Aloha! We just came back from our first family vacation (Jan 5-12)! We went to Maui and stayed at the Kapalua Bay Villas and had invited David's parents to join us. It was a win win for everyone. David got to go watch the SBS (Mercedes-Benz) Golf tournament while spending time with his father. I go to be near the ocean and walk around a beautiful resort. Grandma Feldman got to spend time on our walks and take pix with her grand-daughter. Remember, you can click on the photos to enlarge (click the browser Back button to come back to blog after viewing) Here's a recap of our trip:Day 1
We weren't able to get a boarding pass for Olivia. Somehow her name didn't make it onto the reservation. Which was no big deal, but she did not get her own boarding pass, which would have been cute for a memory keepsake. Oh well, maybe we'll try to get one for Maui to Kona. Getting to the gate was very easy. I am very proud of us for being able to sail through security as first time parent-travelers. Of course it helped that people were oohing and ahhing over Liv.
We were disappointed that the flight was full. That meant we had to check her car seat and stroller at the gate, which I was prepared for with huge red bags (no chance of loss and dirtiness). I ended up sitting next to a woman, traveling with her husband, so that made caring for Liv (i.e. getting her into the carrier and feeding her) much easier...it would be odd if I had to sit next to a guy. Liv was a champ on the plane ride. She fell asleep during (not before or after) take-off and landing! Quite often babies cry due to cabin pressure. We tried to make sure she was suckling her pacifier, but she fell asleep...no problem! I did however prep and fed her around her usual feedings. I wanted to pre-empt any possible hunger fits. In between she slept most of the time...really dozing than asleep. She did at one point kick (like how she does with BuBu), so I got up and walked around in my area..haha. She was wide eyed looking around at everything....if I stayed in one area to long she'd give me a kick...haha.
Once off the plane, we came to a slow-down. Waiting for the stroller/car seat, waiting for the bags, waiting to get the car....all the while she was a trooper entertaining Grandma & Grandpa Feldman with smiles, giggles and baby babble (we showed off our baby singing skills to ABC Song).
After being in the car for 15 minutes (of a 60 min drive) she started fussing a bit. By the time I decided to feed her a bottle, we arrived at the resort. In retrospect, she was prob a little hungry, a bit tired...and very VERY hot! She was much more content out of the car and into the breezy cool villa. I fed her and that made her content sitting on the bed watching em unpack, but after 30 minutes her patience was wearing thin. She kept wanting to sit up and be pulled up. I think she was tired of sitting around and wanted to be moved around (and in retrospect was very hot sitting on the bed). I finally got the clue and changed her into a tank-one-piece-sundress. But by then we entered her fussy time. Overall she's still on her schedule of eating. Her sleeping is slightly off, but only be 30-60 mins. She fed at 9:30 PST and since been sleeping with her passed out dad (who by the way is snoring as loud as BuBu!!).
The Villas were great! I was very worried at first on how they will be as the photos on the website were just so-so and you know how photos always look better than the real thing. But it was awesome! We had a 2 bedroom (actually one was a loft) and 3 bathrooms with a panoramic view of the ocean! We bought some cheese, crackers, salami stick and some white wine and was quick to enjoy the food and the scenery from our lanai. We decided to take it easy and just hang out at the Villa. Dave and Dad went out to get pizza from Pizza Paradiso which was quite Oishi.
Day 2
David and his Dad got up early to go to the practice rounds at the Plantation Course. 
I quickly tried to get things in order (finish unpacking - Liv took up one suitcase 
with all her clothes and needs) and get her and I dressed. Once we were ready, we headed out with Gma Feldman to explore the grounds. They had just opened the Ritz Residences next door and the grounds were beautiful. They must be hurting because they were more than welcoming when we went through their property and got complimentary Kona coffee, pastry and usage of their computers. The kind valet guy directed us through the property and onto a path that goes along the ocean. Mom and I were in search of breakfast. After a nice walk, we realized there wasn't anywhere we could really walk to (especially with a stroller) for dining. So we turned around and headed back to the Villas. Olivia was asleep the most of the time, enjoying the ride.
Along the way we saw these gigantic snails! I had to put the point & shoot camera case next to it just so you can get a perspective of how freakishly large they were, especially the one you see here. Later that week, Dave offered $50 to his Dad if he would lick the snail...you'll have to ask them to see if he did or not...haha.
