My Two miracle babies are turning 2!!

How can it be?

My little monkeys are TWO?!!!




2 years ago today all my worries and fears were finally put to rest and many, many prayers were answered as you two entered the world

Together

And Healthy!

"There's One heartbeat

and theres the second heartbeat"

those words were the words we had waited to hear after the risky surgery at 20 weeks

and 2 years ago today we heard them again.....

"One healthy baby....

and A Second healthy baby!

Congratulations! Kecia and Kris your miracle baby girls are here and you all made it!"

Those words from our doctor and dear friend, who I am sure felt so many times throughout our pregnancy that things were not going to end well, and he was as relieved and happy as we were to finally be able to say those words and to hand us our TWO baby girls.  There had been so many moments of worry wondering if you two would make it here to be with our family and seeing dad holding you both, completly healthy in his arms, was the miracle we had been praying so many months for.

Even to this day, when I see our doctor, we both marvel together at all that took place through your journey to come to our family and all the miracles at every turn. I know our Heavenly father blessed all the doctors who were part of your miracle.

You both surprised doctors, surgeons, and all of us as you fought together and overcame the odds that were against you. And words can not begin to express how indebted we feel to those doctors for saving your lives. It was a blessing that Dr. Lloyd found the difference in the fluid levels in an early ultra sound which enabled us to be on top of early and close monitoring with our perinatology team here which led us to the right team of specialists in California with Dr. Chmait when the time came to do the TTTS surgery. And Dr. Chmait performed your life saving surgery and there are no words to thank someone for that.

for giving us you

Statistically you two should not be here.

Statistically, at least one, if not both of you, should not have made it through the pregnancy.

You were diagnosed with twin to twin transfusion syndrome at 20 weeks gestation and were literally clinging to eachother for survival.

For so long you were our Baby A and our Baby B.


Claire you were our Baby A and you were the one who was giving all of your nutrients and fluids to your sister, which meant your body was shutting down and would not have been able to hold on much longer if we had not been able to intervene with surgery.
 
Livvy you were Baby B and you were also going to shut down and go into heart failure due to too much fluid if something had not been done.

Watching you from the minute you were born, there was no doubt in my mind that you were fighting together from day one.



The benefit of having a high risk pregnancy is that we got to check on you often and watch you both inside my tummy, our baby A and Baby B. It never got old seeing 2 babies growing inside of me side by side,

and even now, 2 years later, as I sit in wonder of how it has possibly been 2 years since that miraculous day? I still look at you daily in awe that there are really TWO of you,

growing up side by side,

two peas in a pod exploring the world with your best friend by your side

 


still watching out for eachother. Always concerned where "sissy is?"

Your story was truly a miracle from the very beginning.



Not only did we think we could not get pregnant at all, we were even more shocked to learn we were pregnant with twins, and it had happened naturally without any fertility medicine.

Then we were faced with your  life saving surgery

 

After many close calls, a month or so of medicine to stop contractions and multiple visits to the labor and delivery to monitor you , we would held our breath as another week went by, bringing you that much closer to your due date. And to the surprise of all the doctors, we finally made it to our scheduled c-section at 37 weeks. Yet another miracle, given the stresses and risks of your entire pregnancy.

I remember when times were hard and being on bed rest would weigh heavily on me, I would pray to Heavenly Father to please let me be able to hold you both when you were born and not have to send you away to the NICU. I knew it was probably a long shot, because most twins need at least some NICU time but given that my last baby was Bree and she was taken away from me right away and spent her whole hospital stay in the nursery away from me, and I didn't get to hold her for 24 hours, I really really had a hard time with that and really needed for you girls to be with me in the hospital and you were and I soaked up every minute of that precious time with my girls!

I feel like it was just yesterday (details of your birth story are here)

And now, our family could not be more blessed to have you in our lives.

You are spunky,

adventurous,

sweet

 giggly

 



beautiful little miracles

and we love you so much!

I am sure I fail most of the time at being your mother, but I am sure grateful for the chance

Not a day goes by that I don't look at you and think what a miracle you both are,

because I know what could have been,

even just yesterday as I sat watching the two of you laugh and play together across the room, I sat in tears reading a blog of another family's story that started out exactly like yours, same complications, same TTTS diagnosis, same surgery to try and save the babies, but sadly their story ended with the loss of two babies. I read This other mom's words as every fear I ever had over the 9 months of your pregnancy was coming true for her and the tears just wouldn't stop as I prayed in my heart for this mom's broken heart and as I held you I again thanked my Heavenly Father that for whatever reason, He blessed our story the way He did.

I know what you overcame

I know that Heavenly Father gave us a second chance with you when he blessed us to find the TTTS in time and He blessed you to make it through the surgery, and be born 2 years ago today, healthy as can be!

You two are a very Big Miracle in such little girls

From day one you were teaching us important life lessons

You taught me how to be BRAVE,  as I never imagined I would be able to get on an airplane with a days notice knowing that my 2 babies lives were hanging in the balance, lay on a hospital bed all alone in another state as I witnessed the miracle of modern medicine intervening in what would have been a tragedy without it, then have to anxiously wait for 24 hours to hear whether or not we had 2 heartbeats following that surgery, and then go home to stay on bed rest for 150 days until the miraculous day when you would both enter my life.

Through 150 days of bed rest you taught me PATIENCE and ENDURANCE

You taught us all what it really means to SERVE and SACRIFICE for another.
From the day of that surgery until the day you were born, your lives, and our families lives were blessed by others every single day.

Due to 5 months of bed rest, I could not do the everyday things that moms do for their families daily, and every single day we were blessed with help to get those things done....all so that your two little lives could be saved and we could welcome you into our family. And not a day goes by that I dont think about that, and I wish that I could truly portray to those who helped us and prayed you here,

just what it meant to us all. I hope they know that we are forever in their debt for helping us get you here.

I often get emotional as I realize that 3 of my children (you two and Mia) would not be here today if it wasn't for the prayers, the sacrifices, the charitable acts, and the unwavering love and service that so many gave on our behalf.

You taught us to be HUMBLE and to really look at our priorities in life. I know it sounds crazy but sometimes I miss those days of bedrest because although it was hard to miss out on so much of everyday life and activities, it also made me stop and really look at what matters in our lives.

 So much of the day to day business takes over and overshadows the ordinary miracles hiding underneath. And during those quiet moments I often marveled at the little things I had to be grateful for that I had taken for granted before.

And today, as our lives just get busier and crazier I try and stop for even a brief moment and hold you both as my breath is taken away at the blessing you are in my life.

Today as we celebrate you birth day we again marvel and feel an abundance of gratitude for your miraculous little lives.

We know that the outcome, your birth on this marvelous day, was truly a miracle from the Lord and we are forever grateful for all those who excercised faith on our behalf. I remember sitting in the hotel room the night before the surgery, with tears rolling down my cheeks as I read comments, prayers and well wishes from so many and once again being so thankful for all the good people in my life, both those who I know in person and those who I feel like I know in person. We truly felt of the many prayers sent out for our babies over those scary times as we worked on getting you here safely!

And 2 years ago today, those same people rejoiced as we welcomed you safely into the world!

Miracles certainly do happen! 

 Claire Lorraine

 and Livvy Mae

you are daily reminders to us all of that!

Happy 2nd Birthday !