Maui - Spring Break 2021

Aloha!

After 1 year of lockdown we’ve started to see some sense of normalcy. That includes travel again and living on the west coast means Hawaii is a short 5 hour flight away. Seriously, why did it take us 5 years to do this.

We opted to start spring break early and jetted off to Maui for an extended vacation. 5 days at the Westin in Lahaina and 5 days in Kihei at an AirBNB across from Kamole Beach II.

Hawaii Logistics

Nothing says paradise like landing at an open air airport bathed in sunshine and palm trees. Before leaving Oakland we had to take care of a few logistics. First, covid test. We opted for CityHealth by the Oakland airport. Most was paid by insurance but we got a “Hawaii stamp” for $20 extra. Not fully sure but I think that got us the results on an official Hawaii travel document which made upload and detection by ‘the system’ easier. We made an appointment about 3 weeks ahead of time and went almost exactly 72 hrs before our flight. (Note it’s 72 hrs before final travel leg, so if you aren’t taking a direct flight make sure you check all the rules on the travel Hawaii website. Also check here for other official testing sites). Turns out our tests came back within about 18 hours. The safe travels Hawaii site requires every adult to create an account, add your trip details, upload your negative covid tests (also print and carry), and then 24 hrs before takeoff fill out a health questionnaire. At that point you’ll get a QR code and you definitely want to have this on your phone and printed. I added the kids to my account. Once at the airport, Southwest had a preclear station which allowed us to show our docs and get a clearance wristband. This in turn let us skip the long clearance line once we landed. Which was pretty awesome.

On the way out of the airport we did a few quick stops at Target, Walmart and Costco. When we went Costco only had big adult size boogie boards, and it turned out target only had sand toys, so we had to do the Walmart stop for boogie boards. Fortunately they are all close so total it was only like 45 minutes. I would opt for Walmart first as they had whole rows for boogie boards, snorkel gear, and sand stuff. We brought with us tubes, snorkel gear for all, and a few sand toys and at the store bought a few more sand buckets and body boards. Also we had rash guards for the kids but I wound up getting another long sleeve for each of them as they wore those most. The sun is really intense here so we wound up using SPF 50 vs 25 (our normal).

Westin Maui & Kannapali

Our first half of the trip was spent at the Westin. Lahaina and Kannapali is a great area and the Westin is right next door to Whalers Village and a short walk down the beach to black rock. Overall the resort is very nice and incredibly pricy (you even have to pay to get beach chairs or umbrellas). As resorts go, Cancun is a much better value if you have kids. Now that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a great time, it just means we spent a lot of $$ to do so. I also spent a few early mornings getting up at 5:45 to reserve pool chairs (towels and stuff set on the chair to claim it). They say they will clear your stuff if you leave it for more than 1 hour but I never saw them do that and people stay at their spots for nearly the full day. The days we didn’t get up to reserve pool chairs we just played on the beach first then grabbed a small grass patch by the pool until something opened up. No big deal.

We spent 4 full days here, plus half the first day, lying by the beach, playing in the pool, snorkeling at black rock, and digging in the sand. Max took to the ocean like a fish and enjoyed the waves and playing on the boogie board. He took a few rough tumbles the first few days that resulted in a few tears, but he soon picked it up. I took a few rough spills myself and one bad butt burner. Thank goodness for rash guard shirts. All along the beach there are different spots from the calmest waves to surf-able ones if you’re so inclined. I did want to get Max surf lessons but he was having enough fun on the body boards we didn’t do that. At this point Jesse refused to get in the ocean and even the minimal snorkeling he did at black rock was a 20 minute coax to get him in. The kids used the full face snorkel masks which I got on Amazon before arriving and I brought our own life jackets too.

While we spent time at the beach in front of the hotel, we also drove down to Wahikuli Wayside Park one morning. The surf here was really calm and it was nice to get away from the resort crowd for a few hours in the morning. We also snorkeled here which was pretty good (go in by the rocks on the left side) and we even saw our first turtle! Jesse wanted nothing to do with snorkeling this day, but Max, Jeremy and I saw it. Also, when snorkeling, carry your fins into the water before putting them on. Take them off before fully getting out. Walking in fins is impossible.

Back at the Westin, the pools at the resort were really nice. This is where every afternoon was spent. They have two kids slides and two big pools, one of which had a cave grotto, and one other adult pool. The hot tub was closed due to Covid. The grotto was this cool cave area with bubbles and a popular hangout spot with our kids. We used the body boards, tubes, and diving sticks in the pool. We were also gifted a small football but I should have thought to bring one. Max made a few friends throughout the week at the pool and when waiting for dinner and people were pretty safe and respectful with masks and distancing. He even told some kids he could only play if they put on masks, which they did!

