maternity photos

the weekend before jeff left, we got to do an awesome photo shoot with mike from jeff's office. he's building his portfolio & wanted to get some maternity shots & of course we wanted to document this awesome time too. we had a blast! the first shoot we got some amazing shots, but only shot for about 30 minutes, which included a double rainbow & then the sky dumped on us! but we got together again a few days later & got some more fun shots! check out his websitehere & if you're in guam, you should contact him & get some special photos done!

the double rainbow!

a kiss after the rain

2nd time shooting, the waves made sure we didn't stay dry for long

air force soccer article

an article about my husband came out today! i'm so proud of him & so excited! he made it stateside safely & soon the training camp begins! read about it here.....

so proud of my husband

so jeff was accepted for the All Air Force Soccer Training Camp! a pretty big deal.... out of the whole air force, they chose 43 players & not only is jeff a keeper (fewer number of people chosen) but he was 1 of 5 in his rank! he gets to go back to the states, which by itself is amazing, but he gets to go back to where we lived before we moved to guam! fort walton beach!! he's gonna be able to see his family & our friends (not to mention eat at lenny's & shop at target)!

i am very excited & have a good feeling he'll be chosen for the team. not trying to jinx it, but he's been training so hard & deserves this! besides playing on the men's league here, he's also been training & playing with the Guam Men's National Team.

anyway, gonna miss him a bunch this next month, but so excited for him! here's hoping baby girl stays snug & cozy in mommy's tummy while daddy's gone! at 30 weeks today! she's kicking now, she's proud of her awesome poppa!

can you say "remembrance, hope & gratitude"?

ok, so my last post was me complaining about the rainy season here. & yesterday it had been 5 years since hurricane katrina had hit. i remember that day & the days that followed...... living right on the gulf during this time of year is always unsettling (ivan hit us hard & destroyed a lot in 2004), but watching what new orleans suffered through was so disheartening. we were fine when katrina hit, just loss of power for a while, but it was horrible to see the destruction & devastation that occurred. but there is hope now with ongoing rebuilding efforts & as we continue to hear stories of survival & perseverance.

and the victims of the floods in pakistan. so sad to see all the destruction & suffering occurring in their country.

so i hope & pray for the victims of these natural disasters. & i feel gratitude that here in guam we were safe the day i blogged about the rain.

can you say "rainy season"?

so this tropical little island in the middle of nowhere has only 2 seasons.... rainy & dry. & i didn't think much of it as we entered the rainy season this year & enjoyed a smattering of little showers here & there. i was thinking, "man, this isn't that bad. it rains a little bit for a few minutes & then back to sunshine".... well, then came this week. with rains that lasted on & off all day. & finding myself being poured on not once, but twice this week, running from store to car. but then yesterday as i was driving back from yoga i got to see the ugly side of these rains. i go to yoga down at the navy base, which is not very far away (considering the whole island is like 30 miles long - with us at the top & navy in the middle) but it's about a 40 minute drive one way.

anyway, so it was raining, a lot, when i left navy & knew it would take longer than the 40 minute drive considering the rains were so bad. but i was not prepared for the roads to turn into muddy rivers. really. the water was up to the top of cars tires. it was pretty scary. & the times when you could see the pavement it looked like a coconut mass murder horror scene with coconuts shattered all over the place. the power was out & there were a few cops out directing our hybrid land/ water vehicles where to drive.

but thankfully i made it out alive & didn't float away & as i get back closer to the top of the island, it looks like there hadn't even been a drop of rain all day. sunny & dry & the total opposite of what i just drove through.

only on guam. wish i had a camera with me yesterday...... rivers for roads, muddy waterfalls down the side of the mountains, coconut crime scenes...... i have a feeling that wasn't the one & only time.....

hong kong hustle

so we went to hong kong last weekend & had a wonderful time! we purchased a holiday packet from info, tickets & tours (ITT) on base, which was easy & somewhat affordable. we left on a friday night & were greeted at the airport by our own driver who took us right to the hotel. we stayed at the regal hong kong, which is located in causeway bay on the island. a nice hotel, it smelled good (important for a pregnant lady) & the staff were very friendly. our room had a nice view of the city & the best part of the hotel, besides location, was the rooftop pool.

saturday we took the mtr to the big buddah on lantau island & had an awesome (sweaty hot) day! had lunch at one of the shopping areas near the mtr before heading back. the mtr is easy to navigate & affordable (we got the octopus card), but certain areas still require a lot of walking to get from the train to your destination. but it seemed like every station had a mall inside. holy shopping hong kong!

