We did it!!

We, yes, we, survived the first quarter of grad school. While Colby was a rockstar attending classes, studying for exams, attending recruiting dinners, balancing being a husband and father and deserves most the credit, I think I deserve at least a pat on the back for enduring his endurance. Days of him leaving at 7 am and getting home past 10 pm were no fun and all too common. Thankfully, Hudson is a good baby and good company. There were certainly nights though that I would have to stop my chatting with Colby to take a drink to wet my scratchy throat. I could certainly tell the days I had lacked adult conversation. I have made some great friends here that help me get through each day and am quickly learning to love my new life. Colby really is doing great, but is so ready for his 3 weeks off school before hitting the books hard again.

3 months

I feel as if Hudson has grown up so much this past month.

For documentation purposes, here are his highlights:

*officially outgrowing the majority of his 0-3 month clothes.  I think he hit a growth spurt around 13 weeks and has grown even longer.  His footed pajamas have quickly been outgrown!

*He is much more alert, constantly observing things around him.  This will occasionally make nursing tough, as he is far more intrigued in his surroundings than his meal. :)

*He is sleeping 9 hour stretches at night.  Haven't started sleep training, but will start this upcoming month.  While he sleeps great, he is still dependent on me to get him to sleep. He is going to bed much earlier than before, now around 9:30.

*He laughs, and I think it is the most adorable thing ever.

*Still doesn't love his carseat, but is better.  If he is put in while happy, he will usually stay happy.  If he's crying, taking him out of the car, still strapped into his carseat usually does the trick.  I think he just doesn't like being confined alone to the backseat.  He likes interaction.

*He is consistently rolling over from his stomach to his back.

*He loves light.

*He still loves his baths and loves having lotion rubbed on him afterwards, especially on his little feet.

*He quit taking a bottle, but we're working on getting that back.

*Loves being sung nursery rhymes, especially Itsy-Bitsy Spider, with hand motions.

The DMV

I went to the DMV this afternoon.  For those of you who have gone to a California DMV, you would agree that I could stop with my first sentence and classify it as a horror story.  But, my story doesn't stop there, because I went to the DMV, in California, with an 11-week old baby. Yes, I am crazy, but I also have lived here for longer than I am supposed to without a California Driver's License, so I had to get it done.  Luckily, I scheduled an appointment, which sped things up a bit, but folks, its still the DMV.

Before heading out, I went to grab my passport because i had heard I would need it as a second form of identification.  Of course, after digging through 12 drawers, our files, and piles of papers, I came up empty handed.  Online I read a marriage certificate would serve the same purpose so I grabbed that and Hudson and I went out the door, surprisingly only 5 minutes later than planned.  He was fussy in his carseat, and I figured it was because he would not burp after I fed him, and was probably trying to calm his gassy tummy from eating. I took him into the DMV in his carseat attached to the stroller.  Once inside, he made it clear he did NOT want to be in that.  He was grunting while doing these little crunches, trying to break out of the straps.  Not wanting to cause a scene (let's be honest, everyone was already staring at me-- young white girl with a baby, and a wedding ring.  Rare scene.), I caved and took him out.  He was a perfect baby when I was holding him, so that's what we did--the. whole. time. So there I am, huge load of cargo and holding a baby while trying to fill out paperwork, etc.  At the second station, I was told that since I had already had a California DL, this should be simpler.  Good news.  Well, my first license was in my maiden name, so I would have to provide legal documentation of my name change.  Perfect, because I wasn't able to find my passport, which I now no longer needed, I grabbed my marriage certificate, just what she needed.  Things were looking good.  But then, as she was processing things, she said, oh, I guess I need a birth certificate or passport too.  The system wouldn't let her process it without it. Great.  I didn't have them with me. I didn't know where they were at home. so when she asked if I could come back later today with them I gave her "that look" while holding a fussy baby, and explained I didn't have them.  She was then able to process it without them. Hallelujah!

