Monthly Archives: February 2015

Family trip to Maui, Hawaii!

We had been looking forward for months to a last hurrah before baby Lucia makes her arrival–a family vacation to Maui, Hawaii!  Kevin’s mom and our good family friend Judy joined us.  We were finally going to use Kevin’s flight benefits for the airlines he works for and we were anxiously watching the flights to/from Maui to see how booked they were getting as the days passed.  It was our first time flying standby and it’s a tricky business: we had to book our lodging for the week and hope beyond all hope that we’d be able to get a flight there to even use the lodging we paid for (and on the flip side, hope that we’d make it home okay and not have to stay a night in the airport or a cheap motel near the airport!).  We had to pay in full a couple of months in advance (because so many places were getting booked up) and there weren’t many good options for places that would give us an actual refund if we didn’t show so it really was like playing the lottery in a way.  Luckily, it all worked out beautifully and we ended up having 50 extra seats on the way home and over 100 extra seats on the flight there so we were given a row to ourselves!

We enjoyed seven nights and eight days in paradise and it was a wonderful way to kick off the third trimester of Lucia’s pregnancy and to enjoy our little family of three before our newest addition joins us.

Tuesday, Jan 27

We were up and at ’em at 4:30am getting our final things together so we could be at the airport by 7am.  Sirena had been looking forward to getting on the airplane for weeks now so the whole way to the airport we were talking to her about how much fun we were about to embark on (this girl loves her airplanes!)  The flight was just shy of 6 hours long which is the longest flight she’s been on and she was a real trooper, even snoozing on Daddy for about an hour.

IMG_3632

Enjoying her first in-flight movie! “Book of Life”

IMG_3633

So happy to have arrived! On the shuttle to pick up our rental car

We rented a sweet ride for our trip…a Jeep convertible!  I was grateful to be able to sit shotgun for the majority of the time (I could not be squished in the backseat with the car seat the whole trip with my big ol’ belly and Dorothy and Judy agreed) but the times that I did ride in the backseat I could empathize with D & J that the backseat wasn’t nearly as comfy as the front seat.  So next time around we may need to reconsider our car choice!  But the convertible top and the way it handled rough terrain were really great.

After getting to our condo (a nice little 2 bedroom place a 1/2 mile from the beach in the town of Ka’anapali, just north of Lahaina) and unpacking our bags, we decided to have an early dinner at the Maui Brewing Co (which had yummy food and drinks, just crazy steep prices for any little add-ons which at other places would be included at no-cost).  After dinner and on our drive back to the house, we made a quick stop at the tiniest little beach just south of Pohaku Park.  We wanted to watch the sunset and thought this little patch of sand and beach would be a great backdrop.  To our astonishment, after jumping down onto the sand from the lava rocks bordering the beach and the highway, we were greeted by two exhausted sea turtles taking a break just on the shore (we were feet away from jumping on top of one of them, we had no idea it was there!)  It was the most incredible way to spend our first evening in Maui, watching the sunset and enjoying the company of two beautiful creatures.

IMG_3649

IMG_4893

IMG_3653

Splashing her toes in the warm(ish) Hawaiian waters for the first time!

Wednesday, Jan 28

Hawaii is two hours behind California time (at this time of year, they don’t observe Daylight Savings Time so half of the year they’re three hours behind us) so we were all bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed at the ungodly hour of 4:30am!  After hanging out at the house for a bit we decided to venture out and we were the first customers at Slappycakes, a fun restaurant where you cook your pancakes at your table.  After a yummy breakfast we went to Safeway to buy some groceries so that most of our lunches and about half of our dinners could be eaten at home so we could save some money.  After dropping our groceries off, we turned right around to enjoy the mid-morning at Launiupoko Beach Park–a toddler’s swimming paradise!  It had a tiny little wading beach blocked by rocks that let ocean water come in gradually and didn’t get more than 2-3 feet deep.  Sirena had a blast playing with her bucket and sand toys (thank you, Auntie Judy!) and testing her swimming legs in the warm waters.

IMG_4904

IMG_4905

IMG_4906

We went back to the house so that Sirena could enjoy a much-needed nap while Dorothy and Judy went down to the beach closest to our house.  We kept the evening pretty low-key with a BBQ dinner at home and then took to the main drag of Lahaina (the only real downtownish area on the island), Front Street, to watch the sunset, window shop, and enjoy the first (of many) Hawaiian gelatos.

