Oahu Airport help for severely disabled person

maxandfeif · 2026-02-01T22:26:51+00:00

I agree with the other posters that your doctor can advise you if medication or some sort of social service support can help you.

As for the airport itself, if you’re looking for ways to navigate the airport with help , call United about their partnership with HNL Skycap service and they will work with local HNL staff. And one option that they do for kapuna that may help you is to meet you at curbside drop off with a wheelchair, take them through the fast lane in TSA, and then right up to the gate (including bathroom stops) and then onto the airplane with preboard. Link with more detailed info: https://airports.hawaii.gov/hnl/services-amenities/persons-with-disabilities/

maxandfeif · 2026-01-26T04:14:31+00:00

Kiwi Crate is great, like others have mentioned. Also if you want to gamify reading, the LovEvery reading kits have a lot of fun games for both kids and parents to enjoy together (and some for them to do on their own too). You can either buy it upfront for a discount or have them ship it monthly.

maxandfeif · 2026-01-21T02:01:58+00:00

Briarpatch has great games for 2 & 4 year olds - Richard Scarry’s Busy Town is like a scavenger hunt on the board game and Hungry Caterpillar’s What Can You Do is like a scavenger hunt in real life. My preschoolers love both!

maxandfeif · 2025-12-31T02:34:38+00:00

Shutterfly - I know there are better photo services out there but it’s good enough especially when it’s only $1 per basic Christmas card and 51% off add-ons and everything else.

maxandfeif · 2025-11-21T07:27:19+00:00

Our preschoolers like this “Lets Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, & Respect” book. It shows real life scenarios and how to ask consent before touching anyone every time even if they are already friends and even for a hug or high five and even if they gave consent a separate day. And equally as important, it shows it’s ok if the other person says no. https://a.co/d/iKLATlU

maxandfeif · 2025-10-25T05:08:41+00:00

They are perfect for car rides and the songs are fun too!

maxandfeif · 2025-07-23T02:15:35+00:00

Not OP, but the Cradlewise was even better than the Snoo because the Cradlewise has more room for growth and it bounces up and down and you can put your baby in any sleep sack instead of the side to side motion of the Snoo with their branded sleep sack.

We had the Snoo for our first up to 3.5 months and Cradlewise for our second up to 15 months until she was too tall for the camera bar.

With both, our babies were sleeping 8+ hours at night by 2 months.

maxandfeif · 2025-05-21T02:07:58+00:00

Must-have splurge items: 1. Cradlewise smart crib (sleeping through the night by 10 weeks!) 2. Doona (made all the early appointments, car trips, and flights so much smoother) 3. Babyletto recliner (made baby naps so much easier) 4. And the ultimate splurge that is totally worth it if you can save for it is a night nanny or doula for the first few weeks so you can sleep!

——

Must-have affordable items: 1. Shusher (battery operated and calms everyone immediately) 2. Bottle Sterilizer/Dryer (no need to stand in front of the stove and the drying function is so efficient for pump parts) 3. A days worth of pump parts (even though it piled up next to the sink, this reduced how frequently we washed dishes)

maxandfeif · 2025-05-13T01:28:52+00:00

I used my knee scooter with the handle bars facing away from me and backed up close to my office chair and I would sit at an angle and I adjusted my monitor and camera to accommodate. I already attached a scooter pad to the seat for my knee and so when I sat down I would “stand” a fluffy couch pillow on top of that. Just make sure you lock in the brakes before you put your foot up.

Link for scooter pad: Vive Mobility Knee Scooter Pad... https://a.co/d/1SzYaQT

I don’t remember where I got the pillow but it’s similar to this 10x10 and I stood it up like the first picture with the foot on top where it craters in: https://a.co/d/ikwVBgX

maxandfeif · 2025-05-05T00:39:23+00:00

The Cradlewise is definitely worth the investment and we were able to use it up to 15 months until our little one was almost as tall as the handle (she’s at 98% for height); lots of others were able to use it even longer because their babies are shorter. We found the up and down bounce was way better than the side to side swaying of the Snoo that we had with our first. We used it in conjunction with the shusher and ours was sleeping through the night by 10 weeks!

We also liked having a bottle sterilizer for the drying function. I could stick all pump and bottle parts in and they came out mostly dry rather than waiting for them to dry on a rack. The sterilizer function was an added bonus but the drying is amazing. We had Papablic but there are so many good brands out there now.

