Daddy hits a grand slam in giving Mommy a Happy Birthday!

Red roses, new cozy comforter for these freezing Hawaiian winter nights, sushi dinner(no dishes for mom to have to clean), i tunes gift card (a nice way to tune everyone out and indulge in some all out girlie music), a bottle of Edna Valley Chardonnay, and a sweet happy birthday chorus sung by Madison!

Thanks Shane, you know how to make one happy Mama! I love you.

Madison taking a walk on her beach.

I am so thankful for this special family on my birthday!

Tanner

Tanner Kailua Millard

December 19, 2008
A successful c-section ending with a new beginning.

Madison dropped Mommy off at the hospital and then headed off to her Friday daycare knowing that when she was to return, at the end of her day, she would be a big sister.

A spinal block was administered at 8:00am. Operating room very calm, music playing, coworkers chatting around the patient laying on the operating table in the middle of the room, a night and day difference from the frantic emergency c-section experience. Shane was invited into the sterile room after all of the operating staff were in place and the spinal block had taken effect.

"Do you want me to tell you when they make the incision?" he asks me as I lay vulnerably, arms out and unable to see over the curtain placed between my chest and my abdomen. "Sure," I respond with my surgical cap covering my head. He says, "Well, they already have." Minutes later, 8:28am, shouts of "ITS A GIRL" ring through the operating room. My doctor and pediatrician look at me with mile wide smiles on their faces and I was soon greeted by Dr. Reis, our pediatrician, and Shane down by my head, with my new little daughter.

It was amazing.

Shane and the beautiful baby girl and Dr. Reis wisked off to the nursery for complete inspection of the new life. Meanwhile, back in the operating room, the surgery continues for quite some time as the remaining staff work to gather and replace all of my organs. This was interesting. Often times I find myself in conversations with Dr. Sakuda while working on our patients in the dental office. You know, chit-chat, while you are working. Now, I was on the other side. Chit chat between docs over my opened body! Oh well, at least they were just having another day at the office. Routine c-section. A true blessing.

Madison returned from daycare asking to meet her new baby sister. What a day. We became more of a family for each other to love.

Six more days...

I made it through my last days of work before taking my leave, YAY! Fortunately, my last full day of work consisted of attending a dental conference in Waikiki for INVISALIGN. Yes, now our office has been credentialed to offer invisalign to our patients. You too can have straight teeth, wire-free for $6000. Just come on out and make your appointments today and I will gladly take your impressions, photographs, x-rays, and send them off to the impressive high tech- state of the art factory in Mexico!



It was a well catered event at a beautiful ocean front waikiki hotel. Too bad the entire conference was in a ballroom with no windows. Wierd, huh. Oh well, the lunch was served with panoramic views of Waikiki's famous surf spot with Diamondhead crater off in the distance. Good food and I did win a Starbucks gift card for being an active participant in the breakout session. I guess its about time I win something for being in this profession for ten years.



Anyway, six days and counting....Shane had a great question for his friends of couples with 2+ kids and I would like to now pose it for all. Any recomendations on how to spend the last weekend as parents of one child?