Guestbook
Through our blog we have developed some online friendships, and have gained and given a lot of support and encouragement to others out there who are on the preemie journey along with us. Keeping this journal of my girls' progress and development, and sharing my feelings, through the hard times and the good times, has been extremely therapeutic for me. I have found you all to be a really wonderful and supportive lot!
I am creating this post as a guestbook, and will link to it in the side panel, so as we get new visitors they can sign in too. So please, please, tell me who you are! Everyone! How are you connected to us? How did you find us? Why do you read? Where are you from? Are you just passing through, or have you been along for the ride?
My hope is to someday share your comments with Holland and Eden, so they will know what an inspiration their story is to all of us, and they will know how much they are loved!
Feel free to just leave your name if you're feeling a bit shy and don't want to leave a long post. Of course, I love the lengthy comments, but I really want everyone to participate, so even just a name would be fine! I know you are out there:)
posted by Billie @ 6:58 PM
275 comments
275 Comments:
Oh wow, thanks to Bloglines I am up first! I can't remember how I found your blog at first, it's been a while. I read a few others about families with twins, triplets, preemies, and infertility, and some regular mom blogs too. I'm the proud mom of 6 year old triplets who were born at 30 weeks. I have a deep sympathy for preemies and micropreemies and for their parents and caregivers.
Holland and Eden are so, so sweet, and have come along so far. They are precious miracles, and I love to read about their progress and see their pictures. And I enjoy your writing, Billie, about the difficult times and the happy times.
Wishing you all the best,
SheilaC
I am honored to be the first to sign in! it's me, lisa, your old (and getting older), dear friend. i have been here since the beginning and i check in daily. this site allows me to be close to you guys, as physically i am far away. cali is lovely, but i must admit it would be nice to be closer.
holland and eden are beautiful girls...they are special and amazing. they are an inspiration to me. they show us all what it means to be alive and kicking (and kicking it!). they remind me to fight the good fight, and do it with a smile. and to think, they aren't even 2...wow.
i can't even get started on how fantastic you and john are either. i am proud to be your friend. i miss you guys!
love, lisa
I found your blog via Zoot when she promoted your walk. I stayed (or returned or however you want to say it) because I am both a science nerd and a big old sap. :) I am just finishing nursing school and am intrigued to read about your personal experiences with all these conditions that heretofore did not have faces with them. I have gotten a job in a family services unit which encompasses labor, nursery, post-partum and pediatrics. So, your experience fits right in with my biggest interests in school. Reading about you and your girls has made me a more compassionate nurse.
Found this site through a link on another blog (not sure which) - the girls were about 6 months old at the time. I keep reading because i find your writing about micro-preemies, NICU etc fascinating - i have no children, no contact with infants or anything like that, yet i still find it interesting. I've loved seeing how the girls have progressed and wish them well.
Kim
(international reader here - Australian)
I am not sure how I found your site, I think I was looking through sites like this from the website and yours popped up. I have been reading for quite some time. I never heard of Micro Preemies until I read your website. I really enjoying learning about new things. Your girls are so cute. Wish you all the best and thanks for sharing
Malinda
Indiana.
as most of the others said, i don't really remember how i came across your site. i think i was just clicking on link after link of different blogs and came across yours about 1 month ago. i'm now a faithful reader and i absolutely adore your girls. they are both so beautiful and i love when you update with pictures. i have always found multiple births amazing and i love reading your story. keep up your hard work. you seem to be an amazing mom!
I found your blog through Zoot as well when she hyped your walk. I started reading blogs at the beginning of my pregnancy to get more information about others' experiences, and my baby is now three days old :)
Hi, I've been a faithful reader for about a year now I think or almost that long. I found your blog when I was searching for any information on micropreemies and twins because I have 16 1/2 month old boy/girl twins that were born at 26 weeks. I found your blog somehow and have been hooked ever since.
I come to read because in many ways I can relate to what you are going through and also since your girls are a little older than my kids I can see some of what is ahead of me. I relate to you because you have twins and because your twins were micropreemies as were mine.
