Obsessions

So I'm back on the island and I'm back to work. It's quite the adjustment when I've been pampered all summer with grandparents taking care of the baby and me being able to come and go as I please. But I like the routine that is established when it's back to work. I guess I can't win them all...at least not now.

So after we came home and before I went back to work, there was a two week window where Jerome was able to take leave. So Jerome, Sophia, and I hung out 24/7 for two weeks. It was great! We went to Kauai for a few days and had a fabulous time. I really liked it over there. We didn't have time to explore the entire island, but we still got to see a lot and relax even more. Sophia is such a great little traveller now...even on the way to Kauai, she slept the entire 25 minute flight. Oh, man I love her!

So it's back to work and I feel good. My class this year is so far, so good. They're not as chatty and loud as my class last year...not yet anyway. They seem like a good bunch of kids and I'm looking forward to being with them. Can I tell you how much I love my partner teacher, Kelsie? Our personalities are really similar so it's really easy. I just love my school in general--the staff is amazing and our principal is just the greatest. Believe me, I've worked with quite a few principals and the one I work for now is amazing. Too bad he's retiring this December..boo.

So there are a few new obsessions in the Angsuco household. Jerome got a new bicycle...his new mode of transportation! I will have to take a picture of his new ride. It's pretty sweet. We spent a pretty penny on it, but I think it's so worth it b/c we're going down to being a one car family, so we're saving on gas, insurance, etc. He's loving the new bike and he gets to workout everyday--something he's been missing since baby came along. He's obsessed with his bike now...looking up bike trails on Oahu and even thinking about going on the Century ride here on Oahu. (100 mile ride across the island)

My new obsession: making baby food! I don't know why I enjoy it so much and I honestly don't know why more people won't do it! It's so, so easy and so much cheaper. Plus, I know exactly what is going in her tummy and I can limit sugars and other random ingredients. I have a cookbook that my friend gave me, but really--it's not that hard to decide which foods would taste good together. Anyway, I took a couple of pictures of my new obsession:

My tools: paring knife, small Cuisinart (I make small batches), Pampered Chef microwave steamer (and microwave)

Baby food storage: 2 oz. cubes! (you can also freeze individual servings in ice cube trays and pop them out and store in a zip loc)

Top 3 (yellowish) are pear/peach mix, bottom three (purple) are blueberry/banana mix, and green cubes are broccoli.

So I basically just wash, then remove the skins of the fruits, cut into small pieces and the steam in the steamer with some water. It takes about 3-4 minutes in the microwave steamer. Then I just pour out the water and put it in the Cuisinart and process it until it's pureed! Sometimes I add some water if it's too thick, but usually I don't have to. I wait for it to cool a bit, pour it in cubes and store in the freezer! That's it! It takes me about 20 - 30 minutes to make one batch. I started out with my big blender at first, but if I'm not making a lot of food, it was a pain b/c the blender was so darn powerful. I spent $25 on the Cuisinart Mini Prep and it's great. So easy to use and clean!

Sophia has been an eating machine and so far she's liked everything we've given her. She didn't really like apples, but I think it's b/c I chose a random variety...Braeburn? I'll try Red Delicious next time. She's eating little puffs now and we tried Mum Mums yesterday and she loves them! She is really easy to please and just so much fun right now. She's not quite crawling yet but she's trying really hard! She scoots around and ends up going backwards. She is always so happy and our lives basically revolve around trying to make her laugh. I don't want her to start crawling, so I'm not really pushing it. I don't want to her grow up so quickly...so she can take her sweet time with her milestones. :) She's done everything else so darn fast...Can time just slow down?

Great, I'm watching the news now and Hurricane Felicia is heading our way. Probably won't directly hit us, but we will experience the remnants of it. Oh, yay.

way too fast

Yay for another bloggy blog post. I'm still here in Cali...I have a week left of my trip and it's back to Hawaii for us. It's really bittersweet--I love being here, but I'm anxious to get back to Hawaii to Jerome and get back to "normal". I always long to be on the other side of the ocean....

Anyway, I've been hanging out with my family a lot. Sophia is having a great time with her cousin, Brandon, everyday. I love watching my parents play and interact with Sophia--it really makes my heart happy. She is such a great baby, it's hard to not love her!! She is always so happy. I love playing with her and I got really sad the other day because I realize that she's growing so quickly. She's already scooting along and learning to crawl. She reaches out for my food and watches me eat. She's on solids and I feed it to her twice a day now. It's all too fast!! I just want to hold her and keep her small forever. I want time to stop and I don't want to let her go. She's so freaking cute and loveable....I actually miss her when she goes to sleep and sometimes just go in to watch her. *sigh*

Fourth of July was this past weekend and I must say that it was one of the best 4th of July's I've had in awhile. (surprisingly enough, the last time I had a great 4th of July was in SC!) I went to a family party at my cousin's house and we went down to the street fair first. Afterwards, it was just fun, family and tons of yummmmmy food. Everyone adored Sophia and she was happy happy as she got passed around from one person to another. At night, we walked down a few blocks to the local high school and watched fireworks. Sophia slept through the enitre thing! It was so loud...with people all around, the music blaring and the fireworks blasting away....and she just slept through it all. Gotta love her!

