Lehua- 2 months

Lehua is such a good baby. She is very chill and seems to just go with the flow. Her big sister loves her very much and likes to hold her every day. They are so cute together and I can already tell they are going to be best friends. 

*About a week before she turned 2 months old, Lehua started sleeping through the night consistently. She sleeps from about 10pm-7am give or take an hour. This is so nice for me especially since I have been exhausted from coaching volleyball everyday.  

*She refuses to take a bottle or pacifier. It has been really rough on me but luckily I only have to be gone for about 4 hours a day so she isn't going too long in between feedings. 

*When she is up during the day, she is very active. She is able to scoot herself across a blanket pretty fast for being so little. 

*The doctor says she is growing perfectly and is an over achiever for an exclusively breastfed baby. 

*

Lehua- 1month old

Lehua is growing so fast! Here are some of the things she did at 1 month old...

*She loves being on her tummy and prefers to sleep on her tummy too. 

*She is a strong baby just like her sister. She is able to hold her neck up pretty easily and it looks like she wants to crawl around already when she does her tummy time. 

*She has always been a good sleeper since she was born. I don't think she ever woke up more than once to eat at night then she always goes right back to sleep. 

*She has already been to Disneyland and the Aquarium in Long Beach. We have to keep big sister entertained so Lehua gets to come too!

Funny 'Ihi Story

A couple days ago 'Ihi had a funny moment with Kahili and I really wanted to have it recorded so she can see what she was like as a kid. Kahili was playing his video game on the bed after work, I was feeding Lehua, and 'Ihi was running around the house like a crazy. Typical day in our house. 

'Ihi: Daddy! Daddy, come! 

Kahili continues to play his video game

'Ihi: Come, Daddy! Come, come! 

She wanted him to come play with her but Daddy was tired and in the video game zone... I watched her and she looked defeated then all of a sudden she looked like a lightbulb went off in her brain. She looked up at Kahili. 

'Ihi: Daddy, potty! 

Kahili paused his game and jumped off the bed, 

Kahili: Oh, you have to go potty!?

'Ihi: Nope. Daddy, come! (She takes his hand and leads him out of the room.)

I about died of laughter. She knows we will all drop whatever we're doing if she says she has to go potty. What a little stinker! 

Lehua- Blessing Day and 2 Weeks Old

We decided to bless Lehua while the Soons were all still here visiting so that they wouldn't have to come back during the summer when flights were looking pretty full. Therefore, she was blessed by her Daddy on June 2nd in the Lawndale Ward. It was a beautiful blessing and there was a sweet spirit in the room. Lehua slept through the blessing. 'Ihi was upset when Kahili got up and started walking up to the front because she thought he was taking away her baby! After church, Karen and Francis made some delicious Chinese food and everyone came over to eat. Grandma June had been admitted to the hospital the day before so she wasn't able to make it but Uncle Mike drove down to see her so he was here too. That week we took Lehua to see Dr. Douglass and got some measurements. She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz, was 21 1/4 in, and her head was 14 in around. She is such a big girl!

The Birth of Lehuahiwahiwa Piper Natoaitele Soon

Sunday, May 18th, 2013

We got up to go to church and I was having some mild contractions. We had to meet with our new bishop that day because we were new to the ward so we met with him after sacrament and then went home to see if the contractions would continue. They weren't super strong but I could definitely feel them. The contractions continued all day and I went walking several times to try to get labor started but they just stayed consistent: mild and 5-10 minutes apart. My mom called some friends at the hospital and they said I shouldn't come in until the contractions got stronger. I decided to go to sleep and if the contractions got strong enough, they would wake me up.

Monday, May 19th, 2013

I woke up disappointed because I spent the whole day before timing contractions and then woke up to none. I was annoyed but more than that, I was worried. I could feel the baby moving yesterday and all of a sudden she wasn't moving anymore when I woke up. I called my doctor and she sent me to the hospital to get things checked out and monitor baby for a little while. My mom and dad were both off so they took care of 'Ihi and Kahili and I headed to the hospital to check things out. They hooked me up to all the monitors and we could automatically hear a heartbeat which was reassuring. However, baby didnt kick, move, or do anything for a solid 20 minutes. Then she started moving around and being hyper all of a sudden. The nurse came back in and told us they were concerned at the beginning and had called my doctor and she had ordered an ultrasound but then when baby started moving around, they called it off and said everything was just fine. Then they sent us home. It was about 2pm.

