Saturday, June 30, 2012

Newborn Photos

Caleb and Bria had newborn photos taken when they were just 12 days old. We recently got them back from our photographer and wanted to share. :-)

Caleb and Bria

Bria and Caleb

                                                Bria

Caleb

And big brother Tyson

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Lindsay Sturgeon



My dear friend Lindsay will be checking into Stanford Hospital today for her second kidney transplant surgery that will take place tomorrow. Her kidney donor is none other than her husband Chris (they learned on Valentine’s Day 2011 that he was her miracle kidney “match”).

Lindsay is a fighter- she is incredibly strong and resilient. She had her first kidney transplant back in July 2006 from her Dad, Kurt, but the scar tissue that has built around her donated kidney has made that kidney fail.

Of particular concern is that Lindsay will essentially be undergoing two surgeries - one on one side to take out Kurt's kidney and ureter, and the second on the other side to implant Chris' new kidney. It's unusual to take out a kidney like this during transplant, in fact it carries more risk, but the thinking is that the ureter has been a pathway to infection, so removing it and the kidney will give Chris' kidney a head start towards health. Please pray for God's hands on their surgeons and peace for their families.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day!

Special Father's Day wishes to Adam, my Dad, and my Father-in-law!!! You all deserve a wonderful day- thank you for all that you do and the example you are!



Monday, June 4, 2012

We're One Month Old Today!

Our precious babies are here! We welcomed Caleb Dane and Bria Joy into this world on the afternoon of May 4th. The delivery went well and labor lasted about 7 hours without a c-section, but recovery was much more difficult than expected… painful and swollen all over.
On Bria’s 4th day of life, she was admitted to the NICU at Phoenix Children’s Hospital for significant weight loss and dehydration. Bria had difficultly feeding properly, but the excellent staff at Phoenix Children’s worked with her for 3 days and got her weight back up and eating properly. Once again, we were reminded what a blessing good health really is. Thankfully, Bria has been doing really well since leaving the NICU.
The first 4 weeks have been a lot of work and sorta a blur, but very sweet. Not only do Caleb and Bria look different, but thus far they have shown us that they have different personalities. Caleb is more alert with his eyes open to the world after feedings and Bria loves to cuddle and sleeps more than Caleb throughout the daytime. So far, they have been fairly mellow and enjoy eating and napping. New big brother Tyson has been transitioning into his new role. He likes to help with throwing away diapers, placing dirty clothes in their hamper, assisting in bath time, and watching the twins in their swings.

 Leaving the hospital and heading home

 Resting

 Concerned Mama with Bria in the NICU

 First walk with all three kiddos



Tyson checking on Bria

 Happy after bath time

Caleb likes: being swaddled and burped well.
Caleb dislikes: having gas.
Tender moments: being able to finally hold our baby boy in our arms and watching him stare at Bria when laying next to her in the crib.


Bria likes: being swaddled and being held.
Bria dislikes: having a dirty diaper and an empty stomach.
Tender moments: being able to finally hold our baby girl in our arms and having a GIRL and dressing her in purple and pink.


It has only been a few weeks, but one thing that we know for sure is that having twins means teamwork. We’ve been so blessed to get a great deal of help from family and friends. Stay tuned for (hopefully) frequent updates on our blog.