Pregnancy Week 35 - Monday January 19th, 2009

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

After another sleepless night in the hospital, my doctor showed up bright and early in the morning to check our progress. She reviewed our overnight monitoring and saw that your heart rate fluctuated once or twice during the night when I had a few minor contractions. Since my condition wasn’t improving and you were far enough along, she felt that you should be delivered ASAP. Now I know that moms to be are never prepared for their big day, but I couldn’t describe how overwhelmed I felt at that moment.

We discuss both cesarean section versus a vaginal birth and our doctor was willing to try for a natural birth. However, at any sign of complication we would revert to a c-section. I was really hoping for a natural delivery, so I was happy. Before we began the inducement process, our doctor wanted to make sure you could handle the heavy contractions and the birthing process, so they wanted to give us what they call a non stress test. During this test they would provide me with medication to give several contractions to see how you would respond. If you passed the test we would proceed with a natural birth. If not, we would opt for a c-section.

After they hooked my IV up with the Pitocin used to give me minor contractions, the test only lasted 1 hour. Thankfully, you passed the test with flying colors. Around 11am, the decision was made to move forward with an induced natural birth.

The next the step was to get my cervix ready for deliver. Since my body wasn’t “ready” to deliver you, they had to give me a medication called Cervidil to soften my cervix. I won’t get into too much detail but the medication is applied to the cervix through an application very much like a tampon. It was a painless process.

Since the Cervidil takes up to 8 hours to soften my cervix we had a lot of down time. In the meantime, they decided to move me to a permanent room for delivery. The nurses allowed Daddy to choose a room for us since they had two available. He picked a nice room that had a decent view of the mountains. Here we are transferring to our new room:









In the early evening, the nurses checked my cervix and decided that we needed another round of Cervidil before they began inducing. Your Aunt Val came down from San Francisco to keep us company, take care of your canine brother Iki and to pick up some much needed coffee from Starbuck for your dad.

Around 10pm, our doctor felt that my cervix was soft enough to begin inducing. They hooked my IV up to Pitocin and began the process. My doctor estimated that you would be delivered sometime in the late evening the next day. We were hoping that you would be born today since your dad and I both have birthdays on the 19th (mine in February and your dad’s in May), but in a way I was relived to have some extra time to prepare.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 35 - Sunday January 18th, 2009

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I had a feeling this was not going to be a good day. First off the Eagles lost to the Cardinals in the NFC championship plus day one of my bed rest was already starting to drive me crazy. How can you sit in bed all day? I didn’t think it was going to be hard considering my two favorite things are sleeping and watching TV. Maybe it’s the nesting instinct in me, but all I wanted to do was get up and clean the house. I didn’t realize how tiring it is to be stuck in bed all day. How ironic.

Around 5pm, we made our way over to the hospital for our first fetal monitoring appointment. I told your dad to come along since I figured it would only take about an hour.

At the hospital, we made our way over to Labor and Delivery where they placed us in a temporary room and hooked us up to a fetal monitor. From there the nurse checked my blood pressure (still high) and my reflexes (another sign of pre-eclampsia is jerky reflexes). Thankfully there was a TV in the room where we passed the time watching the Steelers/Ravens game. Literally about 3 hours later a nurse came into the room and told us that they would be admitting me into the hospital for the night. UGH, now what? Apparently, you were not reacting well to some of the mild contractions I was having. While the nurse said this could be a fluke (many babies don’t handle contractions well), my doctor wanted to admit me into the hospital over night to continue monitoring just to be safe.

10 minutes later my nurse comes in with an IV. My doctor wanted me hooked up to an IV to prevent dehydration. I instantly feel sick. Needles in the hand petrify me. Stick me a 100xs any other place, but not in my hand. I start shaking as the nurse starts to prep the IV. She sticks me 1x on the left hand and of course gets nothing. I think I made her nervous considering I was shaking, so she called in another nurse to try and insert the IV. Nurse #2 sticks me 2 times and again comes up with nothing. They call in nurse #3 who thankfully does the deed and manages to hit a vein. Looking back, this was probably one of the worst parts of the entire experience. Here I am with my battle wounds:













The nurse explains that they will continue to monitor you through the night and based on the results will determine a plan in the morning.