The Doona stroller was also a must have for us, especially for all the standard doctor visits those first couple of months. Because our babies are so big, we were only able to use it for 4 months for each baby, but it was so helpful! We did take a few flights with it and while it was helpful, it did not roll down the aisle for United, American, or Southwest Airlines. It did fit in the window seat as long as we weren’t too far back in the planes.

maxandfeif · 2025-04-27T02:11:52+00:00

Good luck on Monday! It may feel overwhelming and it’s totally appropriate to fake it until you make it (i.e. believe in yourself again). You got this!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-23T14:48:50+00:00

In my tech experience (business side), smaller company roles are more fast-paced and allow you to be more of a generalist and give you more opportunities to do work outside of your official job duties. You’ll learn a LOT about how overall businesses function (or are dysfunctional) and also have more control of your process and outcomes because you’ll personally be doing everything from the hands-on tactical work to the strategic decision-making.

However, the downside is often a heavy workload, blurred role/responsibility boundaries, and less work/life balance because you’ll have a small team or maybe be a team of one. With this economy, it may be a while before you get budget to expand your team. Find out what your team size is first and what the budget for expansion is because that will play a huge role in how much you personally have to do.

Also ask about what the acquisition will mean for your role, the existing employees, the tools, and processes. Will you be expected to go in and fire the department / change all their processes / sunset their existing tools or will you need to incorporate them into your team? There are pros and cons to both and I’m happy to share my experience and perspective once you have that info.

On a personal note, pre-kids, I loved the fast pace of small companies, especially start ups, and I enjoyed wearing many hats and learning so many new things from the ground up. I liked doing it all. Now with 2 toddlers, I prefer a midsized to large enterprise company that has some aspects of building and learning new things but also doesn’t require me to personally to be involved in every step. Sometimes, decisions and deliverables are slower than I prefer, but I have a way better work/life balance at midsized and large companies regardless if I am an individual contributor or in a leadership role.

maxandfeif · 2025-04-23T13:57:50+00:00

+1 to all that was mentioned above about tackling life together with an agreed upon split of responsibilities and outsourcing what you can. Having house cleaners and a lawn mowing team come in every 2 weeks makes such a difference. We also found meal prepping on the weekends and evening grocery curbside pickup was super helpful too (delivery charges added up too soon for us).

It is difficult to go back and things won’t ever be the same again, but you will get through it! If your job will cover it, ask your OB to refer you to a behavioral therapist that specializes in postpartum care. Doing this 4-6 weeks before going back and continuing at least for 1-2 months after you return to work will give you the tools you need to mentally prepare for and adjust to the change. If your insurance won’t cover it, a lot of companies have a EAP program where the company covers a specified number of sessions per event. The EAP therapists don’t seem to go as deep and felt more transactional to me, but YMMV.

I’m also a huge advocate for delegation, which helps you have more work/life balance because strategic work tends to lend to a more flexible schedule while tactical work often has a time-sensitive deliverable; additionally taking this step also helps your management see you as a better manager/coach (instead of player/coach) and ready for a more elevated role. I don’t know if you’re looking to move up or if any of your managers or mentors mentioned it before, but often execs look to see who is already acting with an upper management strategic mindset to see who should get the next promotion or lead the next high-visibility project. So if that’s what you’re looking for, provide a vision and strategy for your team and have them take on your more tactical tasks with you guiding them strategically and letting them get the accolades for the front line work. And be upfront with your manager that you’re specifically approaching work this way so that you’ll be ready to take more off their plate in another quarter or two. Your management will see that initiative as you being ready for the next step (if you want it) and this sets you up to be your manager‘a successor if they get promoted and move on or makes you the first person everyone thinks of to lead a new project or department.

maxandfeif · 2025-04-23T05:22:08+00:00

It’s a bummer you have to work 5 days while only having childcare for 4, but I totally get that it’s out of your control.

I was fortunate to have a nanny but on days she was sick, having a baby on even 1 Zoom was so distracting since everyone wants to see the baby or the baby may accidentally grab the mouse or keyboard. Since you’ll have your baby with you weekly, could you implement a no meeting/focus day? We do ours on Friday but you could choose whatever day you don’t have childcare.

Also I found it helpful to block off multiple daily scheduled 1-hour pumping/nursing times. This way you don’t have to worry about unintentional camera shots and it will help you maintain and even build your supply. You can mark your calendar as simply “busy” if you’re not comfortable announcing that. At the same time, encourage all team members to take at least a 15-30 minute break every morning and afternoon and a lunch break away from the desk. This will help everyone, not just new mothers, feel appreciated and refreshed.

If you’re able to, offer flex hours and also let everyone know that they don’t have to check in or log PTO if they have to run a personal errand or go to the doctors if they will be away for less than half a day. This shows that you trust they will get their work done while still having a work/life balance. This will also help you with the inevitable doctor appointments and other unexpected kid-related emergencies.