our personalized tv greeting

some sights around the hotel

in the cable car

big buddah & mini buddah belly

one of the deities at the top

after our late lunch & train ride back, we hit the pool & chilled out until it was time to shower up & head out for dinner. we stayed close to the hotel & checked out a huge mall in causeway bay - times square. we ate at a nice chinese restaurant & had dumplings & a chicken & veggie dish. the waiter asked if we wanted a fork & knife & we said no, because, come on who wants to be those people..... we're not bad with chopsticks, but we're not the best. especially when the veggie dish has these teeny little slippery round mushrooms that made me feel like any second i could be mistaken for julia roberts in pretty woman when she shucks the snail across the restaurant. but all mushrooms stayed at our table & i wish i had gotten a picture of the table set up..... beautiful. but too hungry for pictures, so sorry blog.

killer views

chopstick store!

the next day we were gonna head out to the bird & flower market & then hit up a temple, but it was a bit rainy so we headed across the island to kowloon & tsim sha tsui to check out the museums. we went to the art museum which was awesome, beside beautiful art the view from the building was stellar. you could see all the harbor! we had a great time. after the museum we headed to harbour city, another huge shopping area. we had the best burgers at BLT burger & walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel for some more pool time.

in the art museum, crazy view

hong kong ballet poster in the mtr

i really wanted to catch a harbor cruise to see the lights & buildings, but you can't rush a pregnant lady & when i need to eat, i need to eat. so we skipped it & hopped in a cab & headed to soho in search of a tapas restaurant i read about. again, i should have taken a picture of the restaurant, but when it comes to food there are no distractions. we shared some great plates & had delicious dessert & then wondered around soho. i think the following weekend there is a lunar festival of some kind because we saw lots of women outside burning things (papers, incense, food..... yep, little fruits & stuff). we even ran across a little shrine in an alley & it smelled so good with all the incense burning. to end the night we hit up a soccer pub & watched a game before heading back. the guy working there was awesome & even gave jeff a free beer!

alleyway in soho

alley shrine

at the soccer bar

so our last day, monday, we were planning to head up to the peak to take in the sights of the harbour, but jeff woke up really sick..... puking, chills, the whole deal. so i played mommy & walked to the 7-11 for meds & gatorades. i felt so bad for him.... who wants to get sick on vacation? poor guy. but he was a trooper. we got a late check out & then went to the closest mall to eat (well, so i could eat) & kill time before our car was to take us to the airport. we ducked into an alley market & got some good photos & then went back to the lobby to meet the car. we enjoyed our last drive through hong kong before boarding our plane back to guam.

taxi view

alley market

being dropped off at the airport, goodbye hong kong....

we had a great time together & it was a much deserved, although quite delayed honeymoon, (we've been married 4 years). it was a wonderful trip, being pregnant while traveling was no biggie (lovin the 2nd trimester) & we were so happy to do something special just the two of us before our baby girl arrives. we didn't stress that we didn't win the sight-seers most scenes seen award, there is SO much to do there, but we got a great feel for the city & culture & really enjoyed our time there. & who knows maybe we'll go back before we leave guam.

baby notes

to my dear sweet baby girl,

we caught our first glimpse of you yesterday. we saw your beating heart, your precious face, your long feet. you were stretching in my tummy, your body reaching over your legs with your sweet hands cuddled by your face. it made us so happy to see you & find out more about you. we haven't decided on your name yet, still trying to find the one that "fits". we think about you all the time & wonder who you'll grow into. you spend a lot of time moving around in my tummy & i like to think you can hear our voices talking to you. thank you for choosing us to be your parents. we love you very much!

i don't know why, but....

i just started reading some of my previous posts from last year & came across this one & it made me really sad...... i really miss dancing. i feel a little lost without it. i can't really dance right now anyway (not fully because of my belly - no arabesques or port de corps forwards, etc)......... but i don't know when dance will be back. & that makes me want to cry (well i'm tearing up now), but i wish i knew that after the baby i'll return to dancing & teaching. & i'm scared that after these guam years i don't know where we'll be, who will hire me, will i still be able to dance after being "off" for so long? i feel like getting my mfa is a door back into the dance world, but knowing what's in store for us after guam is so unclear right now. i just know i love dance & i'm really missing it.......