Also, it doesn't hurt that your girls are absolutely beautiful and I love the pictures you post of them. Eden has a special place in my heart because my son, CJ, had grade III and IV Intraventricular hemorages (sp?) and hydrocephalus and CP was and still is in the back of my mind a huge worry.
It is good for me to see how far they've come and remind me how far my two can go. Keep up the good work, you are helping more people than you can ever know.
Hi, My name is Jenny, I found your blog though another blog a couple of months ago. Since then I have read through your whole blog. I think that you show incredible stegnth through all of your complications, and the twins are lucky to have you as their mother.
Take care, Jenny (in Israel)
Came across your blog months ago when I started scouring the internet for people who had micro preemie multiples. We delivered our kids at 24 weeks. I have used your blog as a resource in what it takes to have these extra special kids ( so don't slack in blogging :) ).
Your posts have hit home when it comes to the good and bad of parenting these early gestational wonders.
You can read our story if you want at www.gottriplets.com.
Best of Luck
Eric
Hi! My name is Lauren and I found Holland and Eden's site through Kendra. From the minute I read your first few posts, my heart went out to all of you. Not only are Holland and Eden just wonderful, adorable little girls, you guys are such an example of what great parents can be. The two of you are amazing in all you do, the time and love, everything you have done for sweet Holland and Eden! You are such an inspiration to us all! :) One other reason I relate to the twin's story...I had about the same estimated due date as Billie did, so my son and the twins are the same (gestational?) age.
Please keep up the great work, you have a very a great site and the most wonderful, beautiful, sweet little girls. Take care!
Lauren :)
It's hard to remember where I first found your site - but I think it might have been through Tertia. After living through my son Ethan's NICU stay and medical complications, I'm drawn to stories about other children overcoming the odds.
As time went on I came to love your girls and their courage. Through therapies, the cochlear implant and a CP diagnosis, I am interested to see how you all - as a family - deal with the challenges life throws at you. Especially because, with Ethan's complications, we have experienced much of the same. While it's sad to see any child suffer, there is a true inspiration to their smiles and successes. It's always comforting to hear about other families and how they deal with things. Makes you feel so much less alone.
Hi, I found this through a link from another preemie blog. My s-i-l has preemies, and I love to hear about the adventures of Eden and Holland, also like your straight talking style. You're a great Mom and sometimes it must be a challenge, but keep blogging and therapising, (is that even a word)? lol
Can't remember how I found your blog, it's been such long ago. I have a link on my blog, Ever Changing Crusades, linking to yours. Also I get notified thru Feedblitz everytime you post something new, so I can stay up-to-date.
Your darling girls ALWAYS have wonderful SMILES in all the pics.It's a joy to see them.
My grd.g/g were born in July 2004 also.
Hi Billie and Fam -
I was told about your blog through Ruthanne at St. Joe. I first ran into you when you came back for a visit to the NICU. I think the girls were 8mths and my twins had just been born. I was intrigued by your family the second I saw the girls. When I inquired about you to Ruthanne (who had such great things to say) she gave me your blog site. I first read when the boys were in the NICU and was just amazed with your journey.
I lost your site for a while and then was given it again from some other NICU friends just months ago.
I have now created my own blog because I was inspired by you. I read every day and have back read everything. I hope to one day get to know you more in person.
I have been here since the begining and before. As Billie's mom I get to see what wonderful parents they really are. I get to experience the joys and sadness with them first hand. I also know that the girls are the greatest. Watching them grow, being their babysitter is one of the greatest blessings in my life. When I see where God has brought them from I am truly amazed and thankful! Love ya all Nana
Hello my dear. I check your blog everyday as part of my morning routine. I love to hear about your and the girls. It keeps me connected to you, despite our distance and busy lives. Your positive blogs brighten my day and your 'therapeutic' blogs remind me to get off my butt and be a better friend. Please know I Love you and think of you everyday.
