Babymoon 2012

Hawaii was awesome!! I'm going to break it down into days and what we did on those days because it's just easier for my memory that way.

Thursday - we arrived at 10pm and went for dinner at our hotel's restaurant. Than we went for a quick walk across the street and walked down the pier. Than went back to our room and called it a night.

(This is the view from our room)

Friday - we hopped on a tour bus (which we had a groupon for because my husband is so smart and signed up for groupon - honolulu before we left and got some awesome deals on some of the activities we were going to do). We went for a tour around the island than hopped off the bus and got on our boat for Whale watching. On our tour we saw about 8 or 9 whales. It was incredible! I really enjoyed the calmness of the boat and kiwi was super hyper during the entire trip. He/she really loves or really hates boats! Afterwards we went back to our hotel for a nap and then went for dinner and a walk. For dessert we had some incredible ice cream from a place called Cold Stone Creamery - this is where you create your own amazing ice cream sundae! This day I had their mudslide which was coffee ice cream with fudge, peanut butter, and roasted almonds (I also asked for one gummy bear).

(The whales spouting out water)

Saturday - We hopped on our tour bus (it was a 3 day pass) and headed out to Pearl Harbour. It was very interesting and very somber. I made a couple of inappropriate comments to B and he just shook his head at me. It rained while we were there but it was still very warm. I didn't mind the overcast and rain because the day before I had burnt my forehead (forgot to reapply sunscreen to it-not so smart when you're on a boat). After a long afternoon of learning we headed back to town and ate at the Old Spaghetti factory. We had a table that overlooked the ocean. B and I sat on the same side of the table so we could both look out at it. Although the inside was just as intriguing with all the wood work that was done.

Sunday - We woke up early and got on our shuttle that took us out to the airport. We weren't getting on a plane though, we were getting on a helicopter. We went for a 50 minute helicopter ride of a tour of the entire island. It was AWESOME! We saw whales from above, as well as a waterfall that can only be seen by air. Not to mention the rest of the island that was incredibly beautiful. I told B that I expected a rose at the end of the trip because I felt like I was on a bachelor type date. We were seated according to weight and B and I lucked out by being placed up front with the pilot which was super awesome because the glass went all the way down to our feet so we had a full view of everything. Seriously such an adrenaline rush. My only advice to anyone thinking of going on a helicopter ride is to wear a shirt with a collar (the harness digs into your neck otherwise) oh and to wear dark clothes so your pictures don't reflect you in the glass. Than we headed to the Stadium and walked around the largest outdoor flea markets. It was really neat to see the different things that they make there. It did start to get repetitive though. We than went back to our hotel and had a nap(Ok, I had a nap every single day so I'm going to start leaving that out of my daily reflections - I'm growing a human and we were doing a lot of walking I tired faster than I expected). We went for dinner to an amazing place called DK's that over looked the ocean and had the most amazing steak!

Monday - We got up early to catch our shuttle to the boat dock. Once we were there I used a washroom that had two stalls but no doors. I was in there at the same time as a couple of teenagers who squealed with fear of having to pee without a door. Since there were 3 of us and only 2 stalls we worked it out that one person would stand guard and the other two would do their thing and then we would switch. I have to say that was a first for me. I'm glad I went though cause the boat we were on didn't have a washroom. We headed out to turtle's cove but before we got there we had 2 dolphins swim by our boat (they were gone by the time we got our camera out) and then we stopped the boat to observe a whale that was maybe 20-30 feet away. It was just grazing at the surface letting out a spout of water now and then. Than we finished our adventure out to turtle's cove. Once we were there (our boat was the only one there since it was only 9am) B and I were the first ones off the boat. I went to one part of the ocean and saw 14 sea turtles hanging out at the bottom. (It was only 15 feet deep). But because there were so many people splashing about the turtles weren't coming up. I looked over for B and saw him in another part so I headed to hang out by him. Sure enough there were 3 sea turtles over there. We were very still, just hovering and one of the sea turtles came straight up. I had to back myself up a bit so that he didn't run into me (it's illegal to touch them). If I had reached my arm out I could have touched him he was just that close! It was amazing! Eventually a wave came and some water went down my air tube. I choked and with that comes the gag reflex and let's just say I fed the fish. Weirdly b had the same experience so we decided to head back to the boat to take a little break. When we got there they said the tour was over so we were now the lastones on the boat. It was such a fun experience. We stopped and grabbed some lunch. When I woke from my nap it was late and we went for dinner and another walk.