oh yeah, florida

so i went to florida when i was stateside..... my second home! took ballet class, got to see my friends & students & spent some great time with my in-laws! went to the beach & watched people look for tar balls.... at that point the beaches were pretty clear of tar, and pretty clear of tourists. so sad that the oil spill had to happen & i hope that full recovery efforts are made for the beautiful gulf. i did lots more shopping & eating, watched world cup matches with my father-in-law & all in all it was a perfect visit! but a short visit & before i knew it i was on a plane back to cali to try to space a back to guam. didn't have much luck out of travis, camped out for 2 days & finally gave up on space a. at that point wasn't feeling very persistent, was sick of hotels & spending money on food & shuttles, so i decided to spend even more money for a commercial flight back. it wasn't too bad & i was happy knowing i had my appointment & my husband (who i missed SO much) to get back to. after the long flights & layovers i made it home & was only jet lagged for a few days. i did think i was allergic to guam though because the 1st 2 days back i spent the mornings puking, which i hadn't done much of the entire trip stateside. so i was certain it was guam that was making me sick, but turns out i think the trip was a lot on my body & baby & i was very thankful that i was in my comfortable home with my familiar toilet & not on a full flight or making my way through the terminal when the puke decided to return.

going home & seeing family & friends was so wonderful & i look forward to the next visit, i'll have a little travel companion by then.....

darby (one of my students) & i after ballet class

my girls! both moved from florida this summer..... maine & vegas....... miss them!

memory lane

so my friend had posted a video of her doing grand pas on her facebook this morning & it brought back a lot of memories...... she was able to go & perform for me last year because i was in the process of moving to guam. (& she did a beautiful job!) but i've been thinking of how much i miss dancing lately. it's nice that i'm able to go another direction with my life & i've wanted to be a mom for a while, so things work out. but i have to say i feel like something is missing...... this is from 08, me & sean, my most favorite partner who just returned from performing with armitage gone at jacob's pillow this summer!

4 years!

jeff & i have been married 4 years today! & it's appropriate that i had a dream last night that we were having another wedding..... it was a small, quirky, funny wedding.... very dream-like.... no bouquets, but i had a massive veil. my sister was there (also wearing white) & we had these funny earrings, very retro & more earrings than we had piercings for.... huh, dreams.... but you know what, i'd do it all over again in a heartbeat (minus the weird earrings)! i love you jeff & am excited about our growing family!!

preggo update

so i'm currently at 19 weeks (photo at 18 weeks) & finally got a doctors appointment for this friday (i'll be 20 weeks). i've been seen once the whole time i've been pregnant..... at 12 weeks. now there is kinda a long story here.... part of this is due to my trip back to the states. i had my 16 week appointment rescheduled for a week & half later so i could spend more time in the states & while i was stateside the clinic called to reschedule the reschedule.... so i had my new date.... july 2 & i would have been 18 weeks. well, turns out there was no appointment then, they had rescheduled me again & put my appointment at june 30, but no one ever called or consulted me. i had no way of knowing that there was any change. so long story short, i'm in the states trying to get back to make it in time for my appointment & i make it back a few days before. well jeff finds out from a friend that he ran into at the gym the day of our "appointment" that there is a change of command that AM & there were no appointments that morning & that i had a no show a week before.

so after calls of trying to reschedule, we finally went in to talk to someone & now we have an appointment! & i hope they removed it from my file that i was a "no show". i bought a commercial ticket back to make sure i was there for my appointment that didn't exist, that's how committed i am. but after all is said & done, i just want to see the doc & make sure baby is healthy & everything is going the way it should....

we might not get an ultrasound on friday, they said it was just a basic check up, but i'm gonna plead with the doc to see the soonest we can get one. supposedly at 20 weeks is an ultrasound & you find out the sex. i really hope they don't push us back too far. my sister has her appointment tomorrow & she'll find out girl or boy! so excited for her!! & here's hoping that her appointment goes well & that friday brings good news for us & i'm just a slightly worried anxious new mom with a healthy growing baby that just hasn't needed to see the doctor that often..... :)

time in virginia

gotta catch up my posts on my visit home, visit to florida & journey back to guam! ok, so i had a great time in va, eating fresh veggies from my mom's garden, shopping for maternity clothes, having my mom, who's a certified reiki master perform some reiki on me, going with my sister to her doctor's visit, which is a funny story...... so i think it was maybe both our 16 week & ash had her appointment & i wanted so badly to ask the doc to listen to my baby's heartbeat too, but i kinda chickened out at the last minute...... but ash & i both took note & gave each other the mischievous eye when the doc put the stethescope (?) back in the drawer on his way out. but then decided not to "play doctor" because we were sure we would break the heartbeat listening contraption & have a nurse walk in on us & wonder what the heck these two crazy women were doing. but we heard one baby heartbeat & it was great!

