Adventure 7: Here's the doozie!

High-Fiving Us... :)

Like the kind of prayers most people make to Jesus to help change the bad situations they've created, I find myself thinking too many times a day to count:  "I will NEVER take a morning cup of french pressed coffee, an ice cold Blue Moon on a hot day after working in my garden, or a glass of red wine while cooking dinner for granted ever ever again."  But unlike those people who pray, it is not followed by, "...if you just let this one slide, or if you can just not let so and so find out, or if you can just change it...".  This is just a promise I make to myself to enjoy every tiny little life pleasure I use to indulge in regularly once I meet my tiny little gift of life in March. 

This is me, straight outta bed at around
12 weeks.

I am pregnant with a baby girl.  Her name is Reise Danielle Hattori and currently she is 26 weeks and already taking after her fathers Japanese roots by practicing to be a martial artist. A real life, in the womb, Jackie Chan; punching or kicking me so hard sometimes I stop, hold my belly, and ask her if she is comfortable enough yet in there or if I can offer her maybe some ice cream to make it better... I think she likes Ben and Jerry's and Otter-pop Popsicles, (especially the grape).  Reise, German for "Journey" or "Travel" and symbolic of my entire life, yet ironic considering the situation I'm in.  The journey is on hold until she makes her way into the world and then into one of those ergo-baby backpacks.  Then she will be our hiking, fishing, jungle baby, eventually playing in the water and sun on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui where we call home. Unlike her fathers pure bred Japanese heritage, I am a curly blonde haired, green eyed, freckle faced concoction of Irish, English, and German.  This girl is either going to come out gorgeous or very confused.  If prayer was a part of my life, with me already thinking about her teenage years, I would pray that she not inherit my larger than average chest.  Amen.

Our first gift from a sweet and dear client from my
work, we opened it at the beach over a picnic.
We love our owl...
Thank you Di!

Just this past weekend she gave us a good scare, (payback to me I assume for all the gray hairs I have likely given my father).  I had early, (quite painful), contractions that were bad enough that I could not sleep or even walk or speak when they hit.  We were rushing off to the hospital at 3:30 in the morning on Saturday, hoping to goodness that she wasn't trying to make some surprise entry in to this world far to soon.  Our doctor was a complete uninformative, un-caring, text messaging right in front of me, obviously did not want to be there at all, young, female douche, (sorry for the language, but I couldn't come up with a better word and the "C" word is just a little too nasty).  Urine, blood, contraction monitoring, lots of rough poking and proding, a shot of "turb", and her leaving without giving me the results or telling me what to do or even that she was leaving ended up with us having another "douche doctor" come in to say, "You are free to go"... us with looks of utter confusion on our faces she informed us with, 

16 or so weeks... Seeing a small bump
before heading to the beach.

"I'm so and so... Your other doctor left but said you're free to go and they'll give you some instructions to sign once you get dressed".  "So my results were ok?"  "Yep, everything looked good".  The nurse comes in with a sheet that says to call if you have any of the following symptoms... yada yada yada... I had no idea what just happened or why I was having such intense pain and contractions in the first place.  I did manage to ask douche doctor #1 if I could still be active as I live a VERY active lifestyle.  She said that my low blood pressure and healthy stats that she had seen thus far were likely due to the fact that I live such a healthy active lifestyle and that it was just fine to resume my daily activities.  So after a night of no sleep and arriving back home at around noon, we took a nap and woke a couple hours later.  I felt great after that shot, no more contractions, so I was ready to go SUP, (stand up paddling), on that perfectly gorgeous day.  Paddle I did, (like I do nearly everyday as it is like my ultimate meditation and intermediate prego exercise).  After came dinner and then a good ten hour nights sleep; I felt perfect.  

This is me the other day at 6 and a half months...
doing what I love to do in our new "hometown".
It's not a side shot, but I assure you, there is
a definite bump growing. 

Sunday the ocean was a big mess and the sky was all clouds, so I took it pretty easy with the dogs.  Come supper time, the nightmare started all over again and after a phone call to the hospital and having over 7 contractions in an hour and increasing, they insisted I must come back.  Hallelujah for the saint doctor I had that night.  He spent an hour explaining everything to us and he was "gentle" with the not so fun tests and gave us a clear mind that we would not be having our baby AT LEAST for the next few weeks, but he even more over believed that she would wait the whole time as long as the contractions don't damage my cervix.  Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah... I wanted to bear hug the $h*t out of him!

