39 Weeks

I am officially due next Wednesday! If baby girl decides to be stubborn, we have scheduled an induction for November 3rd. Either way, she'll be here within the next two weeks!

Journaling

In the process of moving and unpacking, which I'll post about eventually, I came across all my old journals. I found one particular entry from November 2006 when I was deciding what I wanted to do the following summer. I wrote about how I was struggling to make a decision about interning in D.C. and how I wished someone could just make the decision for me.

I wrote, "I have a lot of options. It's definitely better than no options. But still, for every option I have to make a choice - decide yes or no. What happens if I make the wrong decision? What are the consequences of what I choose, or choose not, to do? Will where I intern this summer have any effect on what happens when I graduate? Or does this summer really not make a significant difference?"

Wow. I had completely forgotten how much I struggled with the decision to intern in D.C. and how much I struggled with where I would live once I got there, if I did at all. I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like had I not made the decision to go. Nothing in my life would be the same. There would have been no opportunity to meet Russel. I wouldn't be married to him or living in northern Virginia and I wouldn't be getting ready to have a baby. It was such a pivotal decision and, of course, at the time I had no way of knowing. I am so grateful for the reminder of those events and the reminder that we can be led in our decisions through prayer and personal revelation. I have no doubt I made the right decision and that gives me such confidence as I go forward in my life, knowing that with the help of the Holy Ghost I can make correct decisions for me and my family.

Maternity Photo

About two weeks ago, a friend from my ward took some maternity pictures with Russel and me. She had asked if I would mind doing the little photo shoot as she loves photography and is looking into broadening her repertoire to maternity in addition to the family shoots and portrait work she already does. I, of course, thought it was a lot of fun and Russel was an excellent sport to go along with the whole thing. :-)

This is my favorite picture from the day. Cheesy as it sounds, Russel and I spend a lot of time watching our little girl move around inside my belly and feeling her practice her kickboxing moves. Russ also talks to her a lot and I love that this picture shows us doing those things. I can't wait to meet her here soon - only 4 more weeks!

The Big Island

(Note - this is a very long post with a ton of pictures, but I couldn't help myself. Hawaii is too beautiful to cut anything out.)

The last part of August my immediate family (parents, brothers, sister and brother-in-law) and Russel and I all gathered for a beautiful and relaxing family vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was the perfect getaway to enjoy spending time with each other and the beauty of the island. We stayed near Waikaloa on the Kona side. Kona is the dry side of the island, covered in volcanic rock and wonderfully clear and sunny everyday, perfect for hanging out at the beach. We stayed in two condos, Russel and I in one with Rebecca and Gerrit, and my parents and brothers in the other. I'll break up the rest of the post by highlighting our favorite things from the trip.

A-Bay
A-Bay is our "home" beach, just 5 minutes from the condos we stayed in. It is beautiful and has the added bonus features of sea turtles everywhere and chairs to lounge on.

Mauna Kea
This is another beach, but worth mentioning because it is the most gorgeous beach I have ever been to. It is a public beach but has a limited number of parking spots with beach access so you have to be there early. Once you're there, it's heaven. It has the softest white sand, warm water and incredible snorkeling. Perfection.

Fair Wind Snorkeling Cruise

My family has done this snorkeling cruise every time we've been to the Big Island. It is one of the must-do items on the agenda and it did not disappoint.

I wish I had pictures from the underwater camera that Jonathon used while we were there. The spot we go to has crystal clear water, even where it gets as deep as 25-30 feet, and we saw some beautiful fish.

Kona Hawaii Temple
We spent one morning at the LDS Kona temple. It is the second smallest temple in the world, but is just as special and beautiful as any other temple in the church.

The Waipi'o Valley
We went to the Waipi'o Valley lookout after church and it is breathtaking. The black sand beach and the raw, untouched beauty of the valley is stunning.

Bamboo Restaurant
We ate a ridiculous amount of good food throughout the week, but the Bamboo Restaurant is a cut above the rest. It is in Hilo, about a 40 minute drive from where we stayed, but so worth it. Everything there is incredible.

Zipline Tour

I didn't participate in the zipline tour, it's not exactly recommended for women who are 8 months pregnant, but Russel, Rebecca, Gerrit and Marc all went and had a great time. The tour took them on 11 different ziplines through lush rainforest and even took them past a few waterfalls.

The Luau

The night before we left, we attended a really fun luau. They had everyone watch as they uncovered the traditional kalua pork, which had been cooking in an Umu (earth oven) all day. The men take out the huge pig with their bare hands and prepare it for the feast. They also did some really neat polynesian dances, including a fire dance.

34.5 weeks

I have a lot to catch up on, but just for tonight, here is a picture of me at 34.5 weeks. I'm starting to feel like I'm ready to be done with this pregnancy, though I realize I still have over a month to go. I hope that's normal. Any suggestions for how to cope with when you don't want to be pregnant anymore but you're not ready yet for the baby? It's kind of a tricky one. :-)

Happy Birthday to Me

This lovely camera arrived today and I am so excited! We decided with our new little one on the way we would like to have a nice camera for documenting all the wonderful things she will be doing. We decided to make it my birthday present, as it isn't something I felt like we could justify buying just any old time. It took us a few months to decide what we wanted, but now we finally have it and I am looking forward to playing around with it so I have a clue how to use it by the time she is born.

I realized I never actually posted about my birthday, so here are a few memories from the birthday weekend...

My wonderful parents were in town (for Russel's graduation, and it just occurred to me that I never posted about that either) and we went to the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria

Hanging out in Old Town

We also took a drive out to Lurray, VA and enjoyed the beautiful countryside and this lovely old church.

On the actual day, posing with my cake and my cute nephews, Jimmy and Dane. They were busy checking out the cake and waiting to sing happy birthday so they could dive in.

At the end of a great birthday, with my sweetheart.

And just for fun, here is a picture of me at 29 1/2 weeks. Hard to believe baby girl still has 10-11 weeks of growing to do...scary.

It's Official

I must be pregnant.

All in the past week I have had strangers come up and touch my belly, heard unsolicited advice about the best way to deliver (without an epidural of course, because what kind of person would drug themselves while experiencing the miracle of life) and been talked about as "that pregnant lady" as I have walked by.

I feel a bit like a walking circus act.