I send Jon home to get a good nights sleep (lucky him) because there wasn’t any beds in my “temporary” room. My night however was spent being woken up every couple of hours to check my vitals and the beeping of my obnoxious IV (the IV is ultra sensitive and will beep if I move a certain way… only a nurse can turn the beeping off).

At this point, I still remember feeling fairly confident that things would turn out OK. The nurses assured me that you were still fine inside of me and that they would respond immediately at the first sign of any trouble. I was still nervous, but had this gut feeling that every thing would work out in the end. I just didn’t realize how fast things would move in the morning.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 35 - Saturday January 17th, 2009

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

24 hours in the hospital is not fun. Constant monitoring all day and night tied with peeing in a bucket was pretty miserable. However, I will say that the food wasn’t really that bad although they skimped on the portion size. Come on, I'm pregnant... bring on the food! Today was pretty much spent watching television, updating my family and browsing the internet.

The 24 hour screening ended at 2pm followed by a series of blood work. Based on the results of the urine test and my blood work would determine whether you would be born today.

A couple hours later my doctor informed me that there was 2.5 grams of protein in my urine. Yay we passed! However, they did notice high levels of toxins in my kidney (another symptom of pre-eclampsia). Based on the results she felt it was ok to send me home on bed rest. Since I was still at a high risk, I would have to continue to come into the hospital every other day for fetal monitoring to make sure you’re still ok. In addition, I would still have to collect my urine at home and bring it in with me to make sure the protein level was still consistent.

I was so relieved to hear that we were both ok to go home. We were released from the hospital around 6pm.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 35 - Friday January 16th, 2009

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Today we went in for our 35 week check up. It started off as a normal visit but turned into a series of life changing events for both of us.

The appointment started off pretty typical. Check in, pee in a cup, weigh in (190lbs, son!) and have Lois the office midwife check our vitals. Lois took note that my blood pressure was on the high side, but attributed it to the sometimes faulty machine. She also made a comment that your weight measured by the ultra sound the night before was on the low side (they estimated you were 4lbs 11oz). Other than that everything checked out. As the appointment was ending, my OB Dr. Parekhji bursts through the door and told me to get undressed. She told Lois that they found a high amount of protein in my urine and she needed to check me out immediately. Lois filled her in on my high blood pressure and your low weight. I’ll never forget how frantic she looked as she checked my cervix and uterus.

After she gave me a full inspection she told me that I have pre-eclampsia and asked me the location of my local drug store. I had no idea what pre-eclampsia was, but figured that the prescriptions she was writing would solve the problem. I asked her what the prescriptions where for and she told me pain medication in case I have the baby today. WHAT!?! I seriously think my heart stopped. She went on and told me that pre-eclampsia was a serious complication of pregnancy that can affect both you and me. If left untreated it can lead to severe seizures for me and lack of nutrients for you (that explained your low weight). She went on to inform me that the only cure for pre-eclampsia is delivery and that I would need to go to the hospital to check into Labor and Delivery immediately.

At the hospital, they immediately checked into a room and hooked up a monitor to observe your heart rate. Of course I forgot my cell phone that day, so I couldn’t call your dad until I was settled into my room. Once I got a hold of him and he recovered from the shock of the news, he came over immediately to the hospital. I think he probably suffered from a mild anxiety attack.

My doctor decided that she wanted to screen my urine for a 24 hour period to determine the severity of the pre-eclampsia. Since I was only 35 weeks she preferred to wait a week to deliver rather than induce immediately. If the protein level in my urine was high (above 3 grams) they would deliver. If it was under 3 grams they would put me on bed rest and wait a week or so to deliver. I didn’t have any other major symptoms of pre-eclampsia at that point except for a slightly higher blood pressure, so I felt pretty confident that we wouldn’t have to deliver.

