Ilikea Dwyer Dial is Here!

If you were wondering who the cutest little girl born in July was, we have your answer: Ilikea Dwyer Dial!  Our good friends Bridget and Ely Dial, have welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world.  She was born this evening at 8:00 pm, weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring just over 20 inches.

We could not be more happy for them and we can't wait for our daughters to grow up together!

First Time Going to Church!

I'm not going to lie but it's been a while since we have been to church.  We have been "slightly" pre-occupied with the pregnancy and Ke'alohi.  Now that the "dust has settled," we decided to venture out once again and take Ke'alohi to Mass.  We decided on taking her to LMU so that she can see where Mommy and Daddy got married.  She was great throughout the whole mass and either slept or ate in Lucas' arms.  

One thing that I have already learned is that she loves her Daddy.  She can hang out in his arms or sleep on his chest all day long. You know, it's really true what they say, time flies by so much faster after you have a child.  I feel like if I sleep too long or blink too hard she will be walking!

Saying Goodbye to Puna, Sad Face

I don't know if its the post-pregnancy emotions, but I am crying as I write this.  Today we dropped my mom off at LAX.  I still can't believe that she has been here six weeks.  It really felt like just two or three weeks ago we were picking her up from the airport and getting ready for Ke'alohi's arrival.  There is no way that we could have made it through this time without her.  She has been so much help doing absolutely everything we could need; taking care of Ke'alohi when I was sick and when I was in the hospital, cooking laundry, getting gas, grocery shopping, you name it and my mom has done it.  

Thank you mom for everything!  We love you!

First Dip in the Pacific and Fourth of July!

To celebrate the Fourth of July weekend we all jumped in the car and went down to Solana Beach to visit Lucas' parents, Uncle Dan, Aunt Karen, Bailey, Jocelyn, Aidan and Julian.  We had a great time making tacos, cooking smores and going to the beach.  We even got to dip Ke'alohi's toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time.  Even though the beaches up here are nothing like the ones back home in Hawaii (Yes, I know I'm spoiled when it comes to beaches), it was fun experiencing this with my mom and Lucas' family.

First dip in Solana Beach, next dip in Hawaii for Christmas! Hopefully she won't be as mad in Hawaii where the water isn't as cold...

First Time Holding Up Her Head!

It's official, she is growing way too fast.  As of today, she can hold up her head all by herself when we are carrying her.  She loves looking over our shoulders to see and explore her surroundings.  It is her first step towards becoming a little girl.

I am overjoyed with happiness and excitement to see my daughter achieve these milestones little by little!

One Month Old!

I can't believe that she is one month old already!  It feels like it was just yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital.  Time is just flying by way too fast for me!

I got the idea from our friend Amee to take pictures of their baby in the same place each month to see how they have grown and every month to write down a few facts of what their baby is doing.  Thanks Amee for the awesome idea.

Ten Facts about Ke'alohi at One Month:

1. Weighs 10 pounds and 6 ounces and measures 21.5 inches.
2. Starting to smile at Mommy, Daddy and Puna.
3. About to grow out of newborn clothes.
4. Drinks three ounces of formula at each feeding.
5. Sleeps great and only wakes up once or twice to eat at night (Cross your fingers that this lasts!).
6. Great head control when we hold her.
7. Likes to sleep and nap on her side or tummy.
8. Great at tummy time.
9. Loves going on walks with Duke and Harley.
10. Hair is growing like crazy!

First Outing!

We have officially ventured out of the house.  We decided to all break free and go to the movies.  We strategically picked the first showing of the movie so that there would be the least amount of people in the theaters.  We went to see Bad Teacher, starring Cameron Diaz.  Going to the movies was a complete success.  Ke'alohi slept through most of the movie and when she wasn't sleeping, she was eating.  Lucas took one for the team and held her the whole movie, where she was perfectly content with hanging out on Daddy's chest.

Can't wait to go to our next movie!

First Photoshoot with Janel!

Ke'alohi Taking a Nap

Babies Make the Best Centerpieces

Most of you should know by now that we love Focus Photography Inc.  Janel Conlan not only did our wedding and maternity photos but she will also be taking Ke'alohi's newborn, four-month, eight-month and one-year old photos!  I can't wait to see her grow and for Ke'alohi to play with Maxine, Janel's daughter that she is expecting in August!

Here are our favorites!

The Shot of the Day

Little Feet

Opa's Visit!

