monday funday?

Well, that's not something you normally hear. But yesterday, Monday, was a fantastic day. If I'm being 100% honest, I don't always tag along to the beach with Rob and Christian. They go a lot. And sometimes I just want to soak up a quiet house, nap, or go to Target. I know, I know. But when you live here (and are massively pregnant), you just sorta take for granted that the beach is ALWAYS there, so "next time" I tell myself. However, yesterday I decided to go because I feel my beach days are about to be numbered, at least for a little while. So like I've said before, I'm soaking up these last few days/weeks/hours (??) as a family of three.

When we lived on the east side of the island, my favorite beach was Kaimana. It's such a great beach for kids. Not overly crowded, calm clear waters, and easy to access. When we moved to the west side, I prayed we could find a beach we loved just as much. I've been to a few, and I just hadn't found any that I loved as much as Kaimana. UNTIL, I went to this beach yesterday. This beach is great! As a bonus, there are little "Waikiki waves" for surfing, but without the Waikiki crowd.

Christian loves the water. He loves the ocean, he loves to stick his head under and look for fish, but his favorite thing to do is "tumble in the waves." And I mean, tumble.  I (very nervously) watched from the comfort of my beach chair knowing that at any moment he would run to me for comfort after being rocked just a bit to hard. Nope. He goes back for MORE. MORE. And MORE. And high-fives for particularly good tumbles.

Then the boys decided to go out for a quick surf. 

Buuuut... Christian wanted to tumble some more, so they dropped the board off and back out they went. 

For my iPhone I have a Watershot iPhone Housing case. Rob took it out, and I'm always impressed with the photos we can take with my iPhone. In the water. 

And then of course, this photo. Which is probably one of my favorites of all time. 

When I do tag along (at least that's what it's felt like the past several months since I wasn't allowed in the water), I never regret it. 

Lucky We Live Hawaii, indeed. 

36 weeks + happy monday!

Happy Monday! Pretend you are here...

Also, 36 weeks = 9 months pregnant! Hip hip hooray! One of the 15 pregnancy apps I have on my phone tells me that my baby is the size of a "ripe papaya" (mmmmm papaya...), which actually seems weird, because I hope my baby is bigger than a papaya. But not to worry, I cross-checked with another app and that one says baby girl is the size of a honeydew melon. That's more like it. I'm very serious when it comes to the fruit size of my baby.

Christian very sweetly suggested this past week that maybe I should have TWO babies. Well, I explained, God only gave us one baby, so less people you'll have to share your toys with. Also, I can officially say that we are DONE DUNZO FINITO after this precious sweet girl makes her appearance. I have reached my max at six pregnancies.

This week is also a big week because I get my cerclage taken out on Wednesday. The two stitches that were put in at 16 weeks have done their job and kept my baby inside of me longer than I think anyone expected. I'm nervous about that whole doctor's appointment. I mean, it required a spinal with a "twilight" sleep to get them in, but only requires extra strength Tylenol and a quick visit to the doctor to get them out. Cool. Rob and my packed hospital bag will be with me, but I am not banking on an April 1st delivery.

I have also decided, at the recommendation of two friends (hi Liisa, hi Bevin!) to do placenta encapsulation. I did research on it and more research on it and a little bit more research, and decided "yes," I want to give it a try. A huge thanks to Bevin who got the name of a woman who is going to do it for us. Yes, the idea totally weirded me out at first. Truth be told, it still kind of does. But I'm resting easy in the fact that, I don't have to handle my actual placenta, and that I'll be taking it as a pill. "Happy pills," as I've heard them called. Here's a little more info on it, if you're curious. Don't worry, no pictures!! But the benefits of increased milk production, more energy, faster postpartum recovery, and many more, I cannot ignore. Even though this is a relatively "new" thing here, it's been practiced for centuries in other cultures.

On a more serious note, I have had a bit of anxiety revolving around this stage of my pregnancy. I know a lot has to do with BEING 9 months pregnant, and I am generally overly emotional. Because yes, I saw red and cried when I found Rob eating the last of my Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels. (LOVE YOU BABE!) But sometimes I still feel like this is all too good to be true. I'm trying not to let the "what-ifs" creep into my mind and go down that rabbit hole. Honestly, I can't even type it out because I have suppressed it so much that it's still hard to vocalize.

