Crystal Mountain or bust!

After a week of flying solo during the days, this mama had to get out of the house . Thankfully, Mark's parents have a beautiful vacation house at Crystal Mountain (2 short hours north of us). We were able to spend time with Grandma Pam, Grandpa Bill, Aunt Sarah and her fiance Marc. The kids slept all Friday afternoon which gave me time to pack and load the car. When Mark got home from work we fed everyone and loaded them into the car. They both slept the whole trip. We were amazed that they were so good! We headed to Happy Hour to introduce Erin and Will to some of their Crystal Mtn. family. Thankfully, Aunt Sarah was there and served as our personal photographer all weekend. We had an awesome weekend and I am so glad that we made the trip.

Weekend Pictures

It was a busy weekend with family visiting (grandparents and aunts from Chicago and Florida).  Mark will post about Father's Day later.  I wanted to show off these pictures of the kids.  Enjoy!

June 18, 2011
5 months old
10 lbs. 21 inches long

Will (a.k.a. Little Peanut) is always on the move so it's no wonder this picture would be blurry. ;-)
June 18, 2011
5 months old
7 lbs 8 oz
19 inches long

Our dog, Clark W. Griswold, has been staying with Mark's parents since January.  He came to visit on Father's Day and kept a watchful eye over Erin and Will.  Maybe it wasn't so watchful, but he did fit right in.

Sleepy babies after a busy weekend and spending lots of time snuggling with everyone.

Erin wore her 'I Love Daddy' pajama's to bed on Father's Day.

Week 1 in Review

It's been one week since we have left our NICU lifestyle.  We miss our nurses, but are glad to not see them every day. :-)
Will and Erin are doing great at home! They are VERY calm, laid back and content babies.  This amazes us considering all that they have been through.  We've had a lot of doctor's appointments over the past few weeks. Yesterday, Erin weighed in at 10 lbs 21 inches and Will at 7 lbs. 8 oz and 19 inches.   Here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to. You'll notice in many of these pictures, Will has many facial expressions. 
As always, thank you for all of your support, prayers and love! We are so blessed to have so many people who love us and our babies.

Because We Knew You (For Good)

Thank you to all the wonderful staff at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital for helping us complete our family.

143 days later and Will is finally home!!!

We are so thankful to have our family home together under one roof. It's been 24 hours now and we are adjusting well. I love these pictures of Will. He was so happy to finally be discharged and home with us.  Leaving our NICU family was bittersweet.  I have spent 1,000's of hours with these people.  They (along with God) are who got Will and Erin home with us. Our nurses (and other staff members) provided us with love, companionship, nurturing, conversation, support, friendship, guidance and superior medical care.  We are so blessed to have each of them in our life.  (I'll do another blog post dedicated to them.)

See ya later alligator!

He is still grabbing for the tubes that used to be on his face. Will loved to hold and grab on to them.

Dea (one of our primary nurses) pushed me out. I think she was as proud as I was for this moment to be here. 
She and I had many stressful days with Will.  It was so rewarding to be able to share this special day with her (and our four other primary nurses).

WE DID IT!

A Few Random Shots

Erin (and mom/dad) have adjusted to home life. Erin is sleeping from 9:30 pm-5:30 am.  Mark and I take turns getting up to feed her via her feeding tube.  She doesn't even wake up.  We are getting 4-5 hours of sleep at a time which is pretty good for first time parents.  We make our daily trips to the hospital to see Will.  He is getting bigger and stronger every day.  Will is weighing in at 7 lbs 3 oz and Erin at 9 lbs 14 oz.  Here are a few pictures of the kiddos.  They are getting cuter every day (if I do say so myself).  ;-)

Sleeping beauty before she came home last Thursday.

Our handsome little man. He is breathing and eating all on his own.

Snuggling both of my babies.  Erin was sound asleep and Will was chewing on his fists/fingers which is does ALL of the time.

The Moment We've Been Waiting For

A family picture is normal thing that is taken right after the baby is born.  Mom, dad and baby smile for many pictures together. Exhausted, proud, scared, excited, uncertain and love are all captured in these pictures. We feel these same emotions (some maybe stronger than others).  Mark and I have waited 135 days for this moment. Something that seems so simple means so much to us. Since Will has been in isolation, Erin isn't allowed in his room while she was a patient. The first thing we did when she was discharged (and not a patient, but rather Will's sibling) was take her next door to meet her brother and snap many family pictures.

This is my favorite picture of all. It was the first time that we were all together as a family.

What is Will trying to say?