Adventures of a Pregnant Woman in Hawaii

If someone were to write a book for pregnant women visiting Hawaii, it would be a very short tale. Basically, the main activity that I participated in was eating. I found that I may have went a little overboard when I returned to Japan, then weighed in at 2.5 kg heavier, all gained in 2 weeks. However, while in Hawaii, I was very excited that I could read the menus and even order exactly what I wanted. Desert was also very good. :)

Things Pregnant Women Can Do in Hawaii

Stand at a scenic overlook near the side of a road

This is a very exciting tourist event. We carefully pulled over to the side of the road 1,000 feet after we saw the "Scenic Overlook - 1000 Feet Ahead" sign. We even went to the trouble of setting the timer on the camera and putting it on the trunk of our rental car so we could get the whole family into the scenic picture. Then, after we copied the picture from our camera to the computer, we used a photo editing tool to remove the guard rail from the picture so it looks like we could have possibly hiked to this site instead of pulling over in our car.

Go on a 6 Minute Hike

Don't let the rocky path fool you. This was not part of a grand adventure into the wilderness to a beautiful, secluded beach. This was the start of an adventure that got cut short. The first part of the path was very rocky. This may have continued for a couple of miles, but we didn't get that far. Dan, Dad, and I determined that the path was just a little too dangerous and that I might fall and hurt Riker. It is true that my sense of balance is a little off and my joints are a little loose these days, making me clumsy. So, we turned back and went to the fairly pretty, not secluded beach.

Protect Sleeping Dad from Attacking Chicken

At the fairly pretty, not secluded beach, Dad decided to take a nap. I decided to take pictures of a chicken. The chicken found us interesting. Dad seemed to be ok with that as he took his nap. Dan, being unfamiliar with chicken behavior, was a little concerned that the chicken might try to peck him or something. So I did my best to protect both of them from this dangerous threat.

Go to a very windy beach for a few minutes with Dan and Dad

Like the 6 minute hike, our next adventure to a secluded beach also failed. We spent a long time driving down a washboard dirt road, parked our car, then walked over to the beach. In this picture, you can see that Dan's hair is completely blown back. He is desperately trying to hold onto our beach mats. Dad is using him as a wind shield. We have a video of this beach, taken with our new baby accessory, our Sony camcorder, if you want to get an even better idea of how windy it was. (Yes, being technology geeks, we believe that a camcorder is a necessary baby accessory. Forget cute hats, we have a camcorder.)

Stand on a beach near the side of a road

This activity is much like the "scenic overlook" activity. Basically, you park on the side of the road, go over near the scenic area, and pose. Fortunately we didn't have to bother with the camera timer since Dad took this for us. We also didn't have to edit any guardrails out. As you can tell from my hair, it is still windy. This picture also features my stylish KMart denim maternity shorts. They were 1 out of 4 actual pieces of maternity clothing available on the island. We met a pregnant woman later and asked her where she shopped. She confirmed that there were no maternity shops anywhere. She was wearing a "large shirt." We told her about the exciting denim shorts available at KMart and she was very surprised. She probably bought a pair the next day.

Get a Sunburn, then pose for a Picture in Maternity Swimsuit

Yes, I actually got a sunburn from sitting outside in the shade. And yes, I actually posted a picture of me, 34 weeks pregnant, in a swimsuit. Why do I post this picture? Come on, other than now, at what point in my life will I ever get to post a swimsuit picture and have it be ok that I am massively huge?

Look at Waterfalls

We found a few waterfalls that were visible near where you parked your car. This is one of them. It even came with some sketchy men selling hats made out of palm leaves in the parking lot.

Look at the top of a Waterfall

Much like the 6 minute hike, this hike lasted a short amount of time. We parked our car, then hiked for 5 minutes. However, the 5 minute hike actually took us to the top of a waterfall. Here, you see me and Lee contemplating the rocks and water. Dan found the waterfall "Quite Delightful."

Luau

At the end of our visit to Hawaii, we returned to the primary activity of pregnant women on Kaua'i: eating. We went to an "authentic" luau where they served a pig that had baked underground. They also had a cool show where they performed dances of the various cultures represented in Hawaii. It was a tasty and fitting end to our trip.