The biggest mistake I've made is not praying about it. I have these emotions, this anxiety about things that could go wrong, that I just keep pushing them down instead of praying. It's just that hard for me handle and I don't want to "put it out there." BUT yesterday at church, I casually mentioned to a friend that I should have gone to the prayer room, and it just so happened that my mother-in-law and another fabulous woman, both amazing and serious prayer warriors, were close by. So they prayed for me, for my worries, for my anxiety, and for this baby girl. What a release. All the right people, in the right place. God knew what I needed. And this morning, I opened my Jesus Calling devotional, which I'm sad to say, I don't do as often as I would like. And this is what today's devotion was...

Oh. Ok. I mean... God is so faithful. And this may seem like a coincidence or something so small, but to me it just reinforces what I already know. God has never failed me, and He has always met me where I am - in sad times, in the trials, in the happy times, every single day. Even though I couldn't even pray about my fears, He knew my heart. And yesterday and today have been this slow release of more emotions, what I've kept pushed way way down. 

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and Christian took his job of waving his palm very seriously. They were all so darn cute! He gave me a high five when he walked down the aisle back to his classroom. So funny!

But truly, life is good. Christian is using his imagination in ways that amaze me. Right now he's in his bed, slowly waking up, and playing a "game." Something he's imagining as he goes. It's been awesome to watch that, and I don't want to do anything that will squelch that creativity. He's so so so sweet with me, and kisses my belly daily. He says, "I kissed you AND baby sister!" I asked if he was ready to share with baby sister - mostly meaning Rob and I, and he looked at us in horror and said, "MY TOYS?!?!?!" No child, your parents. He was totally fine with that. 

Yesterday he fun getting into this month's Koala Crate! All about BUGS! 

We're off to visit some friends that are about to move to Maui (sniff sniff), and hopefully grab a coffee with one of my favorite girls and her dog. (Hint: Brandi and Lucy :)) It'll be a fun day in town! 

Have a great Monday! And if it's a typical Monday, seriously, pretend you're sitting on the beach in Hawaii. 

Aloha!

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. 

aloha to you, 2014!

Goodbye 2014!

Last year, I had so much fun writing a "year-in-review" post that I thought I would do it again. You're welcome. Hah. Overall, this year has been great. Of course there were some sad times, frustrating days, and tears, but the good times and blessings happily outweigh those sad moments. This has truly been the year that Christian has proven to us that he has NO FEAR. He bombs hills on his bike, "surfs," loves his skateboard, and doing practically anything that will give his mama a near heart attack.  This year we were lucky enough to travel quite a bit, including adding another Japan stamp on my passport.

January
What a great month!! We enjoyed sunny days at the beach (probably goes without saying), and time playing at the park. I ran two fun races with my favorite girls - the Neon 5k with Brandi and the Ugly Sweater Run with Jayme. I was able to go along on one of Rob's trips to Osaka, while Christian had a fun sleepover with Mimi & Papa. In Japan, we ate tons of good food (duh), visited the Osaka Aquarium, shopped, walked around taking in the sights, went to Starbucks (did you know that Japan as THE BEST Starbucks ever??) and did our best to stay warm. I was also lucky enough to sneak away to the Big Island with my beautiful friend Jayme for a much needed Girls' Weekend. We cashed in some hotel points, left the kids with our husbands, and proceeded to HAVE A BLAST.

February 

Let me tell you why February is always one of our MOST favorite months... because it's when the cousins come to visit! I get some girl time with Rob's sister, and Christian just adores his cousins, Lilley and Violet. This year we hiked Makapu'u to whale watch, went to the Bishop Museum to check out a Doraemon exhibit where there were Japanese tour groups taking tons of pictures of our children, and went to the beach a lot. We spent a day at Auntie Jayme's garden with Christian's best friends Joey & Isabel, which is always fun! Dirt and a golf cart, what more could a kid want? Christian finished up his music class, and thank goodness, because it was not the highlight of my week. Trying to get a 2-year old to sit in a circle and sing songs was not enjoyable (or easy) for us. We had some very cute Valentine's Day photos taken, and we also found out that we were pregnant. 

March

For the most part, March was pretty uneventful. Hawaii Kai had a really cool fair with lots of rides that Christian got to go on. Driving a yellow car is always more fun when you get to do it with Papa! We had the privilege of hearing Francis Chan speak at First Prez. WOW. What a passion for God! He was so inspiring! Christian got some playtime with his buddy Austin, and we had a mini Class of 1999 Varina High School reunion, here in Hawaii! We also found out that the baby I was carrying no longer had a heartbeat. We much later found out that our baby (a girl) had an extra 16th chromosome (Trisomy 16). 

