Oh, Baby!

Well, time sure does fly when you're . . . pregnant?!

That's right - you heard me, pregnant.  And what an exciting surprise it was to find out 9 months ago that we were to expect our lives to forever change for the better.  We're both young, we're both still getting established in the "real world," but our little family just got a whole lot more real . . . and we couldn't be happier!

The Mr. and I consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky.  We are blessed with families that love and support us completely and are incredibly excited to welcome our precious little babe to the world.

As one could expect, it's been a crazy 9 months.  But not as crazy as I would have initially expected.  I've been blessed to have a complication free pregnancy!

Here are some of the highlights:

First Trimester (weeks 1 - 12)

• Our first ultrasound was probably one of the most special experiences of my life thus far.  Not only did we get to see our little bundle of joy for the first time, but we got to do it on Valentines Day!!  I'm pretty sure a girl can't get a better present than that!While most people are trapped with those morning-sickness blues, I was of the rare percent that missed it almost entirely!  Sure I had some nausea, but that's about as far as it went!  I most certainly wasn't controlled by it.  For that reason alone I consider myself to be incredibly lucky!
• One the down side, I ended up having to get a root canal basically the second we found out I was pregnant.  Which meant I got nothing to help relieve the pain - talk about ouch!!
• And perhaps the saddest part of my first trimester was our inevitable move from Southern California back "home."  After living somewhere for five years and finding the most amazing job ever, the move was almost devastating.  It was so sad to leave my friends and colleagues, but it was so exciting to turn the page to a new chapter and live in a place surrounded by family.

Second Trimester (weeks 13 - 27)

 

• This trimester was fun.  Any hint of morning sickness I did have was utterly washed away and I went from teeny-tiny flat-bellied me to what I thought was crazy gigantic!

• We got our "big" ultrasound that informed us that our precious little baby was 99% positively a girl!  From there oodles of shopping and crafting began.  It's basically impossible to walk past a baby aisle or into a baby store without melting over the cute little outfits!

• I felt movement for the first time . . . and I don't care what anyone says - it does NOT feel like butterflies.  It feels like someone is kicking you - hard - from the inside out haha

• We took a trip back east for a family reunion.  The plane rides were something else with the swelling and bathroom breaks, but it was so much fun and so worth it to see all my extended family . . . even if I wasn't allowed to wakeboard, kneeboard, or go tubing!
• Eventually I did really pop to basically my full-term size and learned the painful world of heartburn

 

Third Trimester (weeks 28 - 40)

Exactly 1 month till the due date

• More swelling
• More bathroom breaks
• More difficulty breathing
• More heartburn
• More trouble sleeping
• More contractions
• More kicks . . . harder kicks
• But it all prepares you for labor, delivery, and post-partum life!  Plus my crazy monthly weight gain tapered off completely and I've still yet to get stretch marks!! Lucky, lucky, lucky.
• Best part of the third trimester - her hiccups.  My Mr. gets so excited and giddy when she gets hiccups . . . which of course makes me beyond happy.

It's crazy how much you bond and how much closer you grow as a couple during this gestation period. Knowing you're soon going to be responsible for human life -- that you have created and are bringing into this world a tiny little person with wants, needs, emotions, and who is entirely dependent on you for survival is truly amazing.  The fact that your body can combine random gametes and turn these little cells into a living, breathing human being is breathtaking.

As scary and crazy as all of this is . . . and as much as I really don't want to have to give birth . . . I am incredibly excited.  It's going to be so fun to see her face and hear her voice!  With 2.5 weeks left, she could come any day now.  We have the nursery set up, the hospital bags packed, and are just waiting for the "time."

Knowing how terrible I am at blogging, you probably won't hear from me again until our little one is here with us.  But I'm beyond excited to show her off!  And hopefully her presence and my 6+ month leave of working will be enough motivation to get the weekly blogging habit engrained into me :)

Daddy's Little Girl

So normally I center my posts almost entirely around the man of my dreams, my husband.  But this post is going to be a little different.  I want to write a little homage to the first man I ever loved, and the one who (aside from my husband) will love me forever and ever . . . my Daddy.