We are so blessed that Opa (my dad) was able to come up to Los Angeles and visit us!  I don't think there are any two people, besides Lucas and I, that are more smitten by Ke'alohi as my parents are.  They literally could just look and her and hold her for hours.  While he was here, we were able to meet up with Lucas' parents and have the first, of hopefully many, family dinners!  The four grandparents might have spent more time looking at their grandchild, than actually eating.  Hahaha.

Sadly, my dad's trip was just too short but luckily we will be seeing my parents in September for Labor Day weekend! Can't wait!

Our Two-Year Anniversary!

I still can't believe that it has been two years since our wedding day.  To be honest, it feels like just last month we were working on seating charts and writing thank you notes for all our wedding presents.  The last two years have been amazing and I continue to love Lucas more and more each day.

He has given me an unbelievable life and the best gift anyone can ever give me... Ke'alohi...  They are the light of my life. My life is better and complete because of them!

Second Doctor's Appointment

At this doctor's appointment, we saw one of Dr. Ouchi's fellow doctors, Dr. Miller.  He was the same doctor we had seen in the hospital when Ke'alohi was first born.  She weighed in at 9 pounds and 2 ounces, measured 21.5 inches and her head circumference was 15 inches.

Dr. Miller commented on how well Ke'alohi was doing when we put her on her stomach for "tummy time" and said that we should continue to do that everyday to help her strengthen her neck and back muscles.  He also assured us that she was growing fine because by the two-week mark they hope that the babies are back to their birth weight.  So since she was now past her birth weight, he told us that we did not have to worry about her gaining too slowly.  We are going to be feeding her on demand instead of on a set schedule.

Our next appointment is in six weeks, the two-month appointment, where she gets her first set of shots! Yikes!

Our First Week Home = Craziness and Sleepless Nights

The first couple of days home we were lucky enough to not only have Puna (my mom) with us, but Will (Lucas' brother) and Lucas home to take care of Ke'alohi.  It was great having the four of us watch over her because there was definitely not a shortage of help.

We were also blessed with tons of visitors!  Lucas' parents were able to visit us a couples days and then brought with them the whole Sayin clan the next weekend!  Aunt Karen, Uncle Dan, Bailey, Jocelyn, Aidan, Julian, Aunt Selma and Aunt Kathy were all able to come visit us and shower Ke'alohi with her first load of "girly" stuff.  Let me tell you, after all the gender neutral things we have, I am loving everything pink and purple! We also got to see Elijah, Diana, Nema, Olivia, Dominique and her mom during that first week! Thanks everyone for all the love!

The biggest surprise for me has to be how great of a dad Lucas is.  He has completely taken to fatherhood better than anyone I know.  It's not that I ever doubted Lucas would be a great dad, it's just that he has far exceeded my expectations of parenting in every way.  He is so patient and loving towards Ke'alohi.  It's really remarkable.  I love him more and more when I see him with her. 

Now that Lucas is back at work, we miss him terribly and count down the minutes until we can see him again!

Ke'alohi's Piko Fell Off!

My little girl is officially growing up.  Okay, well not really but she is allowed to take baths now.  It happened this morning while Puna (my mom) was holding her.  All of a sudden Puna yelled at me to get a little bag and a camera because her piko had fallen off.

Her piko that is left behind couldn't be cuter and I can't wait to give that opu (tummy) tons of kisses in the future!

First Bath!

The next big first this week was Ke'alohi's first bath.  Surprisingly, she loves baths! The second she hit the water she completely calmed down and just chilled in the sink.  She must get the love of water from me because I just love baths and soaking in the tub!  I'm sure we will have lots of fun in the tub once her piko (belly button) falls off!

First Doctor's Appointment!

One of the first "firsts" we have had was Ke'alohi's doctor's appointment.  She weighed in at 8 pounds even, measured 20.5 inches and her head circumference was 14.6 inches. We got to meet her doctor and to our surprise and happiness, she is also from Hawaii!  We got to ask Dr. Ouchi lots of questions, like about her birthmark on her back and the little dimple on her butt.  If Dr. Ouchi being from Hawaii wasn't great enough, her office gave us tons of free formula and coupons for lots of baby stuff.

Our next appointment is in two weeks on June 13th, our wedding day!

We're Home!

We are finally home from the hospital!  It is weird to think that I hadn't been outside in the sun in almost five days.  The last few days have been a whirlwind of happiness and excitement.  We have been blessed with great doctors, nurses, family and friends that have showered us with help and love.  The first visitors we had were my mom, Lucas' parents and Elijah (Lucas' best friend and Ke'alohi's godfather).  Over the next few days Jill, Andrew, Nani, Christian, Michelle, Melissa, Kat, Autumn and Will came to see our little Ke'alohi.