At this point the only thing we could do was wait.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 32 and 33

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I decided to take a break from the computer over the holidays for some quality time with the family. Unfortunately my hiatus included not posting in our blog. I figured that this would be the last big break I’ll get for a very long time.

We enjoyed the holidays at home this year with a week long visit from your grandparents (on my side). Christmas day was spent lounging around the house, opening presents and of course eating. Your Aunt Val and her boyfriend Greg also joined us after getting up early and running 5 miles. Thank goodness that I have you as a nice little excuse not to get up and run.

You even got some Christmas presents this year including some clothes and a Tokidoki diaper bag (see picture). Well ok, maybe those presents are more for mommy than for you, but at least you’ll be cruising around in style.

During their trip, Grandmom Knapp, took us out to buy you some clothes at the mall. We found so many cute stores and since it was after Christmas everything was on sale. We got you some really adorable clothes including this cute wool hat with a brim. I think little boys look so adorable in these hats. It’s crazy how much baby stores cater to girls clothing more so than boys. I guess that’s a sign of what’s to come in the future. Mommy better have her fun now buying you cute clothing before I have to drag you to the mall when you’re older.

As you can see we’ve both been growing over the last two weeks. I can’t imagine how much more you’ll grow in the next 6 weeks!

People have started to notice that I’m pregnant and not just fat. I’ve been getting a lot of extra attention when I’m at stores and out in public. It’s pretty nice because people go out of their way to be nice to the “pregnant lady”. However, one thing that’s annoying is whenever people ask me how far along I am they always comment on our size. “Wow, he must be small” or “Lucky you that he’s not going to be that big”. The doctor says that you are average height so far. People just carry different than others. Just because it doesn’t look like there’s a basketball in my stomach doesn’t mean that you are small or tiny. Luckily for me (and you) I’m just tall with a long torso. Guess that means more room for you! I knew these child bearing hips were good for something.

What you crave this week:
Hmmm, haven’t really been craving anything lately. I’m starting to feel nauseas again during the day which has been curbing my cravings. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still super hungry, but not really for anything in particular.

Love,
Mommy

Baby Registry

Everybody’s been asking where I’m registered, so I finally went out and put together a gift registry at Amazon and Babies R Us. We don’t expect ANY gifts from folks, but if you’re feeling the need feel free to select from our registry.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/baby/homepage
Search for: Michelle Nakasone or Jon Nakasone

Babies R Us: http://www.babiesrus.com/shop/index.jsp
Search for: Michelle Nakasone, Michelle Dietrich or Jon Nakasone
It’s Registry # 88204195 due date 1/18/09.
I accidentally registered twice (doh!). Also, I’m due 2/18/09 not 1/18/09, so don’t get too excited. The lovely people at Babies R Us recorded the due date a month early so I could get a special coupon in advance.

Shout out to Jon who had to endure Babies R Us for 3 hours while I registered.

Pregnancy Week 31

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote to you. The last past 2 weeks have been extremely stressful and unfortunately I haven’t found the motivation to write. Yahoo!, the company mommy currently works for, had a large anticipated layoff last week. Over 10% of the workforce was let go due to the downturn in the economy and restructuring the company for positive growth in the future. Of course it couldn’t come at a worse time considering that my maternity leave starts in February. That would mean me being cheated out of my maternity leave and possibly going back to work sooner than I had anticipated. I was looking forward to an anxiety free maternity leave and easy entry back to work. Both of which would have been killed completely if I had been laid off. Luckily your mom made the cut and we’re still employed… for the time being. Hmmm, it should be interesting to see if Yahoo! is the internet giant it is today when you are a teenager.

On top of all the activity going on at work, our doctor found some abnormal cells on mommy’s cervix (yeah I’m sure you’ll love reading about this). Of course that created a stir since they can’t remove the cells until after you are born. So off we go to a specialist to make sure the cells haven’t progressed into cancer. Thank god the cells haven’t progressed much and we can wait until after you are born to remove the abnormalities.

