Category Archives: family

family, trips

The Last Trip of Summer

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We’ve been back a week from our last trip of the summer and school feels like it’s right around the corner and a month away all at once. In reality the start of school is only one week off, and I think Keana and Maia are both nervous and excited. It’s been good to remember how I felt as a kid the week before school in an effort to allow Keana and Maia to just have their feelings about it without me, as an adult, trying to overwrite how they feel or what they’re thinking about it. When I catch myself doing that, my intention is to comfort them, but I realize that it’s really just telling them they shouldn’t feel how they feel; it’s hard. Anyway, there’s sure to be big changes happening around here soon as we settle into the new schedule.

So, our last trip, the annual family campout. We hadn’t been for a couple years—never with three kids—but we felt confident we could handle it since we had just been camping two weeks before. What I found out quickly was that I hadn’t quite prepared myself for the differences in camping with just my immediate family and camping with a bunch of people we know and my immediate family. What I found was that Maia and (especially) Keana didn’t want to be in our “boring” camp, but wanted to be just about anywhere else. They especially wanted to be over at Tia’s camp with their cousin Olivia. There were times when Olivia wanted to be at our camp, since she and Aliya like to play, but mostly, they wanted to be somewhere else. I struggled with setting appropriate boundaries and letting them explore and have freedom. I was also worried about them being a burden on other people, but eventually realized it was up to those other people to let us know if that was happening. Also, I wanted to be with my kids, but realized that I wasn’t as fun as some of the other adults since I had to be cooking, cleaning up, doing “camp stuff” much of the time. I tried to incorporate the kids with that, but if you’re 7 and the choice is to play or do dishes, well, that isn’t much of a choice.

In the end I had to make it clear to the kids that they had to be careful when they ran off into the forest, that they had to let me know where they were going and plan for when they would be coming back, and then just try and let a bunch of stuff go. Luckily that did happen—the letting go of some stuff and agreeing on some boundaries—and we were able to have some good days down by the river and enjoy time around the campfire. They especially enjoyed a story I was making up, in chapters, about Monkey, Tiger, and Dragon. Keana wanted a ghost story, but I didn’t want to scare them, so I told a story of a tiger’s ghost that came back to an island to comfort her friends Monkey and Dragon (a Komodo Dragon). Then it jumped back in time to when they were babies together and all their adventures on the island. That was typically followed by us all lying in the tent together, Aliya nursing, and me singing a bunch of songs. The favorites were Hotel California, Message in a Bottle, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, The Wind Song, and Graceland. Once the kids were asleep, Sarah and I were able to sneak out, back to the campfire, and have a little time to ourselves. At this campout, many people stay up late with didgeridoos, drums, guitars, and/or singing punctuating the distant sounds of conversations along with the sounds of people wandering between camps. Not wanting to leave our kids unattended though, we stayed at our camp at night, which was fine with me (especially since I knew waking children with full bladders and hungry stomachs were not far off).

Keana is continuing to really want to be independent and try new things out, especially social situations, so the campout proved a ripe testing ground. There were more than a couple times that she rolled her eyes when I told her to be careful as she tromped off socialize with other campers. Maia was a little more cautious but was happy to follow Keana anywhere. Then there was Aliya. We hadn’t been there more than 30 minutes and she took off up the meadow, alone, waving and shouting, “Bye-bye Apa, bye-bye Ama!” She too, had no trouble running off, following Keana’s lead. Her experience with two older sisters also positions her to be more of the mischief-leader when she and Olivia hang out. She calls Olivia “La-la” and Olivia calls her “Aweela”, and there are already some pretty entertaining tales of “The Adventures of La-La and Aweela”. Add a forest, a stream, some marshmallows, and fire to that and you have your entertainment for the day.

Last week I returned to work and we began to recover from this trip, but it was tough. It took all week for sure, and even now I’m feeling kind of worked. We realized though it was also because we were still recovering from dealing with sick cats in between our first camping trip and this last one. And then, of course, we’re dealing with the reality of summer ending and school beginning. It’s been 108/109 for a few days now, not dropping below 80 at night, and that too takes its toll. I have a lot I want to write about the kids themselves—their growth and development and all the fun/cute things they’re doing—but that’ll have to wait.

