Christmas!

Whew!  Christmas with twins was busy and fun!  At four months, the boys didn't quite know what was going on, but it was nice to start some family Christmas traditions none the less.  Thanks to the advice of one of my crafty co-workers, we were able to make some cute Christmas ornaments for the Grandparents.  Jody was worried that the boys would freak out when I painted their feet brown in an attempt to create a reindeer ornament, but they actually loved it!  The whole process took us less than five minutes, which is probably some sort of world record in the twin ornament making land.  (Yes, we are that good.)  Here they are, as cute as can be.  We can't wait to do this more in the many years to come!

Our little reindeer--Jack on left, Rowan on right

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were also full of adventure for us.  It felt like we were here and there and everywhere in-between, but the boys did so well!  They got some precious toys, and it was fun to watch them play.  One of the highlights from Christmas Day was watching Jack and Rowan interact with their big cousins, Elijah and Ellie.  It was like a light bulb went off and they realized, "Whoa, these people are little AND they're funny!"  They couldn't stop smiling, and they all four made each others day.  Here are some pictures from our first Christmas together.  

Jack laughing at Cousin Elijah

Merry Christmas!

Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa

Christmas Eve

Christmas with Gran and Papa

Trying to eat Papa's chocolate-covered cherries

Of course, one of the best things about this Christmas is that I am able to be home for two whole weeks with the boys!  It is so hard to go to work each day and only get to interact with them for a few hours in the evenings.  It weighs heavy on my heart to leave them during the day, so this past week has been a huge blessing.  I'm enjoying every second of my time with them (even those seconds at 3 AM when we are wide awake.....Mr. Rowan.....).  :)    

Love our happy family!

Whatcha got in your stocking?

Can you believe it is already THAT time of year?  You know, the time when parents of twins all over start subjecting their children to outrageously cute poses in search of the most perfect family Christmas card ever?  Yeah, me either, but boy did we enjoy our little Christmas shoot adventure!

This year, our plan was to get together with our favorite photographer from JTPhotography for some cute family shots, but those plans were sidelined by a little something called the good ole DMV (which is also affectionately known as the Department of Motor Vehicles).  Yes, Jody and I had to wait in line, along with 500 of our closest friends, to get our driver's license renewed.  Thankfully, the whole process didn't take all day like we were expecting, but we did have to cancel our family photo shoot plans.

So, enter me, who was bound and determined to not let the DMV ruin our entire Christmas.  I decided that come spit up or dirty diapers, we were going to put on a smile and take one of the cutest Christmas pictures ever!  All I had to do was come up with a precious idea, find the even more precious props, and convince Jody that taking a Christmas picture of his three month old twins right before their feeding time (as to avoid spit ups) would be the best experience of his life.  Hey, I got this!

Step One:  Come up with obscenely precious idea

This step was actually pretty easy.  All I had to do was type in "cute Christmas picture ideas" in Yahoo and presto!  Why not take a picture of the twins in their Christmas stockings?  Better yet, let's come up with a cute little theme like, "We hope your stockings are filled with double the blessings and double the love."  Yes, I think I like it!

Step Two:  Find obscenely precious props to go with obscenely precious idea

Now, this step actually took a lot of work.  First, I had to order some Christmas hats for the boys.  Then, I had to find a working strand of Christmas lights and a black sheet.  With these props ready, we finally tried to fit the boys into their actual Christmas stockings, but low and behold, my little boys have grown so much that they couldn't fit in them!  This was a little disappointing at first, but I couldn't let it break my Christmas spirit.  We tried a few shots with the stockings laying over the boys, but it just wasn't quite the Christmas card spectacular that I was expecting (but still too stinking cute, if I do say so myself).

Step Two (Continued):  Find NEW obscenely precious props to go with obscenely precious idea

With our little stocking debacle still fresh on my mind, I set out on a mission to the one place that never lets me down--Target!  My goal was to find two massive Christmas stockings for our beefy little tots, and two massive Christmas stockings I did find.  They were $13 each, and yes, that is $26 well spent (but if Jody asks, they were buy one, get one free).  So, with the optimal Christmas props in my possession, I prepared myself for our final step in the journey......

Step Three:  Convince Jody to retake pictures that may or may not have been a nightmare to take the first time around

Whew!  Thankfully this step was surprisingly easy, although Jody did mention a few times that he thought I was going a little crazy.  (What's new?)  With everything set up and ready to go, all we needed was for our boys to look at the camera and give us the best pose ever.  Now, I'll admit, it did take us a few tries until we were able to get the optimal photo, but nothing says Merry Christmas like several good blooper shots, right?

