“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body”
Elizabeth Stone
In Hebrew, Lena means “light.” I thought that was particularly fitting. When Lena is much older, she’ll like knowing that her name means “alluring” in Latin, but for now, I [...]

Yesterday was not such a good day. I have to say I am seriously discouraged, everything was going so well and she has been herself for days.Yesterday when she woke, I expected some irritability and lethargy. After all she did have surgery last night. She usually recovers so quickly I kind of expected her to [...]

Today was a fairly busy day. Lena had a CT scan this morning to make sure that her ventriculostomy is working. There was a little bit of an increase in ventricle size but the minute change can also be attributed to the infection and high protein levels so we will have another on Thursday to [...]

The Good News - Lena’s CT scan went very well today, again like the little trooper that she is, she did the whole scan completely awake. The surgeon came to see me afterward and said that it looks like the ventriculostomy is working and he is not planning on replacing her shunt. In stead he [...]

We are still waiting to recover enough from the infection to take the EVD out and go home, could be a while I’m told. We are starting to feel as if we will be stuck in this hospital forever. Our neurosurgeon returned to day and assured me that we will not be here forever only [...]

Once in the ER Lena was stabilized and a multitude of tests were preformed. The pediatrician on call suspected that  there could be a problem with her shunt however when he went to insert an IV and she was non responsive (she just looked at him and let him insert an IV into her hand, [...]

Last Monday night at about 7:30pm I called 911 to dispatch an ambulance to my house to take Lena to the Emergency Room I knew that it was not safe for me to try to take her there myself.
Since her surgery over three weeks ago my Little Lena has not been the same. We have [...]

We have had a very busy week. I truly do mean to post almost everyday but sometimes my intentions are better than my time management. Twins. What more can I say.
So lets see… We left off with our trip to the ER last weekend, it’s becoming a weekend habit for our little girl, we are [...]

So while I was gone with Kassie by Mom called my cell phone to say that Lena had just really scared her, she had thrown up, a lot, and seemed to stop breathing when she did it. She said she turned her over and slapped her back and she seemed fine again. i figured it [...]

So as you all have read, our appointment with the neurosurgeon didn’t go exactly as planned. Lena had brain surgery at 10am on Thursday August 9th. The cyst that had been compressing the right side of her brain was broken apart (cyst fenestration) so that it could drain through the ventricle and out the shunt. [...]

See those gorgeous eyes?  That’s little Miss Lena and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of that awesome gaze very soon. Me? I’m the twins’ biggest fan. If you’ve been reading along, you know that Lena (and her Mommy and Daddy) went to see the neurosurgeon again on Tuesday. 
They were really hoping Lena [...]

“it is hard to be brave,” said piglet, sniffing slightly, “when you’re only a Very Small Animal.” rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: “it is because you are a very small animal that you will be useful in the adventure before us!” - A.A. Milne
I found the above quote [...]

Holland and Eden
Collin and Cyrus
Darsie
Kaitlyn
Heath and Hallie
Julia
Shoshanna
Odin
Fiona
Eli
Lucas and Austin
Cole and Paige
^Logan^ and Cooper
Lessa and Ivy
Eleanor and Adam
John
^Olivia^ and Hallie
Dakota
Serena and Edwin
Olivia and Avery
Noah
Lincoln

Through our blog we have developed some online friendships, and have gained and given a lot of support and encouragement to others out there who are on the preemie journey along with us. Keeping this journal of my girls’ progress and development, and sharing my feelings, through the good times and the hard times, is [...]