Truly a Mele Kalikimaka

All I needed/wanted this year was to know we'll have everything baby needs and of course quality time with my boo. I got it! He was put on call Christmas Eve and off on Christmas so we have had a lot of good time together this holiday - love it! And we got a couple checks in the mail, with some of the money specifically for our baby boy so he's even more set than before, and it feels good. We haven't had to spend out of pocket at all yet for him, besides a those onesies we bought and some medical expenses. How blessed are we?? God is amazing and I'm overwhelmed and in awe of His provision every time.

We ate at my boss' beautiful house with her awesome family for Christmas Eve, then stopped by Honolulu Hale to see the lights. We went late but there were still so many people there, pretty cool. One thing I like around here is how the stores don't all stay open until midnight the night before Christmas; they actually close around 6pm. I assume it's a family oriented mindset, and I like that. We opened the gifts under our little tree around 1am. So fun, even just the two of us (our last year with just us two!). Then this afternoon we went to his uncle's place to visit the fam and eat...and eat! Then just hung out at the beach for a while.

It was a light gift year overall, and that is just how I wanted it. I don't need anything really and I didn't wanna stress over shopping this year. I got baby on the brains and that's enough weighing over me (well and in front of me, hehe). Christmas away from most of our family and friends doesn't feel the same, but I'm truly content to be with my hubby. Island Christmas is so different feeling anyway since it's hot in "winter." Not complaining cuz I sure don't miss snow. It's pretty, until you need to go somewhere. I could live without it though. How many other places would I have gotten to watch the sunset on the beach in my bikini on Christmas evening?



♥ Mele Kalikimaka ♥

I like today

Even though late ultrasounds are usually due to there being a possible issue, I'm so happy I got to see my lil baby boy today. We got a new disc of pics and took home some new pics for his ultrasound album. I am doing much better than last week and feeling a little more confident that he'll keep cooking until January, like he's supposed to. Doc says he looks good, and I'm proud to say he's 4.5 pounds. He is in the 51st percentile for this gestation, so he's average weight. We had been thinking maybe he's smaller than average since I seem to be showing small (as I still hear all the time).

Then we went to the mall and I got "What to Expect the First Year." Tried to find some books on labor coping techniques but we'll actually probably go find a video soon. We found some fun onesies for baby. One says "I want to surf like my daddy" and the other says "I ♥ boobies" - you can guess which one my hubby found most amusing. I also got a nursing bra that is so comfy, and a new shirt that actually has room for my belly. The bra needed to have room for growth since I haven't got my milk in yet and I never ever imagined buying a D-cup bra...so weird for me! I hope I don't completely shrivel and can still fill a A-cup after breastfeeding. Never know...

There's a lot of things I'm starting to wonder about my body post-pregnancy. It has changed so much and if all goes according to plan, this won't be my last pregnancy, so more changes await. I look at my pre-pregnancy pictures and I can bet that I'll never look like that again. Not that it's not worth it; I guess it's just another sacrifice you make to be a mama. As long as hubby still thinks I'm sexy it's aaallllll gooooooood.

What a week

Time has flown since I shared the details of my horrible morning last Tuesday. And Tuesday morning wasn't the end...

I started having abdominal pain in the afternoon that I tried to wait out and let it pass, but it just wouldn't. It hurt to move and I was even tender to the touch sometimes. It was kinda scary after a couple hours so I called my doctor. I was advised to drink lots of water and rest; if the pain doesn't stop in 30-minutes, go to Kapiolani L&D (which is where premies need to be delivered). I ended up going to Kapiolani via the emergency department. Luckily my hubby was off work so he was able to drive me and help keep me calm. Of course my mind was racing, but he reminded me to not assume the worst.

By the time I actually got to see a nurse, my pain had gone down a lot. Long story short, we were there for about 3-hours. I was put on monitoring, gave a urine sample, got an ultrasound, and a couple cervix checks. They calmly told me I was having contractions - since they were calm I assumed I should be too, but it was weird to hear. Since the contractions didn't seem to be changing my cervix, they sent me home with an antibiotic prescription to clear up anything that could be causing complications. I can't remember the last time I took an antibiotic, but I didn't hesitate when it comes to making sure I'm doing everything I can and am supposed to do to benefit the baby.