Santa looks like, WHAT?!?!

Rowan was just a little fidgety.

Rowan channeling his inner Maggie from The Simpson's, while Jack has the exact same look in every picture.

Mommy, we are SO over this.

I am happy to say that even though we got off to a rocky-ish start, our Christmas shoot was a huge success.  I had planned to return our $26 stockings when were done (I know, really savvy and/or cheap of me), but Rowan ended up pee-peeing in his.  Guess who is going to have to use a gigantic Christmas stocking for the rest of his life????? :)

 In the end, we did find the perfect picture for our card.  

Awwwww.....I love those little boys!  They did so good for their mommy.  I know they can't wait to see what I'll come up with next year.  If anything, I know they are looking forward to me showing this picture to their girlfriends about twenty years down the road.  Merry Christmas!




          

I know two little boys who love their daddy

I once read that a baby tends to smile and laugh more at his or her daddy.  Although babies love their mommy and like to smile for her too, there is just something about those daddies that make babies grin with glee.  The reason?  Daddy is a little more unpredictable (Granted, one might say that this applies to all men in general, but another post another day, right?  lol).  :) 

With two little ones, I definitely find this to be true at our house.  It's rare that I don't walk by the boys' room and hear random farm animal noises, followed by lots of coos and giggles.  Who would have thought that adding in a little "baaaa," "moo," and "oink" could make getting a diaper change so much fun?  Why, Daddy of course!  Jody always has the most fun with the Jack and Rowan.  Sometimes at night I have to sweetly remind him that we're trying to get the them ready for bed, and it might not be the best time tickle the boys and get them kicking and laughing.  Even when their daddy isn't making crazy sounds, the boys love to be with him.  They always turn their head to find him when he talks, and they love to give him the biggest smiles.   

Here is a video of Jody greeting the boys after work.  For some reason, the sound on the video keeps going out...

I am so proud of Jody, because as a daddy of twins, he has had to take on a much bigger role in the boys' lives than most.  While many Dads may be able to sleep through feedings during the night or trade off feedings with Mom, Jody is up for every single feeding.  We have a good little system going.  For example, he sets the alarms so that we don't oversleep and miss a dose of Rowan's heart medication, and he gets the bottles ready for us.  He changes and feeds one sweet baby, while I change and feed the other (unless there is a poopy diaper, and naturally, all bets are off).  To top it off, Jody somehow has the ability to be very talkative and positive at two in the morning, and we often have some of the best conversations when we're half asleep.  The whole process takes about forty-five minutes, and we couldn't do it without him.

Many times Jack will decide after his 5 AM feeding that he is no longer sleepy and is ready to get up and play.  On these mornings, Jody takes Jack into the living room where they stare and smile at the fan while Rowan and I catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Here they are watching the fan until the sun comes up!

There is not a day that goes by that I am not incredibly thankful for Jody.  Jack and Rowan are blessed to have him as their daddy!

Our first vacation!

This is a post that I started several weeks ago, before little Rowan started not feeling well....



Put together family, birthdays, mountains, several bear figurines, and what do you get?  Why, our first vacation, of course!

Last weekend Jody and I ventured out on our first overnight trip with the boys to celebrate our brother-n-law, Gary's, birthday.  Right off the bat I found that packing for two little ones is a very complicated process.  This caused only a minor breakdown on my part, but I think that I hid it pretty well.  (Ha, ha, says Jody.)   So, with half of our house and a positive attitude in tow, the four of us took off for the mountains of Hiawassee.

We stayed in a beautiful cabin with my sister, brother-n-law, niece, nephew, and parents.  Here is the view that greeted us when we got there.  Amazing!

Jack and Rowan's big cousins, Elijah and Ellie, were very excited to see their little buddies out and about for the first time.  They both wanted to help feed and hold the babies, although we didn't have any takers on the diaper changes for some reason.  Here they are helping out and loving on the boys.