Ugh, not a fun week.

In more positive news, you seem to be developing into a very healthy baby. We went in to the doctor’s last week for our monthly checkup and everything is functioning according to plan. The doctor mentioned you have a very strong heartbeat. On top of that you’re still kicking around like crazy. It’s fun to watch my belly move and shift while I’m in work and in meetings. I think your dad is a little nervous that you’re going to be an exceptionally active baby.

What you crave this week:









Key Lime Pie – Every year during the holidays one of our work partners who based in Tampa, FL send me a key lime pie. This is no ordinary key lime pie… it is the mother of all that is delicious key lime pies. I’ve discovered that you LOVE key lime pie. You start bouncing every which way after I eat a slice (probably more because of the sugar). Luckily for us it’s too tart for Daddy, so we get it all to ourselves. I should be saving it for when granddad and grandmom come over the Holidays, but we just can’t wait that long.

Love,

Mommy

Pregnancy Week 28: Rounding Third Base on Our Way HOME!

Whoa there Nakasone-Chan. It appears we had a little growth spurt in the last week. It may be because we are FINALLY entering our third trimester.

Your dad took this picture of us while we were shopping in downtown San Jose over Thanksgiving weekend. We thought that the graffiti in the background was appropriate for my 28 week shot. I can’t believe how much you have grown in the last week. Not only am I starting to look bigger, but my weight increased by 3lbs this week. Well, that extra 2lbs may be attributed to the lovely taco salads in the Yahoo! Café. In many, ways I’m very thankful for your growth spurt because (most importantly) it means you are growing into a healthy baby boy and secondly I am actually starting to look pregnant. Believe me it’s not fun just looking really fat. However, your growth spurt is starting to do a number on my back.

This week your dad and I celebrated Thanksgiving at home. You and I were supposed to travel back to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends, but our doctor wasn’t too keen on us flying 5 hours to the east coast. Instead we spent some quality alone time organizing the house, shopping and relaxing. It was actually really nice for me and your dad to spend one last holiday together (your grandparents come out over Christmas). Look, we even finished your nursery:

Your dad had a really good time decorating your nursery. He picked out and purchased all of the pictures, frames, shelves, bedding and toys. I think he’s secretly happy that you’re a boy so he can relive all of his childhood memories. Next up: Star Wars sheets

What you crave this week:
Brownies

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 27

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Here we are 27 weeks and 20lbs later (well probably only 2lbs for you). I’m getting slightly rounder, but overall look a whole lot thicker. It’s like that inner tube around my stomach keeps expanding in all directions… north, south, east and west.

Now that we’re approaching the 3rd trimester I’m noticing that my skin is getting a whole lot worse. The pimples from the first trimester are coming back with a vengeance. I’m not talking about the small tiny pimples, I’m talking massive crater pimples that don’t go away for 2 weeks. On top of that I’m noticing my face is getting really red… especially my nose. The makeup that I normally wear is starting to look muddy and accentuates the redness. I’m really hoping that this is just one of those lovely characteristics of pregnancy that will go away after you come.

You still have been moving around and kicking like crazy. I’ve noticed that you’re kicking and moving more during the day then ever before. Plus your movements are so much more pronounced. I think you’re in the process of getting in final position for your launch in February.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty relaxed. Usually you can find us lounging around the house after work and spending time with friends and family over the weekend. We haven’t made too much progress with your nursery, but you did get some baby gear and clothing from a close friend (thanks Ryall). Your canine brother Iki, who is obsessed with all things baby, is delighted by all the new “toys”. In fact we find him occasionally sleeping in your bedroom:
http://flickr.com/photos/sandyrat/3020767642/

What you crave this week:
Taco Salad - They make a pretty mean taco salad in the Yahoo! Cafe, which has probably contributed heavily to that 20lbs. Keep in mind it's a generous portion and of course I devour the entire thing.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 25

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I feel like 25 weeks should be some sort of milestone for us. However, we still have a good 15 weeks until you take the world by storm. While I’m sure you’re growing like crazy on the inside the only major development I’m noticing out here is that my hair isn’t falling out all over the bathroom floor. I’m not complaining it’s nice to have thick(er) hair for once in my life.