Other than that, it's been pretty mellow on my end. I don't have much planned each day, which is nice. I do have some lunch and dinner dates planned within the next couple of days, so that will keep me busy. It's been a fabulous trip and I cannot wait to come back in December...Sophia is going to be so big by then!!

Oh, we're also going on a family trip to Kauai when I get home. We are going for 3 days because Jerome was able to get 2 weeks of leave and we're taking advantage of that break. It's great timing because I will be preparing to go back to work and he will be there to help with baby. I can't wait to spend more time as a family...I never take these opportunities for granted! Can't wait to be with the 2 loves of my life for 2 whole weeks. :)

Here is Sophia's 6 month pic...She's so freaking adorable!

I'm back!!

Hello!! It's been about 7 months since my last post and I've had numerous people tell me that I have to post. Why??? The people who read this thing already knows what's going on! :) Whatever the case, I'll have to recap the past 7 months.

I had my baby on December 30, 2008. Sophia Isabelle Vuong Angsuco came into this world 6 days late and let us all know that she was in charge from the start. I was in labor for 22 hours, starting with an induction at 6pm on 12/29. After starting and stopping my contractions for 22 hours, I was 10 cm. dilated at 2:30pm on 12/30 and I pushed exactly 5 times and she arrived at 2:59pm. Epidural was administered at 10:30am. I don't know why I waited that long (and the only reason why I remember this exact time is because The Price is Right was on!) but after I got it, I was in heaven. I'm actually glad that I was able to feel contractions because now I can truly tell you that IT HURTS! Oh, man...never in my life have I felt that kind of pain/pressure. Moral of the story: get the epidural.

It wasn't an easy labor experience. Every time I had a strong contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop. I had contracted on my own after the induction medication, but we had to stop the contractions completely out of concern for the baby. Then they'd put me on pitocin, first at a higher dose, but then the contractions came too quickly and too strong. So they stopped the pitocin. They started again with a lower dose, but the baby's heart rate kept dropping, so they stopped the pitocin. Talk about yo-yo! I wasn't ready to push yet because by 12:30pm, I was only 3 cm. dilated. My doc came in and talked about a possible cesarean. Right when he uttered those words, I started to cry uncontrollably! I didn't want a cesarean and I begged my doc to do everything possible to get her out without any surgical measures. So he said they'd try the pitocin again, this time slowly. (I was fine with stopping/starting the contractions b/c I didn't feel a thing! Epidural = my bestest friend) After the started the pitocin once more, the doc came in right before 2:30 and checked my cervix...I had fully dilated in two hours. After that, it was a whirlwind of people coming in my room and the nurse getting me ready. The bed collapsed/pulled apart, spot lights came one, my doc was dressed in scrubs within a matter of minutes. I pushed when they told me to push (oh, and by this time my epidural was wearing out, so I was able to feel something. Still didn't hurt as much, but I still felt it all!) and in 20 minutes, she was out. It was at this point that I noticed how many people were in my room--about 15!! 8 with me, 7 with my baby. Apparently, my doc almost called a crash cesarean because baby's heart rate went waaaay low, but with forceps and an episiotomy, they got her out. She was perfect--Apgar scores were 8, 9 respectively. We were in love from the start!!

And it's all true. You forget about all the pain and everything else once you lay eyes on your baby. She is amazing. We were able to leave the hospital the next night because I didn't want to spend New Years Eve at the hospital. With my doc's ok, and the Pediatrician's ok, we were discharged from the hospital at 7pm on 12/31/09.

The first few days were difficult, but manageable. I think the hardest part was sleeping, not because the baby was crying so much, but because I would constantly wake up to make sure she was ok. Yes, it was hard and we had sleeping issues....especially when Sophia had her days and nights mixed up for about a week. But my mom was with us and so were my in laws, so we had tremendous help. Jerome and I took care of her at night and they all helped during the day. :)

Sophia is 6 months in a few days. She is truly amazing. At six months, she can:

- sit up on her own (starting at 5 months)
- roll over both ways (tummy to back at 3 months, back to tummy at 3.5 months)
- hold her own bottle (starting at 4.5 months)
- laugh, laugh, laugh
- recognize her name
- recognize mom & dad (can even recognize dad on Skype!)
- play with Bella
- eat solids (only rice, sweet potatoes, bananas and carrots so far--starting at 5 months)

She isn't sleeping through the night. She sleeps well, but wakes up 1-2 times a night to feed. She falls right asleep after she finishes though. She is a reletively easy baby and so, so happy. She only cries/fusses when she is tired or hungry. When she wakes up from naps or sleep, she plays until someone comes to get her. Sometimes she will yell if no one is around, but is all smiles when you get to her. She lets anyone hold her and loves to look at faces. She hasn't had any indication of seperation anxiety yet. We are really blessed to have such a great baby. Oh! And I may be biased, but she is DARN CUTE!

