A is for Autumn

A is for autumn. 

Pumpkin patches, cinnamon sticks, cozy sweaters, rustling leaves, wood-burning fires, seasonal Starbucks drinks, and all-things-apple (think: pies, sauces, cobblers, and cakes) - these are a few of the images that come to mind as I consider the fall months. Or, in my situation, fall weeks/days, since fall is much shorter here in Alaska than in other states (much-too-short in my opinion.)

I love fall, plain and simple.

When I see those first golden streaks of leaves changing color, it conjures up memories of running to Starbucks en route to church on Sunday mornings with my best friend Elyse. We were in our early 20's, living together as roommates in San Diego, going to college. Fall was our favorite time of year, especially since we loved pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, and dressing in layers (perhaps to hide our enjoyment of all our seasonal treats.) The cool, crisp autumn days were perfect for all of our wild adventures and late nights, throwing caution to the wind as we downed gigantic frozen yogurt cups and brownie sundaes, and pulled all-nighters writing papers and prank-calling classmates through our makeshift three-way "match-making service" (we'd dial a random male classmate and then call a separate female classmate, unbeknownst to one another, and then merge the phone calls, all the while laughing hysterically as we let things play out for our unsuspecting victims.) Occasionally, we'd use our screeching monkey toy to add background noise, and entertainment value, if the conversations took a turn for the worst. Oh, the shenanigans of young girls attending private Christian school! (This is a glimpse of my wilder days.)

I suppose that I also love the fall season because growing up in Hawaii, there are really only two seasons - the summer season and the rainy season (our version of winter.) In many ways, I feel like I missed out on a childhood's worth of fall days. 

Fall is a welcome transition here in Alaska, sandwiching the lovely, longer days of summer and the harsh, darker days of winter. We even get beautiful color palettes, which only debut during the autumn months. Even though I miss my hometown of Maui terribly some days (mainly, during the winter), I'll take fall as my consolation.

Ken, baby girl, and I were able to snap some sweet fall photos while out at the park yesterday. It was a beautiful late afternoon. Alaska does fall colors quite well.

{Click on each photo to enlarge.}

 

 

First Family-of-Three Road Trip: Salmon Fishing on the Kenai!

Spontaneity. A word I've felt far removed from in becoming a parent and yet, with a little forethought and preparation, Ken, Baby and I - along with our rambunctious border collie, Penny - embarked on our first family road trip this weekend! We got wind that "the salmon were running" along the Kenai River and decided it'd be really fun (and potentially challenging with a baby in tow) to try our hand at fishing, specifically dip netting, which is open only to Alaska residents. In a spirit of adventure, Ken put in extra hours at work Monday through Thursday, and we hit the road roughly five hours later than planned on Friday morning. I mentioned that we were bringing our 3-month-old, right? We eased into the drive by grabbing our favorite Starbucks beverages (mine: a tall coconut-milk latte, Ken's: a tall Americano with room, despite the fact that he does not add anything extra into his cup), and filled up our gas tank. Our giant dip net and extension rod firmly tied to the roof of our car, along with countless baby supplies, sandwich fixins', and camping needs stuffed into our car, and we were ready to take on the road ahead. 

The mouth of the Kenai River where we planned to fish is about a three-hour drive from Anchorage with no traffic, and miraculously, baby girl slept the entire drive there, so we made it in about that time. Ironically, that same distance took us about six or seven hours on the way home, as Ruby did not sleep much nor did she enjoy being fastened in her car seat. To accommodate baby, we stopped along scenic lakes and took breaks as needed. 

While in Kenai, we were blessed to stay at our friend's parents' house. We relaxed each evening in the comfort of our room and cooked meals in their lovely kitchen. It felt like a home away from home. It's hard to imagine what it would've been like trying to camp on the beach after so much traveling and fishing, with a baby. Thank you again to our generous hosts! 

I had a blast watching Ken catch his first salmon in the Kenai River, and was equally impressed at his skill in cleaning and filleting the fish he caught. My Alaskan husband! Ruby was very proud of her daddy as well, and enjoyed the extra quality time we got as a family this weekend. Meanwhile, Penny's favorite part of the whole trip was most likely swimming in the lakes and catching sticks. She's easy to please in that regard.

Here are photos from our road trip! The views on this trip were breathtaking. 

(Click to enlarge)

Week 30: Homemade Apple Pie & Afternoon Naps

To kick off Week 30 of pregnancy, I baked homemade apple pie. With the help of Ken's excellent dough-rolling skills, I was able to create my favorite version using my Grandma Elsa's Apple Pie Recipe. The combination of red and green apples added a touch of diversity in taste - sweet, tart, and bright flavors paired well with the buttery, flakey pie crust.