At the resort, dining options were limited due to Covid which made everything dining a bit challenging. Unfortunately I didn’t make any reservations before we left. I should have done that at the Hula Grill and other places in Whalers. The food at the beach/pool side restaurant at the resort was really good so we did that one night and practically each day for lunch by the pool. Did I mention the delicious Mai Tai’s? The ahi nachos and fish tacos were also delicious. We also wound up doing takeout at Hula Grill, the burger is soooo good, and did wait 2 hrs one night for dinner at Lahaina Grill, which honestly wasn’t really worth it. For breakfast we did the resort once, good but very $$, and Island Coffee in Whalers Village a few times. A few tips, Island Coffee is really good but you have to be there at 6:35 for a 7am opening, less you’ll wait for like an hour plus. Or go much later at like 9:30/10. They have a great Island Latte and these Açaí bowls that people freak out about. I mean they are good, but it’s basically a smoothie bowl with fruit and granola. Hopefully as Covid cases reduce more dining options will open. It was a real struggle to find options and especially dinner without a reservation. Fortunately most of that frustration melted away with the incredibly delicious Mai Tai’s, beautiful grounds, nice pool, white sand beach, and the roll of the ocean.

Whale Watching

While on this side of the island we also did a whale watching tour. We went with Makai tours but also considered Ultimate Whale Watching. Both are smaller boats so you are close to the water and they have a max of 24, which was limited to 12 during COVID. Unfortunately it was nearly the end of whale watching season so we didn’t see much. A few backs, 2-3 tails, and some playing. Jesse loved the fast boat, Max like it but eventually took a nap. At the very end we did see a baby whale breach several times which was really cool, but it was far away and the area was already ‘crowded’ with two other boats. I wish our driver would have taken us closer but he said our time was up and he didn’t want to get close to the other boats. I personally think they could have spared the 5 minutes to take us over which would have made the experience really special. I could just imagine what that would have been like for the folks on those closer boats. I liked our guides but that they wouldn’t give us 5 minutes at the end to see the breaching closer makes me not want to use them again. However, I would do a small boat again for sure and would try the Ultimate Whale Watching company next time. (Also, for reference, this company also does private tours that are nearly similar in price). Also going before April, more in the winter season, would definitely increase your chances. Not really their fault we didn’t see much. A few other facts, there is no parasailing on Maui during whale season and the slip that is a few down from Makai is a fishing carter that does small group kids fishing. They were completely booked when we found out and I wish I caught their name, but it’s around slip 13-15(?) and I would definitely do this for the kids next time.

After whale watching we walked around downtown Lahaina and ate lunch at Down The Hatch near the Paia Fish Market. It was so good. (We did get to eat at Paia Fish Market in Kihei which was also tasty). Back at the resort we swam for a bit before calling it a night.

Luau

While at the Westin we also did the luau one night for dinner. This is the same one Jeremy and I did nearly 10 years ago. The kids seemed to mostly enjoy it and loved the fire part. Tables are assigned based on when you book, so considering I booked 3 weeks out we had decent seats.

A final note about the resort, each morning at 9am the wildlife guy lets the kids feed the koi fish and flamingos. The flamingos will actually eat right out of your hand! Max and Jesse loved this and did it several times. Also they will let you hold the parrots each afternoon during non-Covid times.

Oh yea, about those koi ponds. Yea, during family picture night, Jesse fell in one! This was really a lesson learned experience for him. I knew he wasn’t going to drown, it wasn’t too deep, and I saw it coming. Sometimes they just have to learn on their own.

Nakalele Blowhole & West Maui

On the 5th day it was time to leave the Westin. Overall it was a good stay but I would do 3 full days here instead of 4, especially if you are moving to another part of the island. I liked the resort but the lack of people and easier dining in Kihei couldn’t be beat. In fact, I could easily do 6 days in Kihei!

This day we drove around the west side of the island before making our way down to Kihei. We stopped to snorkel at Kapalua Bay for about and hour (coral, fish, and a turtle!) and then stopped by the Nakalele blowhole. Kapalua Bay was good for snorkeling plus they had a restroom and shower, which was nice.  For the blowhole, I would recommend parking at MM 38 and hiking in from here. We did that almost 10 years ago. It was already 3:30 so we stopped at 38.5 and hiked down (shorter) but then wound up doing half the hike backward anyway. This area isn’t just about the blowhole, though that is amazingly cool, even at low tide, but the hiking and rocks around the area are so unique. This is because they’ve been blasted with ocean spray for years. The area gets the nickname ‘Acid Warzone’ and you can easily tell why. They kids thought it was so cool. The rest of the drive around the island was so beautifully stunning.

Kihei

We ended in Kihei and checked into our AirBNB. We stayed at Kihei Kai Nani rentals and even thought it was across from Kamole Beach II we wound up walking the short distance to Kamole Beach I each day. It was a little bigger and
just beautiful. Though we did do sunset at II and honestly never made it down to Kamole III which is more rocky but bigger waves for ‘advanced’ body boarding, nor did we make it to Turtle Town Maui for snorkeling. More on all that later. Our place was Building 9 number 174. It was in the back of the complex but the walk turned out to be just fine. The place itself was... interesting. It claims to sleep 4 but that’s gotta be only two adults and two kids. The kids slept on the big couch which wasn’t a pull out bed, but more of a double wide couch like my parents had in the 80’s. I couldn’t see any adult being happy to sleep on it. One of the issues with airBNB that you have to be careful of. And once we got past a few issues (door not locking, practically no silverware, one extra pillow) we settled in and it was a fine place to call home for 5 nights. I was happy it had a washer/dryer in the unit. The pool at the complex wasn’t a Westin resort but was nice enough for late afternoon swims after the beach and we were glad to have it.