Waking up to this on the toilet, (because Lord knows
I pee plenty these days and it wouldn't stay hidden
for long)... I am just a puddle of mush sometimes.
"Sesame seed" refers back to the day when she was
that small... Now she's 2 lbs. and MUCH bigger.

The complicated part now is that I truly believe I have a problem... an attention deficit disorder or some sort of hyper-active issue.  Promising both Jun and my brother that I would rest for a few days/weeks was like signing over my sanity.  I'm on day two and I'm so bored I'm about to cook every dish in every cookbook I own and sit around eating and watching documentaries feeling sorry for myself.  BUT luckily I'm writing this blog instead and will make 2 kinds of authentic meatballs for the next three hours after this...  Thank goodness for netflix, the dogs, my husband, my family via telephone, you readers who keep me writing, my guitar, banjo, and FOOD.  I might even put myself on "beach rest" later... That's just like bed rest, right?  ;)

So to those of you who are just in utter disbelief that I'm even preggers... and this far along already... know this:

1) It was planned.  We both agreed it was time and we were ready to bring a kiddo into the world... In to a home of lots of love and lots of adventure... and with our highly aquatic genetics, there's a chance that she may possibly be the female version of Kelly Slater... ;)

2) No one could tell I was pregnant up until a few weeks ago and I barely felt I was either as I never had morning sickness or felt crappy at all until this past week's contractions... so I didn't really feel I even had to tell the whole world and the only way I was convinced there was a baby in there was when I felt her moving.  When 6 months hit, she really started to come out of nowhere and the bump has arrived.  I officially feel pregnant.

3) She is due March 5th and I have absolutely NO CLUE what she will look like.  Growing up in a VERY caucasian part of the world where you live your life believing that if you have a child, it will likely have fair skin, blue eyes, and blond or light brown hair, I'm now left in complete wonder.  Here "mixed breeds" are called "hapa's"... We will have a hapa baby... Half Japanese and half Irish, German, and English.  Jun came out with a full head of hair, I came out with no hair until I was at least a year, making it so that I had to have my bows and berets vaselined on to my head just so they would stick.  Who knows... but all I do know is that I hope more than anything that she is healthy... I can't wait to meet her... She will be a tomboy... Her Daddy's a police officer so boys better beware... I have no idea what I'm doing and am RIDICULOUSLY grateful for my sister's help and knowledge... The baby section of stores is the scariest place on earth... And I'm about to experience the biggest life changing experience and more love than I could have ever imagined...

Below are the trips and adventures Reise has already been on while in my belly and some more pictures... :)

We hiked from Waianapanapa, (Black Sand Beach), to
the Hana Bay via the "King's Trail".  A breath-taking
4 mile hike one way that I've blogged about before.

I took this picture at the market and sent it to Jun. :)
I really try to be Natural and Organic! :)

We hunted for the delicious dragon fruit and came
out with PLENTY...

And went and saw horses at Lindbergh's grave...

And spent more time in Kaupo...

Drinking coconuts for electrolytes!

Not sure how many weeks this was... but
definitely showing here.

Got to love the batting cages!  Don't worry, I grew
up playing baseball with family... She was in
no danger here.

We did a multi-trail hike here... rounding out to
about 7 beautiful miles of Redwood trees
and forests.

Stopping on our hike for a rest and a bump check. :)

And those moments when I do actually relax and enjoy
the sunrise and a cup of ginger tea... (Trying
desperately to pretend it is coffee).

Hiking with the boys to the blowhole via the backside.
It's like you're on the MOON!

Her 16 week ultrasound.

I just sold my jeep... She will be missed but I do
love our pick up truck!

Again, straight outta bed... Sorry!
21 weeks here... Check out that bump
though and that silly dude in the back! :)

And right now, while resting, I will go chop
a few more off of the bunch we just harvested
to snack on because I have bananas
 coming outta my ears! 

She has also paraglided, done numerous hikes, she's been surfing, paddling, and so much more.  I'm hoping she'll be an adventuress like her momma...  :)

I think that's pretty much it for surprises... (Like you haven't just been hit with two Mack trucks this week).  We did recently move to somewhere SUPER amazing, so more to come on that and new adventures!  :)

With Love and Aloha,

Danielle  (Q.B.)