Baby Bump - Month 7

How far along?  31 weeks

Gender:  Our little man, Noah Ryan

Feeling:   These days, how I am feeling definitely depends on the time of day.  In the morning, I feel pretty good.  I have still been going to the gym 2-3 days a week and I think that's helped.  I haven't had much swelling (yet!) this time around or the carpal tunnel I had with the girls.  This time around I am ALL BELLY, maybe it's a BOY thing, maybe it's a 3rd pregnancy thing - I'm not sure.  By the evenings, between the big belly and chasing around my 2 crazy toddlers, I am exhausted.  The back pain and normal pregnancy aches and pains make it difficult to leave the couch.  Also, my heart burn this time around is intense, like the worst I've ever had - maybe that means our little man will have a full head of hair, just like his big sisters!

All about Food:  I have a love - hate relationship with eating because of my heartburn.  It seems like anything I try to eat (unless it's just a piece of plain bread) makes it worse, but then an empty stomach is even worse than that.  I have been loving apples and apple juice, any sort of iced coffee or frozen coffee drink, and I am still loving anything Italian!

Favorite moments:
-Our little man has a name, Noah Ryan :)
-Addie likes to lift up her shirt to show everyone when her baby brother is moving!  It's hilarious.  She will also explain to people that he is growing in her belly and that we will have to go to the hospital to see him.  When she walks in the room for the first time, she says she is going to say "Surprise, I'm here!"  Then, she can't wait to hold him, feed him his bottle, and put him night night "all by herself!"  I love how into it and excited she is this time around :)
-We had 2 trips this past month that were noteworthy, our baby-moon in Maui was AMAZING and our little family getaway to Great Wolf Lodge was also a lot of fun.

Looking forward to:  
-Putting our plans into action with Noah's nursery and Addie and Bella's big girl shared room - hopefully they are both done by next month's update.
-We signed Addie and Bella up for a Siblings class at the hospital and I can't wait to watch them interact with their baby dolls pretending that they are Noah :)
-Can't believe we are less than 8 weeks from meeting our little man, we love you so much already Noah!

My favorite bump picture from our Babymoon.

Waterslides, Wave Pools, and Lazy Rivers...

We wanted to do something fun with the girls before their little brother's arrival and decided on a quick getaway to Great Wolf Lodge, just the 4 of us.  Addie has been asking to go swimming for weeks and Bella loves splashing around in the bath tub, so we thought it was the perfect place to take them.  After getting lots of tips from a college friend (thanks Sarah!) we decided that one night would be plenty for the girls at these ages.  We put the girls down for early naps on Monday afternoon and left around 2pm.  We got to the park and checked in by 3 and were in our swimsuits ready to go by 3:30.  We spent almost 3 full hours that first day at the water park.  Addie LOVED it!  She couldn't decide what to do first, the toddler water slides, splash pad, lazy river, play basketball in the pool, wave pool, she loved it all....until we let her try a big kid slide all by herself!  Eric walked up with her and Bella and I were waiting at the bottom.  Addie was so excited...until she came down feet first on her belly.  She flipped around at some point during her ride and she was not a fan!  She put on a brave face though and we decided to stick to the orange and yellow toddler slides after that! Bella loved the little toddler area and splash pad, she also couldn't decide what to do first.  They both played their little hearts out until dinner time!  We kept is simple for dinner and ordered pizza so that we could eat, give the girls baths, and relax for a few minutes.  We went back down to the lobby a little before 8 for story time and ice cream.  We played a few games at the arcade and by that time everyone was exhausted!  It was time to get the girls to bed back in the room and I'm not going to lie, Eric and I weren't far behind them.  We needed a good night sleep before round 2 the next day!

On day 2, the girls slept in a little and then we got breakfast.  Addie was very eager to go back to the water park so off we went.  We spent another couple of hours playing at the park and enjoyed a packed lunch by the pool, uncrustables, applesause, and gold fish for the win!  It was about 3pm when the girls just couldn't go any more, they were exhausted.  We may or may not have bribed Addie to leave with a donut, got the girls dried off and changed, enjoyed our treat and off we went.  It was a quick trip, but so worth it!  The nice thing about having 2 is that Eric and I can play man to man defense.  We were both able to spend some one on one time with both of them as their interests kind of varied at the park, but we were also able to all hang out at times also.  It was just what we needed before we become a family of 5 and move to a zone defense in a few short months.