April

April was a really fun month too! I spent my birthday morning surfing with the love of my life, the man who taught me to surf back when we lived in Florida. Fun fact: I still have my first surfboard (that I had to put on layaway), even though I've cycled through many others. Her name is Stella, and I'll never part with my beloved longboard. We checked out Oahu's Railway (formerly used for sugar cane transportation) and rode the train through Kapolei. We celebrated Easter praising our risen Savior, with our best friends, of course, and then had the most fantastic Easter Egg Hunt at a beautiful beach house in Lanikai. We also took a family trip over to the Big Island and stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. WHAT FUN! Rob and Christian had a blast on the many many water slides, while I sipped something fruity poolside. That resort really has it all - talking birds, dolphins, a train, boats, tons of pools, and I could go on. We even got to meet up with one of my most favorite flight attendant friends, Cherie, who's daughter happens to be a dolphin trainer at the resort. I got to see Bruno Mars with awesome company (Brandi and Jayme); he put on a fantastic show! Rob and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary by having a wonderful dinner at Morimoto's in Waikiki. 

May
May can be summed up with one word: Kaia. At the end of April, I started eating REALLY clean. I cut out all sugar, minus what was in fruit, processed anything, wheat, dairy, and basically only ate eggs, vegetables, and fruit. I started a 6-week program called Kaia. I was determined to lose the weight I had gained throughout 3 failed pregnancies, that I just couldn't shake. In the short, Kaia changed my life. I know that cutting out all that stuff sounds restricting, but I have never felt better in my life. Rob's cousin came for a visit as well, and we hiked Lanikai Pillboxes, and BBQ'd at the beach. He gave Christian a tennis racket and ball, that Christian loves!

June
June was filled with more Kaia, and a visit from one of my favorite Super Stews, Suzi. Suzi always keeps me laughing, and I'm pretty sure Christian fell in love with her. We moved Christian from his crib to a toddler bed, and lost about 30 hours of sleep in the process. But thank goodness for the Onaroo OK to Wake "alarm" clock, which helped us get back on track. We hiked, we ate shave ice, we went to the beach, pretty standard stuff. I also got to meet my favorite photographer in the WORLD, Clark Little, by random chance. It was fantastic. We had a fun day at the water park again this year, courtesy of the pilots' union. And we made the trip to Virginia for what was going to be a great 3 weeks traveling and visiting family.

July
We made it to Virginia and hung out for a few days with family (and Christian's other favorite cousins) before we headed to Aunt Amy's farm in West Virginia to celebrate the 4th of July with aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins. My mom even came too! We had so much fun! The last time we did a big family reunion of sorts like that was back in 2007, and a lot of babies have been born since then. Hah. After leaving the farm, we continued onto Pittsburgh to visit Rob's grandma, and lots more family. And after that, onto Michigan to visit Rob's childhood best friend, Dan, his amazing wife, Liz, and their two hilarious little boys, Sam and Max. I love that family! We had so much fun exploring Detroit with them and especially the little community where they live. When we finally made it back to Hawaii, we were stoked that one of my very good friends from middle/high school and her hubby were coming for a visit. We had fun playing cards, drinking mai tais, hiking, and hanging out with this awesome couple. We also took a quick day trip over to Maui to hang out with another fun couple, Mike and Melanie, and their son, Peyton. They happened to be vacationing there and invited us to crash their cabana. So we did. It was glorious.

August

Rob's birthday, Christian's birthday, and lots of celebrating! We saw Jack Johnson at the Waikiki Shell, I took an ukulele class with Jayme and Mimi through the church, and I was supposed to go to Stroller Strides instructor training in San Diego BUT because of the two hurricanes that were to hit the islands that weekend, I decided to stay home. We celebrated Christian's 3rd birthday like any family that lives in Hawaii would, with a bouncy house! Pretty sure the kids (and ahem, some grown-ups) had a blast bouncing away. Praise God for no broken bones, no fly away bouncy houses, and for another year of our lives being so blessed with our miracle boy!! We also got to celebrate the birthdays of Jayme and her daughter Isabel at Disney's Aulani Resort. Two words: AH-MAZING!! I got to checkout the Honolulu Night Market for the first time with Brandi, who happens to be a pro at navigating the Night Market. It was crowded, but lots of fun + good food!! Rob and I went on a catamaran cruise out of Waikiki to wish a fond farewell to a friend moving back to the mainland. We had a really really fun North Shore playdate with one amazing family that I'm sad we don't get to see more often, and we also found out that I was pregnant, again. 

