First day being sick

Not throwing up sick, just really nauseous.

Today has been no fun.

Also, google has a lot of search results for "Tips on blood testing"! I have been reading them ALL.

1st Appointment

Today's appointment went well. Tripler is a HUGE place. Quite the layout too.

Basically they just took all of my information and put it into the computer. They have my due date the same as I thought, November 12th. They asked me some medical history, gave me a couple of booklets of information, a dvd and scheduled my next appointment for May 6th. I'm excited that my mom will be here and be able to come with me!

Update

The first week of Troy working has been uneventful, which in our world, is good. Monday and Tuesday was spent finishing his check in process. Yesterday was spent working on a submarine. He is SUNNNN BURNT!! I took a picture of him yesterday on my cell phone.

He spent yesterday afternoon cleaning out his truck that he swore would never get messy :) Not having a trunk forces you to keep all the stuff in the back seat and it piles up high! Now he is looking into getting a locking toolbox that he can keep all his dive gear in because there are not enough lockers at work for everyone, hence the messy truck. They issued him a whole bunch of dive gear which was all over John's yard while he was sorting it out and making sure his name was on every piece.

Tuesday I had lunch with one of my Grandma's friends from Madison, WI. We went to this really cool Japanese place that was cafeteria style and you could just pick whatever you wanted. It was nice to see her out here and spend some time with her!

Less than two weeks and we should be in our house. We found out that Gabriel could come out here sooner as I was using the wrong date to calculate his waiting period. I confirmed it, and he can arrive anytime after 4/18. Due to scheduling, he will have his last appointment on 4/21 and should arrive here on 4/22. We can't wait to have him back with us again.

We will also be having visitors in May! My mom and sister will be here for 9 days. Samantha starts school again in June so we had to get her a vacation before then! :)

Still haven't heard anything from Forest City. I have a call into the lady who helped us find our house to see if they have hired anyone or not yet. I hate the waiting game...

There are no pictures of me. I am the photographer :)

7 weeks today!

Crazy how fast time flies.

I scheduled my first OB appointment at Tripler for 11AM tomorrow. It's insane how much paperwork they have me filling out but I guess that's how it goes. Supposedly tomorrow is just patient registration where they will talk to me about being pregnant. They will ask me if have been using illicit drugs and if my home is "safe" for me. I asked the man making the appointment if they will be taking my blood and he informed me that it will not happen tomorrow, it will happen at the next appointment. :( Mental note: Schedule next appointment when Troy can be there!

I feel pretty normal, although my pants already do not fit comfortably. That sucks. I am eating regularly but haven't been as hungry as usual, maybe that's because I can't find anything I like to eat besides fruit. I could eat pineapple, strawberries, and cantaloupe all the time. Yesterday I had one bite of Kalbi, Hawaiian Short Ribs, and I was disgusted. That used to be my favorite thing to eat. I gave it to Troy and just at the rice. I am always sleepy but not too nauseous, for that I am grateful.

Today we went shopping to buy me a new GPS since Troy took TomTom for his truck and I have no idea where I am going tomorrow. After we made our purchase in the electronics, we started to leave the store. I stopped for a second to look at some sunglasses and when I turned around Troy was gone. You can imagine the warm feeling in my heart when I found him in the baby section looking at strollers, car seats, and cribs :)

Trust me when I say that it is very hard to keep this secret to just ourselves. We are going crazy.

The clinic called...

and told me that I had some lab work done a week ago and had to come in for my results. I kindly informed them that I already knew the results and that I didn't need to drive 30 minutes and over a mountain to hear them tell me what I already knew. I asked them if I should make my first appointment over the phone as I was already in my 6th week. She told me just to come in and we would go over some paperwork.

Troy happened to get off early today so he called around 2:30 to let me know he was on his way home. I had walked down to the BBQ place to get out of the house and get some excercise so I had him meet me there. After hearing that they called, he said he would take me down there right then since he could be there with me, JUST IN CASE those vampires tried to get my blood again.

