Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas! Santa brought everything on Molly's list--and then some! Of course, Lanie and Lindy had no idea what was going on, but they sure do love all their new toys too! More than anything, I was so excited to be together with our little family. We had a hectic few days of running around and going all over town with three kids to be with each of our families. But we survived-and somehow didn't lose sight of the blessings of our three most precious gifts. We also finally got a family picture at Granny's house!

Lindy & Lanie-5 months

All Aboard!

We went to the Jefferson Railway of Lights in Jefferson, Texas. Molly and Graham had so much fun riding a real choo-choo! We almost didn't make it. The first time we were planning to go, we didn't know you needed tickets, so we had to postpone the trip. This time we had tickets and tried to be prepared by printing out directions. The directions didn't tell us that our exit would be CLOSED!!! We went one hour the wrong way! Thank goodness for OnStar. We arrived safe and sound just before the train departed. That's what we get for all of these blondes running the operation!!

It's Hard Enough...

It is hard enough to get a good picture of one kid. Try three at the same time. I tried to get a cute picture of all three girls. By the time we were finished, I was sweating and all three babies were crying. I felt like a slave driver. They would take turns crying and when they would stop I couldn't help myself-so I would make them pose for a few more. We ended up with 86 pictures... Not one perfect! Here are some for your enjoyment. They are precious to me even if they aren't picture-perfect!!!

Better than cookies and milk

Many of you know the story of my pregnancy. Most of you probably don't know the details. All of you know what miracles my baby girls are... The day I found out that the twins were going to be girls I also found out there were complications. I tried that day to celebrate the fact that we were getting to have two more little Mollys-even though I was worried sick. So I do what I do best in a crisis-shop. I went by myself and found these onesies and had to have them. That day-even though I didn't know what we were in store for- I dreamed of what my two little identical twins would look like in these silly little t-shirts. These onesies ended up being the ONLY baby things that I bought during the entire pregnancy. The futher the pregnancy went along, the more I would tell myself that maybe there was a chance that I could use the onesies. But I kept them in the closet and sometimes tried to pretend that they weren't there. I would think of them and wish they were already out of my house so that in the event something happened to one or both babies, I wouldn't have to get rid of them. They stayed in the bag with the tags on them until yesterday. I have never had so much fun cutting a tag off of clothing! No one will ever know the joy I feel seeing Lanie and Lindy wearing them. They mean so much more to me than a cute phrase worn by precious babies. To me they mean that God heard me, answered my prayers and blessed my life with two miracles. Those onesies are a reminder to me to hold on, let God do His work, and trust that He's in control. And I am proud to report that yes, they are about to outgrow them already!!!

My baby wants a BARBIE!

Okay-we've officially crossed over from babyhood... Molly is asking Santa for some Barbies this year. I am having a hard time with it. Mostly because I have SEEN the Barbies they are producing! Let's hope Santa can find some with LOTS of clothes on! Yes, I am THAT mother :) I just can't believe how big she is. It seems like just yesterday she was a tiny baby and now she wants a bike and a pink helmet and BARBIES!!! I would give anything for the bricks I could use to put on her head to stop her from getting big.

Here she is visiting with Santa-she loves him SO much!!

All dressed up and no where to go!

Here are some new pictures of Lanie and Lindy. I didn't get any of them together because they bathed/napped/posed in shifts... This is what we do most of the day-get dressed up to sit around the house and take pictures. Anyway-here they are at 4 months! Lindy was getting a little bored and she doesn't like a bow. We've got to work on that!

Molly's 50's Day

She looked so adorable in her little poodle skirt!!

New Pictures

For the past few days I have tried to take some new pictures of the babies so you can see how they are growing!

Who says we aren't identical?

Lindy is on top...Lanie on bottom!

29 and holding!

My birthday was last week... Just thought I would share with you the icing on MY cake!! Here are my precious girls!

Happy Halloween!

This is a few days late! But I DID figure out how to make a slide show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Lindy's home!

Lindy has been home for about a week now! We have been so busy and tired. My mom has been staying with us and has tried to help me establish a routine. Although we haven't gotten much sleep, we are so excited that both babies are here and doing great! Here are some recent pictures. Enjoy!