-Sara Schultz-Mullins
Well, I'm not sure how I originally found your blog but I've been reading it for some time now. I'm a mom of 14 month old boy/girl twins who were born at 33 weeks. I really enjoy reading your entries. Your girls are so sweet and have come so far. I really enjoy reading about them and their progress! They are very lucky to have such a strong mom and dad to support them through their triumphs and their challenges! You are all an inspiration to me - thanks for sharing your lives with us!
Hi, I am the mom of a 1 year old 29 weeker. Two weeks before he was born, my friend had 27 week twins, so I am interested in reading about preemies and twins. You write so well and my friend is going through many of the same things you are with one twin having CP. Thank you for everything you write!
I found you through MissZoot. Once I started reading I sat and read through all the archives in one sitting. I think you have more strength than you realize and consider you (and your gorgeous girls) a personal inspiration. I'm from across the state and oddly enough, lived in Westland from birth to age 4. Small world, eh?
Keep the faith, honey, and realize we all lose it occasionally.
Hi Billie! I wanted to tell you Happy Mother's Day late only because we were in children's for the past week with Marley. Not how I wanted to spend my first Mother's Day, but being in the hospital and many, many visits to all of her specialists every week is our life. I hope you had a great day and I like what you did to your blog. Just look at the girls and you can tell your a great mom! I can relate how hard it is though. Marley and I want to come over and play, but we are just so busy with all of our appointments. I keep waiting for it to calm down. Love you guys, Heather,Jeremy and Marley
I'm also a regular reader, and like so many others, don't remember how I found you. I also have a special needs child, and at one time was trying to find other parents who had these challenges, so that could be how I stumbled upon your blog.
I really like how your daughters are still young, so they're doing so many new things all the time. That's really neat to observe. I know how each milestone is a hard-won victory, and I feel like I'm celebrating right along with you!
BTW, don't feel bad about venting on your blog. It really helps the rest of us understand your side. You can't be superwoman all the time--that would be unrealistic!
Wish you all the best!
I also don't remember how I found your blog, although it may have been through Tertia. I stayed around because you have wonderful writing and really made me care. Your girls are beautiful, and it's a joy seeing them grow up.
Becca
I found your site through Indigo Girls a little after the girls came home from the hospital. I was fascinated by the story of your beautiful daughters. I love coming and seeing new pictures and seeing how wonderful the girls are doing. Their beautiful faces and the love their mom and dad have are just exploding from this site! So I come back to see the girls and to hear about their adventures in life and watch them grow!
Your family has touched my heart and I will read as long as you will post!
Kate in PA
Let's see... I came here through a link from Indigo Girls. My sister has 19-month old boy/girl twins, so I'm always interested in stories about twins, and I myself have a 15-month old son. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop coming back for updates on your gorgeous, corageous little girls, not to mention hearing how both of you are doing also.
I'm glad you post about both the positive sides of parenting, as well as those truly difficult times you are going through. I wish it could be easier for you and I continue to be amazed at the progress the girls have made. My they have come far.
I check in everyday, several times a day... I'm Holland and Eden's favorite aunt:)
I found your blog through a friend's Blog that has you linked (Hamilton Family Circus). I have been reading for about a year and find you extremely inspirational. I was blessed with a son born at 38 weeks, but my sister had a daughter born at 32. Your Daughters are amazing and are extremely lucky to have you both as Parents.
I found you through the "next blog" link at the toop of Blogger blogs. Holland and Eden are just a week younger than my sweet little boy and I felt an instant kinship for the girls and you.
I'm hailing from South-Central Texas and I read whenever you update...
Kate here, from NYC, mom to Peter, 19 months old. I consider myself "along for the ride"; Holland and Eden were quite little when I first started reading. I found your blog from a comment you left on The Trixie Update, about pumping. I was looking ahead to pumping myself at the time, and the rest is history!
Hi!! I found your blog, from Ms. Zoot. But not when she promoted your walk, but when she linked to a picture of you kangarooing one of the girls. I saw that and I was hooked. I think they were already a year old, so I back tracked and read your whole blog and I now I check in everyday. I have a one year old son, and I think it is absolutly amazing how far they have come, they are beautiful girls and you can tell from the pictures they are so happy and loved. Keep up the good work, and keep blogging so we know how those little girls are doing. Wishing nothing but happiness. (I forgot, my name is Heather and I live in Ga.)
