37 Weeks

Wow, I am now 37 weeks along. It is considered term but now they call it early term only because they are finding out that babies that stay in the womb longer (past 39 weeks) still do much better. I would love for Emma to stay in til her due date but I am not going to lie, I am selfish and want her here a little earlier for other reasons.

I would love for her to come in 2012 so we can get a tax break (yes I know that is so lame) but I hear it's not too bad of one. Also, part of me wants her here before Christmas so I can celebrate with her and so I don't have to work Christmas day. And if she doesn't come for Christmas then I want her here before the 29th so she can celebrate my moms birthday and attend Steve's cousins wedding. Plus my mother in law wants to do family portraits. I would rather have a newborn than be 40 weeks pregnant in the pictures! 

The only reason I want her to wait is we have not finished her nursery. It was one of the last rooms on the list to do in the upstairs of our house. By now, I am getting anxious to have it done so I can get it set up and organized. I really need it done before she gets here! I have set up the pack n play in our room and stocked it with diapers and wipes. I even cleared out 2 drawers in my nightstand to accommodate sleepers and blankets. Diaper genie is in the corner ready to go. But I need the rest to be upstairs and ready. I got her car seat out and placed the base in my car. I am pretty sure it's in correct but I do need to go out and put the car seat in it and see if it's sitting correctly. I have to say I love the LATCH system, made for installing the base super simple. Unfortunately for Steve, we have to use the seat belt in his truck. I put the car seat cover on her car seat. So adorable! 

Steve has been working hard at work and not getting off until late in the evening which leaves him exhausted. And I am beginning to be not much help since it wears me out and bending in odd directions leaves me achy. I definitely will be helping with the painting as soon as it's ready for that. And yes, I will be the 9 month pregnant woman on a ladder. It's easier and more comfortable to be in a standing position than to be sitting and crouched over. I finally ordered her polka dot stencil online which should be here next week. So I am really hoping we get her room pretty much painted and floors in this weekend. Then during the week when I am off I can work on the polka dots.

I have washed lots of loads of laundry. Thanks to Marzena and all her clothes she gave me from her girls I had a huge pile of newborn outfits to wash! They are sorted and ready to go but all sitting in a laundry basket in my bedroom with no where to go yet. Her bassinet is full of her stuff. She has a basket full of hats and bows. Another basket full of socks and shoes and bibs. A big pile of blankets and any other item I drop in there. 

Emma's baby book arrived today from Amazon. I have to say I love having an Amazon Prime membership. Steve and I buy a lot of stuff online since we can find it cheaper there and most of the time we can find it as a Prime eligible purchase which means free 2 day shipping! I love not having to wait a week to get things. Anyhow, I was flipping through her book today and it is super adorable and I will definitely have to leave it out in plain site so I fill it in. I also bought a first year calendar that you can mark events on it and remember what happened! 

My ankles have started to swell and they stay swollen even after being in bed all night. My toes feel fat in the morning and I can make my skin pit when I push on it. My shoes don't fit quite like they used to. People have suggested support hose but I really don't want to buy them only because I have less than 3 weeks left. I have finally gained a pound but not sure if that's just the fluid in my ankles or actually for baby. For not gaining any weight with this pregnancy, I keep crossing my fingers that after I give birth I will be 20 pounds lighter. That will probably not happen but it sure sounds nice! I really hope that my heartburn disappears after I give birth. If it doesn't I will be very upset about it!

Sleeping comfortably is getting harder to do. I really want to lay on my back but the guilt kicks in and I have to turn to my side. My hips hurt like crazy and maybe it's because they are starting to get ready for birth. I swear sometimes at night they could make me cry they hurt so bad. I definitely have to have a pillow under my belly for support or it feels awful having my belly pulled in one direction. It is hard to turn from one side to the other with a belly out there. You have no idea how much you use your abs for until it doesn't feel good to use your abs. I get up every two hours to use the bathroom and with that I drink a bunch before I get back to bed because I am dying of thirst. It's a terrible cycle and I can't break it. 

