OB Appointment #2

Today's appointment went well. We just did another ultrasound to measure the baby and based on size, my new due date is November 21st. That makes me 12 weeks and 5 days today. Any previous mentions of how far along I was are wrong so disregard! We got new pictures and my mom got to see her grandson on the computer!

I almost passed out in the hospital when we were leaving because for some reason I got over heated. I was in pain because the Dr. tried was taking pictures of various female parts and jabbed me really hard. I wanted to kill her! My next appointment is June 9th.

After the appointment we went to have some breakfast at the coffee shop. Had some yummy french toast and then we headed to the pool. I'll leave you with a picture =) The view from my pool chair...

Day #4

Went to the swap meet this morning! Thank goodness I brought like 20 frozen water bottles...and I am not kidding!! Thank goodness for my husband who carried them all around in a backpack for us! =) We spent 3 1/2 hours there shopping.....AND....we didn't even make it 1/2 way around the stadium!! We probably would have made it around and shopped some more but we had to leave to go to Troy's soccer game. It was hot, but it was fun! We stopped at Subway to re-fuel and then off to the game we went. It was good game and they won so that's always a plus.

We had just enough time to come home and shower and get ready for the Luau at Paradise Cove. We took a lot of pictures so here are just a few!

Day #3

Arizona Memorial Day! Gosh, was that sad. I'm a strong believer in that your school books teach you NOTHING in comparison to seeing something in real life. There is wayyy more to life than school. I learned more on this tour in less than 1 hour than I did in U.S. History all year long. Really makes you think about how life can change at any moment.

Day #2

After my appointment today we went to have breakfast. Banana pancakes for me! We let the ladies do some shopping while we made our phone calls letting everyone know the baby looked good and had a strong heart beat! Then we hit the beach for some pedal boats and some sun, followed by some mei tai's at the Hale Koa pool.

OB Appointment

So today was my first appointment. I am very comfortable with my new doctor, she made me feel really comfortable. That was pretty important as the first time I met her and shook her hand I was practically naked sitting on the exam table. Awkward for a split second but she was really nice.

Troy was with me and she talked to him for awhile. She quickly recognized he was military and was asking if he would be here or not throughout the pregnancy. Uh...yeah =) If for some reason he could not, we would be making arrangements with the Red Cross to track him down to inform him when the baby was born.

She did an ultrasound to check out the baby...yes, there is only one! She measured for size and I was measuring small so she said she wanted to see me back in a week. We got a couple pictures, but I need to scan them.

Then......she sent me away to have my blood drawn. It's pretty unnerving when nobody can find a vein anywhere yet Troy's veins on his foot pop up like a half an inch!! So unfair. Anyway, the girl took a gamble and she got it on the first try. Thank God. I was okay for the most part. It felt like it took forever for them to fill up 4 tubes! I asked them for some water and they gave me hot water out of a fountain so next time I need to remember to bring my own.

Next appointment is Thursday the 14th!

Day #1

Today was a hot one. We spent the whole day on a stop and go driving tour. We drove through Kaneohe and then alllll the way around the North Shore. We stopped at random places to take pictures, we had garlic shrimp at The Shrimp Shack, and shaved ice at Matsumoto's. We drove, and drove, and drove. Then we arrived at the Dole Plantation. We toured the pineapple fields, walked through the flower garden, and had pineapple ice cream. YUM, YUM. It was so hot though, the ice cream was melting faster than we could eat it. Didn't help that Troy ordered the LARGEST thing on the menu! We could have easily fed 6-7 people with that ice cream. I believe they called it a split?! We're going to bed early as my dr. appt is at 9AM tomorrow! Hopefully I'll get to see my baby =)

Our first visitors!

My mom and Sam arrived tonight! They got here safely with no delays and after my moms luggage went around the carousel 4 times we finally found it =) We took them to the Hale Koa for some dinner and then came home and crashed. A picture...

Change in Plans

So I never really mentioned my being uncomfortable at Tripler the other day, I just atrributed it to being in a hospital alone. I had a chance to talk to a few other wives and get online and read for myself about different hospitals in the area. Apparently, Tripler isn't the best place to be on the island. I know that Troy was born there, a preemie too, 25 years ago, but I just didn't feel right. So, I changed doctors and changed the hospital where I will be giving birth. I picked a really nice Filipino doctor and will be delivering at Kapiolani Womens Medical Center.