IMG_4921

IMG_3662

IMG_3661

IMG_4926

Our only group photo on the trip!

IMG_4929

Incredible sunset, amiright?!

IMG_3669

It’s official: Sirena loves gelato.

IMG_3670

Can’t ask for a better view while eating gelato!

IMG_3672

Thursday, Jan 29

Thursday was set aside for our big travel day…we were going to drive the infamous Road to Hana!  (Kevin was so looking forward to this day…he LOVES driving, especially windy, gravelly roads…and especially in a convertible Jeep). We woke up really early (jet lag was working in our favor that day) and set out mid-morning.

IMG_4960Our sweet ride

IMG_4953

View from our convertible top

We followed along closely with the “Maui Revealed” guidebook that Kevin bought a year or two ago which talked about both the super popular spots and the not-so-well-known gems along the road, using the mile markers to point them out. The first part of the drive there were a ton of overlooks to stop at and take photos of the breathtaking coastline.

IMG_4959

Looking out onto Honomanu Bay

We took a hidden dirt road (thanks to the guidebook) down to Honomanu Bay and enjoyed stretching our legs on the black sand (rocky) beach.

IMG_4968Girl on a mission with giant stick in her hand

IMG_4972

Throwing rocks in the ocean, her favorite

IMG_4987IMG_4984IMG_4989

She even got Mama and Grandma in on the action. Kevin took this series of photos as we threw our rocks into the ocean.

IMG_4973

Proof that Kevin was on the trip, haha!

The Road to Hana during the peak tourist season is well known for incredible waterfalls around every turn. The guidebook warned that at certain times of year (come to find out, late January…) there isn’t much water flow to speak of for a lot of the waterfalls they describe and we quickly found that out after trying to get our eyes on a bunch of them. That just means we’ll have to come back, I guess…

At the urging of the guidebook, we took a small road into Ke’anae Peninsula and village for some awesome views and delicious banana bread and shave ice at Aunty Sandy’s roadside stand. Across the street from Aunty Sandy’s was a beautiful spot to take photos of the crashing waves against jagged lava boulders which we spent some time at before indulging ourselves in the sweet stuff.

IMG_3690

IMG_5000

IMG_3691

Sirena mimicking the crashing waves

IMG_3695a

Walking the rock wall to Aunty Sandy’s (and hugging her baby Honey real tight)

IMG_3696a

Peekaboo!

IMG_3697

IMG_3698

Um…delicious. This was our favorite shave ice on the island that we tried this trip.

We got back on the road and shortly thereafter were met with tons of red brake lights just ahead. We had heard at Aunty Sandy’s that there was a lot of construction going on and that the road might be closing at some point but we didn’t think it’d be so soon! We were stopped for a few minutes before we started seeing some cars up ahead turning around and talking to each car on the way back. The driver told us that they were closing the road and that we should all just head back. We were so bummed!! We thought we’d wait it out a bit and the poor fools who listened to that guy really missed out because not 5 minutes later did they start letting traffic through (no joke!)

IMG_3701So glad we didn’t listen to that haole! 😉

From the Hana Highway section of the guidebook, one of the places I was really keen on visiting was Ching’s Pond. Most drivers don’t even notice the amazing waterfall and swimming hole just below the road but with the help of the guidebook we knew where to pull over and make our way down an extremely steep hill to this real gem. One of my favorite things is to swim in rivers and swimming holes like this (even more so than the ocean to be honest) so I was beyond excited to check it out. Of course the water was freeeeeezing so I hesitated quite a bit before being urged by Judy to get in the water already because she knew I’d end up regretting it later. Kevin jumped in first and Sirena joined the both of us for a 10 minute dip in the super refreshing waters.

IMG_5014

My idea of paradise

IMG_5022

IMG_5018

We enjoyed our lunch on the rocks and were pleasantly surprised (or horrified, depends on which of us you’re talking about!) to be entertained by a guy who climbed up to the bridge where cars would pass and proceed to jump 25 feet down into Ching’s Pond below. We had read in the guidebook that if you were lucky you’d get to see some locals do it but it urged extreme caution because there is literally zero margin for error with this jump. The guy we saw did it twice and we all held our breath each time his feet left the platform!

