July 8...A Special Day

On July 8, 2009, we welcomed our baby boy Ka'oiwi into our family.

I was actually due on July 10th and my friend Jenny was due on the 11th. Throughout our entire pregnancy, we kept in touch updating each other on our status. It was nice to be pregnant with someone else at the same time but unfortunately, we were miles apart. We were here in Hawaii and she was back in Provo.

During one of those conversations Jenny mentioned, "Wouldn't it be cool if we gave birth on July 8. Then it would be 07-08-09." I thought that that would be very cool but didn't think that it would actually happen.

As we were nearing the end, Jenny noticed different things in her pregnancy which were pointing in the direction of labor...while I didn't. I was trying to be "in tune" with my body but nothing. I could only feel braxton hicks contractions, but those didn't count. I'd been feeling them for weeks. They weren't any stronger or more frequent than before so I never really paid attention to them.

On July 7th, I felt those braxton hicks a little stronger. They weren't sore but a bit more intense from what I had been experiencing. I tried to take a nap that afternoon but it was uncomfortable. I kept on waking up but didn't make anything of it. I never really experienced symptoms of labor the first time around with Na'u because she ended up being an emergency c-section. With Na'u, my water broke at home, but I never had any contractions. Because I never experienced anything, I didn't know what to expect. It would be my first labor.

Later that evening, we had family friends come over for FHE. During the whole time we had guests, I felt those contractions, but just brushed them off. After everyone went home, I got ready for bed but could not get comfortable. I started keeping track of the contractions around 10:00ish and they were about 7-10 mins apart. I didn't want to get my hopes up so I was waiting for it to go away...but they didn't. I called Cameron at work to let him in on the news. He finished around 11 and by 12:30am, the contractions were 3-5 mins apart. We were very excited and Cam wanted to get to the hospital already.

This was right before we left for the hospital. The tummy measurement was 49 1/2 inches.



We arrived at Kapiolani Hospital at 1:45am and you'd think that it wouldn't be crowded being so early in the morning. Lucky for us, we weren't alone. There were CHOKE other babies wanting to come out too. I was feeling great. The contractions were bearable so I walked all the way up to the birthing floor only to find myself waiting for a room to open up. We were stuck waiting in the lobby for 1 hour and 15 mins. I was getting so impatient. All 25+ triage rooms were full. We finally got into our room only to wait another 45 mins to be checked and hooked up to the monitors. The contractions were still coming 3-5 mins apart and we were soooo tired. Cameron and I both dozed off in between contractions.

They moved me into the labor room around 8am and soon after, our good friend Gabby dropped by for some moral support. Having her there helped to pass the time. The contractions were so uncomfortable especially since I had back labor because my little man was flipped upside down. My mom told me that I needed to focus on something to help me through each contraction. What better way to do that then to think of my Na'u.



I was missing her so much. Even though Na'u was far from me (on Moloka'i), she knew something was up. That entire day, she would point to my picture, saying "mommy", and never wanted to be put down. She had never acted like that before.

To further things along, the nurse broke my water at 10:45am. As soon as my water broke, my contractions came every 1-2 minutes and a lot more intense. I was so exhausted that I would fall asleep in between contractions. I still wasn't sure if I was going to get the epidural. I wanted to see how long I could hold out for. When I was at a 7, I was seriously considering it. Cam gave me the best pick me up talk that gave me the boost of confidence I needed. I endured through the rest of the dreadful contractions and started to push @ 1:40pm. My little man came @ 2:35pm. Almost and entire hour of pushing.



When the doctor placed him in my arms, I thought "oh....he's heavy."


'Oiwi was 8lbs 10.1 oz and 21 1/2 inches. He was A LOT bigger than what any of us, including my doctor, expected. He was such a good boy. He only cried for a sec. Before they took him to the nursery, I held him for a good hour. He was up the entire time, calm and attentive.



I had the best nurse ever. She encouraged me every step of the way.



On friday, my discharge day, my family came to the hospital bringing my Na'u. I missed her so much. From the moment she met her brother, she has been a great big sister.



The proud daddy and his boy.



Our little family. It's complete...for now :).

The Belly Bump

My due date was nearing and I really wanted to document my baby bump. I've seen pregnancy photos online with older siblings and have always wanted them for myself. We took professional pictures when I was pregnant with Na'ulei but the experience was sort of a disaster. We spent way to much money for those pictures and I didn't want to do that again. Since photoshop does wonders, I figure that we could save money and take the pictures ourselves.

I was due on Friday, July 10 and we had arranged for Na'u to go to Moloka'i the Monday before. Of course we were last minute to take pictures so there we were, the evening before Na'u left trying to take it. We set up our own background and went to it.

This is the best that we could come up with. I was not satisfied. I was determined to get some good shots before Na'u left so our only option was to try Monday morning right before taking Na'u to the airport.

