Just a Normal Weekend...

It is such a relief after 2 months of travel and weddings and packed weekends to have one relatively normal one to look forward to. This weekend we are attending a Care of Mother & Child class through our birth center, going to pick out and order a chair for the baby's room, going to the bank to (finally!) change my name on my accounts and consolidate our bank accounts and going to a play at Intersection - one of my art space clients. Oh, and probably going to pick out tile for the kitchen (my home reno moratorium didn't last very long).

A glimpse into the monotony these days: I have been sick - cold or flu, I guess. Not ridiculously sick, but when you are 31+ weeks pregnant and already not sleeping or breathing easy, adding a stuffy nose and achiness and sore throat and nausea and all of that can really take a lot out of you. I am hanging on and trying to take it easier than normal so this can pass quickly. Ray has been very busy at work for the last month or so - lots of deadlines and lots of working late. On a more fun note, he is also getting a new rear bumper for Fiona (the FJ), which he has been looking forward to for quite awhile (and saving his fun money for!) :) Ikaika has been a pain in the butt throwing up and peeing and pooing all over. I don't know if he is some kind of sick or in a wretched state because one of the neighborhood bitches is in heat... either way, we are both very very very sick of cleaning up after him. (And some first time parents dread diaper changes... I think we won't be fazed!) Mela is the same ever-hungry chunky monkey cuddlebug as always.

Our families have been having some big changes lately, too.

Basi had his first day of Kindergarten: and Joel & Karen bought (and moved) into a new house: Congrats all around!

Hawaii!

Late is better than never, right? :)

Our trip to Hawaii was amazing, of course, and I really enjoyed meeting more of Ray's family and hanging out with the ones I already knew. For those that don't know, most of Ray's mom's (known to me as Lala) family lives in Hawaii. Her sister, Auntie Fely, just retired after 38 YEARS of working as a housekeeper for the Sheraton Waikiki! It was like a big family reunion for that side and they definitely know how to throw a party (and feed a pregnant woman). Holy crap, I have never tasted such good mangos in my life - and I love mangos. I would eat so many mangoes and papayas and chicos (from trees in their yard, as it happens!) that I actually felt sick. I ate a lot of home-cooked, traditional Filipino food, which made Ray's dad very happy so that our son will know good food. :) Auntie Fely is an amazing cook and she spent a good amount of time telling me to eat or lie down. How can you complain about a vacation like that? Auntie Fely got us a room at her hotel for most of the trip - with a balcony overlooking the ocean and Waikiki Beach. Amazing. Uncie & Patty were also vacationing in Hawaii (with Patty's sister) and we got to overlap for a couple of days and hang out with them. Patty was about 3.5 months pregnant at the time and we got to compare notes which was fun. I will attach a bunch of pics - you know Ray took the good ones. :)

Sunset on the ocean (Ray was in the ocean when taken...):

Surfboards on Waikiki Beach:

Another rocky beach we came across driving around the island:

View from our hotel at night:

Strangers on a pier:

Roadside as we drive:

Surfers at the famous Pipeline surf spot:Shaved ice from Matsumoto's (no, they are not both for me):A rocky beach we found:

Prepping greens for dinner:
Auntie Fely's retirement party
The woman of the hour! Uncle Julio and Auntie Fely:
Ray's cousin's kids Kristen (Lani's daughter) and Sasha (Rachelle's daughter):Ray's cousin May (Fely's daughter) and Nathan (Lani's son):A hula performance:

An Argentine Tango performance by my in-laws:

The rest of the pics are on Ray's smugmug page.

Baby Halo-Halo's Crib

I have been meaning to post these pics for ages... the baby's crib is done! My dad did a beautiful job and I am looking forward to Baby Halo being the first of many to use our newest family heirloom. Check it out:The last picture shows the hope chest my dad made me 10 years ago, as well as the window seat he just made us a few months ago. He will be making a trip out here to bring all of our goodies probably once the baby is born. Yay!

Chicago Love

We just spent a few wonderful crazy days in Chicago. We packed in a visit to Mitchel & Heather's, a visit to Mom's, a baby shower, a haircut, a visit to Traci & Tom's, a visit to Dad's and a visit to Ray's Aunts Ruth & Marilou. Oh, and we returned with 100 pounds (literally) of baby goodies and hand-me-down clothes (thank you, Mitchel & Heather, for letting us raid your attic!!). In 3 days. Whew! There really is nothing better than spending time with people you love and it was good for my soul.

First of all, Mom and Heath, you are totally amazing for putting together that shower in only a couple of weeks and giving me a chance to see so many dear friends. Check out the cuteness:


And, of course, some pics of the kids:

Kyle the Diva: posing in Grandpa's pickup

Aubrynn the Tornado: getting into everything
Troy the Charmer: all smiles and chubby cheeks
Baby Tessa (Notice the ADORABLE Laura-made onesie!):Baby Parker... what is with little man playing hard to get?? Maybe he is camera shy. First my phone deletes my only picture of him and then we go visit and NO pictures were taken?! It must have been because I was too busy discussing nursing bras and *ahem* other necessities with Traci and the paparazzi (Ray) was having too much fun playing hide and seek with Jack. What I can tell you is that Parker is one cute, long and lean 3-4 week old! He definitely got his dad's soccer legs and I have a feeling he is going to be taller than Traci by the time he is like 11.

