WE MADE IT!

Well, it's official....Terry and I survived the first year!  It seems so surreal to me that I'm writing a blog entry about the first year already!  I'm not going to lie....this past year has been probably the hardest of my entire life.  But on the other hand it has been the best and most rewarding year of my life. 

I'm surprised that this day has been so emotional for me.  I never expected to be dealing with a morning full of the water works!  The day started just like any other...my alarm went off, I hit the snooze.  I laid in bed for a little bit.  I checked my email on my phone and checked my Facebook page. I was surprised that at 6:30 in the morning I already had four emails wishing the girls a Happy Birthday, all of which made me a little teary eyed.  Then onto Facebook.  I was just looking to see what kind of crazy status updates my friends had from the previous night, and I came across my sister's status update......

"It is amazing what can happen in a year!  A day to day fighting battle for life!

Not knowing whether a precious lil baby is going to make it the

next day, hour, minute!

Happy 1st birthday Addison and Alexis!

You two are my little heroes!

BAM!  I couldn't fight back my tears.  I had a full on cry fest!  I hopped in the shower and bawled like I haven't in quite some time.  I heard my phone ring a few times during the ten minutes I was in the shower.  I checked my voicemail and had two more messages wishing the girls a Happy Birthday!  One of those messages was pretty sentimental to me and again...bring on the water works.  It was at that point that I decided today was probably not the best day to go all out with a lot of eye makeup.  Thank goodness for waterproof mascara!  My girls are definitely worth every single tear that I've shed over the past year.

If I could thank each and every person individually that has helped us out along the way, I totally would.  I know that we've had thousands of people praying for us and those prayers have definitely been answered!!!  I remember back to those early days of standing around the NICU.  I'd hover around my girl's isolets just praying for God to watch over them.  Many days when I didn't think I could take much more, we would arrive home and we would receive letters in the mail from churches all over the United States.  People had signed prayer petitions stating that they were praying for our family.  We received letters from Missouri, Illinois, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Maryland and probably a couple more that I'm forgetting.  There were literally people all over the world praying for our two precious girls.  I found peace in knowing that God was watching over our family.  I'm confident that all of those millions of prayers are what allowed us to survive this past year.  God has surely blessed us with two amazing miracles!!

There's nothing like holding two tiny precious babies after many weeks of bed rest.  I am so grateful for my precious angels.  They are two miracles that I never take for granted.  I have loved every second of being their Mommy.  While I may feel robbed of being a normal Mom, I will take the good with the bad.  The 12 weeks in the NICU and the 10 hour days that I would spend there....the every 3 hour 'round the clock feedings X2.....the 12 diaper changes a day, the sleepless nights, it's all been  100% worth it to call myself your Mom.  Addison and Alexis I love you more than life itself and I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world.  Happy Birthday Babies!  You've come a long way since that early Monday morning on April 13th, 2009.