More about the girls

It's been 2.5 weeks since our girls were born, and as predicted, the journey has continued. Bayla and Harper have breathed on their own since birth, and they're perfectly healthy. They're still in the hospital because they were born too early for their suck, swallow, and breathe reflex to have been developed, and they're having to learn to eat. But as of today, they're each taking four bottles on their own and even breastfeeding sometimes, so we're expecting them home in the next week or so.

Bayla and Harper are marvelous to look at. Sometimes when we're at the hospital, I just look back and forth from bassinet to bassinet, amazed that Shawn and I have created these two perfect babies. Bayla's head is a little smooshed and her neck is very tight because her sister was taking up so much room in utero, but it will even out in the next year. Their good health is more than we could have hoped for, and we are just so, so grateful for these girls. I'm sure there will be challenges here and there because they are preemies, but for now, we're just on cloud 9.

I've gotten a taste of how exhausting it is to run a household and go back and forth to the hospital everyday, and I can't tell you how impressed I am with my husband. He did an amazing job during the 3 months I was out of commission. Brady is happy to have Mommy home, and Mommy is beyond happy to be home. I can't tell you how unbelievable that first shower at home was, and how great it is to sleep next to my husband, down the hall from my son every single night.

Now that my incision is healing well and I'm feeling more like my old self and can do more, the house is getting back in order. I'm happy to say that we're all ready for the girls to come home and get settled. The house is messy, but I think that's just how it's going to be for the next 20 years. Oh, well!

So now we're focused on getting Bayla and Harper home, and getting Brady adjusted to truly being a big brother. He hasn't even met the girls yet because NICU doesn't allow children younger than 14, so it's going to be interesting. I can't wait to have the entire family together. I get teary thinking about it.

So anyway, that's all that's going on. Sorry for the disjointed post, but I haven't even had a chance to process all the emotions and thoughts, much less articulate them! We'll do better about updating the blog and keeping everyone in the loop. Continued thanks for everyone's love, support, thoughts, and prayers. More updates soon!