North Shore

Spent the day driving around the North Shore and top half of the island.....

Beach Bums

We spent the day at the beach at Ko Olina and brought a picnic lunch. It was so relaxing and Erin and I got too much sun. The water is deep past the break water so the waves bring in the colder water. It's a little too cold to have Ella in for very long but luckily she had a cute beach wrap from Grandma to warm her up and protect her from the sun's rays...

Mountain Hike

Erin takes beautiful photographs. Today we hiked a bit up the summit of the mountain range on the base. It's breath-taking! Here is our Christmas present from my Grandfather...Ella's hiking backpack. We love it and it was so worth the splurge. Ella loved being up high and walking with the adults, and Ron loved running around with her. Here are some pictures of the day. Gorgeous!

Fun in the Sun

Erin arrived last night after midnight. Poor thing got stuck on the airplane for 2 hours while Vancouver airport cleared a single runway (yes only one runway for arriving and departing planes) because of some more snow. We relaxed all morning and then hit the beach at Ko Olina this afternoon. It's winter and the surf is up so it was fun to rock in the waves. The resort is sheltered by a breakwater so we don't see whitecaps but we get the tidal movement. It's like body surfing at those water parks. Fun Fun. The water is too cold for Ella as she has a bit of a runny nose, but Ron was more than happy to watch her while we body surfed.

Erin Arrives!!

Hi, Just a quick note, Erin is arriving tonight and we are so excited to visit with her and hang out for the next couple of weeks. Lots of things to do around the island and I'm looking forward to actually getting out to do some sightseeing. We will definitely be hitting a lot of beaches!
It's been a quiet couple of days, not much new with Ella and I. We are continuing to walk every night and it's been raining this week. I really don't mind walking in the rain and knowing that Ella is dry, it's perfectly fine for me. I ordered a jogging stroller as our walks are getting longer, it'll be much easier to steer and push, less pressure on my arms (especially the joints). Because we are in the mountains, we've had a lot of rain this past week but it looks like it'll be sunny again starting tomorrow... keep your fingers crossed!

Making Progress

So, I joined Weight Watchers on Thursday night and have committed to 10 weeks of meetings. It's really gotten me on track, lots of great ideas and inspiration. One lady and her teen age daughter began as well and shared with the group their "none-scale" goal. Her husband has agreed, that if they reach their goal, which is to get down to a size that is regularly carried in stores (ie. not plus size), he will pay for a trip to the mainland in which they can each take two empty suitcases and shop until they are full. WHOA!

I, of course, asked Ron what he would reward me with if I reach my health goal:) (By the way, I didn't get the diamond earrings for Christmas so I was thinking this would be a good "prize" for my hard work.) He thought on it a while and said for every pound loose, I get a foot massage. Whoo-hoo, I LOVE foot massages and have to go get a pedicure to get one...now it looks like I'll be getting them on a regular basis! How come I never thought of it!

Ella and I also have new walking friends. We met a neighbor, Amanda, who has a toddler and a 6-month old. She walks every night after her husband goes to work. Last night we walked 3 miles and got to know each other. She's really sweet and her kids are so cute...they look like those cherubs with their blonde curls and big eyes.

I am making such good progress on my New Year's resolutions! Keep an eye on that weight ticker, it's going to go fast!!! Tonight, despite the rain, I put on a rain jacket and covered Ella with the plastic stroller rain cover and off we went. She fell asleep to the sound of the rain on the plastic and I got my first foot massage.

Great Morning to You

This is what I get to wake up to every morning. She's so happy and cute, it's hard to be my normal grumpy early morning self. The three pictures above her crib are pictures of Ella with each of her grandparents...she loves to look at them and wave. She's even stared at the one of her and Grandma and started Patty-Caking all on her own.

