Kamananui Valley Road (Moanalua Valley)

Emma and I set out to have a relaxing day in a park...but for some reason, the park I was looking for just didn't exist. Google Maps and my GPS wasn't helping. 

I don't really know how this happened but I stumbled on this trail when I parked thinking I was at the right place.

Come to find out, this place has a lot of history. 

Hidden House

Douglas Damon once lived here.

He was a politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.

This was his grand entrance to his home.

 The place was pretty cool. Very muddy though...I came prepared with flip flops. Bad Idea!

There are 7 streams that are accompanied by bridges that are over 100 years old.

 Cobble stone road

So this is the point where my lil baby started to wake up and becoming fussy. I decided to turn around (about 2 miles in) but just past this point there are petroglyphs carved into a rock and a chimney that still stands from May Damons home. (maybe Douglas's sister???) 

The hike also turns into a few others so I really don't know the mileage. Some people say 2.5 all the way to 7 miles.

Definitely a nice walk for the family and pets!

2 Months!

Emma...what the heck!

Already 2 months!

60 Days!

1460 Hours!

87658 Minutes!

OK, Ill stop.

 I cant get over how fast it all goes. 

This little girl has changed so much in these last few weeks. 

So much more alert. 

She likes to sit up and look around instead of laying down to be held. 

Car rides, stroller walks, and being held in the Ergo are just a few of the things that she really enjoys. 

But the thing that I think she really enjoys the most is...bath time! 

 So far she has been a really happy baby. 

The only time she is really upset is when she is hungry. 

And as long as I can feed her at that moment she is all good.

She has been working on holding up her head. It is getting there but still not 100%.

Also, I can tell she is awake more throught the day. Her naps have really cut down which makes doing chores around the house a bit tricky. 

She has started to wear her 3 month clothing. They are still a touch big on her but the newborns are becoming more difficult to get on over her head so we have put them away for good.

Her two month check up is right around the corner. I'm not looking forward to that day at all! After all the vaccines she will be getting pumped into her tiny body I'm sure the rest of the day will be a nightmare...and maybe even the next day.

Im looking forward for her to start smiling. Not just on accident or when she makes a poo, I mean when
I talk to her or make a funny sound.

 That's going to be the best.

Emma holding her head up.
(This is what a nursing mama's house looks like. A bra right next to your husbands head) 

Rainy Oahu

This just never gets old!

Even after over two years of living here, I still cant believe I call this place home...for now. 

We Made It To 3!

(April 25th)

Mike and I made it to three years!

Boy, what a year!(in a good way)

The new number of divorces in America is 50%!!! Wow! 

Well, I had a great 3 years if its gonna end that way...or 7 if we count dating.

Ha!

Hes not going anywhere!

 Oh Byron,

We will never forget you. 

You peculiar man you.

You made my wedding day very.....interesting.

We laid pretty low this anniversary. 

Just a quick little beach day after lunch.
Emmas hat engulfed her. I should have probably tried it on her before we left...but when it says newborn to 6 months...I thought it might be just a touch big, not 10 sizes.

 Trying to put up a tent for shade on a windy day was a no go...impossible! 
She is slathered in sun screen.

The hubby also surprised me with a something I have been talking about for awhile but would never buy for myself.
 I'm so excited to use it.
My photo quality will be looking a lot different soon!
The rest of the night was snuggled up with a 2 month old and a 80lb puppy...and of course Mike too. 

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Easter- Easter Photos

I once again cannot narrow it down....sorry.
 A friend of mine bought the cutest bunny outfit, so that called for a photoshoot! 

Things That Are Working For Me - first time mom

I am NO Expert! 

I have only been a mom for 48 days! 

These are just a couple things that I have found that is working for me in this beginning stage that are not on the "usual" list of baby essentials.

Hopefully at least one of these things can help a first timer like myself.

-Summer Blanket

Its hot in Hawaii!
I'm not complaining, but trying to protect my baby from the elements has been a little tricky. In side my house we have air conditioning, so having a nice warm blanket has been no problem. When we go outside in the 80 degree (or hotter) weather, Emma tends to get a little sweaty if I use the same blankets that we use indoors.
A friend bought me these Summer Blankets.
They are great! First off they are huge so covering the baby/car seat/stroller/ect.. is no problem at all. Its also made out of muslin so it is totally breathable. I highly recommend purchasing these blankets if your in a warm climate or if you enjoy being outside in the summer months.

-Fenugreek
Its a herbal supplement that increases milk supply for breastfeeding.

-Bib Towel
These things are awesome!
 I was recently given this bib to me by Emma's great auntie.
Emma spits up a lot and these work perfectly for fast clean up. These are so easy just to slip over her head right before feeding.

-Happiest Baby on the Block
This was a gift from one of Mikes coworkers. She said she swore by this method and I'm pretty sure she has quite a few kids so she knows what she is talking about.
Following the 5 S's really makes things more relaxed during a screaming fit. 
I highly suggest watching it even if you don't follow all of the steps. Maybe just one or two will work for your baby.