My sweet babies

Wow! I don't realize how often I don't post blogs until I do it! Life is a little crazy right now. In fact, if you are reading this and I owe you a thank you note--I am trying my HARDEST!! Know that I haven't forgotten. I have a little notebook full of all of the sweet gifts and meals that everyone has brought to us. My goal is to get all notes finished by the time Lindy gets home! I don't know when she'll be coming home. She is still having some feeding issues. They took another look at her swallow and saw that it is getting better--maturing. They have decided to take her off the breastmilk for her bottle feedings because the milk is thin and she loses a lot of it. So...they put her on formula for those feedings. The formula was working okay but they still wanted to thicken it up so they added rice cereal to it. I told Lindy that I would be bringing her a Happy Meal next time I come! She is getting so big! She was 6 pounds 5.3 ounces yesterday! I am trying to be patient. I do want her home really bad. They apparently have figured out the right consistency for the bottle and now they are building her up to taking all of her feedings by bottle. When that happens-she can come home!! Her eye condition that is due to prematurity is improving each week! I am just amazed at what God is doing in our lives. We are so blessed. Lanie and Lindy both got RSV vaccines yesterday. The nurse came to our house and weighed Lanie. She is 9 pounds!!! I can not believe it! What a little butterball! I am going to try to load some pictures today. I know I said that last time. Sorry!

Proof

Lindy,

This picture reminds me of how grateful I am that you are here. You are such a tiny, sweet miracle. You are proof that God exists and evidence of His love and tenderness. When I look at your precious face, I am reminded of how very blessed I am. Please always remember that you are living proof that prayer works and that God is faithful. This picture is my favorite today for many reasons. Maybe it's because there were days that I didn't even know if I would ever hold you. Or because even the best doctors had doubts... But your little life has taught me not to rely on man's wisdom, but on God's power! I am so thankful for that. What a wonderful testimony you are of God's sweet surprises!

He answered our prayer-with you, Lindy Claire!

It has been so long since I posted a blog... I guess that shows how busy things are around here! Lanie is doing great at home. She is such a good baby. I guess I can thank the NICU for getting her on a great schedule! Lindy still isn't home. We were going to bring her home after her eye exam on Monday but then she started having some feeding issues. They ended up examining her swallow and found that it is still really immature. They watched her as she drank a bottle and saw that the milk came super close to getting into her lungs. So...Dr. Whitton decided to put the feeding tube back in for a week and then do the swallow study again to see if she's more mature. If she is, they will reintroduce the bottle and we'll go from there. I really think it will be at least two more weeks until she's here. I was disappointed, but I know that she's getting the best care possible. I would be nervous about these issues at home anyway. So I guess it's best to keep her there until she's really ready to come home. She is weighing 5 pounds 4.9 ounces now!!! I just can not believe how much she's grown. It's hard to believe that she was only 1 pound 15 ounces when she was born. What a miracle!

Please continue to pray for us-life is really hectic with having a new baby at home and one across town! We are being pulled in so many directions. Kyle is getting up in the middle of the night and feeding Lanie so I can sleep and he's working all day. We try to give Molly as much time as we can in the evenings because we know what a big adjustment this is for her. She is going to get to hold Lindy today. I will take some pictures and post some new pictures tonight!

I'd forgotten!

I have quickly remembered what it is like to have a newborn in the house!! No one sleeps... Lanie being at home has been wonderful. I love having her right there to cuddle and look at-all night and day! She's such a sweet baby. Molly is having so much fun being a big sister. She LOVES holding Lanie and helping me change diapers and give baths. Dr. Whitton says that Lindy will be home sometime next week-Tuesday at the earliest! I'll be so excited to finally have everyone home! What will TWO newborns and a three year old at home be like?! :)

NICU photos

Here are some pictures that Kristin Mosura took of Lanie and Lindy last Friday. They are absolutely wonderful pictures and really show what our precious babies look like! Enjoy!

TV Stars!!!

Okay...the NICU segment will air tomorrow morning (September 18th) at 6:20 in the morning. So all you early birds check it out!

Lights, Camera, Action!

