happy new year!!

hey there 2011! can't believe it's already here! 2010 was filled with news of pregnancy, the birth of our nephew Grayson, a visit stateside with family, a trip to hong kong, another nephew born - Caleb & then the birth of our sweet baby girl Lena!

grammy is here visiting & we are so happy she's here! Lena is doing well..... we think she's a bit colicky, which i hate.... it is so hard to watch your daughter scream in pain when there is nothing you can do to help her. but today has been good, she has slept all day... which she really needed - last night was epic. poor baby. fingers crossed tonight isn't too bad.....

anyway, here are some latest pics.....

over daddy's shoulder

meeting grammy at the airport

being silly with grammy

2 weeks old

little Lena, you are 2 weeks old today! i can't believe how fast the time has gone by! you are super precious & we fall more & more in love with you each day! you had your 2 week check up today & are back to your birth weight & gained almost an inch in length! here are some current Lena highlights......

*you do not fit into newborn clothes, your long legs simply won't fit

*you wear 0-3 months

*you are breast feeding well

*you like to pee & poop on the scale at the doctors office (& on the changing table at home)

*your umbilical cord stump fell off last night

*you are still mostly bald with a soft dusting of peach fuzz (super soft)

*you like car rides & being on walks in the stroller

*you do not like sleeping at night (this one we gotta work on....)

*when you do sleep you do the cutest things with your hands & arms (very articulate little girl)

*you managed to flip yourself onto your tummy once when you were sleeping (very advanced, but scary for mommy & daddy - doc says to use a sleep positioner)

*we love holding you & spend a lot of time just looking at you & how beautiful you are

thanks for being our sweet baby girl, we are so grateful that you are here in our lives! we love you SO very much!!

being silly with daddy, you burrowed your head into his stinky pits.....

Our Lena

our baby is here! she is so wonderful! we are so in love! she arrived december 9th after a long 21 hour labor..... she weighed in at 8lbs 11oz..... big baby girl!

so after several weeks of waiting & being SO pregnant, the doc finally scheduled an induction at 41 weeks. we were supposed to go in wed morning, but then it got switched to wed at midnight, then after a call that afternoon we were asked to come in at 5:30. funny little thing happened that day.... i started having contractions! yay! labor had started on it's own! so we went in at 5:30 & i was 2-3cm & 80% effaced. so we walked, and walked, and walked & labor progressed on it's own. but after 15 hours & at 7 cm, being in the hospital (no food or drink or comforts of home) was taking a toll on me & i asked for an epidural. totally not part of the birth plan, but i was exhausted & needing help. so after the epidural, i felt great & then i felt nothing & felt numb & regretted getting the epidural. labor stalled & they started pitocin. i feel that if i had been able to be at home & labor until further along i might have lasted longer & wouldn't have gone this route. but it is what it is. i started spiking a fever around 9 cm & her heart rate went up, which indicates a possible infection in the uterus. so they rushed me to try to push her out! after almost 30 minutes of pushing & with help from a vacuum, our sweet baby girl was here!

they placed an IV in her little baby arm in order to give precautionary antibiotics in case there was an infection. & we had to wait 48 hours for her test results, but all turned out fine! she's healthy & perfect! we were in the hospital from wed night until sun afternoon, felt like forever! but the hospital staff & our doctor were amazing! my doc was working in the family health clinic at the hospital, but would take breaks to come check on me & ended up doing the delivery! i had 3rd degree tears from the rushed delivery & the size of her, so recovery has been rough. but i'm feeling a lot better now! but wow, labor & delivery is the most intense experience ever! & nothing went by my birth plan, except that she is here & healthy & lovely! & that's all that matters! breast feeding is going well, sleeping for mom & dad not as much, we still hold her while she sleeps & just stare at her instead of taking naps like we should. just can't take our eyes off her!

here are some pictures of our little beauty! & i have some cute ones with papa too, but it's time to feed, so i'll post more next time!

lena lena, my little ballerina! she has her arms in 5th position while she sleeps! too cute!

a late check out

so, baby girl is really enjoying her time in mommy's tummy..... at 40+ weeks.... trying to be patient, but it is SO HARD! we are so ready to meet her & hold her & i want to be able to move freely & see my knuckles again! but she's healthy & i am dilated (2cm) & 50% effaced, so there's some movement in that direction. it just kinda feels like ground hog's day.... everyday i think, she could be here today! & to top it off, her nursery, clothes, car seat, everything has been ready for weeks..... so not much more nesting to do. trying to sleep & read a lot, take advantage of "me" time..... but i'm so ready for "we" time! here's a pic of the nursery! & a pic of the mobile i made for her.... made it out of extra card stock from our wedding invites!

and the cousin is here!!

my sister had her baby!! caleb is such a cutie!! my sister was scheduled for a c-section (had her first child cohen through c-section) wed nov 24, but went into labor sat nov 20! she was 7cm dilated & 100% effaced & had a successful VBAC!! & caleb is just precious!! here's her post to read more & see the sweet pictures...... now we're just waiting on one more this year!

our 1 year guamaversary!

so we've officially been living in guam for a year! the first part of it seemed to drag on, but then all of a sudden - bam! we've been here a year?! only 2 more to go!! i've met so many great friends since i've been here, jeff's gotten back into soccer, we went to hong kong, i traveled space a for the first time & the biggest news of all - we made a baby!! & man, due date is quick approaching! we just finished a crash lamaze course at the birthing center & i think her nursery is finally finished (pics to come soon)..... so now we just wait for our sweet baby girl to make her appearance! i can not wait to meet her! we are so excited!

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!