At my 36 week appointment my doctor said everything looks great. Emma's heartbeat is super strong and regular. Such a reassuring thing to hear even though I can feel her move all over now. Dr. Sharp asked me if there was anything he can do to help alleviate any fears about delivery. Well, the only fear I had at that time was my doctor seeing my vagina! Isn't that just a crazy fear??? I haven't know Dr. Sharp that long and I know he does this daily but it still is freaky. Of course I didn't tell him that. I did tell him I know too much about labor and delivery and what can happen which only intensifies the fear. Then after my appointment I started to think how I scared I am to have Steve see me in that position, beet red face with pushing...what if I am a crazy person with labor and delivery. Oh the fears I have. Good thing Steve doesn't care and loves me anyway! 

Baby Shower #2

My best friends Becky and Shirley threw me a baby shower for all my friends to come to on December 1, 2012. I really wanted to have it at my house so I didn't have to go anywhere and haul gifts home. It definitely made Steve and I work harder and faster on our house. We got most of the upstairs done except for Emma's room and some flooring in the hallway. 

We had a great turn out of people from work and some of my older friends from college and childhood. It was fun to see everyone and chit chat. Of course, since we are now in a new home EVERYONE wanted a tour of the house. I really didn't want most people going through my house since it's not all unpacked but Steve did a few tours with some of our closer friends. 

Steve's sisters all came to the shower and all gave gifts again. They are all so excited for this baby to come. Robyn has put on all her notes that she wants to babysit. So I will definitely take her up on it!

My friend Marzena (seen at the back of the table) brought a ton of baby clothes down with her. Box after box was brought in from her vehicle. And she tells me that she has more!!! I have finally gone through the boxes and sorted by sizes and I am not sure we will have to buy any more clothes for Emma! Incredible how sweet she was to give us all the clothes!!! And she gave us toys and books and puzzles too!

 Shirley's mother Kim came to the shower too! She is so incredibly sweet to come and support Steve and I with Emma! I had my mother come so she could meet my friends and hang out with me. She is so excited to have another grandbaby! It is so fun to see how excited my mom is for Emma to come. Crazy how they act in the beginning, like it doesn't matter but as soon as our due date has gotten so much closer, she is much more excited and involved. I can't wait for my mom and dad to meet Emma!!! 

 Steve joined in at the party by being the tour guide and then hanging out next to me while I opened gifts. My niece Claire was the official gift giver. She lined the gifts up in row for me to open. Of course I couldn't open them fast enough for her line! All my friends bestowed upon us such wonderful outfits, swings, bathers, carseat and more! I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for everyone!

 My childhood friend Samantha and I, we have known each other since birth. So crazy to think that's almost 31 years of life. I was so happy she came to the party since she didn't really know anyone besides my mom and I. I love seeing Sam and catching up. 

 Finally a pic that shows my belly off!

 The cutest kids ever! 

 Steve's sisters and me

 Daddy-to-be and Mommy-to-be

 And my favorite girls in the world!

Thank you so much Becky and Shirley for putting together such a wonderful party. The soups were fabulous and I even got to enjoy them longer with the leftovers! Delicious hot chocolate and coconut cupcakes! Balloon garlands and flowers, balloons being popped by little hands! I loved it all and am so glad that I got to enjoy it with you guys! 

Hawaii

Maui sweet Maui! Our trip to Maui finally came after months of waiting and planning. My Grandma wanted to do another family vacation to Hawaii but the soonest we could all take the time off was this November. The trip was booked in February and the wait to November seemed like the LONGEST wait ever! I was super nervous when this trip was booked because I didn't know if I was pregnant or not. If I had become pregnant in February or early March, the due date would have coincided with the trip and this trip was nonrefundable. Everything worked out the way it needed to for me to be able to go. My OB wasn't worried about me traveling at 31-32 weeks pregnant. Yay!!!

The only problem with this trip is that the one person that really wanted to go and had paid for this vacation ended up not coming. My grandma called me the night before we were to fly out and said she wouldn't be going because she felt like she had the flu and didn't want to fly sick nor get hospitalized in Hawaii. I totally understood where she was coming from but I also didn't want her not to come. It was the saddest thing ever!!! Everyone was disappointed that she didn't come.

