One year ago today....

Dad, Mom and Gammy put our fears aside and headed to the hospital. You were only two weeks early.

Hazel came first stealing the birthright. If I hadn't had a c-section Lucy would have come first.
Lucy was second and came what felt like seconds after Hazel. There were so many people in the room.
I got one quick look at Lucy before they took her up to the NICU. Dad went with you Lucy. I didn't want you to be alone.
Lucy your oxygen sats were way better than anyone expected but they moved you to Children's Mercy a couple hours later just to be safe. Dad followed the ambulance in his car.
I don't remember how I got back to the recovery room, or how sweet Hazel ended up in my arms. I had so much fun bonding with Hazel for the next four days and I couldn't wait to do the same with Lucy.

I knew this year was going to be hard. I did everything to prepare myself for just how hard it would be. Until you go through something, you just can't know. We've seen greater miracles than I could have ever hoped for.

Hazel: We had no idea that our "healthy baby" would need major surgery when she was two months old. Other than being born with a fused skull Hazel has had no health problems. She is a lot like Jack. She loves to scream whether she's mad or not. She likes to Ham it up for strangers but in general is a pretty serious little girl. She's almost walking and crawls everywhere. She has said a few words like: milk, no, dog and Mama and Dada. She already prefers pink to other colors and loves watching Tangled over and over. She is absolutely into everything! This girl is fearless unless we're taking about water which she is deathly afraid of. Bath time with her is like pure torture for both of us.

Lucy: She is our smiley girl and generally loves when people are around. Since her last surgery she's developed a huge fear of strangers and especially nurses. She is happy despite some crappy circumstances. She isn't talking yet except for Mama and Dada. She has just started crawling and it reminds me of the way baby foals look when they just start walking after they're born. We couldn't be more proud of her.

I rarely even think of the girls as twins. They are so different and we have to treat them so differently. People ask all the time about their special twin connection but so far I'm not seeing it. Lucy pretty much hates Hazel. She get's super jealous that she is able to move so much better and we think that's why Lucy tries as hard as she does. Hazel hates when I hold Lucy and not her. It's a bit exhausting. Lucy has gotten pretty spoiled and cries when Hazel touches her sometimes.