5....times 2!

Sunday was a big day for the Jackson family. The two youngest members of our clan turned 5 years old! Yikes! The time has passed so quickly since their birth. It really does seem like only yesterday.... sigh.

I was two days away from scheduling my appointment to induce labor, but the twins were ready now. I remember having such mixed emotions when I started having contractions. Part of me was absolutely ecstatic! I had a very healthy pregnancy with the twins, but, oh my goodness, was it ever uncomfortable! And when I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant everywhere, not just my tummy. I had two babies stuffed in a rather small compartment. Although skinny didn't describe me at all, I was (still am) on the short side. There was no extra room. I cannot express just how "blow fish-like" I felt. So, because of that, and the fact that I was so anxious to meet my little ones face to face, I was thinking delivery would be great.

On the other hand, it was 2 weeks too early for these little ones to be born. I was only 34 weeks along, and I wasn't considered full term (for twins) until I was 36 weeks. I knew it was critical for them to have as much time in the womb as possible. After a couple hours of contractions my husband took me to the hospital, only to be assured that I was definitely in labor, already dilating, and these little ones were on their way.

To make a long story short, it was a blessing that my daughters came as early as they did. Little did my doctor know that inside the womb, the babies were having a twin to twin blood transfusion. Little Emily was taking all of Gracie's blood. Needless to say, Grace was born very anemic, and Emmy was born with too much blood. They were both very sick at birth. If they had gone another two weeks in the womb, like they were supposed to, Gracie most likely would not have survived, and the doctor thought Emily might not have made it either. Praise God that He saw fit to bring them early. Well, not really early, more like right on time. I cannot even fathom not having these two little girls as part of our family. They're miracles.

I remember the two weeks after their birth, visiting them in the NICU. They were so tiny and had so many wires hooked up to them. It broke my heart to see them so small and helpless, and yet I distinctly remember having such joy and peace through that time. It was a while until I could even hold them for more than a couple minutes at a time. I cherished the times I would rock them (wires, tubes, and all) and eventually feed them in the NICU. Reaching into their incubators and just touching them was never enough. I longed to cuddle them and smell their baby smell. I ached for them when I wasn't with them. But eventually they were big enough and strong enough to come home. Then, once they were home, it was a whole new lesson in how to "do" multiple newborns. That's a whole other story :)

Grace Katherine and Emily Kate, I love you so much! You are a constant reminder of God's grace and faithfulness. Happy 5th birthday my little ones!

Below are some pictures taken during their birthday celebration.