When the guys came back, we headed out to Lahaina for lunch. Someone had recommended Cheeseburger Paradise which was awesome. I had a Kobe Loco Moco...yummy and their Onion Rings were to boot! We walked around and shopped around. The street reminded me of Alii Drive but bigger. We stopped by the Wyland Gallery and I had to try real hard not to buy anything. I'm a sucker for snap purchases on art; not to mention the salesman was selling hard! Sigh..one day we'll have enough money to make snap-judgment art purchases! haha. Anyways, it was really hard walking around as there was hardly any shade and it was pretty hot. We were worried about Olivia burning and overheating. She was starting to fuss so we went back. She was very fussy that afternoon. I think it due to the heat and exhaustion as she is very curious and wouldn't sleep much when we were out and about. It was quite awful because we are not used to her fussing. She's normally pretty good.
Day 3
Dave and his Dad went to the course again. The girls got ready for their morning walk. This time we decided to hit the Kapulua Spa first and get a fruit smoothie for breakfast before we had our walk. Much better!
We got back just in time for Mom's college friend and her family to come visit. They live in Maui now. We took a shuttle to the
Pineapple Grill for lunch and there Dave arranged for a Upside Down Pineapple cake to brought over with a candle on it. I was about to blow my candle and had invited the little boy (grandson of Mom's friend) to help blow, but before I had a chance to think of my wish he blew it out :(...oh well.
However, we still had my bday dinner to go to. Dave managed to get a dinner reservation for Sansei (which had been recommended to us by multiple people), but the earliest seating was 8:30pm. We were worried about Olivia because she was so fussy on Day 2. People told us that it can be noisy and we thought quiet would be better as that would be her bedtime. We also worried it was too late for Dad as he's a early sleeper. haha. So we decided to get ready after I fed Olivia and head out to the restaurant to see if we can get seated earlier otherwise go elsewhere. To our delight, they sat us down right down! In fact they sat us down next to Paul Casey. We were trying to figure out the best arrangement to situate Olivia and ourselves. His wife asked if we needed more room. So as fishing stories go....according to Dave, we ate dinner alongside Paul Casey and had a nice conversation with his wife....hehe.
The bday dinner couldn't have been more perfect. We sat right down, Olivia never woke, I got to eat these two huge Frois Gras nigiri and Crab Ramen in Truffle Soup! Yum and to top it off, we weren't going to get dessert (which I was saddened because I didn't get to make my bday wish) because we decided to get some ice cream for the Villa. But our waiter over heard...or I think Mom told him it was my bday and he brought out a small scoop of green tea ice cream (the good kind) with a candle! So I got to make my wish! Very important because you can only make one valid wish a year and that's on your bday and this was my 35th! What a great night :)
Liv - 3 months & Mom - 35
Grandma & Grandpa with Liv before dinner
Liv gave Grandma a snow-globe for Christmas
& Grandma learned to crochet a vest from Great Grandma Takeguchi for Liv
Day 4
I really wanted Dave's parents there for when Olivia gets her head wet in the pooltfor the first time ever. So we trekked out to the Ritz Residence pool as I've scoped out the pools and thought theirs were the best. So we headed out and took a video of her "first dunk" and the some photos of her 3rd and 
4th under water. She did very well. Didn't cry one bit. Looked freaked out but managed to calm down. I swear the 3rd and 4th dunk was perfectly okay with her, (see photo). We'd stay longer but we were being overprotective parents. I do regret my second dunk with her. I just dunked her straight in (see video) which probably got all this water up her nose! It should be more like the first where you swoop her in....sigh. Forgive me Liv :)
After swimming, Dave took his parents to the airport. They are already looking forward to and planning their next trip to see Olivia!
Day 5
By now Liv is doing great. We had a great 3rd and 4th day. 
We just took things easy and that seemed to help. She started adjusting to the time zone. When we first got there, she'd wake up at 5am, in the dark, and want to chat and play. Now she wakes up at 7am Hawaii time. We decided to book ourselves on a whale watching cruise. The bum thing was that we were not allowed to put her in our ergo carrier and we had to be seated with her at all times. So of course we sat inside and not 
outside of the boat because we didn't want to chance burning her. We got her a rash-guard in Maui, but we still didn't think it was a good idea to keep her under the direct sun for so long. According to the guide this was one of the best trips ever because of the many breaches and there was a calf breach too! But Dave and I were only able to take turns so that one person can sit inside. It was still fun and we can't wait for our next trip where Liv can put on some sunscreen and join us outside!
