Heart of Maia: Hopeful Heartbeats: Chubby Cheeks...

Before surgery

On Friday afternoon, Maia had her surgery to get a new working catheter and also to get a trach tube put in. We stayed with her until it was surgery time, and I was able to take the trip with her down the elevator and into the entry way of the operating room. As always, I gave her a lil pep talk about being a good girl and not to cause any trouble! The anesthesiologists always seem to laugh when I do this, but I do my best not to pass on any nervous or negative energy I have onto Maia and also the surgical team! So I think they're used to it by now! So I gave her a kiss and told her we love her and that we'll see her soon!... it was now time to not think about the surgery!!! Of course this is easier said than done, so I asked Marcus for some help... it was time to go shopping!

Marcus & Po Bear

Marcus and I had a very successful afternoon of shopping. We finished shopping for gifts and even had time to get him one of his gifts, a police officer bear from the Build-A-Bear store! He was so excited and knew exactly what he wanted... a bear built on the cuddly side (not too firm), dressed as a police officer. So we proudly introduce the newest member of our family, Po Bear Mead. We also experienced a couple of proud parent moments as Marcus came up with the idea of picking out some books as gifts for his baby cousins (anyone younger than himself). He was very specific about the pairing of each story book and baby too! Then on the way home while at a stoplight, we saw a man holding a sign, which Marcus read aloud, "HUNGRY." He asked if we had anything to give him, and I happened to have a couple of kids' z bars with me, so Marcus wanted to give one of them to the man. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to call him over before the light turned green, so Marcus now has a bar set aside in the car, ready to give out, in case we run into any hungry people! We're so happy this little man understands what it means to help and share, not only with family & friends, but to anyone that needs it! With the help of Maia, I think Marcus is finally getting over what we have called "Only Child Syndrome!"

While walking around the mall, we get a call from Dr. McKenzie, the pediatric surgeon replacing the pd catheter. She said her part was done and everything went well. She was able to go through the same incision and simply switch out the old catheter for the new one, with no complications. Maia was still in surgery, having her trach tube put in. So after about a couple of hours of not hearing anything from the Drs, we went home and I checked in with Maia's nurse. Maia was back resting in her room, but the nurse is not allowed to update on surgical procedures, so she would have a Dr. call me back. It wasn't long before Dr. Stephanie Ogawa of the PCICU called. She said Maia was resting comfortably and still sleeping. She now had a new trach tube in place on her neck and her cheeks were now free from tape! It turns out Maia's trach tube size is in between the available sizes they had. So the correct size for her was ordered and would be put in next Friday during the weekly cleaning of her tube. For now she has a smaller one in place which works fine, but the tube on order would probably be more comfortable for her. After her surgery, her blood gases didn't look so good, but after an hour, they were perfect. She just needed some time to adjust. So after that update, we all breathed another sigh of relief and we were able to get a good night's sleep.

Saturday was another busy day for us. We started out by sleeping in, a rare treat for us! Then it was off to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese in Gilroy for one of our niece's 1st birthday! We had a great time catching up with family and friends, and Marcus had a blast, spending most of his time playing games and collecting tickets! But of course our thoughts were all on our baby girl! So then it was off to UCSF for our daily dose of Maia! We were all so excited for this visit and couldn't wait to see her face! We had a feeling she would be sleepy and groggy from being sedated so much, so we didn't expect her to be awake... but of course we didn't mind.

Maia with her new trach tube

We arrived to find Maia sleeping and we all just stared at her beautiful face! Her nurse, Mina, explained all the changes and updates regarding her recovery from surgery. Then the respiratory therapist explained the parts of the trach tube and how it worked. Then to our surprise, Maia woke up... she probably heard everyone talking about her! Once again she was very alert and tried to grab at her tubes, just as she always does! Her nurse said that she's actually been awake off and on during the day and has been very comfortable that she didn't need much pain medication. We think this is all due to her high pain tolerance! Anyway, it was unfortunately a short visit because we were off to another party... our annual Mendoza Kris Kringle Party! Hopefully next year Maia will be able to join in on all the fun and festivities!! For now, Maia celebrates with everyone in spirit! Enjoy the pics!