One thing that made the visit positive was that we got to see him on the ultrasound. Turns out he's already head down. When I thought he was kicking my hip bone, he is actually punching it, while my ribs are getting the actual kicks. Fun to know (still not so fun to feel sometimes, lol). The doc actually did two ultrasounds - the first was to gather info on him, the second was to demonstrate to a new doc how to identify measuring points on a fetus. She said he has great markers (or something like that). Our baby has already been a model example!

Okay, this is turning out longer than I planned, but there's more...

I had to see my doc within a few days to follow-up on all this, rather than waiting for my appointment I had scheduled for the next week. I was glad to see her but it really turns out that I may just be what she called, "a cramper." That's not to say I shouldn't continue to take it easy, but it's good to know what I'm prone to and how to possibly manage it. So it'll be a couple about 2 more months of lots of rest and LOTS of water. Been drinking at least 2-liters a day now. She gave me another prescription for emergency use if I start having regular contractions in an hour in the next few weeks. Another one of those things that I'm glad I have it but the fact that I might need it is kinda scary. Praying that bottle never gets opened!

And finally - on a much lighter note - I awoke from a nap this afternoon with a wet spot on the right side of my tank top. Huh??? Lol. Actually my hubby noticed it first and we realized it was leakage. My tank was dark so I don't know what color it was. I washed it as soon as I realized the spot wasn't going away after a couple hours, but there's still a slight mark right on the boob. Good thing I usually wear it under something. Now I'm paranoid about my shirts and bras. I have some disposable pads but I don't wanna use them up before the baby comes. I'm gonna go get some washable ones which I think are best used for smaller leaks anyways.

To sum it all up...Being pregnant is a trip.

I know I won't forget this morning

I was up off and on last night for various reasons and I still tried to go into work today. Fail. I am not on any normal sleep schedule so trying to get back into routine one day a week is hard, but this morning was the worst I've ever felt. I have been real tired lately but sleep easiest in the afternoons - how convenient. I'm pretty wide awake at night then I wake up around 7 or 8am most days and can't go back to sleep for a couple hours. The only problem is that once I do fall back asleep, I'm out until at least noon.

Last night I was accompanied by hunger and my very active lil baby boy. I ate some Cheerios around 1:30am which was just enough to get my stomach to stop growling. Baby boy is most often up at this time, which is fine cuz I am usually too, but for most of the night he decided to tap dance on my hip. I've read of women complaining about this sensation, and now I know why. I have to always be thankful that he's so active, but it truly kept me up last night. I think he may have shifted positions cuz it's my left hip and right ribs that take a lot of beatings now. I wish I could at least watch him in there, lol.

Anyways, my alarm went off at 5am...I snoozed for 9 min...then it went of again....and I sat...for 15min at the edge of the bed. Trying not to be emotional cuz I knew I was just super tired. I only work 1-day a week and I wanted to suck it up. This time that was a bad idea. After about 2-hours at work it hit me: dizzy, nauseous, hot flashes. Just as the cold sweat was hitting (and by then I was sitting on the floor behind the counter in front of the a/c), I'm pretty sure I passed out. The last thing I remember was closing my eyes cuz I was overwhelmed with all those symptoms, then I woke up with my face on our nasty floor right by the fridge and sinks. Yum.

I had to get outta there but I was slow and dazed. Finally did of course, but felt like crap, not just physically, but for leaving my shift so early. I hate leaving my co-workers hanging, and especially my boss. I usually pull through okay, but I knew I'd be pretty useless if I stayed, and it wouldn't be the healthiest choice for me.

I really think it's the lack of sleep that got to me. I ate a whole peanut butter & jelly sandwich at 5:30, and was drinking water the whole time I had been at work. I even snacked on a little coffee cake and sipped a banana smoothie. I should've been all right, but I guess I gotta learn to read my body better. Sometimes it's hard to remember my body is not the same body as it used to be for now. I have to not compare myself to other pregos too. I feel weaker or less capable than other pregnant women a lot of times. At least I'm not on bed rest I guess.