Our doctor told us this week that I'm carrying extremely well. She said that I can attribute that to my height and width. This is the main reason why I'm not showing as much as others at this point. Hey, I guess those "child bearing" hips have come in handy for once in my life.

One event that I wanted to comment on was that this week our country took a huge step and elected our first ever African American president. I’m so happy that you will be born in an era that can look past racial differences and actually stand up for what is right. While your dad and I watched Barack Obama’s speech, I kept thinking to myself that you could live in a world that doesn’t judge you based on the way you look or your racial make up. One day that could be you up there and it won’t matter that your mom is white and your dad is Asian. No matter how you feel about the candidate who won, it really was a proud day in American History. Your dad is excited for the fact that he went to same high school as Obama: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punahou_School)

What you crave this week:
Egg Salad Sandwiches

Love,
Mommy

Happy Halloween, Nakasone-Chan!

We are looking forward to dressing you up in ridiculous costumes just like your brother, Iki.

Pregnancy Week 23

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Here we are at 23 weeks. It doesn’t look like my tummy is getting bigger, but rest assured you are definitely growing inside of me. While my tummy isn’t popping out like a basketball, I have noticed my hips and waist getting bigger. Kind of looks more like I’m wearing and inner tube. Even though I’m not thrilled about my expanding hips, I’m happy that you’ll still growing at a decent pace. Also, what’s the deal with mommy’s double chins?!?

I started noticing this week that I’m getting sharp pains in my lower abdomen. After some research on the internet, I realized that it’s the dreaded round ligament pains. Usually women start getting them in their second trimester due to their expanding bellies. Or expanding inner tube in my case.

Since the pains usually come while I’m walking or doing some sort of extensive movement, I’ve had to change up my exercise routine. Instead of running or using the elliptical machine, we’ve had to settle for 1-2 mile walks 3-4 days a week. Hey mommy’s not complaining. It’s nice to take a break and slow down for a while.

We’ve also been working on getting your nursery set up. Here’s a picture of our progress:

We’ve hung up the quilt Grandma Nakasone sent from Hawaii, bough new jungle bedding and 2 pictures from target. Your dad also purchased frames for some old Disney and Star Wars records to hang in your room. More pictures can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyrat/

What you crave this week:
Whatever this thing is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkleynicole/2224871582/

Love,
Mommy

It's a... BOY!

After 21 weeks of waiting, we can finally stop calling you “it” and refer to you as “he” and “him”. Yep, yesterday we went in for our second ultra sound and the doctor discovered (after much suspense) that there was an extra little leg. So far you’re a very healthy baby boy and everything is intact. However, we did find out that mommy is gaining a little too much weight (9 lbs in 1 month… YIKES).

In the beginning I was sure you were a girl, but as time went on my gut told me boy. Most of our family and friends actually predicted you were a boy from the beginning. My wish came true as I always hoped my first born would be a boy.

Your dad is super excited about having a boy and already started planning your nursery around his favorite sports team and childhood favorites. Let’s just say your room is going to be full of San Jose Sharks and Philly Eagles posters/pictures along with plenty of Star Wars and Kamen Rider (strange Japanese cartoon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider) memorabilia.

We are now more excited than ever to welcome you into the world in February.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 21

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I’ve been reading online and in my baby books that I’m suppose to start feeling you kick somewhere in between the 16th and 20th week. As the weeks past, family and friends began asking me if I felt your first movements. The answer was no every time. I figured maybe you’re just not a very active baby or that extra fat layer I developed from eating too many tater tots at lunch prevented me from feeling your first kick. I knew you were in there, I just couldn’t feel you.

