More Adventures From Our Visit With Family

We also managed to fit in a trip to the Botanical Gardens again (since both Mom and nephew Ryan hadn't been) and we checked out The Spitting Cave Of Portlock...something I had never seen. It was actually a VERY steep hike down to the cliffs and cave and we all sort of held on to one another and tried not to slip. Probably not the safest thing for a pregnant person to be doing but oh well..all in hindsight right? Once down there, the view was stunning. The cliffs were amazing and pictures certainly don't do the actual beauty of it any justice. The boys (nephews - Scott was at work) actually climbed down the cliffs, a scary looking metal ladder and right to the mouth of the cave. My mom and I couldn't even watch...we were certain one of them would plummet down the rocks into the ocean. The Koko Crater Botanical Gardens this year were a wasted trip. Hardly anything was blooming and much of what was alive looked barely alive and infested with disease. Second to that, we sort of got lost on the trails and it took much longer to walk it than we had anticipated. My shoe was pierced by two thorns. My mom had a bad blister on the bottom of her foot and the boys were burnt to a crisp from not listening to me when I told them they should wear sunscreen. I won't even mention the Aloe section. Fun times anyhow.
Mom having her picture taken with a plumeria behind her ear. When worn on the left side it signifies "single" and on the right, "taken". Actually, it might be the other way around...I'm not sure. Regardless, it's a good thing you don't have internet in the bush Mom cause you'd probably fuss at me for posting your picture! Love you!

Some of the very few plumeria blooms to be seen in the gardens. They always make for a beautiful picture.
A cool picture of the cliffs at the Spitting Cave. The specks for people at the top of the cliff are my mom and I. We weren't into climbing down them and instead sat and watched for whales at the top. Didn't see any whales but did spot a giant sea turtle.
A closer picture of Mom and I sitting at the top and a shot of the huge house built right into the cliff. How cool is that? Not sure I'd want my house on a cliff being worn away by the ocean though!
The boys having their picture taken on the cliffs. You can kind of see the cave in the background. What was really neat was the sound you heard each time the waves pounded into the cave. You could almost feel the vibration under your feet.

The Infamous (or is that famous?) Sandy Beach

We've lived here long enough to know and be warned by locals and lifeguards that Sandy Beach is NOT a beach for children or inexperienced swimmers/surfers or boogie boarders. And yet, anytime we have visitors they insist on visiting Sandy Beach. To the locals, this beach is often referred to as break-neck beach. There are warning signs everywhere about the strong currents, the shorebreak and the rocks. It is a popular spot for "experienced" locals because it often has great waves. During my family's recent visit we of course made a trip there and while the weather wasn't great, the waves were; although pictures really don't do it justice (at least mine don't). My nephews insisted that they wanted to try boogie boarding. I warned them, but you know boys...they do their own thing. The lifeguard immediately honed in on them and gave them all the same warnings but in a more blunt manner, "you will get hurt." The is the same beach where Scott's aunt broke her knee getting hit the wrong way by a wave. Me being the pregnant one, sat back and took pictures.
Brandon & Sandy watching Ryan get eaten up by the waves.
My nephews attempting to look like experienced boogie boarders.
Ryan sitting taking pictures of the locals ride and/or wipe out on the waves.
Everyone wanting to put their feet in the water and getting a little more wet than they bargained for.Ryan's first attempt at boogie boarding on the highest surf possible resulted in a nice bloody nose. I really did try and warn him. He says boogie boarding is harder than it looks.

A Day In Waikiki

Some pretty wild orchids I came across.
My sister Sandy and her babies posing like tourists in front of the Banyan tree at the International Market Place.
They wanted to visit the International Market Place (like all visitors) to see what all the hype was about. It's really just a tourist trap selling unique but cheap items and the vendors just kind of repeat products as you walk through it. (More of the same...)
A view of the Banyan Tree. I don't know a lot about the tree, but they're pretty cool because the roots are above ground and grow from the branches down to the ground.
I couldn't resist taking this picture because where in the world do you ever see a public payphone ON a beach? Only in Hawaii!
Sandy and her boys pose in front of one of the same spots they visited during their trip last year. Only this year, the sun was barely shining and there was no beautiful blue sky or pretty flowers.
Mom and Sandy posing in front of the famous Duke!
A stop at the fabulous and yummy Duke's restaurant to top the day off. Seems to be something we do anytime someone visits and seems to be yummy and enjoyable every single time. If you ever have the chance to come to Hawaii you need to eat there at least once. The food isn't anything really special, just yummy, great service and sitting right on the beach is kind of cool.