I don't remember how I found your blog but, from the first time I read, I was addicted. Your girls are beautiful and amazing. I am the mom of a 25 week preemie. She will be 1 next month. You have given me so much hope and inspiration. I do check in daily.
Lisa, from Georgia
I've been an avid reader for a while!! I enjoy reading and following your girls lives!! I think what you have accomplished and continue to do for your girls is amazing. I think Holland and Eden are very lucky to have you as a mother!!
I found your blog through Indio Girl's blogroll. I started reading blogs while on bedrest w/ my daughter, who is now 3. She was born 5 wks early due to pre-eclampsia.
I am not sure how I found your blog? It might have been from a comment you left on my blog.
I love love LOVE reading about your darling girls. I adore them so much. I also adore you. I think you are such a wonderfully honest, strong, real person.
It is sometimes hard to read what you write, but never too hard. I often think that if my little Ben had lived that I might be facing some of the issues you are facing with darling Eden. It makes me miss my boy, but it also makes me realize how incredibly strong you are. I know you don't always feel strong, but you are amazing.
I read through bloglines, so I will often read your posts without coming to your blog. Bloglines is a pain that way in that it affects your stats. You wont know that I have read your blog. I only click on the link to your site when you have photos or when I want to comment.
I love that you post so many photos. i could look at pics of them all day.
You are on my list of subscribed blogs on Bloglines so I can always see whenever you update.
Your girls are so lovely, as are you. I feel honoured to share your life through your blog.
Much love
Your daughters' future mother in law
(Adam says he wants both of them for a wife, that ok with you?)
Forgot to say that I am from Cape Town , South Africa!!!
I don't remember when I found your blog. I was just scrolling through random blogs, and clicking links of other blogs. I would bookmark the ones that looked interesting to go back and read the archives later. I remember being so impressed with your strength, and being amazed at how big the girls are, and how well they are doing, after having seen their birth pictures. I love your writing style, it just draws me in, so I keep coming back.
Amy from Louisiana here.
I found you when I had preemie twins that went through lengthy NICU stay (one of them anyway)and was looking for stories about others so maybe I could educate myself and find some support. I went back and read all the archives and I kept (keep) coming back because I think you are an amazing, strong woman and a fabulous mother. And I appreciate your honesty. I love seeing the pictures of H&E, too, and the one at the bottom of today's post took my breath away. They have always been beautiful, haven't they?
Found your site by linking, I have been reading since then. Your family is truly amazing your girls are beautiful, sending our best wishes
I don't remember how I found you either, but I've been reading since Holland and Eden were very young. Due to reading your blog (and a couple of other preemie blogs) I have been inspired to do the Walk of America walk for the past two years. I always love reading new posts. I wish you and your family all the best.
Well, where shall I begin...I am connected to you, Billie, because you were the very first person to talk to me on my first day of fifth grade at a new school. I've been hooked (as they say) ever since. It's hard to believe that it has been 20 years since then. I've only known Lis (your "older" friend) longer. So, needless to say I have been along for the whole ride, and plan to be along for the rest of the journey as well. I read because I love you, John and the girls so very much. As Lisa said, I too am so proud to be your friend and so very proud to know your daughters. We all love and miss you dearly!!!! Jessie and "the boys" - Alaska (for now :)
I have no idea how I found your blog but read it almost daily. Your daughters are beautiful and dynamic and their story is very compelling. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Take care, Hanna in Los Angeles
Well, this is Irene, Tom & Ptreston. Even though we are not in MI anymore but I am still go on the computer everyday to check on the girls. We'll move in our new housse the June 3. Have you been to Laura & Jason's house yet??? I am happy that they bought our house. You guys are family to us. Come to visit us in July when you are in TX.
Hope to see you soon!!