Giving Jack some tummy time with Uncle Jody

Best big cousin ever--Ellie holding Rowan

Such a good little helper, or as she said, "baby-sitter"

Of course, everyone else had to get some Jack and Rowan time, too.  :)

Uncle Gary holding Rowan for the first time

Aunt Nichele and Jack

Grandpa and Rowan snoozing away

While there, we also put our baby carriers to good use and took the boys out to the Georgia Mountain Fair.  I'm telling you, for a hefty admission fee, I would have expected a lot more than $5 boiled peanuts and a bunch of old tractors.  It was fun to get out and walk around through, and we only had to fend off a few unwanted hand touches by fellow fair goers.  :)

Posing with Ellie

Afterwards, we all enjoyed a yummy meal at the house together (compliments of chef Gary), and the boys slept five hours straight for the first night ever!

The only picture of the whole crew together, and it's a little dark!

Ellie hopping around upstairs (The view from that window is so pretty that it looks like a picture!)

Our little family of four :)

The Gaddy's

Mom and Dad

Gary's yummy cake!

We were only there for one night, but it was a big accomplishment for us!  The fact that we made it out of the house and stayed somewhere without keeping the whole family up all night, is a small feat in itself.  It was so nice to spend some relaxing hours away from the house with some of our favorite people.  It meant so much to us to have help throughout the day.  At times, fourteen bottles a day can seem a little overwhelming, and even help with one feeding makes a world of difference.  As parents, I think it is important for us to stay "charged up" and ready for our boys.  Sometimes (actually, a lot of times), that means taking some much needed assistance from the fam.

Happy Birthday, G!  We can't wait to do it again!     

A blessing is a blessing, even if it is hard to see

Whew!  Twins will definitely keep you busy, especially when there are tummy and heart issues thrown into the mix.  Sometimes it is hard for me to slow down and recognize the blessings around me.  Today, I am going to do just that.

I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason.  I don't think that things happen by chance, but by divine reason.  I believe that God has a very specific plan for my life and my family.  With this being said, my time in the hospital with Rowan was overwhelming, and I often felt as if I were in a dream.  At times, I found myself asking, "is this really happening to us?"  Here we had been through five scary weeks of bed rest and contractions, three difficult weeks in the NICU, and terrible reflux to boot.  What could we possibly learn by going through all of this?  The answer is, a lot!

Here is my lesson:  I. Am. Blessed.  Even when blessings are hard to see, they are there, just waiting to be found.  It's the finding part that can sometimes be tricky, but once you do, it's more than worth any pain that you went through to get there.

This is how God has blessed me in just the last week.......

1).  During a time like this, you need love and support.  We had it!  We are blessed with a supportive and loving family, who will do anything and everything to help us make it through.  Our parents took turns keeping Jack for us while we were with Rowan at the hospital, and our siblings called and prayed for us when we needed it the most.  Our friends also called or texted to ask how Rowan was doing and let us know that they were praying as well.  Our sweet neighbors even got our mail for us while we were gone.  Knowing that others were praying, gave us the strength to keep going.

2).  We are blessed with an amazing pediatrician!  She recognized the need for Rowan's care right away and sent us to the best place possible.  Throughout the week, she called to check up on him and let me know that she was praying for us.

3).  We are blessed with a minor, fixable heart condition.  While in the CICU, we met a mom whose daughter had been there since birth.  Her daughter has a very serious and complicated heart, which required surgery immediately after her birth.  She has been in the CICU for almost four weeks.  Her mom hasn't even been able to hold her yet.  Can you imagine going four weeks without holding your baby?  To make matters worse, the mom lives in another state and has been staying away from her husband and son at the Ronald McDonald House this entire time.  Her daughter will also need several more surgeries throughout the first year of life to correct her heart.  Everywhere I would look at Egleston, I saw other babies who were far, far worse off than Rowan.  Those families could have been us.

4).  We were not only blessed with a nice place to stay while Rowan was at Egleston (The Ronald McDonald House), but we also were blessed with a good night's sleep.  When your child is hurting and  you are running ninety miles an hour, the Ronald McDonald House is like a safe haven.  This was a place where we could go at night and simply breathe.  While we were there, we met many families who will have to stay for several weeks, some even months, while their children undergo treatments.  We were there for three nights.  Blessed.

5).  We were blessed with time as a couple.  Even though this was scary, we had each other.  Jody was able to get off work and I am still on maternity leave, so God knew what he was doing when he timed this little event in our lives.  :)  We were able to get through this together, and it has made us stronger not only as parents, but as husband and wife.