Dom and I got all our wedding pictures recently from the amazing Caitlin Sheffer. And before I show any of my beau and I, I want to show the some of my Daddy and I.

So without further adieu, here is my handsome Daddy:

I love my dad.  But just because he's awesome, doesn't mean he's an awesome dancer as well.  Haha.  Although, you wouldn't guess that from these pictures.  He looks like a bonified twinkle-toes here.  This was probably one of the most fun things I've ever done.  It took us FOREVER to pick the song, but when he picked it . . . well, he definitely picked it!!  We danced to Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder.  I just loved it.

The last wedding my family was all truly a part of was my biggest brother Michael's (not pictured below).  I was nine and my daddy . . . well he was a little younger . . . and maybe a bit skinnier . . . but an amazing daddy all the same!

 Throughout all the years, I've always been daddy's little girl.  I've always been his curly haired princess

And the truth is, I always will be.  We'll always be the goofy pranksters and mom-teasers.  He'll always defend me agains those mean big brothers. 

While this is true, things will be different.  I'm no longer just daddy's little girl.  I'm the little girl he gave away.  But his giving away came with standards.  He wanted the man I married to be honest, loyal, brave, and funny.  He wanted the man I married to "hang with the boys," to love my family as much as we do.  My dad pretty much described in detail, the man I actually did marry.  And when my husband sat down with my dad to ask if he could be with me forever, it's no wonder he said yes.

And as I cried my eyes out on the walk down the aisle, my sweet daddy hugged me, kissed me, and told me how proud he was of me as he handed me away.

And then I happily married this guy.

He is the most wonderful, handsome, sweet, and amazing man I've ever met and will ever.  He is the only man that will ever measure up to my dad.

 I don't remember ever being as happy as I am now.

 

Honeymooners (06.24.2012 - 07.01.2012)

Scene: Waikiki, Oahu, Hawai'i

Act I: Waikiki Marriot, Floor 30
So I'll start it out by saying we got lucky. And I mean VERY lucky.  We arrive at the hotel after our 5 hour flight across the ocean (a first for both of us!) and the receptionist at the desk where we checked in read our reservation for a two double bed room - both of us, immediately shocked reported to her that there must be some confusion and we reserved a king suite, so she searched for a couple minutes, and in Mr.'s words, "Put us in the best room in the hotel!"

Out of 33 floors, we were placed on the 30th, in a corner room with two ocean view balconies.  Every morning, we opened the door to warm sunshine and ocean breeze and every night we sat out on our favorite evening balcony and watched the sun set slowly into the ocean as surfers caught waves back to shore.  Hawai'i was seriously magical.  One morning we even woke up to a rainbow, literally right outside our door!

The hotel was right on the beach.  One we made the quick trip downstairs we walked for less than a minute and were in white sand and warm water -- Hello Paradise!

We loved relaxing on the sand in the sun.  After the craziness that begat our wedding we were thrilled to lounge and, to put it simply, just be together!  Before now we didn't have too much time, but the transition has been effortless and exciting.  As amazing as our time was in paradise, nothing beats being at home and cuddling with my husband :)

Act II: Pearl Harbor
For this, I have to hand over the typing to my husband.  My commentary will be interjected her and there, but I need him to be the narrator to this part of our adventure in paradise.

This part of our honeymoon travels was a very humbling one. We scheduled a tour of Pearl Harbor, and specifically, we toured the USS Missouri, the USS Bowfin, and the Arizona Memorial. We arrived early in the morning, not sure how the whole process worked. But quick enough, we purchased our tickets and began the day.



