Two Months Old

My sweet sea monster, the days may be long but they are already passing by too quickly. You have reached your two month mark already and we are enjoying watching all the new things you are learning how to do. At your doctors appointment we learned that you are fit as a fiddle, 13.5 pounds and 24 inches long! You are growing so big, I often wonder how big you will be when you grow up.

You got your first round of vaccines this month as well, which i am pretty sure was more traumatic for me than it was for you. I had to hold you while you got poked three times then cried and cried. It took you a couple days to recover from the shots and you slept a lot. You did run a slight fever, but thanks to some infant Tylenol it went away rather quickly 

Your head control is getting better, but you hate your tummy time. You only make it a few minutes before the crying starts but i promise it is for your own good.

in the last month you have really enjoyed sucking on things, you are getting the hang of your pacifier although you still spit it out quite a bit. Your hands end up in your mouth a lot these days, which brings us to the fact that you have begun to drool! it's cute though, i promise :)

your smiles have started to become more social, but you seem to save them solely for mommy and daddy. Nobody else has yet to make you grin, but its not for the lack of trying. You are a little superstar at church and everyone loves to ooh and ahh over you. 

your sleeping patterns are getting better, technically "sleeping through the night", which consists of 5 to 7 hour stretches of sleep. quite often you will be down for the night around 8/8:30 and awake around 2 for a feeding. Those are the good nights, I enjoy waking up only once and getting a little more sleep but i also cherish the sweet night time moments we share. 

there is not much interest in toys or rattles yet, you do like to hold and grasp things though. lights however are your best friend! you will gaze at them all day and even try to fend off sleep to keep your sleepy head awake to stare at those lights. 

You love to take Duke on walks but only in your stroller. We have a baby carrier for you but I don't think it fits us very well. you hate being in it and we often end up in tears. I've been looking into finding a used ergo baby carrier to try, that is what most people say is the best. You love being cuddled and held so hopefully we find an answer to that soon!

We both love you so much, the love your daddy has for you shows in everything he does. it makes me love you both even more watching you together. Like i said, the days may be long, bug a boo, but the months are flying by. I'm loving watching you grow but already wishing for time to slow down. 

love, the williams

One Month Old

I cannot believe that you, my dear, are already one month old. It feels like yesterday that we were in the hospital waiting your arrival. Now here we are one month later and oh how you have changed!

you are now 11 pounds and 23 inches long, quite the difference from when you were born. You're breastfeeding like a champ, most days it feels like that is all we do.. well it is all we do. Eat, play, poop and sleep then repeat. speaking of sleep you are hit and miss these days. the first few weeks started out so well and lately you have been deciding to sleep a few hours at night and then stay awake a few hours. Or you like to wake up every hour just for fun :) i know this time soon will pass so i try not to worry about it to much.

you have recently found your hands and feet. always kicking them about and sticking hands in your mouth or pulling on your ear. You have also begun to smile, and not just gassy smiles that happen with out you knowing it. I mean full on look at me mom I'm smiling, smiles! they are magical. 

your favorite thing to do is stare out windows. you love to see the light and listen to the wind blowing. as long as someone is standing next to you, you could stare out the window for minutes on end. 

you are a huge cuddler, always wanting to be held and snuggled close. I love to hold you and smell your sweet baby smell. However this also causes you to not like to be left to your own devices, you can only stand to be set down for short time periods. 

you love to sit in your swing, and are not so thrilled about your bouncer. 

you love to stare at things and are always taking everything in around you. your eyes are currently blue and we are both hoping that they stay that way but only time will tell. You also have your dads blond hair but some of that has started to fall out causing you to rock a baby mullet. luckily your hair is so light that you can't really tell yet.

we are excited to see what new things will happen over this next month of your life. we love watching your grow and learn. 

Hunter's Birth Story

Where to begin? How about the fact that we made it to week 40, Joey was home and my dad just arrived from salt lake city! This sea monster had perfect timing, to say the least. 

I woke up at midnight Tuesday morning with some contractions, I just thought it was some more braxton hicks. Nothing to serious or painful, mostly just annoying, and I settled in for another restless night of sleep. Little did i know just how restless is truly would be! At one o'clock my water broke- nobody really prepared me for what that was going to be like. I felt a pop, literally it popped. I laid there for a minute not really sure what had just happened, nothing else came so i stayed in bed. Logical thing to do, right? A few minutes later I started to feel the trickle- almost as if I had started to pee myself. My next logical thought was to get up so I could clean myself off and try and get more sleep. I made it almost all the way from my bedroom to the bathroom door before I had a tiny gush of liquid. That was when i knew something wasn't quite the same. After cleaning myself up and changing my clothes Joey woke up and asked what was going on, and of course me in all my glory said, "I think my water just broke- but don't freak out it's ok." I called the doctor and the he said it was go time so we woke up my parents and everyone got ready to head out the door for our hour long drive to the hospital. Joey drove really fast though, I think we cut some minutes off our personal best!