We spent 3 full days in Kihei at Kamole Beach I. We choose this beach to start because it was the calmest and
biggest, but found we loved it so much we came here each day. The snorkeling was pretty good along the left side with lots of coral, sea creatures, fish, and even a turtle. Clearly this is the turtles home because he made the rounds on the beach every day, several times a day. We got very used to seeing him and “swimming” with him. The sand here is amazingly soft and the water is crystal clear and decently warm. A rash guard top helps keep warm but not necessary. The first day here I had to practically drag Jesse into the water. I got him out beyond the break, and... he loved it! For the next three days I could barely keep him out of the ocean! We packed snack lunches most days and spent the morning though early afternoon laying in the sun, building sand castles, snorkeling, and playing in the ocean. We had body boards and tubes too and brought a beach blanket from home along with two towels, though the condo had an umbrella we used and some towels, I was glad to have our own. Plug here for those sand cloud towels. For $55 I was skeptical but for some reason finally bought one. So glad I did. This thing really is awesome.  The sand literally falls off it.

The last day at the beach got pretty windy early and stayed that way much of the day so we didn’t stay as long but it was so peaceful, empty, and still lovely. The last day, that windy one I just mentioned, we rented a stand up paddle board from a shop just down the way. Well, maybe should have thought of that on day one or two instead. Ha. It was $35 for the day. We wound up walking it down the beach and boarding back down because it was impossible to paddle up wind. The kids came out with us and rode on the front. Note that most days got windy around 2-3pm not this early.

While in Kihei we ate at Paia Fish Market, Coconuts Fish Cafe (omg the coconut shrimp and fish tacos), Maui fish and chips (lunch, yum), Miso Phat Sushi (so fresh) and Ami Ami. We also ate at Maui brewing company which was really not good. For breakfast we cooked in the condo but I also made a daily walk to one of the local pastry places like the Maui Bread Company or the Cinnamon Roll Place. Yum! Also check out the gelato by the Maui Bread Company and
the shaved ice stand just down the way. Can’t miss it.

Also while we were in Kihei it was Easter, so of course I had to have some kind of easter basket for the kids.  I took these foldable drawer organizers and used those (though I likely could have grabbed baskets at Target).  I also brought along eggs for an egg hunt at the condo and even snagged an awesome Maui hook keychain for each earlier on the trip.  Though they loved the candy, of course, the books were the big hit of the baskets this year.

Road to Hana

Pipiwai Trail & Pools of Ohe'o

Our second day in Kihei we did the Road to Hana. We opted to go backward because I really wanted to do the Pools of Ohe’o (seven sacred pools) and Pipiwai Trail both at Haleakala National Park Kipahulu entrance. The pools themselves you can’t swim in partly due to Covid and also because it’s the wet season which means flash flooding. The waters were raging! The Pipiwai trail was really cool. We made it to the bamboo forest (~1 mile up, 2 miles round trip) then turned back. The whole thing is 4 miles around trip but the kids weren’t into it and I didn’t want to fight it. Seriously this trail is really cool... and muddy. I bought some ‘water’ keens for myself and the kids which are a bit different than the Newport Keens ones and they dry pretty quick. On the trail were also some mango trees and Max had himself a fresh snack which was so delicious. Can’t get any fresher than off the tree!

Hana Lava Tube

After the hike we continued around to Hana where we grabbed a bite to eat from a food truck and then hit up the Hana Lava tube. $12.50/pp cash only. While Jeremy and I have done this before, it was new for the kids. They loved it and thought it was so cool.

Waterfalls

Rounding out the drive we stopped by a few water falls but didn’t do any more hikes. It was already approaching 4 when we left the lava tube. I had hopes of doing twin falls which I haven’t seen yet, but time was too short. It was already going to be a late night. We checked out some like the Upper Waikani Falls (aka Three Bears) and Upper Hanawi Falls and Makapipi Falls which is super cool cause you view it from the top. Check out the Maui guide book and this link for waterfalls to see and hike along the way. There’s likely also an app too. There’s so much to see it’s impossible all in one day, even a 12 hour day. Next time we will definitely do Twin Falls (mile marker 2 so easy to do if you don't want to do the whole road), the bamboo forest, Ching’s pond, black sand beach, and a repeat of some past hikes.

Sunset

As we close out the trip I’m so happy we came. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined and the time away with the kids on a true vacation was much needed after a year of home school, home working, and seeing each other 24/7.  We finished the trip watching sunset on Kamole Beach II in a very similar way to how we ended our Hawaii trip nearly 9 1/2 years ago. 

The Next Trip

Somehow 10 days in beautiful sunny Maui just didn’t seem enough. Alas, the real world calls. We will be back soon!

Next trip I’d do 3 full days at a resort, more for the kids than me, and 6 full days in Kihei.  I'd also go whale watching again, a hike in the Iao valley, hike the Twin Falls on the road to Hana and try to see sunrise or sunset on Haleakala. Not to mention checking out Kamole Beach III and Turtle Town Maui and beaches down that way. Ahh, so much to do, so little time.