IMG_5027Can you see the crazy man jumping? He’s just to the left of the bridge, in the center of the photo

I have to mention at this point that Sirena had been a bit under the weather a few days leading up to our trip. She was sniffly and congested off and on but we took our chances and she had been doing pretty well up until this point, just a little extra clingy with me. Our Road to Hana trip took a turn for the worst about 20 minutes after Ching’s Pond when we made a pit stop at Hana Bay. Sirena started complaining about her “owie, ear” and Kevin and I immediately freaked out that she had an ear infection that we had previously been clueless about. I picked her up and held her for about 10 minutes and she was crying and complaining about her ear and we couldn’t seem to distract her. Hana Bay is basically at the complete opposite end of the island from our condo so we were feeling really screwed but not totally hopeless at this point because although she was upset, she wasn’t out of sorts (…yet).  We were kicking ourselves for not bringing the Tylenol that I had so thoughtfully packed from home but left at the condo (because why would we need Tylenol on the Road to Hana?!) but we thought that she had been in such good spirits and was such a trooper that things should be manageable. Boy, were we wrong.

This is the part of the trip that we lovingly call “The Road from Hell.” We were in basically the most desolate part of the island on the roughest, bumpiest, most windy part of the Hana Highway. There were no towns, no drug stores, NOTHING for two hours. Sirena was in complete and utter turmoil for the entire 2 hours we were on that part of the drive–she tried so hard to fall asleep but every damn bump and turn would wake her up and she’d be screaming out in pain. Each time she’d wake up she’d cry out, “Hold me, Mommy! Hold me, Mommy!” over and over again and all I could do was hold her hand and try to comfort her as best as I could squished in the backseat next to her (and Judy helped with trying to comfort her as best she could squished on the other side of the car seat). The drive was pure torture, that is no exaggeration at all. We were all so utterly helpless–all we could do was keep driving as fast as we could to just get to the next damn town where they had an Emergency Room we could take her to. As we were approaching the town of Kula, Sirena changed her tune from, “Hold me, Mommy!” to, “Save me, Mommy” and it absolutely broke all of our hearts. We finally made it to Kula and followed the signs to a windy road up the hill a bit to the hospital. As we turned the corner I started to freak out a bit because it was getting dark and the hospital looked like it came straight out of a scary movie (looked like an old insane asylum!) Once we saw the ER it looked a bit more normal but I was starting to question our decision to go to this hospital to be honest! Turns out it was a beautiful hospital with an incredible view and we were in and out of ER in…get this…thirty minutes.

IMG_3710

IMG_3706

Squeezing Daddy so tight

The doctor was great and gave Sirena some much-needed Tylenol which worked quickly and eased her incredible pain. We drove about 10 minutes to the closest pharmacy and picked up a prescription for her ear infection. From Kula we had another 45 minutes but luckily at this point the road was smooth and fairly straight so Sirena was able to pass out for the remainder of the drive and stayed asleep until we got to the condo and quickly passed back out for the night.

The grown-ups stayed up a bit to unwind from a crazy stressful day with late night pizza and beer/wine. What…a…day.

Friday, Jan 30

For good reason, we took it easy on Friday to let Sirena recover from such a traumatic experience and heal up as best as she could. We headed out to Kapalua Beach for some snorkeling for the grown-ups and wading in the water/playing in the sand for Sirena.

IMG_3712You’d think she hadn’t just had the worst day of her life the day before…

IMG_5031The only photo we took of Kapalua Beach (Judy’s in the middle on her floatie!)

Only Kevin, Judy and Dorothy went out snorkeling this day and they say it wasn’t the best waters for snorkeling. In fact, there was some gnarly coral that banged ’em up pretty good (I won’t name names 😉 ). Yikes!

Sirena passed out in the car just as we left the beach and so the grown-ups got lunch to go from a mixed plate spot that had great reviews. It did not disappoint! Super yummy, local food. Just what the doctor ordered.

We had a relaxing afternoon at the house and took to Lahaina for dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. My mom’s husband’s daughter (you following?) is the niece of the owners of this chain of restaurants (I lost you, didn’t I?) so we were excited to check it out (and had a super helpful VIP gift card that Steve let us have to help pay for our meal, thank you Steve!) There was a musician playing great music during the meal, we had a great view of the moon over the ocean behind us, and the food was yummy so it was a great choice! And we finished off the (what turned out to be a super late) evening with some window shopping and yummy gelato.