Kahili and I went to Panda Express to get some lunch and took it home. We joked about going to Red Robin because it was a spicy burger from there that put me into labor with 'Ihi. I didn't feel like sitting at a restaurant though so we decided spicy chinese food would have to do. We took it home, ate, and played the waiting game. 'Ihi woke up from her nap around 4pm and I was having those same annoying mild contractions so around 4:30pm I decided to take her for a walk. We walked arounf the block a couple times with breaks inbetween. On our last trip around the block around 5:30pm, I felt a small pop and then a little gush of water. I was pretty sure my water had broken. Kahili was sure we needed to rush to the hospital like the movies but I knew that wasn't the case. I took a nice cool shower and got dressed for the hospital then watched everyone eat dinner. I did not have an appetite. 

At 6:30pm we arrived at Little Company of Mary hospital. At 7pm they checked me and I was already dilated to a 4 so they admitted me. I was so happy all those annoying contractions weren't for nothing! At 7:30pm I met my nurse, Ta who spoke very broken English, and she moved me to Room 306 where she said they were going to let me stay as a VIP meaning I wouldn't have to move after delivery. Woohoo! My mom arrived around this time with some food for Kahili. Ta started my IV then at 8pm checked me and I was dilated to a 5. at 9:30pm I was dilated to a 6 but my progression was slowing down and they wanted to start the pitocin so at 10:45pm I finally gave in and let them give me the epidural. I tried to sleep but I just couldn't. 

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

At 12:30am they checked me and I was dilated to a 7. At 1:30am I was an 8 but they decided to put a HB monitor on baby's head because it kept dipping with every contraction I had. After they put the monitor on they checked me again to see if there was any progression (around 1:45am) and I was already a 9. They called Dr. Pinkus, the on call doctor, to come to the hospital. Ta told me to push one time and baby's head came all the way down so she told me to stop pushing and wait for the doctor! That was the longest 10 minutes of my life (besides the time I had to wait for the doctor when I was having 'Ihi haha). At 2:20am Dr. Pinkus arrived, I pushed through 2 contractions, and baby was out by 2:24am. The cord was wrapped around her neck pretty tight and her face was all purple. She cried initially and they put her on me skin to skin like I had asked them too but I could tell something was wrong. She never cried or made any noises again. I looked at my mom and she looked worried so I let them take her away to check her while I got taken care of by Dr. Pinkus, I delivered the placenta and got stitched up because she had to cut a 2nd degree episiotomy while I was pushing. Baby turned out to be just fine though she was a bit 'shocky' as my mom called it because of the cord being wrapped around her neck so tight. That was also why her HB was dropping with each contraction. 

I wish I could remember what our first words were about this baby but to tell you the truth, I think I just kept saying, "Is she ok?" and telling Kahili to go over there and be with her because I couldn't. She was beautiful and everything turned out to be just fine so we know we were being looked after well. We were so lucky to have my mom there to help. She was even able to give baby her first bath!

Recovery seemed harder this time around. I was starving and everything was closed so Kahili went down and got me a sandwich from the vending machine and they brought me juice. The sandwich was disgusting...super dry and the edges were soggy...gross but, all there was to eat! Mom went home around 4am and my new nurse wasn't the most pleasant person to deal with. When the epidural had worn off, I asked if I could get up and go to the bathroom. Long story short, blood got everywhere (bed, floor, gown, etc.) and she acted like it was all my fault. I tried to ignore her muttering under her breath as she cleaned it up and I went to the bathroom. When I was done, I stood up but was not feeling good so I told her and she handed me a tray and told me to sit back down. Moments later, everything I had just eaten was in that tray...plus some. Again, that was somehow my fault. Unbelievable. Anyways, we eventually got all cleaned up and got some rest. 

