My DH and I were given the privilege by God of giving life to two beautiful girls. Both of our sweet girls were born prematurely. Our oldest came into our lives for the briefest of moments and now resides with our Lord. Our youngest is with us here on earth and makes each day an adventure.
Our oldest daughter was born at 22 weeks gestation. She weighed 1lb. & 7 oz. When she was born, her eyes were still closed. She was a little fighter, but the obstacles she had to overcome to live were too much for her little body. Three days after her birth, she went to live with our Lord. It gave us comfort at the time to know that her little body was no longer in pain and that she was being cradled in the arms of our Lord. She is missed each day, but her early birth and death happened for a reason. We believe she was given to us for a short time and then passed on in order for DH and I to grow closer together. Our marriage didn't happen under the best of circumstances but the love was there. The test of losing a child made the bond we had even stronger and knitted our hearts closer together.
Our youngest daughter was born during the middle of Hurricane Hugo. She was born at 26 weeks gestation. She weighed 1 lb & 15 oz. She was in a Level 3 NICU unit about an hour away from our home for 2 months, then transferred to a local Level 2 NICU where she stayed for a month before coming home a few days before Christmas. Despite some developmental delays and having to wear hearing aides, she did amazingly well considering how hard she had to fight a birth. She still has ongoing issues she is having to deal with. We have know for a long time that there was something different about her and her behavior. We couldn't put our finger on the exact problem and couldn't really put it into words what was going on, but when our nephew was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome we knew we had found our answer. She has since then been officially diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a quirky condition that keeps things around here interesting. She is now in her late 20s and has graduated from Liberty University. We are in the process of trying to find her a job. We know that there is a job that is just perfect for her out there and that it is only a matter of time till she finds it. We have often wonder why we were given a child with unique challenges, but we know there is a reason for it. I believe teaching me patience is one of them.
Both of our girls are important to us. We both long for the day when we will be reunited with our oldest. Our arms ache to be able to hold her for the first time. We know that day is coming according to God's timing. Our youngest deals bravely with each issue she faces and has to deal with. She has had to go out of comfort zone a lot lately and meets each challenge head on. She is an intelligent young lady with her own unique quirks. She definitely keeps us on our toes and makes each day entertaining. We love them both dearly! They are our girls!
Simply loving our little family and enjoying our simple life together!
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