We decided to go to Ala Moana beach to get the job done. After setting up and taking a few snaps, it started to rain.

What luck! I was about to throw in the towel. I was determined to get those pictures so when the rain stopped, we went back out and got some great shots.

I love them! -

Mmmmmm....Cookies!

On Monday, Na'ulei came back home from visiting her mama and papa (grandparents) on Moloka'i. We missed her soooo much that I wanted to do something fun with her. What better way to enjoy eachother than making and eating yummy cookies. I made cookies for relief society the day before and had extra dough.

First we rolled it out and cut out pretty flowers and butterflies.

Then we put them in the oven and took them out to cool.

Next it was time to decorate. We had pink, yellow, and green icing to choose from.

Na'u was in charge of the sprinkles.

Boy were they yummy! Want some?

The finished batch!

We would have eaten them all right then and there but we had to save some for daddy. He was at work. When he came home, we were all sleeping but he had no problem finding them.

What happens when...

What happens when a hungry 18 month old wakes up, finds cookies (that mommy was eating the day before) ....while mommy and daddy is sleeping and too tired to wake up?

She figures out how to open it and GRINDZ!

(Please pardon the hana-bata. Na'u caught a cold.)

Na'u made a HUGE mess on our freshly washed sheets...right next to her sleeping daddy. WAKE UP DAD!!!

"No. I'm not having twins."

Usually when I go out, I always have some random person comment on my pregnant status. Starting around 4 or 5 months (til the time I give birth) I have conversations that for the most part goes like this.

Stranger: You must be having your baby soon.

Me: No. Still have ______ more months to go.

Stranger: Really?! Are you having twins?

Me: Nope. There's just one in there.

Stranger: Oh WOW! You're really big!

I had this same exact conversation during my first pregnancy, and now with my second. I used to get offended and sometimes even cry to Cameron. Bad enough pregnant women already feel huge and not very pretty, and then you have complete strangers just "kick" you even more. People can be so stupid and rude sometimes. I think I have gotten way better since being pregnant with Na'u. I just smile and don't react to any comments. I've just accepted the fact that I get huge when pregnant and it's okay. Just as long as baby and I are healthy, thats all that matters.

Two weeks ago I went in for my 7th month check up. My regular doctor wasn't in so I had to see one of the other doctors that was available.

Doc: (He measures my stomach) "You're right on target. You are exactly what you should be."

Me: "I love hearing that. Most people just tell me that I'm big." (At every check-up my doctor always tells me that I'm right on.)

Doc: "Well, how much have you gained?"

Me: "Um...around # lbs."

Doc: While looking at my chart, "Actually you're a little under. With how far along you are, you're under."

Me: (Feeling good) "Well, how many weeks am I?" (I know how far along only month wise.)

Doc: "Um...looks like you're 35 weeks."

Me: "Really?....I didn't think I was that far along."

Doc: "You're due in....July right?"

Me: "Yeah. July 10th."

Doc: Thinking. "Wait that doesn't make sense. Hold on just a minute."

He then walks out and comes back in. "Yeah. You're only 31 1/2 weeks. You are big."

He explained to me that since I was measuring the size that I needed to be in 4 weeks, he was concerned for baby's weight. He then proceeds to schedule an ultrasound for the following week.

I got home and explained the whole thing to Cameron. I was worried. Was he really too big? Why? Is something wrong with him? Was I going to have to give birth to a 10 lbs baby? If baby was getting too big too fast, would they induce me early? Tons of questions ran through my head and I had to wait a whole week for my ultrasound. It felt sooo long.

My appointment rolled around and we went to the Queen's Women's Health Center as a family, me, Cam and Na'u. I was excited to see my little man again but not looking forward to find out if anything was wrong.

We got to see his face (I think that he's going to have big lips :), torso, little fingers and toes, his heart beat, and yes, he is still a boy. Since he's alot bigger from the original 5 month ultrasound, we could see eveything loud and clear.

We even caught him yawning.

The doctor said that everything with baby looked fine and that he was measuring at a chubby, but normal, 4 lbs 8 oz. She showed baby's head on my bottom right side with his okole coming around my left, legs stretched back across the top of my belly with his feet ending by his head. She went back to my left side and pointed out a large dark area explaing that it was fluid. From what she could see, it looked like there was alot more fluid than normal. The pictures taken were still going to be analyzed but the extra fluid was probably causing my bigness. She also said that it will be up to my regular doctor on how closely he wants to watch this but that they would be more concerned if there wasn't enough fluid.

I left the appointment happy and content with the results. We are both doing great and just about 7 more weeks to go. I know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and I feel so blessed to be entrusted with another child. I'm so grateful to be a mom and especially for all the blessings that we enjoy.

Oh yeah...now when people tell me I'm big, I can tell them that my belly is mostly fluid :).

Feedin the Ducks and a little BIG Surprise!