Well, better get some real sleep. Your prayers are appreciated. ♥

Let the Christmas season begin!

I can actually be excited for Christmas now that my hubby will be off that night. That's the best gift I can ask for. I really don't need anything as far as gifts go; I just wanna know that my baby boy is okay and we have everything we need for him when he comes out. I would love to see my family but that's not gonna happen (aside from my Hawai'i ohana here).

Overall, I honestly don't wanna do the whole gift thing this year. I wanna save money and I do not want to fight the malls. I did buy some stuff to make a few cards but I just wanna take it easy and keep my load light this year. It gets harder to keep that mindset as the day gets closer, cuz I love to give gifts! But I don't like to give a gift just to give one; I like them to be useful and sure to be loved. We all have enough "stuff" and while the thought can be touching, in the end, I don't wanna give random stuff, if possible.

I've had our tree out since last week - I couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving (on which day we had a great lunch with my boss & her family; I love that lady!). It's just a little 2' fiber-optics tree, but it's cute and does the job. I love looking at it. We have our 3 stockings hanging at the bottom: 2 small ones, and 1 mini. :)

That's the latest I guess. We have been real busy with errands most days, and we have our expectant parent class once a week, plus we see the doctor every 2-weeks now. Just getting ready for are son to arrive. I am nesting, but mostly in my head since there's not a whole lot to do in this lil apartment. It makes me so happy to see that J is excited too. Feels good. I can't wait for our family to grow (only 2 more months). +1 on the way!!

Up late again

Insomnia has come back pretty strong for me. Hadn't been an issue since first trimester. I'm not uncomfortable physically, my mind is just overactive I think. I'm excited to be a mama! And we're in our last couple months of pregnancy, which is the time to finish all the prep we can think of for our baby boy. Sometimes I can't sleep until I wear my brain out, but usually I get hungry again before that happens.

Guess I should try to sleep again...after a snack, of course.

Let's catch up a little

Honestly, I've been lazy to blog. Fatigue has returned in the last couple weeks (thank you, third trimester). Before that my husband was sick one week, I got sick the next week, then we had our first disturbing visit to our doctor where we were told my cervix was slightly dilated. This visit happened in the same week the world lost Andy Irons, and I learned my bestie would be leaving the island and my husband would be working Christmas. The good news is I went back a week later for a check-up with my doc and there was little to no progression, which means I have escaped being sentenced to bed rest at this point. We did cut my working down to one day a week, maybe occasionally two, but only opening shifts (shortest) and should be sitting/resting during my shift as much as possible. What a relief and answered prayer that our baby boy isn't trying to come out this early.

What's new? I bought my first maternity jeans that I LOVE and a belly band to hopefully combat back pain and even front pains. I'm experiencing a lot of round ligament pain as I (we) grow; I feel it most when I'm more active. I am learning to take it easier but it really is hard sometimes. I may be lazy at times but I am also a brat and I want to do things when I want to do them. But more and more I learn that my body is not my own for now. Every day is an adjustment not just to how and when I do things, but to my wardrobe as well. I got a new swimsuit that covers what it should and a sarong that covers more when I'm walking down the street. I'm loving the umbrella my honey got me for lounging on the beach while he surfs. Makes me sad that I can't go out with him, but at least I can watch and dream of when I'll get back out there.

We started a class at Queen's for the next 6-weeks, called Expectant Parent Class. Already got us registered and they gave us a tour of the entire maternity floor. It made me so excited to be there and see where the event will happen. That excitement may be contributing my trouble sleeping lately, but at least it's a happy feeling more than worry. The next classes will be about breastfeeding, labor process, postpartum, etc. Luckily, hubby will be there for all of them too so we can learn together. :) He's the best.

Goal: Learn to ask hubby for help more often so I don't feel overwhelmed.

Praise: I will have my boo on Christmas! He still works Christmas Eve but at least I get one of those nights with him. Thank you Jesus!

Pic: Me, today (29-weeks)