As for Jerome and me--we are doing well. Life with baby is definitely different, but we love it. I am currently on summer vacation and in California. Family and friends met Sophia for the first time and everyone loves her. I am getting spoiled as well--my parents are watching her so I can run errands and get things (like going to spa and getting mani/pedis) done. My family is trying to convince me to leave Sophia her so that my life can be "easier" and to pick her up in December. hahaha--no way! It's super nice to see that she is so loved though. I will definitely be taking full advantage of what I have now! It's all back to the real world when I go back to Hawaii!!

I love how everything I talk & write about just goes back to Sophia. *sigh*

Here are some pictures of the bugger. (most are recent b/c the older pictures are on the external harddrive at home)

finally holding her head up

Happy Baby!!

4 months old

5 months old

Mommy & me

Daddy & me

For more pics, go to my profile on Facebook. Here's a link to the album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91345&id=648845189&l=723ad8ad14

Alrighty--that's all for now. Hopefully, I can keep up this blogging!! TTFN!

10 days to go...

I had my weekly dr. appointment today. Zero cm. dilated. nothin'...nilch.

Good thing b/c Jerome won't be home until later this week. We had a talk with Sophia last night..."stay in, baby. Wait for Daddy to come home."

Think "stay in" thoughts until Friday!!

My mommy is coming in on Wednesday!!!!!!!!! :)

38 weeks pregnant and it's finally happened...

So....it's happened. I got the dreaded stretchmarks on my tummy. :( It's so ugly! I can't even see them because they're between my belly button and pelvic bone, so I can only see them in the mirror. BLAH. I've been so good with the belly butter, vitamin e....oh, well.

We're 2 weeks away from my EDD. (expected due date) I still feel pretty good--well, as good as I can be at 38 weeks of pregnancy. Sitting on the floor is no longer an option, my feet are no longer normal size, (thank goodness for Hawaii and being able to wear my slippahs to work everyday!) I get winded just getting into bed, and my back is achey, but manageable. But other than all that, I'm still walking around nicely, able to cook dinner (by choice!), and get things done at work and at home. Christmas shopping is finished and gifts are wrapped and are being sent out tomorrow! I feel good...

Last week we got another ultrasound because my doc thought I was measuring too small. It kinda freaked me out a bit, but it all turned out well. Our baby is small--she's in the 35th percentile, but not small enough to be of concern. The doc predicts she'll be about 6.5 - 7 lbs if she goes all the way. We got more pictures and this time Jerome was able to be there! We also got reconfirmation that it's a girl! :) She was moving so much that it was difficult for the technician to get pictures of he needed.

We're just about ready for her. We're stil getting furniture moved around, but it should all be finished by tomorrow. I just need to wash her clothes, get some diapers, and pack my hospital bag. Our generous friends and family have sent us everything that we need. My mom is coming in next week!! It's all coming together so quickly...I just want my baby already!

My birthday has come and gone. It was very quiet this year--I actually got really sick on my birthday and slept for most of the day. We eventually went to get a Christmas tree in the evening, but that was all I was up for that night. The next day, however, I felt great and we were able to celebrate then. The house is now all decorated for the holidays...inside and out. :) That's how I celebrated my birthday...my phone and email was bombarded and that's all I could have asked for. I didn't mention it at work at all because I didn't want anyone to make a big deal (my kids made enough of a deal!) and also because my work gave me a baby shower, so I didn't want even more attention. :) I had a great day, even though I was sick--it was just as it should have been.

Here's my belly at 38 weeks. Apparently, it looks like I've dropped today, so picture my belly a bit lower....

And here is Bella in front of our tree. :) Why, oh why, do I love to torture my dog...??

34 weeks, 2nd Anniversary

Many changes occuring these days--including Jerome being home now! After being gone for almost 2 months, he's finally home now. Life is now getting back to how things used to be, although I have to admit that since he's been back, it has been a bit difficult for me! It's just so weird to not have to do everything for myself anymore....it's refreshing, so I'm not complaining. :)

So I'm 34 weeks pregnant this week...that's 8 1/2 months! Just 3 more weeks and I'm officially full term. How scared am I!? Jerome and I went on the hospital tour today. We will be delivering at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children. It was a great experience and now my mind is a bit at ease as to what to expect. The Labor and Delivery room was really nice! I think Jerome was a bit overwhelmed, but who wouldn't be?

