A year ago today...

Jake and I were celebrating the New Year at our friends house. Three of us were pregnant, one due in January (and we spent the night counting her contractions off and on), myself and our other friend, due a few weeks apart. Little did we know just how much our lives were about to change in just a few shorts weeks...

By the time my BF gave birth I was on strick bedrest and knew that our chances for premature delivery were great.

Tonight we were invited back to celebrate with the same group of friends, and I have to admit, it's a bittersweet feeling. Especially thinking of our other friend who suffered a great loss just a month or so after the twins arrived early.

Funny how things things still hit you a year later...

Saying a prayer tonight for our buddy in heaven looking down, and his mommy & daddy. Thanking God for all we've got and for some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for...

To the two ladies who may read this and know it's about them... I love you both so much and you both hold a special place in my heart. The strength, courage and support you've both shown in the past year is amazing. I am glad we've been brought together and wish you both the best year to come!

The end of another year.... 2011 edition

This year we.......

Spent weeks in an out of the hospital and 6 weeks on STRICT bed rest

Had babies on Valentine's Day (14 weeks early at that)...and had a emergent Christening for Addison that day too

Spent 5 very long months visiting the NICU ... EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

Brought home two miracle babies...

Took our first "family" vacation as a family of four to celebrate Jake's 25th birthday...

Had a Christening for Blake & a special Blessing for Addison...



Took our first trip to the pumpkin patch/petting zoo...

Dressed up for Halloween....



Celebrated my 25th birthday...

Celebrated and gave Thanks on our 1st Thanksgiving...

Met Santa and his Reindeer...

Moved to a townhouse (two weeks before Christmas, what were we thinking?)...

Decorated for Christmas...



Made a Gingerbread house...

Celebrated our 1st Christmas...

I have to say it doesn't get much better then this....here's to hoping 2012 is just as great.





BEST CHRISTMAS ..... EVER!!!!

Why you might ask?

Let me show you....

This is exactly why... because of these two. For years we wondered if we would ever have children of our own, for months we wondered if we'd ever get to bring our babies home, and now this year for Christmas I woke up to the sound of two beautiful babies. To see their smiles, their laughter and the excitement that lives in a child's heart. Thank you God for blessing us with these two miracles and trusting us as their parents, I know we'll make mistakes along the way but I promise to raise them up to belive in the good Lord above.

And for those who have been wondering...Yes Addison got the pony (a pink one at that) that Daddy has been promising her, and every girl's dream, a doll house (complete with Boy/Girl twins). Blake got a train set (that is as big as our kitchen) and a ride a long dump truck....as well as many many many more gifts...but just to name a few.

Today marks a very special day as well, it's the birthday of Jesus, Our Savior, and another very amazing man. My Daddy. While I wish he were here in person I know he is here in spirit. I see him in my children everyday. I get to say "Hi" to him thru my daughters eyes. Ask anyone who's been around Addison long enough, they'll tell you her Pap Paw is in her back pocket at all times, you'll catch her gazing in space and babbling with a smile. If you ask if it's "her buddy" she giggles. He's here every day. I love you Daddy, thank you for all you've done for me. You are missed more then you'll ever know. (And for the record, everything you said about a parents love...it's true, just incase you were wondering.)

Me & my Daddy at a friend's birthday party.

My Daddy giving me away on my wedding day.

Walking me down the aisle.

Our 1st Christmas!

Last year we were announcing the gender of the twins. This year we're spoiling them we lots of gifts (and teaching them the real meaning of Christmas). We spent Christmas Eve celebrating with the twins grandparents and their Aunt and Uncle. Daddy has to work tomorrow and is on call so we called in a favor to Santa and asked if he would please come early so we could spend Christmas together.

I'd have to say it went off with our a hitch. One things for sure, these two are loved.

We also ask this year that everyone take a moment of your time and say a prayer for all those who will not get to spend this holiday with their families and those families spending Christmas in the NICU. To all our brave men and woman who serve and have served this country so that we can enjoy our freedoms at home. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

The night before "Christmas" Eve

Every girl needs a baby doll and baby carriage

Blake enjoying the box of all things lol. (I can't get the picture to flip).

It's a...........

GIRL & BOY!!!!

Dec 23, 2010...

We were anxiously sitting in the waiting room in the Center for Advanced Fetal Care. Waiting to find out if there were any "visible" signs that could cause my labs to come back abnormal. We talked a lot about baby names, and predicted genders etc. I was convinced boy/girl, Jake was 100% girl/girl. We had names picked... Blake Lee, Bryce Austin & Addison (or Madison) Michelle, Aubree Amanda.

