Our Arrival

As our trip out West is coming to a close, I feel blessed to have experienced all of the fun we have had. It hasn't been as restful as I had hoped or as carefree but a blessing nonetheless. The girls have spent time with cousins, grandparents and many people who have upheld them in prayer for the past two years.

In order to avoid picture overload I am going to break up the events of the trip. Below you will find pictures of our first days in Washington. We spent time in Tacoma with Alex's family and were treated to a trip to the Zoo. Why Philadelphia can't have a zoo that is clean, open and interactive, I don't know. I guess we were just lucky to experience the Tacoma Zoo and will make it a "must do" every time we head this way.



After a day at the Zoo and a chance to catch up on sleep we headed over the mountain pass to Quincy. We were able to stop at the top of the pass and let Savannah see the mountains (something the East Coast doesn't have even though they think they do). As we got closer and closer she loved watching their blueish green color turn into individual pine trees. Savannah was able to watch the peaks get closer and closer while at the same time, Miss Belle decided to drop her sats a bit. Not her best performance at staying saturated. Once we crossed the pass Savannah piped up with, "Oh look at that desert! We better have water! Where are the camels?" Since I grew up in this flat and dry patch of tumbleweeds, I have never had the chance to see it with a fresh set of eyes until now. The topography is something you won't fine in Pennsylvania which is why it caught Savannah's attention.

Upon arriving at Grammy and Papa's house the girls were treated to countless hours of a flat, fenced and large backyard. They love the soft grass, rocks in the flowerbeds and ride on toys - which included a brand new scooter for Savannah. They especially liked Papa's famous blanket rides. I think he might have to hang up the blanket soon (Savannah is no longer two and I have added to more girls to the line up) but until then, the girls are in blanket heaven!

It has been interesting watching the girls learn from their new environment. Lila Grace has mastered walking barefoot on very uncomfortable rocks and unfortunately suffered from bleeding toes for the first couple of weeks. All the running and jumping lead to a lot of stubbing which would have gone unnoticed by Lila Grace if it didn't mean wearing shoes to protect the feet. Adeline has mastered many thresholds. Initially, she wouldn't walk from the garage to patio or from the patio to the grass. She would patiently and methodically get down on all fours to cross these barriers. At this point, she walks right over them and at times will "run" barefoot in the grass. She has also started to get around on a ride-on toy while Lila is working on mastering Savannah's scooter. I think she would be more effective than Savannah is if the handle bars were lowered. Since Daddy broke many bones doing this and landed himself in a body cast at the age of two, I should really keep her away from it. Easier said than down when dealing with The Grace!

Two Two Two

I can't believe they are two. Two years ago, I was laying in an OR being prepped for the delivery of a lifetime. With 20+ people standing by and holding their breath, a little one pound miracle miracle was born. Four hours later, another one pound miracle (albeit more toward the two pound mark) was born.

Today, these one pound babies have turned into 20 pound babies and are running around, laughing and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Girls! I am so proud of you!

We Were Still Waiting

As this week draws to a close and the girls prepare to celebrate their 2nd birthday, it is easy to get wrapped up in the festivities and "to do lists." But it only takes one moment of reflection to remind myself that we were told by many doctors that we would never get here which forces me to keep the stress level at a minimum.

It seems like forever ago that I posted the story about Adeline's trouble in the womb and the 5% survival rate she was given. So much has happened between now and then. Time kind of flew this past month.

Two years ago, time couldn't move! Each day, hour, and minute I was desperately seeking movement in the right side of my belly. Each night I went to bed, each meal, drive and every time I sat down, I begged Adeline for just one soft kick to tell me she was still fighting. I never got that kick which made the 29 day wait an agonizing journey.

It is very strange how 29 days can feel like a lifetime or, as this past month has, a week. It is easy to check the days off of the calendar as each day gets us one step closer to that "big girl" age of two. I try my best not to let these days go unnoticed, or unappreciated. Adeline fought with every ounce of her being (all 16 of them) to make it to her delivery. We all fought. We all prayed. We begged God out of desperation. He sustained our little one pound girl and miraculously she was born ALIVE!

Most children celebrate a birthday, a 24 hour period. For the Belle, well she deserves 29 days for her tumultuous 29 day journey!


Finally, just when I begin to struggle with our past and letting go versus holding on, Savannah brings me into the here and now. Yesterday, she went in to wake her baby sisters from a nap and calls,

"Hey Mommy, is it the girls' birthday today?"

