Third and Final Trimester--REALLY?!

Wow! Where has the time gone? February is filled with excitement--4D ultrasound, doctor appointments every two weeks, meeting Koa's pediatrician, and two baby showers...oh, and my 30th birthday wraps up the month. Yes, I said 30. March will be filled with baby classes (I think we have six evenings devoted so far) along with Joey's birthday. That brings us to April when Spring Break gets here (meaning I will be finished teaching for the school year) and Koa arrives! Needless to say, there will be lots of upcoming posts to create!

Let's start with this one that includes a doctor appointment, the 4D ultrasound, meeting Koa's pediatrician, and the nursery so far...

We had a doctor appointment the last week of January and had a great check up. Everything seems to be progressing just the way it should be. Koa is growing at a good rate, and was moving around quite a bit while we listened to his heart beat. :) Next appointment is in two weeks.

Koa was not completely cooperative during his 4D debut, but we did get a couple of good photos. He was hanging out in the pike position (meaning his legs were covering his face) and his hands were also in front of his face. We were able to get him to move his feet and hands long enough to see him yawn, make sucking motions, and blink. What an incredible experience! We played "his song" for him--Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole' and watched him move around even more. He also seemed to respond to his Daddy's voice!


Thanks to two great referrals from friends at work (Thanks, Deb and Eve!), we found a great pediatrician. Joey and I were able to tour Premier Care Pediatrics and meet Dr. Minick. Throughout our half hour conversation, there was only one negative issue--he is a Florida Gator! In fact, his office was almost suffocating for Joey with all of the Gator paraphernalia! But, we were able to work out a deal that Koa will always wear a Florida State outfit for his doctor visits!
http://www.premiercarepeds.com/index.html

The nursery is coming along. We have the crib and dresser/changing table assembled. I absolutely love them! Joey did an excellent job putting it all together! We will be adding a glider and wall decorations to the nursery before it is complete.

Babymoon Staycation

So, Joey and I decided to take advantage of a weekend off together mid January and devote it to spending some good quality time together before Koa's arrival (and before I don't feel like going anywhere)! Since we have been traveling so much lately, we decided to take advantage of Tampa and stay home! We started off with dinner in Ybor City and a comedy show at the Improv Friday night.

We went to the zoo and the old Tampa Theatre (built in 1926!) on Saturday-both of which we had never experienced before. We really enjoyed our day and decided we are looking forward to taking Koa to the zoo! The theater was really neat and will definitely be a place we look forward to visiting again soon.



Sunday we went to church in the morning, out to lunch, and then enjoyed massages at Massage Envy courtesy of Joey's mom (thanks for the great Christmas present, Mom!). We ate some Thai food on the way home and then settled in for a movie on the couch to end our awesome weekend. I'm so glad we are able to enjoy the weekend together before we went back to our busy schedules--the plus side to staying busy is that this pregnancy is absolutely flying by, and Koa will be here before we know it!

Koa Haven Kaleikini

Well, we are now 25 weeks into this pregnancy. Everyone says the second trimester is the most enjoyable, and I believe them! I have been feeling great and really enjoying feeling and seeing Koa move around. This week he really started becoming active. After one of his episodes, Joey and I think he must have been stretching because we could feel some sort of a body part bulging out of one side of my belly! We really can't wait to meet this little guy!

His nursery is slowly coming together and I think he already has just about a full wardrobe thanks to his extended family in Ohio and his 6 month old cousin! We brought home the bassinet from my parent's house, and it is ready for him. It has had quite a few occupants: me, my brother, my sister, and my nephew!

I will have to take an updated belly picture (as I am getting bigger by the day) this weekend. And, once we finish his nursery in the next couple of weeks, I will be sure to upload some pictures of that as well. Thank you to all of our friends and family for all of their support throughout this pregnancy! We love you!

Happy New Year's

Joey was able to get two tickets to the Gator Bowl so we could witness Coach Bowden's last game. So, we drove to Jacksonville when he got off work New Year's Eve. We made it in time to enjoy some sparkling peach juice and Taco Bell while we watched the ball drop. Good bye 2009 and hello 2010. We were so blessed in 2009 with the addition of our nephew and then the exciting news that we too would be adding to the family! We feel very blessed!




The Former Player Reunion before the game was a fun experience (if you could get past the 40 degree temperature and sideways rain). It was fun not only seeing Joey reunite with his team, but also witnessing players from 30 years ago "man hug" and start telling stories of favorite memories.






Here is the condo where we stayed thanks to one of Joey's friends. What a fun place to stay for the weekend!


Before we drove home, we stopped in St. Augustine and had brunch before walking around the historic part of town and doing some site seeing. We really enjoyed the end of our Christmas break!

White Christmas

We really enjoyed our time in Ohio over Christmas and we were lucky enough to have snow this year! The 17 hour drive was well worth it. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Mele Kalikimaka

Merry Christmas to our friends and family!

Well, as we are getting ready for the busy holiday season, we have reached the half way point in this pregnancy! Baby K is moving around much more, and it's great to feel those little kicks! He seems to love music--especially Corey Smith, and when I eat food!

Joey and I celebrated Christmas at our house on Saturday, Dec. 19. We enjoyed watching Kimo and Naia open their gifts (Naia was especially good at ripping the wrapping paper off). As we were relaxing on the couch later that afternoon, Joey felt his son kick him for the first time! What a great Christmas present for his daddy!

We enjoyed spending Sunday with Joey's mom. She made an amazing dinner and we opened gifts. We watched a movie and had some good laughs. Too bad we forgot to take pictures! Did I mention that dinner was amazing?! Thanks, Mom! We love you!

We are spending Christmas in Ohio this year--we brought the dogs and drove the 15 hours! The trip was great and we even got to see some snow in Tennessee! This was Joey's first snow experience...ever!

So, my parents have a full house this year: Brian, Ashley, their 6-month old, Stuie & Beanie (their two dogs), me, Joey, Kimo & Naia (our two dogs), Mom, Dad, Katie, Andie & Bob (their dog and cat). Yes, that adds up to FIVE dogs and a cat. Needless to say, the cat has not been spotted. The dogs all get along surprisingly well! They love playing in the field at the end of the street.



23 Weeks

It's starting to snow! We are in a winter advisory right now...maybe we will get a few inches today (Dec. 27)!

Cousin Wedding #2 (Vegas)

We really enjoyed our time with Joey's extended family! And there couldn't have been a better occasion than April and Brandon's wedding to get together. It was our first time in Las Vegas and we made sure we saw as much as we could in the two days we were there! The Christmas decorations were amazing! Here are some of our pictures:


The Bellagio (where we stayed)

Fountains of Bellagio--the music, lights, and fountain went together beautifully and were spectacular!

The Christmas decorations in the lobby of the Bellagio were made out of flowers. They had to change the flowers every 4 days to keep them fresh!



Our favorite slot machine: the nickel Wheel of Fortune! Joey even got the spin the wheel!



The wedding was beautiful! It was held at the Wynn and then the reception was in a suite back at the Bellagio. Joey looked great in his suit! :) And of course, the bride, April was gorgeous!!