As evening approached and with Liv (and her Daddy) zonked out, I waited anxiously 
for her to wake up while packing up the bags. Somehow, things never fit the same when repacked on a trip. I thought we'd have plenty of space with using up 5 days worth of diapers (yes I packed enough diapers for the ENTIRE trip). I ended up having to expand the suitcases!! My theory is the darn dirty laundry that's all crumpled in a plastic bag that screws the repacking all the time. The reason why I was anxiously waiting for Liv to wake up from her name was that I wanted to dip her toes in the ocean at least once in Hawaii! This was our last chance because tomorrow we planned on going back to the pool and then we leave for Kona. And in Kona we will be up in the mountains at Grandma's coffee farm.
At last they woke up and we packed up the stroller and walked down to the beach. Again Liv knew something was up and was looking very apprehensive at Dad's mischievous face....of course we didn't dunk her in the ocean! We just dipped her toes. Or tried to at least as the waves were starting to come in. She seemed very curious and dumbfounded when Dad put her feet on the sand, then she scrunched up her face in disdain when the waves washed in. I think she prefers the pool more..warmer...hehe.
Day 6
We took Liv back to the pool. She was all decked out like she was a Tinseltown baby. She also posed along poolside as if she was getting her photos taken by the paparazzi!
It was a little breezier that morning, but we wanted her to have the chance to "swim" again. Because it was breezy, we didn't dunk her head right away. Instead we floated her around on her tummy with face out of the water (for the most part) and on her back. She loved it, giggling all the way...until we finally dunked her (see video). She screamed bloody murder then. So we jumped out of the pool doubled wrapped her and walked up to the locker room where I dried off the screaming baby and fed her...haha. She was all happy after that wraped in my robe hanging out on the lounge sofa.
I quickly tried to get things in order (finish unpacking - Liv took up one suitcase 
with all her clothes and needs) and get her and I dressed. Once we were ready, we headed out with Gma Feldman to explore the grounds. They had just opened the Ritz Residences next door and the grounds were beautiful. They must be hurting because they were more than welcoming when we went through their property and got complimentary Kona coffee, pastry and usage of their computers. The kind valet guy directed us through the property and onto a path that goes along the ocean. Mom and I were in search of breakfast. After a nice walk, we realized there wasn't anywhere we could really walk to (especially with a stroller) for dining. So we turned around and headed back to the Villas. Olivia was asleep the most of the time, enjoying the ride.
Along the way we saw these gigantic snails! I had to put the point & shoot camera case next to it just so you can get a perspective of how freakishly large they were, especially the one you see here. Later that week, Dave offered $50 to his Dad if he would lick the snail...you'll have to ask them to see if he did or not...haha.
When the guys came back, we headed out to Lahaina for lunch. Someone had recommended Cheeseburger Paradise which was awesome. I had a Kobe Loco Moco...yummy and their Onion Rings were to boot! We walked around and shopped around. The street reminded me of Alii Drive but bigger. We stopped by the Wyland Gallery and I had to try real hard not to buy anything. I'm a sucker for snap purchases on art; not to mention the salesman was selling hard! Sigh..one day we'll have enough money to make snap-judgment art purchases! haha. Anyways, it was really hard walking around as there was hardly any shade and it was pretty hot. We were worried about Olivia burning and overheating. She was starting to fuss so we went back. She was very fussy that afternoon. I think it due to the heat and exhaustion as she is very curious and wouldn't sleep much when we were out and about. It was quite awful because we are not used to her fussing. She's normally pretty good.
Day 3
Dave and his Dad went to the course again. The girls got ready for their morning walk. This time we decided to hit the Kapulua Spa first and get a fruit smoothie for breakfast before we had our walk. Much better!
We got back just in time for Mom's college friend and her family to come visit. They live in Maui now. We took a shuttle to the
Pineapple Grill for lunch and there Dave arranged for a Upside Down Pineapple cake to brought over with a candle on it. I was about to blow my candle and had invited the little boy (grandson of Mom's friend) to help blow, but before I had a chance to think of my wish he blew it out :(...oh well.However, we still had my bday dinner to go to. Dave managed to get a dinner reservation for Sansei (which had been recommended to us by multiple people), but the earliest seating was 8:30pm. We were worried about Olivia because she was so fussy on Day 2. People told us that it can be noisy and we thought quiet would be better as that would be her bedtime. We also worried it was too late for Dad as he's a early sleeper. haha. So we decided to get ready after I fed Olivia and head out to the restaurant to see if we can get seated earlier otherwise go elsewhere. To our delight, they sat us down right down! In fact they sat us down next to Paul Casey. We were trying to figure out the best arrangement to situate Olivia and ourselves. His wife asked if we needed more room. So as fishing stories go....according to Dave, we ate dinner alongside Paul Casey and had a nice conversation with his wife....hehe.