Grandma would be proud of my handiwork. She taught me so much in her second floor, tile-lined kitchen, with its patches of sticky coating - most likely caused by flying bits of sugar and butter from all of our cooking and baking together. Grandma was such a strong woman - my mom's mom, she grew up in the Bronx, and loved telling inappropriate New York cab driver jokes and reminiscing about her travels growing up and into adulthood. In many ways, I think she tried to be a second mom to me, particularly when my parents separated and eventually divorced. I miss her wisdom, strength, and love for learning. As a young child, she'd point me to her large living room bookcase - where there sat a dictionary, a thesaurus, an almanac, and a hefty concordance of the Bible - any time I had a question about the world, or God, or the meaning of a big word. I can still hear her now: "Maile, go and get the book! Let's look it up." And we did. Every, single time. Until the days when Grandma got too weak and breathless, and prepared to leave us. Then, she just wanted to hear me talk and neither of us asked too many questions.

I still miss her. Often, when I catch myself reflecting on a favorite memory or recipe of hers, I start to cry. Grandma Elsa would be so excited that I'm pregnant. I hope that I can pass along some of her best attributes to my daughter. Along with her cooking, of course.

This week marks 30 weeks in baby girl's development. She now weighs 3lbs or more and measures roughly 15 1/2 inches from head to foot. She's the size of a large cabbage, according to my reading, and her bone marrow has started producing red blood cells. Her brain is forming ridges and growing steadily, and is helping to regulate her body temperature along with her increasing fat cells. Baby girl's eyesight is also strengthening. Similar to her ability to kick. I'm impressed by how quickly she is able to get my attention these days, particularly when I'm relaxing or sleeping. I believe that she is starting to recognize Ken's voice since I've noticed an increase in activity when he is close by. We are growing in anticipation of meeting our sweet little girl!

At my most recent doctor visit, my belly bump measured 31cm, which is right on track for healthy development. Her heart beat is also normal and thankfully, the only symptoms I'm experiencing in this stage of pregnancy are increased heartburn and occasional backpain. Last night, I woke up feeling very uncomfortable, as I'm struggling to find a good sleeping position that accommodates my growing belly! I go back and forth between using my giant body pillow and my normal head pillow, as I overheat quite easily these days. I'm trying to remind myself what a blessing it is that I can now take afternoon naps. Especially on days when I've gone without much sleep the previous night. Friday was my last day at my full-time job and I'm looking forward to lots more napping in my future (along with continued progress on the nursery!)

Speaking of which, I took a lovely hour-long nap this afternoon and am feeling refreshed. I suppose it's time to head back into the kitchen and tackle the remainder of yesterday's mess from my baking endeavors. Here are some photos of our pie making yesterday.

Enjoy!
Maile

Hello 3rd Trimester: 28 Weeks & Counting!

"Hello Baby Girl!" I exclaim, whenever I feel her kicking or dancing these days. My beautiful little baby loves to move around in utero - day or night, I can feel her stirring when I get excited, eat a tasty meal, or jump around with Penny, our dog. She is 28 weeks old, and according to my reading, weighs nearly 2 1/2 lbs, measures up to 16 inches (head to toe), can open and close her eyes, and may now be dreaming as she moves through REM cycles of sleep. She's about the size of a large eggplant, and will start to hold onto body fat in the coming weeks, as she develops.

I'm officially in my third trimester of pregnancy! That means I only have 11-12 weeks (roughly three months) remaining until baby girl is full-term. My prayer is that our sweet baby will continue to develop strong and healthy, and greet the world when she is ready. I'm curious to see if she makes it to 40 weeks, or arrives sooner or later than that.

So far, I'm feeling good overall, with my most noticeable pregnancy changes being increased exhaustion and a constantly stuffy nose. I've gained about 15 pounds in the past 6 1/2 months and can expect to put on another pound a week until birth. Average weight gain for pregnancy is about 25-35 lbs, and I'm trying to practice peace in this particular area of my life, as gaining weight has always had such a negative connotation to me. God continues to equip me with grace for this journey and I'm amazed at how much joy I've gained in this season of anticipation. I'm so excited to become a mom!

My appetite has grown steadily in the past few weeks. Ironically, since my belly is growing just as fast, I'm unable to eat as large of meals as I would like. I'm continuing to snack on fruits, veggies, cheese, and crackers (with my newest craving being Mauna Loa brand chocolate-covered macadamia nuts!) Chocolate has worked its way back onto my list of favorite things, after I gave it up almost completely during my first trimester. Something I also learned about myself recently is that I can eat a whole pineapple on my own. It has to be fresh, ripe, and preferably, Hawaii-grown. Baby girl is Hawaiian at heart, I can already tell!

Here are a couple photos of our meals this past week. I've noticed myself craving protein more frequently.

Broccoli, zucchini, onion, and bacon omelet 

Avocado, shredded carrot, and cheddar cheese sandwich  

I'm looking forward to seeing what these next few months will hold for our little family of three (four, if you include Penny.) Thanks for stopping by and for supporting us in this journey toward parenthood!