Our Hike Along The Lower Shoreline

Ryan jumping at the water hole during our hike. It is hard to tell from this picture, but the waves were enormous out beyond the rocks.
Ryan debating on jumping and Brandon doing the "smart" thing. It was so windy that day it made it hard to balance on the man-made pole sticking way out into the water for people to jump off of.
The brothers having a brotherly moment and posing for auntie, mom and grandma!
My first nephew (whose diapers I changed) all grown up.
The brothers hiking ahead of us old and pregnant folk.
A picture of my mom, sister and two nephews prior to our hike on the lower shoreline of Makapu'u.

Where To Begin...

It seems I've been on a blogging hiatus...and now I am so behind on news and pictures I'm not even sure where to begin. Back to the beginning I suppose is the logical point, but I'm not even sure that I know where that is. Scott has been sick for a long time now it seems...he went on a trip and came back with bronchitis, pneumonia and ear troubles. During the time he was gone, my mother, sister, two nephews and a friend came to visit for two weeks. Dayton came down sick with 105 fever the day after they arrived. Another virus compliments of preschool. He was sick for about a week. Around the time he got better, Saige got sick with the same virus. Around the time she was getting better, my mom got sick and I got sick again. Presumably the same virus. Despite all the illness, we somehow managed to have a nice time, see some of the sites, take some pretty pictures and enjoy some family time. The weather was horrible (by Hawaii standards) much of their visit. They left on Friday the 13th. Since then, Dayton picked up another virus and a double eye infection. Scott is still sick but marginally better. Dayton is better after a week of oral antibiotics and eye antibiotics. I never recovered from the virus from when my family was here and now it has turned into a bad cough and possible sinus infection. Saige is sick again. So, while it seems you've all missed out on a lot, it really hasn't been "good news".
If I dig deep enough into my exhausted memory stores, I could probably find some "good" things and if not "good" things in my book, then likely humorous things in yours...Dayton has learned how to hop on one foot, he has started asking me about outer space and the big dipper (oh, and where I keep my spaceship), his eating has become more picky (who knew that was possible) and he likes to dip odd foods into odd mixtures like pasta into applesauce, he has become a pretty independent dresser, has mastered the art of manipulating his sister and has transitioned from his toddler bed into a twin sized bed. Saige copies absolutely everything her brother says and does, she talks up a storm, throws things when she doesn't get her way, scratches, makes the silliest faces, follows her dogs obsessively, likes to wipe things, has discovered how to take her diaper off even with clothes on, refuses to sleep, discovered how to throw herself out of her crib and has consequently transitioned into a twin sized bed in Dayton's room (another story for another day), she is very independent and yet demands complete equality - if Dayton wants to stand on a chair at the counter, Saige will get a chair so that she can stand there too...if Dayton wants to eat a certain food, so does Saige; even if she doesn't know what it is.
Now lets see if I can get some pictures posted...

Girls Day At The Beach

I forgot to post these pictures from our most recent visit with family. YaYa and Saige and I spent a nice sunny morning relaxing at the beach. Saige was so funny dipping her toes in slowly and eventually stomping and splashing in the water. There isn't much that beats the warm sun, salt air and the smell of sunscreen...except maybe chocolate. We miss you YaYa and hope you're feeling better!