The bday dinner couldn't have been more perfect. We sat right down, Olivia never woke, I got to eat these two huge Frois Gras nigiri and Crab Ramen in Truffle Soup! Yum and to top it off, we weren't going to get dessert (which I was saddened because I didn't get to make my bday wish) because we decided to get some ice cream for the Villa. But our waiter over heard...or I think Mom told him it was my bday and he brought out a small scoop of green tea ice cream (the good kind) with a candle! So I got to make my wish! Very important because you can only make one valid wish a year and that's on your bday and this was my 35th! What a great night :)
Liv - 3 months & Mom - 35
Grandma & Grandpa with Liv before dinner
Liv gave Grandma a snow-globe for Christmas
& Grandma learned to crochet a vest from Great Grandma Takeguchi for Liv
I really wanted Dave's parents there for when Olivia gets her head wet in the pooltfor the first time ever. So we trekked out to the Ritz Residence pool as I've scoped out the pools and thought theirs were the best. So we headed out and took a video of her "first dunk" and the some photos of her 3rd and 
4th under water. She did very well. Didn't cry one bit. Looked freaked out but managed to calm down. I swear the 3rd and 4th dunk was perfectly okay with her, (see photo). We'd stay longer but we were being overprotective parents. I do regret my second dunk with her. I just dunked her straight in (see video) which probably got all this water up her nose! It should be more like the first where you swoop her in....sigh. Forgive me Liv :)After swimming, Dave took his parents to the airport. They are already looking forward to and planning their next trip to see Olivia!
Day 5
We just took things easy and that seemed to help. She started adjusting to the time zone. When we first got there, she'd wake up at 5am, in the dark, and want to chat and play. Now she wakes up at 7am Hawaii time. We decided to book ourselves on a whale watching cruise. The bum thing was that we were not allowed to put her in our ergo carrier and we had to be seated with her at all times. So of course we sat inside and not 
outside of the boat because we didn't want to chance burning her. We got her a rash-guard in Maui, but we still didn't think it was a good idea to keep her under the direct sun for so long. According to the guide this was one of the best trips ever because of the many breaches and there was a calf breach too! But Dave and I were only able to take turns so that one person can sit inside. It was still fun and we can't wait for our next trip where Liv can put on some sunscreen and join us outside!
As evening approached and with Liv (and her Daddy) zonked out, I waited anxiously 
for her to wake up while packing up the bags. Somehow, things never fit the same when repacked on a trip. I thought we'd have plenty of space with using up 5 days worth of diapers (yes I packed enough diapers for the ENTIRE trip). I ended up having to expand the suitcases!! My theory is the darn dirty laundry that's all crumpled in a plastic bag that screws the repacking all the time. The reason why I was anxiously waiting for Liv to wake up from her name was that I wanted to dip her toes in the ocean at least once in Hawaii! This was our last chance because tomorrow we planned on going back to the pool and then we leave for Kona. And in Kona we will be up in the mountains at Grandma's coffee farm.
At last they woke up and we packed up the stroller and walked down to the beach. Again Liv knew something was up and was looking very apprehensive at Dad's mischievous face....of course we didn't dunk her in the ocean! We just dipped her toes. Or tried to at least as the waves were starting to come in. She seemed very curious and dumbfounded when Dad put her feet on the sand, then she scrunched up her face in disdain when the waves washed in. I think she prefers the pool more..warmer...hehe.
Day 6
We took Liv back to the pool. She was all decked out like she was a Tinseltown baby. She also posed along poolside as if she was getting her photos taken by the paparazzi!
It was a little breezier that morning, but we wanted her to have the chance to "swim" again. Because it was breezy, we didn't dunk her head right away. Instead we floated her around on her tummy with face out of the water (for the most part) and on her back. She loved it, giggling all the way...until we finally dunked her (see video). She screamed bloody murder then. So we jumped out of the pool doubled wrapped her and walked up to the locker room where I dried off the screaming baby and fed her...haha. She was all happy after that wraped in my robe hanging out on the lounge sofa.
