By September 19, '07

What a blessing for me to be able to hold Lyon for the first time on this trip to Honolulu. He is making such great progress, as of today, September 19, '07 with the nurse reporting that he is now at 3 lbs 10.6 oz. ( 1 kg 664 gr. ). This is such great news. He's getting closer to coming home to Kauai.......the moment we are all waiting for.

Moving On & Special Moment

9-17-07
Today Lyon graduated from the "Critical Care" nursery to the Intermediate nursery in the NICU. This is huge because it means he is well on his way out the door.

Today was a memorable day because Grandpa Tom and Abuelita (translated: good-looking grandma) Carmen celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. To top that off, Abuelita held her first grandchild for the first time ever today. Wow, what a moment to celebrate!

Yet Another Big Step!

Today Lyon made 3bls 8oz. He is being moved from his isolette to a flat-bed crib. This means that he meeting one of his requirements to go home, which is maintaining his body temperature outside the isolette. So now he gets to sleep in the little crib with his little beanie hat, onesy outfit, socks, blanket and a little heat-lamp over him.

Another Big Step!

Today Lyon graduated from the C-Pap breathing machine to High-Flow Nasal Canula (sorry about spelling). This means he doesn't have to wear that snorkel-gear looking piece that you see in all the pictures and instead he has two small prongs that just go into his nostrils to give him a little breathing support. This also means that after he graduates from this he will be breathing on his own. Finally...Respitory Freedom!!

A dear friend of mine from New Zealand sent me a card today with this saying I wanted to share:
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitaki, engari he toa takitini." Basically, this translates to "my strength is not of a single warrior but that of many." It relates to any situation where the combined efforts of many are needed to complete a project, and in this case, for all the people who have helped us and been praying for Lyon. Thank you!

Good News!

Aloha & Kia Orana Friends and Family,
Here are the long-awaited new pictures from the last couple weeks with Lyon. He is slowly looking more like a little baby rather than a micro-preemie!

We had a meeting with the Neonatologist yesterday and he said that Lyon is making "phenomenal" progress, his growth and weight gain are meeting expectations. Also, The best news of the day was that we should be able to take Lyon home in 3-5 weeks!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! His eyes are also looking better-there are no signs of ROP (an eye condition common/prone to preemies). As of today, Lyon is 3lbs 5 ounces and strong as ever. He has very big hands and long fingers for his size. You can guess where he got those. We are very excited about the progress he is making and promise to keep more pictures coming.

Kia kaha little son...
Ariki & Marie