More Teeth

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday, tooth number 7 is just under the gum. So far I've only seen a hint of it next to her two bottom teeth, but I'll be checking for number 8 as well. So far, her teeth have come in pairs, but the more teeth she gets, the harder it is to check them out. Grandpa let her hold his hand and when he wasn't paying attention, she chomped on his finger...ouch! For this very reason, I stopped nursing completely when we got back from our trip to the west coast. No more nursing her to sleep at night as she would bite me and smile, a little game for her to watch my reaction. After a couple of nights of this "game" I threw in the towel. She was just asserting her independence from me and letting me know she was done with that phase of babyhood.

For me it means an end of 18 months of no alcohol, caffeine, and very limited medicine options. We ran out of Tylenol and I'm still in the habit of checking labels to make sure the Ibuprofen I needed for a headache was okay. It's nice to finally be able to drink regular tea and not think about a what time is best so not to pass it to Ella and keep her up at night. Nothing worse than Ella, wide awake at bedtime and realizing that the diet coke I had at dinner is the caffeine kick she's on.

We've been helping her with her sippy cup to get her more liquids. She loves water but didn't get the whole "sip" part of sippy cup and would just open her mouth. We had to take the no-spill stopper out of the lid and hold the cup for her. She's finally figured it out now and will hold it on her own and drink. I've been able to put the stopper back in and let her drink without her splashing water everywhere.

Amy - you are so right! Where has the time gone, how come our little swaddled babies are so big, thinking they are grown now! :)

We Have Lift Off

Ella has finally done it! She's crawling! What a great way to start off the new year. Way to go Ella! She's been working at it for three days now. At first it was just one hand forward, sit, other hand forward, sit...but now she's determined to get at my bookshelf or scatter the DVD's all over the living room. She's learned that crawling is the quickest way to do this before one of us pulls her back to the carpet.

She also has become quite the little daredevil. She loves falling and diving. In her crib, she'll pull herself up and fall back onto the mattress and laugh hysterically. We still have the bumper around it so even when she bumps her head on the side, it doesn't hurt and she keeps laughing. She'll even fling herself around her crib as if she's a ping pong ball. (I'm having images of the movie "Parenthood" with Steve Martin, where the youngest kid puts a pail on his head and then runs into walls! ) When we sit her on her stool she'll dive for her toys on the floor with no concern for her own safety...we, of course, would never put her on it unless we were there to catch her launching off it.

Other news, Ella is eating more solid, real food like diced veggies and fruit, cheese sandwiches and spaghetti. I'll try to get some pictures of her "crib-capades". So funny!

Happy New Year

As I begin this new year, I, like everyone else, have set some resolutions and aspirations for myself that will probably be forgotten as quickly as the years before. This year however, I have vowed not to set limited goals of specific weight loss or vague goals of "be a better person". This year I am going to be specific.

First, I commit to continue being a great parent to Ella, to help her grow and watch her flourish. To learn as much from her as I will teach her. This year we will begin swim classes and a bit of daycare.

Second, I commit to being more patient and understanding in my marriage. To continue to support Ron in his professional goals and continue to encourage his career aspirations. Those are easy. I will work at being supportive of golf and not look at it as competition for his time. I have been free to do anything, I can concede to Ron's golf habit. I will see it as a means of relaxation for Ron, a break in his hard work.

Third, I commit to learning a new activity. I have enjoyed golf and though I am limited to going when I'm not with Ella, I will set aside a couple hours a week to practice. This year I will learn to play well enough to play a round and not completely embarrass myself. :) (keep your fingers crossed)

Finally, I commit to being healthy. To get my body to where it needs to be. Be it 5, 10, 15, or 50 pounds, I will work at eating healthier and exercising until I feel I am back to feeling great. I will join Weight Watchers this week and begin the journey.

I look back on this past year and so many changes. The birth of our daughter, the love of our life and the move to Hawaii have been the biggest changes for us. 2006 was a wonderful year and a sad year. Ella has brought us joy, like nothing else, but the move to Hawaii meant saying goodbye to our family and friends. Starting fresh is difficult, but it is what helps define us. I look forward to a year of changes, a year of new friendships and new activities, and a year of prosperity, physically, emotionally and spiritually (financially too :) ). I wish everyone the best in 2007. May it be all that we strive for it to be and more! Happy New Year!