"Have You Started Your Period Recently?"

I mean, what kind of nurse asks that question to a PREGNANT LADY???

Even if it's over the phone... you should have my records right in front of you!  You do have them with you, right??

ME: Uhh, no... I'm 37 weeks pregnant!

NURSE: Oh... well that explains it.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?

Ugh, sorry.  I just have to vent.  Sunday I had the worst headache of my life, which was accompanied by dizziness, abnormal fatigue, dehydration (which was weird because I drink tons of water), and streaks in my vision.  So I call the doctor fearing the worst.  No, I can't call the doctor, because I don't have one.  I call the after-hours line for the nurse.  She calls me back and asks me: (1) if I started my period recently, and (2) if I had checked my blood pressure.

Who the heck checks their blood pressure at home?  How would you even go about doing that??

So she tells me to sleep and stay out of the sun.  I half expected that.  I already know that I didn't have preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes, or anything else serious.  But when you're 37 weeks pregnant, any symptom out of the ordinary (and honestly, I don't get headaches) should be looked into.  Right?

Luckily, I had my next appointment Tuesday, I thought.  I'll tell the doctor then.

So today is Tuesday, and I just got home from the doctor.  I went in, the nurse took my weight and BP, and asked me how I've been feeling.  I told her everything, from the after-hours call on Sunday to how I'm STILL feeling today.  She wrote it down and sent me into a room to wait for the doctor.  The doctor came in.  He measured my belly.  He listened to the baby's heartbeat.  We small-talked for a bit.  Then he told me my Group B Strep test came back negative, handed me an appointment slip, told me to set up a meet for next week, and walked out of the room.

................ uhhhhhhhh...............

That's it?

THAT'S IT?!?!?

No checking my cervix?  No birth plan discussion?  Are you even gonna tell me what the number was when you measured my belly??

Piece of crap!  I could be killing my baby for all I know, and nobody's telling me anything!

I see now why Sarah likes the midwives in New Zealand.

And to top it off, yesterday I sterilized all my bottles and my new breast pump on the stove, and some stupid boiling water splashed onto my belly.  The baby wasn't moving at all yesterday until I put some ice on her because of the burn.  I'd show you the burn because it's huge, but with all the stretch marks and lines and ugliness going on with my bulging torso...

I think I'd rather not.

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Pomp and Circumstance, Part II

So yesterday (as many of you know) was the December graduation ceremony for the BYU-Hawaii, and Jobi -- after all the kicks and screams -- finally joined them. Poor guy still has homework left to do, but the ceremony was so amazing that I just congratulate him somehow. So I'm going to devote this post to him... since he doesn't read our blog anyway. hahahaha



I know it's a far shot, but that's Jobi up there, shaking hands with Bro. Christensen. I know in his mind he's thinking, "how the crap am I gonna finish two 10-page papers in 3 days?" But the men on the stand smile for him obliviously.

Then came the part of the ceremony that stood out from the rest: Jobi's commissioning ceremony. For those who don't know, this was basically my mister's personal graduation ceremony from the ROTC program, which upon completion of the ceremony he immediately moves up from a nobody (cadet) to a somebody (2nd lieutenant). It's usually held in a more intimate setting with only family and friends, but since he was the only cadet to graduate this semester (and I'm pretty sure there were some scheduling conflicts as well), the university let his commissioning be part of the commencement program.

And I'm so glad it was!




CPT Saui'a (a BYUH 1997 graduate) swore him into office. All eyes and ears were on these two, taking in each word of the oath, trying to understand what was being said. When the oath was sworn, the entire room stood in applause. A standing ovation! For one man! My husband! I was in awe.




After the oath, his parents went up to the stage to pin his rank onto his jacket's shoulders. He now looks official. Isn't he handsome?




These were some of his buddies that came to support him at the ceremony in their dress greens. From L to R: Jason, Rafaele, and Micah (who took all these pictures. Thanks, Micah. You always got his back.)



And here are Shaka and Jared. Jobi has made some really good friends in the ROTC program here. We will miss them greatly.

I'm still shaken up from the buzz of his graduation, and how awesome he looked in the tacky Army dress blues! I know he's still stressed and he doesn't feel like any of this was for him right now, but I do. I was in the same predicament as him when I graduated (I turned in my senior paper the week after graduation), but he is doing just fine. I'm so proud of him. He's worked so hard, for all of us in this little family, and it's finally coming together. He's the best.

I love you, Sweetie.

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November-December Update

Ok, people, I'm having issues again with Blogger's picture and video uploading. I don't think this system likes me very much. So this will be another picture-less blog... which is sad because Aissa took some really cute pictures of us for Christmas.