Haircuts, Moons & Daddy's Socks

It was inevitable that the day would arrive...Dayton is fully immersed in the "why" phase. Not too long ago, as parents, Scott and I were wondering when that stage was coming and thought maybe he was a little behind with his "questioning". Well, today as parents, I'm quite sure we'd have been happy to prolong the phase from starting just a little bit longer. Now don't get me wrong, the why questions that are actually meaningful are a pleasure to answer and talk about. Like the other day Dayton got this smile and said, "Can I ask you a question mama?" (It was the cutest thing and frankly I was quite scared about what might come out of his mouth) "Why do dogs eat bugs?" Scott and I burst out laughing! Those are the questions I enjoy. I don't enjoy: "Dayton, it's time to eat." "But why?" he asks. "Because it is dinner time." "But why is it dinner time?" Now I know all you parents out there know exactly what I'm talking about...it's those endless why questions that are preceded by a "but". What are the parenting rules with this? Do you just keep on answering until they stop asking? Do you answer with a "because I said so?" Do you ignore their constant questions? Seriously, how do you manage to cultivate learning or instill patience during this developmental phase when all you want to do is say "I love you, but please shut up child." Thought I would share a true Dayton photo: way overdue on a haircut, missing shorts and sporting daddy's socks. Somehow, it is moments like this one that make all the "why's" less aggravating.

A Memorable Valentine's Day

I had decided a long time ago that I wanted to surprise Scott with the sex of the baby and play along that I didn't want to know. Originally I had wanted to present it as a birthday gift for him, but that isn't until March and I wasn't sure if I could wait that long knowing that I was holding the answer in my purse the whole time! So Valentine's Day seemed the next best option. We opened the envelope together this morning. He kept saying, "are you sure you want know?" Dayton was with us to open it and who knows how much he "really" understands about it, but he started acting really silly, so I think he was excited. My intuition from the very beginning was that it was a boy and the only thing that had me second guessing myself was the baby's high heart rate. Dayton's was always below 150 and Saige's was always above 150. This baby has always been above 150. Needless to say, there must be more to the heartrate than all the other wives tales out there. Dayton has been right about the baby all along. We're expecting our second baby GIRL! Saige is going to have a little sister and Dayton is going to be aggravated by two younger sisters! Here I am at 20 weeks...excited to meet our baby girl.

My Sweet Valentine

Well, my blogging holiday is over. I'm still sick, but not so sick that I can't type and post pictures. I've had plenty of pampering over the past week and feel it is time to resume my duties in motherhood. My foggy brain will likely forget some things that have happened over the past week, but let me see what I CAN recall. Oh yes (how could I forget this one), a bill (or rather a statement) from the insurance company came in the mail from Dayton's trip to the ER for 3 stitches. Anyone want to wager a guess on what 3 stitches might have cost had we not had insurance? 2000$ Are you kidding me? I shouldn't complain too much, we did get a new pair of PJ's out of the process AND we didn't have to pay that out of pocket. What else? Dayton has learned some new songs at school that he has been singing at home and he has also picked up this 3 year old attitude that I've never seen before too! I like how he has started to say to Saige, "that's not funny Saige." Oh and he has been referring to the baby in my belly as "his baby" and always asks, "is my baby doing okay mama?" Cute huh? He and Saige made cute little picture frames with our one day a week nanny (Miss Katie) for us for Valentine's Day. I need to take a picture of them. The three of them also baked some Valentine's Day cookies. Ah..a day of love tomorrow. Everyday in my life is Valentine's Day! Snicker Snicker, but it's true! I am undoubtedly, madly in love with my husband and children (and my dogs), and am surrounded by love from my family and friends. Regardless, we are going to spend some alone time together tomorrow afternoon/evening in Waikiki. I imagine we'll walk the beach for a bit and find some new place to eat a special meal.

A Sick Mommy

After a month of being surrounded by my sick kids and sick husband, I have finally succumbed to the germs. Therefore, I am taking a blogging holiday. Lets see if I can stretch out the pampering until after Valentine's Day. Soaking in a nice bubble bath, dinner cooked for me, no cleaning, no night duty with the kids, stay in my PJ's all day....surely there must be some benefit to being sick? Send me well wishes, but not too fast. I'm going to curl up in bed and let Saige do whatever she wants today.

