Our Adventures in Hawaii

So...it's been brought to my attention that I need to update =) I'm not a very faithful blogger, sorry!

Let me start off by saying that I backdated a post on June 19th that contains ultrasound pics if you are interested!!

We've been keeping busy here in Hawaii and we are enjoying every bit of it. My only complaint is that I miss having a job and going to work more than I ever thought I would. Hopefully my feelings will change as soon as I have this baby in November and have my hands full with someone to take care of 24/7. I always looked forward to the day where I wouldn't have to have a job...and now I'm bored with it. Go figure.

I'll try to recap our July and August but so much has happened I don't know if I can remember it all. We spent the 4th of July with my grandma here. We went over to the base where they had a lot of activities going on. There were a ton of people and lines for everything. It was a little humid but it was bearable. Troy and I stood in line for over an hour to get my Grandma a certain dinner plate and wouldn't you know it, as soon as we got to the front of the line they sold out. I was SOOO mad. So hot, feet were swollen LOL, not a happy pregnant lady!! We ended up getting her some different food and she was happy so that's all that mattered. Right about the time the fireworks were to start, it started to rain. Luckily we had a really close parking spot and were able to get to the car so we just watched the fireworks from inside. Not the same as Rhythm and Booms but it was okay and she enjoyed it. We were home and in bed by ten o'clock!

I had a doctors appointment on July 7th. Just a quick checkup to make sure everything was fine, which it was. The 7th was also our 2nd wedding anniversary so after Troy got home from work we went to the Ala Moana Center and had dinner at Bubba Gumps. I had never been there before, it was interesting. I had crab legs which were decent. It reminded me a lot of Joe's Crab Shack but instead of crab everything was shrimp. Food was kinda pricey for the quality but we had really good service so that was nice. My grandma took us to a Luau that week to celebrate our anniversary too. I have some pictures that I will post of that. We had a really nice time. It was our 2nd time at a Luau and they were pretty much the same. They have some activities in the beginning to teach you about Hawaiian culture and then they serve you dinner followed by a show or presentation. It's neat if you haven't been to one before to see how they do it.

Gabriel had an incident in July which took us to the vet. One night he couldn't stop itching himself in one spot on his back that he made all his fur fall out (in that spot). We saw the vet who gave him a short acting steroid to stop the itch, a oily substance to put in his food, a special shampoo, and a product for dogs which is like Off bug spray for humans. He thought it was either an allergy to something outside, an allergic reaction to a bite of some sort, or just dry skin. He cleared up after using the shampoo one time which led us to thinking he just had really dry skin. He has always had dry skin, so he probably just could not stop itching that night. He goes back to the vet tomorrow for a follow up but he's doing just fine. His hair is finally starting to grow back after about 4 weeks! Other than that he is doing great.

The rest of July was spent shopping and preparing for baby Frank. He is still nameless as of today. We talk about it every once in awhile but...I don't know. He just doesn't have a name yet =) We bought almost everything that we think we will need, at least the major stuff. He has a crib mattress, mobile, soother, bedding, blankets, nursery decor, dresser, changing pad, swing, bouncer, jumparoo, stroller, car seat, clothes, a video monitor, bottle, bumbo, diapers times 1,000, wipes, bath, booster seat, bassinet for our room, pack and play for downstairs...I don't even know what else. I have a list on Amazon that keeps track for me! When my grandma left in July we took apart that bedroom and started to organize the room for the baby. It's a nice size, but it is so sterile. There are all these bright colors in there from his toys and bedding but the walls are like bright white! We can paint I guess, I just don't know if we're going to yet. It feels funny when I go in there. It's lacking a glider, books on the shelf, and curtains, so maybe once I get those things in there it will feel a little more cozy. And a rug...I need to find an area rug. Beacause we shifted the furniture from the office/guest bedroom around that meant that all the rest of the furniture had to adjust to accomodate the additional furniture!! So, we spent a week putting the house back in order, hanging pictures, and curtains. Everything is pretty much done now except I have a few frames that need new pictures in them. I just got burned out doing it so I haven't looked at it since.