Next stop, photo line. The line was a single file line crammed between two stanchions.  Not the best circumstance for me and my large stroller.  Oh well.  Here goes nothing. The man behind me in line kindly pointed out that my baby had spit-up all over his face.  Great.  Maybe that's why he had quit fussing a bit.  My thoughts as I wiped the stuff from his face (and my foot) were that he should be much calmer now and be fine with me putting him in his stroller.  As I put him in his stroller, he looked at me with the "mom, what are you doing?!?" look and started to cry.  Not happening.  He stayed in my arms. Thumb print taken. Signature signed (with my "e" looking like a "w", but we all know that wasn't worth requesting to re-sign...it will serve as my reminder of this wonderful afternoon). Photo taken.  I probably look like a crazy woman.  No I didn't want to see the photo. If I saw it, I would probably want it retaken--no time for that.

Next stop, written exam.  There were signs everywhere saying no talking, even in line.  Clearly this was not the place for a fussy baby.  I must have a smart baby.  He totally read the signs.  He was silent. :)  I passed the exam, missing 3, which was the limit! While waiting to turn in the exam I thought I smelled something bad.  I looked down at Hudson, still in my arms, and saw a blotch of liquid brown spreading across his back right above his pant line.  Great.  Dirty diaper. Is it on me?  Who knows? I was wearing black. phew. I look at Hudson who is chewing his hands now and see they are covered in spit-up. Again. Great.  Turn around and there is a large puddle of chunky spit-up adorning the black DMV rug. I try to wipe it out, but pretty sure it will be there for the next 20 years (because certainly, they won't be replacing the thing before then!).  I turn in the test, find out I pass, and with excitement ask, "this is it, right?"  With a smile the lady relies, "Yep, all done!"  Woo-hoo!

Out to the car we go where I set up my changing station in the trunk of my SUV.  Just waiting for a ticket citing me for indecent exposure in public, I proceed to completely undress and change Hudson in the parking lot.  Thankfully its a warm November day, so Im not worried about him getting cold.  He just sits and kicks, and laughs.  Yeah, hilarious dude. But really, I was laughing too.  I wasn't honestly frustrated through this whole things.  I just took it in, shaking my head and realizing life as a Mom is a new life.  Harder, but good.  I have endless stories now.  I changed Hudson and got us situated in the car.  Hudson started crying.  Then he proceeded to screaming.  I called Colby who informed me that Hudson isn't happy, as he could him him clearly over the speaker phone  :) True.  I looked at the clock and it was 4:21.  Holy cow, I was at the DMV for 2 hours?  I knew it was a while, but it didn't seem like that long.  2 hours of my life i will never get back, i thoughts. Once I got home, I pulled the stroller out of the trunk and peered over the seat to Hudson, who stared back at me quiet and wide awake.  I walked around to get him out and he was dead asleep.  30 seconds.  I'll take it. Did I mention that Hudson has slept all. day. long?  He has been awake 4 times today to eat, and hang out at the DMV, and has slept every other second.  I would have loved to play with him at home and let him sleep at the DMV.  I guess he just wanted that experience. :) As I called Colby back to tell him Hudson was now asleep, I saw it was 3:30. Ha.  I had been at the DMV 1 hour, not 2.  My car was on pre-time change time.  That was a relief.  I just got an hour of my life back.  The simple things, folks.

Well, there you have it.  My horror story at the DMV, expect I really see it more as a comedy than horror story.  I feel I take this all well and just laugh when nothing else works. Here's to at least 2 more years until I head back to the DMV!

Halloween

I have always thought babies look adorable in Halloween costumes and have looked forward to the day I had a baby to dress up. The reality though is its a lot of work! When it turned Halloween time, I had no clue what I was going to dress Hudson as, if anything. Thankfully, Sarah saved the day when I was in Hemet and let me borrow her pea pod costume. I was going to be lazy and have Colby and me go sans costumes, but the night before our party, I came up with simple, coordinating costumes for Colby and me.

Hudson and I headed up to the institute building alone and Colby was going to meet us after school things were done. Well Hudson fell asleep on the way up, so was without costume and Colby showed up late and wasn't sure it was worth it to go grab his costume. My dreams were forever shattered. But then Hudson woke up, I fed him and Colby happily obliged to wear his costume and help get Hudson in his. Hudson, having had shots earlier was kinda pouty. He looked so sad in all the pictures, but really was quite indifferent to the whole event. Clearly a Halloween for him to remember. :)

2 months

Hudson is 2 months old.  Once again I am asking myself, how has the time gone by so fast!  As I was snapping some photos today, i was looking back on the memory card and saw photos from when he was just weeks old.  He really has grown so much.  Like, so much.  He was just a scrawny little baby, and now he's definitely filling out and growing taller (longer??). People keep mentioning how much he has grown, but I honestly don't see it, except when putting on clothes that he used to swim in and realizing they should be boxed up now because they are getting too small.  It must be that I am around him so much.