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family

A Day in the Snow!

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One of the benefits of living in Fresno is close proximity to the mountains, and for us, close proximity to family near the mountains with a house. With this cold winter storm, snow fell as low as 2000 ft., so we woke up this morning with a text message from Sarah’s dad that they had lots of snow up in North Fork and to come on up. So we did.

We all had a blast sledding and playing, then going inside to dry off and enjoy our gracious hosts’ hospitality. Nana Cin always provides a great meal and lots of treats for the kiddos. We had the added joy of Tia and Cousin Olivia’s company, so it was a great day of family and play. And there was so much snow! It blanketed everything and provided a magical landscape for us to enjoy. We even got to play as it was snowing, so the kids really got the full experience. The kids were also just overjoyed with being able to go up there on short notice and were in awe of how everything had been transformed overnight. Today we really felt very fortunate to be able to enjoy something like a full day in the snow so easily and comfortably.

Here’s a little snapshot of the day, thrown together on my iPhone:

development, family, holidays, trips

Why Hello, 2012

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We’re starting fresh. Not just this month, in this new year, but every day. Every day we start fresh and what I’ve been noticing is that even multiple times a day I remind myself to start fresh. Or at least I try. Sarah and I have been steering our family on a new journey and really trying to be in the moment is one of the main focuses.

With this new journey came a slightly new kind of holiday this past Christmas where we tried to focus on what was best for our family, the family we have control over, and I think we did a pretty good job. In the past we’ve worried and stressed over trying to make everyone else happy and squeeze our own wants in there somewhere too. It was never quite right, and even though this past Christmas wasn’t perfect (what is?), we were definitely on the right track and look forward to continuing the creation of a peaceful tradition for ourselves and the girls.

This month we made our last payment for all the medical bills from Aliya’s birth, which was pretty amazing to say the least. 18 months, a chunk of change, mounds of paperwork, several appeals, many hours on the phone, and a few miracles later, we can finally move out from under that burden. Fittingly, we also traveled back to UCSF for her evaluation for the birth asphyxia study she’s in. After meeting with the neurologist and psychologist and performing a round of tests for each, they determined she’s not only on par with “the norm”, but may even been advanced for her age. We knew this, but still, it’s always good to hear it from the professionals. We made the trip a mini vacation at the end of our winter break, and it was fun staying in Japan Town, going to sushi for Sarah’s birthday, showing the girls around a little, and enjoying all the fun Japanese designs, art, trinkets, and most of all, fresh mochi with azuki bean! On the way back to Fresno, we spent a little time catching up with our good friends from the old hood in Richmond. Two nights in one hotel room with the five us, and an emotional visit back to the hospital, was certainly enough to challenge our sanity, but it was still a great way to end our winter break. It never felt better to return back home though, with many rooms for us all to seek refuge in.

And today we returned to The Routine. I to virtual piles of work, Keana to school, Sarah to putting the house (and our life) back together (and entertaining Maia and Aliya), Maia to play without her big sister, and Aliya, well, nothing really phases her. She just kept on doing what she did all break: climbing on the table, redistributing objects all over the house, snuggling and chasing kitties, playing, asking “what’s that?”, and just generally being the cutest damn Booshki alive.

family, trips

Being There

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Last weekend we headed over to the Sacramento area for the 2011 Sacramento AIDS Walk to raise money for the Capital City AIDS Fund. My aunt and brother organized the team this year, and the whole Peterson clan participated. My mom and her husband Sam even drove out from Texas for the event.

I’m not sure the girls really knew what was going on, at least they didn’t ask many questions. They were mostly just excited to see their family and it was fun for them to be downtown for something different—something special.