IMG_3722In front of Cheeseburger in Paradise

IMG_3716

You can’t really tell but Sirena is actually wearing the souvenir we bought for Lucia…an 18 mos shirt! I couldn’t believe it when I walked in the room and she had it over her head, haha. We proceeded to buy her a matching one, this time a size 3T. 😉

IMG_3720

IMG_3723

A giant flip flop is just asking to be climbed on, right? She then proceeded to put it on the ground and pretend it was a surfboard, entertaining the two shopkeepers. Hah!

Saturday, Jan 31

After a fairly laid back day and how well Sirena was doing we decided to do another big trip (this time with her antibiotics and plenty of Tylenol on hand) on Saturday. Our destination? ‘Iao Needle with lots of stops along the way.

IMG_5080Kevin in his happy place

IMG_5034Talk about an incredible coastline

Our first stop on our West Maui excursion was to Nakalele Blowhole–described by the guidebook, “the ocean here has undercut the shoreline, pounding underneath the lava shelf, where it spits through a human-sized hole in the lava. The blowhole varies tremendously with the tide and size of the surf” and we were lucky that we got here on a good day. There was plenty of action from the blowhole even as high up as we were (we weren’t feeling adventurous enough to walk all the way down with Sirena). The sign at the top of the hill said, “Warning: Stay clear of blowhole. You can be sucked in and killed. This is NOT a water park.” You don’t have to tell us twice with a pregnant lady and a toddler!

IMG_5042IMG_5046

IMG_5049

Checking out the blowhole down below

IMG_5063

Thar she blows! (You knew that was coming, right?)

IMG_5059

IMG_5066

IMG_5070

Shortly after the blowhole, the road narrowed dramatically to one lane and began its extremely windy ascent up through the mountains. For this whole part of the drive, we had to keep our eyes peeled for oncoming cars and yield to them as best we could on the side of the highway. You could tell who was a local and who was a tourist by the speed with which people took those turns. Some of those people were insane!

IMG_5109

IMG_5111

IMG_5104

We came across an overlook a few miles from where we parked to walk to the blowhole and we got a great birds-eye view of it:

IMG_5093IMG_5103

Incredible view of the road ahead!

At the urging of the guidebook, we kept our eyes peeled every turn for a tiny little village called Kahakuloa which claimes to have…get this…the “best banana bread in the world.” Lots of small roadside stands sell banana bread but the guidebook claimed that the banana bread at Julia’s roadside stand was hands-down the best so you know we had to check it out. Turns out not only was the banana bread the bomb, they also sold an amazing coconut candy and a passion fruit butter to spread on (thick!) on the slice of banana bread. Heaven!!

IMG_5122IMG_5121

Sirena enjoying her coconut candy and the view of the taro fields below Julia’s stand

IMG_5119

IMG_5125

View of Kahakuloa Village as we made our way up the mountain again

We made another stop a few miles up the mountain at the Kaukini Gallery filled with beautiful art/souvenirs/jewelry…and a much-needed restroom!  After that point the windy, narrow road widens and straightens out into a two car highway and we made our way to Central Maui for the main attraction: the ‘Iao Needle in the town of Wailuku.

IMG_5134

View of the ‘Iao Valley

IMG_5135

Before making our way up the many stairs to the ‘Iao Needle lookout, we had a nice picnic lunch on the grounds and enjoyed the overcast weather for a change with about 5 minutes of sprinkling. Such an incredible spot for lunch and taking in the awe-inspiring sights.

IMG_5143

IMG_5139

IMG_5149

It was a good hour of driving through the central part of Maui and back up along the West Maui coast back to our house and luckily Sirena napped most of the way. We were itching for some more beach time and pulled over at Mile Marker 14 for what we heard was some incredible snorkeling. Turns out the snorkeling was just meh but the beach and water itself was calm and warm and basically perfect to end our day.

IMG_3725IMG_3729a

IMG_3734b

We had a BBQ dinner at home and could barely keep our eyes open past 9pm so we called it a night!

Sunday, Feb 1

We had another chill day planned for Sunday (aka Super Bowl Sunday for people who actually enjoy football, haha). Kevin, Sirena, Dorothy and I took a drive to a coffee farm and to the now closed Sugar Cane Train to take some fun photos of Sirena on an abandoned train (one of her faves). We did a little souvenir shopping, had a coffee, and went back to the house so Sirena could nap…but she didn’t (it’s like she knew her time in Hawaii was running out so she wanted to enjoy every last minute of it!)

