This is Kirsten, known to us as "Kiki". She was our first of our beautiful 3. She weighed in at 2 lbs. 6ozs. Dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin...typical Italian baby girl. She was on oxygen for 8 weeks after birth, and had a grade 1 cranial bleed. She has since been diagnosed with autism and a mild case of CP. HOWEVER.......she is our most rambunctious, playful, loving, and sympathetic baby ever! She can't decide if she wants to be a tomboy or not. Loves her brother immensely! He is her hero! She is my teacher and my thorn all in one, but even though she's all of that, she is truly one of my greatest joys.
This is my Hannah, known to us as "Nanabug". She is our walking, talking, breathing miracle. She was the second to be born of our three precious little ones. She was born weighing 2lbs 3 ozs, had a grade 3 cranial bleed, and was on oxygen for about 2 weeks. She developed hydrocephalus and had to have 2 major brain surgeries, one at 3 weeks old and one at 14 weeks. They told us she would probably be retarded, have some symptoms of CP, maybe not have any motor skills...the news was not very good. HOWEVER..God stepped in! She is as smart as a whip! She has been diagnosed as "borderline aspbergers syndrome", but fr a child who couldn't sit up til she was a year old, but spoke 2 word phrases at 9 months. Couldn't walk til she was 16-18 months old, yet has a photographic memory and remembers words after the first sight of them and hearing their pronunciation....retarded my behind! She is a wonderful joy to us! She has all the personality in the world, and can make anyone laugh! She is a lover and is definitely looking to make her Daddy happy. She is an in between child...loves to dress up, but can wrestle with the best of them! She prepared us for the many things we would have to face later on when our twins were born.....and to this day, she still hums "Jesus loves me" when she's upset or hurt. (Mama used to sing that to her while we did our Kangaroo care at UCLA when she was a baby)
This is Gracey Lou, known to us as our "Lou-Lous". She was the third and the smallest of our threesome. She was 2 lbs 3 ozs same as Hannah, but proportionately smaller than all of them. She had no major complications as a baby accept reflux (oh, my goodness! We used to fight over who had to feed her each feeding at night, because whoever got her would be up for at least 30 minutes...1/2 oz, burp the baby, 1/2 oz, burp the baby....get puked n, start all over...ugh). She has since been diagnosed as possible ADHD and having one leg longer than the other and needing special shoes to help with the growth difference so as not to affect her hips or back. Outside of those little things, Gracey has been our healthiest, strongest, and probably the most active of them all. She is so much fun to be around. She tells stories, made up by her of course! She LOVES to dress up, quite the glamour girl I must Say! She likes having her picture taken, and sings all the time. If Mama has her way, this one will get musical training early...she has all the desires and talent to do well. She is always looking to make other happy, and the girl can shop!!!
Now that you know my little ones, here's a glimpse at their birthdaay bash! The girls had such a good time...a few meltdowns but we got over them. But that's a story for another day.
Glamour girl Gracey!
Hannah gettin' in on the dress up action!
Kiki enjoying her new dinosaur toy! Literally!
Ahhhhhhh! My two little princesses all dressed up with nowhere to go!
All in all, this was a great birthday celebration! We have a lot to celebrate and to be thankful for. God has done wondrous things for us!