And it was special. It was emotional. I have to admit that Sarah and I got a bit choked up on and off throughout the walk. I was remembering all the people I’ve known that have died from AIDS-related illnesses. I may have attended their funerals years ago, but the memories of their fiery spirits came rushing back like it was yesterday. And of course thinking about our loved ones living with HIV brought tears, but at the same time it really was a celebration, because they are still with us and we were helping to raise money, awareness, and support to help provide the services that allow them to stay healthy and hopefully happy. So it was also a time to be thankful.

Before and during the event I thought about what to tell the kids should they ask, but as I said before, it really didn’t come up this year—but it will. I’m thankful that Sarah and I are on the same page with being honest and open with our kids, and at the same time support our kids in love and acceptance rather than fear.

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family, trips

Off the Clock and Outdoors

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Whenever I talk to people about where I live, especially people from other states or countries, I can’t help but brag that in California, we have it all. Beaches, deserts, mountains, forests, you name the environment, we have it. And although it was really hard leaving the bay area and being close to the ocean, being in the central valley is, well, very central, to all the different environments Cali has to offer. For vacation this past week, we hit just about all of them.

To start things off, we made a brief appearance at the annual family campout. Sarah’s been attending this campout with her family and friends pretty much her whole life, so when I came on the scene, it became my tradition too. Keana first went when she was 4 months old, Maia when she was 8 months, and Aliya has never been since she had just been born when it happened last year. Usually we attend this soirée for a week, but the time off didn’t work out this year, so we just went up for the day on Saturday, the day they have the big potluck. The girls loved playing in the river and rock-hopping, even though it was freezing and pretty full due to this year’s crazy snowfall. We enjoyed having the day to catch up with everyone who was there, and even though it was about a 2.5 hour drive each way, it was definitely worth keeping up with the tradition.

I have to say, our family is happiest at the beach though. So just a day after coming down from the mountains, we headed over to Santa Cruz, our old stomping grounds. Sarah and I both attended school there, and met a year after we graduated, in August of 2002. There is nothing quite like Santa Cruz in the summer. The days often start out foggy and chilly, but about noon or one, it burns off for pretty much perfect weather. Sunshine, temperature in the seventies, and a mellow beachfront vibe is pretty irresistible. The first morning there everyone slept in except Aliya, so I bundled her up, put her in the car, and we went cruising along West Cliff drive, along the ocean. I remembered back to many-a-thought-filled time spent along that path, often unwinding from the stresses of academia or past troubles of love and relationships. And on this day, I got to share it with my youngest, who fell right back asleep, allowing me to take some liberty down memory lane.

We spent our first day at the Twin Lakes beach with Sarah’s brother Michael, and all had a blast playing in the ocean and building a sand castle. Keana loves running in and out of the ocean and rolling in the sand, and just like her big sisters before her, Aliya was fearless. We had to really watch her as she took every opportunity to run, walk, crawl, and tumble toward the crashing waves. Even as she shivered and got super sandy, she squealed with delight. It was almost too much for Maia though, and we lost her to a late afternoon nap under the umbrella. Even Aliya was laying her face down straight in the sand from exhaustion. After leaving the beach, we walked back to the hotel and grabbed dinner at the taqueria next door and finished off the night with Kung-Fu Panda, which, I have to say, was filled with awesomeness.

The next day we spent a little time downtown, had breakfast at Zachary’s, then it was back to the beach. Sometimes I wonder why the beach is so important to our family. Maybe it’s our history there, or the perfect blend of chaos and predictability, or just having sand, wind, ocean, and sun, whilst having your nostrils filled with salty, seaweediness—I don’t know. What I do know is it is necessary for our health and sanity, and therefore always at the top of our list for vacations. That night, being so close to the ocean, it was also necessary to get some good sushi at our favorite spot in Santa Cruz, Shogun (also the location of our very first date). Michael and his girlfriend Laura joined us, and although we were all very tired, it was a great last dinner in SC.

As all good things come to an end, so must the visit to Santa Cruz. Maia especially did not want to leave the hotel, but lunch and a pot of chocolate (literally) at Chocolate (shitty website, great food), helped things a bit. Almost uncomfortably full of richness, we packed back into the car and headed home.