I think somehow Liv knew that vacation was coming to an end. I caught her pouting on Dad's lap! No tears, no crying, just good ol' pouting! Here's a photo of Dad imitating her. You've heard the term cookie cutter..well here you go!
Day 7
What a life Liv is living. At 3 months, she's gone to Maui & now Kona. She's stayed at the Kapalua Villas and today she got upgraded to first class, thanks to mom. She got plenty of leg room sleeping on the flight from Maui to Kona. After deplaning we executed our usual strategy, I wait for the bags and David gets the car. This time however, I was tasked with restacking everything onto Olivia's stroller, go to baggage claim, and wait for our 2 suitcases just as David gets the rental and picks us up. It almost went according to plan... As I made it out to baggage claim, I see one of our suitcases come around the bend....then I waited..and waited and soon there were no more passengers..except for a small handful...then the carousel stops. A minute later a lady opens up Baggage Services...I'm thinking..."no way"...but then the handful of
people started lining up! So I miraculously push over a piled-on stroller (see photo) and one of suitcases over. Waited in line painstakingly...so as not to make you, the reader, suffer through the long line or in this case long story. The short of it was that I had to be rude and push my way up to the counter and point out to the baggage service lady that "Hey lady, check on ALL of our bags, before our plane leaves for Chicago in oh... 20 minutes! " By then the lady was like "Oh?!" and the other passengers are like, "uh-ya that goes for me too", Dave calls and is at the curb. So again I maneuvered my way out of baggage claim with Liv (who's starting to fuss), the stroller and our suitcase. Dave went in as I set up Liv in the car and unpacked our stuff. I then told Dave that he has to get mad at the lady for things to happen and to stress that 1) our bag is there and 2) the plane will leave for Chicago on time and it better not be with our bag on the plane! Liv is starting to fuss because it's time for her to eat. And if you know Liv, it's like the end of the world for her if she doesn't get fed. So I drive the to the cell phone lot and parked illegally across the way in an isolated area and bf, sweating to death (she's a hot tamale, had to keep the door closed, didn't want to leave the engine running for the a/c -- when in such a precarious position, and left only a crack open on the windows in case some pervert comes up...haha. Again short of it, we were the only ones who got our luggage.
With Liv fed and happy, me happy after getting Poke from KTA and David happy cuz his girls are happy, we headed up to the Mauka house (aka Grandma's Coffee Farm). We had a pretty full house there with Grandma moving up (from Aunt Natch's place) to the Mauka house, Auntie Elsie, Uncle Ray & Auntie Charlene staying there. It's always a fun place to be when a lot of aunties/uncles are there. Liv was chatting up a storm with her Great-GrandmaTakeguchi (who celebrated her 99th bday back in July '09) (see video). GGma is a tremendous lady. At 99, she crocheted a beautiful fan pattern blanket and sewed a quilt for Liv for when she was born. This visit, she gave Liv handmade booties (and one for me!) and a vest (similar to the one she helped Grandma Feldman make). Amazing lady, makes me miss all my grandparents. They would love to have met Liv.
Great-Grandma Takeguchi
Here's a photo of the vest GGma made and a photo of the hat Auntie Elsie made for Liv:
Day8
We decided to take it really easy today. Liv did not do well with the heat. She was very fussy last night. In retrospect, I think she was hot and dehydrated. David went out last night to pick up some formula to give her some added liquid. A pack-n-play and tub (courtesy of the Hirata family) was brought over to the Mauka house. We ended up not using the pack-n-play as every time we tried to put Liv down, she'd wake up and cry. Given the fussiness and heat, we took pity and let her sleep in my bed. David slept in the 2nd bed in the room.
The only thing we really did, aside spending time with family, was go to Queen's Shops in Waikoloa and to our friend Steve's house to say hi (he was home with a toddler-girl teething molars and a son who's sick from pre-school).
Liv was pretty fussy on and off throughout the day. I think it may be the heat because she was fine in Maui after day 1. And the only difference was the A/C. Today she got to meet Auntie Natch and Auntie Elaine. On this trip, Liv got to me 4 of the 5 siblings that Grandma Feldman has!
Day 9
Our last day :( I've never felt so sad and depressed to go back home. I've anticipated this trip for so long. And now it's come and gone. I just can't believe my maternity is almost over. People ask if I felt any change in my life. And honestly I don't, but I think I will feel the change once work starts. I just dread having to balance work with Liv. I know I sound ungrateful given that I can work from home majority of the time, but Liv is starting to develop personality and is starting to explore and figure her body out. If I could, I would just sit there and document everything she does!