Early August brought my birthday! I'm 24, although I don't feel any different and definitely don't feel any older so I'm happy about that! We went out Friday but I can't remember where, Saturday we went and had dinner at Ruth's Chris with John, Robin, and her mom. Dinner was nice except the service wasn't really what you'd expect when you're paying that much to eat out! In fact, I've been to 4 other locations and this one had the worst service. Kind of dissappointing, but the food was good as always. I had a really nice time just sitting down, relaxing, catching up with friends, and eating some good food. Sunday we went out on a boat with Ben and Stephen off the Waianae coast so the guys could do some diving. That was fun and I enjoyed being out in the sun but the water was rough!! That was only my 2nd time being out on a boat in the ocean (besides on a ship) and I have to say, I forgot how rough it really was out there. At one point going out of the channel I was afraid the boat was going to flip...and it was then that I realized maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I don't think I'll be going out again any time soon!! But, the purpose of the trip was so the guys could dive a wreck and they did, twice. Troy enjoyed it so that's all that matters. This was his second time out diving for fun. He took a couple pictures but he said there was nothing really to capture. I think it's about time for us to start looking at purchasing some dive gear for him. After we got back from being out on the boat we had a few friends over for awhile and Emily made a cake for me...chocolate cake with raspberry sauce in it...it was pretty good! That was the end of my birthday weekend =)

Had another appointment on August 4th which went well. Then we spent an hour at the lab doing the glucose testing, which was no fun. I had all I could do to keep that sugar drink in my body, that was so disgusting! The girl who worked in the lab finally listened to me after I spent 10 minutes telling her which veins would not work, which one she would try to use and miss, and which one she would have success with. She went with the one I told her would work and we didn't have any problems. I'm getting better with the whole blood drawing game and I'm fine as long as I have some really cold water to drink while I'm waiting for tube after tube after tube to fill up....I think it's ridiculous how many tubes they need. They must waste it somehow...anyway, they said they'd call in a week if there were abnormal results for the glucose test and they didn't so I'm glad all that is over with. Some of my books say that they will test you again later on down the road...I hope not. That was awful.

This past weekend were the playoff games for the soccer team Troy has been playing with since we got here. They placed 2nd so they did pretty good. It's rough when you have to play 3 games in one day...it's really hot, people get hurt, everyone else is burned out. I was tired, hot and irritable and I was just a spectator. Anyway, they got trophies and all that jazz. Not sure when they will start playing again but a break would be nice. Troy is pretty beat up. He hurt his wrist 2 weekends ago and there's a couple of other aches and pains that are bothering him. He must be getting old =) I think he's going to get his wrist checked out this week because it's just not getting better. He was offered a chance to play for UH's tournament team which is really cool. He went to one of the practices and said that the team is very serious about playing and they know their stuff. He considered it for a few days but decided that he couldn't really give it 100% effort right now. They practice two nights a week and play on Sundays, but he studies every night of the week so that would be taking half of his study time away. The advancement exam is 1 month away and he is also working on his qualifications in order to earn his dive pin.

Tomorrow night we are doing a tour at the hospital to see where everything is located and get familiar with the layout. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't pass out...but everyone I talk to says that this will be different because I will be there for a happy reason and not because someone is sick....I don't know...it still smells the same LOL. We talked about taking a couple classes there but according to Troy he is "not going to sit through that crap for hours at a time"...and I'm not going alone...so I don't know if we will end up doing them or not. It's crazy how judgmental people are. I have noticed so many people looking at me funny because they look at me, see that I'm pregnant, and then immediately look at my left hand to see if I have a wedding ring on....which I don't because some days my fingers swell and I don't want them to get stuck! I get so many dirty looks...imagine what it would be like if I'm at the hospital in a class alone with no partner! I'm just not gonna do it alone.

I go back to the dr on Thursday for a visit because Friday I'm flying home!! I am so excited to see everyone. I'll be in WI for just a couple of days and then I'm going to FL for 2 weeks before I head back to Hawaii. I wish that Troy was coming with me but with all the studying he's doing he needs to stay focused. Also, he's saving up his leave time for when the baby comes in November and he also wants to take a trip home in the Spring for a good 3 weeks or so. I'll be fine traveling without him, I'll just miss him!! Thank God for webcams!!

Wow, that's a long update! Next post will be just pictures =)