IMG_5157

IMG_5154 IMG_5153

IMG_5159

IMG_5165

IMG_5169

IMG_5171

IMG_5173

After a little lunching on our patio we decided to take a dip in the pool to take advantage and to spend some time as a family. I didn’t get any shots at the pool itself but here are some shots of our sun-kissed beauty around the complex after pool time:

IMG_3736

IMG_20150201_124342_918

Enjoying the view at lunch

IMG_3741

Sirena’s third most favorite thing: MAPS!

IMG_3740

Her new “silly face.” She does it all the time!

IMG_3742

Showing us the way home

Before we left Maui we all wanted to make another sunset visit to Pohaku Park where we made the unexpected sea turtle discovery our first night on the island so we decided to do that this night. The turtles were out as we had hoped and we enjoyed watching the sunset on the little patch of sand with our new local friends.

IMG_3750

IMG_20150201_180846_113

IMG_5195

IMG_5182

IMG_5199
Exploring the rocks

IMG_3756

Auntie Judy showing Sirena something fun

IMG_3760

IMG_5220

After the sun set we made our way back out to Lahaina for some dinner. We had no idea that it would take us over an hour to find a place to eat! It was already getting late and we walked up and down Front Street trying to find a place that everyone wanted to eat, had decent reviews and had a nice ambiance, wasn’t ridiculously priced, and would seat us right away. We were starting to go nuts because we weren’t able to find a darn place when we finally stumbled upon Captain Jack’s that turned out to be a great dinner (and it was across the street from where we started our search, go figure!) After dinner we had another yummy gelato which made it allll better.

Monday, Feb 2

We started out fairly early that morning to take a drive down to South Maui on the west coast to check out some of the beaches near the docks where we’d go out on our whale watching/snorkel tour midday. On the way there we stopped at an overlook that was always super crowded because of the great vantage point for whale watching.

IMG_5290 IMG_5292 IMG_5294

We drove through the towns of Kihei and Wailea and found our way to Makena Beach for about an hour of swimming.

IMG_3769IMG_3783

IMG_3784

IMG_20150202_114150_007

IMG_5315

From the beach you could see Molokini Crater off in the distance where we’d be snorkeling just a few hours later!

After our quick beach trip we packed back into the Jeep and made our way back up the coast to the docks to climb aboard the Four Winds boat. The boat ride was at least an hour long and it covered some extremely choppy waters. I was having a hard time keeping comfortable holding onto Sirena (and trying to keep her from flying off the bench) and keeping my own huge pregnant belly from jumbling around too much. I kept a close eye on the Molokini Crater (our final destination) and hoping that we’d get there sooner rather than later! There were some whales spotted on the way there but I wasn’t able to focus too much on them under the circumstances but Kevin got some good shots of them:

IMG_5317Captain Judy at your service!

IMG_5351 IMG_5383 IMG_5326 IMG_5332

Once we docked at Molokini Crater (which is actually pretty rare for the afternoon snorkel trips, most days the afternoon tours have to go somewhere else because the weather doesn’t cooperate so we were very lucky to get out there!) the waters were extremely calm and incredibly clear and blue. Sirena and I stayed on deck the majority of the time, eating lunch and watching overboard while K, D and J snorkeled. Judy came back aboard when there were around 20 minutes to spare for snorkeling and offered me her wetsuit jacket so that I could take a dip which I appreciated so much! I hadn’t planned on snorkeling but it was so glorious and I’m really glad that I was able to get out there. Sirena even climbed down the steps (wearing a life jacket of course) and sat on the bottom step with me kicking her legs in the water and enjoying some “swim” time herself. It ended up being a really perfect afternoon.

IMG_3787

IMG_3798

IMG_3799

IMG_3796

We spent maybe 3.5 minutes at the glass bottom of the boat but it was cool while it lasted

IMG_3800

The ride back to the docks was much more pleasant and I was able to actually enjoy the view!

IMG_3805

IMG_20150202_165540_637

IMG_20150202_165334_555

IMG_3808

IMG_3809

Sirena decided to drive us home…

We finished the busy day out in the sun with a low-key dinner at home. About an hour before Sirena’s bedtime, Kevin and I finally made our way out for a “date night” while Dorothy and Judy helped put Sirena to bed. We didn’t do anything huge because we were both pretty exhausted and we still had some souvenirs to buy so we did some shopping, walked down Front Street holding hands (and not worrying about a toddler running around, what a relief!), and enjoying some gelato (for me) and shave ice (for Kevin). It was nice to have a couple of hours to ourselves before our trip came to an end the next day.

