Baby Makoa

Sorry it has been so long. Linds and I had such a great time on our vacation. Missed the kids but so nice to be together. We needed it. Thanks to Grammy and Papa for taking care of our kids.
Makoa is getting so big, he is now
7 months, has two teeth, sitting up, and
getting stronger every day.
He is eating all kids of food, chicken, ground beef, ground turkey,black beans, pinto beans, lentials and all kinds of veggies. Could you beieve that most of it is all home made. Who would of thought. The healthiest kid I have had!!!
Any way such a happy little man he gets and gives so much love.
Here are some new pictures.
Enjoy!!!

Linds and I are off to Turks and Caicos with no kids. This is a much needed vacation, but going to be hard to leave my little kids behind. Altough no better people then Grammy and Papa to be watching them. They are in good hands. I am really going to try and let go and relax.
Makoa is now 6 months old and starting to try and sit and loves to smile.
Please say prayers for us to enjoy and have a safe trip.

It’s official Kaialani is done with Kindergarten. Nainoa is done with his first year of preschool. And summer is here. Yeah!!!
Makoa has started eating soilds and loving them. He continues to get stronger every day. He is so interested in the world around him.
Here are a few pictures, he is loving his cousin Kyle.

Can you believe it!!! Makoa is doing so well. He is well over 12 lbs, rolling over, cooing, so many smiles, and his head is just about under control.
He has been very busy with trips to Palm Springs, weekends at Grammy and Papa’s, and his first Dodger game. We are all so impressed with his fearless attitude and his endless smiles.
Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers!!!

Makoa is once again back home with us.  He was actually released Friday afternoon once the doctors determined that his oxygen levels were high enough that he could breathe on his own without assistance.  Makoa had a follow-up appointment with the pediatrician yesterday morning and they said he’s still junky but doing okay.

For us, it’s great to have him home, but we’re still on edge with him.  Makoa is still has a ton of mucus and a pretty nasty cough, but the nice thing is the hospital really equipped us with the tools we need to make sure he’s okay.  Like I said before, Tiffany has always wanted to be a nurse, so I tell her this is the perfect opportunity because she doesn’t have to go to school and she gets to perform all these procedures.  Granted, I think it’s a little different when it’s your child, but I always try to keep it light.

We’ve been doing a wide variety of treatments since Friday.  We’re using the nebulizer, the suction machine to get everything out, and the stethoscope to make sure his lungs are clear. It has been very taxing constantly worrying about if he’s breathing okay, does he have too much phlegm, is he comfortable.  Hopefully, this thing runs its course and he really starts to clear up this week.

One good thing from all of this is that the doctors have started thinking about a plan of attack for Makoa for the flu season this fall.  There’s nothing to do at the moment, but they have brought it up to us and have made it clear that they want to have some preventative measures in place before the bugs start flying around in September.  We shall see what happens.

I’m Outta Here!

Makoa is still in the hospital and at this point, there really isn’t a set timeline for when he might get to come home.  Tiffany has been by his side the entire time (except for a quick trip home for clothes and a shower) and was feeding me updates throughout the day at work.  It seems to be a “no news is good news” type of situation.  All of the tests that have come back thus far have been negative, and if the few outstanding tests that remain were to come back positive, it wouldn’t change how they are treating Makoa.  At this point, the doctors say he needs to “work through it himself” with a little help from them of course.

I headed off to the hospital after swinging by the house and grabbing Makoa’s shot.  Of course, when I arrived, he was extremely happy to see his Daddy as always.

As you can see, he’s still a sweet little man, even hooked up to all the tubes.  They are continuing to give him nebulizer treatments and suction him out every three to four hours.  They have provided us with both machines to take home with us and even taught Tiffany how to deep-suction Makoa entering through his nose.  I know she always wanted to be a nurse and it looks like she may get her chance.  She also been administering his growth-hormone while at the hospital, and of course feeding him as well.

I have been noticing a pattern that his wheezing increases after he feeds.  If he is anything like his Daddy or sister, there could be a chance that he has a milk allergy.  We brought it up to the doctor tonight about the family history, and she thought it might be a good idea to at least “try” taking him off milk-based formula and putting him on Alimentum, which is exactly what Kaialani was on when she was a baby.  Apparently, there is also a blood-test available that will let us know whether or not he has a milk or soy allergy.  It takes a couple weeks, but we can at least draw the blood while he’s in the hospital and get it cooking.

We will see what happens, but for now we just wait.  The good news is Makoa is stable, happy, and eating.  The bad news is that we have no idea when he will be heading home.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Well… hello there. It has been a while since I have written a blog here on the site. As you’ve noticed, Tiffany has taken over blogging duties over the last month or so and has done a fantastic job. I would love to have more time to write on here, but with the 2.5+ hours I’m spending going to and from work each day, the little spare time I have, I enjoy spending with the family. The reason I am writing this blog today is that Tiffany is sitting in Huntington Memorial hospital with Makoa, who will more than likely be there for a couple of days.