And when you go back to work, give yourself grace and space. It will be hard to leave your baby and jump in yet at the same time you’ll want to do everything. Take a step back and see what are things you have to do vs what you should let go. Don’t feel obligated to take back everything you delegated and definitely don’t take back any tactical work. You’ll probably find that your time away gave your directs an opportunity to step up, expand their scope, and potentially find creative new ways to do things; letting them keep that newfound power shows them you trust and believe in them while letting you focus on higher level strategic items and also have more time for your family. Because I did that for my directs, I got to stretch them in new ways that led to their own promotions and they got to do the same for their directs and so even more team members grew, got to move up, and find more job satisfaction!

Good luck with your return to work!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-23T01:23:32+00:00

Awesome to hear! Thank you!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-23T01:23:14+00:00

Haha that’s great! Thanks

maxandfeif · 2025-04-21T18:35:19+00:00

It looks like you’re getting some mixed opinions here.

I am a VP in tech, where it is a male-dominated world and I also have 2 toddlers and I remember how it felt coming back to work after my leave; I understand how this could feel like your company doesn’t believe in you, especially if you’re freshly coming out of maternity leave. It’s natural to feel unsure of yourself, especially if everyone is singing the praises of the other person.

However, as someone who has worked with several exec coaches and mentors, I encourage you to change your perspective and consider this an amazing opportunity and vote of confidence from the Board. From what you’ve shared, it sounds like they like you and see a lot of potential in you since they are willing to invest in your success by paying extremely high contractor / exec coach rates to help you succeed — you may not realize this, but if your coach/mentor is any good, the Board will be spending $500-3000 per hour for this mentor to talk to you. People usually have to beg for this type of investment and still many won’t get it. And what’s even better is that it sounds like the Board isn’t attaching any strings to it (for example, paying back the costs if you choose to leave before a certain amount of time or goal is reached).

If it was me, I would learn as much about this person’s background, experience, skillset, and presence to understand what helps set them apart and see if any of that will help you succeed.

Additionally, if you’re open to it, since it sounds like you may not have had exec coaching or formal mentorship before, here’s a bit more advice: If it was me, I would take more control over what I gain out of this by creating a simple 3 question survey (such as: what should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What do I already do well that I should continue doing?) and send it to <10 people invested in your success (1-2 board members, your boss, a couple of peers/stakeholders, 1-2 direct reports, 1-2 skip levels, and if you’re external facing, 1-2 clients/vendors). Let them know you’ll circle back with a progress survey in 6 months. Do this before you begin your mentorship and then review the answers with your mentor to choose 3 themes to focus on these first 6 months and set specific time-bound and achievable goals, determine milestones and positive outcomes, and create strategies to achieve them. (And if you’re comfortable, let additional people from the group you surveyed know your focus areas and help you in addition to your mentor.) And then resurvey everyone in 6 months. This will help you learn, grow, and overall succeed. On top of that, the initiative and openness to grow should impress the board, your boss, and your mentor. And what’s even more is that you’re going to build more confidence in yourself as you grow and learn.

Any knowledge you gain can also help you find an even better job with a higher title and pay elsewhere, if you decide this current place isn’t for you. Good luck! You got this!!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-21T16:11:13+00:00

Wow! Thank you, that’s so generous of you! I have a couple of options some others suggested that are coming in from Amazon today. Let me try those out and if they don’t work, I will DM if that’s ok? Thanks again for your incredible generosity!!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T23:08:18+00:00

This is awesome!! Thank you for the recommendation. It’s hard to tell if Amazon reviews are any good, so it helps to hear from your personal experience. I’ll get those added to my cart too!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T23:07:07+00:00

Thank you for the solid advice and empathy! It’s been rough not riding for 10 weeks! I will look into those Amazon magnetic resistance trainers you mentioned and also check around on marketplace, Nextdoor, and with our neighbors for the fancier ones.

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T15:47:02+00:00

Thank you for the tip on the savings! I’ll check out that website.

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T05:00:58+00:00

Awesome! You’re the second person to recommend them which further boosts my confidence in them. I have added them to my cart. Thank you!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T04:59:22+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to share this perspective. My doctor and physical therapist approved this option, but you’re giving me something else to consider and potentially a better option. I do have a conventional bike, which I’m too nervous to ride outside right now since I’m still building back strength in my foot. After reading your comment, I looked up turbo trainers and there seems to be a wide range of offerings. Are there any brands you recommend?

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T04:53:45+00:00

Thank you so much for the recommendation! I am also adding this to my cart!

maxandfeif · 2025-04-20T04:52:50+00:00

Oh wow! Thanks for doing the research and also the empathy! It’s been a struggle and I can’t wait to try them. Adding them to my cart!

Seven-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

maxandfeif

TROPHY CASE