Boy, did that change this week. Last Wednesday night while I was lying in bed reading, I felt a little butterfly in my stomach and immediately knew it was you. Since then you’ve been kicking NON STOP. First thing in the morning, while I’m at work in the afternoon and in the evening when I’m relaxing. While I enjoy feeling you move around in my belly, your non stop kicking has prevented me from falling asleep at night to waking up extra early in the morning. I guess you’re preparing me for the lack of sleep to come.

Whoopie Pies!
Remember last week when we were craving Whoopie Pies? Well, since we can’t get these delectable PA Dutch desserts in California, your aunt Val and I decided to bake them ourselves. After spending over 2 hours baking, we were finally able to enjoy our creations. The recipe we followed made close to 20 Whoopie Pies and of course after one Whoopie Pie our craving was satisfied. Now, we have 15 Whoopie Pies sitting in our fridge.

Aunt Val loves her Whoopie Pies:









Go Eagles!
On Sunday, you went to your first Philadelphia Eagles game at Candlestick Park against the 49ers. My good friend Lisa, who unfortunately is a 49ers fan, invited us to join her for the game. Luckily your first game was filled with a lot of excitement as the score shifted in favor of Philly back to the 49ers then (thankfully) back to Philly. Can’t say that our team played exceptionally well, but they did win in the end. I couldn’t believe how many Eagles fan were at the game. The entire 2 rows in front of us were all cheering for the Eagles. At one point during the game you could hear the people in the stadium chanting E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

During the 3rd quarter when SF was making their comeback you started kicking like CRAZY. Uh oh, I hope I’m not creating a 49ers fan!

What you crave this week:
Honey Smacks - Digg Um!

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 20

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Yesterday marked an important milestone in your development… YOU’RE HALF WAY THERE! Hopefully, only another 20 weeks and we’ll officially be welcoming you into the world.

Up until now, I can’t believe we made it this far. About 2 months ago I thought we would never get to this point. Actually 2 months ago I thought I would never get through the morning sickness. Time went so incredibly slow. Now, it’s amazing to me that I only have 20 weeks left!

Along with your half way celebration your dad and I also celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Here we are with your canine brother, Iki Nakasone:









We all celebrated by going out for a seafood dinner and punishing some pumpkin walnut cookies dipped in white chocolate from Cost Plus World Market:










What you crave this week:
Whoopie Pies – PA Dutch dessert that of course I can only get at home. I may have to make some for myself this weekend:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whoopie-Pies-IV/Detail.aspx

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 18

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Your obviously been busy growing, because this week my stomach “popped”. In fact, I had to put away most of my clothing and purchase…ugh…maternity clothing. My quest for maternity clothing hasn’t been easy since you’re not quite big enough for maternity clothing, but big enough that I can’t fit into any normal sized clothing. Lately, we’ve been living in leggings and oversize shirts, which are thankfully still in style.

However, we did get a chance to buy our very first pair of maternity pants (courtesy of Old Navy):

Very attractive!

This week we also went out to buy your very first bed (minus the mattress). Your dad already filled your crib with some of the hand me down stuffed animals that we had as kids (and adults in your dad’s case).

What you crave this week:

Pizza!

Love,

Mommy

Pregnancy Weeks 15 and 16: Hawaiian Vacation Part Two

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I wanted to share with you some of the pictures of your first trip to Hawaii. Since you weren't technically able to see what was going on around you, here are some of our favorite moments.

Your dad loves to body board. Even though he didn't get a chance to brave the rough waters of Makapu'u (Oahu's premier body boarding beach), he did catch a few smaller waves at Waimanalo Bay Beach or Sherwood:









Here I am at Sherwood scooping out the Portuguese man o’war. I wanted to make sure there weren't many of them in the ocean in fear of getting stung and potentially hurting you. Unfortunately, there were quite a few floating around that day, so I didn't get a chance to swim:












One of our favorite things to do in Hawaii is EAT! Jon dearly misses the local cuisine, so we always have to stuff ourselves silly when we visit the islands. I read that you begin to taste food I'm eating around 16 weeks, so I hope you also got a nice sampling of the local food.