-Music
I want Emma to automatically no, when she hears her music start to play that it is now bed time. We have listened to music since the first day she came home. I'm not sure if its working yet but my hope is in the long run there will be success.

-No Leg Pajamas
I am loving these pajamas during the middle of the night when I am trying to change Emma with one eye open. We still wear the legged pjs also (because they are just too cute) but I think its good to have a couple of these for those really difficult nights.

-Nasal Aspirator
I really didn't think I was going to be using this after we left the hospital...I was wrong.
 Emma has the biggest boogers ever!
and a lot of them too!
She is so fussy when her poor nostrils are pretty much closed.
At first I thought she was coming down with a cold because her breathing was a little forced. Come to find out she had a adult size booger clogging both nostrils.
She was immediately happy after I sucked those nastiest out.
We also use a humidifier at home but that doesn't seem to help with the build up.
She might be just prone to the nose goblins.
We have used this several times now.

-A baby swing

This is a little more common but I wanted to put it out there because I did not buy one of these for Emma before she was born...and I should have.

I bought a bouncy chair and a cradle. Both things vibrate and play music, but...when someone gave me a swing, it was all over after that. She loves it! 

The swing plays different sounds, vibrates, swings back and forth and front to back, has a mirror and a mobile that turns. I once read that baby's are on average only are held only two hours a day, and that's kinda sad to me so I hold her a lot! If I do need to put her down while she is awake I feel so much better about it. She looks around and stares at the fun things above her.

 

Town Party

The little town that I live in has the feel of being very artsy. Everyone seems to be a painter, photographer, woodworker, sculpture...so on and so on. 

The town party is where they all come to sell their work. I love to go to look at all the interesting stuff... 

and eat!

  

This table had everything you could think of all made out of alcohol bottles.

 Lamps made out of 40oz, Vases out of Grey Goose, Heineken jewelry

Pretty cool stuff but very expensive!

  I'm a little pissed at myself for not buying one of these coconuts. :(

Fish Heads

 Turtle Heads

I wish I could put a paintbrush to a canvas and make something beautiful.

Very Hawaiian

Wood Jewelry

Of course I couldn't leave without some Kalua Pork...

 And seeing a dog with a GoPro on his back

Such a fun place to look around and see things that would only be in Hawaii.

Does This Really Work? - Hair Care

Being a hair stylist for 11 years now, I feel like I have seen it all... and if not all, then pretty close. 

I came across this on Youtube the other day and thought I would test it out.
(there are a bunch of videos explaining how to do this...i just picked a random one)

I am a total skeptic! 

I personally feel that beautiful hair first comes from your genes, also how you take care of your mane and lastly, the things that you put into your body. 

*Your genes are pretty much common sence. 

The hair you have, whether it is a thick cuticle or thin, it is what you got. It matters how you take care of what you have to keep it healthy.

*The care for your hair is extremely important!

Getting regular trims might be a little scarey for someone that wants to grow their hair out, but it is 100% necessary and should not be put off too long. When hair becomes split at the ends, the split actually travels up the hair if it isn't taken care of, meaning that when you actually do end up going for a trim you will be having to cut off more then you actually wanted to just to make the hair healthy again.

My recommendation is getting a little trim every 2 months...especially if you put a lot of stress on your hair (color, blow drying, curling, flat ironing).

Next, a good shampoo & conditioner!

It makes a difference! 

Your hair is old and this it where it gets its nutrition. If  it is to your shoulders (or longer), that hair is already a year old.

That hair needs some moisture back into it!

I also recommend doing a hair mask.

A deep conditioner that can really seep into the hair shaft.

* Finally, The hair is attached to your head by a bulb (root). That root needs to be healthy in order for it to be strong from the inside out. That means eating well and maybe taking a little vitamin to help for a little extra boost.
(B12/ Biotin)

So with all that said...I thought this would be a little experiment to see if home remedies really do work
 (at least this one).

 This person claims that your hair can grow 1 whole inch in 7 days.

Well... hair goes through 3 stages. Some of your hair will be growing, others are resting, while others are shedding.

Its also known that hair grows a little over a 1/2 a inch a month (everyone is a little different) but that's about the normalcy, so that's why I am doubtful that this experiment will even work.  

With all of that said...here it goes!

Looks like 16 3/4 inches

~What I did

(this was done right before bed)

 -coconut oil

-warmed up in hot water

-stimulate blood flow by massaging/brushing scalp

-tip head upside down for 10 min 

-wrapped hair before bed

-shampooed in the morning

Looks like it is right at 17 inches

So, I think this is a bust for me. 

There was no inch grown in a week. 

My hair does feel nice a silky (after I scrub it to death because I wanted to get all the oil out of it).

Test it out, see if it works for you! :)