Tuesday, Feb 3

Our final day in Maui arrived and we spent the majority of the morning cleaning and packing. We left with just enough time to grab some lunch before heading to the airport. We could not believe that not 5 minutes from the airport and returning our rental car we got hit by another car! Long story short, there didn’t end up being any damage on our car (the other guy couldn’t claim the same) and we were able to leave with no issues at all (thank goodness!) The timing was unbelievable and I’m just so happy we didn’t end our trip on a bad note.

We got to the airport with about 10 minutes to hang out at the terminal. The flight home was not as easy going as the first (Sirena was exhausted and had a harder time napping but luckily she eventually conked out) and we finally touched down at LAX to make the last leg of the trip home. Home, sweet, home.

IMG_3812

IMG_3813

IMG_3815

IMG_3814

We had an amazing time in Maui but we really were so glad to be home. Can’t wait for our next family vacation…as a family of four!

A baby story [Part II]: Weeks 30 + 31

Week 30: Baby’s the length of a cucumber

This week we had another prenatal appointment with midwife Allison. Heartbeat sounds great and everything looks just fine! Nothing major to report from this appointment although we’re going to start seeing the midwives a lot more frequently now that we’re in the third trimester.

Something that I’m pretty sure has started up this week are Braxton Hicks contractions, something I don’t remember experiencing with Sirena’s pregnancy. My good ol’ uterus is practicing for the big day and it’s just sporadic, infrequent cramping that can be a bit uncomfortable in the moment but after a minute the feeling passes and things are back to normal. The 3am insomnia has resurfaced this week which is, in a word, annoying. I love when people say, “Make sure you get rest now before the baby’s born!” It’s my favorite thing to think about between 3-4:30am as I’m lying wide awake and nothing I do can get me back to sleep. 😉

One fun thing Lucia accompanied me to this week was “Dirty Dancing: The Musical” with the ladies in my family. We had such a good time and baby girl really enjoyed the music, especially the finale!

Belly shot!

wk30

Week 31: Baby’s the size of a pineapple

Now that our Maui, Hawaii family vacation is over (le sigh) it seems that things have kicked into high gear with getting serious about Lucia’s upcoming arrival. Kevin and I, along with our good friend Brianne, have been busy making preparations in a number of ways:

  • Party planning: Brianne has graciously volunteered to co-host a celebration for Lucia and big-sister-to-be Sirena. The theme is “Little Miss Sunshine” (going along with the translation of her name which is light) and I’m so looking forward to having close family/friends over to celebrate our girls with us.
  • Nesting: Kevin and I have been busy cleaning our house and making room for our little sunshine-in-the-making. We’ve gotten a couple of things from Craigslist (Rock n Play sleeper for one), a friend is passing along her changing table to us, and we’re in the market for a comfy, used glider/armchair (for the hours of nursing that are in my future). We’re going to make a little nook in our room for the changing table/glider which means we’ve got to move our dresser into our closet. We’ve got a plan for the next couple of weeks to get all of the baby stuff out of the garage to clean/inspect and start organizing it in our house.
  • Preparing for childbirth + recovery: Whether I like it or not (ha!) I’m going to be giving birth again in a couple of months. This week I got serious about preparing for this huge event by starting to reread “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth,” writing down some affirmations to think about during labor, seriously exercising every day (I need to build as much strength as possible for the marathon-of-an-event I’m about to partake in!), and getting a list together of postpartum recovery needs to have on hand at the birth center and at home.