I am happy to report that Lindy and Lanie will be making their first television debut next week!! Channel 3 is doing a report on the new NICU unit at Willis Knighton South and my precious babies were nominated to be featured! We will tape the segment Monday morning and I don't know when it will air. I will update when I get more information. No autographs, please! :)

Photo shoot

Today Lanie and Lindy had their first photo shoot. Kristin Mosura came to their room and took pictures of them together! I know they are going to be great. Here is a sneak peek... Of course, if my digital camera can take a precious picture like this, imagine what an incredible photographer's look like!!! I can't wait to see them! Thank you, Kristin-you're awesome!

Big Sister

Today Molly got to hold Lanie. She was so excited and so very sweet to her little sister!

Update!!

First of all, we found out yesterday that it looks like Lanie will be coming home at the end of this week!! Dr. Whitton says it looks like we will have to split them for a couple of weeks because Lindy is still just too small to go home. He is saying that Lanie will probably come home Friday unless they can find any reason to keep her. I have told him that I want him to keep them together as long as he can!

They are doing well. Lanie is taking a bottle every time she eats and sucks it down in about 7 minutes! Lindy is getting a bottle twice in a row and then they feed her through the feeding tube once. She is doing well with the bottle too. Lindy will probably be in a crib by the end of the week when she is 4 lbs!! I can't believe how fast they are growing...they even have a few teeny fat rolls!

So far, all of the "issues" (which aren't very many), are due just to prematurity. Hopefully they will grow out of them. Please keep praying for their progress. They have done remarkably well considering how early they were. We are thrilled with the way things have turned out and hope that each new milestone in their development checks out okay! Thank you for thinking about them and us and for keeping these two precious girls in your prayers. Our family is so grateful!

Lindy Lou

Kyle Jr.

She looks just like her Daddy to me!

The Lucky One

Today Lanie and Lindy are 6 weeks old! I am amazed that they have been in the NICU that long. I have been going to meetings with other mothers of babies in the NICU and have often giggled to myself when they are really impatient because their babies have been there for a week. When they ask me how long my twins have been in I can see the frantic looks on their faces. I can tell they are worried that their babies will have to stay as long as mine! There have been days when I have thought that they would never get out. I have also been really sad some days because babies are supposed to be with their mommies. (And mommies are supposed to be up all night with their new babies!)

With all of the crazy emotions that come along with having babies in the hospital, I have continually reminded myself what precious miracles Lanie and Lindy are. One day I was up at the hospital for about 3 hours just looking at them. Of course, they are starting to look more like full term newborn babies now-but really they should still be in my tummy growing and developing. I had a day of feeling sorry for them and myself because they didn't get all the time that they needed inside of me and I didn't get to have them to myself longer! I just kept thinking that mothers who get to carry their twins (or any baby) to term are so lucky. But then I realized that I AM the lucky one! I have gotten to see more miracles from God in these two baby girls than most people ever see in their lives.

It's been amazing to me how fast they grow and change. Having them in the NICU has forced me to slow down, sit still, and see each miracle as it happens. I have held each of them and studied their little eyelashes and fingernails. I've been able to watch their sweet smiles and really think about what it is they are smiling about! I got to see my baby girls when their palms were the size of quarters and their big toes were the size of tic tacs. I knew what they looked like before they had little booties and belly buttons. I have gotten to watch the way they move and how each day they have new facial expressions. It's been so awesome to see how small but very much developed they were even at just 30 weeks. It puts God's promise into perspective. He said that before we were born He KNEW us. He knew how many hairs were on Lanie's head before I even saw them. He knew the color of Lindy's eyes before she ever even opened them! He knew their little personalities-how Lanie is laid back like her Daddy and how Lindy is a "wildcat" (that's her nickname from the nurses-she screeches!). I knew when I was pregnant that somewhere in all of the difficulties that there would be a miracle. I didn't know what it would be or when it would happen. The first one happened on July 31st at 2:01 and the second was at 2:03. After that-God has spoiled me by letting each milestone and each day bring tons of miracles that I get to see. It's amazing knowing that while I am watching, He's having so much fun--it's almost like He's saying "Watch This!!". That's why I'm the lucky one!

Why Molly loves the rain!

Daddy and Lanie