Some things to remember if you’re coming. Bring or plan to buy sand toys, body boards, snorkel gear, beach towels, beach blanket, beach umbrella, beach bags, medium weight sweatshirt (nights are cool and breezy), pants or leggings, long dresses, soft cooler, beach bottles for water, underwater camera and a pool ball/football. If you go up Haleakala bring warm clothes like a puffy and gloves. It’s cold! For sunrise you must reserve 7 days in advance and I’m pretty sure people have bots to snatch up the tickets cause I tired each day and it was impossible. I bet sunset would be just as beautiful or book with a tour company. Last time we did sunrise and Ike riding down which was amazing. Not really an option with the kids but as adults it was super fun.

Mahalo for reading!  

Check out my blog from 2011 to see what our honeymoon trip was like. 

Also check out these links for snorkeling here and here.

Yosemite

After nearly 2 years, I've realized that I really miss having a blog.  Specifically to document and remember places we've visited and highlights from our travels and to share those with others. As my two children scream at each other in the background, I'm also reminded why I haven't blogged in years.  <breathe>

Yosemite

Aside from wildly high home values, expensive food, wild fires and earthquakes, living in California does have some advantages; namely being in close proximity to amazing sights such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite.  This post focuses on our travels over the past three years to Yosemite and why it's now become our summer go-to for a long weekend.

Lodging

In the busy season, you must book a year in advance and even then it's super tricky.  Get up at 5am and have a go at it, especially if you are picky.  We've stayed at both Curry Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge (YVL).  We've visited and eaten at the Ahwahnee, though I find the price not worth what you get to stay here.  Plus, do you want opulence or nature?  If you're in Yosemite, I would think you're opting for nature.  At Curry we prefer to stay in either the Stoneman Lodge (a series of rooms in a building set motel style) or in a cabin with a bathroom.  Both located central to Curry Village and next to each other.  The Stoneman has carpet, otherwise I'm neutral on both.  If you're staying at Yosemite Valley Lodge, ask for a room on a back side facing the mountains or the waterfall.  The family rooms are great if you have kids and can secure one, though last time we had a double/double and it worked out just fine.  Note that the Yosemite Valley Lodge has TV and better wifi, but again, what are you here for?  As for camping, we haven't done that, but there are sites everywhere.  Both Curry and YVL have a swimming pool, with my preference being YVL pool because of the views of the falls while you're swimming.

Note: 2020 was a strange year.  COVID had nearly everything shut down and we were extremely lucky to have reservations for two weekends (one at Curry and one at YVL) which I'd booked a year in advance.  There were restricted visitors to the park, basically no camping, pools were closed, and there were no buses.  For us it was AMAZING to be there and I don't think we will ever have a chance to see it this empty again.  Part of the reason we went back a second time this year.

Getting Around

During the 2020 season, buses were not running.  That left a few options.  1) drive, find a parking lot, park, then walk.  2) walk everywhere (though the valley is quite large).  3) bike.  During our 2019 visit we brought bikes for the first time.  It was AMAZING.  Why in the world had we never done this before.  Biking is BY FAR the best way to get around the valley, even when buses are running... especially when buses are running.  Hop on, bike where you want to go, lock up bike, hike, bike back.  No waiting for buses, no crowding, no schedule.  Easy peasy.  The kids absolutely LOVE biking around the park.  The first year we did this, we had a third wheel setup on one bike and a trailer on the other.  This year both kids were on bikes.  Not only is biking the easiest way to get around, but the views are breathtaking.  Hands down you need to bike the park.  If you aren't brining your own bike, rent them from either Curry Village or YVL.  (note, the pricing is quite expensive but still worthwhile).  Also, worth noting, neither place sold 29" tubes, so bring extra if you're riding a 29'er.

Hiking

Yosemite is filled with wonderful hikes.  The first year we visited we made our way up to Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point.  Both are great, but for me a bit far for a day drive.  We did enjoy seeing them, but if you have limited time, I prefer to stay in the valley, so I won't mention those more in this post.  

Before I get into the hikes within the valley, I'll talk about Mariposa Grove.  During the 2020 season there were no busses running, so the only access was the 4 mile round trip up the trail from the Mariposa visitor center.  Note that Mariposa Grove is located near the southern entrance, so it is about a 1-1.15 hr drive from the valley.  We enjoyed the hike up to the grove even though it was more crowded than I expected.  Actually, it was the most crowded hike we did all summer.  The cool part of this hike was finding the sugar pinecones.  They were huge!  The hike takes you to the top of the grove (normally accessed by bus) and drops you at the loop to the giant redwoods and sequoias.  Given we were doing the 4 mile round trip, we only opted to do the short loop at the top.  However, it would be interesting to take the bus to the top and then do a longer hike.  

In the valley there are so many great hikes.  First and easiest is Lower Yosemite Falls trail.  Although poorly marked, bikes are not allowed on this trail, and for good reason, it will get crowded.  (Note, this photo taken in 2020 during COVID).  Every time we visit we walk this loop.  It's super short and stunning.  During the busy season I love going in the early morning before the crowds come.  Near the falls are some great places to duck off trail and wade into the river.  Note, only do this where allowed.  You can find some sunny and shady spots and we will often spend an hour or two just hanging out here. 