Hudson is changing in so many more ways than just size.  He is becoming much more entertaining through his "talking," smiling, slight giggling and overall interaction with us.  It was fun to have Colby with him this past weekend.  For the prior 2 weekends, we had been around family, so Colby didn't have much one on one time with Hudson.  Since he is in school during the day, Colby has mainly only been with Hudson recently in the evenings when he is tired and a little fussy. When Colby was holding him this past weekend, he was blown away by how active he is and how interactive he is with those around.  He is so aware of surroundings, watching toys and especially lights.  He reacts to our smiles with big toothless grin back.  He loves to lay on the floor and kick like crazy.  He does this best in the tub and when on the changing pad.

We have his 2 month pediatrician appointment tomorrow and Im excited to see how much he has grown.  Im not so excited to have him get his shots, but I just have to remind myself its a good thing!

A couple more notable things about our little man:

• Growth stats:
• Weight: 13 lbs 1 oz (75%)
• Height: 23 3/4" (85%)
• Head Circumference: 41 cm (95%)
• he has become a great nurser.  While he has maintained his 6 or so feedings a day, he has cut back on how long he nurses each time.  I can get a good feeding in with only 20-30 minutes, where before it was more like 1-1.5 hours. 
• He is awake much more, and enjoys playing
• He has an amazingly strong neck, and can easily hold it up.  When he is laying on the ground and we pull him up with his arms, his neck stays aligned with his back instead of falling back.
• Thankfully, noise while sleeping doesn't seem to bother him unless it is a sudden loud noise
• Still hates the carseat.  Unless he is put in right after eating and is really happy, he screams in the car sear.  We have found that if we put him in, and swing the carseat like a swing before strapping it in the car, he is a little better.  
• He loves his swing.  He has discovered the mirror and mobile on the swing and will just stare at it.  I in turn stare at him because I think he is a genius.  Its cute to watch him swinging side to side and move his head/eyes back and forth opposite the swing to keep eye contact with the mirror/mobile
• Speaking of mobile, I finally made the mobile for his crib.  It's fun to go in in the late morning after he has slept and see him in the awake staring at the mobile and kicking his little legs.
• He is now in size 1 diapers, and size 3 month clothing.
• He has become an even better sleeper.  He went 3 days in a row this week sleeping 7.5-8 hours straight at night.  Unfortunately we are still working on getting him to sleep before midnight or 1, but that will come.  
• We are waiting for his discovery of his hands.  He is still completely oblivious to them.  He like when we hold toys for him, but has yet to reach for them or grasp them himself.
• He LOVES his baths.  We typically leave him in the tub for 20 minutes or so while he babbles and kicks and wiggles his arms around. He;s not a fan of us turning the faucet on while he's in the tub.  It clearly scares him.  This creates a problem though as we have to add warm water to the tub since he hangs out in the water so long that it gets too cool.
• Hudson has strong legs.  For several weeks now he "stands" on my lap if I lightly have my hands around his torso.  
• He has very cute faces.  Some of my favorites are the furrowed brow, ultra pouty face, big smiles, and his dream land smiles while sleeping.  I have yet to catch the pouty face on camera, but its hilarious.  Very sad, but equally as cute. 

We love our Hudson so much and can't believe he's ours!  As I called the pediatrician to confirm his appointment, they referred to Hudson as "your son."  It was really strange for some reason.  It is totally normal to have "a baby" but "a son" seems to take on a different context entirely.  Its almost as if the "baby" is part of playing house, while "son" is more real-life/adult related.  It truly is crazy that Hudson is our son and ours forever!  We love him!

Rub-a-dub

While visiting my parents this past weekend, we attempted a bath in the bathtub with Hudson. When we had tried it at home a couple of times, Hudson wasn't really into it, and preferred being bathed in the sink. He absolutely loved baths in the sink, but would scream when put in the tub. That definitely changed this weekend. We put Hudson in the tub and after a brief moment of shock, he kicked, splashed, giggled and smiled and loved every second. We probably had him in there for 30 minutes because we were being entertained by him.

