Sweet Blueberry

I've been meaning to share this sweet story for awhile now but am just finally getting it down on "paper." We enjoy the "what fruit or veggie is baby this week" updates from babycenter.com- I think because its a more tangible way to understand where little baby is in the development process, size-wise anyway. I've never been good with measurements so being able to visualize what 8 inches or 12 oz. looks like isn't easy for me. Anyway, back when baby was 7 weeks, he/she was the size of a blueberry. Geoff surprised me with breakfast in bed: a blueberry muffin from our favorite local coffee shop and a big decaf coffee (mmm, remember when I used to like coffee!?). He's so thoughtful that way.

26 weeks today, and baby is as tall as an English cucumber (14 inches) and weighs one and two-third pounds. Heard baby's strong heartbeat on Wednesday, about 120bpm. We know 3 couples who have had babies recently without finding out whether they were having a boy or girl -- all 3 have been boys. What do you think that means?!

Google Chrome on Fatherhood

As fatherhood rapidly approaches (t-minus 100 days and counting), I am noticing signs that I'm turning into a big sap. For example, this is my favorite commercial on TV right now, and not just because I like Google Chrome:

This ad resonates with me in several ways:

• Holding: Dad admits that he's still getting used to holding little Sophie. Yeah, I have no idea how to hold a baby. Or change diapers. Or get one to stop crying. There will be a lot of things to get used to.
• Giggles: The quick clip of Sophie laughing at her 1st birthday party is amazing. I can't wait to hear my baby laugh and melt my heart.
• Helpless: Sophie has to go to the hospital with a fever, with Dad acknowledging how helpless he feels. So many things are completely outside of my control as it is now, and it's hard to think about how little I'll be able to control once Baby Peck arrives.
• Model: The Dad in this ad is completely unlike most dads portrayed in popular culture today. That is to say, he's not a complete moron. This Dad is a loving, caring, sentimental, humorous, providing, protecting, family man. I hope I'll be that kind of Dad.

Corn Cob

24 weeks and Baby Peck is about as long as a corn cob (~12 inches) and weighs just over a pound. Baby's lungs and brain continue to develop, as well as taste buds which I find kinda funny. Baby will begin to plump up this next week and fill out some of those skin rolls, which is probably why I'm so hungry...

A few things I'm noticing lately:

• Baby is moving a lot more (or I can feel it better)- no dramatic kicks yet that Daddy can feel but he still enjoys knowing that I'm feeling our little one regularly doing acrobatics
• In the last month I've had more swelling in my legs and ankles but it seems to be mostly weather related if I'm on my feet too long- this cooler weather has made a difference!
• My appetite has definitely increased, especially around lunch time. In the evenings I tend to get full faster, but am hungry again an hour or so later. Many days I eat 2-3 apples with peanut butter as a snack.
• My food aversions are slowly but surely getting less and less. I made myself a cup of coffee this morning which makes 2 in the past week, quite an accomplishment! Even bigger than that, I made turkey burgers this past week which is the first time in, oh, probably 4 months. I even have plans to make chicken tortilla soup this week which will be my first chicken recipe probably since June. Geoff will be happy for something other than spaghetti or pizza! (By the way, I made individual pizzas last week on flattened Pillsbury Grand rolls and they were delicious! Mmmm that flaky crust!)

Oahu: Day 5

Our final full day on the island was very bittersweet. We tried to soak in as much as possible without dwelling on the fact that tomorrow we would be leaving... Throughout the week we could see planes leaving from the airport, flying out over Waikiki, and we would comment "so glad we're not on that plane!" but we knew our time was almost up. :(

Anyway, on Day5 we had planned to beach hop along the Windward coast, but after our sunburn experience from the previous day, we really had no desire to punish our tender flesh with more direct sun. So, we drove along the coast and got out to enjoy the views as we wanted to. We were once again overwhelmed at the beauty God has created on Oahu. How beautiful He must be to be able to make something like that!

After our scenic-spot hopping, we made it back to our hotel beach in time to enjoy one last dip in the Pacific (once the heat of the afternoon sun was gone) before watching the sunset from the beach. The perfect way to end our final day on Oahu.

Oahu: Day 4

After a busy Day 3, we decided to spend our fourth day just relaxing. We went to a local drive-in for breakfast: Geoff got sunny side-up eggs over fried rice, and I got sweet bread french toast. We spent the morning eating breakfast out on our lanai, reading, enjoying the breeze, etc.

Then we hit the beach! We even spotted a sea turtle swimming with us in the small cove by our hotel. Having spent the morning lounging around our room, we were on the beach during the sun's most intense time. In other words,we made it until day 4 before getting fried. We're still enjoying the peeling skin...

After the beach, we found another way to relax: massage! We got a couples massage at the spa in the Hyatt Hotel downtown. It was bliss, and thankfully our sunburn really didn't start to hurt until later in the day. We enjoyed saying goodbye to all those knots from the long flight (and could probably use another one...). Here we are in the spa's "relaxation room," enjoying water flavored with mint and ginger, and tasty treats of pineapple and chocolate.

After our spa treatment, we spent some time regrouping in the lobby of the Hyatt (the one with the waterfall in it) and enjoyed some Mochi ice cream. This was something we'd read about in the travel books and decided we had to try- its ice cream after all! Mochi ice cream is cold ice cream wrapped in a soft, fluffy rice dough and dusted with a white powdery coating. Its quite an interesting texture experience... probably a good, not great treat in our opinion.

For dinner, we went to Dukes. We had heard this place was worth checking

out for its outdoor seating, right on the beach. We had to wait awhile for an outdoor table to open up, but the reviews were right! We enjoyed good food in a beautiful setting, and Geoff bought be a beautiful fresh lei. We enjoyed another Hawaiian sunset and the shimmer of the tiki torches on the ocean. A great end to a perfect, relaxing day!

(well, the perfect ending might have been the aloe we applied to our burnt skin before bed, but that's far less interesting...)