Another great easy trail is Mirror Lake trail.  This was a new one for us this year and although we went in late summer when it was dried up, it was still really fun and relaxing.  During the early summer I'm told the lake provides a perfect reflection of half dome.  We walked the loop, picked reeds, made little reed baskets, made a stick broom, and enjoyed the nature.  After the loop (about 2 miles) we were going to hang at the water, but it was a bit too crowded for us, so instead we climbed down the rocks near the bike parking and hung there for a bit.  To get to Mirror Lake trailhead, follow the bike trail around the valley, past Curry Village.  While you can access Mirror Lake from a trailhead close to the Mist Trail start, we kept biking around and got a bit closer before hiking, since we weren't interested in doing a very long hike this day.

An absolute favorite trail for us is the Mist Trail.  This trail takes you up Vernal Falls and up to Nevada if you choose.  We've done this trail a few times and by far the best time to go is early summer.  The falls are flowing and the river raging.  After getting to the footbridge (about 1/2 mile in, if I remember correctly), you can head up to the left and start hiking the steps up the side of Vernal Falls.  Note, you will get wet.  Very Wet.  We took ponchos both years and the kids were very happy to have them, though we were still wet.  The hike is steep and can get slippery.  Watch yourself and kids.  Getting to the top of Vernal is very rewarding, very fun, and there is a large area to spread out and view the falls from the top, have a snack, and relax a bit.  From here, if you aren't heading up to Nevada falls (which we haven't done yet) the best way down is to go around the backside, and hike down the John Muir trail.  This brings you back down to to the footbridge where you can then head back out the last part of the trial.  The round trip from start of the trail at the street and back is about 4.5 miles.  It is steep in sections and can be strenuous.  Look at a map before going.  Note that as you round the backside at the top of Vernal Falls there is a section of the trail that is very exposed to the sun.  Reapply sunscreen and wear a hat.  This is also why I recommend starting this trail by 8am (plus to avoid the crowds).

Finally, I'll mention the meadow hike.  The meadows near YVL are just breathtaking.  Start at YVL and walk around toward swinging bridge, hook a left and head around the meadow.  We bike this quite a few times each visit because it's so beautiful.  Note, if you go near sunset you can get amazing views of the magic glow of half dome from the meadow and also from sentinel bridge.  

Swimming

Writing about the meadow reminds me of swimming.  There are a lot of great spots along the Merced River (you'll see them as you're biking around). The beach at swinging bridges is a favorite, easy to get to from YVL and a great place to hang in the afternoon sun.  Grab a few beers and snacks (and water) from the YVL gift shop and head over to the water.  From here you can lounge on the beach (mostly small rocks, but also some sandy spots) and look at the beautiful cliffs and Yosemite Valley Falls.

There is also a small beach area near Curry Village which is super fun to hang at as well.  We've spent hours along the Merced river, just basking in the nature, getting away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, and just relaxing. 

Note one beach we haven't yet visited but we want to is cathedral beach.  That will be one saved for the 2021 season. 

Floating the River

Another fun activity to do is floating the Merced river.  Normally (aka not 2020) you can sign up early at Curry Village to rent tubes and float the river.  This rental includes a bus that will take you back once you get to swinging bridges or sentinel beach.  I'm told you if you have your own tubes you can also just pay for the bus back (maybe $5-6/pp).  

For 2020 we took our own tubes (River Run brand) and used the car/bike shuttle method.  Jeremy dropped us off with the tubes at Curry Village, drove back to drop off the car at YVL (you can also try parking at swinging bridges though the parking lot gets crowded), biked back to Curry.  We then picked up his bike later in the night.  While it took a bit of coordination, it was actually quite easy.  Note that we choose to float the river when the flow was below 200 cubic feet per second.  I think it was close to 100-150 cft/s.  It took about 3 hours and even though I'm a water person, by the end we were done and ready to be off the river.  I'm told that in June/July when the flow is better, the 3 mile trip is usually about 1 hour.  Which seems perfect.  This trip we had to get out and walk/push ourselves a few times and I was pretty worried about popping the tubes a few times.  

Overall it was really fun to do and I can see how it would be awesome if the flow was around 300-400 cft/s.  I'm told that anything over 600 cft/s is too dangerous.  Check the levels here before you go.  Also make sure you take wet bags (not zip locks) for your phones and anything you don't want to get soaked.  Oh and if the river flow is low, bring a paddle.  

Dining

I'll wrap up talking about dining a bit.  We absolutely love the pizza deck in Curry Village.  We also enjoyed our nice, though expensive, dinner at the Ahwhanee.  Otherwise, the food is just okay.  Some may even say mediocre.  Don't expect much.  It's editable and will save you from starving, but that's about it.  

See you in 2021 Yosemite!

  

Jesse 4 weeks post surgery

We are now 4 weeks post surgery.

Jesse is doing great and acting like his normal self.  The redness in his eyes was practically gone at week two and he's so happy to be back to school and playing with his friends.

Given we are pretty much healed, it's a good time to evaluate how effective the surgery was.

His chin down tilt is completely gone. Yay!  This was the one he used most often.  So we are very happy about that.

