Her First Ride Solo

My heart swells with pride!!


The first time daddy let go. . .


Showing some confidence

March for Babies 2009

March for Babies was another wonderful experience. So blessed we are.

Alex and I packed up the girls early and headed out ahead of the crowd for a 5 mile run. We managed to run 4.5 miles with a few stops here and there. The girls were extremely good in their strollers including Savannah who was happy to sit in her old jogger.

I was happy to bump into familiar faces such as Savannah's old preschool teacher who was sadly walking for her friend who lost both twins born at 25 weeks. We saw another friend of mine who has one year old twins, one of which spent a week or two in the NICU. Finally, we saw the girls' first Early Intervention therapist who left us a year ago to have a baby. She was surprised to see the girls so big and active. It was a full circle moment.

There were many unfamiliar faces as well. Groups of people with identical shirts that tell about their "angel." It is wonderful to see the parents uplifted in support but hard to imagine what our life would be like had it been us. One couple struck me as we ran. They headed out early as well. They were young and without a child. Every time I saw them they were holding hands and quiet. I have to imagine that they were walking in honor of their child who never made it home from the NICU.

How did we get so lucky? We have two healthy and vivacious preemies. We also have wonderful friends and family who supported us in donations for this year's walk. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of you who participated with us in spirit!

Hitting the Pavement

I am very excited to have all three of my girls WALKING across the finish line tomorrow. Standing by an isolette was a daily occurrence for 125 days. It seems so long ago, yet when I see pictures or watch my movies the fear and pain become fresh again. Saying we are lucky doesn't cut it. I wish there was a word that could describe our miraculous outcome.

Send Adeline positive thoughts, she is a bit under the weather and we really want her to enjoy herself in the morning.

Just Having Fun. . .

I guess the girls know the Monkey song since Adeline chimed in right away. Listen to Adeline when I ask Lila if she is supposed to climb out of her crib.

Something to Consider

"Your toddler will do what they need to do, and not necessarily what you say. If you're patient, then they will be patient. If you speak gently, then they will be gentle. Whatever you want them to be, you have to start becoming."

-Helen Hunt

A Little Dirt Doesn't Hurt?????

We spent last weekend outside since it was beautiful and sunny. Savannah was anxious to get the garden in order so we could transplant our seedlings. In the process of getting things squared away, we filled the wheelbarrow with potting soil. Soon, Lila was trying to climb in so I decided to get out some shovels and let the girls dig their hearts out. Never, in a million years did I expect it to lure the other kids from our cul-de-sac, eight in all. Even Adeline would go over and dig for five minutes or so until she was maxed out and needing a break. While she was back and forth, Savannah and Lila Grace were in the dirt for two solid hours.

Soon I noticed their was a "who can get their hands the dirtiest" competition. I, not so wisely, decided to get a bucket of water out so everyone could wash their hands. Lila had other plans.

Dirt + Water = MUD!!!

Yep, handfuls of dirt were added to the bucket and then poured into pots with holes in the bottom. Those holes drained the muddy water right back on Lila's body.

Do I dare say this will be the dirtiest Lila Grace will ever be? We had to strip her down outside in order to save my house. The bath was intersting but what was more entertaining was when I held Lila up to the mirror to give a glimpse of her dirty self. She didn't like the "yucks" once seeing them in the mirror.





Water. . . the fatal flaw



Go ahead and double click on this picture so you can get a feel for the extent of her dirtiness.


Impressively dirty for Miss Belle


Nothing quite compares wot her sister though. Lila was thirlled to be naked because she could squish her feet in the big mud piles. Don't worry, I took her in before she streaked through the neighbor's yard.

The Haircut II

Here is the after picture of Adeline (excuse the drink, she was very into her smoothie). I love her hair when it is wet and clean. It still gets a little out of control after a night of sleep. She looks so grown up!

To give you an idea of how much and how long. . .


Miss Lila didn't have much in the way of her cut locks