this IS the day?!

Alright, this has been kept a secret for WAY too long; I won't even attempt to beat around the bush, now.  IT'S A BOY!!!  And we are absolutely thrilled!  Not only does this cut the overwhelmingness of name choosing in half, it also allows us to begin picturing life with a little man!  The downside is that I want to purchase every tiny, blue article of clothing and miniature sized pair of shoes now.  Uh oh!  Our Colorado trip was perfect timing for this announcement.  I wasn't able to instigate any of my grand 'gender revealing' ideas, however.  Having everyone wait around for me to bake cupcakes just wasn't feasible!  But being able to share the news in person with so many family members was incredible.  We even had the latest ultrasound pictures to show off!

[here he is, flexing!]

Thankfully, my cocoon of a womb keeps this baby warm and cozy; Colorado was terribly chilly!  Getting off the plane in shorts and flip flops was quite the shock to our systems!  Needless to say, we'd forgotten (or blocked out) what -12* feels like.  If anyone needed to find me throughout the week they could just check by the fireplace!  Everyone told us we visited on the worst possible week.  Apparently Colorado had been seriously lacking in the cold and snow department until we arrived!  But we actually feel like that was the best kind of week to experience; we got our fill of arctic beauty and gained a brand new appreciation for Hawaii!

I've decided that traveling as a prego is good preparation for traveling with babies.  All of a sudden, successful airport navigation has become more difficult because the bathrooms are spaced WAY too far apart!  The drinking fountains spurt out the most pathetic stream of water and filling a bottle is next to impossible.  And the bottle that WAS full they want me to dump out at security?!  Seriously, how is a pregnant lady supposed to stay hydrated here!  (Don't worry.. no water was wasted in this experience, I'm an expert h2o chugger!)  To top it off, I need food about every three hours and my stomach makes no exception to astronomically priced airport food!  Packing snacks is a necessity these days.  On the airplane Peanut was quick to inform me that the position I normally assume for plane rides: passed out on the tray table, is no longer an option.  Oh, and no one mentioned that six hours of sitting might result in bloated feet.  Oi vey!  All things considered, we did have smooth travels and although I like to be slightly dramatic I AM certainly thankful. 

[21 weeks-1 day]

The best part about getting off the plane was, of course, seeing family!  In second place: Chick-Fil-A for lunch!  We're seriously considering starting up our own franchise on the Big Island; an entire year between Chick-N-Strips is simply preposterous!  After lunch we headed to Motherhood Maternity for a little shopping.  It was a smashing success!  I was finally able to try on cute prego clothes and realize I don't have to dress in a gunny sack for the next four months!  I'll never forget Derek's face when I walked out of the dressing room modelling the velcro baby pillow.  Wearing it under the clothes enables you to envision yourself in several more months.  Thankfully, my baby bump will grow gradually and he can adjust slowly.  Also, we're hoping my bump won't be quite as lumpy as that slightly, overused pillow...  :)
After a year of absence it was wonderful to catch up with family and a few long lost friends.  We met the two newest, sweetest members of the clan and got plenty of 'practice' time for when our little man arrives.  (I couldn't talk Derek into any 'practice' diaper changes, though...hm.)  We saw parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles.. the list goes on!  There was no shortage of stories to be told, cards to be played or m&m's to be munched on.  There was a serious lack of humidity, however!  Three bloody noses within two days had me lathering up with VIX and taking back my every complaint about frizzy hair.  I've never gone through so much lotion in my life, and I think Derek has sworn off jeans forever!

[our beautiful mountains!]

I'm doing my best not to write a saga.  Skipping a week of blogging has clogged my memory bank, though!  There is one memory that, although unpleasant, will be associated with this trip for quite some time.  Our car was broken into and Derek's wallet was stollen..  the DAY before we flew back to Hawaii.  'Crazy' doesn't do justice to that day.  The thief was on foot and because of the fresh snow Derek was able to track the footsteps for several miles.  Once he lost them we called the police but these things aren't exactly high priority in their books.  Charges started popping up on our debit cards, $450 there... $150 there.  Thankfully, our banks were awesome and worked with us to put a stop on the cards.  We'll also be refunded the money that was spent.  The sick feeling in our stomachs came from knowing that Derek's wallet was 'loaded' with cash.  We never have money in our wallets but this was vacation money, birthday money, cash from selling coffee!  This thief hit the jackpot.  Also missing was Derek's license and, last time we checked, the airlines aren't too gracious about letting you board a plane without one!  So, we headed to the DMV.  That is where we began to realize God's goodness amidst the awful circumstances.
In our vast experience the DMV usually equals long lines and exceptionally grouchy workers.  Not this time, however, we had barely taken a seat when our number was called and we were assisted by, not one, but THREE very pleasant ladies!  Service with a smile!  Within a few hours we had made all the necessary calls and answered questions from the police.  The adrenaline was starting to wear off.  Derek looked at me as we were driving to lunch and said "Ya know, from the minute I woke up today I've had the song 'This is the day that the Lord has made' stuck in my head."  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  He was obviously not too impressed with the song selection for the day and said how it just kept playing over and over as he was chasing those footprints.  This got me thinking, though.  I realized how much worse this situation could've been.  I started seeing God's grace throughout this catastrophe.  No one was hurt.  All that we lost was 'stuff'.  (Derek might disagree with me lumping his Oakley sunglasses into that category!) But it's true, nothing but material possessions was taken.  We are still forgiven; we still have all that we need for this life AND the next.  We have each other and a baby on the way.  We are incredibly blessed.

-love this man-

I can't talk about 'holding onto life with open hands' if I'm not willing to actually live it.  When things are plucked out of those open hands will I begin to doubt and question?  Will I try to close my hands, hoarding all that I've been given?  I realize that in the grand scheme of life and compared to other people's losses this incident is so very trivial.  But in the moment it was, admittedly, a crushing blow.. one that I needed to deal with.  It's not that in my acceptance of this I said 'Oh, whatever.. I don't care!'  Rather, I had to choose to let it go, release my bitterness towards this thief and continue to surrender my EVERYTHING to God and trust Him.  I don't understand why these things happen.  But I do know that God is in control. I do know that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28].
Derek has flown to Hawaii on his birthday two years in a row, now.  I fluctuate between thinking that's the coolest present ever and realizing a five hour layover in LAX is a terrible way to spend a birthday.  Either way, we were just glad he got ON the plane!  And before heading to the airport we had to stop and sign off on our taxes.  We had a professional do them this year since we had no idea how to file as 'self employed'.  We didn't have a clue what to expect and had been bracing ourselves for having to pay, hoping they take payment in coffee bean form.  Imagine our surprise when they told us we will be the ones getting paid.  Refund time!  And the amount is even more than what we lost the day before.  I'm telling you, God is good!  We boarded our flight with smiles on our faces.  Although extremely dramatic, the stollen wallet will eventually fade in our memories.  What will be remembered was a great trip and quality time with so many of the people we love.  The cold and snow also left quite an impression on us, we're thinking it should last us another year or so!  And above all we are reminded, once again, of what a great God we serve.  No matter what the lunatics of this world may do, we know Who's in control.  And, even when singing it through gritted teeth I do believe that this IS the day the Lord has made.  And yes, we will rejoice and be glad in it!