His left turn is mostly gone (i'd say 80% or more) but sometimes he still does it.  Habit?  Maybe.

What we do notice is that he still has a left tilt (left ear to left shoulder).  Remember when I described the surgery and said that we only operate on 2 of the three eye muscles?  Well the tilt is mostly corrected by operating on that third muscle.

Where does that leave us?

Well, we are going to wait and see.  Jesse goes for his follow up in two weeks but I know in my heart we aren't ready to jump into surgery #2 yet.  We want to wait and see how he develops.  If there's anything these last two years has taught me is that we don't have to rush into anything.  We will likely do a second surgery anywhere between 6 months from now and 2-3 years.  But heck, maybe it will be 10 years.  We just have to see how he adapts, how much he uses that null point.  We constantly weigh waiting to see if his null point changes vs wanting to do surgery as young as possible (pre-kindergarden).  Learning from my older son, they really get into writing in pre-k around age 4, so likely that will be our next driver.

left head tilt

Thank you for following along and I hope that these blogs have helped.  I anticipate this will be the last for a few months until there is something notable to write about.

To read the previous post, click HERE.

To follow our story from the beginning, click HERE.

Jesse has eye surgery - Days 3 - 7

Heading into day 5 now, and Jesse has been a trooper.  He isn't rubbing his eyes much and they are healing well.

Day 3 - 2 days post-op

Day 3 we visited Dr. Granet.  This is now 2 days post-op and we were eager to see if he would be cleared to go home.

First, just let me say again how much we love Dr. Granet.  Yes, he's usually running late.  A lot late.  Several hours.  But he spends so much time with his patients.  On this day he was in surgery all day but he was gracious enough to see us afterward.

We spent nearly 45 minutes with Dr. Granet going over the procedure, seeing how Jesse was healing, talking about the next few weeks, and 'worst case' scenarios.  He explained that he only cut and reattached the muscles but he didn't remove any muscle, so anything he did could be undone.  He also didn't touch the obliques, so if Jesse still has any type of head turn, we can go in and use those muscles to correct that.

I did make note of my concerns that his eyes don't seem in sync with each other.  He looked and when Jesse is looking straight on they are aligned well.  As for looking side to side, we just have to wait and see how they heal.  The left eye is certainly more "tight" than the right and you can tell especially if he looks to one side or the other.  The eyes go immediately out of sync.  How that heals over the next few weeks will let us know if there are any issues we have to go in and fix.  (probably more socially than vision).  He does not have strabismus (where one eye is pegged inward or outward), but if the movement doesn't sync up for side to side vision, we may explore our options for a second surgery.  We knew going in that was a possibility.

As for Jesse's null point, those are pretty well gone.  He hasn't looked hard to the right or chin down.  So that's awesome!  That was the main thing we wanted to correct.  Again balancing eye movement with null point.  Sometimes you can't have it all.

so brave.  first time using the machine.

Day 4 - 3 days post-op

I made a short video showing Jesse's eyes at the end of day 4.  As you can see, the horizontal movement is still there and probably will be to some extent forever.  Nystagmus surgery doesn't always stop the movement.  It may dull it down, but the goal of the surgery to correct the null point(s).  To make it so his best vision is facing forward.  I always said if his null point were to the front I would never do surgery just to correct the oscillation of the eyes.

His left eye still won't open as far as the right and the eyes are still very red.  As for how Jesse reacts, he honestly couldn't care less.  He is happy, he's playing, he doesn't notice except for an occasional rub which Mommy reminds him not to do.  He will still have the eye ointment for the next 5-ish days.  (applied at night when sleeping, so there's no fuss)

As a reminder, here are some pictures of Jesse before surgery.

chin down as far as it can go to see what's in front of him

looking for pasta in a sea of vegetables

using the right null point

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Jesse has eye surgery - Day 1 and 2

Jesse had his eye yesterday and I tried keeping good notes about my feelings and his progress.  I know that I found it invaluable when others who've been through this shared their experience and I want to provide another data point for other parents out there.  But I also want to capture what this is like in case we have to go through it again (praying we don't).

Surgery Day (Day 1)

(As an engineer, I can't help but wonder if Surgery Day is day 1 or day 0.  But that's a completely different post for another time)

5:45 am

We are dressed and ready to go.  I'm looking over at the bed watching our sweet boys sleep so peacefully next to each other.  I wonder if this is the right decision.  Are we right to do the surgery?  I'm scared.  Scared his eye will be misaligned as a side effect.  Scared it is unnecessary.  After all, he gets on just fine today.  Yet, I look at pictures of him watching his ipad and I see his extreme head turn.  His struggle to hold his neck at a weird angle (right or down).  I know this is the right call, how could we not try to help him?

My fear now turns to the cough he's had for the last few days.  His lungs sound clear through a stethoscope, but that's my non-doctor opinion.  It makes me nervous the anesthesiologist will not clear him for surgery.  All this waiting, all this time.   I hope he's well enough.

7:15 am

We are in the waiting area and all changed and ready to go.  Jesse is wrapped up with his Minnie and his "de-de" (blanket).

The anesthesiologist checked him out and was completely unfazed by his cough.  Phew.

He is scared but so strong.