Until next time Great Wolf Lodge, I see many, many more trips to the water park in our future....

Someone was VERY excited for day 2 at the water park!

Addie went up and down this slide AT LEAST 100 times, she loved it!

Check out those curls :)

Donuts for the win!

Naps on the way home...

for both of them!  Anyone who knows Addie knows that this is a very rare occurrence in our car!

Life is a highway....

The Road to Hana is one of the most scenic drives in the world complete with black sand beaches, waterfalls, and amazing oceanfront views.  It has 620 curves and 59 single lane bridges along the way and the 50+ mile trip to Hana would take about 3 hours, without even stopping.  The fun part of the drive is the stopping though, not the end destination.  There isn't much to the town of Hana itself, but the sights along the way are breathtaking.  Eric and I knew when we started planning our trip to Maui that it was at the top of our list to do and a pregnant belly wasn't going to stop me!  Some moms-to-be may be hesitant to make the trip, but it is very doable and actually a lot of fun.  If you are planning a trip to Maui - add the Road to Hana on your list right now!

A few tips before you begin:

• Download the Gypsy Guide Road to Hana app - it will walk you through your entire trip, tell you where to stop and what to skip, and give you lots of fun facts along the way.  We nicknamed our tour guide "Geno" and we couldn't have done it without him!
• Splurge for a convertible or a jeep for the day!  I mean who doesn't want to cruise through the island in a cool ride?!?
•  Make a pit stop at Walmart before you go and grab some drinks/snacks for the road.  There are several food trucks along the way, but it's a long day and you'll be much happier with a full belly.  We also picked up some super stylish water shoes for our hiking adventures.
• Don't forget your camera!  You'll see some once in a lifetime sights along the way and definitely want to capture them!

We woke up bright and early to start our trip to Hana.  Our bags were packed, bellies were full, caffeine was loaded, and we were ready to go.  Luckily, it was a beautiful day so the convertible was the perfect choice of vehicle as I was hoping to get some sun along the way.  We took the trip with another couple, Jeff and Andrea, and it made it even more fun.  After a quick Walmart stop, we were on the road.  "Geno" was our guide for the day and we decided to let him lead the way while we just sat and enjoyed the sights.  At first the roads were a little intimidating and don't let the 15mph speed limit fool you, that's literally as fast as you can go.  When you come to a curve or a bridge you have to slow down even more to look ahead and make sure you can go because most of them are sketchy looking to begin with but also only single lane.  Eric, Jeff, and Andrea all took turns in the driver's seat, but I preferred to just sit back and relax.  

We made several stops on our way to Hana, let me remind you it is about the journey in this case, not the end destination.  These were our stops for the day:

1. Ho'okipa Lookout - Fun spot to stop and see the surfers.  In the winter, the waves are pretty big, so it's for the experienced surfers only.  It also has great views of Mount Haleakala.
   
   
   
   
2. Twin Falls - although Geno told us to skip this one, we decided to stop.  It was a quick, easy hike and we were dying to see some waterfalls up close.  The Twin Falls at the end were worth our efforts and plus we got to use our water shoes :)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Ke'anae Arboretum - This is where we saw the rainbow Eucalyptus trees, so pretty!
   
   
   
   
   
4. Some Overlook (I can't remember the name of this one!) - but it was the perfect place to get out  and stretch our legs and take our Terrible Towel pic :)
   
   
5. Nahiku Food Stands - The perfect stop for lunch, shrimp, fish, and pork tacos - they had it all and it was delicious!  There's even a cute little coffee shop with yummy baked goods too.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Wai'anapanapa State Park - Black sand beaches and caves at this stop!  One of our favorite stops of the trip!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Hana - Not much to see here, like I said, it's all about the drive versus the destination.  Although, Eric and Jeff did check out their next prospect school - Hana High!  There are a few more stops about 45 minutes past Hana, but we decided to turn around at this point because we didn't want to risk driving back in the dark.  
   