My appointment with her is Thursday the 7th! I can't believe I will be 13 weeks already =)

We did a Flat Stanley project for our nephew, Trey. Here is Troy with Stanley at the back of the bread truck. Yes, the diver's use an old bread truck to haul all their gear. :)

Aloha!

Sorry it has been awhile. We moved into our house on the 8th, and had our internet set up rather quickly, but for some reason my laptop would not access the network. Finally had an IT guy come over this weekend and fix it for us!! You'll probably get sick of me now :o)

This will just be a bullet style update as that is the easiest way to recall what has happened all month.

• 4/8: Move in day. All of our stuff arrived and nothing was missing so that was a positive. Also, Troy was able to fit it all in a room, somewhere in the house, so I won't be selling any of it (besides the couch). On to the negative...EVERY piece of furniture (which was one year new when it was put into storage in February of 2008) is now dented, scratched, chipped, etc. I am not kidding when I say every piece. Some more than others of course. But, it is do-able. Our couch didn't fit with the set up of the living room so Troy sold it to a guy in 0% his indoc class. We got 75% of what we paid for it and I was able to find replacement pieces for only $50 more than what the guy paid us. That is amazing considering to replace the couch alone with like kind would have been $1400. It is definitely cramped a little in this house but I think I can handle it for 3 years. The living room is crowded, but has very high ceilings so it kinda balances out. The dining room table is pushed up against one wall, which is weird for me but it'll work. The kitchen is a LOT smaller than the one I had on Stone Harbor (excuse to cook less??). Our bedroom...wow. Let's just say on one side of my dresser (which is covering up a window!) is Troy's dresser and on the other side is our tv armoire. Those 3 pieces are all touching. A big no-no, for me anyway. And lastly, the guest bedroom has now turned guest bedroom plus office. This doesn't pose a problem for us now...but may in say...a year? :)

• 4/9: Finally got our satellite set up, but its not working properly. After 3 different installation technicians, we thought we were up and running. We atleast had the equipment and it was all hooked up but now it is not functioning correctly in the 2 bedrooms. It was quite the process as we are under property management rules and they have a ton of requirements about the dish and where it can be installed. First guy didn't show up, second guy didn't do what he was supposed to do, and third guy comes at 9pm to remedy the situation. At least Troy was able to get an extra HD DVR box so we can have HD in our bedroom. Not that we watch all that much tv but....

• 4/12:....the Easter Bunny did not like our old tv as it was big, bulky and heavy so he brought me a new one. Samsung HD 32" flat screen (an exact miniature of our living room tv)....for our bedroom. It's kinda ridiculous but....oh well :)

• 4/18: Our sweet boy Gabriel finally made it to the island. I made a reservation in advance for him to fly Continental Cargo. Because of scheduling conflicts, if I wanted him to arrive in Honolulu the same day he left Florida, he was going to have to fly out of Orlando. So on the morning of the 18th, he left Jacksonville at 4:30 AM and arrived in Orlando around 6:30AM. He was supposed to be there by 7:15 for an 8:45 flight. Well, I get a call at 6:30 saying that due to the weather in Houston, the flight crew was delayed getting to Orlando, and were now illegal meaning they hadn't had enough time to sleep. The man at CO Cargo told me that there was no way he was getting to Honolulu that day and that Gabriel might as well stay in Jacksonville. Apparently he doesn't know that it is a 2 hour drive from JAX to MCO. I get on the phone, making numerous phone calls to other airlines to see who can get him out that day. No such luck. Another call back to CO Cargo and the agent says "Get him to the airport I have a flight that leaves at 8AM to New Jersey and will arrive in Honolulu today". Welllll, that conversation took place at 7:30AM. Gabriel was rushed to the Cargo office, all the paperwork processed in about 15 minutes. They want him in his crate for weight, then out for an inspection, then back in for a tie down, 800 stickers attached to his crate, blah blah blah. Poor dog was stressed out and barking. He didn't like the man sticking his hands in his crate to zip tie it. 7:57AM he was wheeled out the baggage claim door onto the tarmac. 8:05AM the man confirms he made it on the plane. This is 2:05AM Honolulu time!! :) Skip ahead 16 hrs and 40 minutes....6:45PM in Honolulu, Gabriel is wheeled off the plane. A door bell rings in the quarantine station at the airport and Troy knows its him as I've been tracking him on the internet all day, refreshing the page to see his progress. He is backwards on a cart so he doesn't see anyone and is brought into the inspection room to check for fleas. He passes. He is in his crate and scared, he doesn't make a sound. After processing more paperwork, they wheel him out to Troy's truck and lift him up into the bed. Troy sees him for the first time and his tail wags slowly. He is excited to see Troy but obviously scared and dehydrated. He hadn't had any water since he left my moms house at 4:30 that morning. He finally arrives to his new house where he is right back to his normal energetic self and is happy to see "his" couch, the chaise lounge, and all "his" other furniture. :) We are so glad he's home with us again. It's been a long year. We don't have much of a yard for him to run around in, but we live one mile from the Bark Park so he gets to go there often and socialize. Bigger dogs scare him so he tends to hang with the smaller ones. He's a bit of an outcast and definitely needs more socialization.