We've also purchased all of the necessary baby furniture, including some not-so-necessary. We had to rent a van to purchase and take home our crib, dresser, and a glider. (the glider was our luxury purchase and I LOVE it!) It was a huge weight off my shoulders, as I've waited for Jerome to come home to get that all done. Jerome's finished building everything (I love him) and now we're just going to have to move some furniture around the house. And when I say "we", I really mean Jerome and his friends. :)

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary--Veteran's Day! The greatest thing about getting married on a holiday? We both get the day off! The bad part? The restaurant we were SO LOOKING FORWARD to eating at today was CLOSED! Oh, well. We found another restaurant and was very happy with that decision. It was a great day--nice and relaxing, ending with a great dinner at a beachfront restaurant. Happy Anniversary, Jerome!

Oh, and that means Bella's birthday is in 2 days! :)

Here is the long awaited picture of the belly...at 34 weeks. Enjoy!

Anniversary

This week marks the one year anniversary of Jerome and I moving to Hawaii. I can't believe it's already been a year--it went by so quickly! My 13 months in South Carolina felt like fooorrreeevverrrr and these 12 months on the island has just FLOWN by. In one year, we've done so much. Jerome made rank and has gotten his dolphins (yay!). I found a great school to work at that treats me just like ohana and I love going to work. We're expecting our first baby in about 10 weeks. We've made some really good friends who I'm starting to be able to depend on and trust more. Jerome's career as a sailor is in full force and I'm adjusting (much better than I had imagined) to the Navy/deployment lifestyle. We've had numerous visitors, so home is never too far away. Life is good--and a year ago today, we were scared to death coming to the island, to a new life. I look forward to the next couple of years to see what this Navy life and island has to offer us.

On an even more cheerful note, WE'RE HALF WAY THROUGH THIS DEPLOYMENT!! WEEEEEE!!!

Almost half way there...

I'm on my Fall Break and so far, it hasn't been that bad. I'm also almost half way through this deplyoment--this weekend was great because I was able to talk to Jerome all weekend. He had a port call in San Diego, so he arranged to take leave and spent it in LA. I was so jealous!! I *almost* booked a flight home last minute just so I can be home for my break and to see Jerome. (bonus!) But, I didn't....must save money for baby. Jerome had a great time at home, though, so I'm glad it all worked out.

I'm in my third trimester!! I'm officially 29 weeks this week...it's been going by so quickly. I had my glucose test last week and I passed...no news is good news! :) (btw--the test was not THAT BAD. My drink tasted like concentrated fruit punch and my doctor's office chilled it, so it was doable. When you have to take the test, request your drink to be cold!) So yay for no Gestational Diabetes for me!

The baby has been kicking like no other these days. She kicks, rolls, hiccups, punches...it's all really weird, but cool at the same time. Not so cool when I'm trying to sleep, but it's fun to be able to feel her. Sometimes I can see the movement really well on my stomach, and that really freaks me out. It's so alien like! I hope this isn't an indication of how she's going to be outside of the womb. Wishful thinking, I guess.

I'm more tired these days. I can't really do much before I need to rest. Coming home is all about putting up my feet and resting. Bella and I nap on the couch all the time. :) Speaking of Bella, she's been so attached to me. She follows me everywhere I go in the house--as if she's afraid that I'd leave her like her daddy did. She misses Jerome so much--when he was talking to her on the speakerphone, she was freaking out, running to the door and whining. She's always looking out the window for him...poor thing. She misses her play pal!

Sorry, no picture yet. I just haven't thought about it. I promise, once I get to it, I'll post one up. :) I just feel fat and from my end, I'm huge. Others tell me that I don't look that big and that all my weight is in my tummy. I sure don't think so!!

Hope everyone out there is doing well!

I'm surviving Jerome's deployment and so far, it's not so bad--however, this past week was extremely busy, so that was a huge factor. I'm not so sure I like being SO busy, though. I am so exhausted by the end of the day, I feel like I'm neglecting Bella and there's no time to relax. Seriously, I am not cut out for a job that works until 5pm--when do you find time to do anything?? Thank goodness for getting off at 2:45pm everyday. :)

So since Jerome left, of course, several things have needed his attention, but he's not home to attend to them. It's inevitable that it happens this way, but I think it's just a test for me. :) I used to be so independent and ever since I've gotten married, I've come to depend on Jerome a lot...so now it's a test for me to find myself again! Anyway, the night Jerome left, we found that the crack on our Civic's windshield has spread, so the car now sits in our garage to prevent it from getting worse in the sun. (I usually drive that car when Jerome is not home so we can save gas...) So now I get to call our insurance company to see how we can get that fixed. I've also either chipped my molar or the filling has come off b/c it's not feeling quite right. I blame that one on the pregnancy b/c my teeth has not been the same ever since. Baby stuff have come in the mail to be assembled, and of course, I'm not going to wait for Jerome to come home to put it together! Yes, I put together the baby's swing and a Pack 'n Play and if I do say so myself, it all looks great. (of course, Jerome will have to double check...just in case! for baby's sake.) Also, I'm trying to finalize dates and such for maternity leave and need Jerome's input...but that can wait for when he comes home. Oh, and then there's Bella's food running out--we made a mental note to get some more before he left, but we both forgot. We usually get a 50 lb bag, but that's not going to happen, so I just got a little bag for her for the time being. :)

None of it is really a big deal, but when you're lazy like I am, it's pretty darn hard to get anything done. The 2nd trimester energy burst is slowly going away and I'm back to daily naps to get me through the evening.

