23 Mar Back to Torrance Memorial…
It was over a year ago that we had left Torrance Memorial with our dearest Makoa in hand to head home an start our journey as a family. Last Thursday, we had the opportunity to return to the hospital that all three of our children were born at for a very special reason, the birth of our niece, Rylie Jay Chandler.
Tiffany’s sister was scheduled to have a c-section on St. Patricks day so the entire family headed down to the hospital at 7am for the big day. Much has changed since we last left a year ago. Most notably, there is no swine-flu epidemic so children were allowed in the hospital. It reminded me that Makoa’s brother and sister didn’t meet him for an entire month after he was born. Besides the fact that the kids could be up in the labor and delivery room, it was also a chance for us to bring Makoa back to the NICU to see the nurses and doctors who got him going.
The highlight of the day was seeing Stacy, our most favorite nurse who was such a blessing to us. She is on maternity leave from the hospital, pregnant with her fourth baby, but she took time to come back and see Makoa. It was wonderful to spend some time with her and catch up. We are looking forward to reconnecting with her and the rest of her family when we move back down to the South Bay this summer.
After Stacy left, we stopped by the NICU to see Dr. Schwartz who not only remembered us, but was also very intrigued to see how Makoa was doing. He mentioned how he still uses us a case study with the undescended testis and that how it is so rare to have two genetic conditions (PWS & Ichthyosis). It was actually great seeing him and being able to thank him. It’s funny how either God softens your heart or those around you. We definitely didn’t get a long a first, but I’m very grateful for his diagnosis for Makoa and his quest to find out the best way to treat him.
The good news is that Tiffany was holding her own and surprisingly not emotional about returning. I think it may have been the birth of her niece and the fact that everything went perfectly. I was filled with joy but also felt a great deal of emotion, revisiting some of the experiences we had while at the hospital. While we were waiting for Tracy, we met a couple and watched their 4lb baby get wheeled off to the NICU. It was amazing how we immediately went into council mode, the husband had Tiffany back in recovery talking with his wife in no-time. The good news is their baby is doing well and that they had warning that he was undersized and they had been preparing themselves for what was to come.
All-in-all it was a great day. We saw the birth of our niece Riley Jay who is completely healthy. Everything went to plan and we had the opportunity to really enjoy the experience with Tracy and Cory. It’s kind of fun that Makoa is no longer the baby, we have another one taking that title, especially since he’s taken his first steps on his own! More to come on that….
For now, here is a photo of Riley Jay. She is cute as a button and you just want to gnaw on those cheeks. Look at those things!
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