so toward the end of my stay i had a special visit from jeff's sister & her husband & my two nephews! mayer & i are best buds, but it was my first time meeting grayson, the newest addition.... we had a nice day together & they are moving to germany in a few weeks, so it was wonderful i was able to see them before they left!

my nephew mayer & me - we had so much fun playing around!

the whole crew (slightly blurry, but it's us)

my new nephew grayson, the happiest baby ever!

on my other side (my sister's son), my nephew cohen..... pool day!

and then my sister threw me a baby shower! it was great seeing my family & getting sweet little baby gifts. it's funny trying to shop without knowing the gender, we ended up with lots of duck themed items.....

my sister, nephew cohen & me

momma & me (the clothes pins are from the don't say the word "baby" game.... at this point i was winning, but shortly after this photo i got taken by my cousin who won the game)

the 3 preggies.... my sister ashely, my cousin april (who just gave birth to her beautiful girl emery!) & me

the centerpiece that broke my camera (more on that after the photos), but this is a special centerpiece.... it's been in the family since my granny was pregnant. & it's been at every baby shower in the family since!

this is only about half of the duckie goods..... i still have lots of stuff at my mom's that she's shipping...... but it gives you an idea......

& i broke our camera! i think back on all the times i took it to the beach, was a little tipsy from too many margaritas, all the other clumsy times i slugged that camera around & what a stupid time for it to finally break.... i was taking a picture of the centerpiece at the shower & dropped it right smack on the lens...... & i was sober! it was mildly upsetting because i knew i wouldn't be able to take any photos in florida....... oh well, these things happen. & jeff got us a good deal on a new camera that we like better anyway, so......

well, next post i'll finish up my time in florida & the fun time i had trying to get back to guam!

the journey stateside

i've not posted in a bit because i've been stateside visiting & busy or i've been trying to get stateside. it took me a total of 3 days to get here, 3 longs days with no bed or shower, which is hard but even harder when you're pregnant. but overall i had great luck with space a & commercial flights.
i only got denied one hop (a kc-10, very few seats) before i got on one that left memorial day. had to be at the terminal at 3something AM, but it was worth it. i was on a c-17 & the seats weren't as uncomfortable as everyone says. we also were really lucky because there wasn't much cargo so the whole plane was basically empty & everyone spread out blankets & laid on the floor. well after about a 7hour flight we got to hawaii- sunday evening. going back in time was weird & took me a minute to realize the time change. there was an uncomfortable 12 hour layover before the plane left for cali. & if i had it to do over, i wouldn't hesitate to get a room. trying to sleep in a hard plastic chair with your luggage propped up so you can extend your legs without getting a cramp in your side does not a sleep make. so i was very happy when roll call came around again to get back on the plane that allows you to camp out on the floor.
so we leave monday morning, AGAIN & this time a short 5 something hour flight & then we're in cali. & it's evening again & i call a shuttle to take me to san fran airport so i can get on a flight to the east coast. at this point i'm crabby, dirty, hungry but so excited to be stateside. the drive to the airport was amazing! i've never been so excited to see a highway/ interstate! we drove past downtown & the san fran bridge, but it was dark & fog was rolling in so visibility wasn't much. i was still blown away at seeing the roads stateside. (guam people will understand)
so i get to the airport around 11pm & try to convince the delta guy to book me on a 1am flight to charlotte for $146. haha. well, he couldn't do it but suggested i go book it online where i had seen that amazing deal prior to our conversation. but once i get to the uso & get online the 1am flight was no longer available at a price i was willing to pay, so i settled on a 6am flight for close to about $200. the uso people were so nice & let me camp out on the couch & they even gave me a wake up call for 330am.
so again starts day 3 of flights..... & this time i'm on commercial so i'm not looking forward to tight seats with no leg room. but the flights weren't that long & even after about an 1.5 hour delay in atlanta (delta & atl, of course there is a delay) i arrive in charlotte to my beautiful momma waiting for me!!
so i've been enjoying my mom's cooking & pampering & seeing my sister & nephew (& eating chick-fil-a, sonic & panera) for about a week now. i've even been to a real mall & target! & let me tell you going to a grocery store for the first time blew me away. the selection & quality & prices of the products where unbelievable! i miss real grocery stores!
i miss my husband & my friends in guam & right now that's about all. love you guam, but it feels good to be home!
i feel very lucky that i made it over with no major issues..... all the planes left when they were supposed to, safe flights, a little greasy & tired, but overall totally worth it to get home to be with my family! i'm looking forward to a busy week with more family visits, an impromptu baby shower & then off to florida to visit more family & friends! i'll post pictures later!!