Irene, Tom & Preston
I am a nurse from a NICU in Illinois, and one day I was searching for information on micro preemies to share with the mom of a 1 lb 3 oz baby when I stumbled across your website. I have only been following it for a couple of months but I did go through and read all of the other posts. It is so wonderful to see and hear the parents side of things. Reading your blog has really changed how I act with the parents of my patients. Your girls are absolutely darling, and it's wonderful to see them growing and learning. In the NICU we generally don't see our patients after they leave the hospital and it leaves us wondering how they are doing. Holland and Eden have a wonderful family and story, thanks for sharing it with me!
I found your blog by googling "micropreemie" and I immediately loved it. Right after my 25 weeker came home, your site and Odin's really helped anchor me and made me feel hopeful and not alone.
Now it is 18 or so months later and I'm hooked! I just love seeing their cute pictures and how they are dressed and what they are doing and I even check out their toys in the photos! You really do have such neat things and are inspirational and upbeat (even positive people have off days or it would be insincere..,).
I am also a school psych but now stay at home with my little one (and a nanny, for respite- we need breaks. Micropreemie parenting is mentally exhausting)!
She does all the therapies (PT 3x week, OT 2x week, speech once) and fun classes too, so its a lot harder in ways than being at work. She also wears orthotics for balance. I'm very grateful for my career background (as I''m sure you are) because it helps guide progress accurately and keep me informed. It is a blessing.
As of now, my kid is estimated to be fully caught up with everything in 6-8 months and it has been a RIDE. After all that has happened with a PDA, double hernia, etc., I'll breathe when its truly over. Either way, I think I have learned to love better and deeper than I would have had she been a normal birth. It really has made me a better parent and person.
Someone once told me that its not just my story, its hers, and that I have to remember that I can just be a container and support for this to be the basis on who she becomes. We're foundations for the extraordinary, if you think about it.
I live in Los Angeles, I used to be a typical stereotype (I guess), and this experience changed all that, for the better. Don't you just love even more? -E
I started reading your blog when John shared it at work. I've been following the girls since just after they were born. I love to see how well they are doing. I love to see all of the beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Cheri M.
*waves* Mom to micropreemie twins, got the site from a fellow micropreemie mom, and still check in once in a while even though my twins passed away . I love to reed about your little miracles, and I think Eden and Holland are just precious. :)
Hi!!! I'm Maggie. I'm the mom to a 15 month old 24 weeker named Sarah. I found your blog about a week ago since it's a link to Halle's website. Halle's mom and I frequent a preemie board on another site and I've been reading her blog for a month or so. So I decided to get into the blogging world about a week ago.
Your girls are beautiful!!!! What little miracles.
Maggie (from CT)
I found you through Cyrus and Collin's blog- I went to high school with their mom. :) I have absolutely loved keeping up with the girls and seeing their progress. They are so precious.
I also love your writing, Billie. I love the fact that just when I'm about to decide you're a supermom, you get real and spill your guts. I want to have you over for coffee or something and let our girls all play together. You are really an amazing person.
(okay, do I sound a little cheesy and stalker-ish? don't mean to.) :)
~kelli
Billie, Bobbie from Texas here, checking on E & H daily. I, too, have micro preemie twins. I can relate to so much that you go through and talk about. I am hooked to reading your blog, i sure hope there arent any plans to stop it within the next several years! You seem to do an amazing job as their mother. You can feel the love for them through your writings.You are an inspiration to many. My class use to keep up with the "twin girls" as they would call them , until our school banned all blog use! Oops, I take full responsibilty for that one!! You seem to post the most awesome picture! I can wait to see E & H grow up, via internet!
I don't remember exactly how I found your blog...but I remember waiting eagerly for updates and hoping that the girls were doing fine. I have kept up my visits to the site and often check on the girls progress....not sure how often I've noted...if ever reallly....I do however read and keep track of what ever it is you're updating that day :)
I'm in California....we're currently pregnant....which you already know because you left me a note today :)
I'm just a grandma in NV. I found your site through the link you left on Trixie's site. I check daily for your updates and pictures. You've been through so much but the rewards are in the smiles on the girls' faces! God bless all of you!
Marie
Hi Billie, ...
It's Andrea from California.