I'm almost at my 27th week, so that means just 1.5 weeks until my 3rd trimester. Crazy, isn't it?!?? I feel huge, but people say I don't look it...so I guess that's good.

Jerome's emailed me twice and it makes my day when I get an email from him. He passed his dolphin boards, so now he's a fully qualified sailor!! I'm so proud of him--yay! He will be in port in San Diego soon and will probably be able to take leave and to go LA for a few days (since Tijuana is off limits for them now!) so hopefully he'll be able to see some friends and family when he goes home. Too bad I can't be there too!!

I will try to take a picture of myself one day...one day, when I remember to bring the camera upstairs. (dude, once I'm upstairs, I don't go back down until the next morning!)

Remembering

Today we remember what happened to our country seven years ago. I don't know why, but 9/11 always make me contemplative. I think about how much our lives have changed since that faithful day--some as a result of the attacks, many that have nothing to do with the attacks at all. I guess I was just think of the person I was back then. I was still in college when the attacks happened and I still remember exactly where I was and how I found out. It's amazing how life changes so quickly. Who would have ever thought I'd be married and living in Hawaii 7 years later?

Anyway, the school held a moment of silence today and I actually teared up a bit. The students noticed, but did not say anything. They were only 5 years old when the attacks happened!! Some didn't even know where the twin towers were located...it's amazing how little some of these children know about 9/11....and they were alive when it happened! So it was a small, teachable moment for them. *sigh* makes me feel old.

I'm in my 25th week of my pregnancy and I'm doing well. Had my doctor's appointment yesterday and all is well. Although, my doctor did not enjoy the 6lbs I gained last month ("didn't we agree on 1lb/week??") he said that my overall weight gain is in check. Now I have to watch my carb intake...boo.

The only thing that has been bothering me is the heat here. It's the hottest part of the year--it's mostly humidity and it's driving me crazy. There's no a/c in my classroom, so if there are no tradewinds, the humidity just sits there and it's SO HOT. As a result, my skin (face) is breaking out...oh, well. Not much I can do!

Jerome leaves for his deployment soon. He will be gone through his birthday, so I'm bummed that I won't be there to celebrate with him. I hope that the time will go by quickly...I'm sure it will because it seems that the time just flies by here. We've lived in Hawaii for almost one year already! So here's hoping this deployment goes by quickly....

Not much else going on here. It's just work and, lately, preparing for Jerome's deployment. The days go by quickly because there's always so much to do. I'm enjoying teaching 6th grade--for the most part, my class is great. My school is so supportive and I never have a problem wanting to go to work. Life on the island is good....let's see if I feel the same way this time next week! Oh, and in three weeks, I get my Fall Break, so one week off for me!

Here I am with my 24 week belly:

boo on Navy

So the one thing I've learned as a submarine wife is that change is inevitable. It's expected. Don't believe it will happen until it happens. So when Jerome's phone rings, I know something is going to change. *sigh* I don't know why I still get annoyed about it, but I do.

So the plans for Jerome's boat going out to sea for 6 weeks was a go, then it was postponed until beginning of 2009, and now it's back to originally planned schedule. This means that he leaves for 6 weeks in about a month. BOO. We had originally planned for this, but when we heard it was postponed, I started letting things go--stopped looking for a new apartment, signed up for childbirth classes & hospital tour, started to plan for Jerome's birthday....then POP! the captain tells us wives tonight that "plans have changed". boo. I guess I have to reschedule the classes and tour for November and really get things in gear when he gets back.

That's another thing I've learned as well--I need to just take things in stride. Sure, I can get upset about it, but what's the point in that? Jerome can't change anything and it's not his fault. It's his job, so I need to just go with the flow...and he works so hard and never complains, so I shouldn't either. When he's here, I appreciate him so much more, so in the end it's worth it. But man, it's hard!

Our baby girl is kicking like crazy and I've gotten used to the novelty of it. Sometimes it's quite annoying--but what can I do. I had a doctor's appointment last week and everything is normal. My doctor is extremely conservative, so if he's happy, that's good news. I hate it when I have to get on the scale, though--I hate it when the nurse has to move the dial to the right...so not used to seeing a number like that. blah.

