Remembering the Birth of our Son....

Saturday morning, April 26th was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was warm, and I was huge! It was a busy day. I was babysitting my nephews, age 7 and 7 mos. We went to Becky's soccer game. In the morning, I kept having to use the potty, more than usual. I didn't give it any thought. All of us went to the soccer game. We enjoyed the sunshine, and I had quite a time holding my infant nephew on my big belly.

When the game was over I mentioned to Dan, "I feel like I'm leaking, all morning". It wasn't a big deal, but I decided to call the hospital. They told me that more than likely my water was breaking. The thought never occurred to me as only a few days prior, our childbirth instructor told us that membranes rupture naturally in only about 10% of women. They asked me to come in right away. I tried to explain to the nurse that I was babysitting and could come at about 4pm (it was 11am when I was talking to her). She was a little stern with me, asking if I could drop the kids

off somewhere and that it was very important that I come in right away.

We finally dispersed of all the kids and were admitted into the hospital a few hours later. Sure enough, my water broke. We played the waiting game all day, because most women go into labor on their own. It didn't happen. I was scheduled to be induced the next morning.



April 27th ~ At about 9am Sunday morning my nurse hooked me up to the IV and started the Pitocin drip. While I still felt ok I ate my breakfast, and put my makeup on. I realized I had forgotten my foundation. I asked Dan to call my mom to bring me some. He and the nurse both laughed. But come on, it was morning time and I was determined to look good when the baby arrived.


About an hour later when my mom still hadn't arrived with my foundation, the nurse asks me, "Do you still want your foundation?" "YES!" I exclaimed. "Ok, then we need to turn this up." She says slyly, and turns up the Pitocin to twice the dose. Within 20 minutes, I didn't care so much about that makeup anymore. I was struggling to breathe, and the pain was increasing with each contraction, and no relief between them.




I finally consented to the Epidural that before that moment I had refused. (I hate needles) But as soon as it kicked in, I was on cloud nine. And I was at 9cm dialated. I was ready to push, but couldn't feel anything! I had to wait it out until I had a little feeling to push.


Within the hour I started pushing. It was all very easy, and very painless. Maybe 5 pushes later, and our beautiful baby boy was born. I just smiled and kept saying "he is so cute!" and my toughguy husband had sweet tears coming down his face.



8 lbs 15 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Caden Eric was a big boy. He had many many visitors that day. I was exhausted! We all were! But we couldn't help but watch this beautiful little miracle. His tiny fingers and toes. His skinny arms and legs. His cute little crooked ear, just like his daddy.


It's amazing how fast they grow. I hate it. I wish we could stop time and savor each and every moment, because after the moment passes we can't remember the looks, the smells, the size. It makes me sad to think
how many things are passed already. But we have so many years and memories to look forward to, and I am so excited to take this journey.

Our Honeymoon...The interesting memories...

After our fun day to the North Shore, we came back to the West Side of the Island to find out what the locals do on New Years Eve. We hung out on Front St. in Lahaina, the "hot spot" town for tourists. Most of the restaurants were 'open air' and we could people watch. It was entertaining.

We saw a drunk guy trying to ride a bicycle. He fell over in front of some compassionate tourists. They helped him up, found him a place to sit, and thought they had convinced him to walk the bike home. But as soon as they walked away, he got back on his bike and started the hilarious show again.

We found a pair of nasty underwear on the sidewalk that Dan insisted on having his picture taken with.... GROSS!! Don't worry, we didn't touch them.

We booked a snorkel trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation. We went shopping for bathing suits and sunglasses. I think we did well! I got seasick on the way out, and was feeling better in enough time to snorkel for about 10 minutes. Dan became seasick on the way to our final snorkel site, so we both stayed on the boat. We saw about 100 dolphins, a sea turtle, and a whale. That part was awesome!!

