Thursday, August 28, 2008

2 year well-check

So the stats are in!

Juliana
19 lbs., 11 oz. - not yet on the chart...he, he, he!
32 3/4 in. - 23%ile for length
Mia
23 lbs., 13 oz. - 15%ile for weight!
33 1/2 in. - 42%ile for height!
It was a great well-check with Dr. Stern who just loves the girls! The family was in force...Grandma, Nana, Daddy, and Mommy! Everyone was commenting on the girls' entourage. I had to leave for Back to School Night from there and Robert had to leave for work, so we needed both grandmas just in case the appointment ran too long. There were hardly any tears at the appointment...in fact, they cried for less than 10 seconds after their shots. They were WAY more interested in their "new boo-boos" and their "boo-boo band-aids." Afterwards, mommy and daddy jetted out of there and Grandma met Grandpa for dinner with the girls. Today just made it official...they really aren't babies at all anymore...they are little girls growing up far too fast.

Happy 2nd Birthday Juliana and Mia!

So mommy is an hour and a half late, but I still had to post this before heading to bed...

To think that two whole years ago, you both entered this world, tiny as can be, struggling to survive...is just so hard to fathom looking at you both now! You are perfect in every way and have truly defied the odds. Each and every day I wake up and go to bed thanking God for my sweet girls...the greatest gift I have ever received (aside from Daddy).

I love you more than I could ever express in words and hope that one day you will understand and know this love.

And tonight, as I watch you sleeping so peacefully, I look forward to a lifetime with you both.

Love always,
Mommy

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Just long enough

Two years ago today, at just 24 weeks, 5 days, I was admitted to the hospital for good after going home overnight after spending the two days prior in the hospital receiving the steroid shots for the girls' lungs...just in case. Ha, ha, ha. My cervix was gone...I was fighting off an infection...having contractions I couldn't feel...praying for time...for another hour, another day, another week, another month...so the babies could have a fighting chance at life. They were tiny still, just 1 lb. and change...I was so scared I wouldn't be able to give them the time they needed.

That night was especially hard...so hard. I cried, I prayed, I cried, I prayed, I cried while praying...begging, pleading that He give us more time. Until we changed cell phone carriers recently, I had saved a message from Robert that he left at 6:00am the following morning with Keedo and Kaiya barking their "hellos" in the background and his words, "We've been praying for you and the babies all night." You see, I made him go home that night, to be with the dogs, so he could get some good sleep and go to work the next morning. But still, I remember so vividly wanting him there, wishing he could hold my hand and tell me it was all going to be okay. So I cried. And every night for the next 3 weeks would be like that. I was like a ticking time bomb...at any moment things could change and the babies would have to be delivered...which is exactly what would happen...but thankfully, it happened almost 3 weeks later.

You'll have to bear with me...these next few weeks are full of emotions and memories and it's in the quiet of the night that they come flooding back. I remember it like it was just yesterday...each day, night, emotion, prayer forever etched in my mind. I don't ever want to forget any of it. And while much of it is painful, I want to remember that, too...because it was who we were and has shaped who we are today as parents. Nothing is taken for granted...every kiss/hug is met with a tear of joy...thank God we made it just long enough...