July 2017 // Trip to Minnesota

I grew up in a small town north of Duluth. I love my family but couldn't wait to get out of there.
The month after I graduated high school, I left, determined to live anywhere else.

It's funny what 10 years will do. 

Minnesota, the Iron Range particularly, is my absolute favorite place in the whole world. No matter where I go or what I do it'll always be home.

July in Minnesota is perfect*. Everywhere is buzzing with that summertime energy. It's cool at night, warm during the day and the days are gloriously long. 

We arrived the very end of June and Tom and I hit the ground running. We were visiting family and friends every single day! Tom was only there for 10 days and we had a lot of people to see and  a lot of things to do!

*Yes, I write this acting like mosquitos do not exist.

I had so much fun playing with my camera while we were home. I tried my best to take it out as often as I could and I'm so grateful for the moments that I captured along withe the incredible moments that I'll only have in my memory.

Time with all the grandparents...the best. My mom and dad, Tom's mom and stepdad, Tom's dad and stepmom, grandma and grandpa Briski. The time spent with my sisters; Leah, Coco, Angeline, Danielle.. my little squishy Coco Mae head and my nephews Brandon and Owen. My aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that I actually got to spend time with! AMAZING! So amazing.. 

The baby showers, weddings, baseball games, parades, lake days, shopping days, breakfast dates, hair cuts, lunch dates, co-op runs, Tommy's tri, CHIPOTLE and an awesome trip to Lakeville.

These are the best moments. The moments I live for. They are busy and crazy but there is help and love and lots and lots of laughter. These are the moments that are most important. Time with family.

I got to spend the entire month of July in the midwest. How incredible is that?

The day my parents dropped me off at the Duluth airport to head home - I cried. I cried because I had the best month. I cried because how darn lucky was I to be able to do that? I cried because I missed my husband and Finn so darn much and I finally allowed myself to feel it. 

Things aren't perfect, gosh no, but I am one incredibly blessed mama.

I live a life that can never, ever be taken for granted.  

June in Review ~

- Went to the Big Island for the weekend
- Watched hubby complete Ironman 70.3 on Kona
- Visited Kevin & Kelly! <3
- Took Tom George's 5-month photos
- Amber necklace for teething Thomas
- Pool day with the baby!
- Celebrated Tom on Father's Day! Nico's for dinner!
- Chopped all my hair off
- Story time at Kaneohe Library
- Lunch with Gigi and Noe
- Thomas's 6-month wellness check & shots
- Tom's North Shore swim
- Tom George's first swim in the ocean!
- Nacho's at Uncle Bos, Haleiwa
- Completed 2 Skillshare classes
- Booked a photoshoot with Jessica Holleque in July
- Cactus date with husband (baby TG too!)
- Read the book White Hot Truth by Danielle LaPorte
- Gave myself a mani & pedi
- Left for Minnesota trip! HNL ---> MSP
- Caribou in MN!!

May in Review ~

- Celebrated Grandpa George's 80th birthday in Minnesota
- Flew back to Hawaii
- T. George had his 4-month wellness check
- Celebrated my first Mother's Day
- Brunch with family at Crepes No Ka Oi in Kailua
- Back to the Dermatologist
- Binged watched 3 seasons of Shameless (quit watching, couldn't take anymore and needed my life back!)
- Took 4 photography classes on Skillshare
- Purchased Michelle Gardella's Story Waters Lightroom presets
- Aloha BBQ in Honolulu for Tom's co-worker, James
- Mama baby day trip to Ala Moana Mall in Honolulu
- Lunch with Sage and Theo
- Auntie Katie visits
- North Shore Oahu family cruise
- Thomas started to crawl!
- Annual women's appointment with my midwife
- Made a Terrarium with Cami and Art Bridge at Anuenue in Kailua
- Solo coffee date at Chad Lous
- Started an online collection of my photographs {portfolio}
- Packed up my little dude for our next trip to the Big Island

First Trimester -- Thomas George

The first trimester.

We found out we were pregnant at about 4-5 weeks. Once we had that positive test, it started to get real... there's a baby on the way!

7 weeks pregnant with little baby J!

- My favorite part of the first trimester was telling people we were pregnant. Getting to call my parents, Tom's parents and my sisters, cousins, family and friends was SO MUCH FUN. Everyone seriously freaks out and cries and celebrates and... it's fun. I loved that part.