This has quickly become a part of the nightly routine. He loves it, gets his exercise, and is completely worn out before bedtime. Perfect in my opinion. Plus, he's absolutely adorable to watch.

Movin' on up

After a day of going through four outfits, I determined it was time for Hudson to move on up--move on up in diaper sizes that is. His little newborn diapers are just too small for his growing body and increasing appetite. We tried size 1 about 2 weeks ago and they were huge on him. It's crazy how fast that can change!

Hudson's big moves

Such an exciting day! At 5 weeks old, Hudson rolled over from back to front, twice, and I got the second time on camera. This was right after his first smiles and "talking". Such rewarding moments. I like to think it was his apology for only giving me 4 hrs of sleep last night. He's too cute! And yes, I realize I'm such a mom now, rejoicing in these little things and plastering them all over this blog. Deal with it. :)

Forgive my proud motherly squeals and baby talk.  That's not the focus of the video. ;)

One Month

One Month.

Really?!?

The time has slipped away so fast, and I don't think I like it.  Can't we just stop time for a little bit?

Hudson reached his month old mark on Friday and we can't believe it.  He is such a little angel and blessing in our lives.  While the time has certainly flown by, it also seems as if Hudson has been with us so much longer.  Funny how time can play little tricks on us like that.  We can't hardly imagine life without him.

Our love for Hudson grows each day and I constantly find myself whispering to him how much I love him and hugging him much more than he likes. I love how little he is right now and how precious he is when he sleeps. He has started eating more, which leads to nice filled out cheeks.  Its fun to see the changes, but it reminds me how he is changing each and every day, and one of these days I will wake up and have a kindergartener, high schooler, or college graduate rather than a sweet little one month old baby boy.

This first month has introduced us all to many new experiences and ways of life, including:

• eating food way faster than is healthy out of fear that hudson will wake up any second
• bouncing back and forth while standing, even when not holding Hudson
• feeling like getting to bed by midnight is early
• discussing new topics over the dinner table, such as spit up, bowel movements and other lovely things that come with babies
• showering at 6 pm for the first time in a day because it literally was to soonest I had a chance to
• changing outfits multiple times in a day because Hudson thought he should add some unwanted "accessories" to our clothes. 
• being entertained starring at this little human being for long stretches of time, thinking about how perfect he is
• sitting on the couch and watching video clips of hudson playing because he is sleeping soundly and we miss him
• understanding what love at first sight really feels like

We love our sweet Hudson.  He is seriously perfect.  He has the cutest little face, feet and hands, and even the cutest little cry (well, not so much at 3 in the morning...).  We love his little curious facial expressions and watching him calm down instantly at the sound of running water.  We love how he is a determined little one and will fight us so hard when he just wants to be awake and we want him to sleep.  We love his long, dark hair and how curly it gets when it is wet. We love his little noises, especially during those last 20 minutes of him sleeping. We love everything about him and wouldn't trade him for the world.

Aches and Pains

Wow. Today was definitely not the best day! Hudson and I came to Hemet yesterday because I have had a toothache and came to have Dr. Gray, my favorite dentist, look at it. My appointment was this morning at 10, and I went in anticipating a filling or 2. Turns out I actually need a few fillings and a root canal. Nice. Dr. Gray started to drill my tooth for a filling, and found it would need a root canal. He started the root canal, and has referred me to an endodontist to finish it. I then had my teeth cleaned and came home. As the novocaine has worn off, which I was grateful for initially because I hate that numb feeling, pain set in. Because I am nursing Hudson, I cannot take that prescription pain meds, only ibuprofen and Tylenol. It isn't quite as strong as I would like to say the least. I go to the endodontist tomorrow for the rest of the root canal. It will be good to have it taken care of, but I'm not looking forward to the pain, or the numbness, again!  


The main point of all of this is that I really am grateful that i was able to come into Hemet to have this taken care of.  I know I would have figured it out in LA, but it sure is nice to be able to come here where my Mom can watch Hudson (twice) while I am away, since I have never left him alone wiht anyone. Also, I am glad i can go to a dentist that I have a history with, who I trust, and who has a professional relationship with my Dad.  I'm afraid if I went to a dentist in LA with pain in one tooth and was told there was nothing wrong with it so they would work on another, only to find out that one needed a root canal and then that i needed to go to a specialist to have it taken care of, that I would have not trusted anything they said.  I am glad I 100% trust the things my dentist told me and that we are able to get things taken care of. While I'm not excited about the root canal tomorrow, I guess the pain of the root canal will be better than the pain of my toothache I am still experiencing. When Hudson is older, I can let him know part of his entry into this world included a nice toothache for me.  A sacrifice totally worth it for him!

