One Month Home

It has been one month since both babies came home to us. Wow, what an experience! Sometimes it feels like it was so long, other times, it just flew by. But what matters is that our family is all together and the real journey is just beginning.

There are so many people to thank for helping us get here.

To our family: Thank you for your prayers and support and for already loving these babies though not all of you have even met them yet. You all know how much we have been yearning to add to our eternal family and what a struggle it has been. Thank you for loving us through all of this. I want to particularly thank our sister Marcy, who always brightened my day by remembering little milestones along the way of the pregnancy and who unfailingly sent encouraging emails and texts. You have no idea what that meant to me. And Mom, who has been here this last month helping to take care of these little bundles of sleep-when-they-feel-like-it joy. Just last night, she came over so that Lonny and I could have a date night, then got stranded here because of snow. Then EVEN STILL volunteered to take the night shift so that I could sleep straight through the night. Total heaven. Thanks to both of you for sleepovers too.

To our friends: To my family members not related to me! You have been with me through every step of this process and didn't even mind the "gory" details. You have showered me with gifts and I don't just mean the material things (though those were great too!). I mean things like laughter, open arms and hearts (thank you for not rolling your eyes when I said I wanted to get pregnant at age 45). You gave us the gift of loving our little boy and taking him into your homes so that we could have a chance to go to all our procedures and then the hospital together. Thank you for having my back and those of you who that applies to know who you are and what I am talking about. Thank you for praying for and with me, thank you for exploding with joy at the news of this miracle. Thank you for your concern during all those trips to the hospital and the rapid fire texts that were coming in so fast that the staff thought one of there machines was beeping when it was just me. Thank you for the comments on the blogs. Thank you for being YOU. We love you beyond measure.

To the wonderful staff, doctors and that kind embryologist with the Aussie accent at RCC: Thank you for making this all possible. Period. Without your commitment and dedication to helping families overcome insurmountable odds, this would not have happened. Period. You are all amazing and what joy you bring to the lives of others. Please keep up your wonderful work.

To the Labor and Delivery Staff at both Alta View and IMC, since I spent so much time with BOTH: Thank you for some of the scariest and most reassuring moments of my life!!! Thank you for being a part of all of this! A big shout out to IMC, who delivered these babies into this world, assuring us that they would be fine even if they were born at 30 (and a half!) weeks. I really want to thank Dr. Smith, Reg (I don't know what I would have done without you, literally), Dr. Clark, the nurse who took me back to the room immediately as my water was breaking at the desk and the receptionist was making me dig out my insurance card (I mean, really?) whose name I never got. During my stay, thank you Jenae, Rachelle and the wonderful girl (it is killing me that I can't remember your name right now, I WILL find out) who is also a massage therapist and gave me a massage when I was at my lowest point. There is nowhere that I would rather have had my babies and I always knew I was in the right place.

To the NICU Angels: Thank you for the outstanding care you provided to the babies AND to us. Wow, I sure learned a lot. Thank you for Kangaroo Care, for the nightly updates (I think the whole time they were there, I only failed to call once and that's because I fell asleep) and all the encouragement about their progress. Thank you Lexie (the one who made me really believe that they were going to be alright AND taught us how to give them a swaddle bath - that was so fun), Amber, Tiffany and Tricia (mmmhuh!). Also Ramona who witnessed one of my biggest meltdowns yet! Thank you to Jen, Dana and especially Scott who taught our little angels (with a little help from Mom and Dad) how to eat so well that they got to come home at an unheard of 34 1/2 weeks (for Abby) and 35 weeks (for Ella) and of course, to the doctors who help save these tiniest of the tiny babies each and every day. We love you all, but may we never have to be inside the NICU again!!! Thank you for caring for and loving on our babies when we couldn't be there or just didn't know how, to do it.

And of course, to our Father in Heaven, who knows the Big Picture. Thank you for tender mercies. Thank you for helping me to finally, FINALLY, understand why we had to go through so much heartbreak (particularly with a failed adoption) to get these beautiful babies in our arms. For not giving up on me when I just about gave up on you. For strengthening our faith, in you and in each other. And for the guidance we will receive as we raise up our three amazing children. Thanks for the "hard way" because we will be more grateful and humble for it.

This will be the last post here. We will keep it up for a little while longer, then make it into books for the girls. We will go back to posting on our regular family blog (www.lonnyssongbird.blogspot.com) so you can enjoy the journey with us! Thank you for reading about us! And if you know anyone that is going through this situation, please let them know that while having preemies is hard, they will get through. And that they have been preemie blessed. Love to you all.