Baby Update

Last week we got to go in for our 20 week ultrasound appointment -- the anatomy scan. We loved being able to see every part of our healthy, perfect little baby; especially when they turned on the 3D equipment!

The first shot confirmed we are indeed expecting a wee laddie.

Cute!!

When the technician tried to get us a shot of baby boy's face, he was hiding behind his hands and wouldn't let us peek! The lady tried to shake my belly and get him to move, but he just wouldn't. But I thought he looked so cute hiding from us that I didn't even mind that we couldn't see his face!

Silly little boy:)

And while we're doing a baby update, I've got another belly picture for you. Taken yesterday at 21 weeks 2 days.

I've been told I've "popped".

When Brent snapped this picture I was getting something off my shirt, but I'm surprised at how pregnant it makes me look.

I still feel pretty small, and kind of just chubby, but I guess I have a different viewpoint than everyone else. Looking down on my tummy, it stills seems to barely poke out, but I'm definitely getting bigger:)

Surprise!

Last week, Brent told me we had to drive to town to pick up his friend Andres from the airport. Having never heard of this friend Andres, I asked who he was and Brent told me he was a kid in one of his classes who apparently had no other friends. Well, okay then! We pulled up to the curb at the baggage claim and Brent got out to greet Andres. With Brent blocking most of my view, I was surprised that this Andres had girly legs. Then Brent moved out of the way and there stood my sister Tra! I was so surprised and so excited! Then I felt bad that I had eaten the burger Brent had bought for Andres in case he was hungry after his flight (I'm sorry, but I'm pregnant and 4 chicken nuggets just isn't enough for me. But I didn't know I was really eating Traci's food!) We had 6 days together of relaxation, fun, yummy food, Cosby episodes, and good ol' Hawaiian adventure.

I had to work a couple of half days while she was here, but it was ok because Brent and Traci came and visited me at work both days!

Tra loved our panini and haupia pineapple smoothie. Then I showed them around the farm a bit.

We picked a bunch of beautiful plumeria so we could make our own leis.

The bag smelled really good!

One day, Brent and his friends taught Tra how to surf.

We went to a lot of beaches and worked on our tans. At Secret Beach, we found this guy relaxin in the shade.

We named him Ted.

One night we made Traci's famous bagels. Yum!

We also ate some delicious sushi (don't worry, nothing raw in mine),

some delicious breakfast,

some delicious Ted's Bakery,

and some delicious macadamia nuts.

We found this pretty lookout,

and this pretty plumeria tree,

and this gecko hanging out in a lantern.

We stopped at the malasada truck, went shopping at the swap meet, and looked around Pearl Harbor.

It was so fun having you here Tra! Thanks for the wonderful surprise. We miss you and can't wait for you to come again in December! Love you.

The Evidence

Here's our little boy, showing off for us.

Remember how I told you our doctor is English? He's also got some Irish blood in him. Hence, the "Wee Laddie" instead of "It's a Boy." Love it.

Memorial Day Fun

Yesterday (Memorial Day) was also our 2 year anniversary. YaY! As part of our anniversary/Memorial Day fun (also the first day off together that we've had in a long time), I wanted to get in some fun/important shopping. Brent was a super good sport and even got a little excited when we went into Carters and started looking at all the cute baby clothes!

First we went into Babies R Us to check out some baby gear. I was in heaven.

See the pretty lei around my neck? My sweet Brent got that for me for our anniversary. I loved it! It was the prettiest and yummiest smelling lei I've ever seen. We had to cut it and let it hang open like that because Hawaiian tradition says that a closed lei is bad luck for pregnant women (it's symbolic of the baby being born with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. We don't want that!)

Motherhood Maternity had this fun little "fake baby belly" for me to use while trying on their clothes.

I liked it! I'm kindof excited to have a baby bump that big!

Then we went to Old Navy. No such "fake baby belly" there. So we had to improvise with a rolled up pair of pants. Not as cute ... not as cute.

For my anniversary present, Brent got me 5 maternity shirts and a cute pair of maternity shorts, which I'm wearing today. I must say, I should've been wearing maternity pants all my life; they're so comfortable!

Then we went into Carters baby store. If you haven't already heard - we found out we're having a BOY! And we couldn't be more excited. In fact, we got a little carried away when we walked into Carters and saw all the cute baby boy clothes. After we took a minute to think things through rationally, we decided we could each pick out one outfit for our little boy.

Then we also added on a pair of little baseball jammies that we couldn't resist. Baby shopping is fun!