• 4/21: Couch shopping day #1. Unsuccessful.

• 4/22: Couch shopping day #2. Success! We found a loveseat with two recliners to replace our sectional. It's quite a bit smaller but we wanted room for a matching recliner too. Now we have 3 matching pieces from 3 different stores. It's quite a coincidence that they match as well as they do. The chaise lounge, the loveseat, and the man chair. :)

• 4/29: Pay off debt day. It sucks to see so much money go away, but its a relief to not have so much debt. Still have a house and 2 cars, but that is definitely a lot more manageable than where we were.

I'm still trying to get everything organized here in the house. Most everything is put away but some things were just thrown in a closet to sort later. I am doing the sort later part now. Organizing the towel closet, oversized kitchen pieces, holiday decorations etc. I am almost there!! Atleast I can see the end. Then we'll hang some curtains and we're about done. Only other thing we'll be buying for this place is a grill and possibly a garage door opener.

My mom and sister are coming in a week so I've been looking at some things for us to do. We're definitely going to do a Luau, I just don't know which one to choose. There are like 10 different ones! We'll probably go see Diamond Head, Arizona Memorial, North Shore, and I want to do an island tour.

I haven't taken many pictures later but as soon as we finish this place I'll post some. You must be going through withdrawal I'm sure :)

It's finally out...sorta!

This morning we told the most of the family about baby Frank. We were surprised in that we received mostly positive reactions to the news. That helped a lot as we honestly weren't sure how everyone would take it. Thankfully it's all out in the open now =)

Even though we told our family, I'm still not comfortable telling our friends yet. I've had a too many (and even one is too many) friends who have lost their babies, or have had complications with their pregnancies and I'm just not prepared to deal with having to tell everyone if something is wrong. It's still very early and this is my first pregnancy so I just want to keep it quiet. People will just have to understand.

After we made our phone calls this morning, we stayed in bed....ALL day! I was too tired to go anywhere and my bed is extremely comfy!

Shopping!

We went shopping for you today baby. We didn't buy anything yet, but we have mentally picked out everything we want to buy for you =) We're going to start early!!

Yuck! Taco Bell....

Well Baby Frank, I was exhausted and sick today. Not sure if that was you, or Taco Bell, or over-doing it outside in the heat.

Let's not do this again!

8 Weeks

I am so excited about this baby. It is getting harder and harder to keep our secret.

I can't believe our baby has been growing for 8 weeks now. It seems so weird. I feel better today, no nausea. The only craving I have been having is for Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream! Even better than that is Peanut Butter Cup Explosion from Cold Stone.

Baby, we can't wait to meet you. I think your daddy and I will celebrate your life today with Cold Stone :)

Oops!

Note to self: Never post on a Thursday about the week being uneventful. Troy worked Friday night until almost 9:30. I don't know on what exactly, I just know he had to stay late and that they also had to work on Sunday.

He played another soccer game on Saturday morning, which they won. They have some strong individuals and together they play pretty good.

Sunday we went to the stadium and walked around the flea market. It was nice for a little more than half way through and then it got REALLY hot. Next time I need to bring some water.

I didn't get the job I wanted, and yes I am bummed about it. I am more than qualified for that position, I just didn't interview well. I hate that. I have sent in applications for a few more places and am just waiting to hear back. I'm also still looking.

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.