Mom brought 'Ihi by in the morning to meet her new little sister and you could tell she was a bit confused at first. Well, she wouldn't even look at ME! She was kinda upset because of her sleeping arrangement the night before. It was her first night away from me and it was rough for her. Mom said that when she got home around 4am, 'Ihi was sitting up in my parents bed where she had fallen asleep with Dad but she was awake. Mom showed her a pic of her sister and she looked at it in amazement for an hour straight, making my mom turn the phone back on each time it went to sleep. Mom said it was the most precious thing. Anyways, she met her sister, held her, and pointed out her fingers and nose. It was the sweetest thing and I'm so glad I got that moment on video so I will never forget it!

Since the night before had been rough without Kahili and I, we sent Kahili home to sleep with 'Ihi the next night and Mom stayed with me at the hospital. We went home on May 22nd in the afternoon which was technically a day early. When we left the hospital, Lehua weighed 7 lbs 5 oz. We went in to the doctor for a weight check 2 days later and she was back up to 7 lbs 8 oz. 

May 2013

I am trying to remember what the beginning of May consisted of for our family but all I can remember is being super uncomfortable and just wanting to meet our little girl already! I know that is bad but I will try my best to record the highlights of May through what I was able to capture in pictures. Here we go.

Play dates with Isla! They are only 8 days apart and there is no relation even though they look like they could be cousins or even sisters!

We decided to get year passes to The Aquarium of the Pacific down in Long Beach. We figured we could make good use of them because 'Ihi loved looking at all the fishes and seals there. Plus, it's something fun to do to get out of the house every once and awhile.

I finished putting our rooms together. This is 'Ihi's room. I made the curtains, quilt, and pillowcases.

More play dates and fun in the pool in the backyard (we bought a bigger pool now so she doesn't fly out of it).

'Ihi is such a girly girl! She loves getting her nails painted and sometimes she lets me do her hair! haha. Most of the time she just runs away but sometimes she will sit and let me play with it.

We went to the BYU Men's Volleyball game when they were playing for the NAtional Championship at UCLA. We definitely won't talk about the outcome of that game...it was ugly. 

We fed the ducks at Alondra Park and those birds are vicious! They definitely weren't shy or scared of us at all.

On Mother's Day we got to skype with Sister Taualii and she is doing great! It was fun to see her and talk to her. 

We got passes to the YMCA so we can swim and workout there. 'Ihi loves swimming!

I was able to go out to dinner with my HS girlfriends where they spoiled me with gifts for me and the little princesses (yes, they got gifts for both 'Ihi and baby!). We had such a great time and laughed the whole time.

On May 21st (1 week early), this little angel came to earth to join our family. It was the best way to finish up our month. 

May/June 2013

May and June have been some pretty busy months for our little family! Number one being our little family got 7 pounds 9 ounces bigger! We welcomed Lehua on May 21st but I will write more about that later! Just know that I am finally getting around to updating our family blog so there will be several posts on our growing family in the next few days (hopefully!).

19/20 Months

Today Ka'ihilei is 20 months old! I can't believe it! To me, 20 months is almost 2 years old and I just can't imagine having a 2 year old! We are loving life in California because we have Daddy around so much more! It is nice to have him around to play and help me out because 'Ihi has been on the run since we got here. She literally runs around til she crashes and it is fun but very exhausting so I'm glad we are able to share the work a little. Kahili is loving his new property but at times he gets bored cuz he was used to being the 'go-to' person at his last property and he doesn't have very many responsibilities here yet. 'Ihi and I have been enjoying the company of living with my family and the weather has been fabulous. We spend most of our days out in the backyard with Oreo (the family dog) playing in our little pool set up. Well, here's some 'Ihi updates from the past 2 months:

*Words: keys, mine, bowl, food, moon, and she tries to repeat other words that I say or ask her to repeat

*Names: She says Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Gigi, Dodo (Coco), Day (Daylene), Ena (Ka'ena), Lana, Bubba, Noa (Manoa), Tu (Ku), Tutu (Tuti), and Oreo

*She makes correct animal noises for: dog, cat, bird, cow, horse, and lion. We are still working on others.

*She loves music and singing. Her favorite songs right now are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Patty Cake Patty Cake, Wheels on the Bus, The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Popcorn Popping

*Her hair is getting so long and I think the sun is bleaching it blonde a little.

*She is not afraid of any dogs. In fact, she loves them and would just run straight up to any dog on the street if we let her. We really have to watch her closely at the park because we don't want her to get bit when she sticks her face right in the dogs face, ha!