Some of the things we did while we were in the hospital were learning how to bathe Ke'alohi, change diapers, change clothes, practicing putting her in the car seat and taking hundreds of photos.  If you think hundreds of photos is an exaggeration, you would be wrong because we filled up our memory card on our camera.  A luxury that Cedar Sinai Hospital provided us was a professional photographer to take some photos of Ke'alohi when she was only three days old.  We happy took advantage of the photographer so we could get some photos for her birth announcement!

A huge adjustment for me was learning how to care for her, as well as, recover from my c-section.  Getting in and out of the hospital bed wasn't easy, it was a workout.  We are so thankful and blessed that Ke'alohi was a perfectly healthy little girl and passed all her newborn screening tests, the hearing test and weight checks.  She even gave us her first "gummy" smile!  It absolutely was the best thing I have ever seen and just melted my heart!

The doctors discharged us on May 30th, our due date.  We could not get out of there fast enough but at the same time were afraid because now we are responsible for another human being.  On our drive home, Lucas drove the slowest we have ever gone and avoided all major freeways and streets.  It really was one of the cutest things I have ever witnessed out my husband and I fell in love with him all over again on that drive.

And Baby Makes Three!

As you all know, at Wednesday's appointment, my blood pressure had risen and Dr. Wyatt was a bit concerned.  He put me on 24 hour bed rest and we saw him again yesterday.  At yesterday's appointment my blood pressure was still high and that I might have pregnancy induced hypertension and was developing pre-eclampsia.  He made the decision that we should induce labor and walked us over to labor and delivery.  I know it sounds naive of me but I really thought I would go into labor like how it happens in the movies: either in the middle of the night or while I was out shopping.  I never in a million years thought that a normal doctor's appointment would turn into going directly to labor and delivery.  I was totally not prepared to be admitted that day but luckily my mom had just gotten in the night before from Hawaii and helped calm my nerves.

At 3 pm, I was hooked up to an IV and given magnesium to lower my blood pressure and pitocin to induce labor.  At 2 am, my water broke and that's when I finally came to the realization that the baby was coming.  I know what you are thinking, "Didn't the doctor's appointment, the walk over to labor and delivery or the night spent in the hospital give me any indication that the baby was coming?" Nope, I was still in denial.  The induction process was a long process and not without complications.  In the early morning hours, after my water broke and I got an epidural, my oxygen levels dropped and the baby's heart rate dropped when I would have a contraction.  So after 16 hours of labor, Dr. Wyatt made the decision that it would be best for the baby and I, if he performed an emergency c-section.

At 8:55 am, on May 27, 2011, we had a GIRL!  Ke'alohilani Amelia Jade Sayin was born weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 21.25 inches long.

She is the most beautiful little baby girl (Okay, I might be a little biased.) and is perfect in every way.  After we had her, I was able to spend a few minutes with her and Lucas before the nurses had to take me to recovery and Ke'alohi to the nursery to get bathed and checked out.  


All in all, we are elated and so blessed to have her in our lives!

Doctors Orders = Bed Rest

At today's doctor's appointment, the doctor noticed that my blood pressure had risen since last week.  He felt I needed to rest and stay in bed for the next 24 hours.  We have to see him again tomorrow to see if it stabilized, and if it doesn't, he thinks we might have to induce labor.  Ahh, the little one really is coming soon but I hope it can stay in for another few days so I can finish up with work (as an accountant, I'd like to finish May's month-end papers), finish the nursery and get MENTALLY prepared for the baby's arrival.  We are going to be parents! 

MGA Brunch

My hula sisters planned a brunch get-together at El Torito today to celebrate the end of another year with the halau.  Actually, I'm sure they planned this brunch because they wanted another excuse to drag our husbands/boyfriends to all hang out together and because El Torito has bottomless mimosas (don't worry, only orange juice and water for me).  It was so much fun seeing everyone again since I don't get to dance with them on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays anymore.  We had a great time eating our mid-day meal of tacos, waffles and churros while talking about our next emergency MGA meeting happening at Cedar Sinai when we deliver our little one.

The Beginning of the End, The Final Month...

It is finally May!  Even though I am due May 30th, so technically I could have this baby in June, it's still crazy to say that I could have this baby THIS month.  Wow!  This week we are getting together some of the last things for the baby and I, installing the car seat and packing the hospital bag.  Everything is feeling a bit more real as we approach the final countdown.  I still can't believe the clothes and towels have been washed, and all we need is the bedding to be sent from Hawaii to finish the nursery.  Ohh yeah, and we need the baby to make everything complete.  Hahaha. Can't wait for the next few weeks!