Beach Time Firsts

With Mom Heiner here, we wanted to attempt to do a few fun things, especially before Colby started school.  We decided a little trip to the beach would be the perfect thing.  

This was Hudson's debut trip to the beach at a ripe 2 1/2 weeks old.  When someone at the beach asked how old he was, I said "about a month."  I am pretty sure he thought i was crazy to have a baby that young at the beach.  Little did he know Hudson isn't really about "about a month."  I was hesitant about taking him at first, but figured it would be no different to sit at the beach than to sit outside at home, so we went for it.  He was in my arms the whole time and seems to have loved it. ;)

Mom Heiner had a first at the beach as well.  While she had been to the beach before, years ago, she had never been in the water.  She didn't want to go swimming with Colby, but made sure she stuck her legs in the water.  So glad we could witness this first with her.  She also was introduced to sand crabs by Colby, a discovery that he made just a few weeks ago.  I love living 10 minutes from the beach and having this fun place to get away to.  We only stayed an hour, but with it only being a 10 minute drive, its so worth it!

Grandma Heiner

We just dropped Grandma Heiner off at the airport, and we were sad to have her leave.  She arrived last Saturday, and was here through today.  She was able to be here a few days before Colby started school, and then for the first days Colby was in school where I would have otherwise been home alone with Hudson.  It was great to have an extra set of hands and ears around with Colby in school.  She was great to clean, cook, change diapers and hold a crying (and occasionally not crying) baby, and great to chat with.  I can see just from the few hours I have been home with just Hudson that it is going to be lonely without anyone else around. 

We all greatly appreciate Mom Heiner for coming down to be with us.  Hudson already loves his Grandma Heiner, I know, and we look forward to many more visits from Grandma in the future. ;) 

You can see their sweet bond in the below pic.  Just look at those smiles. :)

Big Day

Hudson slept from 11:15 to 6:11 last night. Once again, 7 hours. We love this! Maybe our little guy knew it is a big day for his dad today so wanted to let him sleep. After over a year of preparing, Colby starts grad school today! It's crazy to think back to the days of studying to take the GMAT, having letters of recommendation written, pondering schools to apply to, filling out applications and writing essays upon essays, we are here. His orientation at UCLA starts today and goes nearly 2 weeks before he starts real classes.

Debra is in town, having arrived Saturday, and it will be good to have her here the next few days to ease me into Colby being gone. It will surely be an adjustment for it to eventually just be me and Hudson at home. This is the first time sine I went to kindergarten that I wasn't heading to school or working during fall. I am so happy to be able to stay home with Hudson but it will be a big change. I could not have had a better experience working in corporate America, and it's tough to give that up and retire, but I know that's the best thing for my little family right now.

I'm grateful for being blessed with such and amazing man as my eternal partner and husband. I wouldn't want to be starting this crazy adventure with anyone else. Unfortunately, because I love him so much, I know I'm going to painfully miss him today. Wish me luck!

Record breaking

World, Hudson has set a new personal best record! We put him down at 11:30 for the night and he slept until 6:30. That's 7 hours!! We will take that every night! Way to go, Hudson! Keep 'em coming...

Hudson's First Neighborhood Walk

We attempted Hudson's first walk yesterday, knowing that he loves being in the carseat, stroller, etc.  Colby brought the stroller in from the car and we put sleeping Hudson in it, wrapped up in a blanket.  Well, we made it to our mailboxes, about 100 feet away before Hudson was screaming, I was holding him and Colby was pushing the empty stroller back to our apartment. Colby kindly let me know that that was how he saw this outing ending.  I guess I was the optimistic one who was thinking we could walk around the neighborhood across the street and I could get a little exercise in. Ha. Our word of the month is still: adjustment. :) We will learn.