I originally linked to your website from a comment you left on Odin's website. I think I've been following your precious girls for over a year now. As I've shared with you before, Holland and Eden have been an inspiration and so have you and John during our own journey with Mason and Avery, our twin boys born at 25 weeks.
Thanks again for sharing your stories during both the good times and the rough times. We wish you and your family the best, always.
Andrea
homepage.mac.com/andiburnett
I am not really sure how I found your website. I too had a micropreemie last november and I am sure in my search of finding all the information I could, I am across your two beautiful daughters. I have been tracking them for only a short while but continue to look for updates often. Like I said, I am a mother of a micropreemie too (24-weeker, Jack Matthew). I am from Fort Wayne, IN. Good Luck to you all and again, your daughters are gorgeous. They get cuter and cuter with every picture you post. They look like they are full of energy and keep you on your toes.
Best of Luck
Hugs,
Lindsay Bowling
I honestly don't remember how I came across your blog. I know I linked over from one of the many I read on a daily basis, just can't remember whose. I've been reading for maybe a month or two. The whole preemie thing is what piqued my interest. My firstborn was 8 weeks early. Although I think preemie moms share a kind of bond, I also know it's a whole different story for each depending on how early your baby was born. Those 6 weeks Emily spent in the hospital were torture - a cruel entry into parenthood as I often referred to it. It was the most painful time of my life. But I also know how lucky we were. For being so tiny (2 lbs 15 oz at 32 weeks - IUGR) she was actually a lot bigger than a lot of the other babies we saw in the NICU on a daily basis. And although we had our scares, she was relatively healthy for having been born so early. I saw and learned a lot during my time in the NICU. I met a mom of twins who ended up losing one. I befriended a mom whose baby was born at 27 weeks and just when things started to look up he'd take a turn for the worst. I met another mom whose twin boys were born at 30 weeks and even though she had been there longer than we were, she seemed to handle it much better than I did. I know I can't compare my experience with my 32-weeker to your experience with your girls. But I admire the way you've dealt with it. I suppose you have no choice but to keep going, and looking at those gorgeous little faces every day I'm sure makes it a little easier than it seems, but being a parent is hard enough not having to watch your babies struggle to do what so many of us take for granted. From what I can tell you're a tough girl, and a great mommy. I enjoy reading your blog and seeing each new picture you post of your adorable girls.
I began reading your story during the planning of the reunion. So I have been following it for quite a while now. I check in nearly everyday to see if there is a new posting. Holland and Eden, your family, and your story are all truly amazing to me. I admire all of you. I look forward to reading about your girls and every new picture brightens my day. Holland and Eden are certainly superstars in my book!
Jennifer Waddell
Bill, for us it started all the way back in Kindergarten and we've been friends since thru thick and thin. I love you as a sister and John is as the two of us put it "my best guy friend". Eric and I have spent so many of our happiest/funnest times with the two of you. I have has the gift of watching you blossom into the most amazing of mom's. Your girls are a beautiful reflection of the people you and John have become. And to Holland and Eden I feel truly blessed to be a part you two very special girls lives. I look so forward two watching the two of you become as beautiful, strong, and happy as your mommy. You have already overcome so much and your smiles say it all. We Luv you all Liz & Eric. P.S. as you know Bill I am addicted and check the website many times a day!!
I have known you, Billie, for such a long time. :) I don't even remember out first time meeting! You and your family have always held a special place in my heart, and when the girls were born, I started keeping up with them by reading your blog.
I'm so glad you find writing a successful therapy. I think it helps to be able to put your feelings out there, and know that there are friends who love and care about you and what you are going through.
May God bless and keep you and yours.
Remember, I am praying for you all.
Kendra Roberts Lynn
I've been reading since just before the girls turned 1. I found you through Indigo Girl.
Holland and Eden are adorable, and it's been great to see them grow.
Like Jennifer I've been checking the BLOG daily since you posted about Holland & Eden on the reunion website. I've known you since Kindergarten, I enjoy watching the girls grow up in pictures-
Kacy- Westland MI
Mamma Jules here!
