Friends in CHARGE

These two melt my heart. 

They have been friends since babies. 

Hannah and I would refer to them as Two Peas in a Pod. 

It is obvious that Moriah and Vivian adore one another. 

 After years, this was the first time that Moriah finally got to go over to Vivian's house to play with her. 

 And they did what they both love to do most...read books! 

 This day was a special occasion. Our other dear friends, the Dodds, came up to visit from Los Angeles. We have all leaned on one another for support and encouragement over the years...we have formed a sisterhood. 

 It doesn't hurt that one of our sisters, Catherine Dodd, is one of the top photographers in Southern California...and she came just in time to do our Christmas photos =)

 Sweet Reuben should have been sitting in the middle of these two ladies

 But, lucky for him, his brother, Callum saved him =)

 And just a couple for the books. Simply because we don't know when the next time would be before we all get together again. 

 It was so nice knowing they all share in our sheer and utter chaos that we call life. 

I love you ladies, and I'm honored to know your children.

Thank you for your friendship over the years. 

A Sweet Day

Today, Jadon and I met up with our sweet friends, Hannah and Luke at Sweet Retreat - I told you it was a sweet day. The frozen yogurt was absolutely delish and the company was even better.

I had this picture taken because it was such a special moment for me to have this Mama-and-Son date with my dear friends...it felt like a turning point in my journey of motherhood...for so many different reasons. And it is, once again, comforting having a friend like Hannah walking alongside with me. I love you H-Banana.

And since you can't see him in the above picture, here is a better shot of my sweet guy

Justin said that I was making him look too nerdy. Thus, he puffed up Jadon's hair into a faux hawk to make him look cool.

I combed it back down during bath tonight =)

And to top off the day, both my kids went to bed early tonight. Yes!

Goodnight and sweet dreams...

Family and Friends

We've had some really great moments with family and friends this past week, which I thought I would share with you.

Last week, my mom flew up for several days, and during her time here, we went to afternoon tea - this is one of our all time favorite mother-daughter bonding experiences.


Also, before leaving for her flight, Moriah must have known that her Maji was going because she clung to her and gave her lots and lots of hugs. It was one of the most precious things I had seen as she just sat there hugging my mom. Don't worry pumpkin, Maji will be back next month!


Over the weekend, Justin and I went to the Stanford Shopping center - our old stomping grounds - and had lunch with the Williams Family, who has been such an incredible support to us since we've been in the hospital. Last time we had seen Jen, Rod, and Reagan was one year ago. This little darling girl has just blossomed since then! Please keep Reagan and her family in your prayers as she is in recovery from her final heart repair - she came out of surgery at 1 AM this morning!!! Towards the end of Reagan's surgery, she was having a hard time being taken off of the bypass machine and they were talking about putting her on ECMO. Fortunately she didn't need it. Jen, God is Good! You can visit their blog to keep updated.
Jen and Reagan


And last but not least, we have the Two Peas in a Pod. Vivian and Moriah haven't seen each other since M was in the CVICU last year, so this was such a treat to meet them outside of CRC. It worked out perfectly as M had her trach collar trial so that we could go outside easily.

Hannah and Viv with M

Holding hands

Can't you just see the pod around them?
Shoulda put them in green =)

We love you guys!

From Vivian To Moriah

One Pea sending her love to the other.
A Get-Well Video from our Vivian.
*"La-La" means Love*



Thank you Hannah, Vince, and Vivian. We love you guys, and are amazed by your everlasting support. We couldn't ask for better friends. =)

Lunch with the Girls

Today, I went to lunch with my dear friends, Hannah and Vivian. You all know them by now ;-)
This was a belated Birthday lunch for Hannah. We ate the most delicious toasted almond chicken salads at Joanie's Cafe (I find every reason in the world to come here and eat this salad) and watched Vivian chow down on her black beans and bread. Vivian was such a big girl and even joined our conversations, mentioning "la la" here and there. It was so enjoyable to have lunch with the girls...a treat that I haven't enjoyed in ages, and I appreciated every minute of it. Thank you sweet Hannah and Viv for a wonderful afternoon.


And since Moriah moved to a different room that is more accessible, I was able to "sneak" Vivian in to see her other half!!! This topped off my day to have the girls see each other once again (the last time was end of January). Look at these cutie patooties!

I just have to say that Moriah is turning into quite the Mama's girl, which I'm loving. I'm definitely going to remember this because I don't know how long it's going to last. Thanks for capturing this moment, Hannah.


And lastly, a Happy Birthday to Teta Jenna! We love you!

Moriah Meets Her Other Half, Vivian

Uncle Vince, Auntie Hannah, and their sweet, precious Vivian, came to say good-bye to us yesterday. This was also the first time that Moriah was able to meet Vivian, her other half. I know so many of you already know that Hannah and I call the girls two peas in a pod because they are similar in so many ways - not only do they share similar medical experiences like having heart surgeries performed by Dr. Hanley as well as the diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome, but they share such a love for life, laughing, smiling, playing, and loving everyone they meet.
Yesterday, the girls wore their I Heart Dr. Hanley t-shirts (well, we taped Moriah's to her since she can only wear button-up clothes because of her lines), and we let them look at each other for the first time. While they're too young to know it yet, Vivian and Moriah are going to be by each other's side, taking everyone and everything on - TOGETHER. Each other's "other half," two peas in a pod. A bond that only they could share after all that they have been through. We love you girls so much, Vivian and Moriah. You make us all so proud!

Miss Vivian in performance mode, making everyone laugh

Uncle Vince, Auntie Hannah, and Vivian with Moriah


Can you tell they both love their feet? =)


A special moment that Hannah and I have waited for since forever!
The four of us on this journey together...