This week we celebrated Valentine’s Day which has never been a big day for me and Kevin but it has become something of note now that Sirena is around. She made her second set of homemade Valentine’s cards for her schoolmates and family and this year she was sure to make one for “her baby” (that’s how she refers to Lucia!):

vcard

These pregnancy hormones have kicked into full gear lately it seems (they say that happens a lot in the first and third trimesters) and I’ve been really emotional lately. It feels like my emotions are just under the surface for me and any little thing can get the tears flowing. The biggest thing for me lately has been the thought that my special Sirena + mama alone time is quickly coming to an end (I had the same sentiments about the special Lola + mama time before Sirena was born, come to think of it!) Believe me when I say that I am BEYOND excited to spend time with both of my girls in the near future and seeing the two of them together is going to melt me to smithereens. But I know that the beautiful relationship I have with Sirena is undoubtedly going to change with the new addition to our family and it makes me just a bit sad and nostalgic thinking about it. I’m trying to enjoy every little moment with this blonde-haired, chatty, goofy, sweet knucklehead as much as possible while I’ve got her all to myself. 🙂

Belly shot!

wk31IMG_3842

My trusty sidekick right by my side

Other pregnancy updates:

  • Total weight gained so far: 10 pounds
  • Food cravings so far: NONE! A friend asked me what I’ve been craving and I couldn’t come up with anything. With Sirena I craved falafel/hummus and Vietnamese food. With Lucia, in the first trimester I craved meat (so weird) but that’s not happening any more and I haven’t really craved anything in particular. Hmmm…
  • Days until our next prenatal appointment: Seven
  • Fun baby developments: She weighs about 3.5 pounds and measures over 16 inches long…and she’s heading into a growth spurt.  All five of her senses are now in working order and she’s now strong enough to grasp a finger!

A baby story [Part II]: Weeks 28 + 29

Week 28: Baby’s the size of a Chinese cabbage

This week was pretty low-key in the baby department. I did the dreaded 3-hour glucose screening–fasting from midnight on through noon, drink the yummy (ahem, sarcasm) glucola drink, get blood drawn, sit in lobby without being able to walk around, eat, or even drink water for the next three hours as I went in another 3 times to get my blood drawn. I had this feeling that I was going to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes because I was so extremely lethargic and soooo thirsty sitting there in the lobby (compared to during the 3-hour test during Sirena’s pregnancy when I remember just being so hungry and bored out of my mind). There was a lot on the line this time around because if I was given the diagnosis and I wasn’t able to keep my blood sugar levels in check, I wouldn’t be a candidate for the birth center which would be so extremely disappointing. I received the results from the screening just a day later and I am so happy to report that the test came back great so I’m in the clear (insert huge sigh of relief)!!

The only other thing of note that happened this week was that I flew to the Bay Area for the day for a work meeting. Leaving the house before 6am and getting home at 8:30pm I was exhausted and I’m just glad that day is over! It was a bit surreal leaving the meeting and my Bay Area co-workers telling me “Good luck with the birth!” because the next time they’ll see me I’ll be the mama of two…whoa!

Belly shot!

No photo this week, oops! (Seems to be a trend lately!)

Week 29: Baby’s the size of a butternut squash

Lucia had an incredible adventure this week…we took a family vacation to Maui, Hawaii! One full week on such a beautiful island, filling our time with lots of warm, sandy beaches, amazing drives through the mountains and forest, gobbling sweet, juicy pineapple every day, snorkeling in the clearest, bluest waters, and lots of scrumptious gelato and shaved ice (Mama knows what keeps this baby happy! 😉 ) More about the trip in a separate post with lots and lots of photos…coming soon! She seemed to really enjoy the trip because for the first time in the pregnancy she began pushing out some part of her body and leaving it there for a bit for me to give her a little massage. She’s now done it just about every day and it warms my heart that I can feel her so close instead of being just this abstract idea of a baby in there. 😉

Upon our return, I was met with one of the loveliest, sweetest gifts I’ve ever received: Lucia’s grandpa (my father-in-law) bought me a bouquet of flowers and had a special card that was acknowledging that I survived a vacation carrying around and caring for not one but two babies around the island. It was such a thoughtful gesture and it was so nice to be acknowledged like that. Lucia, you sure picked a good family to join, I tell ya!

Belly shot!

wk29

Talk about the perfect backdrop for a weekly pregnancy photo…sigh.

No Lola photo bomb this week obviously (although I wish we could’ve taken her to Maui!)

Other pregnancy updates:

  • Total weight gained so far: 8 pounds
  • Fun baby developments: She’s around 15 inches long and weighs around 2.5 pounds (and she’s going to triple in weight before birth!)  And she is hopefully beginning to settle into the proper birthing position (head down, facing my back).
  • Days until our next prenatal appointment: 5
  • Number of childbirth preparation books I checked out from the library: 2 (better start refreshing my memory now since the big day is just around the corner!)
Loading...
X