It's finally here. The FINAL milestone Thursday - my due date. Today, August 20th, the girls are officially 40 weeks gestational age. They are officially considered newborns. Today everything resets and we go back to day one as far as the doctors are concerned. All of their developmental progress and growth will be measured by today's date - this is what they call their "adjusted age." Their adjusted age will always be 11 weeks behind their chronological age since they were born 11 weeks premature. Even though the girls were born 11 weeks ago (tomorrow), they are actually considered 1 day old as of today when it comes to determining where they should be growth-wise and developmentally.The girls had an appointment with the apnea clinic today, which worked out well because we were able to get their weights and heights today - so we could see where they are on the exact day that they were expected to enter the world. I had "coming home" outfits picked out for the girls before I went out on bedrest and realized that they wouldn't make it full term. Since they were so tiny and still in preemie clothes when they came home, I wasn't able to put them in that outfit. So what better day than today to put them in 
that outfit. I dressed them up extra pretty to bring them to the apnea clinic today. Mike thought I was crazy. And so did Dr. Kamtorn. But it was so fitting to have them wear that special outfit on the day that they were "supposed" to be born - and on a day that they were going to the hospital. I dressed them up and as we walked back into the house from our appointment, I pretended in my mind that we were making that first trip home from the hospital. Okay, so maybe Mike is right - I'm a little crazy. ;-)
that outfit. I dressed them up extra pretty to bring them to the apnea clinic today. Mike thought I was crazy. And so did Dr. Kamtorn. But it was so fitting to have them wear that special outfit on the day that they were "supposed" to be born - and on a day that they were going to the hospital. I dressed them up and as we walked back into the house from our appointment, I pretended in my mind that we were making that first trip home from the hospital. Okay, so maybe Mike is right - I'm a little crazy. ;-)Speaking of crazy, what's crazy is making comparisons from 11 weeks ago. So much has happ
ened. They've changed, developed and grown so much. As of today, Madison is 5lbs 9oz and 19 inches long - compare this to 2lbs 0.4oz and 14 1/2 inches long at birth. Yet even with this progress, when Dr. Kamtorn put Maddie on the scale she called her a "shrimp" - haha - I thought that was really cute. Melia is 7lbs 3oz and 20 1/2 inches long - compare this to 2lbs 12oz at birth and 15 inches long at birth. According to Dr. Kamtorn, Lia's weight is in line with the "average American newborn baby" and her height is above the average. Amazing! I can go on for hours about the thens and nows, but I'll spare you - you've all read the blog and have followed along on this amazing journey. You've all seen how far the girls have come - and if you've forgotten, just take a look at the first entry of this blog. Reading through the first week and looking back at the pictures, it's so surreal. Only 11 weeks later, it feels like a distant memory - but the emotions flood back with such force as I look back on it all.
ened. They've changed, developed and grown so much. As of today, Madison is 5lbs 9oz and 19 inches long - compare this to 2lbs 0.4oz and 14 1/2 inches long at birth. Yet even with this progress, when Dr. Kamtorn put Maddie on the scale she called her a "shrimp" - haha - I thought that was really cute. Melia is 7lbs 3oz and 20 1/2 inches long - compare this to 2lbs 12oz at birth and 15 inches long at birth. According to Dr. Kamtorn, Lia's weight is in line with the "average American newborn baby" and her height is above the average. Amazing! I can go on for hours about the thens and nows, but I'll spare you - you've all read the blog and have followed along on this amazing journey. You've all seen how far the girls have come - and if you've forgotten, just take a look at the first entry of this blog. Reading through the first week and looking back at the pictures, it's so surreal. Only 11 weeks later, it feels like a distant memory - but the emotions flood back with such force as I look back on it all. Today is the day that I can say we've made it - despite every obstacle thrown in our way - despite being forced into the world 11 weeks early, the girls made it - WE ALL MADE IT! No longer do I have to look ahead to the day that they were "supposed" to be born. Today I can look ahead and see nothing but endless opportunities.
They say that life is like a box of chocolates (insert Forrest Gump voiceover), you never know what you're gonna get. Well I'm the type of girl who buys the box of chocolates with the cheat sheet inside - you know, where there is a picture of each chocolate and a detailed description of everything inside of it - so I can pick the exact one that I want. I cheat with my chocolate because I'm just not into surprises. I'm not a very spontaneous person. I'm a planner to the Nth degree. And this is why having a "due date" when you're pregnant is such a great thing. You don't quite know WHAT to expect, but at least you know WHEN to expect it. I'm that "need to know" type of person. I don't like to turn the corner into the unexpected. I don't like to not know what's up ahead. The day that the girls were born I was so taken off guard. Even though I had been in the hospital for almost 3 weeks - and I'd been on bedrest for over 6 weeks - all in the anticipation of the fact that I could go into labor at any moment, I was still in a state of shock when it all started to happen. Even though it was expected that I could go into labor at any moment, it still came totally unexpectedly at that moment. I truly believed that I'd be able to hold on longer. I don't like surprises - but June 5th, I got the surprise of my life. From that day on I had no idea what to expect. At that time, if I was able to have it my way - if I was able to have a cheat sheet that I created with all the details of the girls birth, they would've been born on August 20th - exactly when they were "due" to enter the world - planned, expected. But now, I'd have it no other way but to have them born on June 5th. They are the greatest, most appreciated, surprise of my life - and for the next 11 weeks they continued to surprise me every single day with their strength and resilience. They are my two little boxes of chocolate without the cheat sheet. They are unpredictable - they are sweet - and they are worth every pound that they've put on my body.
**top and bottom pictures - Maddie on the left, Lia on the right****middle left picture - Lia**
**middle right picture - Maddie**