This all started about 10 days ago when Makoa finally started to come down with the illness that both kids had been fighting in Hawaii. We we’re on it right from the beginning. We got him in early to our pediatrician who said to just monitor it for now and he was sounding pretty good. If is mood changed, however, she suggested we bring him back in for another check up. Last Thursday, Tiffany noticed that Makoa wasn’t his normal self, so she decided to take him back in. Our normal pediatrician had the day off, so another doctor examined him. She didn’t hear anything in his lungs, but wanted to be sure, so she sent us off the emergency room at Huntington.

We spent about 5 hours or so in the ER where they drew blood, took chest x-rays, and gave a nebulizer treatment. Everything was came back normal despite the raspiness in his voice, so the doctor was planning on sending us home, but he wanted to check his temperature one last time to make sure he didn’t have a fever. He was fine when they took it during check in, but of course when they took it now it was up to 100.9. The decision was made to keep him overnight for observation. Naturally, once he was admitted, Makoa was laughing, cooing, and eating his entire bottle. It was a short-lived stay, and he was released the next morning.

Over the weekend, he was doing splendid. We had an amazing Mother’s Day, getting Makoa baptized by Pastor Gary at LCPC. It was a magical day that we got to share with all of Tiffany’s family. The worship band even played Matt Redman’s song, You Never Let Go, especially for us and it was so unbelievably special, we cannot thank them enough.

Makoa had a scheduled follow up appointment with the doctor this morning. Just like the other days, he had been up, active, and playing all morning. He had been coughing more since Saturday, but we were told this was good and he was fighting the cold. At the appointment, they decided to give him another nebulizer treatment just like they had given him multiple times on Thursday. Unfortunately, the treatment didn’t go so well and they eventually had to call an ambulance to have him transported back to Huntington Memorial.

Apparently, this round had the adverse effects of what was supposed to happen. His saturation levels dropped down and he was not looking good. I got a panicked call from Tiff at work and immediately hopped in my car and drove to the hospital. It was around lunch time so my 1.5 hour drive only took 30 minutes which was great to be there so quick.

The medicine they used in nebulizer treatment at the doctors office was a different type then they used the week before. They gave him additional nebulizer treatments in the ambulance and once he got to the hospital. They were all the same type that had been used on him the week before. Once again, no trouble signs from this medicine. Maybe that new medicine they introduced at the doctors office was the catalyst for this whole episode but we definitely don’t know at this point.

I arrived at the hospital to find Makoa hooked up to oxygen and being poked and prodded. Wow, talk about flashbacks to the NICU. I thought we were past this? They finally got him stabilized, got an IV in, and transported him into his room in the pediatric unit. We went through the same procedures as last week, chest x-ray and blood work. This time, however, they said he would probably be there for at least two days.

That’s the latest. Makoa is stable and has been eating well, in fact, he ate 7 ounces around 7pm. He is still on oxygen, but they are just making sure he’s not stressed. We will see what happens from here. Once again, thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully we will get him back home soon.

Total bummer, but he still looks pretty darn cute.

4 months already. Makoa now weighs 11.7 lbs, and is 23.5 inches long, he is on the charts!!! He also has meet all his congnitive marks. Little behind is gross motor, but just in the neck, everything else is right on track. So close with the holding of his head. Loves his sister and brother, his hands, smiling, and his little stuffed hippo. He is such a fighter and such a hard worker. We are soooo proud of him.
Do I have the best pouty face or what?

Back from Hawaii and back to reality. School, doctor appts, lots of therapy, and of course tee ball games and sports camps. That’s reality and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so blessed, thanks to Linds that I am the one that gets to be here for all this.

Makoa is doing great, 11.5 lbs and laughing, smiling, rolling fom side to side, ( even stomach to back a few times) and holding up his head. He continues to amazes his doctors.

There is so much love for this little man, here he is with his favorite big sister.

First off I have to say that my kids were angels for me on the planes. They came through huge.

We have been busy the last couple of days. Papi ( Linds dad), Lala (Linds mom), Kaialani, Nainoa, Makoa and me went for a hike, not any hike but to the top of Diamod Head. I am so proud of Kaialani and Nainoa they made it to the top. And with no whinning. We also have been at the Outrigger enjoying the sun and surf, the zoo, and just hanging out at the house. My little man is so good he just goes with the flow.

Linds comes in tomorrow for all the activities, should be fun.  Here are some pictures so far.

Enjoy!!