Babymoon

Baby Girl,

We just got back from your (and our) first trip to Hawaii! It was our "babymoon," our last trip together before our life changes forever with your arrival. Traveling is very important to your dad and me, and in the 13 years we've been together, we've taken a ton of great trips. It's not that we will give up traveling once you're here, it's just that we know that we will be missing you so much when we do travel that the trips will never be the same. It was really important to us that we get in one more "just us" trip to relax, unwind, and take one more week to focus only on each other and the journey we've shared so far.

We were in Maui for about a week. Usually we are more . . . adventurous travelers. We ride horses and do ziplines and scuba dive. I couldn't do many of these types of activities on this trip because I am pregnant, so we had to figure out a different kind of vacation to enjoy . . . one a little more relaxed and laid back than we usually are. And I have to say, I loved it! Most of the days we spent lounging on the beach or discovering new snorkeling spots. While I was snorkeling, I thought about the way the water held me up, how I was suspended in it, and wondered if that was similar to your little world inside me (although I must say that I think I had the better view!).

We swam with sea turtles and saw a shark, an octopus, an eel, and more colorful fish than we could count. One of our favorite moments was snorkeling in a half-sunken crater called Molokini and floating in the middle of a giant school of fish. They weren't scared at all and surrounded me and your dad as if we were just one of their hundreds. (Our boat captain for this excursion sounded just like Charleton Heston. It's funny to think that you may never know who that is, that my reference to him might be one of those things that will make you roll your eyes and silently think how old I am.) We drove through a rain forest and hiked up to several beautiful waterfalls. It was a little rainy that day, so there was one moment when your dad was trying to help me down a short muddy hill. I slipped and ended up knocking his feet out from under him, too. He tumbled and bounced down the hill (it wasn't very high) and we were both muddy and laughing so hard that we were crying. The people around us must have thought we'd lost our minds! We discovered the world's best banana bread. Your dad got into a crowing contest with a local rooster and made friends with a couple of horses. And everywhere we were surrounded with color and beauty unlike anything we have here in Texas--purple trees and yellow flowers as big as my head, reefs and volcanic craters that boasted impossible blues and reds and oranges and whites. And that doesn't even begin to mention all the delicious dinners and great shows that we caught at sunset on one beach or another, the convertible, the music, the weather, or what a funny girl you were, resting quietly, patiently for each meal, and then, unable to contain yourself any longer, squirming excitedly as soon as you could smell the food.

Even though we were there to focus one last time on each other, everywhere we looked we were reminded of you. Parents holding their little babies in the cool ocean water. Tiny toddlers with sandy bottoms discovering the delights of sand. Little girls in adorable Hawaiian dresses with tiny flowers in their delicate hair. And every moment of our trip, with every thought of you, we were filled with a new kind of happiness, an excitement for what's to come.

And even though you dad and I will never get tired of time alone, time together, we were ready, when our trip was over and it was time to return, ready to come home and prepare for you.

Our first morning in Maui, while strolling through the cool morning sand, your dad found this shell (piece of coral?) just for you.

It's a heart. We love you and can't wait for you to be here with us. Only 16 weeks to go!

Smiles and kisses,
Mom