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!)