Team Blue or Team Pink???

At 16 weeks, I was lucky enough of find out the gender of our little peanut and there was no mistaking it! 

I was so excited and determined to find a cute way to tell Shaun. Again, he was still deployed at this point and when working on a submarine, communication is VERY limited. I didn't want to just send it in an email (that, by the way, he may never get) or tell him over the phone, so I decided to make up a little gift box with a couple onesies, a laminated ultrasound photo, and a DVD that I had made for him. At 17 weeks, I went out in town and paid to have an extra ultrasound done at a place that will record it on DVD. This was the best and only way that I would get to share that moment with my husband.

I was also lucky to have a friend who was planning to travel to South Korea to meet her husband, who also works with Shaun, at the next port call. She was able to see him and personally hand him the package. When your husband is in the military and never home, you just have to find a way to make things work!

Our pregnancy announcement!

After my 12 week appointment, which was actually at 11w1d, I decided to make the call to post our announcement. I had another ultrasound and everything was looking good; baby boy was still measuring a little ahead at 12w2d and his heartbeat was 167 bpm.

Ultrasound at 11w1d.

Due November 14, 2016!

With planning to leave for a three-week long trip to the mainland the very next day, I thought it would be a good idea to break the news at that time. I was also going to be attending a wedding in Charleston at the end of the week and figured it would be easier if everyone knew ahead of time why I wasn't drinking at all. It was nice to see friends and family that I hadn't seen in a long time and celebrate our news.

Coming Soon... Will be be Team Blue or Team Pink???

Long overdue, but the results are in..

We are pregnant!!

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update after our last procedure. So much has happened and it's felt overwhelming to even think about updating my blog, but I think it's about time.

In my last post about our IUI, Shaun had just left for deployment and we still had five more days to go before test day.

On Saturday, March 12, I finally worked up the courage to get out of bed in the morning and pee on a stick. To my surprise, it was POSITIVE! I almost didn't believe it and honestly thought I was reading the test wrong to the point where I had to get the packaging out and read the instructions again (after that amount of tests I had taken up to this point, you would think I'd know for sure, but I couldn't believe my eyes!)

My mom and dad were in town at the time visiting so it was nice to be able to share that news with them right away. Luckily, after Shaun left Hawaii, they had headed straight to Japan so he was in port when I got the news. I was able to call him and tell him, but they were 19 hours ahead of us, which actually put him five hours earlier in the morning than Hawaii time (confusing, I know.) I called him every hour, hoping he would hear his phone and wake up, but I didn't get a call back from him until about 1:00PM Hawaii time. Talk about a long five hours!

He was so happy and the tears started flowing. You don't always realize how much trying to conceive can weigh on your husband, but in that moment, I think I felt the weight lifted off of both of our shoulders. Finally an answer to our prayers!

On Monday, March 14, I went in for a blood draw to test my HCG levels. I finally got a call back the next day and the nurse said that I was definitely pregnant (HCG was 31000!) They scheduled me to come in that Thursday, March 17, for my first ultrasound. 

Our little peanut at 5w3d, measuring ahead from the very beginning at 6w1d.

 

First "bump" photo at 6 weeks.

Tune in tomorrow for our pregnancy announcement! 

Hiking Hawaii - Kuli'ou'ou Ridge.

A couple weekends ago, Shaun and I went on another hike with a few friends. This happens to be another one of my faves that I had been dying to take him on. So glad we've had some free time together over the few weeks before he left to cross some things off our bucket list.

The hike was Kuli'ou'ou Ridge and it was a little over five miles roundtrip. It was a perfectly clear, sunny day and the views were better than ever.

 Waimanalo to Kailua.

Hawaii Kai and Hanauma Bay.

Bird's eye view of Diamond Head.

<3

Warmest Aloha,

Valentine's Day< 3

Shaun and I decided to have an early Valentine's dinner on Friday night to beat the crowds and have a nice day together doing other things on Sunday.

Friday night we ate at a little Italian restaurant in Kailua, called Baci Bistro. There is nowhere near the variety of restaurants here in Hawaii as there was in Charleson, which makes me miss Charleston soo much! Shaun briefly compared this place to Wild Olive; we both agreed the food was good, but the atmosphere didn't even come close.

On Sunday, Shaun was off-going from duty so we decided to get a hike in first thing. There's a couple hikes that I had been wanting to take him on and Lulumahu Falls was one of them. It's a fairly easy hike with a pretty good payoff at the end. It's also shaded and wooded so nice and cool and out of the sun.