- It wasn't all laughter and celebration though.. in fact, I was sick the entire first trimester. It wasn't morning sickness, it was all damn day! From my first appointment to my second, I lost 8 lbs! I couldn't eat and was choking down crackers trying to get by. That part is tough because you look normal and you aren't really telling people yet but you're SICK but not sick... lol, a struggle for sure. 

- I remember longing to eat a real meal, a BIG meal.. any kind of FOOD. There was a small part of me that even wondered if food would ever taste good again.

- Pregnancy and mamahood wasn't something that was really on my radar, so when we found out we were pregnant I had a little bit of a freak out... I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about pregnancy or babies. It was time to hit Amazon! Books on books on books. Pregnancy books, birthing books, breastfeeding books. I went a little bit crazy but I also had a lot of fun reading and learning about the future of my body and my life.

- I wanted a home birth and Tom wanted a hospital birth so we compromised on a birth center. I had an OB and two midwives that I met with and I really liked them. We had our first appointment at 8 weeks and it was SO COOL. Seeing the little blobby human and hearing his heartbeat -- let the unbelievable moments (along with the million appointments) begin!

- One of the other biggest things for me in the first trimester was exhaustion. I was SO TIRED -- so I slept.. and slept... and SLEPT like a rock. I pretty much took a 2 hour nap everyday after work. I'd get home, collapse on the bed and sleep. At the time I was teaching a Yoga class and had to get a sub for my classes. I felt like a big, useless slug. So much sleep, so much rest.

- The first trimester is so trippy because I didn't look pregnant. I felt sick and I felt tired but the craziest thing was just knowing I was growing a human. All day everyday I just kept thinking, "I'm pregnant. I can't believe I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby. A baby." LOL -- seriously, ALL DAY LONG.

- Another one of my favorite parts of the first trimester was getting BOOBS! My boobs got big right away and I loved it. I finally filled out a swimsuit and I looked great in a tank top. It was short lived but a wonderful experience I'll remember forever. Haha

- Another big thing I experienced in the first trimester was doubt. Could I be a good mom? I would look up to the sky a lot when I was on my walks and I would ask in all seriousness, "Are you SURE you want me to do this? You trust me to be a good mom? Ok, if you think so."

- Oh, another thing. Hormones. The crying started in the first trimester. If it was silly, I cried -- sad, I cried. I was smiling and joking one minute and then crying the next -- my hubby, poor thing, did so good with me.

12 weeks pregnant and on my way to the second trimester!

- MOM BRAIN. It's so real and I had it so bad. It started right there in the first trimester and oh. em. gee. I was running into walls at work, I couldn't finish a sentence, and I would seriously just lose my balance trying to walk. It was absolutely nuts and weird and I thought my mind was jelly for good and I would never be the same again. (It went away, thank goodness!)

- I didn't actually buy any maternity clothes in the first trimester. I stuck to skirts and shorts and tanks.. I went up a size in the scrubs at work for comfort. It was really all about being comfortable!

- Something that changed for me right away that I thought was really weird... every single time I brushed my teeth, I gagged. It lasted my entire pregnancy. I couldn't brush my tongue at all and even just brushing my teeth was weird. 

- Just a few short days after telling my sister I was pregnant, she had a surprise for ME.. she was pregnant TOO! We were due only a week apart. I think I needed someone very close to me to go through the entire experience together. Thank goodness for Leah and Coco!

- By the end of the first trimester, I felt like I had gotten really big... which after experiencing 41 weeks of pregnancy, is a hilarious statement. ;)

- The whole thing felt so slow-fast. Each day felt long but it, of course, went by so quickly. All I know is I was grateful as all can be that I was growing a healthy little baby. We couldn't wait to find out what we were having! 

Baby is the size of a: LIME
Length & weight: 2.13 in. & .49 oz.
Mama's cravings: NONE -- could barely choke down crackers!
Weight update: 0 lbs. ~ I lost eight and gained it back so I'm at a 0 lb. weight difference in the first trimester
We're feeling: Excited, nervous, proud and mama is a bit sick! Can't WAIT to find out if you're a boy or a girl.
Highlight of the first trimester: Telling our family, friends and co-workers! THE BEST.
Energy levels: Slug status.
Habits: Legs up the wall every single night, started taking a prenatal vitamin, not really exercising, but I want to!
 