The next day we headed up to North Fork to stay at Sarah’s dad’s “cabin” which is near Bass Lake (where the amazing movie The Great Outdoors was filmed). We spent the afternoon at the lake and the girls loved the fact that the water was cool but not cold, and the mellow waves created by motor boats was just right. Keana is getting braver and braver in water, going in up to her chin and Maia slowly overcame her anxiety around the water. I hate to say that she got her papa’s comfort level with water. That night I barbecued tri-tip out on the deck and we dined outside with a great view of a monstrous “hill”, or little mountain, that’s covered with pines and granite boulders. The next day Sarah’s sister Iana, and her offspring Olivia, joined us at Bass Lake for more sun, fun, and general silliness.


The funny thing that I notice every time, and maybe it was even more striking since we had just been in Santa Cruz, was that there are two types of people: ocean people and lake people. Lake people are just slightly more rugged, maybe a little rough around the edges, and definitely more, how should I say…patriotic. Nevertheless, they are always friendly and we have yet to encounter any drunken-yahoo-badness. On the other hand, lake people are more down-to-earth and tend not to live in a spoiled fantasy.

Saturday morning was spent with Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin, and it’s always great to visit with them. The girls love performing for them and asking and answering a hundred questions. They especially love to help bake something in the kitchen with Cin so they were not disappointed there (Grandpa helped out too, especially with the logistics associated with shortness and counters and ovens). The car ride back to town was a sleepy one, the kids being totally worked from all our adventures.

So it was to the mountains and rivers, over to the beaches and oceans, and back up to the mountains and lakes for our last bit of summer vacation. Overall a really great week off, mostly outdoors, full of great weather, great smiles and laughter, and some great, and pretty classic, memories.

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family, holidays, trips

Holiday run-down

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I have a lot of interesting stories, quotes, funny kid moments, and development news, but I’m going to be a big tease and just say I have it, it’s in here (points to head), but you’ll have to wait till I have the energy to write it down, sorry:-)

In other news, for the record, here’s what’s been happening this holiday season…

The kids are out of school from December 20 through January 7, and I’m taking this whole time off too, so that’s really good. I’d say three weeks is just about enough time to handle the holidays, get the house sort of back into shape, and maybe, just maybe, get a little extra rest. Of course all three girls have been sick, starting with Maia, then moving on to Keana and Aliya on the 21st. It’s Aliya’s first Christmas and first time getting sick, but she’s handled both like a champ.

We were in Los Altos for Peterson Christmas the 20-21 at Great Grandma Jacquie and Great Grandpa Vic’s, and they were gracious hosts as usual. We had our now-annual game of hide-and-go-seek with the cousins (McKenna (for a short time), Cassidy and Riley (for the whole time)), and it was a lot of fun as usual. We played a brief game of tag too, but those girls are actually getting too fast for me. For the record, in an all out sprint I think I could still take them, but for short distance tag, they got me whooped. But it was great to see the great grandparents of course, Grandma Linda and Grandpa Sam (out from Texas), Great Aunt Janet, Great Uncle Vic and Aunt Kristie, and Uncle Peter (and we met his boyfriend DeAnthonie for the first time as well). Maia, Aliya, Sarah, and I slept in Aunt Janet’s old room upstairs, and Keana tried to hang with the big girls campout-style downstairs, but some time in the middle of the night snuck into bed with Sarah. The next day was not-so-great, with Keana throwing up at the grandparents’, in the car, then again at home, but luckily it didn’t last. I think I earned some major dad points that day by catching several throw-ups before they hit the ground, and one even in my cupped hands. That’s right, you heard me. In. My. Hands.