7:20 am

Jesse is given some liquid medicine to help him calm down and relax.  Within 10 minutes he's completely loopy and out of it.  He heads back around 7:30, Mom is crying but Jesse seems okay with what's going on.  Dad is holding it together and Max is unfazed.

9:20 am

Waiting is HARD!

The surgery was supposed to be 1 hour plus time on both sides for anesthesia.  He was wheeled back at 7:30 so we are approaching the 2 hour mark.  I'm getting pretty nervous now.  I'm trying to play with Max to keep my mind off it.

I guess this is a good time to have a 4 year old with you because they are a good distraction.  Breakfast at the café helped too.

9:45 am

Dr. Granet just came out and looks happy.  Phew!   2 hrs and 15 minutes after they first took him back.  He said everything went as perfect as he would have wanted.

As we discussed, he operated on two muscles on each eye.  He did not touch the oblique's because we wanted to be conservative and reduce the risk of strabismus (noted difference between Dr. Hertle and Dr. Granet).  Dr. Granet stressed the chin down null point over his head tilt and he also worked considerably on the head turn to the right.  It's hard to correct for chin down, turn, and turn all at the same time, especially when only using 2 muscles, so we had to decide what to stress.  I think this was the right call.

At this point it is a waiting game to see how Jesse responds.  A week out (9/5 ish) we should know how successful the surgery was and if he will need further correction.

Jesse did get some Novocain in his eyes to help numb them, but the doctor warned that he would wake up upset because he's 2 and is a "body without a brain" so he wouldn't understand the feeling of the novacain.  Valid.

10:00 am

Jeremy is allowed to go back and be with him.  He's crying a lot and wants Daddy.  He has weights on his arms so he can't rub his eyes, so that's not helping.

10:42 am

Jesse is discharged.  4 hrs from arrival to discharge.  He is pretty uncomfortable and moaning a lot.  Jeremy holds him as daddy, de-de and Minnie are requested the most.

....

From 12 - 6pm I take Max out to Coronado beach.  We play in the sand, run in the water, eat gelato, and then come back to the hotel to swim in the hotel pool.  He's such a mama's boy.  I love the water.
Jesse spends the afternoon sleeping and resting.

....

6:50 pm

Jesse opened his eyes for a second to watch Mickey and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  He closed them pretty quick and decided he could listen and eat goldfish with his eyes closed.  He's not too red but they were dancing like crazy.  Is this normal?  Mom is nervous.

7:50 pm

Jesse opened his eyes again to read some books but he's quite lethargic and just looks sad.


Surgery Day (Day 2)

7:00 am

Jesse woke slightly cranky but his eyes opened pretty quickly.  They are red but not awful.  (I suppose that depends on your definition but compared to what I had envisioned, it's not bad)

9:00 am

Jesse is up and playing with legos, trains, and acting pretty normal.  His eyes are mostly open and he is very talkative.  The eyes are dancing quite a bit and there is noticeable misalignment between the eyes.  His left eye, with the most work done on it, won't seem to reach the outside corner.  Is this normal for the day after surgery?  We just have to wait and see.  I'm praying it corrects itself and goes away.

26 hrs post surgery looking at the camera.

(It should be noted that he could pretty much do this pre-surgery

as well, as he never really had a head tilt/turn in pictures. 

But here you can see some redness and soreness)

....

Today Max and Daddy got to go to the San Diego Zoo. Apparently it's AMAZING!

...

1:00 pm

Lots of play time today.  Legos, trains, painting, and lots of ipad time.  His favorite.  He still does his head tilt and I'm not sure if that's because 1) the surgery didn't work, or 2) because we didn't correct for a tilt that much (remember, it's hard to hit all 3 directions w/o touching the oblique's) or 3) maybe he's just so used to tilting his head to see his ipad that's what his normal is and he doesn't yet know that he doesn't have to do that.

28 hrs after surgery

1:30 pm

I'm finally getting this kid down for a nap.  I guess that's a good thing!  He only wants to eat goldfish and crackers but who am I to argue with that.


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Surgery T-2 Days

What a roller coaster.  We are two days out from surgery with Dr. Granet and I can't believe it's actually happening.  I'm excited.. I'm nervous.. I'm scared.. I'm ready.

You see, Jesse was supposed to have surgery with Dr. Granet back in June.  However, a major family emergency took him away from his practice for nearly 3 months!  Unfortunate for us and all his patients, but mostly for him and his family.   Yes, our surgery got cancelled, but at 2 years old, Jesse didn't know any different.  Mom, on the other hand, was pretty disappointed.

Now, however, we are two days out.

Two days from major eye surgery.  Two days from putting our little boy under anesthesia.  Two days from a life changing procedure that could mean that he won't have to use a null point to see the TV or read a book.

NERVES!

But we are excited.  I've talked to Max about how Jesse won't be able to play for a few days, or weeks.  I've talked to Jesse about being in a hospital and having surgery.  He points to his eyes and says "surgery on eyes?"  "Yes" I say back to him, "But it will be okay.  It will help you see better"

Stay tuned...

