Exactly one year ago today, Paul and I received the biggest surprise of our lives. I will never forget that day. We went in for an early ultrasound because I thought I was having symptoms indicative of a miscarriage. We met with a doctor and he performed the ultrasound. The monitor was turned so I couldn't see it. The doctor was very quiet for what seemed like forever. He finally spoke and said "I see one baby"....."I see two babies".
And then he paused. Paul and I looked at each other and smiled so big!! We had always talked about wanting twins.
And then the doctor dropped the bomb and said "I see a third baby." We just stared at each other looking dumbfounded.
The doctor proceeded to take our breath away saying "And I think I might see a 4th sac". I remember thinking "just please let him stop counting,". Paul, who had been standing for all of this, said " I think I need to sit down." The nice doctor finally said "no, I think it was just a shadow."
He printed us off an image of our 3 babies and off we went looking like deer caught in headlights.
I had many ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy, but for the first 3 or 4 ultrasounds after that initial one, I always asked the ultrasound tech to double check that there were only 3 babies.
Looking back on that day and this past year, I see God's hand clearly in our lives. We experienced a roller coaster of a ride with many highs and lows, but God was with us the entire way, revealing new truths to us. He is the Giver of Life and words cannot express how thankful and humbled we are that He chose us to be the parents of Sophie, Hope, William, and Caleb.
Fast forward a year, and those 3 tiny little blobs on the ultrasound are 3 beautiful, healthy babies. I cannot believe my 3 sweet peas are 6 months old now!! Time is flying by! The babies are growing and changing so much. It truly is incredible to watch the miracle of a new baby grow and learn...times that by 3 and I'm amazed all the time.
These past 6 months have been filled with feeding babies, changing diapers, juggling life with a toddler and three preemies, and a whole lot of snuggles, hugs, and kisses. We are so in love with our babies and we can't imagine life without them. We thank God everyday for the honor and privilege of getting to be the parents of our 4 precious kiddos.
Since the babies have been home, we have changed approximately 2400 diapers and spent over 800 hours feeding babies!!!
Here are some pics over the past 4.5 months since the babies have been home:
Caleb and Hope came home on October 19th after 6 weeks in the NICU. We originally thought we would just be bringing home Caleb, but the day before, Hope shocked us all and finished all of her feedings by bottle and got her feeding tube removed. She did not want to be left behind!
Sophie took on her new role seriously as a big sister. She loves the babies and has been a huge help with "helping" me change their diaper, putting heir pacis back in, keeping them warm with blankets, and showering them with hugs and kisses. We have had a few difficult moments, but overall, Sophie has done really well with the adjustment of 3 new babies to our home.
Sophie got her first haircut!
For Halloween, we stayed home and passed out candy with our little princess, ballerina, and pumpkin.
On November 6th, William came home after 9 weeks in the NICU.
Our first photo as a family of 6.
Reunited at last.
I still can't believe this happened.....
Sophie celebrated her 3rd birthday in November!
This is what happens when all of the babies need mommy at the same time...
Our first family walk.
Sweet Mr. William ready for Christmas.
Sweet sisters
The boys started off about a foot a part and inched over to snuggle together...so sweet! And notice that Sophie covered them with a blanket.
They all started rolling over from tummy to back right before Christmas.
We had a wonderful Christmas with our 4 precious kiddos this year. This was the first year we spent Christmas at our house just the 6 of us. It was very simple and nice...Sophie opened a few presents and we fed babies.
Caleb and Hope scheming up something during tummy time.
William and Caleb
Baths don't happen too often around here because let's be honest, baths are a bit overrated and who has time to bathe 3 babies! But they are pretty cute when they do get bathed.
Sibling bonding on the playmat.
This winter has brought croup for Caleb, ear infections for all, and lots of congestion, runny noses, and breathing treatments. Hope is the only one who doesn't seem to mind the nebulizer.
Caleb is Mr. Personality. He laughs the most, cries the loudest, and typically does everything first. He works hard, plays hard, and sleeps hard. He is definitely the most active and was that way in the womb. This sweet boy is definitely going to keep us on our toes. Paul and I often joke that Caleb will be the troublemaker, climbing and jumping off of things.
William is our sensitive baby and the most pitiful when he cries. If all of the babies are crying at the same time, I usually pick up William because he quivers his chin and bottom lip. It breaks my heart! He is still the smallest, but he is surprisingly strong for his size. Tiny but mighty William. He has become the most talkative, and I love to hear his sweet voice/noises. He also has the most beautiful skin like that of a little porcelain doll.
Miss Hope. She used to be our easiest baby and slept all of the time. Now, if she is not eating, sleeping, or being held, then she is probably crying. She is quite the little diva and thinks she should be held all of the time. But she is super sweet and loves her big sister. She has one dimple on her right cheek like Sophie and Caleb, and she has the cutest little silent laugh. Her whole face lights up and she opens her mouth real wide, but usually no sound comes out. It's pretty cute and funny. She is also our best eater and the chunkiest baby now. If Caleb doesn't finish his bottle, she usually will.
My little rockstars!
Happy 6 Months to our precious trio!! They are growing and getting so big!! Hope is 12 lb 11 oz, Caleb is 12lbs, and William is 10 lb 3 oz. They are all on track developmentally for their adjusted age of 4 months! Thank you, God, for these precious miracles!!!
