Growth Spurt!

Now that I finally have a true baby bump I thought I would share pictures on how it all started.

I can't believe that we are more than half-way through the pregnancy. These last few weeks have been really fun as we found out "it" was a "HE", feeling more movement and seeing movement from the outside. I will have to say the first time I saw Baby Fish move in my belly was freaky. A really special moment was the first time Brent was able to feel the baby kick. He even responded with a kick when Brent said "Hello"!

Time just seems to be flying by and I'm sure it will go by even more quickly once Baby Fish is here. We are a little behind on our baby project plan. We might have to put in a few change orders and extensions :)

How is all started . . .

8 Week Sonogram

11 Weeks

15 Weeks

17 Weeks

20 Weeks

23 Weeks - (Currently)

Babymoon

MAUI

We recently got back from an awesome vacation in Maui. It was our last vacation before we enter the world of parenting and true responsibility. This will be a long post, but it was such an amazing place I want to tell as much as possible.

First Class
Our flight was upgraded to First Class by my boss as a token of his appreciation for all the work I have done and "not acting pregnant and complaining". You have to know him to appreciate his sense of humor. We had to call 24 hours in advance to upgrade so we crossed our fingers both trips to make sure seats would be available. You can get spoiled in First Class -- free food and drinks, leg room, flight attendants that are pleasant, etc.

Arrival/Departure
As we are driving to our condo, taking in all the landscape, we see all these cars pulled off to the side of the road. Well, we did too and saw a mother whale and its calf. We actually saw whales 2 -3 times daily everyday.

On the last day we left Maui at 10:20pm. When booking the flight it seemed like that was the best idea so we would have full day. We should have known we were in trouble because 1. we never stayed up past 9:30 during our stay 2. The highway streetlights are few and far apart 3. It was our last day so we woke up early to fit in as much as possible. Brent was asleep on the plane before it even took off.

Beaches
The beaches are amazing. You will see white, black and golden sand beaches. You can also lounge, snorkel and bodyboard at all beaches. I have never been to a place that offers so much at one place. Most of the beaches I have gone to you can only lounge or bodyboard but not both. The other amazing thing is the clarity of the water. It was crystal clear. I could see the legs of the people wading in the water when a wave would pick them up.

Ocean Life

Brent and I snorkeled at 3 different beaches on our own and saw colorful fish, sea turtles and untouched corral. Often times snorkeling you would feel like you were right on top of the coral only to swim away and see it was 10 feet below.

The sea turtle I saw had roughly a 3-foot shell. We followed him for 15 minutes as he swam through the coral, surfaced for air and laid at the bottom of the ocean. It was so neat. Brent later saw an even bigger turtle after I returned to the beach. Like I mentioned above we also saw whales every morning from our balcony and then occasionally as we were hanging out at the beach. Our underwater camera did not do justice to the color of the fish or how big the turtles are.

Food
Maui is a place for seafood and fresh fruit. Brent and I went to the grocery store and bought items for breakfast and lunch, but I will have to admit that you can only eat so many ham sandwiches before you need a change. There were also times at dinner that we were just too tired to go out. We ate Domino's one night :)

Below is a picture of an item I ordered at Mama's Fish House. I guess I didn't understand when the waiter said "It's a small fish, so we serve it whole". I was thinking both fillets, but what a surprise! And yes, I did eat it!

Luau
The Luau was a really fun experience. We were welcome with fresh leis and tropical drinks. They cut my lei as a Hawaiian tradition for women that are pregnant. We saw the buried pig unearthed. It was good, but somewhat gross to watch them take it out of the ground. It reminded you that what you are eating was once an animal.

The hula dancers were amazing! I think the women's hips are not connected to their torso. The guys were great too.

Activities
There is so much to do in Maui! I highly suggest getting the book Maui Revealed by Robert Doughty. We found lots of hiking trails and side excursions for beaches, look-outs and food that we would have missed without the book. A few pictures below are from the Nakele Blowhole, Olivine Pools and Hana.

BodyBoarding
Brent was brave enough to body board with some of the locals on Kaanapali Beach. The waves were about 12-15 feet high so I stayed back to video tape. Two demolished body boards later, we have a few good videos and pics.

There are a ton more pictures and stories to tell, but if you can find a good deal to go to Hawaii like we did . . . GO! It is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

It's a baby . . .

We have had an amazing 2 weeks. Not only did we take a vacation of a lifetime we also found out the gender of our baby.

WE ARE HAVING A LITTLE BOY!

We went to the doctor's office on Friday for our 20 week sonogram and visit. Brent and I saw the head, femur, spine, ribs, hands and feet, heart, stomach and kidneys. It was amazing to see all the body parts fully formed. The spine was the most amazing visual of the little body inside.

At first, our baby was not cooperating and the technician had to push him around to get in the right position. Then he moved and it was a VERY clear picture that we are having a boy. It makes this whole process even more real to now be able to refer to the baby as "he". Now we start our next challenge of naming our son.

Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks:

We will update the blog soon with details of our Hawaii trip.

My Husband the Engineer

If you don't know, Brent is a very analytical and logical person. No major purchase is made without extensive research and Excel spreadsheets. This is a great quality to have because I always know we have made the best decision. I personally would just pick the TV that looks the best.

So, when I came home from work today below is what Brent has created:

(Click on the picture to make it larger)

This is a project plan preparing for our baby. Has anyone ever seen anything like this! ! ! I hope we don't come in over budget and over hours.

Stages of Responsibility

So I was talking to my friend Lauren at work when she informed me about the stages of responsibility you must complete before having a baby. In this order, you must care for a plant, fish, cat, dog then baby. It made me think about all the living things Brent and I have cared for. . .

Plants -- My philosophy on plants is whatever the summer heat doesn't kill I will let the winter freeze. It took us a couple of season to realize plants need water on a regular basis.

Fish -- We once bought a beta fish --- Frankie -- and he banged his head against the rocks until he died. It was so weird because he did it on purpose. I have never seen a fish do this. He lasted about 6 days.

Cat -- I skipped this step. The first cat I owned as a child was eaten by a dog. I still miss that cat.

Dog -- We love our dogs, but apparently they are obese and depressed.

Baby -- I hope we will have more luck with this one!

Reaction to news

So I recently got together with some of my college buddies. I strategically placed hidden cameras around the room and triggered them as I delivered the news that we are expecting a baby.

Cheerios

Can an adult survive on the same diet as a 2 year old?

I have had a very easy pregnancy so far. I have only been sick a few times, tiredness has come and gone, few headaches, etc. but the one thing that remains hard for me is food. All food sounds gross - chicken is sick, I never liked fish and beef taste like blood. So, what's a girl to eat? My diet currently is the same as a toddler -- cheerios, fruit and an occasional PB sandwich. So, can an adult survive on the same basic food elements as a small child? I guess we will find out!