Pregnant Photo Shoot at 35 Weeks

Yesterday our dear friend Mike Quain gave us a wonderful gift by giving us a preggers photo shoot.  He has an amazing loft in downtown L.A.  He also shot our wedding in 2006.

My other talented friend Kelly Shew who is an amazing make-up artist put these awesome crystals on my belly.  We had so much fun shooting!  I had a fun playing dress up!   We ended the day by seeing the Lakers beat Utah Jazz at the Staple Center.  We've had a great couple of days in L.A!  

Merrie Monarch Video!

I am so happy that I can share my halau at Merrie Monarch with everyone.  Here is the link to their kahiko performance.  Also here is their auana performance.    I am so proud of them!  I can't wait for them to get back so I can hear all the stories.  I love you hula sisters!

Halau Hula O Kaleimomi

I just watched my halau compete at the Merrie Monarch Festival.  It's like the Olympics of hula competitions.  The event is held in Hilo, Hawaii.  (I watched it on the internet www.kitv.com)  I cried the whole time.  I was so proud of them!!!!  They were so amazing.   It is their first time at the competition.  It is such an honor to even be at the event and compete.  I couldn't help but think what it would have been like to be there.  As they finished performing, I was yelling and clapping like I was there and the boy kicked as if he said, "Yea!!!!" too!  At that moment I remembered back in the summer when I found out our halau got invited to Merrie Monarch (which is HUUUGE).   I didn't know if we should try and conceive or not.  I really wanted to have a baby but I also wanted to experience the incredible journey with my kumu and my hula sisters. Eye was really supportive at the time.   He wanted me to have both of course and he basically let me choose.  After going back and forth in my head,  I basically let go and let God decide.  Although I really wanted to be a part of the beauty I watched tonight,  I am so happy and thankful that it worked out the way it did.   I am going to be a mother to this little boy inside me!!!!!

Doula Search

This week we are on the search for our doula.  The word "doula" come from the Greek meaning, " a women who serves."  Basically it is a women who supports the mother before and after her birth.  She doesn't replace the husband, she just basically supports both of them.   To find out more about doulas you can go to the DONA website.   We plan on interviewing 2-3 different doulas before we decide.   They are all coming from my favorite place Well Rounded Momma.  My midwife also works out of the same place.  We had our 2nd visit last Thursday.  It was great.  She actually went over my blood work with me that I did last October (something that my OB never did).   The visit lasted about 45 minutes.  So different than the in and out visits that I had with my regular OB.   Eye was there this time and when we did exam he felt the head too.  It was sooo fun to watch his face.  We also started our Lamaze classes last week.  It finally hit me that I am about to give birth.   I kinda freaked out a bit a couple of nights ago.   I woke up at 5:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep.  But my Lamaze teacher gave me a book to borrow,  Journey Into Motherhood, Inspriational Stories of Natural Birth, by Sheri L. Menelli.  I haven't been able to put it down.  It's really giving me the courage to know that I can do this.  Birth is a natural process and if I can just let go and surrender to the birthing process, I'll be okay.  Thousands of women have done it before me without the convenience of a hospital or drugs.  I just have to trust myself, let go and let God.

Honey Do List

My husband is finally home after being away for 6 weeks!  I am soooo happy that he is back and so are our chihuahuas.   Yesterday I gave him a full day of rest.  It was awesome we laid around most of the morning.  I made breakfast.  We went to see Sunshine Cleaning.

It was pretty good.  Then we came home sat on the couch and watched TV.   My parents move in next Monday so today I am busting out the "Honey Do List"   It's pretty long but I think we can do it.  I'm pretty focused and bossy when it comes to doing things so I"m sure well get it done before the weekend.  We finally start our Lamaze classes this week.   It's weird that I haven't actually thought about my birth.  I have been reading a lot, but I haven't really been focusing on what my birth is going to be like.  Maybe because I don't know what it's going to be like.  I don't know what to visualize in my head other than visualizing my cervix stretching to 10cm!!!   Sigh...breathe...breathe...breathe.    K time to get to the first thing on my list.  Clean out Eye's closet!!!