I'm coming to Cali next weekend! Ends up that Jerome will be home that weekend, but his boat pulls in after I will be leaving...so I won't be home to see him coming home. It's ok, though. He can spend some quality time with Bella over the weekend. :)

Made in Hawaii

Jerome and I went to the "Made in Hawaii" Festival today at the Neil Blaisdail Arena. It was fun, but we didn't come out with much...just some hawaii snacks. Anything that I liked was too expensive, such as the $75 cutting board made of bamboo and koa woods. It was a fun experience though, and it was nice to see so many people supporting the local vendors.

Speaking of Made in Hawaii, here's my week 21 belly. (get it? our baby is made in Hawaii...hahah!) We missed week 20 b/c Jerome wasn't here. Oh, well. This is a short post b/c we're watching Olympics. Go Michael Phleps! (going for #8 today!)

Elated & Deflated

Jerome came home today! We (other wives) went to the harbor to see the sub pass by and then went to the pier to meet up with our boys. It was incredibly hot, and stupid me forgot to bring some water or snacks and almost passed out on the pier. It was not a pretty sight for awhile there, but luckily there were vending machines nearby and someone went to get me a water. That would have been horrible if I passed out!

But Jerome is home and I'm happy happy happy. That's the good news. But in Navy fashion, all good news cannot last. Jerome's leave was not approved (boo) because they're going again during that time. SO, I'm going home by myself again. AND he will be out to sea before and still be gone when I come back. (double boo)

So I'm bummed because I was SO hoping that Jerome could come home with me. Because he's not coming home, I think I'm going to lay low and not have the big family/friends party that I was planning. I will probably just meet up with groups of friends instead and see my family on a smaller scale. I'm just happy that I'll be able to see everyone one more time before the baby comes. It doesn't take much for me to be happy anyway--just want to see my loved ones! :)

Tangent: How amazing was the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies?? (Political issues aside, you have to admit it was absolutely fantastic!) I've always LOVED Olympics, since my Dad is the same way, and this was BY FAR the best Opening Ceremonies I've seen. I seriously teared up several times while I watched it! hahaa...AND I tivo-ed it for Jerome and have already watched it twice. Olympics is also always on TV here, so that's all I watch. Love. It. Proud of the Motherland. :)

Alright, I'm going to wake Jerome from his nap so he can take me to the mall and look at diaper bags. Stay tuned for Week 20 belly pics.

Half way there!

Today marks my 20 weeks of pregnancy. We're half way there, folks!! (Which, incidentally, reminds us all that there are only 20 weeks left until Christmas!) Pretty scary how time has just flown by. Whew!

It's been an emotional week and it's only Wednesday night. Among other things, Jerome left again and won't be home until Sunday or Monday. I just hate not being able to communicate with him. The good news is that I'm keeping busy, so the time goes by much more quickly. Work is really taking up a lot of my time, but I'm enjoying it much more than I had anticipated. I'm actually at a training from today until Friday, but really--trainings seems more draining than actually teaching. (side track: some not so smart person decided to have us sit at cafeteria style seats at the training...killing my butt and back...) I'm really liking my class and as soon as all the kinks for the class schedule and routine is set, I will be able to relax more. Until then, I stay after school for an hour or two afterwards everyday. *sigh*

Still don't know if Jerome got his leave approved. Won't know until he comes back--or if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a random email.

Here's my week 19 belly. :)

We're having a Girl!

So I went in for my "big" ultrasound. It was a great experience--and although Jerome couldn't make it, (due to circumstances beyond our control) I had a great visit. By far my favorite doctor's visit. :) I had to drive all the way to town (Waikiki) and the office was specifically for ultrasounds, stress tests, ets. So no urine test, no blood taken--all good news for me. When the tech came in, she was really friendly and noticed my school staff shirt. (dude, I just came from work and barely made it...I didn't have time to change!) Her son goes to a school in the same district, so we had a conversation. She asked if I had any dreams or such about the sex of the baby and I said no, however, I was almost POSITIVE it's a boy. I don't know why, but I just had a strong feeling. (also, all those Chinese/African calendars said I was having a boy!) I then said, "I'd be shocked if it's not a boy." So after searching around my tummy, she replies, "So how shocked are you going to be?" I was taken aback and shocked, totally not expecting that she'd say that!! So yes, we're having a girl. There was a labia--nothing else. hahaha--Jerome was just as shocked (Crystal was speechless) but after the news had settled, we are all happy and excited.

Here are our first pictures of our little girl. Because I was so chatty with the tech and the doctor, I ended up getting almost 20 pictures printed and a CD of 81 pictures and videos. Jerome and I had a great time looking at them together. :)

Here are her little feet, which I'm starting to feel kick in my lower abdomen throughout the day.

It's definitely a girl!!

Her thumb on her nose, fanning out her fingers, as if to say, "neener, neener--you thought I was a boy!"

Contemplating life in the womb

The tech said she was cute--I think she looks like an alien.

She's finished with pictures now.

