Monday, April 22, 2013

Hawaiian Babymoon

Once we have a baby, we know our vacations will never be the same. ;) Not in a bad way, but they will just be different. So, we really wanted to be able to take advantage of the time we have before baby girl comes. What better way to spend it than on a BABYMOON. 

We debated on a lot of options....
and decided on Hawaii!

I think we went perfect timing. Half way through my pregnancy. 
I felt great, and we were able to enjoy our get-a-way with comfort.
Though it was kind of funny to try and lay on the beach, being that you aren't suppose to lay on your back. :)

Since both of us had never gone to Hawaii, we decided on going to Oahu.
We stayed in two different hotels 1st was just across the street from Waikiki beach.
So fun to be that close to the beach. This gave us lots of time to relax and rest on the beach.
 Cruz loved our view from the hotel. Even at our 2nd hotel we had views of the beach... and it was only a block away. 


We were lucky enough to meet up with our friend Amy to score some great military discounts... which took us to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I loved this!!! I think it was one of my favorite things we did. What a great program, and seriously beautiful place. I loved the night show... "Ha, the Breath of Life" fantastic performances all around.

We were able to run over to the temple, and so glad we did. It is gorgeous. We thought we would have time to visit again, but it was closed that day... so this was our only chance. So, pretty.

I tried really hard to get a picture that was awesome of the whale watching, and didn't luck out. The  best I got was the tail peaking out. I needed my bigger lens. 
We got to see tails of the whales popping out, but we also got to see the head too. I didn't have my camera ready and ended up with a picture of the sky. ha ha ha. But this was fun to see. What amazing creatures. 

Waikiki beach was busy but we loved every second. We had a lot of fun. 

Top left picture, is with Amy our cute friend who hooked us up with some great deals. We had some lunch together. It was fun to see her, and hear how things are going. Thanks AMY!! Always nice to have someone let you in on the most fun things to do, and also give you some ideas of where to eat etc...
Cruz tried paddle boarding and loved it. He didn't recommend it for prego me... so I watched from the beach. Looked like fun. 
Cruz went exploring and came back with a fancy pineapple drink in a pineapple. Festive don't you think?

Dole Plantation... what fun to see all those tropical plants and flowers. We tried the famous DOLE WHIP, and Cruz thought it was so gross. It cracked me up, and also left the rest for  me. Yum! He thought it tasted like the smell of finger nail polish. Honestly I loved the juicy slice of pineapple they gave us after the tour the best. Yummy, fresh, and sweet pineapple!

We rented a convertible while we were there and took a journey over to the North Shore.
We enjoyed the beaches, turtle bay, and treats from ted's bakery and then later giovanni's shrimp! All so delicious. 

Pearl Harbor, I was really excited to see Pearl Harbor. Not sure why, but stories of heroism and bravery  fascinate me. Lots of lives lost that day, and lots of stories of amazing people who saved others.
Reminded me of how lucky I am to live in the United States of America, and that we have willing men and women who go out and protect our country.
The memorial was peaceful, and also made me think of the Hiroshima Peace Park. I felt love for both. Thankful that we were both able to recover and rebuild... but also to honor those who lost their lives in both places.

KoOlina area is beautiful!
We ended up spending two days in this area we liked it so much.

Paradise Cove was a fun night.
I loved making the flower wrist band, and the performances were amazing too.
It was kinda cloudy so we couldn't really see the sunset, but it was still really pretty there.

Before we returned our car we took a little drive around the Island. Such great views, and fun to see a little more of Hawaii. I loved all the tropical flowers.

Our last day we decided to head over to Hanauma Bay. So glad we did. Awesome snorkeling place. Amazing fish swimming in that little area. 
Oh, and thanks to friends giving us some good tips we also got to eat some yummy malasadas which are portugese donuts without a hole. We had the filled kind. So warm and delicious.
Always hard to go back home to normal life. Vacations we love you, and you are always so good to us.

Hawaii, you were a fantastic vacation... we can't wait to go back!

Once we arrive back on the main land... we picked up Cruz's parents from the airpot. So, I feel like our vacation is still going!!




Thursday, April 11, 2013

it's a girl!

We had our gender revealing ultrasound yesterday.
And... Baby Marcano is a 
little girl!

I have to say that I was surprised. Cruz had all but convinced me that it would be a boy. But I was really feeling like I had no idea. I actually was a little nervous that maybe something was wrong because I haven't felt the baby move, yet. But there she was our little dancing baby girl... doing a little yoga actually... flexible little girl she is. ;) Kicking and wiggling all around. So fun to see those blurry little images, and to know she is growing just as she should be. 
Tomorrow, we have our follow up appointment where the doctor goes over the ultrasound results. Making sure everything is in check. But the tech said that things looked good.
Now, can it be the end of August?? I am so excited to hold this tiny one...
even if I an nervous about having a newborn, but who isn't... for their first baby.

For now, we are just so happy... and excited about her.
Yeah, for babies!