I guess you can say, "I knew you when."! Watching you and the other "girlies" grow up and into the beautiful women you are today. When the drama of middle/high school was riding as high and wild as the "Hair Posse's Hair"!
There are many times that I tear up thinking back on those days...and there are times that I wonder how I survived the whole lot of you!! So Holland and Eden, when you are about 12 or 13....come see me, and I will share some of those stories!
I am very proud to know that my daughter has surrounded herself with such wonderful, loving people, who never cease to amaze me with their strength, courage and determination to be the best parents possible. I feel blessed to be part of this journey with all of you.
Love and many Big Smooches.....
Mamma "Jules"
Hi there, I'm Fiona's mom :) and I think you found Fiona's site first and signed our guestbook. Beside being micro-preemies, our girls are about the same age and Fiona and Eden have a Cochlear Implant. I thought I had it tough with one micropreemie to handle until I started reading your blog and your life with 2! you are a super mom to me :)
Keep up the blogging, I love reading your posts!
Fiona's mom in Oklahoma, USA.
I can't even remember how I got here the first time. Linked from somewhere, I'm sure.
I got hooked by the pictures - Eden and Holland are such beautiful, vibrant little girls. It's especially amazing to see how far they've come since those first days. Your story is very inspiring to me.
I found you through so close. I have been reading for a few months now. I have read every entry. I love seeing pictures of the girls.
I don't remember how I found your blog, but I've been reading for almost a year. I'm the mom of a 32 weeker who is now six years old. I enjoy reading about the progress of other preemies. Go Holly and Edie!
Howdy!
You found my blog about my micropreemie daughter, Darsie, who is also dealing with cerebral palsy. You made a comment on my site and I emailed you back. I've been checking in on the girls ever since. In fact, my site gets a lot of visits from your site. Thanks!
Hi Billie, it's Nancy Roddy. I've been reading the website since that first home visit we did when the girls were 10 months old. It has been a joy to work with you and the girls. Mary Jo, Kathy and I have found your website helpful in planning for our home visits. It's been beneficial for us to know if things have been difficult or if there's been good news. We love the girls and have all been soooooo please with the progress Eden is making. Have a great summer and we'll see you in the fall. I can't wait to see what Eden's doing in September!!
Holland and Eden,
I'm happy to say that I have been following your "story" since way back when I met your mom at WSU. When your mom was pregnant, I remember us WSU girls meeeting for lunch and wondering if there were two babies in that big belly of hers! Hopefully, I will get to spend more time with you in the future, but for now this blog allows me to watch you grow up. Many people say that your mom has many good friends, but it is better said that your mom is a good friend to many people. You are very lucky to have such great parents. Amy in IL.
One night after a long day in the early part of Halle's NICU stay, I searched "micro preemie" and your blog popped up. It was such a relief to see Holland and Eden smiling and thriving at home. Halle's skin was still thin and red and bruised. I wondered if she'd ever look like a normal baby. The pictures of H&E and your journaling gave me hope (and continue to do so today!). I still check in daily for my Holland and Eden "fix!"
Julie
mom to Halle Grace, 23wks+5days
I found your blog through Tertia's, I think.
I love to read about your girls.
My friend had a micropreemie at 24wks 1 day and I have a special place in my heart for all the preemies and their families. I live in Canada.
I found your blog on a twins preemie discussion board, I do not remember where. You were the first I heard use the term "micropreemie" and I now use that for my 25 weeker boys.
I am so thankful to be able to keep up with you, Holland and Eden, and the very first time I read your site I felt so many times like I was reading my own story. I love keeping up with the girls and all my family know about you too, because I talk about y'all like I know you!
Kelly, Collin & Cyrus
My daughter, CheriM, works with John. I have been watching your beautiful daughters grow since they were very very tiny. I would check on their progress daily that first year. I continue to drop in a couple times each week. Even if there is no new news, the pictures bring a smile to my face.
BarbK
I'm a dedicated lurker who can't rcall how she found you. I think maybe Julie at A Little Pregnant might have linked to you at some point and that may be how I got here.