6).  We were blessed with the most perfect hospital possible for our little boy.  The doctors at Egleston were wonderful, and we always felt confident that they were doing the very best that they could for Rowan.  It gave us peace of mind to know that he was in good hands.

Now that we are home, I can't deny that it doesn't get scary at times to have a little boy with a hurting heart.  However, it's these blessings from above that remind me of my Lord and Savior who is always in control.  In our living room, we have a framed print that says, "The Will of God will never take you were the Grace of God will not protect you."  It's no coincidence that it's the boys favorite thing in the house to stare at.  :)            

Another blessing--seeing my baby boy smile!

My sweet boy checking out his mommy

Taking a short break from the hospital to come home and see Jack (and his cute little monkey bottom)

Beads of Courage

Beads of Courage.....before yesterday, I had never heard of them.  Today, they serve as a source of hope, and a reminder that one day Rowan can look back on this time in the Cardiac ICU and be proud of what he has made it through.

Each patient in the CICU gets a necklace with their name, along with several beads that correspond to their treatment.  Each bead represents a unique experience that Rowan has made it through.  These beads are designed to remind Rowan (and his mommy and daddy) that his story is not about what is happening to him, rather, it is about having the courage to take control and face whatever life throws his way during this difficult time.  No matter what, he will always be little Rowan and nothing can change his fighting spirit.

Here are some of Rowan's experiences that we are proud to have made it through:

Glass Star:  A stay in the CICU
Magenta:  An ambulance ride
Purple:  An infusion of heart medication
Yellow:  Inpatient admission
White:  Learning to tolerate and take new heart medications
Light Green:  X-Ray and Echocardiogram
Glass:  Extraordinary Experience (having to have emergency intervention and strong medication to stop  two serious episodes of SVT)

Of course, with every good story, there is a beginning.  This is ours:

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Rowan seemed a little fussier than normal.  At first, I didn't think too much of it, because he has just had his two month shots on Tuesday and had been feeling pretty crummy since then.  However, around 2 AM, he stopped taking his bottle and would scream if we tried to feed him.  I walked every inch of our house throughout the rest of the morning trying to get him to calm down.  As soon as his pedi's office opened, I called and let them know what was going on.  The nurse thought it sounded like symptoms of an oral thrush and said that we could come on in.  At our appointment with his pedi, I explained what had happened, and just as a check up routine, she listened to his heart.  Immediately she stopped, got up, and told us that she would be right back.  I knew then that something was very wrong.  As it turned out, Rowan's heart was beating so fast that she couldn't even count it.  When hooked up to a machine, we found that Rowan's heart rate was over 300.  She immediately called the cardiac pedi at the Gainesville Sibley Heart Center.  We were rushed over there, where the doctor promptly greeted Rowan with an ice pack to the face.  Apparently, by covering Rowan's entire face with ice (which looks horrible, by the way), it induces a reflex that stops his heart from beating out of control.  Within a few seconds, his heart rate when back down to 130.

We then learned that Rowan has a heart condition called SVT, which causes the heart to short circuit and start beating out of control.  When they first did an echocardiogram of Rowan's heart, one section looked very swollen, and he had some fluid above his stomach.  This was all caused from the SVT.  We now know that Rowan has probably had this for awhile now.  The tricky part is that it will only be picked up on when he is having an attack.  For example, we have been to the doctor with check ups and reflux issues five times before this, and his heart rate has always been normal.

Our Gainesville doctor then called Egleston and an ambulance was sent to pick us up.  I rode with Rowan, while Jody followed behind.  Rowan did very well until we were about 3 minutes out, and then he had another attack.  The lights immediately turned on and we went zooming through rush hour, Atlanta traffic.  It was scary for me, because I couldn't see into the back of the ambulance where he was, but I could hear what was happening and knew that he wasn't doing well.  It also freaked Jody out, because he was left behind as we rushed down the road.  As it turned out, Rowan had started to turn grey and stopped breathing, so they had to give him an emergency heart medicine that literally puts the breaks on the heart (which as you can imagine, was also painful for the little guy).

Once at the Emergency Room, Rowan had another episode and had to be greeted with another pack of ice to the face.  We were then transported to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and we have been there ever since.  While in the CICU, Rowan has had several more attacks.  On the first night, he had to be given the emergency medication two more times to break the cycle.  The next day, he also had several more attacks, but he was able to break the cycles on his own.  Today, he had two more attacks, but they were short, and he broke them on his own as well.  The doctors also did another echocardiogram and found that Rowan's heart had begun to repair itself from the damage that it took during the attacks.  His heart is no longer swollen (Praise the Lord!), and he no longer has fluid around his stomach.

