I’m already emotional just thinking about what a tremendous role this boy has played in our family. He was a hero before he was even born.  

Early on in my pregnancy, we were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).  This is a disorder that occurs in identical twins (or higher multiples) that share a placenta and the blood vessels of the babies’ placenta are connected.  In our case, Keahi and Kaolu were the most affected.  Keahi was considered the “donor” as he received too little blood flow, and Kaolu was the “recipient”, receiving more than his share.

The pregnancy itself was already high risk because of the 5 babies, but this diagnosis was alarming. Doctors had to closely monitor the babies by doing weekly ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy.  They were mainly monitoring Keahi.  My pregnancy and the life of the other babies (especially the boys) were dependent on Keahi’s ability to survive with a decreased amount of blood flow.

I had at least 6 discussions with more than 3 different doctors to consider terminating who we referred to as “Baby D” (Keahi).  I WOULD NOT DO IT.  They needed me to understand what that meant.  If he didn’t survive, it would have drastically affected Kaolu.  A stroke, permanent brain damage, and even death were probable.   The other boys (because they shared the same placenta) were also at risk.  I needed him to fight for his life and the life of his brothers and sister.

I also had to think about what I’d do if his health started to fail. If his heart rate slowed, or if there were signs of distress, do I deliver my babies to save him and risk the lives of the other 4 babies for being born too soon?, or do I let him die to give the others a better chance at survival?  It was awful.  These were the scary conversations I’ve had with doctors.  There were so many “what ifs”.  I made no decisions…actually, I did my best to NOT think about it at all.  

I turned to my hope and faith that everything was going to be okay and prayed.  My prayer was that I’d make the best decisions for my family.  I did my best to remain calm and as stress-free as possible during the pregnancy.  My prayers were answered.

Keahi was born fourth at 1lb 10.3 ounces and 13.98 inches.  He was the smallest, but is the biggest hero I’ll ever know.  Because he didn’t receive the amount of nutrients he should have, he was a few steps behind the others in the NICU.  The last to get fed milk, the last to breathe on his own, the last to breast feed, the last to  get out of the incubator and the last to come home (along with his sister).

My how things have changed!  He was a fighter then, and always will be.  I named him Keahi…it means fire.  He lived up to his name and I couldn’t be more grateful.  Although he was the last to do many things early on, it looks like he’ll now lead the way.  He was the first to roll over, hold his head up, and is soon ready to crawl.  He’s the smallest of the boys, but bigger than his sister.

He is feisty and oh so sweet!  He’s a little lover boy; already giving hugs, he also allows me to kiss kiss kiss (all with a smile on his face).  He will never know how special he is to our family.  I’ll tell him this story one day, but the emotion I feel when I think of my hero is indescribable.  #ilovemykeahi

Click here to watch a short video of Keahi

 

Kupono is the one that makes me giggle at just the mere thought of him. He was born third at 5:04pm and weighed 2lbs 6.8oz and was 14.57 inches long.  He was the longest of them all.  While pregnant, we referred to Kupono as Baby E since he was the last baby that was discovered.  We thought we were having quads for an entire month before we knew he was in there.  I’ll never forget that day; it was July 1^st.

Kupono was a little character from very early on. I referred to him as Crazy, Sexy, Ku because of his mannerisms.  Here is a picture of him while in the NICU that looks like he’s lying out on the beach with glasses on just kickin’ back catching some rays.

Kupono is now the biggest of all. Still the “tallest”, he’s also the heaviest weighing 5 pounds heavier than his sister.  This little giant is a rascal.  He has a mischievous look on his face that makes me believe he’ll be a joker, an instigator, and the one that’ll egg-on the others to do things that’ll get them in trouble (and then laugh at them when they do).  Hawaiians would call him “Kolohe”.

He’s also the most affectionate towards his siblings. All the babies hold hands with each other but he does it the most.  He’ll reach out to whoever is next to him almost 100% of the time to hold their hand.  I’ve started a collection of pictures of them holding hands and I’m positive he’ll be in majority of the pictures.  So sweet.

I was drawn to the name Kupono because of its meaning. It means everything I want my children to be; honest & righteous.  No matter how Kolohe he is, I hope he lives up to his name.  #ilovemykupono

click here to watch a short video of Kupono

Hawaiian royalty would refer to their children as Kamali’i.  

My sweet girl is our princess.  Kamali’i was born second at 5:03 pm weighing in at 2lbs 11oz and 14.17 inches long.  She was the biggest at birth.  We were so excited to see what she looked like when she finally arrived; we had numerous ultrasounds during my pregnancy but never had a look at her face.  She was camera shy.

When we finally saw her, she took our breath away.  She was so feminine and her dark eyes pierced through our hearts.

Her brothers outgrew her quick, and she’s now the tiniest of them all.  She’s quiet, sweet, sassy & still a little camera shy. Getting a picture of her smiling is sweet victory.

People always comment about her never having a boyfriend because of her brothers, but I have a feeling she’ll give the girls who come around a run for their money.