   
   
   
8. Paia Town - A cute little town we stopped in at the end of our adventure.  We didn't eat here, but there are lots of restaurants and local shops if you have time (and energy!) left at this point.
   
   
   
   

It was a very long and exhausting day (especially when you are 6 months pregnant) but it was one of my favorite days of the entire trip.  We got to see and explore the island all on our own time, at our own pace, and in a pretty cool ride :)  

Our Babymoon in Maui

Aloha!  Eric and I just got back from our trip to Maui a few weeks ago and it has quickly become one of our new favorite places.  Eric won the trip through Jostens for his growth/sales last year and since we found out we were expecting it also became our Babymoon.  It was our first time venturing to Hawaii, but it certainly won't be our last!

We arrived after a very, very long day of travel on Thursday evening and we were welcomed with Eric's missing luggage and a nice oceanfront reception hosted by Jostens.  We checked in to the Westin at Maui, enjoyed some food and drinks, and I got to know some more of the Jostens family while Eric was busy catching up with his friends. 

We stayed at the Westin in Maui and it was beautiful!  It was at the most perfect location, right on the beach and walking distance to lots of restaurants and shopping. 

Flamingos in the lobby, how cool is that?!?

The views from our balcony were breathtaking, both at day and at night!

The next couple of days we were totally spoiled by Jostens and had a packed itinerary complete with fun excursions and lots of yummy dinners and drinks:

• Friday- Snorkeling catamaran cruise complete with sea turtle and humpback whale sightings during the day.  A traditional Hawaiian Luau at night in which Eric became the star of the show!
• Saturday- A morning of golf for the guys followed by a helicopter tour of the islands and dinner, drinks, and the most amazing Hula pie at Leilani's on the Beach.
• Sunday- Couple's massage and catching rays by the pool during the day and night a farewell dinner reception at Merriman's which was located at the point overlooking Kapalua Bay with the most amazing sunset views

One of the many whales we saw on our catamaran cruise.  We even had 2 swim right up to our boat!

Ready to take off..

A family of humpback whales from up above, so cool to see!

Farewell dinner at Merriman's

A lot of the Jostens crew left Monday morning, but luckily Eric and I had a few more days left of relaxation and exploring the island...

• Monday- Mustang convertible.  The Road to Hana.  Enough said. (a separate post coming on this really fun adventure soon!)
• Tuesday- Exploring Front Street and brunch with Brian and Carla followed by a romantic evening of watching the sunset and ordering pizza for Valentine's Day.
• Wednesday- Golf round 2 for Eric and a repeat massage for me to start out the day, then a pool day and oceanfront dinner with friends at Pacifico Restaurant.
• Thursday- On our last day in paradise we spent the day on the beach and had a late flight and very, very long night of traveling home.

Our trip to Maui was just what we needed before welcoming our little man in a few shorts months.  We had a blast hanging out with friends and are already planning a trip with the group again next year.  It was nice to be able to take a break from the mom/dad life and just be husband and wife for a little!

Here are my must-see, must-do, must-eat things for Maui:

• Rent a jeep or mustang and explore the Road to Hana, the black sand beaches, waterfalls, and local food trucks will not disappoint.  It's an all day excursion, but so worth it!
• Go to a traditional Hawaiian  Luau, a must-do when in Hawaii!
• Eat Hula pie at Lahaina's by the grill and check out the sunset at Merriman's - it was too difficult to choose just one favorite restaurants, these were both amazing!  
• Book a helicopter tour to see the islands from up above.  We went with Maverick tours and would highly recommend them!
• Eric would be upset if I didn't put golfing on the list.  He played at the Plantation Course in Maui and still hasn't stopped talking about it!  I recommend a massage/pool day while your hubby golfs!
• Explore Front Street, lots of cool shops and yummy food!  Also, make sure you stop to see the banyan tree by the courthouse and try out some gelato.

A few things on our list of things to do on our next visit:

• Eat at Mama's Fish House and make reservations early!
• Wake up bright and early to see the sunrise at Mt. Haleakala and then bike down the mountain, obviously not a pregnant friendly activity but at the top of our list next time.
• Try out zip lining or surfing with the locals.
• Island hop!  We loved, loved, loved Maui, but would love to see what the other islands have to offer too.