An Update Of Sorts

Dayton seems to be back to normal - thank goodness! And hopefully he stays that way. Saige is still sick, but seems to be on the mend now that she has started some antibiotics. I am doing my best to ignore my increasingly sore throat. I had my 19 week ultrasound today and all looks well with the baby, which is currently hanging out in the breech position and growing nicely. I still have my hunch that it is a boy, but I guess we will all have to wait to find out! He or she was perfect looking and nearly sucking on his/her feet. I am always amazed by the thought of growing life and the ability of technology to demonstrate its process. Hope you are all well and as always miss each and every one of you.

Dayton's First Day Of Preschool

I still haven't had a chance to download the pictures I took of Dayton on his first day of preschool in January, but fortunately YaYa took a few when we picked him up on his first day! Thanks for emailing them to me! He loves wearing his little "uniform" that Daddy thinks is the ugliest thing ever! Here he is proudly showing off some things in his classroom and where his "cubby" is that he keeps his change of clothes/blanket and other things in. He has grown up so much in the past few weeks that he has been going to school. I'm so proud of him though and my heart melts when I pick him up each day and he runs into my arms saying, "mommy, I missed you today." It is the first thing he says and he has never not said it. On the days I might not feel like the best mom in the world, his words always lift me up and remind me that I must be doing something right.

Playing Catchup

Finally, a few rare moments to sit and upload some more pictures from the holidays! Sorry it has taken so long but hope you enjoy nonetheless. I'm pretty sure they are all from our wonderful visit with YaYa, Sir, Auntie Jess & Auntie Judy.

A fabulous picture of Saige with YaYa. I wish I knew what was causing their expressions!
I missed this one by a moment! Sir and Dayton crossing the street hand in hand! But of course I caught the part where Dayton decided he could cross like a big boy and not hold any hands. Oh well, a cute picture of the two of them anyhow.
We went downtown to Waikiki Beach and walked around. In order to fit 6 adults and 2 kids in my car, we had to leave the stroller behind, so Saige had to walk like a big girl. The pace was much slower than normal, but she enjoyed her freedom so long as she was holding onto someone's finger.
This was taken on the only day we had available to try and do some family pictures on the beach. Of course, it was rainy and very windy that day and neither child was in the mood to co-operate! I captured this cute picture of Dayton with his movie star Auntie Jess.
And this is our best attempt at the family picture. YaYa isn't really choking Dayton to keep him in place, it just looks that way. I on the other hand, probably wanted to choke him because he was being so bad. Saige wouldn't look at the camera in any of the pictures. Dayton either tried to climb off someone's lap, close his eyes or hold a stick in front of his face. A miserable experience but at the same time, made for a memorable moment.

Saige Visits The Doctor

Saige seems to be getter worse rather than better, so the doctor decided to do some bloodwork. He is hoping that she is just dealing with several issues at one time and that is the reason her fever has been lingering so long. It seems like the fever has been the only consistent symptom and all the other ones have come and gone and or are cropping up as new ones. We all just hope that everyone is better soon, as we have not been able to enjoy our usual play and outside activities. Personally, I am most tired of all the whining! On a more positive note, she continues to grow! She is 33 inches now at 18 months! (Much taller than Dayton was at that age) But, she has not gained anything in 6 months...she is still just a mere 24lbs. Funny because she seems heavier to me lately. What else is new besides all the illness....?Dayton has been celebrating the Chinese New Year at school and likes to talk about it like he knows what it is. Part of his morning ritual now is to ask me what they are having for lunch and snack at school and what he's doing at school that day. I think Thursdays is religion day as well as physical education and art. I'm pretty sure he has also started to learn about the Hawaiian Islands and yesterday they started learning about maps. The only reason I know this is because I check his curriculum guide each day so that I know what kind of questions to ask him when he gets home. Otherwise, he just replies with "my don't know." What did you have for lunch Dayton? "My don't know." What did you play with today? "My don't know." What did you do all day? "My don't know...I slept and pwayed on the pwayground." Oh, and have I mentioned that almost every single day there is an accident report in his mailbox? *me rolling my eyes* The other day the had one that said "Dayton was accidentally pushed down during playground time today. Scraped his left cheek. Ice applied." I asked Dayton what happened and he told me that a "boy pushed me down an' smashed my face." Who do I believe? I'll have to look and see if my child is the only one with these little slips in the mailbox every single day!