Here's Dad eating a Portuguese Malasada from Leonards. Malasada's are deep fried dough about the size of an egg covered in granulated sugar:

On a drive around Oahu with your grandparents, we stopped at the Dole Plantation where your Dad indulged in Chili Hotdog:

Another stop on our drive around Oahu was at Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku where we enjoyed their world's famous garlic shrimp:

Here's your dad again before he devours a bowl of saimin. Saimin is a noodle soup dish developed in and unique to Hawaii. It is a soup dish of soft wheat egg noodles served in hot dashi (stock from Japanese fish or shrimp). Sorry Nakasone-Chan, I'm not a fan of Saimin, so you didn't get a chance to try the soup. Maybe another time when you're older.

Here's your Aunt Val and Dad at the Banyan Bar enjoying a Chi Chi:

During the trip, we had a major craving for nachos. I finally satisfied our cravings at the Banyan Bar:

Yay, we found a Yogurtland in Hawaii! Yogurtland is our favorite treat at home:

Here's your dad standing in front of a bus your grandfather designed. Yep, your grandfather Nakasone is a talented artist and designer. In fact, you can see much of his work all around Oahu, including this tour bus which was everywhere:

Last but not least, we got a chance to visit a Japanese Buddhist temple. It's tradition to light incense as you pray. Even though we aren't Buddhist, we thought it would be nice to light incense for you:

Love,

Mommy

Pregnancy Weeks 15 and 16: Hawaiian Vacation Part One

Aloha Nakasone-Chan,

You just spent week 16 and 17 lounging on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii!

Before you make your grand entrance into this world, your dad and I wanted to embark on one last relaxing trip. We decided on Hawaii for the warm weather, beautiful beaches, laid back atmosphere, delicious food and of course family and friends. Ok, who are we kidding we just know we have a free place to stay at Chateau Nakasone (your grandparents).

[Brief History Lesson] Your dad was born and raised right smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Actually you have a long line of decedents who were born on the Hawaiian Islands including your grandparents and great grandparents. However, don’t get confused, you and your dad are not from Hawaiian decent. Your dad is half Japanese and half Okinawan making you’re a quarter Japanese and quarter Okinawan. Your dad is 4th generation American making you 5th generation on his side of the family. Your dad ventured to the “mainland” when he was 18 to attend college at the Colorado State University. However, he decided that the icy cold climate of Colorado was not for him (that’s a whole other story) and ended up at San Jose State University. About 16 years later your dad met me (again a whole other story).

For some reason I think you knew we were on vacation, because as soon as we landed in Hawaii you relieved me of my morning sickness! I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.

Our time in Hawaii was spent enjoying the island, but also visiting loved ones. In addition to visiting with grandmom and granddad Nakasone, you also got to see grandmom and granddad Knapp who flew in from Pennsylvania for a week. Here’s a shot of the grandparents enjoying lunch at Brew Moon in Honolulu:














We also got to spend time with your 2 Aunts and Uncle. While your Uncle Eric and Aunt Chika live in Oahu (where they just bought a beautiful house) your Aunt Val decided to fly in from California to join us on our vacation. Here’s your Aunt Val doing what she does best… EATING pineapple ice cream at Dole Plantation:




















One of your distant cousins flew in from Okinawa to visit family. We got a chance to have lunch with them as well as some of your extended family members on your granddad Nakasone’s side. Here we are after lunch in Hawaii Kai (the neighborhood where your grandparents live):