Of course I was hoping for the perfect "first walk" photo.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  We do have a nice video of his screaming his lungs out when we got home though. Maybe we'll get that photo on his second first walk. :)

Number 72

Hudson is the 72nd great-grandchild on my Mom's side of the family.  72. How crazy is that.  We haven't counted the other sides of family, but we know that Hudson has many wonderful relatives. While Hudson has a lot of heritage to live up to, he also has a lot of support and family who loves him dearly.  I am grateful to have brought Hudson into this world with so many people from both mine and Colby's family that do love him and us so much. I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue to expand these families and help create even more rich heritage and traditions to pass on.

 Great-Grandma Tibbitts and Hudson

Great-Grandma and Grandpa Tibbitts with Hudson

4 generations: great-Grandma Tibbitts, Mom (still not used to that title), Hudson and Grandma Jergensen

Welcome sweet Hudson

Hudson Kelly Heiner

Born August 21, 2012, 9:29 am

8 lbs 20 1/2 inches

at St. Johns Medical Center, Santa Monica, California

We couldn't be more excited to have welcomed our little one into the world earlier this week.  He is such a blessing in our lives already and we are do excited to watch him grow and change. He truly is an angel and it's beautiful to think of how recently he was up in heaven. His middle name is after Colby's father, who recently passed away, and I continually find myself thinking of the time they had together in heaven before his arrival.  I sure hope Kelly helped prepare him well for this world! 

Hudson, we love you more then we knew possible!

Final nights of freedom

As excited as we are for our little boy to join us in the next few days, we sure will miss our relatively easy date nights. Colby suggested that we take advantage of our "last Saturday" and go out. With packing, moving, and unpacking, it's been awhile since we've had a date, so his idea was perfect. Colby had found that there is a cafe rio about 10 minutes from us, so we jumped in the car and headed down the 405. My mouth was seriously salivating. We ordered our favorites: cafe rio pork salad for me, pork burrito enchilada style for him. They were just as we remembered from back in our Utah days.

From there we ventured into trader joes to check out the goods and escaped empty handed. We finished up the evening driving along the coast back watching the sunset, eventually ending back at our place. Final touches of the date included finalizing my hospital bag through a load of laundry. All in all, it was a perfect, low-key date I think we will both treasure.

Now, little man, we really are ready for you to join us. It's better out here, promise. :)

Change

Change -- the only thing constant in life.

Over the past couple months and heading into the coming months, if there was one word to describe our life it would easily be "change."

Here are our big recent changes:

• Apply to grad school
• Find out we are pregnant
• Be accepted to and decide to attend BYU's MBA program this fall
• Be accepted to and decide to attend UCLA this fall rather than BYU
• List our first home and have it under contract within 14 days of listing
• ever-changing body shape--comes with the pregnancy apparently--I am learning that just because something fir a week ago, doesn't mean it will fit today

Upcoming:

• Pack our home
• Move to California
• find a place to live in LA
• Prepare for baby to come
• Have a baby
• Colby start school
• ...and I am sure the list will continue to go on and on

They have been good, but stressful, changes and we are so grateful for how things are working out for us.  While our life isn't perfect, so many things have just fallen into place and we are grateful for each of those blessings.

We were really looking forward to heading back to Provo and being with several siblings, but after much prayer and consideration, we feel LA is the best place for us. It has been a tough decision, but now that it has been made, we couldn't be more excited (and terrified...ah) about our upcoming adventure.

29 weeks, and still growing

Caribbean Cruise 2012

As much as I enjoy Arkansas, I sure wish I were back cursing' the Caribbean! We got back from a wonderful week last Sunday and have way to many memories and pictures to share. We went with our friends the Edwards on a 7-day cruise out of Miami with stops at Cozumel, Belize, Roatan Honduras, and Grand Cauman.

Hope you're ready for photo overkill !! I should have broken this into multiple posts, but too late...

We left Miami and enjoyed an afternoon on the ship exploring. We quickly found the 24-hr pizza and ice cream stations. Oops.

Day 2 was spent at sea. It was a beautiful and hot day and we sailed along Cuba for most of it. The day was spent flying down the waterside (I even went--I think baby boy loved it--apparently it was against ship rules for me to go.) reading, journal writing, eating, napping and simply enjoying being together and away from work. Our first formal night was this evening and we had fun putting on our fancy clothes and eating fancy dinner (and desserts!!)

baby bump...or food bump...your call :)

Day 3 was our first port, Cozumel. We had a great day planned to go across on the ferry to visit the Mayan ruin Tul and tour it with a great guide. Due to bad ferry timing, we had to cancel the tour and spend the time on Cozumel instead. We made a quick new plan and visited a Mayan ruin on the island, drove to several beaches and snorkeled (part of the time during a tropical rainstorm). We could not believe how clear the water was and how colorful the fish were.

