Happy Birthday!

Birthday kisses from Dad.

Birthday song from Mom.



Our attempt at trying to get a wiggly one-year old to sit still for pictures!

We should just buy her wrapping paper for her birthdays from now on, she was really excited about it.

We know you had an amazing birthday in heaven today Eden. We LOVE you SO MUCH!!


Happy first Birthday to Reagan and Eden!!! Your Mommy and Daddy LOVE you more than the world.

Dear Reagan and Eden,

I remember August 2nd, 2010 so vividly. Your Dad and I were relaxing in my hospital room thinking it would be an uneventful day. I breathed a sigh of relief from the high blood pressure scare the day before but shortly after my MD entered saying that I was too sick to carry you both anymore. My blood pressure was too high, my pre-eclampsia was getting out of control, I was at risk for a stroke or seizure and my liver and kidneys weren’t functioning correctly. I remember pleading with tears in my eyes for a few more days, I was so afraid because you were both too little to be born that day. After some crazy events, but a smooth c-section, Reagan you entered the world at 4:22pm and Eden at 4:23pm. I was thrilled when your Daddy told me that Eden was bigger than we expected. I wasn’t able to touch you both for at least 4 more hours because I had to be in recovery for my blood pressure. That day, our lives changed forever. Our hearts were filled with more love than we ever thought possible. It was a scary day but an amazing day. We feel so blessed to be given the gift from God of becoming parents.

You girls are the most beautiful, perfect, brave, amazing little girls any Mommy could ever ask for. I feel so blessed to have had almost 8 months you, my sweet baby Eden. I miss you more and more every day. I will never forget you and I love you more than the world. Reagan, I love that you turned one today and that you are a growing beautiful little girl. I love you more than the world.

Happy 1st Birthday Reagan! Happy 1st Heavenly Birthday Eden!

Love always and forever,

Momma and Daddy

A playdate

We had a fun playdate at our house with two NICU friends. Both little girls are "heart" babies. It's helpful to be able to talk to Mom's who understand the intricacies of all the extras that come along with these little girls. We're looking forward to more playdates with other friends this summer because once winter comes we'll be locked in our bubble house again. It's so extremely important to keep Reagan well throughout the winter so we can't take any risks at all.

Invitation

ALL are welcome to help us celebrate this special day!! We will be having a waterslide bouncehouse for the kids so please bring your swimsuits.

Firsts

My Dad made me a ball pit at home!!

Reagan continues to bring us such joy; we can never resist a smile when we look at her. This week she's had quite a few 'firsts'. Her first time in a restaurant, Cheeky Monkey Deli. She did great, loved looking around and chewing on her toy strawberry dipped in ice water. She went to her first criterium "crit" bike race. She was cheering for our friend Brady. And her first visit (let me emphasize VISIT) to the NICU and ICC. She saw lots of familiar faces and everyone was so excited to see how much she’s grown. It was a little difficult for Scott and I to be back there. The minute we walked through the double doors to the hallway into the NICU I remembered the smell, like cleaner. The second set of double doors to the NICU also opened and I caught a glimpse of Rooms 6 and 8 where Reagan and Eden spent almost 7 months of their lives, fighting for every day. It took my breath away and I'm sure the RN's we were visiting with saw the tears in my eyes. Our sweet Eden never got to leave those doors into the doors of her real home. This pains me and causes my heart to ache. She still has a perfectly made crib with her name on the wall....we can't bring ourselves to take it down. It's hers and it was meant to be slept in many nights.

Reagan had an appointment with her Pulmonologist on Tuesday. We had lots of questions for him and some decisions to collectively make. He thought she looked great and he is thrilled with her progress. He said that we should continue to wean off her O2 and suspected that she would be completely off by the time she's two! We also talked a lot about discontinuing some Rx's, and we developed a plan to wean her off of these too. He continues to emphasize growth as her biggest therapy against her chronic lung disease. Optimal nutrition is key to growth, so no hotdogs or kool-aid for this little girl. Eating by mouth is still our biggest challenge. She is going to Occupational Therapy (OT) twice a week to work primarily on eating by mouth. She is so resistant to having textures in her mouth, so this will take lots of time. It’s frustrating sometimes for me and I have to remember to take a deep breath, stay calm, say a prayer and keep moving forward. God will help us get through this we just need to trust in him.

We are looking forward to celebrating Reagan’s FIRST birthday and remembering our sweet Eden. ALL are welcome to join this celebration. This is just the first of many big birthdays! We came close to losing Reagan too so her birthdays are a big deal. And we never want to forget our sweet Eden so it’s a great time to remember her life and fulfill her legacy.

Baptism

Scott and I demonstrated our faith in Christ by being baptized on July 10th at Northwestern College, Lake Johanna. It was an amazing experience with over 900 people being baptized. We have been so blessed by God and simply could not have made it through the past 18 months without Him. Watch our video and see our experience. Click on the Title- Baptism to go to the link or search hedinscott on youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgR_mpqFZjg

Reagan's 1st 4th of July

July 2nd marked Reagan's 11 month birthday and Eden's 11 month heavenly birthday. I cannot believe Reagan is almost one year old!! She is now 17 lbs, 2 oz (7.75 kg). Reagan is such a busy little monkey. She is constantly wiggling and babbling to herself. We have so much fun just watching her, its so easy to just watch her and get nothing done.


This week she also had her first pool experience, she loved it! We have a kiddie pool in the backyard and I know it will get lots of use this summer.




We miss our sweet Eden and wish we could see her doing the same things that Reagan is doing. We love you Eden!

Comparison

Scott dressed Reagan yesterday and as soon as I saw her I remembered something. I went to the computer and found a picture of Eden from March before we went to TX. Eden is heavily sedated in the picture (first one) and she scratched her face during an episode of shortness of breath, but she's still absolutely beautiful. And the second picture is of Reagan in the same outfit, she also looks just beautiful. They truly were identical.... the similarities are so evident. It makes me so sad that we will not see Eden grow and develop as Reagan has, and to dress them alike. I miss her so deeply. Even though the sun was shining today, I feel very heavy and dark. I want to feel completely happy again.... but I'm not entirely sure that's possible. Reagan gives me so much happiness, she's such a joy! But I still feel that emptiness in my heart.
EDEN


REAGAN