Our trip began at 4am on Saturday November 3, 2012 when we had to get up and be to the airport for our 5:50am flight. I tried so hard to be packed, ready to go and in bed by 9pm. It didn't work that way but I did make it to bed by 10pm. Unfortunately, I set my alarm and then thought I used the snooze button but really turned my alarm off. We woke up to my mother in law at our door ready to take us to the airport. It was a scramble to get out the door. We made it to the airport around 4:45am and with plenty of time to spare to catch our flight. My brother, his wife and daughter had all been at the airport since 4am. My parents arrived at the same time as us. As we took off, baby Emma was moving all over the place. Steve and I wonder what kind of things she can feel in the womb with pressure changes. We flew to San Francisco with a hour and a half layover. San Francisco has a whole lot more food choices which gave all of us what we wanted. I got 2 delicious pastries and Steve had a pesto tomato salad. Our flight from San Francisco to Maui was uneventful. We were all so excited to just be in Maui. We split up at the car rental agency which turned out that their computer systems had gone down. It took over an hour to get our car rented. We headed to Kihei to meet my parents at Fred's Mexican Restaurant. I enjoyed the most bland nachos ever while we all discussed what to do. We checked into our condos around 3pm and headed to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week. I had a discount Makai card for Foodland which wasn't very discounted in the first place. Yes we saved money but when Steve and I later ventured to Safeway we learned that Foodland was a rip off and ghetto. Safeway was the only place to shop and was actually nice inside. We hit the beach for a little bit and enjoyed our view from the balcony. I don't think we made it past 7pm that night.

The next day started off gorgeous as usual in Kihei. We were up bright and early with our time difference and the birds chirping away so loudly. I swear they were having contests as to who can chirp the loudest. Steve and I did some more grocery shopping ( our venture to Safeway) where our American Express was denied. I finally called them to verify with them that yes it was us using the card and that yes we were in Hawaii. We hit up the ABC store next to Safeway and bought a bunch of T-shirts and the first of Emma's little dresses. I love ABC stores...they are full of anything and everything. 

We made it to the beach after doing our errands and played in the surf. My neice Riley has yet to learn how to swim and would barely come in the water. But she was the ultimate sand baby. I don't think she cared one bit about being covered in sand. And man that little girl can tan! She was a brown nut the whole trip. In the afternoon we had the family come up to our condo for some Bloody Mary's on the lanai. We showed them the little dress we bought Emma.

On Monday we went to Big Beach in Makena where the surf is super big. Back in 2009, Steve and Brett were told that they need to be careful about boogie boarding due to the high rate of accidents at the beach. We arrived just in time to hear the lifeguards message of being careful in the surf and that the waves are more powerful than most people realize and that lots of paralysis and broken necks/backs have occurred on the beach. Good thing I don't and couldn't boogie board! I made it safely out into the ocean without being knocked down by the waves and happily floated up and over each wave. Riley built sand condos with a moat and tried to connect it to the ocean but the waves kept demolishing the pathway. Thank goodness for umbrellas because I don't think I would last in the sun much longer than 20 minutes. I swear I can feel my skin burning unless I am in the water.

My parents, Riley and I went shopping in the afternoon. My parents bought Riley a new swimsuit and Emma another cute dress. I could have bought a dress to match but the tops of those dresses don't fit me in a way I like. We enjoyed another sunset out on the grass area of our condo.

Tuesday November 6 was our 8 year anniversary which we celebrated by hanging out with Riley all day. My parents and Brett and Melanie left at 7:30 in the morning to head up to Haleakala for a bike ride down the crater. We started the morning off right with a nutritious breakfast of champs. We made a pan full of baked bacon that Steve and Riley both chowed down on. Then they had some pickles followed by some fig newtons and some candy. We headed to the beach for some sun and surf time. We were able to get Riley in the water a little bit more than the previous days but to get her away from the beach is difficult.