Read more of: 
The Pregnancy Diaries

April In Review ~

- Went to Maui Brewing to visit the Williams Ohana
- Had the in-laws here for a week
- Took Thomas up to Ko'Olina for the day
- Published That Positive Test -- Pregnancy Diary Part Two
- Play date with Sage & Theo x 2!
- Yoga at the YMCA - many times/week!
- Completed 23 Conversations Challenge with Heather Thorkelson
- Created Earthen Women FB Group for new moms
- Hosted a Dreamboard Workshop at The Yoga Hut
- Went to Beauty and the Beast with the girls
- Attended Stryker team building / Took Thomas to the beach
- Dermatologist appointment / Mole removed
- Easter at Lauren & Jon's house
- Solo coffee date at Chad Lou's
- Best Buy for my new baby : Canon 6D
- Watched my hubby cross the finish line at the Lanikai Triathalon!
- TRIP TO MINNESOTA! <3

That Positive Test -- Pregnancy Diary Part 2

Honeymoon April 2016 -- Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Italy

"It's a boy!", said the mime as Tom and I were strolling by.

We were honeymooners, walking a cobblestone path through Venice.

He caught me off guard and I got offended! I know I had eaten an entire pizza and way too much gelato each day but did I look PREGNANT? 

Thanks a lot dude.

Tom and I joked about it because:
A. Mimes aren't even supposed to talk
B. I was definitely not pregnant

---

We got back from a magical 14 days in Italy.

As we adjusted back to being home, I just wasn't feeling the best. "Jet lag," I thought.
"Too much pizza and gelato, maybe. I'm not used to eating like that."

BUUUUUT .... it wasn't going away. So I bought a pregnancy test.

It was a lazy Saturday morning and we were putzing around the house when I decided to take it.

I unwrapped the stick, peed and quickly set it on the bathroom sink. I went and laid on the bed thinking over and over again, "No way, just... no way."

I sent Tom in first. He didn't have to say anything because when I saw his jaw drop open with a look of complete shock, I knew. It was positive and our lives were never going to be the same.

We were going to have a baby.

---

I don't know about any of you other moms out there but I felt like the first woman in the world to ever see a plus sign on her pregnancy test.

I felt excited, nervous... like.. ok.... what do I do now?

Nothing had changed and yet it felt like everything changed.

It felt so wild.. but I'd soon find out that that is the only way to truly describe this whole experience. 

Wild.

---

Continue Reading...

The Pregnancy Diaries

March In Review ~

March! Thing are finally starting to calm down. I'm feelin' like myself more and more each day. 
I have to tell you, those first two months were intense, hard... tiring, but I feel a shift... a welcomed shift and when my son smiles at me (which he is doing more and more) it's all worth it.

Doing this mom thing and also starting to do some work with Earthen Women. It's all slowly coming together and I've never felt more ready. March, in review!

- Brought Thomas to his two month appointment
- Attended the Mama & Me Hui at Castle - x2!
- Donated to the Hawaiian Island Humane Society
- Set up a family filing system (Virgo all day!)
- Went to Sage's house for baby/mama/friends time - x2!
- Got Thomas his passport photo
- Published first post in the Pregnancy Diary - Long Before Baby!
- Put in my two week notice with Stryker
- Met mama Liz and baby Ellie for acai bowls!
- Officially became a Stay At Home Mom!
- Opened bank account for Earthen Women / Set up Square
- Pampered myself with an at home pedicure
- Beach day with my family! <3
- Brought Thomas to Pali Momi & Hawaiian Airlines to visit co-workers & daddy!
- Took Thomas to Mele Keiki -- music class! So much fun!
- Read Yoga Beyond Belief by Ganga White of White Lotus Foundation
- Taught Mama & Me Yoga at Liz's house to two Mama's! - x2!
- Ordered flyers for April's Vision Board Workshop!
- Signed up for a family pass at our local YMCA
- Brought Thomas to child watch @ the Y while mama took a Yoga class
- Coffee/Business date with Katie
- Went to the Eat Cake Gallery launch party at Red Pineapple

Things are really starting to pick up with Earthen Women -- setting up workshops and teaching a little Yoga. It's been amazing getting back into it, rolling with the opportunities that are being presented. TY, TY, TY!