Tuesday - We called this relaxing day and headed to the beach across the street and went snorkeling off the shore. It was really quite surprising at how much there was to see under the water there. I wasn't expecting to see anything cool but there were a lot of different types of colourful fish and coral and it was really neat. We stayed out there for a few hours and then headed back to our hotel to get ready for a luau. It was amazing! The trip out there the tour guide kept referring to himself as Dwayne Johnson or The Rock. Little did he know he had a Rock fan on the bus so once the bus stopped and we got off I asked him if he could smell what the rock was cooking. Than later when we got back on the bus I asked him if it was the Jabroni bus. I think I'm hilarious! He did too. Before the luau began they had some neat activities you could participate in or just watch. Hula dancing lessons, get a temporary tattoo, Watch a guy climb the coconut tree and send flowers down from the top, More Hula dancing lessons, watching how they catch fish, many different mini shows. Than the luau began, they pulled the pig out of the ground and had a little ceremony and then we headed to our tables and had dinner and watched the main show. It was really neat! I really enjoyed it.

Wednesday - super relax do basically nothing day. The only thing we did was go for a walk all the way down the strip and window shopped. I tried on a lot of dresses and was torn between a couple. The one lady at the store was really bartering with me on price. I wasn't even meaning for her to come down in price, I was really just torn between the dress at her store and one I tried on at another store. So while I was debating it in my mind she kept hounding me and while I wasn't budging on making a rash decision her price kept lowering. Kind of funny. I ended up walking away without both dresses and decided to sleep on it.

Thursday - We woke up early and headed towards the city bus stop. We headed up to Panoma Bay which is known for good snorkeling. We saw our bus approach and then it kept going. It didn't even stop it was so full. So we talked to some locals and they recommended taking a different bus and transferring to the other bus. We decided to listen to them. When we got to our second stop 2 ladies asked us if we'd be interested in sharing a cab the rest of the way since it's taken them 2 days to attempt to get there. So we agreed. We got there in good time and watched the video that tells you to not touch the coral. We headed down to the beach and went snorkeling. It was so fun. A little shallow in some parts so it made it tricky to not touch the coral in some parts. A couple of times I had to put my hands down to push myself over it so my tummy didn't scrape on it. I apologized to the fishes for touching their habitat. We came in for some snacks and I people watched. There was one girl that caught my attention. She had on a very frilly swimsuit and instead of going into the water to swim she just walked, occasionally she'd bend over and put her face in the water and look around. She was just really funny to watch, I don't think she understood how to actually snorkel. This entertained me for quite some time. Than we went for a walk down the beach and saw a sea turtle in the shallow water right off shore and a sea lion laying on the beach. Than we headed back to our things and got our snorkel gear and went for another round. It was so much fun, yet scary at the same time. Scary in that if you got into one of the coral pockets the current would throw you around and it took all your power to not hit the coral. We headed back to our hotel and chose to try the city bus again (big mistake!!) We ended up having to stand for the entire 45 minute ride. When we got off the bus I cried. (I know I'm such a whiner) My feet had swollen, my back really hurt and my energy was gone. We went back to the hotel where I had a shower and then a nap. When I woke up I felt better about the world and we headed out. We went for a walk and I found that dress (the one where the lady had been bring down her price) at another store for 5 dollars cheaper than the ladies lowest price. And not only that but when we asked the shop owner of the price of this dress she dropped it to another $5 off. So we got it for 10 dollars cheaper than the ladies final price. Score! I won't be able to wear it until after baby is born because it sits a little funny in my tummy area, just the style of cut. I was happy with that. Than we went to a restaurant called Dukes for our final dinner. It was yummy! After dinner we walked along the beach in the sand and then headed back to the main strip and walked along looking at all there was to see (did a lot of people watching).

(Check out the baby bump) (oh and I was touching the coral because the current was throwing me around)

(pretty sunset)

Friday - After we had breakfast (which was included with our hotel) we packed and then headed downstairs and checked in our luggage so we could go for a final walk. Our hotel gave us a coupon for a free tote bag that changes colour in the sun. So we went to claim it. While we were there I found a baby onesie for kiwi (this trip is to celebrate him/her after all he/she should get something out of it right?) Than we picked up an ice cream from the Cold Stone Creamery. This time it was chocolate ice cream with fudge, strawberries and gummy bears. So yummerific! We wanted to go for more of a walk but our time had run out and we had to go back and catch our shuttle back to the airport. What a sad ride. I didn't want to leave.

Saturday - back at home. I woke up so confused on where I was. I didn't understand why I couldn't see diamond head crater or the ocean. Such a sad moment when reality hits. 5 loads of laundry and a grocery shop later I was settled back into real life.

Over all it was an amazing trip! Kiwi loves being on a boat or any mode of transportation. Any time there was significant movement Kiwi would kick. Oh and on Friday(Mar2) Kiwi moved in a fashion that made my stomach do the wave. It was crazy creepy!! This trip was the turning point for me. I have allowed myself to now be really excited about our pregnancy! Before this trip I was still guarded and weary of being too excited but now I am ready to shout it out. Not on facebook yet....I don't want people asking for baby bump photos or hounding me about "is it here yet" when the date gets closer so I'm still opting to only mention it on here as far as the internet goes. I also thought I must have gained 10 pounds with all the rich amazing food we took in. When I weighed myself I was shocked to find out I had only gained 1 pound. I guess all that walking helped.

Until next time,

Michelle