She is healthy and normal, exactly the size/weight that she should be at this stage. (exactly what the books say too...I'm telling you, I'm textbook pregnancy!) At 19 weeks and 2 days, she is 15 cm. long and weighs 9 ounces. Thank goodness for not being a huge baby!! :)

We are elated and can finally start looking for girl friendly stuff for her. I probably won't do much pink, since I'm a cheapo and want to use the stuff for the next baby--in a few more years. So we're looking at lots of gender neutral stuff (greens, yellows). Doesn't stop me from buying her girly clothes tho!!

Plans for my going home are still the same--still coming home Labor Day weekend. Jerome MAY be able to come home with me, but won't know until the command approves his leave. Either way, I will be home! I will probably not have a baby shower, rather, I'll have gatherings of family and friends of sorts. Baby Shower just gets too complicated--can't bring gifts back anyway!! But if you want to get our baby girl a gift, we have created a registry on Amazon and Babies r Us. :)

I'M HALF WAY THROUGH THIS PREGNANCY!? CRAAAZY! :)

Just for Crystal

Ok, so my trip home over Labor Day weekend may be changing, so keep posted. It's getting all confusing and complicated, but changing the flight may turn out for the better. :) Anyway, Crystal has been bugging me to post pictures--specifically of my belly. I'm definitely showing, but not as much as you'd think. I'm just waiting for the day my belly just blows up...which, I read, literally happens overnight. So, here are some pictures of me at 18 weeks. :)




Ok, so it doesn't look like much, but it sure does look like it from my end!!! Anyway, here are some other pictures I wanted to share. :)

My cutie patootie nephew, Brandon.



A view of Jerome's sub on the day I was able to watch it do a personnel drop. (My first time seeing the sub in motion!!)



So that's all for now. Tomorrow is the first day of school and I'm getting quite nervous! I guess it's the normal "I hope I'm ready" nerves...but it feels like the very first day of teaching for me!! I guess in a sense it is since I haven't taught 6th grade (or upper grade, for that matter!) before!! I hope it'll be ok! :)

Last Chance

I just booked my flight home for Labor Day weekend. It'll be my last chance to go home until probably next June, when I'm on summer break and I can take home baby. Hopefully Jerome will be able to come home with me. Anyway, I will be home from Friday, August 29 to Monday, September 1. Hopefully I can have a baby shower sometime during that weekend...but that's not important. I just want to see my friends and family! :)

Jerome is back from his 6 days and it was fun going to the pier and watching the sub pull up. It was my first experience and I had a great time. Great weather, great company, and especially great seeing Jerome after 6 days! He gets to be on top of the sub when they pull up, so I don't have to wait for him to get out of the metal tube to see him. :) It was nice. Too bad no photography was permitted on that part of the base (or any part, for that matter...) so I can't show you anything!!

The keikis come back on Tuesday!!! I'm getting nervous. Open House tonight and I get to meet parents. F-U-N.

Reality

So the time has finally come. Jerome's sub is officially out of shipyards and that only means one thing. Actually, it means a couple of things--but the main thing is that he is now going to be gone more often. Now, I've been used to him not being home....sometimes it's for one day, other times it's two days. I'm a fairly independent woman and I can usually keep myself busy. But now the time apart is one week, later on will be a few weeks. Soon enough, it will be months. I really thought I would be able to handle it--afterall, we're used to being apart. (Like when Jerome lived in South Carolina and I was in LA for those 3 years.) But it's different now. There's ZERO communication. He can't call every night and I can't tell him about my day. I can't expect a call from him at a specific time. I just have to hope that he'll call some time during the day. He was gone for 2 days this past week, and when I picked him up, I swear I had diarrhea of the mouth! I had to tell him everything that had happened since he was gone. He was totally overwhelmed.

But there is a bright side! There will no longer be 12 hour work days--Jerome says if anything, their hours will probably be 4-6 hours/day. So when he's here, he'll be HERE. When the sub is here, life will be "normal"....whatever that is. There's always a silver lining, right?

So life here is becoming more hectic. I'll be starting up work again--teachers go back on the 24th, students back on the 29th. I've been in my classroom for a few hours a day, a few days a week. It's finally getting to the point where I'm comfortable enough to say, "this is my classroom." I've worked so hard to get it to where it is now! It's a complete 180 from how I inherited the classroom...it was disgusting...and now it's much better. Jerome helped me move some furniture and now it's starting to make more sense...much better flow....much better learning environment. :) Let's hope the kiddies think so!

We are also planning on moving within the next month. We want to move out of our house now b/c I'm very wary of the carpet. It's what I term "dorm carpet" because whatever you spill on it, it disappears. Who knows what's on the carpet! Nothing I'd want my baby to crawl/roll/play on, that's for sure. That's the main reason why we want to move. We do qualify to move to another military housing community and as a last resort, we definitely will do that. It's a newer housing community and the houses do not have carpet, which can be a pain, but at least it won't have nasty carpet. Our optimal choice would be to move off base, into a house/townhouse that has 3 bedrooms. We really want 3 bedrooms so that there can be a baby room and a seperate guest room/office. We looked at a community where Jerome's buddy lives and I really liked it--so we're looking in that area. It's actually the halfway point between Jerome and my work, so it's perfect. Now if only we can find a place.... (btw, we want to move within the next month b/c after this sea trial, Jerome will be in port for about month, so he and his buddies can move us!)

