Celebration of Baptism at 39 Weeks

We had lots to celebrate with Blake and Jenna yesterday. Yesterday marked 39 weeks gestation for them which is truly amazing in itself. We also had them baptised yesterday. Father Bert is a pastor of St. David's who we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know months ago. We met Bert right before Blake had his heart surgery. We asked to meet with him and asked him to pray with us before Blake underwent his surgery. Bert is one of those special people who you feel a real honor in knowing. He is very compassionate about his following and carries a real positive and understanding presence with him. All four us of made a real connection with him and we knew pretty early on that we would like him to share this day and event with us. We are so glad that he agreed.

We had a friend, Wayland, photograph the ceremony. He met up with us beforehand to take some pictures before the baptism. Jenna wore a little cotton white dress and Blake wore a collared white oxford buttondown onesie. They sure looked adorable. Each had a satin white bib with a beautiful cross on each. They did very well for their photo shoot before hand. They had just eaten so we weren't sure they would still be awake. Blake was wide awake for it and for the baptism. Jenna was awake too. I think she was still hoping she would be offered more to eat. She ate very well beforehand. During the baptism she did well too, although she needed to be offered her paci. A little substitution for the real thing. She is quite the eater. Both sets of grandparents were present for the baptism. They acted as Blake and Jenna's sponsors. We may plan to have a second ceremony with family and friends attending sometime later on. Blake and Jenna have known only St. David's as their home and have reached so many milestones while there that it seemed appropriate to celebrate such an event at St. David's as we near the end of our stay.....mark the start of their a new beginning. We were glad that April and Anna were there to witness the event. We wish we could have all of our St. David's family of nurses attend (all of Blake and Jenna's "aunties") as well as Dr. Su. We did get plenty of great pictures thanks to Wayland. We can't wait to see them.

Both sets of grandparents participated in the baptism, we are glad for that. They all stayed afterwards to spend some bonding time with the babies. Both Jason's mom and my mom held the kids for a while and rocked with them. Then is was time for both grandpa's to get some bonding time in. They really enjoyed it and so did Blake and Jenna. It was then time for dinner for Blake and Jenna after all of the excitement and visits; however, they were so "spent" that it took quite a bit of coaxing to have them finish it.

All in all yesterday was a wonderful day for celebration. We have so much the be thankful for. We thank God for each and everyday that he has given us with our little ones, for each and every goal reached-no matter how small or large. He has helped us to accept, guide us, keep us strong, and rejoice. Once again, we would like to thank all of our family and friends for their support and continuous prayers. We are nearing a very exciting and new chapter of our lives. There will be many moments of uncertainty and question but with continued support and prayer, we know we are well equipped to accept the challenges that are yet to come.

Amy, our case worker, is working on setting up home health care. Blake and Jenna will be receiving Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy. They will require more than the typical 2 visit and month care so she is helping to set us up with the correct match to meet their needs. This takes such a great stress from us. We are truly grateful to her.

Dr. Bary evaluated the kids yesterday. He is a Neonatal Nephrologist (kidney doctor) and was evaluating the twins for their elevated blood pressure. Jenna is borderline while Blake is experiencing some high blood pressure. I will let Jason explain more of what is going on, as he is always so good at explaining the medical details and all. They started Blake on some blood pressure meds lastnight. It is going to be a bit of a game of guessing and adjusting to find the right dose. We are praying that this is a quick process so that it does not prolong his stay and prevent same day discharge with his sister. We have experienced everything together thus far and we continue to pray that we will be able to end this chapter of our lives together and start our new lives together as a family...all four of us on the same day.