They don't look Christmas-y, mind you... Nothing's really Christmas-y in Hawaii!

So I'll just let you know what we've been up to...

We spent THANKSGIVING in Nanakuli with Henry's family. Jobi said he went there a lot before his mission and they were pretty much like his second family, so I was fine with us going. Besides, they said we didn't need to cook, and that was music to my pregnant ears. It was TONS of fun, and there was lots of good food and good people around. We ate at lunch, took a nap, went to the beach, played cards, ate dinner, played pool... and all the single people stayed up until Black Friday. Of course I was out all night, but I sent Jobi to go Black Friday shopping with them early in the morning (they got to Target at 4:30 -- a sister had been standing in line waiting for them since 10:30 the night before) to get the experience. He didn't want to buy anything, but he thought it might be fun, too.

He came back with over $200 worth of "presents" for us.

I'm not even gonna tell you what they are -- I'm still in shock over the whole thing. Ask me later, if you really wanna know.

So that was our Thanksgiving. Good times.


The next phases on our list: GRADUATION, MOVE OUT, HOLIDAYS, and MAUI.

• GRADUATION is coming up in just short of 2 weeks (December 18 -- woot woot!) and Siope and I have lots to do for it.
• We MOVE OUT of TVA (and consequently Laie) on the 21st, so we have to send things home, sell/give away things we can't keep, ship our car, and pack for the HOLIDAYS.
• We are spending the HOLIDAYS in Utah! Our very first Utah Christmas! (I'd say our very first "white" Christmas, but Jobi served his mission in Mongolia...) I know it's not home for either of us, but my sister Lans has Christmas all figured out this year, so we are crashing their party. We're sooooooooo excited!!!
• After New Year's, we'll be joining the rest of our stuff on MAUI, and that's where we'll be for the time being. I don't know how long we'll be there, but I'm pretty sure our second baby will at least be born there.

I'm still really lazy so my main priority of packing and shipping everything has been going 1-speed right now. It hasn't hit me until this morning that we're leaving, because up until last night I wasn't sure that we actually were. It's a long story and I'd rather not explain it, but at least now we know that my mister will graduate (and that I quit PCC at the right time after all), and so we can get going. Jobi's priority is graduation and commission, and that in itself is going to be a job-and-a-half, so I can't expect him to help me. (But I hope he knows that he can't expect me to help him, either.)

I feel like I'm rambling. I'm losing my train of thought... Ok, let me make my last point, and then I'm done.

This year my family's theme for our Christmas Gift Exchange is "A YouTube Christmas." Since we're all over the place now and strapped for money, we figured this will be a way everyone can get a present and get it on time. I haven't made my present yet, but I made Almonds's present for her cousin the other day (Sam and Bree's newborn son, Roger), and I was so excited it was done that I gave it to them already. So I'm gonna share it with you all. And yes, it's on YouTube already.



P.S. Sorry the song's redundant. My family will appreciate it, though.........   right guys??

THE END.

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Don't Ask Me Why

But this is Almonds's new favorite song.......

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"Happy Birthday to You"

This post was supposed to have been posted on Saturday... In attempt to upload video, it froze and refused to thaw out... Until now.....

The past two days were devoted specifically to our little one. Thursday was her birthday, and for most of the day it was just me and her sitting at home feeling my "morning" sickness. Jobi had to be in town all day that day in classes and exams and everything, so it was up to me to make sure Almonds was having a good birthday. Needless to say, she wasn't having any fun and spent a good amount of time crying to me about it.

Luckily we had to go to the chiropractor, so I packed us up into the car, loaded up on snacks and water for the both of us, and braved the trip to Kaneohe. The drive down Kam Hwy on the windward side is bad enough if you aren't sick, but if you are and you're the driver, you end up saying lots of prayers. And thank goodness for prayers, because Almonds and I made it safely to Kaneohe and Jobi, without me throwing up and everything. We had an extra hour before seeing the chiropractor, so I begged Jobi to let us eat somewhere before I pass out. So we went to Farrell's in the mall:



And because it was her birthday, they blew a big horn and the whole restaurant sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Here is her first birthday ice cream:



After we ate there, we had a little bit of time, so we walked around the mall... and guess who we ran into!



For those of you who don't know, it's my oldest brother and his family. He and his wife don't really like being in pictures, so I took of their kids with Almonds. And while she was playing with them in the play center...



Jobi went into Borders to read a book.


So thankfully, her day ended well, and we threw a huge party for her the next day. (Don't even get me started on THAT!!!)

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