You got a chance to fly to the Big Island for 2 days to visit my close friend Alicia and to see some sights. The first day of our visit was spent touring the volcano, which is located on the southern part of the Big Island. The volcano Kīlauea has been extremely active in the last couple of weeks, so we definitely got to see a show. The toxic gases from the volcano are very toxic to developing baby Nakasone’s, so we didn’t spend too much time at the volcano. However we did get to spend a lot of time of Hilo on the western part of the Big Island. Here’s a picture of mommy at the volcano:














Even though you spent a lot of time visiting family and friends, you did get a chance to enjoy the island and of course EAT delicious food. I’ll cover the rest of the trip in Part Two of our vacation.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 14

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Sorry, I neglected to write you the last couple of weeks. You have been busy growing inside of me and unfortunately it’s taken a major toll on my body. I’ve officially joined the ranks of sloth-hood and haven’t been doing much at all lately except for working, watching TV and sleeping. Of course lately sleeping has been my all time #1 favorite activity. Who knew I could beat my current record of 12 straight hours of sleep?

The most notable thing that happened in the last couple of weeks was that we got to see you for the very first time. It was such an amazing experience for both me and your dad. Such an overwhelming feeling came over me when I first saw you on the ultra sound. I’ve never felt that kind of emotion before in my life. I guess that’s motherhood.

According to our ultra sound video you are very active baby (which definitely doesn’t come from me)! The doctor kept commenting on how much you were moving around. Every time she would try and take a still shot, you would move to the next position.

We found out this week that you are 2 weeks further along than what we originally anticipated. This means your expected birthday is now February 18th, which is only a day before my birthday! If you are born on February 18th, you will share a birthday with your second cousin, Emma.

So far, most of our friends and colleagues (that know about you) think you are boy. However, we won’t find out until October 13th.

Even though we are both now entering the second trimester, my nausea has not subsided. Although I’m now getting a couple hours of relief in the afternoon it’s still raging on in the morning and at night. Your grandmom Knapp (my mom) experienced the same pattern of morning sickness. She said that she felt relief towards her 16th week. I’m praying that I’m following the same path, because a whole 9 months of nausea does not sound fun.

Cravings this week:
HOTDOGS!
Originally I read that you shouldn’t eat hotdogs while pregnant. However, I’ve been seriously craving them since week 11. I asked the doctor at my last appointment whether it was ok to eat the occasional hotdog. Luckily for me she said yes, but don’t make a habit of it since they aren’t very good nutritionally. The first thing I did after my appointment was rush to the Home Depot food stand (which make excellent hotdogs and polish sausages) and ordered up a jumbo dog. IT WAS DELICOUS! Fortunately, that one hotdog satisfied my cravings and I haven’t been tempted to eat anymore hotdogs.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 9

Nakasone-Chan,

This is going on the 5th straight week that you’ve been seriously kicking my butt. Morning sickness and nausea plagues me 24/7 with hardly any relief. It’s kind of hard to believe something the size of a grape has such an affect on me. Your dad claims it’s all of his Asian genes invading and conquering my body.

Eating has been extremely challenging in the last couple of weeks since my tummy is constant state of nausea. I think this has to be the first time in history that I actually don’t feel like eating. There have been a few staples that have been getting me by the last couple of weeks which basically consist of carbs and sugar. I’m hoping that I’ll have my 2nd and 3rd trimester to start eating better.

At this point only a few people know about you including most of the immediate family and a few close friends. Two of my colleagues at work including my boss know about you, but that’s only because my working hours were cut drastically due to morning sickness and fatigue. Luckily, I work with an amazing team that is totally understanding of my condition.

Even though I’m in a state of constant morning sickness and fatigue, I’m still trying to get outside and run 2-3 days per week. To some people running while pregnant is taboo, but the doctor reassured me it was fine since I was an avid runner before you came along. I have, however, drastically reduced my speed to 12-13 minute miles and generally do not run over 4 miles. Personally, I enjoy my runs as it allows me to clear my head and spend some quality time thinking about you.

What you crave this week:
Raisin Bagels with full fat cream cheese
Watermelon
Cool Ranch Doritos

Love,
Mommy