Mommy's Turn To Be Sick

It was bound to happen eventually. Ugh. Nothing worse than being sick while you are pregnant! Unfortunately I have to miss my little lunch at Dayton's school today! Ah, the guilt. Poor little guy will wonder why all the other kids parents are there and not his. And for the first time since starting school, he did leave the house screaming today and apparently screamed all the way there. (I'm sure that will do wonders for his congestion) He wanted to watch a movie on the way to school and was upset that Daddy's car doesn't have TV's in it. Go figure. Can you tell he's been watching too much TV since getting sick? Well, since today is overcast, rainy and cold (yes it does get cold in Hawaii - it is only a high of 73 degrees today...but feels much colder on our bluff in the rain)Saige and I will be spending the day in our PJ's.

Looking For A Live-In Nurse

So, I'm thinking about changing my sleeping schedule to be from 6am-6pm and stay awake from 6pm-6am, since that seems to be when I'm asleep and or awake. Last night I lay on Dayton's floor for a little over an hour trying to comfort him through a coughing spell. He gets so upset about it and then the tears cause more snot and congestion and thus more coughing. Mostly he is upset that I am denying him access to sleep in our bed. Normally, he would wake up in the night and just climb right in, but I am trying to limit my exposure to germs as much as possible (if that is even possible when you are a mom). Afterall, who likes snot rubbed on their pillows and hands rubbing all over their face during the night when trying to sleep? So I am instead nesting (quite uncomfortably I might add) on his floor until he falls asleep. I tried sneaking out once last night and he woke up yelling for me. After I snuck back into my own bed at 2:30 am I heard Saige crying. Since she normally doesn't cry during the night I went to check on her and sure enough, she was covered from head to toe in diarrhea. Poor baby. She was shivering uncontrollably and her little teeth were chattering. I put her straight into a warm bath to get her clean and warm her up. Would I ever get any sleep? No. She was still pretty cold after the bath so I wrapped her up in a warm blanket and we snuggled a bit. I changed her bedding gave her some tylenol, rubbed her back for a bit and then tried sneaking out. No such luck. Normally I can just pat her back and leave her room and she is fine, but last night she wasn't, so I resigned myself to creating a little nest on her floor. By now it was 4am and she didn't fall asleep until 5am. She kept checking to see if I was still lying there and on occasion would try and make conversation. The only response she got was "shhh". Finally, at 5am I crawled into my own bed (at that point not caring about the time - just wanting some warmth)and immediately fell asleep. Only to be woken up moments later by Dayton crawling in bed. I was too tired to take him back to his room so I just let him cough on my back. At 5:30 the alarm started to go off. Thankfully, Scott only hit snooze one time (usually it is more than 3 times). I think I got an extra 15minutes of sleep in there before I had to get up and get Dayton ready for school. Today, Saige and I are doing nothing. I am going to feed her lunch shortly (it is only 10am here) and put her to bed and then I am going to sleep and hopefully I wake up in time to pick Dayton up from school. At least that is my plan. Hence, I am looking for a temporary live-in nurse...well, not really, but it is a nice thought.

Sleepless in Hawaii But Getting Better

Still a whole lot of coughing at night and complaints about a sore belly as well as lingering whining...but overall it seems the worst is over and the norm is yet to come. (knock on wood) The day did begin with a split lip though..need you wonder who? Dayton of course. He banged his mouth trying to get into his chair for breakfast and his tooth pierced his lip. Certainly not the first time that has happened. He said, "first my chin and now my lip and spittin up Monday, Wensday and Fursday." Then he started to cry. Poor thing. On the upside, since I've been spending so much time with him, I've noticed that he's doing and saying lots of new things that he must be picking up from school. Like counting in spanish???? Umm...hello...either Dora is doing a great job teaching him or he's picking it up at school because I most certainly cannot count in Spanish. This morning he was throwing a toy across the room on the floor and jumping over to it. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was "playing hopscotch." I just sort of gave him a strange look...who taught him about hopscotch? It makes me happy that he is enjoying school and learning new things. I just wish they were germ free. This week is Catholic Schools Week Celebrations (I'm not really sure what that is) and Saige and I get to join Dayton for lunch at school on Tuesday. It should be fun - I'm sure he'll enjoy showing me everything that he does.

