The Big Day

The girls had a fabulous birthday. We met Uncle Adam, Aunt Amy, Morgan and Sam for lunch at Red Robin. Adeline absolutely loved it when the waiters sang to her. She clapped and smiled with great affection. I think the entire restaurant wanted to give her a birthday squeeze. Lila Grace was reminiscent of her oldest sister at two and buried herself in her Daddy. Both girls were head over heels for the balloons and both balloons ended up at the ceiling.

The next day was their party. We had many friends and family members attend. Alex's family came from the Seattle area which allowed the girls' to celebrate with all five of their cousins. The food was great, the weather was even better and watching the girls sit in their highchairs as we sang was delightful. I was overjoyed to see how well they have done. They looked like normal little two year olds on their second birthday. It was pure joy. Last year was still very raw and emotional, but this year was plain fun!! Now we are on to the "tremendous" twos!

God give me patience and remind me that I prayed for this each and everyday I stood by their bedsides in the NICU. Possibly I should have played down the "Please God, give them will and independence."

Why? Why? Why?

Yes, we are back in the stage of "why?". I enjoyed the past 6 months while it took a backseat to other comments but Savannah is more inquisitive than ever these days.

A few days ago I threw my hands up and told her that she had to stop asking why ALL of the time. She replied, "Well Mommy, I have to ask why because I want to be a scientist someday."

She gets me every time.

For those looking for some b-day photos, they are coming - I promise.

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.