

Cheers!

happy 1st aloha friday of 2015!

Happy 1st Aloha Friday of 2015!!

First, I'd like to share with you my New Year's resolutions:
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I think with hard work and motivation, I can accomplish these.

But seriously, I just want to get this house unpacked and if I can accomplish that before 2016, then we're golden. I'm also not trying to exercise more because, I can't! No exercise for this mama. Unless you include chasing an active 3-year old boy. Luckily he'll usually just let me park it on the bench at the park while he runs around. And when I can't exercise, I generally don't eat the healthiest. So... "eating better" should be a resolution. But, it's not. When I was pregnant with Christian I gained 55lbs. At my last appointment 3 weeks ago (at 20 weeks), I was up about 9lbs. SO... I'm doing ok. Unless they tell me at my next appointment next week that I've gained 30lbs, which honestly, is possible.

Check out my breakfast this morning!

To be fair, that is turkey bacon. And it's not from McDonald's.

I did a bit of organizing yesterday in Christian's room and the lanai/playroom/"Pineapple Room." I "purged" a bunch of Christian's toys. Excess, much? However, you can't very well tell a toddler that you're throwing away/donating their toys, so I just told him that they were going in a special box and don't touch!

Today, I'm going to work on the guest room because we have our first official "out of town" guest coming tomorrow!! I'm so excited to see my friend Leah... maybe she can get me back on track to a healthier eating. I asked her not to judge me if I wanted McDonald's for breakfast and she asked I not judge her for wanting to watch the series premier of The Bachelor on Monday. FAIR ENOUGH. After Leah, we have another one of my favorite's coming to stay for a few days, Suzi! AND very soon after Suzi, my mom and her friend Rachel are coming for a visit! My mom will be here for almost a month to help me out in my pregnancy hugeness. There is officially No Vacancy at the Willoughby Hale.

A few pics from the past week:

This is Mr. "Take My Picture!" He sure is cute. 

The last sunset of 2014! 

I don't know about you, but I tried to go to bed by 9pm. And didn't sleep very much. Some fireworks are now illegal here, although, I'm not sure which ones because there were a lot of VERY BIG overhead displays, in our backyard it seemed. Somehow Christian slept through it all. I opened up our back door and snapped this one. 

Cool overhead shot of Makakilo!

Have a wonderful weekend! We're off to Target, the happiest place on earth! Oh, you thought that was Disneyland? LOL.