Every thursday there is a play group that is organized by different moms from church. It goes for about 2 hours with kids playing and mothers mingling. Most times we meet at church but yesterday we all meet at the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kaneohe. It was beautiful! I was especially excited to go to this play group because they had ducks. I wanted to show them to Na'u (her first experience with ducks) and let her feed them. We were lucky too since daddy came along.

Her throwing skills weren't very good :). She tried to throw the Cheerios but they just ended up right in front of my legs. So...all the ducks and this one goose came right up to us which was no problem since this girl loves animals!

Na'u thinking, "Feed the duck 1, me 5." She loves Cheerios!

Notice how full Na'u's mouth is? She couldn't even smile for the picture :).

If you live on Oahu and you want to join us moms, just come. Everyone is welcomed...even dads. You can check out the play group's blog at http://honolulumamas.blogspot.com/ for upcoming events. We have alot of fun and know that you will too.

If you haven't heard or noticed from the above pictures, we are expecting baby #2. HE is due in about 2 months on July 10.

We are so EXCITED!!

Family Day @ Hanauma Bay

I think it's about time for a new post :). This past Monday, since Cameron was off, we decided to have a family day at Hanauma Bay. For those of you who have never been, its a little bay where they have pretty good snorkeling. There are tons of big, colorful fish with lots of turtles. This bay is a tourist attraction which means you need to pay $5 get in (sucks for tourists) ...if you're kama'aina, just show them your id and you get in free. But there's a catch, we ALL have to watch this 10-15 minute informational video of "look, but don't touch." It's kind of irritating but there are those not-so-bright people who still walk on the reef after being told not to. Anyways, we had a fun day with our little family and thanks to our friends, Aho, Gabs and Ola, for keeping us company.

Here Na'u is playing in the sand.
This girl LOVES the beach. She's a little fish no matter if the water is cold.

Cameron and Aho got to go out snorkeling first while the mommies stayed on the beach with the babies. When the daddies were done, they came and took over. When the mommies were finished, we came back and found this.

Why is it that when it's time for the daddies to watch the kiddies, the kiddies then decide to take a nap? I don't know.

While Cam was napping (still 1/2 awake), he over heard the following conversation from the lifeguards.

Life guard 1: Ho...that's pretty krypt.

Life guard 2: What?

Life guard 1: Check out those two guys with their kids.

He also heard similar comments from random people passing. We mommies thought that it was a very cute momment.

Here's a short video that Cam made of our day. Enjoy!

Our Halloween

Last week, Na'u and I went to Maui to watch Kayla get baptized. It was such a special day for her. Kayla, you looked so pretty in white and we are so happy we could be apart of it!

Congratulations Kayla!

Since we were on Maui and Halloween was the day after Kayla's big day, I figure we spend it with lots of cousins. It was Na'ulei's first Halloween and we had so much fun. I wanted Na'u to have a really good costume and was totally racking my brain to come up with something. I was inspired at a UH football game by one of the band members. Here she is....

...our little SPAM MUSUBI!

Here's the back view, nori and all.

If you don't get it...

....maybe this view is better :).

I had to dress up too. To go along with the theme, I was the musubi/sushi chef.

I think we made a great pair :)!

First, we went to Lia's brother's house to go trick-or-treating. Here are all the kids that went. We had a Sleeping Beauty (Teija), Selina Gomez (Kayla), a cheerleader (Lynea), army men (Kainalu and Kamalei), cats (some friends), a musubi (Na'u), and a Tinkerbell (Kailea).

We even had a cute Little Red Riding Hood (Miss My) with Red Riding Hood's Grandma (Lia).

We went house to house around 6:00pm and I guess that was a little early because not too many people were handing out candy. Na'u loved her little pumpkin pail, which she held on to super tight. We followed the other kids up to the door to collect the goods. It wasn't 'til a few houses later that things were in her bucket. Then, all she wanted to do was reach in and examine each one :).

After that, we went to the Makawao Halloween party. While waiting in line for the yummy chili and corn bread dinner, this Chinese man started tickling Na'u with his beard. She was cracking up. The Chinese man calls himself the "Hawaiian" Hypnotist...but he looks more Chinese to me.

After dinner, the kiddies were let loose to go trunk-or-treating. The kids went round and round until all the candy was gone. First round, I held onto Na'u while she held on to her pumpkin.

Second time, I let her walk around.

To my surprise, she actually walked up to a few trunks on her own holding out her pumpkin for the parents to put candy in. Too cute!

After walking and getting enough candy, she went to a grassy area to continue examining each candy...making sure it was the real deal :). She was very happy.

This was Na'ulei by the time we got home. I guess I should have told her that collecting free goodies would be exhausting :).

Thank you Maui Tuitele's and Akinaka's for a great vacation and letting us stay at your house. It was a nice change of scenery. Hopefully we can make it another time with Cameron.