What a year! The twins are 1!

We are blessed! The twins are 1 and I can hardly believe it. They are both crawling and pulling themselves up to stand. They smile all the time! They wave hi and bye bye. Brielle says "uh oh" and Corinne claps at every thing Lyla does :)

They are a complete joy and they make me smile all the time.

In reflection of our journey I am saddened that the Dr.'s were so negative upon delivering the news to us that they were mono mono. When I see a result like these 2 beautiful babies I can't imagine being anything but positive. Together with God they chose to enter the world in an unusual way. Aside from conjoined twins no 2 people can possibly be closer. What a special bond they have. What a special journey their life will be.

Now that the first year is over, I can calmly reflect on the scary and stressful times in the NICU. The great joy of being able to hold my daughters for the first time when they were almost 2 weeks old. The fear of bringing them home during a hurricane and how they spent their first night home in a pack and play in our basement as we mopped up water and watched the TV for tornado warnings. The pumping, pumping and more pumping that I did and how I sometimes fell asleep pumping! hahaha... The support from our parents as I recovered from hernia surgery just days after bringing the twins home. The COLIC ohhhh the COLIC. No one can explain to you what colic is until you experience it! The first smiles!!!!!!! Corinne smiled first. I was trying to get her to fall asleep and she looked at me and smiled. That erased all of my frustration that night. The specialist appointments, the fear of test results, the unknown.  Realizing their eyesight was good! Realizing their hearing was good! Corinne not rolling over, Corinne finally rolling over! Their blessed sacrament of baptism! Sleeping through the night! FINALLY! Teeth! More teeth! Babbling, Dada and every once in a while a mama :)...sometimes a yaya (Lyla?) too!!

The twins had a spectacular first birthday party and so many relatives and friends came to help us celebrate. What a special day for all of us! We so much appreciate all of you that braved the heat (102 degrees!) that day in order to honor the girls, their journey and the miracle of their life!

What a year! What a journey! Raising identical twins will no doubt be fun! Thank you God!

As always, thank you to all of you that have prayed and supported us over the last year and several months. It will never be forgotten.

Please continue your prayers as the twins have another cardiologist appointment in a few weeks. We are praying that the hole in their hearts has closed up and that they will not need surgery.

I also want to mention that during times like these it is evident that their is someone missing. The girls lost their Pop Pop (Bryan's dad) a few months before they were born. He would have been so happy to see them celebrate their first birthday. I like to think that he helped and held our hand through the rough journey of my pregnancy and the first weeks of their life. They will never get to meet their Pop Pop but they will always know they have an extra special angel watching over them. He knew they were coming and he was so excited! He showed their ultrasound picture to all his nurses and joked with Bryan about having 3 daughters. I will never forget the smile on his face when we told him they were girls! He will be forever missed.

God Bless!

Best Big Sister EVER!



The twins are 6 months old!

Brielle & Corinne

Well they are actually 6  1/2 months today! They are doing great! When they are not crying they are smiling :). They are the 2 little smiley faces that I dreamed about seeing all those months ago. They LOVE watching Lyla as she prances around to entertain them. They are beginning to roll over now! Corinne more so than Brielle but Brielle is getting there. The Dr.'s are pleased with their growth and development.  They are little peanuts though weighing 10lbs 14 oz (Brielle) and 10lbs 3 oz (Corinne).  I suspect their weight will pick up soon, as they are now waking for feedings at night; a habit they had dropped for a few weeks. They babble now, screeching so loudly at times their happiness can sometimes be mistaken for crying.  The question "Are they happy or crying?" is often asked in our house lately. haha

They have both been diagnosed with a minor heart disorder called ASD. The cardiologist tells us they were born with this and is not related to their premature birth.  He is not concerned about this and there is actually a possibility for this to correct itself in the coming months. If it does not, they will need to have surgery to correct it (they would go through a vein, not have open heart surgery). So we ask for prayers that this does correct itself and we can avoid sending them into surgery in their adolescence.

They have their follow up eye appointments coming up in February but we suspect all will go well. It is obvious that they can see us pretty well. They watch everything from the dogs to the TV with great joy! :)

I wish that I had known a year ago how well this journey would turn out. It has been such a long road but we have gotten here with the help of all your love and prayers.  Thank you to my friends and family for that.  Thank you also to those that we have not met that have heard about us and have sent prayers.  As always we send back our appreciation and prayers to you all!

I'm tired!!!!!!

No, let me rephrase that I AM EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!!!  These two tiny, little beings are draining me! Once we get one settled the other one starts in. Oh and now Lyla is entering our room at night too!  Sleep is non existant.

They are really cute though so we'll keep them :) lol

Their current weights are : Corinne 5lbs 10oz and Brielle 6lbs 9oz they are getting bigger fast! :) YAY

Now the real journey begins...

The girls are home!!!  They certainly like to gather attention.  The girls were released one day apart and one day before Hurricane Irene entered our area.  Corinne spent her first night at home snuggled next to her sister in a pack and play down in our basement.  Bryan and I were up all night and not just due to feedings and diaper changes.  We were monitoring the water entering our basement window and waiting for updates on tornado warnings.  What a night!

Now that the weather is no longer a worry we can finally enjoy our twins homecoming!

WELCOME HOME GIRLS! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Lyla greeted the girls with a song on her play piano titled "Welcome home babies".  It strangely ended with "and bingo was his name O " ... :)   She can't tell them apart (no surprise since Bryan and I have trouble ourselves) and refers to them as "that one" or "my baby sister"  "my baby sister wants her binky" or "that one is crying".  She is so excited to have them home and it is a joy to see her enter her new role as big sister!