A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

No vomiting, no loose potty...thank God for small miracles. Still a rough night with bouts of coughing, nose blowing and crying, but much better than the night before. Dayton is drinking a little bit more each day and eating little bit more at each meal. Last night he still had fever, but was running and jumping around in his usual fashion...a sure sign that he is feeling better! It's about time..it has been such a LONG week. The kids have certainly had their share of colds and tummy bugs, but have almost always rebounded within a day or two. This has been the hardest week of motherhood thus far. I know there will be many more challenges in the days and years to come but illness and injury it seems, is one of the more taxing ones. Saige is still suffering from gastritis and a low grade fever but otherwise seems her usual joyful self with short lived moments of misery. She finally let me stick a finger in her mouth last night without biting it and I was able to feel the first signs of her two year molars..well at least one of them anyway. Now it makes sense why she's been putting anything and everything in her mouth and constantly saying "mouth", "mouth". It also explains why she's been constantly poking at one of her ears. What I would like to know, is why she needs them 6 months early and why her eye teeth haven't come in first. The dogs are surviving the disruption in the house but not liking the new sleeping arrangement with Dayton on our floor and a vaporizer in the room, nor the bouts of coughing keeping them up. Perhaps they'll realize what it is like for me when they constantly wake me up with their scratching and wandering. Outside of the sick house, it is another beautiful day in Hawaii. Warm breezes, hot sun and ocean views.

My New Little Bed

It was NOT a good night last night...for any of us. After several bouts of spasmodic coughing/choking followed by vomiting, we decided to put Dayton's mattress in our room on the floor so that he might feel a little better. He liked the idea and initially slept ok, but woke up with several choking episodes and throwing up. We haven't quite figured out if he is suffering from a stomach flu or if the vomiting is triggered by his choking episodes. For the most part, it seems to be related to the latter. Finally, around 1am he slept peacefully. I floated in and out of sleep, worried about my little boy. This morning he has drank a little bit better; though not his normal amount and ate half a banana and a mini muffin. He kept that down but did complain about his belly hurting about 2 hours after eating. Close to lunch he asked if I was going to make him lunch...he ate a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It is now 2 hours after that meal and it also seems to be staying down. He's trying to nap right now but having a hard time because of the choking episodes. I'm worried it may trigger another "spit up" as he calls it. Initially he wanted his bed set back up in his room (which I thought was a good sign), but after several episodes he sweetly asked me if I could put his "new little bed" back in Mommy's room. Very cute, and hopefully not a habit, but much better than kicking me all night and choking in my ear. To be continued I suppose....here's hoping for a weekend filled with recovery.

Pitiful Dayton

Well, we decided to keep Dayton home from school today and replace it with a trip to the doctor since he spent a lot of time awake, coughing and choking last night. Very low grade fever and still bouts of loose potty. The doctor of course felt he was mildly dehydrated and said he needed to drink more and be eating better before going back to school. No antibiotics, no cough medicines (he is so conservative with medications and little ones) just rest and fluids. I was beginning to think we were doing a bit better today since he did eat some mac'n cheese and didn't complain about his belly after. It has been hard getting him to drink though. I am constantly telling him to take small sips here and there, but I don't even think he is sipping enough to wet his lips. So we were sent home with instructions that he needs to have a pee at least once a day. *sigh* Well that was this morning...this afternoon he now has a fever and just had a horrible bout of choking followed by some more vomiting and still no pee today. I thought we were over that last Sunday. I guess not. So now I am extra worried about the possibility of a hospitalization for dehydration. Will keep you all posted.