Christmas Eve we spent with Grandma Jennie, Tia, Uncle Ryan, Cousin Olivia, and Great Grandma Bev and it was short but sweet. The girls love their cousin Olivia, who is now walking, so even twice the fun. Christmas Day we went over to Jennie’s house and enjoyed a nice brunch, with more gifts, and returned home for a little rest before my mom and Sam showed up, fresh (or nearly) from their visit in Folsom (with the family out there, not the inmates). Mom and Sam stayed till the 28th, and we basically lounged around, rested up, put them to work doing dishes, grocery shopping, and baking. Sounds like work but I think we would all agree it was really nice hanging with them, especially since we rarely see them since they live all the way out in…aghem…Texas.

And now we’re basically here. Right now. Eve of New Year’s Eve. In about 8 hours we’re heading up to North Fork to visit with Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin. We were hoping there would be snow, but I don’t think it will happen yet. I’ve considered seeing what the girls think of a new year, 2011, but I think we’ll just skip that conversation this year. They live in the present. Minutes and hours are sort of a concept now, but weeks, months, years…no, they don’t matter. What matters is what we’re playing with right now, what we’re talking about right now, and I like that. Something I think we all could work on. Maybe in 2011? Wait. What’s that?

development, education, family, holidays

When Papa got a minute

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We got the kids to bed kind of early tonight so here I go…

Last week Aliya was still just figuring out grabbing things well with her hands and now, seven days later, she’s so much smoother. Yeah, she still drops things and doesn’t always rotate them smoothly, but she is so much more dexterous and accurate with her grip, it’s scary. These damn babies develop so fast and we are beyond thankful. Aliya still laughs hysterically at her sisters, so much so it almost sounds like something between a smoky bar laugh and baby’s cry. First time she did it I wasn’t sure she was actually happy until I saw her big smile at the silly things her sisters were doing. She’s also figured out how to thump her leg in her bouncer to back it bounce and once it stops, she thumps again to get it going. Brilliant.

Maia is still struggling with sleeping through the night. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn’t, but she always wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. People are always saying not to look forward too much to the teen years, but I have to say right now, I’m ready to get back to sleeping in until noon. I think Maia is still really struggling with not being the baby anymore and she wants to grow up and be independent like Sissy (Keana), but she’s just not quite there yet. It’s a big step and although we’re quite frustrated with her, I have a soft spot for what she’s going through. I remember feeling exactly like her at several stages when I was coming up.

Keana continues to be our extraordinary pioneer. Her parent/teacher conference was amazing and her teacher said that she is well beyond where they expect at this point in kindergarten. We, of course, try not to put too much weight in evaluations like this, but I have to say it’s what every parent wants to hear. There’s a little boy in her class that has been trying to kiss her and/or talk about kissing her, so that has been interesting. Keana and this boy played all the time together but when he started this behavior, she was done. Thankfully the school is taking it seriously and wants Keana to be comfortable, so we’ll see how everything turns out. Sarah and I know that this little guy just likes her a lot, and perhaps doesn’t have great modeling at home, so we’re just rolling with it for now and letting her teacher deal; don’t want to make it a bigger deal than it is. I guess the whole “boys and girls can’t just be friends” starts early (just joking…sort of).

Last weekend we went down to Long Beach to visit Tia, Uncle Ryan, and Cousin Olivia. We hadn’t been down there since last Thanksgiving, so it was time. It was a lot of fun, minus the 6+hour drive to get down there. But Iana and Ryan were very good to us and the girls had a blast with Olivia. She’s starting to walk, so Keana had fun leading her around by her hands, and both Maia and her had fun torturing her with as much love as she could take. Honestly though, I think Olivia really enjoyed having her boisterous cousins around for a couple days and it was fun watching them together. Of course the World Series was on so some time had to be spent rooting for our Giants, and there was the costume/trick-or-treating-candy-eating-mayhem on Halloween, but all-in-all it was pretty restful and great to get away. (SO many pics from October/Halloween, not enough time tonight, so I’ll get them up tomorrow.)