We got there and nobody knew who called and told me to come in or why. That was kinda making me nervous but not too much as I had just taken another pregnancy test two days ago just for reassurance. A lady finally called us back and gave us a ton of information and paperwork. Apparently I will no longer be seen as this clinic and all future appointments are going to take place at Tripler Army Medical Center, the pink hospital on the hill where Troy was born. That's kinda neat that his baby will be born at the same hospital, almost 26 years later. :)

And no, they did not get my blood. Thank you God! If they end up needing blood that bad, I will pick a scab for them. I know that's nasty, but it's 10 times better than passing out.

Picture Post

Dinner @ Pinky's
Ahi Tuna

Hawaii Lizard

The line for the shaved ice. Matsumoto.

All the ways to order.

North shore beach

The beach in Kailua

More Kailua

Coconut!

My favorite thing to order from the Hale Koa restaurant. A pineapple with fruit. Yum!

Weirdest Denny's I've ever seen.

Eating the shaved ice. NOT a snow cone. :o)

Yummy. This one was the Hawaiin.

Some pictures

Troy's first soccer game here. Check out the mud puddles! This was taken at halftime, before he started sliding in the mud or diving for headers. He played great for not playing in 7 years! :o)
His truck...Nissan Frontier.
The guy was required to show him how to use it LOL


Driving around.
My naked Acura after removing the tint.

Friday night was pretty low key for us. We ate brats here and then went to see the movie Frost/Nixon. After the soccer game on Saturday, which they won 5-2 but didn't play very well, we went with some of the team to a restaurant called Dixie Grill. They had southern food so that was interesting. We had plans to eat with John and Robin so Troy just had a beer and we left. We had dinner at Lucy's in Kailua Town, where the food was good but the service sucked. We must have waited 15-20 minutes for the bill, even after we requested it. We had the best ice cream ever....Cold Stone. Sunday we went to the beach for about 25-30 minutes to let Chief play in the water. He loved it. I hope when Gabriel gets here that Chief will teach him to like the beach. We weren't out there very long, but it was enough for me to get some tan lines! I love it.

Today is Troy's first day on the job. He left around 5:45 this morning. I was awake anyway, but I got my first phone call from someone who forgot what time it was for me...my sister! :) 6:00 am she says, "I'm just callin to let you say hi to Gabe since I'm at mom's house!" I miss him so much! 38 more days I believe until he is eligible to fly here. I cannot wait! We finally got our Hawaii plates, however I don't qualify for the discount that they give the servicemembers for registration fees because my car is not titled or registered in Troy's name...but I did get credit for the time I had left on my FL registration (until August). I got personalized plates and I'll take a picture for ya when they come in! I should also know this week whether or not Forest City is going to offer me a job as a relocation specialist. I'm anxious to find out, but I didn't feel very good about the interview so we'll see.

Where we've been!

We are moving right along here in Hawaii. Sorry it has been so long since I have updated, it's just that I refuse to pay close to $20 for the internet....I have no problem forking out money for a nice dinner or something but internet?? It should be free!!

We spent Friday trying to get my car inspected. What a nightmare that is. In order to have the car inspected, you must have Hawaii insurance. No problem. Done. But, you must have the ORIGINAL watermarked card, not the paper ones that USAA emails you. So we drive around downtown looking for this place that you can pick them up. We finally find it after driving in circles for a little while...even with TomTom!! We go back to the place for the inspection where the guy kindly points out that our insurance is effective tomorrow so he will be unable to do the inspection today. Nice... Oh well, it's Friday and all I wanted to do was lay by the pool anyway :o) So we did!

Then we met John and Robin at their house and John drove us around the Marine base here. It was neat to see their area, and I think it is beautiful over here! The water is definitely more active too. We went to dinner at Pinkys. It was a cute little restaurant and very busy. Lots of fresh fish for Troy and I that night! I'll do a picture post later. All the pictures are of food anyway :)

Saturday morning rained, and stopped, rained, and stopped lol. We walked to the Shore Bird restaurant where they had a breakfast buffet. They had like macadamia nut pound cake, coconut pound cake, mango pound cake. That was good too. We weren't sure if Troy's soccer game was going to take place due to the weather but it did, and it was messy. The team looked great in their uniforms and they played quite well! It wasn't actually a game since the referee didn't show up but they kicked butt. Then another team showed up so it turned into two games...it was a long day but Troy had 3 goals, 2 of which were headers. He said he has never made a goal off a header before so that's cool. Of course, he normally played defense so that is probably why! I think he thought he was 16 again running all over the field, sliding in the mud, making tackles. He was pretty sore that night and the next day!