"No," I reply, "Why?"

"Well come and look at Lila. She looks like she just got older. Mommy she looks like she is two!"




I think she passes for two!

A Night Without Kids. . . Almost

Alex and I planned to take advantage of our time at my parents and get away for night. We haven't done this since the twins were born (unless you count a 48 hour house hunt in Dallas - not so relaxing). We made reservations in Spokane, Washington and looked forward to the time away from our very sweet but busy girls. As we started to pack for the day, we went back and forth about whether or not to go. I wasn't feeling great and hanging out as a family has always been our favorite activity anyway. Finally, Alex put his foot down (as much as he ever does) and pushed me out the door. On the way out the door we decided to take Savannah with us. I guess that means we just don't know how to do a weekend without kids.

We ended up having a great time and I am very glad we took the big girl along. She is such a pleasure and minimal if any extra work. It is nice to LISTEN to all she has to say instead of pretending to when the twins are demanding all of the attention. Savannah was thrilled to have "Mommy and Daddy" time which made it even better. We we took her to see the big Radio Flyer Wagon, the place where Mommy and Daddy got engaged and our favorite place to eat when we were in graduate school. There was very little time for anything else but we managed to squeeze in a trip to the children's museum. (Another example of the small town putting the big city to shame. It was much better than Philly's children's museum.) Possibly the best part of the trip was waking up at 9:00 a.m. with no diapers to change, mouths to feed of babies to dress. Four is a blissful age!!

Here are a few pictures of our trip. My favorite is Savannah's breakthrough into the world of photography. Yeap, she took our picture with our big and bulky SLR just like a pro. She instructed, before we posed, "Remember, arms around each other!" Where does she come up with this stuff.

We love you Sweetie Pie!






Nearly nine years ago, the Wolf-Shaw family was born!! Nice picture Savannah!

The Small Town Perk

After living in one of the largest cities in the US, it is hard to imagine living in a small town town like Quincy - even though I did for 18 years. Philadelphia and its suburbs has just about everything you could want and more. The shopping, eateries and outdoor experiences are limitless. However, there is one area where my tiny hometown trumps Philly. It is its pool. Not only does Quincy have a fabulous public pool that is CLEAN and not CROWDED, it has two water slides as well. I gladly paid the $3.50 admission and entered with a smile (this would cost $225 a month where we live). We visited it last night and had a wonderful time. The girls couldn't keep off the slides and the zero depth wading pool was perfect for Miss Adeline. Most of us are battling an illness and are not running at 100%, but we powered up for an evening at the pool and had a fabulous time.

Life Above 15,000. . .Less Saturated Than Expected

After a week of illness and packing we boarded our plane late Friday night. We got through security with loads of gear, bags, computers and children. After tying back on the shoes, balancing car seats on the stroller we headed toward the gate. Our first flight as a family of five!!

Savannah was beside herself with excitement. She enjoyed watching all of the planes from the gate while the girls were less than excited to wait to board. Finally, the call for parents with children. Alex took Savannah, three car seats and a bag on board while I walked the girls back and forth in their stroller for the next 45 minutes. Once on the plane we buckled in Lila Grace and Savannah in the window seats and Alex and I took turns holding Adeline. We said a little prayer, held hands and were up and away.

Once in the air, I gave Lila Grace her bottle and she was asleep before we knew it. Luckily, she slept the entire flight!! I have never met a better sleeper. Not a peep, just sound asleep the whole way. Savannah found it hard to get comfortable and was distracted by the meals, drinks and snacks she was continually offered. (We flew First Class which seems to be the only option when flying on miles). She was a superstar and never complained before she passed out for the last two hours of the flight.

Adeline was a completely different story. We had her hooked up to the pulse oximeter and were pleased with her sats going into the air. She was fidgety and finally became fussy. I decided to feed her in hopes that she would fall asleep in my arms. No such luck! Once hitting 15,000 feet we noticed that her sats were dropping into the low 90's. I was shocked but knew that it wasn't a crisis. We hooked her into a car seat that we carried on in case we got lucky with an empty seat nearby (which we did thank goodness) and gave her nebs. She hasn't had them in so long that they upset her terribly which causes her to cry during the entire treatment. This lead to a gag which resulted in four rounds of projectile puke. First Class was loving by this point. Did I carry on extra clothes? Of course not. I brought everything else but never thought to pack clothes in our already bulging carry on. So poor Miss Belle flew naked from that point on. She cried her self out and was pretty spent after her puking episode. She finally fell asleep. Usually, her sats even out when she is asleep and I figured they would go up a little due to her being relaxed. Well, I was very wrong. They dropped to 86! The stewardess asked if we wanted supplemental oxygen but had made it clear that it would be followed by an emergency landing. She was very supportive of us and our decision and never once made us feel as if we didn't have the right to land the plane. We, on the other hand, knew that Adeline was far from emergent due to her level heart rate and comfortable sleep. We played with her positioning and ended up holding her in an upright position which raised her sats up to 90. Holding a sleeping child for a couple hours is less than comfortable so I give Adeline tons of props for sleeping the last 4 hours of the flight while being held. It was interesting watching the plane descend because once we broke 15,000 ft. her sats shot up and she has been pretty good ever since.