Right now the doctors are just trying to find the right combination of medications to stop the attacks completely.  The goal is to make it a full 24 hours without an attack, so that he can move to the Step-down Cardiac Unit.  Once there, we will begin taking care of Rowan on our own.  We will be trained on how to check his heart rate with a stethoscope and give him his new heart medications.  We hope to be on our way home by at least the end of the week.

Although this has been such a scary time for us, we are very blessed that his condition is not any worse.  As the nurse told us tonight, Rowan's case is actually mild compared to many babies with SVT.  Most babies start to lose control of their blood pressure and oxygen levels, but Rowan has never had a problem with those.  The hope is that Rowan will outgrown this condition within a year or so.  For some babies it takes longer.  If for some reason he still has it by the age of 7 or 8, he would have a procedure done where the doctors would burn the pathway in the heart that is causing it to beat out of control.  All and all, Rowan is expected to live a normal happy and healthy life.  We will just be having many check-ups with our Cardiologist in Gainesville for the next few years.  :)

If there is one thing that Jody and I have learned about our son through this experience, it is that he is one tough little boy.  Rowan can handle anything that life throws at him, many times better than his mommy and daddy.  We are so proud of him and the courage that he has shown at just 9 weeks of age.  We'll make it through this, and we'll all be far better for it, too.

This is Rowan's bed, along with his Curious George.  When Rowan was being wheeled up to the CICU, he had his eyes wide open and was just looking around at everything.  His grandma has always called him Curious George, because he can't go a minute without finding out what is going on around him.  The nurses loved it and couldn't believe his big, expressive eyes.  :)

This was taken on Rowan's first full day in the CICU.  Poor little buddy wasn't feeling too well.....

Ahhhhh, much better!  Tonight Rowan got to get his oxygen tube removed!  Now maybe he will be able to get a good nights rest.  :)

        

Acid reflux, you are not our friend

Want to know what life has been like for the Wilson's over the past few weeks?  Well, this picture about says it all!  :)  Yes, our sweet little boys are battling a not so sweet problem--reflux.  For us, it can strike here, there, and everywhere in between!  This unfortunate spit up happened in the middle of our 2 month old photo shoot.  It hit poor Rowan out of the blue and little Jack threw his arm up like, "Ewww, gross!"

For preemies, acid reflux tends to be a bigger issue than most full-term babies.  Jack and Rowan have it so bad that it often comes out through their nose, causing them to scream and choke.  It is so scary to see this happen!  The reflux also causes acid to burn their throats after they eat, which makes them very upset and fussy after each bottle.  We have had many sleepless nights together as the boys try to battle this yucky stuff.  It is the worst feeling in the world to know that there is not much we can do to help them.

Right now the boys are on reflux medicine.  For the past few days, we have also been thickening their milk by adding oatmeal, and so far, it seems to have helped a little.  Last night they slept for 5 hours straight, which is a huge accomplishment for them!  Although we already have inclined rockers for them to sleep in, we also purchased Nap Nannies.  These are little foam wedges that often help babies with reflux.  So far, they love them!

Here are the boys chilling in their Nap Nannies....complete with rice socks, which were recommended by their pedi.  :)

Rowan

Jack

For now, we are all just getting by on lots of prayers and patience!  We know that this is something that will get better with time, and the boys are just going to have to outgrow it.  One day these struggles will just be a distant memory overshadowed by many, many other great ones.  :)

A walk in the park. . .

Last weekend, the boys and I enjoyed our first ever walk in the park....well, stroll in the park at least.  Yes, Jody and I decided to brave the double stroller and get the family out of the house for a bit.  Before we headed out, we realized that it might be a good idea to actually get out the stroller and you know, see how it works.  After a good twenty minutes and some healthy frustration, we finally figured out how to attach the car seats to the stroller.  Success!

Then of course, we had to undo the car seats so that we could get the boys strapped and loaded in the car.  This, coupled with the fact that our double stroller seems to weigh about a thousand pounds, had us sweating before we even pulled out of the driveway.  As you can imagine, by this point we were only slightly beginning to question our need for fresh air.  :)

We decided to go to Pitt's Park since it's not too far away and has nice, flat land--as neither one of us are in any shape to push our baby limo up a hill.