Sunday we met John and Robin and they drove us to the North shore. It was about an hour and half, maybe less, drive....but it was beautiful! They have a jeep so it was nice to ride around and have the breeze in your face. We all got a lot of sun too! We stopped for lunch at a burger place, and walked to the shaved ice place that was recommended to us. They were good, perfect on a hot day. We stopped at a beach spot on the way back just to get out. They are doing a Flat Stanley project so we had to get pictures of Stanley in the ocean! We learned today that we will also be doing Flat Stanley for my nephew, Trey. We can't wait to take him around!!

Monday was back to car inspections. I also got a call for a job interview. We learned that the tint on my car is illegal on the back and rear door windows. They were legal in FL, but apparently not here! So, we failed. We have to remove the tint. We discussed the job situation and the car situation and decided we should pick up another car. So, we did. Troy picked out a Nissan Frontier. It's a nice truck...black, automatic...he said that important because I refuse to drive a stick. It also has four doors LOL! He looks good in it!! Pictures later...

Tuesday was my interview. I'm not really sure how I feel about how it went. The position is for a relocation specialist. Basically I would be placing military families in military housing. It's not like I'm not qualified, so I don't know why I don't feel right about it. If the position is offered to me, I will probably take it. It's not great money, but its money, and it's one mile from the house. Flexible scheduling, 3 days a week in the office and 2 days a week marketing. It's a great environment to work in too. We also went to the tricare office and got everything switched from the south region to the west. That was painless believe it or not. We went to the mall, Ala Moana mall I think, and it was huge. We walked around for awhile and ate at this fish market place. It was a buffet that had a ton of sushi, ahi poke!! (one of my fav's), all kinds of BBQ, fish, steak, shrimp, basically anything that can be found at a Japanese steak house. We sat there for a long time just reflecting on our week. All this stuff is keeping us busy, we were both shocked we've only been here a week. It was a long week...We even forgot it was St. Patty's day!

Today was spent getting more things checked on the check-in list for Troy. Well, first we left the Hilton! Our bill was $1,602!!! That is insane. I've never paid that much for a hotel. I bet this week we've spent $2,500 on lodging, food, and parking!! We went and picked up his insurance card for the truck, his new Pearl Harbor stickers, showed up to drop off his dental record and they re-did his sealants right on the spot. I've never seen someone in and out of the dentist so fast. So the downside of having two cars??.....I have to drive! I hate driving here, especially through the mountain. I probably need new brakes already :o) We're at John and Robin's house where we'll be until we can move into our home. It still feels like a working vacation to me. I don't think it will change until either I start working or move into the house, whichever comes first. Right now he is outside taking all the tint off my windows....It is weird to see my car like that. He also popped most of the dent out of the bumper!

Troy is participating in a retirement ceremony tomorrow morning at the Hale Koa. I'll probably go along and entertain myself while he does that. Saturday is another soccer game at the base. Hopefully it's not as yucky out. This is our last weekend before he has to start work on Monday!!

Waiting for the results...

We already know. There is no doubt about it. I could sleep all day, any time of the day, sitting up or laying down, doesn't matter. There are a few other symptoms which I wont go into detail about, but I just know.

I called, but they wont give results over the phone. Why do they do that in Panama City but not here?

It's an awesome surprise to share with just your spouse, when no one else in the world knows your good news. We are excited to share it with all of you, we just want to wait until I am further along. It's very hard NOT to say anything.

Blood Test

Troy had to drop off his dental records this morning, so I went to the clinic next door to confirm the pregnancy. I had already called and you didn't need an appointment.

The nurse ordered the testing and sent me back to lab. I go back, expecting to give a urine sample. You can imagine my surprise as she leads me to this chair around the corner and slaps some gloves on her hands. (Some brief background info: I have NEVER had my blood drawn since I have been old enough to remember!) I tell myself it's time to grow up and I roll up my sleeves so she can tie the rubber cord around my arm.

Lab tech: "Let's try the right arm... the vein is too deep. Let's try the left... the veins are too small. Let's try the hand...they're very small.

Me: "Can't I just give you a urine sample??"

Lab tech: "Well, a blood sample is better as it will tell us if you are pregnant no matter how far along you are."

