We are blessed

Yesterday, Andy and I went through all the pictures we took of the girls from the day they were born through the time they left the hospital. We marveled at how much they have changed, as well as how tiny they really were when they were born (Adelaide was 2lbs 6oz and Miriam was 2lbs 3oz). The nurses at the hospital kept telling us that we wouldn't remember how small they were, and we didn't believe them at the time, but it turns out that they were right. My heart hurt to see all the IVs and tubes and breathing apparatus sticking out of them, and I relived all the emotions we experienced in those 11 or so weeks. We thought it would never end and I kept worrying that things would go wrong. Fortunately, our prayers were answered and our baby girls did finally come home and they are healthy.

What got me thinking about all this came from watching an episode of So You Think You Can Dance (the show touches us all ;)). There was a girl auditioning who had something called spinal dysplasia (I'm pretty sure I got the name wrong). Basically, her spine is missing some vertebrae, and while the rest of her body seems to have formed normally, her torso is extremely small. She has to go through life with people staring, pointing, and laughing at her - and she still went out there and auditioned for the show. I looked over at Andy and said "For all we went through with the girls, and with me pitying our situation, seeing this really makes me realize how well things did turn out". Granted, things weren't ideal, but we have our two little girls home with us now and the whole hospital experience lasted 2.5 months - really not that long when you put things in perspective.

Thinking about how blessed we are to have such a wonderful little family and such a great support system really helps those midnight feedings be a bit more bearable. When both girls are crying and I feel like I'm at my wits' end because I can't calm them down, I take a minute and remember that they are healthy babies with great sets of lungs! And finally, at times like this (right now), when they are snoozing peacefully in their cribs looking like perfect little angels (how do they do that?) or they look at Andy and me with grins on their faces, I think that life couldn't get more perfect than this.

Thank you so much to my parents, Andy's parents, our siblings and amazing friends and family for being there for us, with encouraging words and showers of gifts for our little babies.

P.S. One paragraph does not do the hospital experience justice - I will be sure to expand on it in a future post.