Kamali’i is the most independent one of them all.  She doesn’t need to be held, rarely cries, and is content all alone in her crib.  I often hear her singing and it’s the sweetest sound ever.  #ilovemykamalii

Click here to watch a short video of Kamali’i

Kapena was born at 5:02pm on October 10, 2015 @ 2lbs 1.7oz & 13.78 inches long.  Due to his positioning during my pregnancy, I knew he’d be the first boy of the bunch so I named him Kapena which means Captain in Hawaiian.  To our surprise, he beat his sister out and was the first of the quintuplets to be born.

Kapena has been the most surprising to me.  I thought he’d be a little more laid back than he actually is.  During the first few months of his life he was a little quiet and observant.  His personality is sure developing into an expressive, silly boy.  He is the most “talkative” of the bunch and  is fascinated by feet.  If he sees someone’s feet, it amuses him to no end and he won’t  stop laughing.  Just today, he was holding onto Makaio’s foot with the cutest smile on his face…just mesmerized.  Hmmm, maybe he’ll be a Podiatrist.

While in the NICU (and out of the incubator) Kapena shared a crib with his sister Kamali’i.  Since then, there’s been a strong bond between the two of them.  Now, he’s “rooming” with his brother Kupono in the same crib.  They, too have created a bond.
We’ll see what kind of role he’ll play amongst all the Keiki (children).  Will he live up to his name and be the leader of the pack?  Or will he be overpowered by one of his brothers or sister?  Maybe he’ll be distracted by their feet while they run all over him! #ilovemykapena

Click here to view a short video of Kapena 

The first to call me Mommy. Makaio was born on Monday, September 2^nd (which happened to be Labor Day that year).  He is silly, smart, funny, expressive & stubborn; my Minnie Me (except for the stubborn part…he gets that from his Daddy).  He’s a little hesitant to open up to people he doesn’t know, but once he does, there’s no holding back.  He loves to make people laugh.  Whether its singing, dancing, playing instruments or pretending he’s a power ranger, when he’s in the mood to entertain there’s no stopping him.

On his 2^nd birthday, I went into pre-term labor with the quints at just over 23 weeks and was immediately admitted to the hospital.  It was such a sad day for him.  He’d never spent a night away from me, and he didn’t understand what was happening.  Clearly, something was wrong.  All I could think of was “please don’t let anything horrible happen on Makaio’s birthday”.  I prayed we’d not remember this day as being a tragic one.  Thank God my doctors were able to stop the labor and I didn’t have to deliver so early.  As a result, I was in the hospital for the next 5 ½ weeks.  He’d spend most nights crying for me but would completely ignore me while visiting me in the hospital for the first couple of weeks.  It was clear to him that his life had changed.

The babies were born and I finally went home. That first night, while sitting at the dinner table, I could see how happy he was to have both his Mommy & Daddy home again.  He kept looking at the two of us with the biggest smile on his little face.  To him, life was normal again.  A whole month went by before we took him to meet the babies for the first time.  He kept hearing about these babies, but I don’t think he really understood what was going on.  When Ray brought him to the hospital, he was so excited to see them.  He even thought ALL the babies in the NICU were ours!  He was so gentle, and so loving, and so genuinely happy to meet his little brothers and sister.

There’s been such a huge change in his life; one that most people in the world would never understand or even experience. I wondered how he was going to deal with these 5 babies coming into his world.  Would he be jealous?  Would he be mean to them?  Would he ignore them?  He’s been dealing with this life-changing event much better then I could have ever imagined.  I mean, he’s 2…he acts out, but I can’t attribute that to the babies.  He loves them so much.   You’ll see in pictures and videos how affectionate he is towards his siblings.  God knew what he was doing when he blessed us with Makaio.  He gave us someone who had room in his heart for 5 little miracles.  #ilovemymakaio

Click here to view a short video of Makaio

Sixteen years together and we’ve only just begun.  It’s the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.  We spent the first fourteen years together never imagining we’d have children of our own, and now we have six.  

Not only do we have an awesome 2 year old son, but we have (what is believed to be) the first set of quintuplets born with a set of identical quadruplets.  How crazy is that?  It seems like just yesterday when I’d cry myself to sleep longing to be a mom.

My prayers have been answered and I can’t be more thankful for my husband and my “six pack”.  The next several posts will be an introduction to my Ohana (family).  I hope you enjoy learning a little bit about each of them.

Click (The Big Reveal) below to experience one of the happiest days of our lives.

Click here ➡️ The Big Reveal

Welcome to our blog!  It’s been a long time coming but we’re finally ready to share our story with the rest of the world.  I hope to be able to inspire, entertain & educate our readers throughout this process.

My name is Marcie Dela Cruz and my husband Ray and I have 6 children under the age of 3.  As you can imagine, its been a big adjustment to have our family grow so quickly.  We’ll share how we got here, what we’re doing to manage our family, and our hopes and dreams for our future.

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the beginning of this awesome journey by visiting the About tab.

Until next time…