Jeff and Gee: July 2012

Friday, July 20, 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

One semi-shock of summer was discovering that our ZoeWee was preggers. Hmmm... We should have studied the YPA book with her sooner, but alas! By mid-June, when she gained about two pounds over night, we realized that puppies were on the way. Prior to her birth, we could see the puppies move and kick from in utero.

(In case you are wondering who's the baby daddy... it's Taco. Sigh.)

Jeff and I did much research on dog pregnancy, labor, and birth. After being schooled by the University of Google and YouTube College, we bought supplies and prepped a whelping box for her... and waited for the Big Day. One of the indicators that labor is near is the mother's temperature. When the mother's temperature drops below 100 F, then she will give birth within the next 24 hours. Lo and behold, the first time that we took her temp, it was around 99! This was a week prior to her projected due date. We spent that anxious day waiting and making sure she was comfortable. Around 4:30 in the afternoon, ZoeWee's labor started. Jeff and I helped her through the process by making sure their amniotic sac was removed and their breathing passages were clear. Other than that, instinct kicked in and ZoeWee did an amazing job delivering her babies and doing all the "mommy" things she was supposed to do. Much to our relief, the enitre delivery went smoothly. ZoeWee gave birth to three healthy, chubby boys!

Jeff and I were both in awe of how incredible the birth process was. Despite the blood and... goo... observing the puppies' birth was a beautiful experience because it reminded us of how wisely we were each designed, all to the praise of our Creator.

I was debating if I should post the videos of the puppies' birth, but decided against it, for the sake of those faint of heart. Here are pics taken shortly after the delivery.

The following are pics from their first week of life:

Vino!

I planned a summer day date for Jeff. The plans were a surprise and he had no idea where we were headed. When I asked him to guess where we were going, his guess was:

"To Best Buy, to get an iPad!"

Umm... Nooo. Sorry honey!

First stop: Huelani!

When we entered the complex,

Jeff thought I was throwing him a surprise party at the rec center.

Nope! We went to the Lee's house, jumped in their vehicle, and headed to....

Kailua!

Here I am with a clean dress (more details on that later in this post).

Second stop:

Lunch at Tokoname Sushi Bar & Restaurant

The food was delish. Jeff and I ordered, sushi, salmon, and butterfish.

We had to check for directions to our next destination. Here we are, hiding the map app from Jeff. Oooh, so secretive!

Third stop: Oeno Winemaking

Just around the corner from the restaurant was the main event of the day. I booked a group wine tasting session at Oeno. Jeff is somewhat of a wine enthusiast and, prior to our courtship, he took a trip to wine country and even subscribed to a wine club. Therefore, I thought he would enjoy a little activity related to his former hobby.

I packed some snacks and sweets to pair with the different wines. Of course, being the clumsy klutz that I am, I spilled chocolate truffle filling all over the crotch area of my dress. With some creative sleeve-tying, I was able to semi-hide the spots with my cardigan. One should always carry a cardigan for emergencies such as this. (I have a strong affinity for cardigans, as you can tell).

We enjoyed sampling about 10 different wines from all over the world. We were given charts to describe and rate the wine. Gina and I both liked the kiwi-melon wine... probably because neither of us are wine drinkers... and we like the flavor of sweet juice. I also liked it because it looked cute and pink and my glass.

Oeno offers customers make-your-own wine parties. You can get a group together to create a barrel of wine, then later bottle and put labels on your batch. You can even create your own wine bottle labels, which is a super cool idea for parties, weddings, and other events.

The day was relaxing and so much fun! Jeff does so, so, so many sweet things everyday to make my life easier, so it was nice to plan a little something special for him to show my gratitude. To Gina and Dwayne, again: Thank you mucho-much for your support and help in executing the super-secret-surprise plan! You guys are the best!