Four years and 22 days ago to date, my husband and I jumped into our car, picked up some full-strength coffee (my doctor always told me it was better for the sonogram to have a little caffeine in my system) and headed to Baylor University Medical Center for our 32-week pregnancy check-up. It was on that day that things in our life drastically changed.
Turned out that, in the weeks between check-ups, I had developed preeclampsia (in short, high blood-pressure), most commonly found in first-time mothers and mothers of twins — both of which, at that moment, I was. Through a series of tests and ultrasounds, it was determined that we would deliver our twins in about 24 hours — 8 weeks and 2 days early.
Madeline Nova and Estella Carol, whose middle names honor their great-grandmothers, were born one minute apart on August 26. Estella — until birth commonly referred to as Baby A — was born in at 3 pounds, 1 ounce and Madeline, her eternal little sister, was a mere 1 pound, 15 ounces.
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Estella stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baylor for 49 days, and Madeline came home on Day 50. Though they had to learn to breathe and eat and live, we were — and continue to be — extremely fortunate that our girls had little health complications. The problem, however, with being born at three pounds (or less) and having a mother who is only 5’4 (and I think that is a bit of a stretch but I’m not going to measure) is that it is extremely hard to catch up.
They ha
d their four-year check-up yesterday, which resulted in 4 shots, a finger prick, a hearing and a vision test and the flu mist — for each of them. Turns out that, though still under 30 pounds, they are still following their own little growth curve (drastically different than that of an 8-pound baby) and the doctor was at least fairly pleased. Much relief for the mommy that stresses when all her children wish to eat is Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Tootsie Rolls. So, all things considered, good things come in small packages. Four years later, my little girls still remain small but, oh, how good they are…
My current favorites:
1. Baby Star Daisy Chain Quick Change Diaper Pouch: A clever disguise for those Pampers when you’re running out of the house without the diaper bag. Fits handily in your purse or diaper bag or simply in your hand, the diaper pouch fits up to 4 diapers and a wipes case comfortably and comes in sixteen patterns.
2. Serena & Lily Take-Me-Home Gift Set: The lovely little outfit for those first baby pictures. Pure white organic cotton swaddling blanket, newborn gown and hat with contrasting trim and tassels in pink, blue or green. Beautifully packaged inside Serena & Lily‘s Newborn Keepsake Box, which also serves as a wonderful place to store mementos from baby’s first year. Photo frame and journal space on interior lid allow for personalization.
3. Caden Lane Pink Dark Swirl Hooded Towel and Washcloth Set: Because babies look so much cuter when swaddled in hooded towels… I don’t know if this is crazily unusual, but my son Henry always hated the bath tub (and still would prefer – at age 2 – to stand in the tub if we’d let him) and ONLY looked adorable once he was out of the tub and wrapped up tight (for when he was in the baby tub he was always screaming). Caden Lane has a HUGE selection, whether you need pink or blue, traditional or whimsical. The perfect little baby gift.
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