the heartbeat

yay! we had our first appointment today & we heard the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time! 158 beats per minute! so excited!

tag

yesterday was the one year anniversary of when our sweet doggy tag passed away. he was the best dog ever & we have so many memories of him. i think of tag all the time still & he'll always be in our hearts.

we love you sweet baby boy & miss you everyday!

as a puppy... a puppy puppet

lettuce face

showing off one of his tricks. he could balance on his back legs forever

11 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 11 weeks

Size of baby: Size of a large lime! - copied from Ash's blog, i read that at 11 weeks the size is more like a fig..... lime, fig....

Total Weight Gain/Loss: nothing really - i think between eating everything & then all the throwing up, i'm balancing out

Maternity Clothes: i haven't officially bought any yet, but wearing medium sizes & feeling that everything is very snug. i think this is the weekend i go shopping at the maternity store.....

Gender: dunno, maybe a girl. i still have a weird feeling they might be twins. i hope i'm completely out of my mind wrong.

Movement: Nope not yet

Food Cravings: everything, except anything bbq. i love citrus (like i am drowning myself in lemonade) but i think it triggers my puking.

What I miss: my family & being more active

Sleep: not very comfortable - achy body & lots of peeing keep me from sleeping through the night

Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, being forgetful (& sometimes stupid), headaches, body aches, smelling EVERYTHING

Best Moment this week: getting through an 1.5 hr of yoga after puking & not feeling well. & not pregnancy related, but jeff is now on the guam men's national team (soccer) & started training this week!

What I am looking forward to: the 1st appointment next week!!!

happy mother's day.... late

i think i've not been the best blogger lately. not sure if that's because there is nothing really to blog about (only so many posts i can devote to puking) or that my pregnant brain is way too out of control for a cohesive, witty (not that any previous posts ever were) entry. so i'm gonna say happy mother's day 2 days late. thank goodness i got cards & gifts out for the actual day. & in keeping with my lazy blogger style will steal from other bloggers to make this post worthy of publishing.

so my sister is the best. she helped coordinate a gift for our momma. & she wrote the sweetest blog about how wonderful our momma is. read it here.

and my friend terrell wrote a hilarious, spot on post for guys to have a good mothers day. i suggest all fathers/ sons/ husbands read this. you can also reference her list for other holidays such as birthdays or any time you've found your self in the doghouse & would like to make amends with your sweet wifey. read here.

here are my two favorite mommas......

jeff's momma, with jeff & his poppa

& me & my momma

9 weeks & counting, um puking

so i got this template from my sister & she's doing the same on her blog & i thought it'd be nice to keep the family & friends back home updated on the preggo highlights. so here ya go.....

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 9 weeks & 2 days (who's counting?)

Size Of Baby: The embryo measures about 0.9 inches to 1.2 inches from crown to rump, or the size of a strawberry. The arms and legs are longer, and the fingers might be a little swollen where the touch pads are forming. The head is more erect and neck is more developed. Your baby now moves its body and limbs, and this movement can be visible during an ultrasound, but you won't be able to feel it yet. (copied from ash's blog)

Maternity Clothes: no, but i'm now in medium big girl panties & yoga pants & my tummy busts over my regular jeans & i can not wear a fitted top because i think i look really thick

Gender: i was feeling it was a girl, but after 2 days of violent puking sessions, i think she might be a he....

Movement: nope, but it'll be exciting when it happens!

Food Cravings: yes, everything that can not be found on this island... papa johns, panera, firehouse subs, arbys. other than that i will crave something & then when i eat it it's not what i'm expecting it to be. not very satisfied by food lately. oh & the puking, that makes eating not as fun. i won't go into detail.

What I miss: being close to my family. that's the biggest. other than that i hate that i miss going out & doing stuff because i'm sick.

Sleep: pretty good, minus lots of peepee trips at night & having pains in my joints when i'm sleeping.

Symptoms: nausea, puking, sore boobies, achy joints, being tired, being hungry, being dramatic (can i blame that on being pregnant?)

Best Moment this week: going to a friend's doctor's appointment & hearing the baby's heartbeat!

What I am looking forward to: my first doc's appointment on may 20! & getting out of the first trimester. this is not fun, but oh so worth it.