Pregnancy is going well. I went to see my new doctor and it was a good visit. We heard the heartbeat and everything seems to be going well. They took more blood (quad screening test) and I had to pee in a cup again--same 'ol, same 'ol. I have an 3D ultrasound on August 1, where we find out the sex of the baby. I'm getting so anxious to find out! Too bad we can figure out names...

Alright, off to bed I go. I really need to start adjusting my sleeping schedule, because this sleeping at midnight and waking up at 8 or 9am is not going to be good for me once school starts! I've been making my own lesson plan/grade book (because I'm too cheap to buy one...but don't ask me how long it took me to make this one!) and now I have to make other stuff for my classroom. *sigh* It's good to be busy, right?

Model (pregnant) Student

My pregnancy has been pretty textbook. Everything that's supposed to happen week to week (according to the books and the websites I subscribe to...which all say the same thing) basically happens to me. Maybe it's all psychological and I'm willing it all to happen?? Or maybe it's all been happening and I just notice it once I read that it's "supposed" to happen? Some examples:

- Nausea & fatigue is supposed to subside by your 11th week. This is because your body should be adjusted to the wacky hormones running through your body. My nausea (for the most part...like 90% of the time) went away at 10.5 weeks and fatigue, although I'm still tired at times, has gone away significantly. I'm feeling MUCH better than in weeks 5-10.5.

- Because of the uterus expanding so rapidly at the end of the first trimester & second trimester, you start to pee like no other, every half hour. This has been me for the past month...basically when I started my 2nd trimester, I've been needing to pee. This is quite possibly the most annoying part so far. (I'm sure mentioned this plenty of times! :0)

- At your fourteeth week, you may experience stuffy nose & headaches. Guess what I've been dealing with for the past 2 weeks?? You got it! Blowing my nose like no other, problems breathing through my nose at night, and waking up with wicked headaches. Headaches can get so bad that I have to resort to Tylenol (which is allowed, btw) otherwise I just get nauseaus and have to throw up. It's almost like a migraine. yuck.

- Also at fourteen weeks, your hair and skin should start to change. Some experience hair falling out, some experience thicker hair--I've notice that my hair is a lot less oily (not like the so-oily-have-to-wash-it-everyday-hair in my first trimester) and is thicker. Also, my skin is drier and if I don't apply my lotion every night and morning, I get all itchy. (btw, Crystal, I rub the Mama Bee on my tummy everynight!)

That's about it so far. The good news is that I'm in my 16th week and the uterus is *supposed* to be adjusting and so my frequent need to pee should get back to normal soon. *whew!* I have a Dr. appointment next Wednesday, my 17th week, with my new doctor. Jerome is trying really hard to be there, but we're not sure he'll be able to. :( We're still debating on getting the amnio--I don't want to because we already know that if we find that there is something wrong with the baby, (knock on wood) we'd still keep it, so what's the point? Jerome argues that if we do find something wrong with the baby, then we'd be more prepared for whatever is to come. That makes a lot of sense to me too. I'm leaning towards "no" because I don't want a big needle in my tummy. If Jerome isn't at the appointment, I'm DEFINITELY not doing it. I guess we will see. We also *should* be able to find out the sex of the baby--but since I'm going to a new doctor, I don't know what to expect.

I should start going to sleep now. I have to drive way the heck downtown for a training and I hate driving in that part of town. Just a few more weeks and I'm back to work...it went by so quickly!

Johnny Depp

For some reason, I've been watching movies starring Johnny Depp. They've been on TV, so it seems that it's Johnny Depp season or whatever. Just the other day, "Benny and Joon" was on TV and I had to watch that again. Then I watched, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" on TV a few nights ago. Last night, "Sweeney Todd" came on Netflix and Jerome and I watched that movie together. Ok, I've decided that I really enjoy Johnny Depp as an actor. He's freakin' amazing! He plays such great roles and he's so convincing.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about Sweeney Todd. Now, that movie is STRANGE. I don't want to give much away if you haven't seen it, but let me preface it by saying it's a musical (so Johnny sings!) and it's really dark. Anyway, apart from the one scene where I almost threw up (seriously, I almost did!) the movie was quite entertaining and sealed my newfound admiration for Mr. Depp. He is, afterall, Capt. Jack Sparrow!

We finally got a Wii! After months and months of trying to find one on the island, (it's almost impossible) we stumbled upon a shipment at Walmart yesterday while trying to buy some cleaning products. It was meant to be! Now, if only the games we want weren't sold out as well.

No new pregnancy news here. Today marks my 15th week. wee!