Jesse - August 21, 2017

1st day of pre-school (age 2)

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Yosemite 2017

Visiting Yosemite over Memorial Day is no easy feat.  First there's the reservations.  Made 365 - 4 days in advance for any of the hotels and 6 months for the campsites.  Then there's the bus system, which is tolerable at best, yet better than driving on such a busy weekend.  But in the end, it was completely worth it.

(Visitors tip: You can book hotels 365 days in advance for your date + 7 days out.  So if you really want that hotel on a holiday weekend, here's what you've got to do.   For a stay at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, Friday 5/26 - Monday 5/29, I called on 5/23 and booked from 5/23 - 5/29.  After a few days I then called to modify my reservation and cancel the early days, leaving only 5/26 - 5/29.  This way I was sure to get the room I wanted on the days that I wanted.)

Friday - Fresno Underground Gardens & Bridalveil Falls

Having packed Thursday night we were able to hit the road around 8am on Friday.  On the way out to Yosemite we took a detour down to Fresno to visit some underground gardens.  Apparently in the early 1900's this guy from Sicily immigrated to the US, initially to Boston and then out to California.  Though he wanted to be a citrus farmer, he soon discovered the hard bedrock of Fresno, where he had settled.  In an attempt to beat the summer heat, he began digging a series of tunnels and rooms underground.  He built excavated over 10 acres of rooms and tunnels complete with skylights, underground citrus trees, a kitchen, multiple bedrooms, a "driveway," a pond which he could view from beneath, and even a system to direct rainwater from the skylights away into his sump system.  He was also able to mate and fuse trees in such a way that he could get up to 7 different fruit varietals growing from the same tree.

After a short tour we headed back north to Yosemite.  Arriving around 5pm, we stopped at Bridalveil Falls and did the short 0.3 mile hike up to the waterfall.  This was our first introduction to exactly how much water Yosemite had gotten over the last few months.  The water was RAGING and the base by the falls was WET!  Max's first reaction to seeing all the water was "Oh My Gosh.  Mommy, Oh My Gosh!"  Max braved it out all the way to the falls and we all walked back to the car soaking wet but with a great memory and a story to tell.

Saturday - Lower & Upper Yosemite Falls + Swimming!

We took the boys balance bike and scooter up to Yosemite with us, so they had fun playing with them on the path behind our hotel on Saturday morning.  Next year I want to bring all our bikes as well as a trailer so we can get around the valley floor easier.

After a not so great breakfast from the Yosemite Lodge (so bad it's worth noting), we headed out to the lower falls.

Right at the trail start is a large boulder.  After years and years of kids playing, a nice slide had formed on one side.  Max made quick work of learning to climb up and slide down.

The lower falls trail is about a mile loop and the lower falls were raging, like all the rivers and falls in the valley.  Fortunately we had our ponchos now so we could hang out by the falls for a while without getting too wet.

Jeremy and I decided that nap time was a great time to do the upper falls trail.  With both boys on our backs we headed up, up, up.  We made it a little over a mile past the overlook before deciding to head back down and get out of the heat.  On the way up we even saw a baby rattle snake!  I didn't feel like getting close enough to take a picture.

After our hike we arrived back at the lodge with just enough time to change into swim suits and take a quick 30 minute dip in the pool before closing.  Of course the kids LOVED the swimming.  Especially Max.

That night we ate at Curry (Half Dome) Village.  The pizza was a long wait but delicious as always.  It probably helped that there was no line for the beer and a lot of running around area for the kids.

Sunday - Mist Trail

Sunday we got out early and headed up to the Mist Trail.  We got there around 9 am and headed up the trail.  Jesse stayed in the pack on Jeremy's back most of the hike but Max did nearly the entire 3+ miles by himself!  This even included hiking up Vernal falls where the term "mist" is a bit of a misnomer.  When the high Sierras get over 80 feet of snow in a single winter, the water is raging in the valley.  We were soaked by the time we got to the top, but Max did amazing.  Once at the top we stopped for a lunch on the rocks in the warm sun, then headed back down the long path to the right so we didn't have to go down the slippery steps we'd just come up.  What a great hike, I highly recommend this and I would add on Nevada Falls if you have the energy.

Hiking up by Vernal Falls. 

Beautiful Rainbow

Hiking up Vernal Falls

He made it!

Jesse made it too!

Beautiful views.

Getting the Yosemite bus back to our hotel took over 45 minutes + drive time, so we opted to stay at the hotel for dinner that night as well.  Unfortunately because it took so long to wait for the bus, we missed out on swimming.  Max was super disappointed.  But he did get to "work" in the dirt while we were waiting for the bus.

Monday - Meadows, Bridalviel, & Homebound

Come Monday we opted for a quick breakfast then a walk through the meadows before heading home.  Because of all the rain the meadows were quite heavily flooded and you had to stay on the trail.  The boys enjoyed throwing rocks and sticks into the water.  We watched how quickly the river took away the lighter sticks thrown off the bridge.

As we headed out of the valley we stopped once again at Bridalviel falls and did the short walk one more time.  This time with ponchos so we could hang out at the falls and enjoy them for a little longer.

What a great weekend.  I realize how much I love Yosemite and although it was crowded over memorial day weekend, I can't wait to come back.  Next year I think we will camp (if I can get a site) and stay either in half dome village (old curry village) or near there since we like that area so much.