After some time at the beach, we cleaned up and did some shopping for a swim suit for Steve. We ate lunch at our favorite pizza place, Shaka's Pizza. They had a delicious White Spinach pizza that did not give me heart burn! Riley had a big slice of pepperoni pizza and shared fries with me. It was delicious. After a few more stops at some places for a suit we ended up at Honolua Surf Company. Steve ended up just buying some board shorts. The sales woman was so nice and we ended up chit chatting about how we got married here 8 years ago and how we were going to have Maui Thai for dinner with our family. She suggested trying another place up the road but couldn't remember the name of it. I had to stop by S & Q's shave ice for my favorite shave ice in the world. I don't know what it is about this place but it is the best ever! I always get it with a scoop of vanilla icecream on the bottom and haupia sauce on top with pineapple and sharks blood as my flavors. I can't help but love it. We watched the sunset and Steve gave me a necklace with a turtle and plumeria on it. I love it. When we got back to our room to get ready for dinner, he had a big bouquet of flowers in our room for me. And I only got him a card which he says is fine and that he doesn't need anything.  My parents came with us for dinner at Thailand Cuisine. It was a delicious dinner although my red curry wasn't as good as My Thai in SLC. We had some champagne to celebrate the evening with. I haven't had alcohol in the longest time and the little bit that I had I could definitely feel. It definitely didn't make Emma sleepy....she was moving so much!

On Wednesday we headed to Lahaina to do a little shopping and to have lunch at Cheeseburger In Paradise. I love that place and the atmosphere is so fun. We walked the main street and found my grandma a beautiful necklace which we all chipped in on. I found myself a few more Christmas ornaments. I bought a cute tank top as seen in the last pictures.

I wanted to go snorkeling since it was one of the only things I could do while pregnant in Hawaii. We went to a place called Five Graves which was by an old cemetary. The second I put my face in the water I was in awe. There were so many fish everywhere. I saw little spotted puffers, and angelfish. There are so many sea urchins everywhere and the amount of coral is amazing. Steve didn't get in because his snorkel clip broke. When we all got out a green turtle swam up into the cove where we were. I think I snapped at least 50 photos of this little guy. I am just in heaven when I see these guys.

I explored the rocks below the grassy lawn area at our condo with Riley. We saw lots of snails and crabs. We took photos of my belly for our 32 week post. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset again. I don't think I will ever get enough of these sunsets. I wish we had more beautiful sunsets here in SLC and that I could actually watch them all the time.

Our last day in Hawaii, we packed all our stuff up from our condo and moved it to my parents condo which was rented for an extra night. We had so much stuff to move and to pack into our suitcases. We had 5 new mugs and a stuffed coconut tree to pack in our suitcases. It took some strategic packing and using my beach bag as my carry on to get all our stuff in our bags. Once we were done moving all our stuff, we headed to the beach with my parents. Our condo had 2 umbrellas in it and my parents had none. We took them with us but had to return them to the condo by 11. I could hang at the beach every day. We went to Secret Cove with my parents since we hadn't made it there once during our trip. I love that beach! It is so beautiful and this time around there were 3 turtles hanging out in the cove. I had my dad take some pictures of us and then he told us to kiss. Steve is anti PDA but finally kissed me in public. I love these photos!! We went to the end of the road past Makena where the wind never stops blowing. The color of the ocean is so beautiful and makes you want to get in but the lava formations and wind make it impossible.  In the afternoon we went back to the beach but I wasn't planning on getting in so I didn't wear my suit. I couldn't handle watching everyone else in the water and me heating up in the sun. So I walked back to the condo and changed into my suit so I could join them in the water. So glad I did. We ate out that night at Fred's Mexican restaurant one last time and then picked up our stuff and headed to the airport. I couldn't leave the beautiful flowers Steve had given me for our anniversary so we wrapped them up with wet paper towels and a garbage bag and hauled them through security.



I wish I could live in Kihei and love it as much as I love it when I vacation. Our vacation came to an end too soon. I really want to get back there before Emma turns 3 so we can fly with her on our laps. Oh I love that place!