NICU LIFE

Today was the day they were supposed to be born.  I wonder how things would have been different it I had made it to 32 weeks.  They are doing very well but Brielle especially has had some rough patches. I wish they were able to stay in my womb just that little bit longer.  That being said I know in my heart that this is what God had intented for them and us.

We are so blessed. They are just so beautiful and perfect.  I was able to hold Brielle today for the first time! She slept so contently on my chest and I could have held her forever.  Bryan took her temp and changed her diaper. He was nervous and it was cute watching him. It is funny the first time you change their diaper because they are smaller than some of Lyla's dolls! The teeny tiny diapers are even a bit big for them!

Brielle and Corinne already seem to have very different dispositions. Brielle is so "go with the flow".  She will let the nurses do whatever they need to and doesn't fuss.  Corinne on the other hand is a bit feisty. She even has a dramatic cry.  It's funny because they were that way in my womb. Corinne was the more active one.



I am excited to start decorating the nursery.  I know we are still many weeks from brining them home but it makes me happy to think about that day.  I wonder what life with twins will be like. I remember how tiring it was when Lyla was a newborn.  I can only imagine how it will be with twins :). It is all good though.  If you were to have told me 5 years ago that I would one day have 3 daughters, twins and big sister I am not sure I would have believed you.  There was a time where Bryan and I had given up on trying for a biological baby.  We were ready for adoption.  God had other plans.  Thank you God! Although these roads have been difficult at times I wouldn't have ever taken another one. I couldn't imagine not having this as my destination!  3 beautiful daughters! Wow!

I keep hearing about all the prayers that are coming our way from those we know and even from people we have never met.  We couldn't be more appreciative.  God has heard your prayers and I am so grateful!  The babies will grow up knowing that so many people sent positive thoughts and prayers their way for their health and well being!

Welcome Babies!

Brielle Maria 2lbs 12oz and Corinne Ivy 2lbs 7.9oz were born on Wednesday July 13th 2011at 8am and 8:01am.

They are both stable and doing well for their age. They are both on CPAP to assist with their breathing. Brielle needed some blood as she was a little anemic. Both got surfactant for their lungs. IV in their cord insertion.  Tube to their bellies for food which they will get a tiny bit of breast milk today (7/14).

Pictures soon to follow.

Well...

Maybe I jinxed myself with my last post.  We had the growth ultrasound yesterday and that Baby A just isn't growing like they would like.  After long consideration (and even the possibility of delivering yesterday) my Dr.'s have decided to try to get me to 32 weeks.  I knew after the sonographer told me their weights (2lbs 2oz and 3lbs) that things weren't so great.  Baby A only grew 3 oz and Baby B grew 10.  Her 2 vessel cord is most likely the reason.  They want to keep an even closer eye on me and if anything changes in the slightest they will deliver ASAP.  The good news is that blood flow and heart rates have been great (knock on wood!!!)! That is the reason my docs want to postpone delivery a little bit longer. They feel the baby is getting good blood flow and oxygen. So right now we have a delivery date of July 22nd with the knowing that delivery can easily come before that.  I am truly optimistic however that we will make it to that July 22nd date. 

I have always been concerned about that smaller baby.  Now of course I am even more concerned.  I pray that she is born healthy and will thrive after birth.  Of course I wish the same for her sister :).
I know I have been asking for prayers and thank you!  Please pray that the babies are born healthy and have an uneventulf NICU stay.

Speaking of the NICU we got to tour it yesterday which was good timing since we just had received the news.  It was a bit emotional and I didn't at all expect that.  As soon as I saw where the babies would be brought to I started to realize how real all of this is.  That SOON I will have 2 tiny little babies.  So small and helpless that they will have to be in this special place.  It is the neonatal intensive care unit.  My babies will have to stay in the hospital long after I go home.  How on earth am I going to leave my children (who have been inside of my body all these months) here while I go home???  Just how am I going to do this?  Nothing seems harder.  It was terribly difficult to leave Lyla to come here to the hospital but I knew she was okay and I could explain to her that I am always thinking about her.  My little babies will be away from me when they need me the most.  When they have tubes in them or wires on them.  When they feel uncomfortable in anyway.  Of course I will be there as much as I can and so will Bryan.  However, we know it is impossible to be there constantly and I will be healing from major surgery.  Plus we must continue to keep life at home as normal as possible for Lyla's sake.  I do not look forward to the first time I walk out of the hospital without my babies in tow.   Yes I know they will have the best care, yes I know this will not last forever, yes I know this is ultimately the best thing for them.  I know all of this.  I can even see all the positives.  I will have a better potentially more restful recovery after my c-section.  They will come home on a schedule.  Our family will have some more time to prepare for their homecoming.  All of that is great but I can't stop thinking about how much I want them to be home with us right away.

As long as our babies are born healthy and thrive.  This all of my above mentioned thoughts are secondary.  I know that in my heart.  I guess it is my selfish thinking of wanting things the way I want them.  Well if this pregnancy has taught me ANYTHING is that it is just impossible for that to be.  I must learn to go with change, to embrace experiences that do not meet my expectations.  As much as I would have wanted this to be a "normal" pregnancy if it was I would have missed out on a lot.  I have learned so much about the people in my life, people in general and about love.  I have made new friends and formed new relationships. All of this adds to making me a better person (I hope).  When we first learned about the twins and that they were monoamniotic my Dr. offered to terminate the pregnancy.  My goodness, what if I would have taken that route?  It may have been easier on me in some ways but I would not have had the opportunity to meet 2 more beautiful souls!  I can not wait to meet them and I am so honored to be a part of their unique entry into this world!

God Bless!
Claudette