*Since moving to Cali, she has started walking backwards around the house sometimes and thinks she's pretty funny when she does it cuz we all laugh.

*Her smile and laugh are contagious. She is always making us laugh because she has such a great personality...until she gets tired HAHA!

Easter 2013

Easter this year was awesome because 'Ihi was finally old enough to enjoy easter egg hunts! Our Easter festivities began on Saturday at our ward Easter party where there was a potluck, activities for the kids, and an egg hunt at the end. We went straight to the Marzorini's after that for more food and fun! Kahili was able to meet us there after work and 'Ihi was able to enjoy that egg hunt a little more. On Sunday we went to church and then had dinner with Grandma June and Uncle Brett at our house. It was a perfect weekend and not too overwhelming for 'Ihi. She loved her presents from the Easter Bunny!

My little Easter Bunny

"Look Mom, there's candy in here!"

The Easter Bunny brought 'Ihi some new shoes, sippy cups, clothes, and candy!

March 2013

-The first week of March was pure craziness. Both 'Ihi and I had our last doctor appointments before we moved. This was my 30 week appointment and everything looked great. 'Ihi got her 18 month check up and shots. She was not a happy camper. These shots have been the hardest so far and my poor baby was inconsolable for about an hour. I tried everything including stopping at McDonalds to get her an ice cream cone but she was just not happy and I could tell her legs hurt really bad. 

-That week was also crazy because the Soons came into town to help us move which we are so appreciative of them for doing. 'Ihi and I picked up Mom, Dad, and Wai from the airport on Tuesday and they helped me pack on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night after eating at Tucanos, the boys started taking boxes down to our Budget Rental truck. Thursday morning we woke up early, ate some breakfast and finished packing our apartment as the guys took loads down to the truck. It was a pretty quick process thanks to the help we had from the Soons. When we were all packed up and had turned in our keys to the office, we headed out, grabbed some lunch and snacks, and got on the road. We arrived in Las Vegas around 6pm where we had booked the JW Marriott to stay at. It was awesome! We only wish we could have stayed longer because the room was ginormous and the bathtub was majestic. We all enjoyed it, especially 'Ihi! The next day, Friday, we headed into the final leg of our trip around 11am after a good breakfast and the boys playing a bit at the casino. We arrived at our new home (the house I grew up in) at about 3pm and started unpacking right away. What a whirlwind of a move. It definitely left me exhausted!

Hanging with Uncle Wai

On the road again...

The JW

We would all love one of these in our dream house...

-A week after we moved to Cali I was able to meet up with my girlfriends from high school and go to The Cheesecake Factory. It was great to catch up, eat good food, and get out of the house without 'Ihi! :) 

-We slowly got settled into our new home...

Spring in Torrance > Spring in Utah

-We got to go to cousin Kalea's first birthday party at the park. So happy to be close to family!

-We went to watch Auntie Coco play softball in San Diego.

-Lastly, we headed to Hawaii again to attend Tutu's funeral.

'Ihi got to practice being a big sister on her new cousin, Kekua!

At the funeral

Silly goose

February 2013

-Went for our 24 week appointment and 3rd ultrasound. Baby was much better behaved and they were able to get the measurements they needed. She measured 1 lb 10 oz and the heartbeat was 145.

-We had a nice Valentines day activity with Auntie Coco decorating sugar cookies.

