January- Hawaiian baby moon

The beginning of a new and exciting year kicked off with another ultrasound of the babies. We got to see their little baby bean forms side by side together. This was the first time Matt came with me and got to see for himself. I didn't feel much different in everyday life, so to see them on the big screen, wiggling, and hearts beating was miraculous.
We celebrated with some Mexican food lunch together afterward.










The weather wasn't so snowy and terrible as last year, but the cold and dreary Winter was enough for us to be excited about our upcoming trip to Hawaii. I had much of the planning and packing to do myself as Matt's anxiety about flying was too much for him to talk about it beforehand.

Otto's Grandma Carolyn was visiting her daughter's house in Hooper and she decided to stay a few extra days while Otto stayed there for our trip. I was very nervous to leave Otto for 10 days, but it was SO nice to know he would be in good hands. His Aunt Lori and cousins love him and he loves them right back. I knew he'd begin to miss us after a few days, and 12 days was a long time, so we made a plan to video or talk to him every day and they would make a paper chain to count down the days.

He had a blast with his cousins. They do homeschool and gave Otto his own assignments and jobs to do as well. The only downside, he had been sick before I dropped him off. I was sure he was over the worst of it, but he had the sniffles lingering. Well, I felt terrible that he got their whole family terribly sick for the duration of our trip! They spent most of their time resting and recovering and administering all the best natural healing techniques. I felt just terrible about it.
On our end, we had the most amazing and relaxing time ever!

Matt survived the flight on some anti-anxiety medication, and we spent the first few days in Lahaina. Megan, Coltan, Matt and I shared a condo near the ocean. The first night, we walked up the road a little to a very authentic Chinese restaurant that was delicious. Then, we slept off the jet lag. We would have slept in more, but the time zone had us a little off schedule. My favorite part was leaving the sliding door open next to our bed and listen to the waves all night!


Waking up to humidity and sunshine was like a breath of fresh air! The beautiful landscaping and birds chirping was like a dream.
We ate local fruits, hung out at the beach, played in the tide pools, window shopped at the local shops, and wore our bathing suites every day. We ate breakfast at the Gazebo, which had famous banana macadamia nut pancakes and we watched whales in the ocean.

After a few days there, we stayed at another condo in Kihei where my parents were staying. They had been enjoying the sunset on the beach every night so Matt bought himself a working conch shell so he could blow it at sunset with the locals.


 On the days we hung out at the beach, we rented some boogie boards and Matt and Coltan had a great time trying to get the hang of catching some waves. They build sand castles or pyramids.







I was just starting my second trimester and felt energy drain out of me by 3:00. It was enough for me to lay out on the beach chairs and have an afternoon nap in the sun listening to the wind and waves or look for whales.

We each tried to pick different activities or excursions we wanted to try. Being pregnant, I couldn't go scuba diving or bike riding or zip lining. Megan and Coltan went zip lining while we hung out at the old town shops at Lahaina. While my they and my parents went scuba diving, we went on a whale tour. This turned out to be a lot of fun and perfect experience. We waited for the tour at a local coffee shop that served delicious doughnuts and had swing seats by the marina. We got to see a whale breach right next to the boat and caught many more whale tales and spouts all over in the water. We listened to a microphone underwater that captured whale sounds to listen.












We also celebrated my Dad's birthday while in paradise. The condo kitchen allowed us to make a few meals during our stay and we baked him a cake. We couldn't find a way to light the candles, so we brought the cake down to the grill and the wind wouldn't let the candles stay lit. We formed a prayer circle to keep the wind down. People at the next table in the courtyard probably thought we were crazy.


Matt and I decided that another experience we'd like to have on this trip was a very luxurious, Hawaiian massage. I did a ton of research to find the perfect spot, a quaint little spa in the mountains of Makawao. It was gorgeous! We had crepes for breakfast at Cafe Des Amis and walked around the little town of Paia, and then arrived at the spa early. They invited us to drink tea or passion fruit water on the lanai while we waited. This was perfect because we could lay back and listen to the misty rain fall on the jungle forest around us.
Then, we were asked to pick out the oils and smells we'd prefer, and led to our own separate rooms. The windows were open so I could still hear the rain and was given a wonderful prenatal massage. They offered a Hawaiian prayer before and after which was wonderful. It was the most relaxing day. I wasn't even sad about missing out on the other activities of the trip.

The third and last great activity on our trip was the Luau. It was a delicious buffet, open bar, and the show. The dancers were incredible! They even had a conch blowing contest and they picked Matt to go up there! They had no idea he had been practicing all week. He went up there and rocked it! The other guy couldn't even get his shell to blow. They made him Chief of Kihei and gave him a crown. I think he loved it.




Our down time consisted of walking around shops at Kihei, hanging at the beach, or lounging by the pool. I indulged in something iced every day: smoothies, snow cones, or ice cream. Fruit and ice was extremely delicious to me at that point in time. Other than being tired in the afternoons, I was feeling really good. I made Matt take a picture of my "belly" for documentation purposes, but there wasn't much belly yet to be seen. I felt a little like someone walking around with a dinner baby all day.


We never did get to do the road to Hana. Every time we planned to give it a try, something would come up or we'd have another tourist talk us out of it. Coltan's motion sickness and Matt's anxiety did not add up to a formula we could manage the trip. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google "Road to Hana" or "world's most dangerous roads".



Maui is a truly amazing place and holds a special place in my heart forever. Now, whenever I go to my "happy place" in my mind, I close my eyes and think of the beaches and forests of Maui. I may never get to go back, but I will spend my life trying to find a way to live there!








This whole trip was made so wonderful by the people that took care of our babies we left behind. My cousin Katy, who came by to feed our cats every few days. Grandma Joyce took care of Lucy (and drove her crazy with whining no doubt), and the Wisers who literally made themselves sick taking Otto in for all 12 days. We are in great debt to these family members and will never forget that they made this trip possible.
It was a trip full of memories with my Mom, Dad, Sister, and Brother-in-law. I am so glad we could all make it happen to be there together.