2009 Review

As we ended this past year, I couldn't help but to think back on how blessed we were, and how much we grew. Our family grew, as well as our girls. The girls hit many milestones with lots of firsts.

January -

The girls started the year off turning 7 months old on the 2nd. And then came down with their first congestion cold and double ear infection towards the middle of the month. On January 12th they started speech and developmental therapy, and got their ears pierced on January 30th. The girls were in quarantine due to RSV season so they weren't really able to go anywhere or see other kids.

February -

Ben and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, and then the next week we celebrated Valentine's Day with the girls for their first. On February 6th Brittyn pulled up and on the 17th she began crawling. On the 21st Lexyn started talking "dadadadada", and on the 25th she began army crawling. They both came down with their second congestion cold in the middle of the month. We also got rid of the heart apnea monitors that month, it was a little bittersweet.

March -

On March 5th the girls got good reports from their first pediatric eye exam. We took our first family trip to the Little Rock Zoo. On the 14th Lexyn pulled up for the first time, and they both got their 3rd congestion cold and double ear infection this month. They were on a roll of having a cold and ear infection every month. We also were able to return to church as a family at the end of the month. Quarantine that started in the beginning of November was finally over after 5 long months.

April -

We celebrated our first Easter as a family of 4. And once again was sick with a cold and ear infection. Lexyn finally decided to start sitting up without support at the beginning of the month. On the 13th the girls returned to sleeping through the night again. It was so great! They began wearing size 2 diapers at the end of the month, weighing right around 14 pounds each. That was the end of the girls weight the same. From then on Lexyn took on about a pound lead. On April 21st, I began babysitting Gage 3 days a week.

May -

I celebrated my first Mother's Day which was a great day, even though daddy was at home sick. Both of the girls started clapping this month as we played patty cake all the time. Once again both of the girls came down with a sinus congestion cold, their 5th for the year.

June -

We had two angels that turned 1 year old on June 2nd. That week was full of partying. It was lots of fun but emotional at the same time! The girls went for their second swallow study and were able to start weening the thickened liquids. We had a family wedding where the girls were the prettiest flower girls ever. On the 27th, Ben and I left the girls for the first time overnight while we enjoyed a mini-vacation in Branson. We also spent our first day at the lake as a family of 4, and quickly found out we have some water bugs!

July -

It was a big month for the girls, they both began walking. Brittyn started and 2 weeks later Lexyn began following right behind her. It was fun, busy, and crazy; as there was a whole new level of baby proofing I had to do! The 12th marked 1 year from when we brought the girls home from the NICU. They sure did make some huge improvements in that first year being as home. Again the girls were sick. Lexyn tested positive for Salmonella, and Brittyn finally got tubes in her ears at the end of the month. We also celebrated our first 4th with the girls at home with us.

August -

We took our first family of 4 trip to Destin, Florida. The girls loved it all; sand and water. Ben celebrated his 27th birthday, and Lexyn got her first haircut.

September -

We went to the Saline County Fair and the girls rode the carousel for the first time. The big news for that month is the girls said good-bye to their bottles. On the 12th of the month they began drinking pediasure from a sippy cup only. It was a rough adjustment for the first week, but they overcame the withdrawals and turned into big girls.

October -

The girls dressed up as bumble bees for their second Halloween but this time had more fun as they went trick-or-treating for the first time. Brittyn got her first haircut as well as Lexyn got her second. We also took our first trip to the Pumpkin patch, and picked 2 pumpkins.

November -

We had our second Thanksgiving with the girls. It was very special, but not so much relaxing! Lexyn started saying "tank u" and "wuv u". That was all we needed to hear that night! We took our first airplane ride. We flew to my grandma's house to help her celebrate her 80th birthday. It was an experience that will never be forgotten, and I recommend waiting until kids are older than 17 months before flying in a plane!

December -

We celebrated Jesus's birthday for the second time with the girls; but it was more fun as we enjoyed watching the girls tear open their gifts and play with their new toys. I celebrated my 26th birthday with my whole family at home. Brittyn began saying "tank u", "me me", and "peese". We took a wonderful much needed vacation to Branson for 3 nights, enjoying the Christmas decorations. And Lexyn got her 3rd haircut.

We had a great year that was filled with many ups and downs, but it brought us closer together as a family. I am excited to see what this year brings and what the Lord has in mind for our family this coming new year.