We got to Alex's parents house at 2:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. our time) and put the girls down. Adeline's sats were fine all night and the girls were amazing sleepers in an unfamiliar place. I am pretty sure we could have laid them on the kitchen table at that point and they would have rolled over until morning. We were all exhausted.

Miss Belle has continued to struggle with puking episodes which makes it hard to keep the meds down. However, last night she was satting 100 with the lowest heart rate I have seen on her. I guess that means she is better or, at least on her way there.

We have a long flight back and aren't allowed to take O2 on board. Clearly, our little girl isn't meant to be in the friendly skies but we must return home. I am confident she will sat better on the way home if we can get her healthy. It looks like she close.

Nothing like keeping life interesting for us Miss Bellie Belle.

Another Amuzing Comment From the Oldest

As we were eating lunch at BJ's yesterday, Savannah looks up at me with a quizical look. While holding her hotdog she asks, "Am I eating part of a dog?" Of course I laugh and say, "No, it is part of a pig." What is interesting is that she sees no difference. I guess it takes a few more years to realize that I am not going to server her up a side of kitty orany other household pet any time soon.

Preparing for the Friendly Skies

As we prepare for our trip out West, we are down and out for the count. Adeline was at duPont on Wednesday for respiratory issues. Lila Grace seems to have a touch of it and Daddy is running a fever and not feeling so hot himself. I guess I should add that I am not running at 100% either. Oh, the irony of timing.

We haven't been sick since April. Adeline hasn't needed neb treatments or a steroid since the NICU!! What is the deal! There are many things to consider when flying with her. The cabin air is closer to 18% oxygen which is down from the 21% that we all breath on a daily basis. We can't take tanks on board and requesting theirs results in an emergency landing. So. . . we pack up the pulse oximeter, nebs and meds and keep our fingers crossed. This is, after all, a trip to celebrate their second birthday and baptism. Why we can't be healthy going in to it, I will never understand.

I guess I will try to look at it in a positve light. No one has a high fever which in this house is uncommon. I do think we produce "fever queens" and I would be very uncomfortable flying with a child that is burning up with the not so uncommon 104.5 temp. Savannah isn't sick which is a big help. Her excitement keeps us going. Adeline and Lila Grace are terribly fussy but still functioning which is better than laying around. And finally, we are healthy enough to fly (I realize that this may change due to this illness we are all fighting) which is a stark difference from last year at this time.

Wish us luck, send the girls sweet dreams (it is an overnighter for them) and let's hope we all wake up feeling better in the morning.

Since this trip is centered around their birthday, I have their birth, NICU stay and remarkable outcome on the brain. Here is a little picture that puts everything into perspective.

My Big Girl and the Beach

Here are a few pictures of Savannah enjoying herself at the beach. There is no other child you would want to vacation with. She defines vacation. Many mornings we would snuggle on the couch. There were no demands and she was always very patient to eat breakfast and go to the beach. Whenever we told her it was just going to be her and not the girls she would light up and say, "Just special Mommy and Savannah time!" If all children were that easy to please! Her favorite activity is still jumping the waves, which gives one's arms quite the workout. There were no complaints when we decided to go back into the house. In fact, she would ask, "Can I color when I get back?" Such a simple request but Savannah always feels the need to ask first. I wish my manners were that apparent.

Ever since she was 8 months old, she has loved to stand in the ocean and let the waves crash over her. I find it odd that she is fearless at the beach. This is the same child who won't go and play the yard due to her current (shall I say irrational) fear of bees.

Although she continues to demonstrate the essence of a "little girl" she is most notably growing into a "big girl." When I look at her sitting on the beach and I can't believe she is mine. Where did the time go? Moreover, "How on earth did I get so lucky?"








Then and. . . now