So on our last day, we asked Uncle Ray if he could go with us to the Mauna Lani (where Sharon & Ryan got married Aug 1st 2009). Our cousin Frank had taken maternity pictures of us. We liked one in particular taken by a lone palm tree. We thought it would be cool to take another picture at the lone palm tree with Olivia since we were able to come back so soon.
I'm still amazed at how fast time goes by, and I have a feeling that it won't slow down. Even the flight back from Kona seemed so quick! At least we had waiting for us BuBu & GoongGoong, along with Ai-Yi and Uncle Erick when picked up and brought home.
Thanks so much for coming along on our first family vacation. We hope to have many more to come/to blog. Aloha!
What a life Liv is living. At 3 months, she's gone to Maui & now Kona. She's stayed at the Kapalua Villas and today she got upgraded to first class, thanks to mom. She got plenty of leg room sleeping on the flight from Maui to Kona. After deplaning we executed our usual strategy, I wait for the bags and David gets the car. This time however, I was tasked with restacking everything onto Olivia's stroller, go to baggage claim, and wait for our 2 suitcases just as David gets the rental and picks us up. It almost went according to plan... As I made it out to baggage claim, I see one of our suitcases come around the bend....then I waited..and waited and soon there were no more passengers..except for a small handful...then the carousel stops. A minute later a lady opens up Baggage Services...I'm thinking..."no way"...but then the handful of
people started lining up! So I miraculously push over a piled-on stroller (see photo) and one of suitcases over. Waited in line painstakingly...so as not to make you, the reader, suffer through the long line or in this case long story. The short of it was that I had to be rude and push my way up to the counter and point out to the baggage service lady that "Hey lady, check on ALL of our bags, before our plane leaves for Chicago in oh... 20 minutes! " By then the lady was like "Oh?!" and the other passengers are like, "uh-ya that goes for me too", Dave calls and is at the curb. So again I maneuvered my way out of baggage claim with Liv (who's starting to fuss), the stroller and our suitcase. Dave went in as I set up Liv in the car and unpacked our stuff. I then told Dave that he has to get mad at the lady for things to happen and to stress that 1) our bag is there and 2) the plane will leave for Chicago on time and it better not be with our bag on the plane! Liv is starting to fuss because it's time for her to eat. And if you know Liv, it's like the end of the world for her if she doesn't get fed. So I drive the to the cell phone lot and parked illegally across the way in an isolated area and bf, sweating to death (she's a hot tamale, had to keep the door closed, didn't want to leave the engine running for the a/c -- when in such a precarious position, and left only a crack open on the windows in case some pervert comes up...haha. Again short of it, we were the only ones who got our luggage.With Liv fed and happy, me happy after getting Poke from KTA and David happy cuz his girls are happy, we headed up to the Mauka house (aka Grandma's Coffee Farm). We had a pretty full house there with Grandma moving up (from Aunt Natch's place) to the Mauka house, Auntie Elsie, Uncle Ray & Auntie Charlene staying there. It's always a fun place to be when a lot of aunties/uncles are there. Liv was chatting up a storm with her Great-GrandmaTakeguchi (who celebrated her 99th bday back in July '09) (see video). GGma is a tremendous lady. At 99, she crocheted a beautiful fan pattern blanket and sewed a quilt for Liv for when she was born. This visit, she gave Liv handmade booties (and one for me!) and a vest (similar to the one she helped Grandma Feldman make). Amazing lady, makes me miss all my grandparents. They would love to have met Liv.
Great-Grandma Takeguchi
Here's a photo of the vest GGma made and a photo of the hat Auntie Elsie made for Liv:
Day8
We decided to take it really easy today. Liv did not do well with the heat. She was very fussy last night. In retrospect, I think she was hot and dehydrated. David went out last night to pick up some formula to give her some added liquid. A pack-n-play and tub (courtesy of the Hirata family) was brought over to the Mauka house. We ended up not using the pack-n-play as every time we tried to put Liv down, she'd wake up and cry. Given the fussiness and heat, we took pity and let her sleep in my bed. David slept in the 2nd bed in the room.
The only thing we really did, aside spending time with family, was go to Queen's Shops in Waikoloa and to our friend Steve's house to say hi (he was home with a toddler-girl teething molars and a son who's sick from pre-school).