Up first was our tour of the USS Missouri, a famous battleship-turned-museum (though brought to life again in the major motion picture Battleship). I immediately felt different when I entered the ship. In a small way, I think everyone who walks on such a piece of history feels of the experiences and emotions of those who originally occupied the space. For me, I felt of the courage, bravery, and patriotism of those of manned the boat, yet also of the fear that must have inevitably crept into many of their minds as well. This was a massive boat, capable of delivering massive blows and undoubtedly facing enemies capable of doing the same.

Though much of the boat was blocked off to tourists, it still felt like a huge maze. Tiny doorways and ladders, and many dark rooms. I appreciated them keeping some rooms preserved to reflect what they looked like when the ship was in active duty. It helped enhance the experience for me. Perhaps the most interesting part of this boat was learning about the surrender ceremony that took place aboard its deck. It was interesting to look at the black and white photos of the Japanese officials who stood behind the document stating their surrender, then being able to walk to the exact spot where it occurred.

Up next was the tour of the USS Bowfin submarine. The first thing that stood out to me was how small everything was. From sinks to staircases and beds to kitchens, everything was miniature--and it had to be! It all came down to how fast you could get the boat to drop or rise in the water and any unneeded weight made it more difficult to control. Given that fact, I don't think I could have done it. I'm terribly claustrophobic. I was fine traversing the small pathways below deck, but during active duty, there is added to it a crew of around 100 soldiers. Talk about a tight fit. If I didn't have a problem with the space, I'd probably have chosen a spot on the sub. It was awesome.

Last up was the tour of the USS Arizona. We took a short ferry ride out to the spot of its sinking and immediately when people started getting in line for it, there was a pronounced silence that fell over the whole place. This is why people go to visit Pearl Harbor. Not because the Arizona was more important than any other part of the harbor, but because, I think, it symbolizes the heartache of the attacks that day. It was the biggest ship in Pearl (luckily) and is responsible for the most casualties. So our ferry docked and we got out on a big dock that is parked perpendicular to where the Arizona sank. As we were standing on it looking out, we were able to see much of the length of the ship extending for our left and right.


The most powerful part of experience was noting that oil still drips from the sunken ship, made visible by the reflective puddle it leaves at the surface of the water. They've ensured that it won't be cleaned up because it acts more powerfully as a reminder to Pearl's visitors than it does as a detriment to the sea life surrounding it. For me, it acted to slow down time. Looking down at that
rainbow colored surface made it feel to me as though the attack just happened yesterday. Furthermore, it made me think that any similar tragedy isn't any less horrific only because it happened before our time or outside the confines of our state or country. Seeing the oil still dripping made me realize that.

All in all, it was my favorite day. It was worth the trip to Hawaii in and of itself. Its a trip that puts things in perspective and makes you grateful for those who serve our country in the armed forces.

Act III: Polynesian Cultural Center

The PCC was seriously, amazing.  Besides being beautiful and having delicious food, it was so fun to see some of the many different cultures of the polynesian islands. This place is really too amazing for words.  So rather than explain it myself, I will refer you to their website and this video . . . plus some of the thousands of pictures we took there.  We went to the Alii Luau, which was to die for and I know I've only included a very few pictures, but for the sake of getting this online after 6 months . . . here they are!

Laie Hawaii Temple . . . so bright you can't even see it!!

Act IV: Hanauma Bay, Snorkeling

This place was seriously beautiful.  A little crowded and chilly (for Hawaii) the day we went, but seriously so amazing.  I wish we bought an underwater disposable camera.  The fish were so bright and colorful.

Failed Picture Attempt

Act IV: Aloha.

All in all, we had a marvelous time.  There were so many things we did and so many pictures we took (as I'm sure you can tell by the massive amount included) it would be impossible to include all the details . . . especially since this is being posted so late.  Well in ending the post, I'll add a few obscure pics that I just think are great.

America Pants.

My favorite of us from the trip.

Seriously.  Dangerous.

Our last sunset.