 In front of the San Gervasio Fertility temple...we don't need anymore blessings from the fertility gods right now, we already have clearly been blessed

 with the Edwards!  So glad they could come!! 

hey there, mr. fishy

Day 4-Belize
In the words of the locals it was in-Belize-able!! We had heard a lot about it being a sketchy 3rd world country, but despite what we had heard, we were blown away by the kindness of the people, the laid back feel, and beauty of the country. In belize the wives and husbands actually parted ways, and the wives worried that we would return at some point to them. The guys headed on a plane out the a great reef off the coast for a 2 tank scuba trip. I couldn't go due to being pregnant. Belize is known for its scuba and did not disappoint. Luckily colby was able to go being that he left his scuba certification card at home! A neighbor saved the day and went to our home and sent a photo of it to us. They saw sea turtles, colorful fish and coral, eel, and even a 6- ft long shark. Colby was brave (or stupid, depending who you ask) and actually touched the nurse shark!

Lurana and I had our own adventure and went on a cave tubing trip. We took an hour bus ride out to the jungles, hiked 45 minutes across rivers and through the jungle, until we got to a long cave with a river through it. Headlamps on, we floated through the beautiful cave and put through the rain forest. We did it primarily to be part of an organized group while our husbands left us, but ended up truly enjoying it and wanting to do it again. I highly recommend it!

 Glad this didn't turn out to be our last photo together--right before we split ways in Belize

 Coming out of the dark cave and out into the jungle

 The reef from the airplane

 Survived, and loved it!!

Day 5- Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. We were blown away by the beauty of this island and can understand why so many retire here. We had a great stay here. We took a taxi to the West End and went snorkeling at Half Moon Bay. We saw eel, lobster, flat fish, hundreds of variety of fish, jelly fish and an octopus. On our second trip out, the water got rough and most of us ended up with some type of battle would from our fight with the coral. The worst past was Jared discovering his pockets of his swim trunks, which initially had their drivers licenses, ship cards and cash, only had $20 remaining after we got out. Thankfully we made it back to the ship as our taxi driver pulled a quick one on us and claimed he broke down and we would have to pay a lot more for his friend to take us. Luckily we were able to work it out and get back safely. Because we had to be on the ship by 3, we had an afternoon to sit out on the deck and enjoy the ocean view and breeze.

 eel...

 and jelly fish...

 and octopus...oh my!

the remains from the pocket...we now call the "donation" the honduras stimulus package 2012

Day 6- our last port, grand cayman. Once arrived, we scratched our plans to reef hop and snorkel and opted to go swim with the sting rays. This was a great decision that none of us regretted. It was an unreal experience to touch, feed and hang put with the rays. Our boat took us snorkeling after the sting rays. When the trip ended, we skipped the drop off at 7 mile beach and went back to explore the 75 year old ship wreck of the Cali. It seriously was so neat. It was about 50 yards offshore and 20 ft deep and maybe 50 yards long. The shipwreck itself was breathtaking and it was fun to see all the coral and fish that now live their. There were some huge fish that in the distance looked like sharks! Eek! Luckily they weren't. Since we didn't have to wake up at any specific time the following day, we lived it up that night--too much food, comedy shows, card show, dancing and more food...

Jared and Lurana kissing the sting ray--apparently this wins you 7 years good luck

okay, this picture doesn't give our (our meaning the girls) "shark scare" much justice.  I guess it did look like a fish...

Wreck of the Cali

Day 7- final day and day at sea. We slept in a bit then spent the day out on deck on the slide, reading, napping, playing mini golf and trying to get tan since I had worn SPF 50 all week. We had a great morning but had our afternoon interrupted by a rainstorm. We stayed out as long as we could but eventually went in.

All in all, it was a great week with too much food, perfect conversation, memories not to be forgotten and an overall perfect trip. My belly grew and I'm not sure how much was from the food and how much was the baby... :)

Congrats to the perhaps 3 of you who made it to the end.