Holidays are here again

The holidays are here again, and usually they just come and go without much memory. This Thanksgiving for our family was special for several reasons. This is the first Thanksgiving my wife and I have had as new parents, my wife got to come home for the first time in five months riding in a car, and we got to spend it at our house with the family. Shawnda got to spend time in the nursery with the twins, and when it came down to dinner, she ate the best I have seen in a long time. Since that day, my wife has really been making some big strides. She is eating well again after several weeks, and working hard at therapy. She went to the doctor last week to have a procedure performed to help with extending her left arm, and it was extremely successful. She is working on keeping it good and stretched on her own. She is also sitting up well in the wheelchair that she uses considering that it is made for someone much bigger than she is. Next week, she will be going back to acute rehab, and they are going to fit her for a wheelchair that fits. I am still shocked at how well she remembers names. I still have to ask her who someone is because I am terrible about remembering things. In general, she has had a phenomenal attitude during the past five months. I am so proud of her for staying in good spirits, and for working so hard. I really can't wait until she is back home so that she can spend some time really loving on the babies (and me.) And we can do the same in kind.

From Thanksgiving 2008

The twins have been in Huntsville for a very long time. They caught their first cold a week before Thanksgiving, and I thought it would be best to limit their exposure to environments where they can catch anything more serious. My wife asks about them all the time, and I miss them being around because they are always doing something new and fascinating. The amazing thing about them is that when they caught a cold, instead of crying and being in a generally poor mood, they learned how to roll around. The only way I knew something was wrong is because their breathing was unusual, and the younger one had a temperature. They are getting really big now, and starting to really develop their own personalities. Madison is really fun loving; she smiles and talks to everything. Morgan on the other hand is really laid back, and likes to absorb her environment.

This Christmas, my gift will be two lovely children, and a beautiful wife. It is truly miraculous to see where we were five months ago to where God has delivered us to today. On June 19; I was worried that my wife may not survive, and whether our unborn children would survive. Today, I see two delightful children, and have the unique honor of being married to one of the most beautiful and courageous women around. She fought for the lives of three people, and they are all doing wonderful. I thank the Lord for watching over our family, and for us growing stronger as a couple, and adding to our family.

Well, I started back to work this week also. I can't believe it has been over two months since I had a chance to post anything. All is going well, and I hope that you and your family are blessed during this holiday season.

Long time...

A lot has happened over the post several weeks. My wife has been discharged from long-term care, to acute rehab. She is doing well, but since she has been in bed for so long, had to be discharged to another facility where she will be to get stronger. She is in very good spirits, and now has acquired a telephone. She is making her calling rounds, so you may be getting a call very soon out of the blue. Unfortunately, the phone that she has is not capable of making long distance calls, but we are working on that.

Our M&M's are dong wonderful also. They finally have grown enough to get their shots, which they handled like little champs. They both cried a little, but stopped as soon as we picked them up. I think I will send someone else in next time to get their shots because it is so painful to see them in pain. After the shots, the slept pretty much the whole rest of the day. They are back to normal now though.

We are continuing to pray, and working with Shawnda to get her stronger at which point she will be returning to acute rehab.

Quick update

It has been a while since I have been able to post an update, but believe me, a lot has happened since the last post. Probably the biggest, and in my opinion most exciting news is that my wife has been discharged from the neurosurgical unit at UAB. We have moved on to a long-term care facility to do rehab. The staff at the hospital has a very aggressive plan for getting my wife to the point where she can begin acute rehab so that she can return home. Also, since school has started back, we have lost a very valuable asset in helping take care of the kids. My mother had to return to Huntsville, and I have been alone with the girls. The first couple of days, I was very anxious as I did not know what to expect, but now we have settled into a routine. During the day, they go to an aunt's house so that I can go to work, and in the evenings we get to spend time together. I don't know why people make this out to be so difficult, it's a piece of cake. Just remember, anytime that they sleep sneak in a quick nap, and be very flexible. ;-)

Today the girls got to go to the hospital to see mom after their pediatrician visit. I was actually hoping that it went a little smoother, but they were hungry and tired from a long day at the pediatrician. They are getting very big, but still require lots of sleep. This does require some getting used to because everyone I speak to expects that they should be up more because they are so old. I have to keep reminding myself that they were seven weeks early, and are doing great! Nonetheless, seeing mom was very therapeutic for mom, the babies and me. It was great having my entire family together in one spot. In fact, I still have this big ol' stupid grin on my face... I think we will do that more often.

