Aloha 2015

Our trip to Hawaii started out rough.

LouLou, 4 months had a wheezing cough that required two urgent care and two ER visits before they admitted her. 

Poor babe had RSV. They treated her occasionally with albuterol type treatments that didn't work very well.  She was doing ok Sunday morning so he hopped on our flight. 

Mimi and Jude, seasoned travelers, see great value in following along with the safety demonstration.

As soon as we landed in humid Hawaii Baby Lou was wheezing in a scary way. Mimi and I drove straight to the hospital with Mim on assignment to not take her eyes off the baby and alert me immediately if she stops breathing.  The first hospital we found was the Kapiolani Children's Hospital and I ran that baby in, said the magic words "my 4 month old is having trouble breathing" and within seconds we were surrounded by excellent doctors.

And here is the saddest picture ever of BL getting a chest x-ray. RSV and bronchiolitis. I can't spell that.

She got a little oxygen cannula just like her namesake Grandma Betty.

Hush's plane landed and he took a cab to the hospital and stayed with that baby every second.  He even held her in the wheelchair as they took her upstairs to her room.

And here's where we spent the first three days of our vacation.  Thank heavens Pam and Jim were there and could tend to the three other children. Hush and I were on full baby duty, which did not make sleeping easy. We had one tiny cot and a baby waking up every hour. Finally I just crawled into her little baby cage with her and held her in my arms as we went in and out of sleep.  At one point a nurse came in and said, "You can't sleep there." To which I replied, "I am."

Tiniest hospital gown ever (I stole it) and a pink oxy monitor.

Sad baby cage.  Every so often the oxy levels would drop to below 88 and people would run in while I secured her oxygen mask (before I secured my own ;)

But LouLou wasn't mad at all. The nurses nicknamed her "The Happy Weezer" and fawned over her because she is so fair and they see a lot of darker toned babies. Or perhaps just because we were out of Utah and babies are more novel. But really it's because she's the most adorable and charming baby who ever lived, in my humble and unbiased opinion.

On the third day we finally left Lou for a few hours with a nurse we trusted and liked a lot so that we could meet Pam and the kids at Pearl Harbor. I love that place.  Has it always been free? I remember it being expensive.

Many thanks to Pam and Jim for their help and support during this trip. If not for them I would have packed people on the next flight home (with some sort of breathing apparatus) and given up.

When she was finally released the petridish of children were thrilled to see and love her. They'd been so worried!

Finally our vacation began.  We had excellent weather the whole trip.

Hush created a live art installation on the beach.

One day in the sun and the children look like natives.

Doing the matrix or the Michael Jackson in Smooth Criminal lean.

The hardest choice of the day was whether to walk 15 feet to the pool or 50 feet to the beach. Most days we did both.

I celebrated my 34 birthday while we were there. 34 may be the year of filters for me.

Four of my favorites eating my favorite at matsumoto's.

Jude is a born nurturer. He's conscientious and concerned with his little sister.

While we were at Turtle Bay Hush and I scouted the filming locations for Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Yoga class happened right there. This may be the closest I ever get to Russell Brand.

Mostly recovered babe.

Every time I see her nonplussed expression it makes me giggle.

We ran into some Dville friends who hooked us up with half off tickets to the awesome but over priced Polynesian Cultural Center! Aloha from the luau.

Pineapple drinks because hey, we're on our honeymoon. Right?

Honeymoon dance... sealings require dances too.

Jude achieved maximum loungy aloha.

Hush mastered the ukulele in about five minutes so he began Lou's instruction.

Romantical dinner on the beach.

Keiki: 7,6, 5 and 4 months

Brave little Mimi in the tide pools.

This picture was not staged and it shows exactly the dynamic of my kids, when they aren't teasing each other. Mimi presides, the boys trust her questionable leadership.

Me and my baby. I love babies. More more more babies.

I waited 7 years for this day and here is my second little girl wearing her big sister's teeny bikini.  Ahhh, so satisfying.

Ps, I love my baby. I'm obsessed.

Thanks to Pam and Jim, Hush and the kids for making this unusually challenging but nevertheless memorable "vacation" happen!