I may have acquired a selfie stick over the holidays and Shaun just refuses to smile nice when I use it so here he is, snubbing my selfie stick, once again haha.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day/ Galentine's Day!

Warmest Aloha,

Small Business.

Happy Aloha Monday everyone!

I finally feel like I am in a good position to share with you all, a little project that I've been working on.

Upon moving to Hawaii with my husband, I had to leave my full-time job at the College of Charleston, and with that, I left behind a lot of my financial independence that came along with that.

I knew that if I left my job, that I would want to try and do something from home that would give me the flexibility of making my own schedule and working for myself. From this, came the idea for Southerly Monogram Shop.

I've got myself an embroidery machine and have been whipping up some super cute toddler t-shirts and baby onesies for the kiddos! Many of the orders that I have been getting are for military homecomings, but I also have some adorable monogrammed goodies in my Etsy shop, as well.

I would love for you all to check it out! And also, please feel free to share :)

Here is just a sample of some of the designs that I offer.

Please "Like" me on Facebook for updates on new items coming every week!

Thanks, y'all!!

Hiking Hawaii: Diamond Head Crater

Thought I would take a little break from wedding posts to share some of my favorite experiences since we moved to Hawaii.

One of the first things that Shaun and I did once we arrived here, was hike Diamond Head.

I've now done this hike twice, the first time with Shaun and the second time with some lovely ladies that I've gotten to know through our boat.

This is, what I would consider, an easy hike. It is kid-friendly, but definitely not stroller-friendly. You do gain some elevation on the way up and there are quite a few stairs, but there are spots where you can  move off to the side of the trail and take a break. The second time I did this hike, one of the girls I was with, had her 26 lb. son in an Ergo carrier and she made it up with no problems.

If you ever get to visit Hawaii, I definitely recommend doing this hike.

Diamond Head from Waikiki.

The mountain to the left is Koko Head Crater and just over the one to the right is Hanauma Bay, a famous snorkeling spot.

Beautiful view of Honolulu and Waikiki.

The views that I have seen from the many mountain tops here are incredible and it seems like each new hike outdoes the previous. I feel so blessed to be living in such an amazing place and hope you all enjoy reading about it!

Thank y'all for stopping by!

Weekend Re-cap ~

Happy Aloha Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Mine flew by and was jam-packed. Saturday, I attended the Joint Spouse Conference at MCBH (Marine Corps Base Hawaii.) 

The JSC was an opportunity for 300 military spouses to get together and participate in different workshops. The four that I chose were Elegant Appetizers (a cooking demo), Wine & Food Pairing, Stand-up Paddleboarding, and Mai Tais & Monet (a painting class.) They also provided breakfast, lunch, and a cocktail hour. It was a blast :)

Sunday, I got to attend the Wings over the Pacific Air Show at Hickam AF Base. It was amazing to finally get to see the Blue Angels fly.

This weekend really had me thinking a lot about living in Hawaii as a military spouse. I was telling one of my girlfriends last night that living here is unlike anywhere else I have ever lived in so many ways and I don't think it will ever compare to anywhere else that we live in the future.

That might sound like an obvious observation, but what I'm referring to is probably different from what your first thought might be. 

Living in Hawaii as a military spouse, in my opinion, is a completely difference experience than living here as a civilian. I'm sure other spouses who have lived here would agree that there is a very large military presence on the island. If you were to visit Oahu on vacation, you may not notice is as much, but since we arrived five months ago, I have noticed it tremendously. There are some days when I feel like the whole island is just all military.

All branches of the military have a presence here on Oahu. There is the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay, Schofield Barracks (Army), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Navy and Air Force), and even the Coast Guard has a small installation at Barber's Point.

Even though we don't live on base, I feel like I spend a lot of my time on a base, somewhere. Whether it's renting stand-up paddleboards at the Marina on Kaneohe Bay, having dinner with friends at Sam Choy's on Hickam Harbor, or shopping at the commissary on Schofield. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. In fact, it's a good feeling and a it's safe feeling.

I think living in Hawaii is a very unique opportunity as a military spouse in that I have the opportunity to connect with spouses with all different kinds of military backgrounds. I also feel completely immersed in the culture, more-so than I probably ever will be again; and that, is what I mean about it being a completely different experience.

What has been your experience living in or near a military installation? Have you ever lived in Hawaii?