All so fast

It's been a busy week, and a lot of things have happened. Many prayers have gone up on our family's behalf, and God has shown us the power in His word. On Friday, I got a rather strange phone call from my sister. We were both at the hospital that evening, and it was pretty late, so I thought she needed to relay some information from the doctors. What she told me is that my wife was saying "Madison, Morgan, Che; I Love You." What was truly miraculous, is that when she called, and asked my wife to repeat what she said; those were the exact words out of her mouth. Now, not hearing my wife's voice for some time, I was completely speechless. I tried to put it on speaker so that everyone could hear her, but I was too excited and anxious to do either.

To further improve on things she has had a conversation with my sister-in-law visiting from Mississippi, and even showed a bit of whit with my other sister. When she entered the room she said hello to my wife, we asked her to speak, and she said "bon jour" back to her. My wife is still a very proficient signer, and all of her sisters can have a conversation, and I not have a clue what they are saying (hope they are not talking about me), so I guess I better get more diligent on at least learning the alphabet.

My sister visiting from out of town got a taste of what it is like to be living in a house with twins over the weekend. If any of you see her ask her about her experience. All I can say is for anyone who has not had the experience of keeping newborn twins, it is an experience you should savor. Just make sure you have lots of patience, and a working knowledge on how to swaddle a baby. I am sure that will be one of the most memorable four hours of her life. I actually thought she got off a little easy, since we let her do it in the middle of the day when they are easy to calm. Next time I will wait until 2 am; now that will be fun!

The doctor told us Friday that he was considering yet another shunt revision to correct the proximal end, but the swelling that he has been worried about has subsided considerably. We are believing that all is well, and my wife will be discharged from the neurosurgery unit in no time.

Step closer

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

The past couple of weeks have been really exciting. My wife is more alert now, and able to move both hands. She continues to get stronger each day. There are pictures of both the girls in her room that she looks at constantly. I can't wait until she can tell me which one she thinks looks like her. The day won't be very far away because it was just announced that she is going to be upgraded from ICU. She is going to begin rehab soon also. She still will be getting lots of rest, but each day brings us a step closer to all being back at home.

This whole experience has definitely strengthened our family. It has made me realize that you can not take any day for granted, and how important it is to remember how important loved ones are. As soon as my wife gets out of the hospital, we are going to spend a long time just enjoying each others' company. I know right now, it will probably be centered around looking after the girls, but I really look forward to being able to share my stories of pooh with my wife. They are both so precious, and I want to be able to spend time with all three of my girls at one time.

Healing

The last week has been very busy. We were blessed to be able to take Madison and Morgan home last Friday, and they are enjoying being back together. It is funny because they both turn the same way to sleep. Madison loves to smile now, and Morgan loves to pucker her little lips up as if she is kissing someone. The ride home was quite an adventure for all involved. We started out to our house which is an hour away 30 minutes before it was time to eat, and Madison let us know about it because we were late feeding her, and ever since she tells us every three hours she wants to eat.

They are both so precious, and I enjoy spending every waking hour that I can with them. We are all excited, and anxious to have mommy back home very soon.

My wife is recovering very well. The doctor placed a cranial shunt on the right side of her head Monday. After the procedure she was wide awake, and looked absolutely fabulous. I also spoke to the respiratory therapist, and she said that her breathing/oxygenation was also improving, and that they would probably be removing the respirator today. Much to my surprise, when I saw my wife today, the breathing tube was removed!!! I must say that my wife looks absolutely gorgeous, and I am so excited about how well she is improving.

To God be the glory! I am so grateful that our two daughters are home now and growing well, and that my wife is soon to follow. I know that we have been thanking God for all that he is done, and we are now seeing the manifestation of His word on my wife.

Excited

The babies are coming home later today. We were planning to stop by to visit mommy in the hospital, but had to change plans because of a small setback regarding the antibiotics my wife is on. This is still a very exciting day, and it is impossible to sleep. So far, I have managed to wash the car seat covers, install the bases in the car, and now I just need to pick up the babies. The girls are getting really big now. Morgan is almost 6 pounds, and because of Madison's healthy appetite, and higher calorie formula; she has almost caught her sister weight-wise. Both of them are almost drinking 8 ounces of formula per meal. In fact, the nurses had to move one of their feedings up an hour because they were both hungry.

I told my wife the girls were going home during one of the visitations yesterday, and she looked at me like she was ready to be home with them. We put picture of the girls in her room that were taken for Independence Day, and she looks at them a lot. The nurses said that whenever she mentions anything about Madison and Morgan, my wife responds. I am looking forward to the day when we are all back at home watching the videos of the twins' first days with us.