I was then admitted into labor and delivery and after that it was just time to sit around and wait for the show to begin. Since we arrived at 4 a.m. we were all pretty tired and everyone started to nap. I was having contractions but nothing terrible and they weren't progressing my labor at all. By 10:30 they decided to start me on pitocin and that got me moving forward a little bit but I was still breezing through all the "pain". When they came in to see how i was doing around noon and I was able to say I still wasn't in that much pain my nurse told me she would fix that and upped my pitocin dosage, how nice of her! This was also the time they asked me if I wanted an epidural, I was still undecided but the pain was manageable so i opted for some IV pain meds instead and could possibly get an epidural if needed at 3 p.m. After this the next hour and a half flew by, my labor kicked into full gear and I was feeling ready to push. The pain was something i could get through but it was rough! Lots of breathing and squeezing Joey's poor little hand was going on. When they finally checked me I was dilated to a 9 and what the nurse called rimming. My doctor was no where to be found (he was a couple of towns away) and they were telling me not to push and to wait for my doctor. By 2 o'clock I couldn't wait any longer. they checked me again and I was fully dilated- THANK GOODNESS!!

They called the stand by doctor into the room and I was able to start pushing around 2:05p.m. Oh boy, once i was able to push through those contractions did I sure feel good again! My doctor finally arrived and after about 30 minutes of pushing Hunter Forrest Williams was born at 2:32 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20th. He was 7lbs. 3oz. and 20 inches long.  He only let out three little wails and then happily sat on my stomach while Joey cut the umbilical cord. He was beautiful, and he was all mine. After nine months of carrying him around I was able to meet this handsome little man and I could not be more blessed to be his mother. I love him so much already and can not wait to watch him grow up and see the wonderful person he is going to become. I love Joey for helping me through this whole process and for blessing me with such a perfect little boy. We are now a family of three and the real adventures are going to begin!

love, the williams

Week 39

The home stretch of this pregnancy has been the hardest for sure, but with only 6 days left I'm pretty sure I can make it :) Baby Williams is now the size of Watermelon! But it is a watermelon on the small side of things because doctor said he is only measuring at about 6.5 pounds right now.

How far along? 39 Weeks

Total weight gain? 17 lbs

Maternity Clothes? It's a mash up of everything I own.

Stretch marks? None, Doctor is so proud haha

Best moment this week? Finding out my Dad is coming to Hawaii!!!

Miss anything? Probably the hip pain, I'm grateful he is getting lower but man my hips are tender!

Movement? Still bouncin' off the walls :)

Food Cravings? Dryers Hot Fudge Sundae ice cream /:

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nada 

Have you started to show yet? Just getting bigger, and bigger.

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Little man is dropping but not far enough to cause any real progression, still stuck at a 1 for now /:

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Belly button in or out? Half and half haha

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Joey coming home and my fast approaching due date, hopefully this show gets on the road soon!!

Love, the Williams

Dole Pineapple Plantation

I've driven past the Dole pineapple plantation numerous times and each time I would tell myself or Joey that I wanted to go there- how many chances do you get to see a working pineapple plantation? With my Mom visiting and her sweet friends in town we put it on our list of things to do. Boy was I excited to mark it off my long list of things I want to do before leaving Hawaii for good. Did you know that this pineapple plant has one of the worlds largest corn mazes? In the shape of a pineapple, no less! It's true, it even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records a few years back, pretty cool!

We didn't actually go through the maze but it was still fun to see :)

We opted to take a ride on the Pineapple Express, which is a cute little vintage train that takes you on a tour through the still working pineapple plantation. 

It was fun to see the plantation this way and learn some interesting facts about pineapples. I had no idea it took pineapples so long to grow, like 15 months! Or that Dole bought the whole island of Lana'i and turned it into a pineapple plantation when the one on Oahu got to small for their booming business. It is no longer owned by Dole but still, buying your own island just for pineapples- wow!

of course they have bushes in the shape of pineapples.

cute pineapple ladies :)

did you know pineapples grew like this?

So much fun, and of course we had to end our adventure with a delicious pineapple whip. Love me some pineapple, especially in the form of ice cream!! 

Love, The Williams

Week 38

What a crazy busy last couple of weeks it has been. With my Mom here and her cute friends visiting we have just been go, go, going and I'm exhausted. Baby Williams is now the size of a Pumpkin! I don't believe it, there is no way a pumpkin is in my belly!!

How far along? 38 Weeks
Total weight gain? 17 lbs <---somehow I lost a pound this week!
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing regular tops most of the time, but maternity pants is the only way to go right now.

Stretch marks? NEGATIVE!!

Best moment this week? Waking up to his little hiccups. 

Miss anything? I'm still itchy as all get out, which is not fun.

Movement? just a movin and groovin in there!

Food Cravings? Everything in sight!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? just getting bigger, and bigger.

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Slight dilation to about a centimeter, and more pressure!

Belly button in or out? It kinda folded over, weird!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Holding my sweet little boy.