I can’t believe we’re already entering into the holiday season, with Maia’s birthday falling on Thanksgiving this year. This month is going to be crazy, especially with me having a work trip the week before Thanksgiving, but we’re looking forward to it. Today we had a very productive day around the house and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed raking leaves off the roof and cleaning out gutters. Why is being on a roof so much fun? I do not know. But it did feel good to get give away some things, clean up a bit, and prepare for this great month we’re about to have.

development, family

Death grip, sleepovers, loose teeth

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Curling toes that try to grab; tiny chubby fingers that have difficulty navigating at first, but then get a death grip that can’t be budged, the grip surprisingly strong. It’s these little things that we’ve forgotten over time that Aliya is now reminding us of. She’s really working on her motor skills and figuring out what those little hands attached to her chubby little arms are for. She still likes the finger puzzle (a term we coined when she interlocks her fingers and stairs at them intently wondering how and what they are), but she’s moved on to liking baby rings, watches, and any other baby-hand-sized object to grab, grip, explore, turn around, and bring up to her mouth. Yep, she’s started the quasi-teething. Maybe it’s real teething, but basically she’s started exploring things by sticking them in her mouth and producing inordinate amounts of drool.

Aliya continues to be completely entertained by her sisters. When she sees Keana or Maia dancing or jumping around—or generally acting crazy—she busts out laughing. It is the cutest thing. It’s not just a giggle but more of a bellowing baby laugh. Her sisters love to see how she’ll react almost as much as they love holding and squeezing her. The fact that Aliya’s beginning to sit up better and develop more of her core body strength definitely helps with being held by Keana and Maia who aren’t always, how should we say, stable. Also, Aliya actually enjoys “tummy time” for a while and can roll herself over onto her back when she gets up on her strong little arms. She continues to be very mellow and quite smiley, even to nosey strangers.

In other news, Maia and Keana had their first voluntary sleepover at Grandma Jennie’s house last night. They stayed at Grandma’s when Sarah and I were with Aliya in the hospital in San Francisco, but of course that wasn’t exactly something they chose. So we watched the Giants secure their place in the World Series, then said goodnight. Keana had a little trouble saying goodbye, and we assured her she didn’t have to stay if she didn’t want to, but when Maia decidedly said she wanted to stay and sleep there, Keana quickly decided that was really what she wanted to do too. We took Aliya home and it was very, very quiet. I sort of liked it and sort of didn’t. I was quickly thinking of what life would be like when they started sleeping over at friend’s houses or stayed out late doing who-knows-what. But I did sleep until 8 a.m., with no interruptions, something that hasn’t happened in ages, and it felt great. It seems like the girls had a blast too, so it was a win-win.

Oh, and Keana is on the verge of loosing her first tooth. She has several loose, and this one’s been loose for a while, but it’s finally, almost there. She’s in no hurry to get it out though, and certainly doesn’t want any discomfort, so it’s basically holding on by a proverbial thread. It’s so loose it can stay sideways, but yet she’s not quite ready for it to come out. Of course we don’t want to damage any trust by yanking it out without her permission or her being totally okay with it, so we wait. It’s her tooth, it’s her call. Maybe tomorrow.

development, family

Zooba and Screimsties

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With all this fuss about Little Miss Aliya (a.k.a. Nüni), some of you may be wondering how Keana (a.k.a. Zooba) and Maia (a.k.a. Screimsties a.k.a. Maija) have been adjusting. First, let’s back track briefly (or not-so-briefly) to Aliya’s first week out in the world. During the birth, I was holding Maia most of the time, even while I was on the phone with 911, and Keana was rubbing Sarah’s shoulder, telling her everything was going to be okay. Throughout everything, I was explaining to them what was happening and that we were going to have go to the hospital and they’d stay with Grandma until everything was okay. Even after I left with the ambulance, Jennie (a.k.a. Grandma) said they really took everything in stride. I love that they have that youthful optimism and considering everything that happened that day and that week, they really handled it all amazingly well.