Highlights of the Past Few Weeks (Starting with Today)

From Intubation

to CPAP machine

to High-flow Nasal Cannula!!!!
Just yesterday, Moriah was extubated successfully, being put on the CPAP machine right away to give her the extra support. Today, they had her on the high-flow nasal cannula for an hour of exercise, and she tolerated it really well. They will continue to do these exercises until they feel ready enough to switch her over completely from CPAP to the cannula. We have been holding our breaths since yesterday, praying for Moriah's lungs to stay open and strong - so far, so great!!


Our favorite Respiratory Therapist, Lisa! Lisa has played a big role in Moriah's stay here in the CVICU, doing whatever she can to get Moriah in tip top shape for extuabation. Well, just yesterday, Moriah was extubated, and knowing that Lisa was there with her the whole time, made all the difference to Justin and I. Not only do we love Lisa, but Moriah will give her a smile and kiss every time she comes by. Thank you Lisa for taking such great care of our girl!



Thanks to our family friend, Katie, Vivian now has the only other I Heart Dr. Hanley t-shirt, just like her other half ;-) Look out world, here come Vivian and Moriah!

We got to see Hannah and Vivian, and finally had the chance to meet their good friends, Erin, and Erin's daughter, Hannah. On a weekly basis, our sweet Hannah brings meals for us to enjoy (she is quite the gourmet chef!), and Erin and her family have also participated, setting us up with food for a week once! We thank you both for all of your love and support, and for making this hospital stay go by easier. We are incredibly thankful for friends like you.


We got a new night Primary Nurse! Her name is Christen, and loves on our sweet girl so much. She handles all our calls at night so well, never making us feel like we're a bother (even though I'm sure we are ;-) ). It's just really comforting to know that the nurse who is taking care of your baby is so kind and warm, not only to Mom and Dad, but also to Moriah. We love you Christen!


We had a visit from Lacey and her son, Lucas, who also has CHARGE syndrome like Moriah. Lucas was life-flighted to LPCH when he was born due to a severe congenital heart defect, and was here for quite some time. Now, Lucas is 6 1/2 years old, and is doing great. He wrote a card for Moriah that says Lucas Loves Moriah, and was so sweet to give us hugs, but most of all, hope and inspiration by how far he has come.


We are very lucky to have such loving, supportive friends. Melinda, Chris, and their daughter Ainsley drove up for the day to come see us, and be with us on the day of Moriah's surgery. Ainsley is 2 1/2 years old, and is the sweetest thing! She not only greeted us with great big hugs, she blew kisses to Moriah after surgery. We love you guys, and thank you for coming. Still can't believe you did the 12 hour drive in one day with a toddler! =)


Uncle Jon's good friend, Tina (the one in the middle), and her friends visited us during their trip to San Francisco. Ever since Moriah was born, Tina has always been so sweet to come and visit our girl in the hospital. Moriah finally had her eyes open for her because every single time Tina has been by, she's been sleeping. Thank you Tina for thinking of us during your fun and exciting road trip to San Fran! =)



And three days after her plication surgery, Moriah is sitting up and looking as cute as ever! (Thanks Nurse Jackie for doing her side ponytail - 80's is coming back ;-) )

Meeting Miss Vivian!!!

Well, we had a wonderful morning meeting Moriah's other half, Miss Vivian! Viv is almost 16 months now, and is just as cute, adorable, goofy, lovable, and FEISTY as Moriah, hence, the two peas in a pod. Not to mention, she has two amazing parents, Hannah and Vince. Anyway, Vivian had to have surgery yesterday to open up her nasal passage so that she could breathe better, and she was admitted here at LPCH. Justin and I had so much fun hugging her, watching her point at everything, and best of all, we loved how she just fell asleep right on her mommy's lap (Viv, you've really got to teach Moriah that trick). We love you so much sweet girl!





Vivian's sweet note to Moriah ;-)

Hannah, Vivian's Mommy

And thank you to our friend who we've been waiting to meet ever since we came across Benbo blog (link below). This is our dear friend Hannah, who also has a daughter, Vivian, whose had heart surgery by Dr. Hanley. This is a family that we've met along this journey, and have had an immediate connection with because not only do we share such a similar path in life, us mamas think our daughters are like two peas in a pod. If you read up on both Vivian and Moriah's blogs, you will be able to see the cute, sassy, goofy, and not to mention diva-like ways of both girls.
Yesterday we were blessed and honored to finally have met Hannah in person. She and I hugged each other and cried, feeling already like sisters, and sharing an unspoken bond that only moms who have such special babies can understand...
To top it off, Hannah came bearing some of the most precious gifts we have received. The time, thought, and effort put into these mean more to us than I can put into words...

Mommies having a moment

Wait until we get Vivian into this mix! Watch out Stanford!

Now these are the tearjerkers - hand-embroidered and hand made gifts by Hannah. The one is a bag with Moriah's name, and two peas in a pod. And the other, if you look closely, is a baby blanket, with two little baby girls sitting in a pea pod. I need another tissue as I'm writing this. Vivian and Moriah haven't even met, but already have so much in common. From their personalities to their amazing life experiences. These girls are for sure each other's "other half"...


And to complete the bag and blanket, Hannah brought one of the squirrels that hung on Vivian's bed as she recovered from her heart surgery in the CVICU, cute cupcake socks, Vivian's favorite book, and a little sumthin' sumthin' for Mommy and Daddy - a starbucks gift card. Yah! Oh yeah, plus dinner, to die for cupcakes, and snacks.

Hannah, thank you again for everything, and I can't wait to meet Vivian next week as she comes here for her surgery.
We love you guys!