Love, The Williams

Week 37

37 weeks, this sea monster is FULL TERM!! Little baby Williams is the size of a winter melon, and growing so big. At my last doctors appointment we learned that labor signs are popping up, cervix is softening and starting to dilate a smidge :)

How far along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain? 18 lbs
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing regular tops most of the time, but maternity pants is the only way to go right now.

Stretch marks? Still none, woo-hoo!!

Best moment this week? Hitting 37 weeks without any complications!

Miss anything? My skin not being itchy, it is getting stretched to the max right now and has been so, SO itchy this last week :(

Movement? just a movin and groovin in there!

Food Cravings? Nope, nothing exciting here

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? just getting bigger, and bigger.

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks are a daily occurrence now, and like the doc said, soft cervix with slight dilation.

Belly button in or out? When I look down at it, it is sticking out a little.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Meeting my little sea monster, it is going to be here before i know it!

The Byodo-In Temple

As Tropical Storm Flossie approached our little Hawaiian island we tried to think of things to do that would still be fun, but keep us mostly dry too! Of course we ended up at a mall first, come on, shopping is fun any time. On the way home however we drove into the Valley of Temples which is a memorial park located in Kaneohe. Driving past the Valley of Temples you wouldn't think it is much more then a cemetery.  Yet located all the way in the back, nestled up against the mountain, is the beautiful Byodo-In Temple. It is still a functioning Buddhist temple, but they let you walk around the grounds, ring the bell for blessings and happiness before entering the temple and go inside the area where they have a carved Buddha that stands over 18 feet tall. The temple itself was created as a replica of a temple in Uji, Japan and the whole thing was built with out the use of nails! Pretty incredible if you ask me.

Love that we went on a rainy day and we got awesome cloud coverage in the background

Mommy & Me

Cute little ladies :)

Love, The Williams

Week 36

Holy Cow, baby Williams is now the size of Honeydew!! Man, He is starting to feel like it too! Sometimes I do not think I can get any bigger, then I wake up in the morning and realize my belly grew. His movements have slowed down, and the doctor is making me keep a kick count every two hours but other than that he is doing great in there and hopefully will enjoy it enough to stay until daddy comes home :)

How far along? 36 Weeks
Total weight gain? 17.6 lbs
Maternity Clothes? Always in the pants now, I can still mix and match all of my shirts

Stretch marks? Still none, woo-hoo!!

Best moment this week? Doctor telling me I'm doing great and packing his little outfits for the hospital :)

Miss anything? Being able to jump on the trampoline with my little munchkins!

Movement? He is still moving around, but definitely slowed down. Freaked me out at first!

Food Cravings? Anything edible!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? I feel huuggee!! haha

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks are getting a little more consistent, I have to be careful not to over exert myself.

Belly button in or out? When I look down at it, it is sticking out a little.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Our next doctors appointment, we'll get a better idea of how things are progressing.. or not progressing! 

Welcome Home Elder Alameda

Two years sounds like such a long time, yet it flew by like the blink of an eye. I can not believe Elder Alameda is home already! He served in the Mendoza, Argentina mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, preaching the gospel and spreading the word about our wonderful church. We are all so proud of the work he has done and grateful he has returned home safely to us. I am so blessed to have this young man in my family and the love I have for him continues to grow. Great job Dustin, Joey and I love you so much!!

Love, The Williams

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?

Joey and I have lived in Hawaii for over a year now.. and we have never left the island.. That all changed when the glorious and wonderful Elder Alameda came home from serving his two year LDS mission in Argentina. It gave me a reason to demand a trip to the mainland :) As we were investigating flights we realized how cheap it would be to fly to Las Vegas instead of straight to Utah, and so much more fun!! I told my family of my plan and they thought it was such a great idea that they met us there! Four whole fun filled days in Vegas here we come!!

To say I was nervous about flying while pregnant would be an understatement. I was a stress cadet, basket case! I could not sleep the night before and was worried that my luggage would be to heavy or to big. I panicked I was going to swell up like a balloon, have the most uncomfortable back pain or pee ten million times. I don't know how many times I made Joey weigh my bags or tell me everything was going to be alright. Luckily the bags were fine (Joey was right) and the plane ride was a lot more bearable than I could have imagined. No swelling like a balloon, only about four trips to the bathroom and back pain didn't start until the last 45 minutes or so.. what I didn't anticipate was the turbulence at the end of the plane ride, descending into Las Vegas. That was the killer. The 15 minutes of shaky air sent my tummy running for the hills and it wasn't coming back a happy camper. 

It was all worth it though, once we got a cab and drove to our hotel were my family was patiently waiting the hugs and kisses that were shared made everything else melt away. At last I was with some of the ones I love again. 

The next few days flew by in a blur. We enjoyed the summer heat, shopped till we dropped, (i finally found a maternity swimsuit i love, yay!) saw the cirque du soleil show KA and the Jabbawockeez, ate lots of really yummy food, walked around the strip and enjoyed each others company. I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.. Next stop Utah! But first, a few pictures :)

Oh family is so much fun!
Love, The williams