On our way to the airport, we hung out for a bit in a quaint little town where we finally found the "authentic" hawaiian craft items we had been searching for all week. Too bad we found the 'made in china' stickers when we got home. But we ran across this interesting sign:

Our excitement didn't end when we left Maui, however. There was a beligerant man on our plane. We were stuck in the very last row, so it took awhile before we knew there was a problem. But a few minutes in to our movie, the captain came on the loudspeaker to announce "Apparently there is a problem with a passenger on this flight. Be aware that harrassing a flight attendant is a federal offense, and appropriate actions will be taken." The guy almost got into a fight with a few passengers who were trying to get the guy to "mellow out". After we landed, we were asked to stay in our seats, and we watched as federal agents escorted the man off the plane. Everyone applauded. It was great!

Thinking back...To Our Honeymoon

Neither of us had been to Hawaii before. We left a very cold, snowy, windy home, and a few hours later arrived in a humid, warm, green, and beautiful Maui. I see no better way to escape the Northwest in the wintertime, than to a tropical island.

The day after we were married, we took a drive over the North Shore. It rained on and off all morning, but the weather was warm, and so was the rain. It was completely different than the rain at home, where you just want to stay indoors. I loved being outside during these rainstorms.

As we drove further north, our road became a narrow, one-lane (and one-direction) road. We hugged cliffs and mountainsides. It was surreal and spectacular! We found a little village at the bottom of the hills, nestled in a valley. There was a sign posted that said, "Julia's: Best Banana Bread in the World". In what felt like the middle of nowhere, there was a sign directing us to breakfast. And sure enough, it was delicious!! We took our banana bread, and some dried pineapple and papaya, and we were on our way.

It turned out to be a beautiful day when we reached the East Side of the island. The sun had come out, everything had dried out as if it had never rained. I realized we were close to the town of Pai'a, and Mama's Fish House. It was a restaurant that came highly recommended to us. The description I received didn't even begin to describe our experience there.

From the Valet parking to the amazing grounds of the restaurant property, we were impressed before we ever stepped foot inside. Most of the tables were situated at their own window and million dollar view. As the wind blew, the rains came down again and the waves crashed onto the shore. We enjoyed every minute of it.

Our food was a masterpiece and we ate like kings. Every taste was delectable, from our appetizers and drinks, all the way to our hot drinks and dessert. The presentation was beautiful. The service was unmatched by any place we've ever been before or since. It made a great memory and an experience we'll never forget.

Thinking Back....To Our Wedding Day

2008 has been a momentous year for us. Dan and I were married on Dec 30th, 2007 in Maui. What a great way to start a new year and a new life together~a week in paradise. We were married on Poolenalena beach in South Maui. It was just the two of us, the minister, his wife (the photographer), all the locals who were out that morning, and 1 dog who kept barking. We were barefoot, it was simple, but beautiful and so romantic. Dan proposed to me again in the sand just before the ceremony.

Our 'reception' was Brunch at a the Maui Prince Hotel in South Maui. It was a beautiful place and the food was so yummy!! I am all about the food. There was a Hawaiian singer playing his Ukelele. And I almost accidentally ate Cavier!! YUCK!! The food looked so good, I wanted to try everything. Well, I noticed some bright colors in a dish and almost asked "Are these blackberries?" LOL. It's good that I figured it out before I opened my mouth. They would've found out I didn't belong at such a fancy place.

Creating Memories

This is my first post and first blog. I've been harrassed about getting a blog until I finally broke down ~ just kidding. Anyway, I've been thinking alot lately about creating memories and freezing moments in time. It is crazy how fast time flies, and how quickly we forget how small our little ones used to be. They seem to grow right before our very eyes. We reminisce about fun times we've had, but rarely take pictures, or write things down, and memories fade.

I've made a pact with myself to take more pictures and write about milestones, trips, and every day stuff that makes life interesting. Alot of big things have happened this year with us, and I'd like to catch up this blog with our pictures and memories so far in 2008.