-While we were in Hawaii, Kahili had applied for a job at the LAX Marriott for an AYS Supervisor position and the first week of February they called him and asked him to come for an interview! We didn't want to chance him flying standby cuz the flights were pretty full so we bought a ticket using miles. Then I realized the day they wanted him to interview on was Valentines Day so 'Ihi and I decided to fly in a few days before when the flights weren't as full so we could be with him. A few days after we booked his flight, Kahili was looking at jobs again and the Front Desk Supervisor position for the Torrance Marriott (the city where I was born and raised and where my family still lives) had been posted. Kahili applied and emailed the manager right away and explained that he would be in town that week if they could squeeze him in for an interview or even just a visit, he would appreciate it. The manager responded right away and set up an interview time for Thursday. Here's the short version of our trip to LA (the short version is long and for journaling purposes so skip ahead if you don't care to hear about the interviewing process): 'Ihi and I flew in on Tuesday and spent some time with family, Kahili flew in Wednesday and we had dinner with my family before we went and checked into the hotel (the LAX property had offered a room for 2 nights since Kahili was coming in from out of town to interview so we took advantage), Thursday was interview day for both properties and was also Valentines Day and ended up being the most stressful day of my life haha. We woke up and went to breakfast then just hung out since his interview there was scheduled for 12:30. 'Ihi went down for a nap and at noon Kahili started getting ready when he realized he had forgotten his dress shoes at my parents house. I drove like a maniac to the nearest shoe store and he ended up being 10 minutes late to his interview. I found out later that they never said anything about him being late and neither did he. I took 'Ihi swimming and Kahili came to the pool when he was done around 1:45. He said it went well and they would let him know if they could set up a 2nd interview before he left (his flight was Friday morning at 10:30). His interview in Torrance was at 3 and we could have taken up to 30 minutes to get there depending on traffic so we headed out right away but were stopped in the lobby and told they wanted to do the 2nd interview at 4pm. Kahili said yes right away and I casually mentioned that we were heading to Torrance for an appointment and didnt think we would be back in time. They just asked for Kahili to call and let them know if he was going to be late. He went in for his interview at the Torrance property and I swear it was the longest hour of my life. I called and pushed back his other interview to at least 4:30 but didnt know how long he really would be. I would later find out that he was interviewed by 3 different people in 2 hours, the 2nd interview was with the GM and when she found out that 'Ihi and I were waiting out in the car she had us come in to meet her. i got such a good vibe from the Torrance Marriott that I just didnt feel at the LAX one. Kahili missed his 2nd interview at LAX and had to call and apologize. They were understanding and set up a short interview for the morning right before his flight. Both hotels said they would contact him by the end of the next week because they still had interviews to do. I felt discouraged and I think he did too after a full day of interviews and no offers. Long story but the next day when Kahili got back to Utah, he was contacted by both hotels offering him a position. What a blessing! We had the choice between the two hotels and after weighing pros and cons of each, we chose the Torrance Marriott. It was a very stressful and emotional day for me because I had to get Kahili those shoes under a time crunch, entertain 'Ihi in weird environments, be an emotional support to Kahili, and I'm pregnant so every day is emotional :). Thanks to my sister Daylene watching 'Ihi for us, we were able to go out and have a nice dinner at Stacked (a cool burger place) for Valentines Day.

Walk with Gigi

Swimming with Auntie Day

Valentines Day morning

Waiting for Daddy to come out of his interview

Airport adventures

-'Ihi and I flew home from Cali the next Tuesday when the flights were empty again and immediately ad to start packing. Kahili had put in his 2 weeks notice at both his jobs in Utah on Saturday (the day after he got the job). On Wednesday we got a call from my dad letting us know that mom had been in a pretty serious car accident where the car flipped and was totaled but she was fine besides being sore and hurting her back. What a scary thing to happen and to think we were just there and could have been in that car... we are so thankful she was ok!

-The next couple weeks are kind of a blur and involve lots of packing and lots of goodbyes. I was able to go out with my girlfriends from the Huntington (our apartment complex) one last time before we moved. We went to Sub Zero ice cream and saw the movie Safe Haven. These women have been my sanity and emotional support as a first time mom. I was able to go to them to vent or if I ever had parenting questions or was just having a rough day. Their kids were some of 'Ihi's best friends. 

'Ihi and Kason

Girls Night Out!

'Ihi and Junie

Last play date with our Huntington friends

January 2013

-We spent New Years Eve with the Panees and it was awesome! Good food and a good time had by all. The guys even took the kids sledding at midnight.

-Auntie AJ flew in the day after New Years and we got to go sledding again! Then the next day we dropped her off at the MTC.

-'Ihi and I were sick most of the month with various illnesses due to the extremely cold weather (it was in the negatives for most of the month and even hit -10 some days...miserable!) 

-The minute 'Ihi and I were both healthy we took off to Hawaii for some defrosting and family time. Grandma Brede had surgery the week before and wasn't doing well so we knew it might be our last chance to see her (and it was). Uncle Wai also wanted to see his baby girl and Papa and Grandma can never turn down a visit from us :) After 10 days in Hawaii we were planning to go to Cali for a few days but Daddy was getting lonely so we went home to be with him.