Catching up. Again.

Im sick of Craig saying "So, how's that blog coming?" So I am surrendering to the post. It just gets so overwhelming when there is so much to cover. I'll try to sum up, but don't hold your breath--.. I had to run in the other room and change the channel from American Idol. Its the early audition round, and my ears were starting to bleed.
Quickly- For Thanksgiving we went to Seattle to visit Craig's brother and sister-in-law and we had a great time. We visited the Space Needle, and the famous fish market and it was great to see Kent and Stephanie's new baby girl, Melanie:) (wish I had a picture of her now.) We also had family photos taken.

Here are the nephews! Hi guys!

-The Museum of Flight in Washington.


Top of the Space Needle. Have to do it once, right?


One of our family pics. See the triplets? There's Melanie! I do have a pic of her:)

We came home for a week, and I was miserable with a terrible cold that I couldn't really take anything for. Vicks vapo-rub and Ricolas did SQUAT.

Then we went to Hawaii for what was likely to be the last vacation we take for a very, very...very long time. If you've never been, its truly a faaaaaaaaaaaantastic place. It was actually the first vacation Craig and I have taken alone since our Honeymoon (and we dont even have kids yet;) so it was really nice to be able to take a trip like that again. Thanks Steve and Linda for making that happen:)
We did everything- witnessed the "Big Swell" on the North Shore and the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Classic that only happens about once every five years. We were on the beach at 6:30am with 35,000 other onlookers and Craig took about a million pictures. (why can't I fix the italics??)
These were two from the contest. Kid takes a nice photo, doesn't he:)



We also visited the Polynesian Cultural Center- where we did everything from learning how to weave strips of grass, to attending a Luau, and Craig made fire by rubbing sticks together. My man!


We went snorkling at Hanauma Bay nature preserve and it was beautiful.
Bah! And I thought I was showing then.
Ok, the photo above is obviously better, and also equally as obviously-not taken by me.

The trip was wonderful. We rented a Mustang convertible and spent a lot of time just cruising around from one side of the island to the other. The weather was ideal- low 80's, not a cloudy day or a drop of rain, and there was a perfect, constant breeze. The fresh pineapple is...well, it makes me drool just thinking about it. And I think I had a Hawaiian Shaved Ice every day that we were there. It is one of thee best treat on earth. The passion fruit/lychee/guava combo is my favorite. THAT, I did get a picture of.
mmmmmmmm. I miss you, shaved ice. We will be together again soon.

Also one of my favorite parts of the North Sore are the Shrimp Shacks. They are literally like old, piece of crap- RV's parked on the roadside with picnic tables outside. The shrimp are plentiful and tasty!
We were so happy just to be there, and we still dream of days when we can afford to live there. Don't worry, that will be never.

Ok, moving on...

Pregnancy. I turned 18 weeks on Monday and everything is going beautifully. We had our extremely thorough ultrasound last week and found out that we are having two girls and a boy. We couldn't be happier:) We have had names picked out for a while, but we made a last minute switch when I casually brought up a name to Craig just to see how he would react, and HE LIKED IT. So (drum roll) since I can't see your faces react to the news: Lyla, Scarlet, and Porter. Craig picked Porter and I picked the girls' names with no opposition from Dad. Don't quote me on the spellings yet, though.
So far the trio is as healthy as we can know at this point. We are blessed that they all have separate sacs and their own placentas so we can already rule out many complications that can arise when that isn't the case- like one being significantly larger than the other, for example. They're all about 7 oz at this point and I am barely starting to feel them move. Symptomly speaking (?) it has been smooooth sailing. I can only wonder what lies ahead that it should be so easy up to this point. I am still stuffed up every day, and its the worst at night, but a humidifier has helped a lot. I just get that problem- when you breathe out of your mouth all night and you wake up choking and trying to moisten your mouth to no avail- feeling like your tongue is going to split from the dryness. Also, I broke my perfect record. I threw up. Actually, I do a lot, but its always the first thing in the morning and due to phlegm from the sinus crap- which always triggers the gag reflex. Luckily its only dry heaves and only bothers me when I first wake up. It is weird, though, but I don't care. Beats being nauseous all day for sure.
Its becoming increasingly difficult to bend over, put on shoes, etc. I need to invest in a good pair of slip-ons pretty quick. But getting dressed every morning is fun because I have this great, new accessory! I get so excited every time I look at it because its like the best Christmas present in the world that I get to carry around all day every day- constantly reminding me of the gift we're getting come this spring. AND, it keeps getting bigger! Now, If I can just keep my skin from splitting open. At friends' suggestion I picked up some Bag Balm. It works well, but its pretty stinky.
Now comes the agonizing task of decorating the nursery. Im making all the crib bedding because there's no way in you know where that Im spending more for the bedding that the cribs themselves. I found plenty of fabric that I like, all modern/contemporary themes (no "baby" stuff) but I can't for the life of me settle on a color scheme. Gender neutral is killer. All the furniture will be white, and I want to do bright colors- probably one bright wall- red or apple green or tangerine or something, and then some cool mod prints for the bedding and curtains. I just can't decide on colors, mostly because I would be happy with multiple combinations. And I love Chinese lanterns- I'd like to get one to hang over each crib. Ooh, this is fun:) Anyway, suggestions are welcome. Just don't say anything that has anything to do with characters, or anything that comes with a matching wallpaper border. That's not me.

I continue to wonder what I have done to deserve such blessings, and I still can't imagine all that lies ahead. I hope I am doing my job in expressing gratitude, and I hope I will be worthy to care for the three special little spirits that are waiting for us. More updates to come!

ps- thank you so much to everyone who has offered donations. We're taking almost anything we can get!