Baby Halo-Halo (When did this happen? It looks different from the top!):

While we were there we also found out that Uncie & Patti are expecting! I am excited to share this time with them and to add to Baby Halo-Halo's cousins/friends (or technically an aunt or uncle!) I hope they have a great pregnancy and that Patti & I survive the adventures Uncie & Ray cook up for the kids. Maybe Basi and Baby D will keep them in check... or not.

(All of our pics from Chicago are on Ray's smugmug.)

Friday giddiness

I am just so excited right now. Ray and I leave tomorrow for a few days in Chicago and I am beside myself with excitement at the prospect of seeing family and friends. And Ray is coming with! I get to hang out with people I love so much, meet Troy, Tessa and Parker, have some Chicago pizza (if the dairy police allows), get a cute haircut and feel the grounding that only your history can provide.

The only thing holding me back from jumping out of my skin with anticipation is the fact that we have to fly there... I have been a little more of a nervous flyer lately. Add to that the fact that last time I flew I was half-conscious and passed out on the plane... plus being 6 months pregnant... well, thank God Ray is with me or I might have worked myself into a panic attack on the plane. It is worth it all, though, to see (some of) you guys! I can't wait!

And next time I come home it will be with a baby - WHOA!

PLUS, we will be home only 2 weeks between Chicago and HAWAII! What a great month. :) :) :)

See many of you very soon! <3

Pregnancy Update

I had an appointment with my midwife a few days ago and thought I would fill ya'll in on the happenings of our pregnancy...

* All my vitals are good, baby is measuring on target and we are meeting normal milestones.

* Cervix is holding up well and has shown no signs of early dilation (woohoo!). My midwife said that the next risk to consider resulting from the cervical surgeries is that the scar tissue would prohibit dilation once we actually want it. Thankfully evening primrose oil can help in those cases, so I will be starting on that soon. Otherwise the tissue will have to be "broken up" during labor. I don't really know what that would feel like, but it doesn't sound pleasant and I would much rather avoid it!

* As of last week Baby Halo-Halo is considered "viable" (he has about a 50% chance of surviving if born now). Not an ideal situation, obviously, but comforting to know.

* We are not aware of any change in the High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (the nasty cells on my cervix), but my midwife was optimistic that the labor itself results in enough sloughing off of cells that we can hope to get rid of the bad ones in the process. Lovely side effect I think.

* Baby Halo is not just kicking anymore, he is launching all out attacks on my insides these days. He has made me jump in surprise at work before. I think he gets bored at work sometimes (or maybe that is transference speaking). Ray is convinced that it is the Thai fighter instincts and he must be training for the big day in there.

* I have Group B Strep colonization. Not a problem for me, but Baby has a chance of dangerous infection at birth so I will need to get Penicillin via IV during birth.

* I am Rh negative. I have negative blood, Ray has positive blood. If my blood intermingles with the baby's for whatever reason, I can develop antibodies against his blood and in subsequent pregnancies my body will attack the fetus as an invader. To prevent the development of the antibodies I will be getting a Rhogam shot in a few weeks and then again after the birth.

* I have mentioned to some of you the crazy mystery pain I have been getting on and off for the past month (imagine someone stabbing you with a knife in your left ovary and then twisting it around for an hour or 3 while you kneel on the ground trying to breath and not lose your mind or throw up). Apparently this is simply "severe round ligament pain". Generally you have a quick stab of pain or dull stretching pain as this ligament stretches around your growing uterus. Not this kind of ridiculous torture which is very rare, but also nothing to worry about. I am not entirely convinced but my midwife is, so until I have a reason to doubt it I will go with her expert opinion.

* We have not started the nursery yet *gulp* or gotten any baby gear. We are not doing a lot, but I still meant to get it going before now. We did order a rug, so that might be the motivation I need to clean out the unwanted piles from the room!

Overall, things are going well for us. I feel pretty good on most days and the baby is healthy, so I am very happy with this pregnancy. 110 days left and counting...

May Day & the beached whale sighting

I was right that May Day was a little different this year, but good nonetheless. I forgot to take a picture of our luxury camp setup, but it did the trick in keeping me happy sleeping on the ground. I am pretty sure the dogs thought they had died and gone to heaven - swimming and running free, cleaning up food scraps, sleeping outside, with both of us, on an air mattress. The best of all worlds for them! In fact, they had so much fun that after all of the swimming and running they honestly could not walk for a couple of days. They forget they aren't as young as they used to be and cannot resist chasing a football being thrown back and forth and back and forth or following everyone that goes in and out of the water for HOURS.

paying the consequences... :(
Thanks to our friend Paul, we got the traditional belly shot
(the night shot gave the added bonus of the headlamps):

And our finger (bad) luck continues as Ray suffered a chopping accident that took a little chunk out of his finger - to the bone.

He didn't even take a Tylenol - what a tough guy:

And no, I do not normally wear bikinis. And yes, I did sport one shamelessly at 5.5 months pregnant. There was something freeing about the fact that everyone expected me to be huge and lumpy and cellulitey and pasty white. Like a pregnant badge of honor I wore self-consciously but proudly. At least I didn't have to worry about a pooch! :)

In all my glory:

Ray's full picture album is on his smugmug.