Thankfully for us the ultrasound tech was quickly able to put us at ease and assured us that visibly things looked as they should. Then came the fun part... she started asking if we had names picked as she began to scan Baby A's anatomy. Small talk, lol... and then she stops and freezes the screen and says, "Do you see what I see?" I choke back a little and said "It's a girl?!?!"

"Yes, Baby A is a girl."

Immediately cue the tears from me, and I look and Jake and he's holding his breath. The tech moves over to Baby B, again "And do you know what that is?" I turn and look at Jake, he's pale..."It's a boy!?!?!"

"Yes, Baby B is a boy."

And Jake gasps for air. Again I am now crying hard. I looked back and Jake, "Addison and Blake."

He laughs and says, "I was sure it was two girls and I was going to spend the next 18 years working day and night saving for bail money for the day those boys come knocking. At least now I've got a boy to keep and eye on her too."

We floated on air the rest of that day. We told only immediate family the news and decided to "announce" it officially via Christmas cards on the 25th.

This day ranked up there with the day I got the call that we were officially pregnant. This day in 2010 was also a big day for a fellow friend of ours, one of my very close friends delivered a preemie around 30 weeks gestation and today was the day she got the call to bring her baby home finally.

Today (2011) I'll spend the day thanking God for all he's given us, as I prepare the final touches for our first Christmas as a family of four! I can't wait.... :-)

Waiting...

A year ago today, I spent waiting and wondering (and praying). I hadn't slept well the night before as all the what ifs ran through my mind. Jake and I did a lot of talking and made some pretty big decisions without even knowing what we were getting into.

We had chosen no matter what to decline the Amniocentesis. Anytime an Amniocentesis is performed it presents the risk for miscarriage, now matter how low the risk it wasn't worth it to us, the thought of loosing one or both or our precious miracles was just not possible. We had went through too much and come to far to risk it. We also knew that there was a possibility that the Genetic Counselor would probably try to convince us otherwise, as it is the only way (other then birth) to detect most birth defects for sure. It didn't matter, we would take whatever hand we were given and go forward.

The lives of our twins were a gift with a purpose and story to tell. We would let God decide what we could handle and I didn't want to spend the remainder of my pregnancy worrying about all the "what ifs". I wanted to blissfully and naively enjoy these moments. It's not the right choice for everyone, but it was our choice....

As I sit here today, I thank God for each moment we've been given and soak in the fact that God is good! The twins are living proof of that for sure. And while yesterday marked a "dreary" day in our past, in the present it marked a day of great joy. One of my good friends gave birth to her beautiful little girl, again proof that God is good.

Today I also pray for one of our NICU buddies who is 7 months old, has yet to get the chance to live at home with his family, and is undergoing Nissin/G-tube surgery today. I know what a double edged sword this was for us initially but I am so glad we did it now. I pray our little buddy will not have to endure what Addison did and that he has a very speedy recovery and is home with his Mommy & Daddy very soon.

A new chapter begins....

So it's clear I am a horrible blogger. But I am going to work on that, lol, and I figured what better day to start a new then today right?

Why today you ask? Well because historically today is significant to us, to the babies, and to our story...

A year ago today (Dec 20, 2010) I was sitting on my Momma's couch watching "brainless" TV. with my Grammy. Some baby show on TLC I am sure. I was 18 weeks pregnant had been to the OB the week before and had an ultrasound and routine blood work, things were good. I had called and scheduled a 4-D ultrasound for Dec 21st and was excited because we were hoping to find out the gender of the babies, we had invited both sets of grandparents to attend this big day with us. While we are sitting there indulging in guilty free TV. my cell phone rang, and it was the OB. Instantly my heart dropped, this could not be good.

Sure enough he was calling to inform me that some of our blood work came back abnormal. My AFP (a test that detects possible markers for birth defects) was elevated. According to my OB it's not uncommon in twin pregnancy to have an AFP come back high, and it wasn't alarmingly elevated but he still had to be sure. So he was going to schedule an appointment for me with The Center for Advanced Fetal Care for an in-depth ultrasound and consult with a Genetic Counselor. I needed to call and cancel the 4-D ultrasound for the next day and he would call me back with an appointment date and time.

No more than 15 minutes later I got a call back, he had gotten me scheduled for Dec 23rd.....

Three days seemed like an eternity....