The Halls: June 2009

I AM SO HAPPY!!!

I had my 1st Skype conversation w/ my husband today! We went 5 days without speaking this past week, so it was amazing to hear his voice & see him on webcam =). I highly recommend Skype to all military families going through deployment. Seeing him & his smile just made my day! I am looking forward to Skyping once again! I'm so happy to know that he is okay. I can finally breathe a bit easier.

Today, I will begin making my baby shower invitations. Yes, I'm making them all by hand. My mom already bought shower invitations, but then we decided that I could make better ones for the same price. So last night, we went to the scrapbooking section at Wal-Mart & got a bunch of really cute items to make the invitations with. I'm doing an assortment of styles simply because we couldn't find 100 identical scrapbooking items. I'm really excited to have a new project! The invitations have to go out soon since the shower is on July 12th 2009... so I will be busy, busy!

I've been keeping up with my workouts! Starting tomorrow, I am going to be more strict on nutrition. I have been doing pretty well with proper diet, but as of lately... I have been giving in to those damn cravings. Ugh! As if eating healthy wasn't difficult enough. My mom & dad are both starting to eat healthier tomorrow, so hopefully we can all help support each other! We shall see.

Kai is continuing to grow as he should be & my belly is growing right along with him! My hips & lower back are hurting so bad due to the weight gain, but I know he's going to be worth all of the pain. I love my little boy so much already!

4 1/2 Months

It’s a boy!!! Doug & I found out that we are having a baby boy on June 12th 2009. Doug is still deployed to Afghanistan, so we felt very fortunate to have him listening in on speaker phone during the ultrasound. My mom, grandmother & my little brother, Col, were all there during my appointment. I felt truly blessed to have 4 generations of my family all in one room. Doug and I decided on a name for our future son before we even got married… so he will be named

Kai Allen Hall.

The name Kai has many different origins and meanings, the following are some of my favorites:

Origin: Hawaiian
Meaning: The Sea, Ocean

Origin: Greek & Scandinavian
Meaning: Keeper of the Keys; Earth

Origin: Finnish
Meaning: Rejoice

Origin: Mandarin
Meaning: Victory, Triumphant

Origin: Burmese
Meaning: Strong, Unbreakable

Origin: German
Meaning: Safe Harbour

Origin: Yoruba (Nigerian Dialect)
Meaning: Love

Origin: Chinese
Meaning: Unceasing, Following Intimately or Continual Like Silk

Origin: Navajo
Meaning: Willow Tree

His middle name, Allen, was simply chosen because we wanted him to be named after his Daddy. So Doug & Kai share the same middle name. And we all share the same last name =).

Doug & I feel so grateful that God has blessed us with this little miracle. I have been missing my husband deeply since he had to deploy, but I take comfort in knowing that his love is with me always. He has been able to call almost every day. Hearing his voice really keeps my spirits up. I have to stay strong for our family… I know it will all be worth it when I can celebrate the homecoming of both my son & my husband.

I have been in Indiana since mid May and I will be staying here until October. My family’s love & support has been very much appreciated by both me & my husband. My dad & brothers are always going out to get me my latest craving (my cravings are seriously strange). My mom is there to say “it’s normal” when I have a new discomfort or pain. And they are always there to pick me up when I get sad about my husband’s deployment.

My friends in Hawaii, mostly my Marine wife friends, have been in contact with me regularly. I miss them so much! It’s so nice to have friends that are going through the same emotions at the same time. As much as I love being around my family in Indiana, I’m really anxious to get back to life in Hawaii. It gets pretty boring around here with no car, no job & not much to keep me occupied at home. It’s easy to say I want to get involved with this or that, but I have no source of transportation & I’m only here temporarily. I may be doing online classes soon… so hopefully that will help me feel productive! My mom is going back to the island with me to help get our new home in order. I’m going to need all of the help I can get since I will be 7 or 8 months pregnant! I feel like I have so much to do before the baby & my husband come home. It’s hard to know how much time I will have to get things ready when I have no idea when either of them will be on their way, lmao! But at least it will keep me busy while I’m waiting for them.

I’m always being asked how I’m feeling mentally, emotionally, or physically during this pregnancy. So I thought I should start writing about it on our blog...

Mentally, I feel like I’m so sharp some days & like I’m losing it other days. Recently, I dropped my iPhone in the toilet! I always tuck my phone in the front top of my pants when I have no pockets, but now that my belly is getting big… it’s too uncomfortable. So instead, I put it in the back top of my pants. I keep my phone on me 24/7 just in case my husband is able to call. One morning, after taking P.Nut outside, I ran into the bathroom (I have to pee constantly thanks to pregnancy). I pulled down my pants like I do every time I have to pee & SPLASH! My iPhone was DUNZO =(! I have been so absent minded lately. It took me THREE trips to the post office just to send out a package last week. Trip one, I left my purse at home. Trip two, I left the address at home. Trip Three, I finally managed to bring everything required to ship the damn package. Hopefully this too shall pass.

Emotionally, I have been feeling so much better this trimester! The first trimester, I would cry or get upset over the smallest things or for no reason at all. I will admit that I still cry sometimes, but I think that’s normal when your husband is deployed & can’t be around for your first pregnancy. I miss him so much.

Physically, wow! I have been better, that’s for sure. I have a pretty small frame & I’ve gained 10 pounds in the last 2 months. I offically weigh 10 more pounds than I ever have. If this 10 pounds was spread out evenly on my body, it may not be such a big deal. But… it seems as if the extra weight is going to my belly & boobs only. I already feel unbalanced & my back is suffering majorly. My hips are also hurting, especially my right one. Sleeping is a challenge every night. I recently got a memory foam matress cover & that seems to be helping. The ligaments in my belly are stretching & are constantly sore. I also feel a lot of discomfort around my bladder area. Kai has been growing & I can feel him moving from the inside at this point. It’s always comforting to feel my baby boy moving! Despite the new discomforts, I’ve been trying to keep up with my workouts at least 5 days each week. Some days, I don’t feel like working out, but I always feel better afterwards… mind, body & spirit. Knowing that exercise will help with my pregnancy, delivery & recovery is motivation enough, but my husband, as always, is my inspiration. It’s difficult to be married to a Marine & find an excuse to be lazy in any aspect of my life.

These are the most recent baby bump pics...