We ended our day with a yummy dinner at Chili's; complete with their molten chocolate cake -- best dessert ever!

Now I'll take just one second to be mushy - since it was our anniversary and all. These past two (three) years with Brent have been the best of my life! And I can't imagine my life or eternity without him. He's the greatest/sweetest/funniest and it makes me so happy to get to spend every day with my best friend. I sure love him. And I can't wait to see him hold our little boy. The end.

It's Official

A couple days ago, I received my diploma in the mail. I'm an official college graduate with a BS in Public Health from Brigham Young University. And I graduated Magna Cum Laude!

Even though it's a really pretty diploma, I have to admit that it all seems rather anti-climactic. I finished school in December, but had to transfer my last four credits from BYU-H back to BYU, so I didn't officially graduate until April. Of course, I couldn't make it back to Provo to walk in the commencement exercises, so it kind of just feels like I stopped going to school and all I have to show for the last four years is this piece of paper. But hopefully that'll all change in December when I'll get to walk in BYU-Hawaii's graduation ceremonies. Sure, I'll be walking at a school that I didn't even graduate from, but it's still a BYU. And, in all honesty, I think BYU-H is the coolest place ever to get to graduate from. And this is why...

People in Hawaii go crazy with the lei tradition at graduation. And it's awesome. Plus- my parents, grandparents, sister, some close family friends, and maybe even a couple of my brothers will be coming in December to watch me walk, give me leis, and meet our new little baby:) Can't wait!!

The Bump

I think my baby bump has finally decided to appear. Of course, I don't think it looks much like a baby bump yet; more like I'm just eating way too much. But I thought maybe it was time to take a picture. So I took this yesterday - at 16 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

Can you see it? It's little, but it's there. And I can't really suck it in anymore.

At my appointment 2 weeks ago, we also got an updated picture of the little one.Sorry it's blurry, but I can't figure out which setting I'm supposed to use on the camera to make it clearer.

Starting to look more like a baby, huh! My next appointment is on Thursday, and hopefully within the next couple weeks we'll be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl. My guess has been boy all along. What do you guys think?

My sick days are becoming a lot fewer and farther between. There's usually still some dry heaving every morning before breakfast, but it's not too miserable and it's become so common that I don't consider it an inconvenience anymore. And I think I've finally gained a pound! My food aversions are beginning to smooth over as well. One thing I've found interesting is that I've become a lot more fond of fruity candies since I've been pregnant (Sweetarts, Starbursts, Skittles) and I've been eating way less chocolate. It used to be that I'd eat any chocolate I could get my hands on and pass by the fruity candy. But now, most the time, I say 'no thanks' to chocolate and crave some of the fruity stuff. Plus, I'm always in the mood for some pizza or strawberries.

My obstetrician's name is Dr. Foley. He's English and just the friendliest chap we've ever met. I think I extra like him just because of his accent and the funny English words he uses that I've only ever heard before on Harry Potter. But he always makes Brent and I feel super comfortable and important at every appointment and he never seems to be in a rush to move on to other patients. It's like he's happy to give us all the time in the world to answer our questions and just get to know us better. We feel really lucky to have found him. So if you're ever looking to have a baby in Hawaii, we'd recommend Dr. Foley.

Long Time Coming

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever gone this long without finding something to post about. Sorry. But with Brent starting up Spring term (two accounting classes and statistics all to be started and finished within 6 weeks)there just hasn't been time for any Hawaiian outings. We did have one outing a couple weeks ago. It was actually one of the best outings I've ever been on.

Brent and I drove into Haleiwa Town on the North Shore and we got to see this...

Cute little thing, huh?! We're in love already.

We also got to hear our baby's strong little heartbeat, which Brent recorded and we listen to it often:) Our sweet baby is due November 4, so I'm about thirteen and a half weeks along now. Some days I'm feeling pretty good and some days are still pretty bad. All I can say is that I have the most amazing husband in the world. Brent has been so understanding and comforting. He makes frequent trips to the grocery store, then calls me at home and tells me everything he sees, and we attempt to find something that actually sounds appetizing to me. Even with his incredibly busy school and extracurricular activities, he's helped out a TON with the cooking and cleaning when just the thought of the kitchen makes me sick. I think things are starting to get a little better in that department, so hopefully I can step it up and be a good wife to him again.

We are sooOOoo excited to be parents and I can't wait to see Brent with our little one. He is going to be the most amazing dad! I've already got ideas for nursery bedding and decor. I can't wait to find out if our little one is a boy or girl so I can get started!