A couple hours after the birth, after Aliya was stabilized and up in the ICU, waiting for transport to UCSF, and Sarah was checked into her own room, Jennie brought the girls over to the hospital. I was able to take each of them individually to visit their new sister and they loved her immediately. Of course there were some questions about the tubes and wires and why Aliya had to stay there, but overall they were curious about the little things. Keana was really impressed with her finger nails and Maia was concerned about the ink on the bottoms of her feet. After a brief visit with Mama in her room, Jennie, Jacque, Keana, Maia, and I headed home so I could pack a bag for UCSF. It wasn’t easy leaving them, but I knew they were in good hands and I knew that our newest baby needed us.

While we were gone, I tried to call them at least once a day and found each time that they were being thoroughly entertained by either Grandma Jennie, Tia (Iana), Grandpa Robert or Nana Cin, Great Grandma Bev, and later Uncle Ryan. I would check in with Keana for a few minutes, and she would ask how Aliya was doing and what I was up to. That would shortly be followed by, “Well Papa, I think I should get back to what I was doing.” I would say okay, I love you, and hang up happy. Maia often wasn’t in the mood to talk and I was totally fine with that. It took a minute, but Iana and Jennie finally got into a good routine getting Maia calmed down before bedtime and sleeping through the night. On Wednesday my mom (a.k.a. Grandma Linda) and Peter (a.k.a. Uncle Pud a.k.a. Uncle Pedie) went from Sacramento to Fresno as reinforcements.

When we finally arrived home on June 24, we found the girls in really great shape considering everything that had happened. We had several nights of Maia throwing tantrums and Keana had a couple breakdowns too, but all-in-all, Sarah and I have been amazed at the girls’ resilience. Now, three weeks after Aliya’s birth, it feels like we’re settling into things as a Pentapod. Sure Maia still screams bloody hell when Sarah’s unavailable and Keana reminds us how fun things were with Tia and Grandma when we were gone, especially with regard to sweets and bed time, but I think they’re actually happy to have their old boundaries back (at least their general moods reflect that). I’m trying to treat this time off as vacation as much as it’s been healing time, so Keana, Maia, and I have been having little adventures while Sarah and Aliya rest. On Wednesdays and Fridays we swim at our neighbor’s pool down the street, we’ve had some trips to the park, and we went to the zoo yesterday for a birthday party, so it’s really been great time together.

Well, I sat down to write about some other fun things that Maia and Keana have been up to, but I better leave at this for now. This is definitely a story that’s going to slowly get filled in, piece-by-piece along the way.

birthdays, family

Pentapod, ride on

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It’s happened. Team Hokama is now five strong. When Maia was born I coined the term Quadripod because there were four of us and we were a pod, like a heard of sea mammals, or tripod but with, um, four legs (plus I just thought it sounded cool). Now of course we’ve graduated to Pentapod status. Aliya Nakine Hokama was born June 18 at 7:41 a.m. via emergency c-section at Fresno Community Regional Hospital. Unfortunately there were some complications with a prolapsed cord, and just four hours after birth she had to be flown to UCSF Children’s Hospital to undergo a 72 hour cooling therapy to prevent damage to her brain. I drove over right behind her and was met and supported by family until Sarah could get there on the following Monday (June 21). That Monday, at 4:30 p.m., they began warming her up slowly, half-a-degree an hour. She was very sleepy at first, which was expected, and her MRI on Tuesday showed a perfect, healthy, little brain. Of course we have to do some follow-ups down the road and keep an eye on her, but so far she is the perfect, fifth member of our team.

Sarah’s family primarily took care of Maia and Keana while we were at UCSF, until we returned home on Thursday, June 24, just less than one week after Aliya was born. My mom Linda and brother Peter had driven down the day before to help out as well, so it was quite a reunion.

We are slowly getting used to being home and being altogether, but Keana and Maia are overjoyed to have their new sister present and healthy. I’m in the process of writing the full birth story and will hopefully have that up here soon as well. And of course, with my time off, I hope to catch up on all the other amazing things Keana and Maia have been up to as well. In the mean time, be sure to check out Aliya’s gallery, and we’ll get her photos and video up on this site soon too.

We want to once again send out our greatest appreciation to our family and friends that have shown so much support and love during this, how should I say, exciting time.