Liv was pretty fussy on and off throughout the day. I think it may be the heat because she was fine in Maui after day 1. And the only difference was the A/C. Today she got to meet Auntie Natch and Auntie Elaine. On this trip, Liv got to me 4 of the 5 siblings that Grandma Feldman has!
Day 9
Our last day :( I've never felt so sad and depressed to go back home. I've anticipated this trip for so long. And now it's come and gone. I just can't believe my maternity is almost over. People ask if I felt any change in my life. And honestly I don't, but I think I will feel the change once work starts. I just dread having to balance work with Liv. I know I sound ungrateful given that I can work from home majority of the time, but Liv is starting to develop personality and is starting to explore and figure her body out. If I could, I would just sit there and document everything she does!
So on our last day, we asked Uncle Ray if he could go with us to the Mauna Lani (where Sharon & Ryan got married Aug 1st 2009). Our cousin Frank had taken maternity pictures of us. We liked one in particular taken by a lone palm tree. We thought it would be cool to take another picture at the lone palm tree with Olivia since we were able to come back so soon.
I'm still amazed at how fast time goes by, and I have a feeling that it won't slow down. Even the flight back from Kona seemed so quick! At least we had waiting for us BuBu & GoongGoong, along with Ai-Yi and Uncle Erick when picked up and brought home.
Thanks so much for coming along on our first family vacation. We hope to have many more to come/to blog. Aloha!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDay 1 - Good job making it through security effortlessly and early! But you were always a pro traveler so not too surprised :P
ReplyDeleteOlivia takes after Bubu! (re falling asleep before the plane takes off)
Somehow Olivia wearing sunglasses in the video reminds me of the kid in Jerry Maguire and the way he alwayws pushed his glasses up with both his hands. I.e. very cute!
The villas look very nice, so when are WE gonna go back?!! :D
Day 2 - Darn those snails are huge. They go along with the abnormally huge mangoes and avocadoes though..
MMmmmm kobe loco moco sounds goooood...
You and your art impulses! Was it something cool like the sand art in Monterey?
Day 3 - That's a really cute picture of the family! I like how Olivia is zoned in on the cake: "Hmmm...I wonder what this yummy concoction is and if I can get my hands on it, or my mouth."
Sansei sounds DELICIOUS!!! Will look for the one in Kona and order exactly what you had. I'm happy you got to make your birthday wish! I didn't realize how seriously you took it, but maybe that's cuz so many of your wishes came true! Loving doctor-husband, beautiful home, healthy happy & adorable baby...
Day 4 - Liv's first dunk was hilarious!!! She was like a squiggly little bug in the water. But you can see her contemplating the water: "Do I like this or not? Should I cry or not?" I wish I was there in person to witness the event.
Day 5 - That's cool that you got to see the whales!
I like the daddy/baby hands above the head sleeping pic.
Soon, Liv will learn to love the ocean!
Day 6 - Awesome. Liv is stylin! And then, she's silly. Did she sign any autographs?
She may not like the ocean, but she sure does love floating in the pool. I especially like the one where she looks super happy skimming above the water. No way is she just 3 months!!
Nice perspective of Liv half above, half below the water. Hopefully she'll have legs that long someday!
Okay, changed my mind, the pouting picture is by far my favorite! Liv is too cute!! And Dave is totally channelling Tom Cruise.
Day 7 - Wow, I didn't know you almost lost a luggage!! You passed parent-travelling with flying colors!
Aw ;-\ just like my picture with Tai-po..
GGMa Takaguchi must have been so touched to "communicate" with Liv. Never seen Liv so chatty!
Day 8 - Yay for family time!! Liv is great entertainment for all.
Day 9 - Don't worry, you can bring us to Hawaii again soon!! I really enjoyed the recap of the trip, but would have enjoyed it more if I were there too :P
Sounds like you had a great time in Hawaii! I can't believe you packed enough diapers for the entire trip! We just went to Target as soon as we landed and bought diapers. LOL. You must be really good at packing!
ReplyDeleteloved the re-cap on your first family vacation! what a great way to celebrate your 35th! you're already an expert traveler, and now you're an expert mommy traveler. :)
ReplyDeletebtw, i have the same theory about dirty laundry taking up space in the luggage, too. ha!
OH! gotta say something about the dad and liv pout face. made me LOL! haha... THAT was a great moment captured. so cute!
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