So, here we are, enjoying our first time at the park (or outside, for that matter).

  

These were taken during lap one of two, although I had planned on doing several more.  After lap two, I was convinced that we were all about to come down with a mad case of the West Nile Virus, so we had to leave.  Is it just me, or do all new moms struggle to maintain a healthy balance between a fierce protectiveness and flat out paranoia?  (Needless to say, I promptly researched mosquito nets for car seats as soon as we got home.)

Pesky mosquito fears aside, we all really enjoyed our short time at the park.  If anything, it made us feel confident that we can leave our house and experience fun things together.  We're looking forward to conquering many more family activities in the future!

 

A new kind of normal

Since bringing our boys home, life in the Wilson household has changed in a big way!

For example, now when I wake up each morning, I feel like I'm living in a baby fraternity house.  I spend half of the morning rounding up random bottles from the night wondering, "Now how did that get there??"  :) 

(And in case you are wondering, yes, those are the bottles from one night's feeding.  Our sweet little boys can eat!)

Massive amounts of nighttime bottles aside, here are some other ways that our life has changed:

*As a light-ish sleeper, before the boys came home, I couldn't go to sleep unless it was completely quiet.  Now all four of us snooze to the constant crashing/underwater sounds of the womb....yes, the womb.  Our fancy sound machine simulates what it sounded like for the boys in utero, and I must say, it works like a charm!  The boys have come to know this as their "night-night" sound, and quite frankly, so have I.

*Burps are no longer rude, but instead are welcomed with great joy, cheers even.  You see, our little ones love their bottles so much, that they sometimes get a little upset when you stop them to burp.  You can't blame them though; they like to eat!  Just like Mommy....

 *Our new bedtime is anywhere between 8 and 9 PM.  We are a sleepy bunch!

*Jody has become a master at many interesting things, most notably, swaddling.  He is the only one who can swaddle our boys and it still be intact five minutes later!   

*We now record all of our favorite TV shows and watch them in-between feedings.  Watching one show is generally a three-day process.  We finally finished Grey's Anatomy and all I can say is, what in the world!  Just when I thought it couldn't get anymore dramatic....

*After several milk protein/tummy issues, I must say that I am now a big fan of normal looking baby poo.  So much so that I even call my mom and mother-n-law to say, "Guess who had a normal looking poopy diaper today??"    Strange, yes, but it sure does make a mommy feel better when she knows that her boys' tummies are OK. 

*Jody and I have become experts at making up random songs to sing to the babies.  OK, as Jody would attest, this really isn't something new for me (I think I get this awesome skill from my sister), but it is for him!  Hey, anything that will help to sooth a sweet baby...

*Changing a diaper without A). getting peed on, B). getting pooped on, or C). all of the above, makes us feel like a million bucks.

Well, I could go on and on, but alas, feeding time calls. . .

As you can tell, the new Wilson normal is the best! :)

January 27, 2012

"I hear two heartbeats." 

It may have been January 27th, but I remember those four words like it were yesterday.  Jody about fell out of his chair, and for some reason, I had a funny feeling that it might be twins all along.  From that moment on, our lives changed forever as we prepared to welcome Baby A and Baby B, who soon became known as Jack and Rowan. 

While we said very little to anyone, Jody and I had talked about wanting to start a family for a long time.  It seemed that every time we thought about it, something big always came up, and we were forced to put our wishes on hold.  After battles with sickness, unemployment, and surgery, in late 2011, we finally felt that we were in the perfect place to start a family.  Of course, this was our plan, and as I have come to learn through this process, our plans mean very little when compared to God's plan for our lives.

For several months, we would pray for God to bless us with a child.  There is one verse in the Bible that became my absolute favorite during this time.

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord answered my prayer."  1 Samuel 1:27   

There were some days when I would feel discouraged, but I would read this verse every night before I went to bed, as a reminder to keep my faith and find peace in the fact that one way or the other, God would answer our prayer.  It may not be when we want it or how we want it, but He hears us, and He has the perfect plan already in place.  In our case, when God answered our prayer, He answered it times two!

On August 10, 2012, we welcomed our two healthy boys, Jack and Rowan.  This whole experience has been a wonderful lesson in God's perfect timing.  We waited for our two boys for a reason, and everything that we went through to get to this point, prepared us to be the best parents that we can be.

These little boys were definitely worth the wait!