Me: "Fine. Let me go get my husband so at least he's here when I pass out."


So I leave, terrified. I hadn't even told Troy yet as I didn't want to worry him if for some reason the at home test was wrong. He tells me already knew, but we just had not talked about it yet. He said it was obvious there were changes but he knew for sure when we were shopping for a 4 door truck.

I find him in the lobby and I ask him to come back with me as they wanted to draw my blood for a pregnancy test and I was afraid that I was going to pass out. He comes back with me and I sit back down in that stupid chair. Same exchange between me and lab tech again regarding which arm to use. She calls over another person who says, "Just use the butterfly needle in her hand".

I look away, breathe deeply, and just sit there with my face turning bright red and extremely hot. She sticks me, no problem. I was fine, just really hot. She MISSED! She didn't want to try again as she said my hand was turning cold and blue. After a glass of cold water and coming back to normal, she THEN tells me it was fine that I give a urine sample. UGH!!! All that for nothing!!

So I gave the sample and we left. Unsuccessful, traumatic day.

Finding out...

Before we left Florida, I had already suspected I was pregnant. I was a few days late and decided I should test to see what the results would be. They came back negative.

We arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday and spent the whole week rushing around trying to get everything done. Finally Friday night we settled down and had dinner and while ordering drinks I thought to myself, "I better not, just in case".

This morning I decided that I would test again since a whole week had gone by....



I am very excited to learn of the news, but afraid of the process to come. If you know me well enough, you know that medical procedures, offices and hospitals are not my forte... especially needles. Give me any other task to perform and I will exceed your expectations....but this is not my strength.

We got the house!

It has been quite busy on our 2nd full day here in Hawaii. We tried to stay up later so that we might be able to sleep longer today, but that didn't work. We were up again at 5. We had breakfast at the coffee shop down the street again while we planned out our day. We ate breakfast with 200 band members who kept bumping into Troy on their way to the buffet so the band director paid for our breakfast!

Driving around this morning

We went shopping for soccer gear for Troy as he is on the command soccer team. They play against the other commands on the base and were thrilled to learn that he LOVES to play. Guess we have to sign up for EastBay magazines again :)

Then we stopped in the housing office just to check on the status of the houses we were backups on and we were thrilled to learn we were primary on the house we wanted. We signed the paperwork and got into a discussion about me selling real estate which led to me applying as a leasing consultant. I'm excited to see how this pans out.

We're on the right!

Approximate Floorplan

Afterwards, we tried to get the car registered but we have some things we need to do with insurance and forms first so that is our project for tomorrow.

We decided to have lunch at Duke's restaurant, which was recommended by Eric. It is a nice walk up the beach from our hotel but it was a beautiful day so we were glad to get some sun.

A "dig me" daquiri

We had Ahi Tuna

Stir Fry Vegetables

And Hula Pie! Oreo crust, Macadamia Nut ice cream, Hard chocolate topping, hot fudge, whipped cream, and more macadamia nuts! It was really good!

See?

Just kidding! It was huge.

Poolside/oceanside massage. I took this for Sam. This lady gets $80 to do this so we'll put you to work when you get here :)

I thought it was interesting how they bury the trash cans in the sand. They are conveniently placed so many feet apart so that all the people on the beach will put their trash in them, instead of leaving it on the sand.

Flamingo's at the hotel....for you mom! :)

Then we found a hidden pool with hardly anyone there. We're a little red now, but it was nice to relax.

The hidden pool, and our tower. One of 5 at the resort.

This video is so you can hear the water! Enjoy!

Pictures from Day 1 & 2...from my cell phone.

Flyin' :)

Open airport with fresh flowers.

Driving around the base already!

View from our hotel room. 17th Floor.

I did some shopping....totally kidding! :o)

Hawaiian Boy. Back in his element.

Coconut syrup and fresh pineapple juice for breakfast. At 7AM.

Hotel

No caption. He has nothing to say about this picture. I asked.

1 of the pools, the one we can see from our room.

Goin' to work.

Beachy pictures tomorrow. Troy doesn't have to go to work so we're going to hang at the beach and the pool. We're waiting to hear about the houses as we are on the waiting list for our first choice. Cross your fingers. I think I can upload pictures directly here from my cell phone, so check back often to see what we're up to!!