It's a ...

We're so excited, and can't wait for our baby girl to join our family!

The Babymoon

When we found out we were expecting, it didn't take us long to decide to take one last vacation before our little one arrives.  Dan's limited to school breaks, so our only two opportunities were Thanksgiving week or Spring Break week.  Since his Spring Break falls two weeks before our due date in April and I won't be able to fly that late in pregnancy, Thanksgiving time won by default! 

We spent five and a half days last week in Maui, our favorite Hawaiian island.  It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!  Mid 80s and sunny every day - it was hard to convince ourselves it was the holiday season instead of summertime!  

We stayed at a hotel on Ka'anapali Beach. They didn't heat their swimming pool, so Dan refused to go in we opted to swim in the warmer ocean every day instead. We also rented stand-up paddleboards one morning and spent a fun hour paddling around the ocean.

A view of the lawn at our hotel with their giant checkers board. The playing pieces were coconuts that had red or black stripes painted on them.

We were just a short walk away from Black Rock, which is one of the best snorkeling spots in Maui.  We snorkeled there several times, and swam alongside sting rays, giant sea turtles, and lots of tropical fish!

One of our first nights there, we had a nice dinner at Leilani's on the Beach, then we drove to the nearby town of Lahaina to watch Warren & Annabelle's Magic Show.

 Warren is the magician who normally performs during the show, but he was away so we saw two other comedian magicians who were very talented and hilarious!  It was a fun time.  Annabelle is the resident "ghost" who plays any song you request on the piano during the dinner/cocktail hour before the show.  She *may* be in the picture with us at the piano, it's hard to tell. :)

One of my favorite spots in Maui is I'ao Valley. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, but last time we were there, the valley was nearly 100 degrees and super humid, so I didn't enjoy it very much.  It was much nicer to visit this time when it was cooler!

We enjoyed hiking around and seeing the famous I'ao Needle. 

 We also met the friendly I'ao Valley cat while we were there, but she disappeared quickly when some other visitors showed up with their dogs.

A visit to Hawaii isn't complete without a luau, but since they're expensive and can take up to four hours of your evening for the whole experience, we've found a shortcut. We know of a couple of resorts that have outdoor luaus on their lawn right by a public beach path.  So if you *happen* to be strolling by at the right time, you can see the shows. :) 

 And who can forget the delicious Hawaiian mixed plate?  Da Kitchen has the best Hawaiian food and gives you huge portions that are easy to share. 

And of course, we topped it all off with some shave ice!

We did some shopping in Lahaina and at the mall near our hotel, Whaler's Village.  Their Christmas decorations were amazing! 

We also made sure to take lots of romantic walks along the beach at sunset.

 A breathtaking view of the island on our flight back home

We're so glad we went to Maui for our babymoon!  We'd considered other places, but we really enjoyed the warm weather and getting to swim in the ocean.  It's a naturally relaxing place, but we made sure to do something fun and active every day.  It was great timing for me, pregnancy-wise, since I'm still able to enjoy most activities as long as I don't overdo it.  

In other exciting news, tomorrow evening we'll have our 19 week ultrasound and (hopefully) find out if we're having a boy or a girl!  We can't wait!!

2 + 1 =

The Jester family of three!!!!

We're excited to announce that we're expecting Baby Jester on April 21st!  We've felt all along that God has showered our marriage with blessings, and He's given us another amazing gift and reason to praise Him!   

In answer to the most common questions we've gotten:

• I've been feeling great for the most part.  Very early on, I had a week and a half of nausea and strange food aversions, then it passed and now I'm just hungry all. the. time.  I know I'm extremely blessed in this, since I have several friends who have suffered from severe sickness during the first few months of pregnancy.
• I've stopped running for now.  My nurse practitioner said she doesn't recommend it during pregnancy, even though there are many women who continue to run until it becomes uncomfortable for them. I still get up early during the week to ride our exercise bike, and we'll often go for a walk after dinner. This doesn't burn nearly the calories as running yet I feel the need to eat every two hours, so I managed to gain twice the recommended weight by the end of my first trimester. Exceeding expectations as usual - heh. 
• I *may* have felt the baby move/kick a few times now.  Or it may have been gas, it's hard to say.  I'm looking forward to feeling the kicks for sure, and from what I've read it should be soon! 
• Yes, we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl - hopefully at our 19 week ultrasound on November 28th. Stay tuned...
• I can't say that either of us has a strong preference about the gender, although Dan says "Lord help me" every time someone kids him about having a little princess. :)  I go back and forth on what I think it'll be, and either way we're in for a lot of fun! 
• We haven't even started discussing baby names yet.  We figure we're better off if we wait until we know the gender so we can narrow down the list from the beginning.  There are tons of great names to choose from, and yet so many of them have been ruined by the crazy kids Dan's worked with over the years. :)

We're thrilled about this new adventure in life, and we'd really appreciate your prayers as we prepare for parenthood!