Babymoon in Hawaii

When I think of this trip, here’s what I’ll remember. Cool breezes and white sand. Preposterously green sugarcane flowing like locks of hair in the wind. A sky blue enough to break your heart. Pineapple, lots and lots of it. And those are just the tangible things. I’ll remember a feeling of total bliss and relaxation, an overwhelming sense of luxury in getting to spend so much time with my husband. A lot of laughter. And that special Hawaii magic, by which I never fully adjust to the time change and instead just get up every morning at 6:30 and head out to the balcony with my book and my oatmeal, savoring the early hours to myself and looking forward to the adventures the day will hold. It was a great, great trip.

This was the sunset we saw on our first night in town, when I was totally congested and feeling fairly miserable. The view helped a lot, and thankfully, every day I got better and better.

The mountains were just stunning, and once again I couldn’t get over the richness of the greens and blues.

We spent the first few days doing some light exploring, while I was still getting over my cold. This banyan tree takes up an entire city block. So amazing how it grows into itself and keeps branching further and further out.

Our favorite spot in Lahaina was Banyan Treats, where Eric got this mo’o (it’s the Hawaiian word for gecko; thus the eyes). It was the sweetest family-run business, serving only local Maui Roselani ice cream. Ice cream and Hawaii are two sides of the same coin, no?

We ate so well, and pretty affordably. This is how you know your wife is pregnant: she sees a picture of a burrito in a magazine and has to have it. Thankfully, Eric is very obliging.

Every night we spread out on the couch and read for a few hours. It was so wonderful. Even though I look slightly deranged in this picture. We would do a quick email check every couple of days, but it was so good for us to unplug a little bit. I brought 4 books with me, and I read 3 of them. I call that a successful vacation.

Also…look at the size of these avocados! They are bigger than grapefruits. They are actually sort of pomelo- or oro blanco-like in size. Impressive! (Little-known fact: I worked for Sunkist one summer in college, whence comes my knowledge of obscure citrus!)

We made a jaunt up to a lavender farm on the side of a mountain, looking out over the ocean. So gorgeous.

See what I mean about those blues and greens? This is a total car shot, but that only adds character, right?

Back to breakfast: this is banana bread French toast. And yes, I ate it ALL.

And I took so many pictures of the flowers. They were incredible.

Isn’t this amazing? It’s a protea.

This is the misty mountain scene at ‘Iao Needle.

And, of course, we spent lots of time at the beach! The condo we rented came with so much beach gear, I couldn’t believe our luck. Sadly, it was way too windy to keep this umbrella up for more than five minutes, but the chairs were an awesome improvement over beach mats or towels.

What we really wanted to do was sit and read (in between dips in the ocean), and read we did. I am devouring The Paris Wife here, and it was so fantastic, and it is lingering with me so much, that I might have to write a separate post about it.

Our favorite beach was just two blocks from our condo, and we went almost every day. It was quiet and secluded, and everyone there knew each other. We decided to take the chairs one day, and I offered to carry them because the beach bag was way heavier. These chairs are so nice that they have backpack straps on them, so I just put one on my back and one on my front: practice for baby-wearing! I have to stress that they were not heavy at all, but even still, Eric was slightly worried about this arrangement. As you can see, though, I am a chair-carrying boss!

And I had to share this picture so you can see just how big the belly is! I love to think of showing these pictures to our baby one day! We thought and talked about him all the time, and he made this trip so special with his little kicks (and big kicks!) and the very fact of his exsitence. Two more Hawaii posts to come, on two of our favorite experiences there: swimming with sea turtles, and the beautiful yet harrowing road to Hana!