First Birthday Party

I can't believe the first birthday is here. Well - almost here, but we celebrated today so....it's here. Part of me is ecstatic..........I look at D and I look at our girls and I think "Oh my God. We made it." We made it through the first year. From 2lb 11 and 12 oz.....from 6 weeks in the NICU......from preemie clothes.........from sleepless nights........from being homebound - from it all. We made it. And other times I look at our girls and I think "I can't believe they're already one."

Do you know how smells can trigger memories? We were running errands the other night and D stayed in the car with the girls while I ran into a store. When I got back in the car, a smell washed over me and it was like we were standing in the NICU. It was hand sanitizer and the smell was just like the hospital. It gave me chills and made me cry. D just sat there and stared at me - haha.

I'm in awe of these little girls and my heart is so full. Our family is truly blessed.

We had a family gathering to celebrate their birthday – it was very nice and the girls were so much fun. This is the first time I’ve sat down all day – we’re exhausted! – but it was worth every minute!

Here are a few pictures from the first birthday party. Of course we let them dig in to cake. I wasn't sure what to expect -- it could have gone either way with them completely ignoring it or diving in. Both girls got their hands in the cake and I was pleasantly surprised that no icing made it to the hair - ha! Once Sofia got a taste of the icing, that was it for her - there was no stopping her. Olivia was a little more cautious and spent more time checking out the icing on her hands than eating it.

Oh - and the last picture you'll see. Not a department store.