September

For Rob's birthday present, I got him/us tickets to see a collaboration of bands at the Waikiki Shell. If you're not into the island/reggae scene, you probably haven't heard of any of the bands that performed, but they're some of our favorites! Rob took advantage of his layover in China and visited the Great Wall. Later in the month we, plus Brandi, boarded a plane to San Jose to visit Rob's sister's family AND see Katy Perry!! It was so much fun to hang with the Stryker family, and I know Brandi enjoyed her day of exploring San Francisco. And ALL us girls enjoyed Katy Perry. The kids had a blast at an amusement park, where Christian rode his very first roller coaster... a hundred times. And truth be told, it was being in San Jose that really motivated us to really really really think hard about buying a house, or at least seeing if we could afford one anywhere in Hawaii. We also snagged some pretty good seats to watch the Blue Angels. 

October

We officially started our house hunt, and went into escrow. Fortunately, we know a fabulous relator, who is obviously more than our realtor, but a very dear friend of the family. Our original annual trip to Aloun Farm with friends to pick pumpkins got rained out by yet ANOTHER hurricane, so we went to the smaller, although very fun, Waimanalo Country Farm instead. With my Stroller Strides instructor training rescheduled for October, I was all set to go to training, this time in Phoenix. Flight booked for Friday, hotel booked for the weekend, all of it! And then I got a call Thursday morning asking where I was. Whomp whomp. I don't know how I totally spaced on that and got the date wrong (SO unlike me), but I blame the raging sinus infection I'd been fighting for a month + pregnancy brain. Rob made a super rad yellow race car for Christian's Halloween costume, and he went trick-or-treating for the very first time. It was so much fun, even though our original plans to hang with another favorite family, the Liles, got snarled by the REDONKULOUS traffic on the way to their home. Gas dropped below $4/gallon for the first time I can remember. 

November

Lots of beach days, Tiny Tots, Mighty Moms, and trips to the park. As we got closer to closing on our new house, we started packing up our old place. I chopped a good few inches off my hair (typical preggo move), and really started seeing a growing tummy. At 16 weeks I found out I would need a cerclage to help prevent preterm labor. I also started weekly progesterone shots. The day I had my cerclage I was also scheduled (AGAIN) to go to Stroller Strides instructor training, even though I did not feel up for it, and wasn't even going to be living in the same area where I would have originally started teaching. As it turned out, I wouldn't be going this time either. Either it wasn't written in the stars, or God's plan, but it was not meant to be. In exciting news, we closed on our new house and Rob and his parents and many friends got to work to make it a beautiful space. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends, the Grzebiks, and we are thankful indeed for their wonderful family!! 

December

We officially moved clear across the island, a bit sad to say goodbye to our old place. We loved our landlord and their family, and the community and area, and we have so many memories of the past 2+ years there. But I love our new home, and the space we now have. I feel like it fits our growing family perfectly. Christian is content to playing inside, but we have done lots of exploring around our new town with trips to the library, new parks, and finally a trip to the beach. We're still unpacking and organzing, but we're getting there! We've put our new grill to good use too having our first BBQ with the Liles family! We decided this year to go more local and chop down our own Norfolk Island Pine at Oahu's one Christmas tree farm - Helemano Farms. And it was so fun to host a Christmas Eve dinner with the Liles, Grzebiks, and of course Mimi and Papa! You know who else is loving his new found freedom? Baxter! He's now an indoor/outdoor kitty, and he loves lounging on the lanai outside. We've also heard him defending his new territory a few times. Eek. 

But wow, 2014 has treated us well. Even though we lost another pregnancy which broke our hearts, we are so blessed with this baby growing inside of me now, that we all already love so much. This pregnancy hasn't come without it's minor complications, but I am so THANKFUL for my amazing new doctor. If it wasn't for my Kaia girl, Chandra, I would have never had the opportunity to see such an amazing doctor. (Another way Kaia changed my life!) Chandra has also done all of my ultrasounds, and she is just truly a blessing. This pregnancy has been like no other. I'm still trying to take it as easy as I can, which some days proves to be harder than others, but I take it day by day and with lots of prayer for this little one. Christian is excited to be a big brother and constantly says, "Baby sister will love me!" Christian is a healthy, active little boy that brings us so much joy every single day. He now stands up on a moving surfboard, and as of the other day, a movie skateboard! He's also learning how to ride a "real" bike without training wheels! He's so full of life, and has no fear, which as his mom, scares me to death some days! Rob has a job that he loves, and he is just an amazing dad and husband. We still can't get over that we're finally homeowners... in Hawaii. I truly feel blessed, and hope that I'll always remember to be thankful that all that we have. 

Cheers, 2014!