Regardless of that....I return again and again. I come here nearly every day. I come because I am inspired by your courage, awed by Holly and Eden's will to live and thrive, and addicted to Eden's sunny smile :)
Thank you for sharing their stories and journeys.
I'm not sure how I found your site, but I check it practically everyday. My husband and I are still at the beginning of our journey. My daughter, Alicia, was born at 24 weeks gestation on April 8th, 2006. I have found that reading other people's journeys is truly comforting. Many of the other blogs I read have commented here. I hope that one day we can all meet bc I feel a bond with many of you.
Holland and Eden are beautiful and precious.
God bless you all!
Hi Billie,
I found out about your blog from my mom, Karen Avey, and I first started reading your blog when the girls were a little over a month old. I have since checked your blog daily for new pictures and updates.
I am going to Wayne State University for undergrad and hopefully for med school as well; I want to become a neonatologist. So, naturally I am interested in anything that deals with prematurity and neonatology.
I love reading about Holland and Eden's progress and I absolutely adore the pictures of them. They are two of the luckiest (and most adorable) girls I know. Thank you for sharing your amazing journey.
I've known your family for 15 years and all of you are precious to me. Each addition to your family has just given me one more to love. You remain in my prayers. Connie Wilhoite
I stopped by here a month or so ago totally by accident. I started reading a little about the girls and then I was just amazed and had to read all through the archives! I have no children and so I have no idea what you are going through but I am so amazed by what I have read. You are an extremely strong family!
Now I just check in once in a while to see how Holland and Eden are doing.
Hi there! My name is Melissa. My husband, Aaron and I have two sets of twins, ages 6 and 4. We have been down the NICU road twice now, and both times were struggles. I have been a NICU nurse for 13 years, yet, when our girls were there, I felt as if I knew nothing.
I am thankful everyday that there are others out there who KNOW what it is to have a child (children) so near death, and live. Thank you Billie for all your love, hope, and strength. Your daughters are amazing!! Here is to many happy years!
~Melissa
hi, My names Lisa I live in Ohio. I'm not sure how I found you exactly but I rememebr being really drawn in by your story. I'm 22 yrs old and I wear a Cochlear Implant so it's also very interesting for me to read about your girl with hers. Holland and Eden are beautiful babies and I love being able to see their pictures and read about them!
Hi! My name is Sam, and I found your site by googling micropreemie blogs. I keep a blog for my baby David, who was also born a micropreemie (26w,6d gestation, 1lb, 4oz) and I love to hear sucess stories about other micropreemies and their parents who have been through what I am going through.
I found your blog a year ago after my best friend delivered micro-preemies twins in March 2005. I found the site via a link on a chat board when looking up terms about their condition.
I was trying to learn everything I could so I could help my friend. I started reading from the start of your blog (July 2004) and it helped a lot because you were months ahead of where my friends and their little ones were – it gave me crystal ball on some of the possibilities. Your strength and story have really given me hope. This in turn has helped me support my friend when she needed it most.
In the meantime I just had to keep coming back to your blog because your girls got into my heart – they are so adorable! I come by every week and check to see how things are going. It’s very inspirational and when I say prayers I always include you all. It must be strange for you to read that but it’s true – we’ve never met but I do care about you and your family!
Billie, you write in a manner that anyone could identify with and I especially admire your ability to tell it like it is - and still keep you sense of humor and joy! Thank you for sharing and trusting us with your story.
All the best -
Like many of the others, I have no idea how I found your blog.
Your girls are beautiful and I love the photos.
I have completely different problems in my own life, but I'm inspired by your strength.
-Stella
I stumbled across your blog when I was furiously searching for information on micropreemies. My friend gave birth 12 days ago to twin boys, Asher and Jacob. They were 24 weeks 3 days gestation just like your precious little girls. I have found your site to be full of hope for me and have even placed you as a link on my friend's site when I created it, so when she or others need to be encouraged along this journey can click on it and read your story. Keeping your family in my prayers and thank you so much for sharing your story!
Hi!
I found your blog about a month or so ago when Tertia did her blog-roll list of her readers. At the time, I was 10 weeks pg (give or take a little) and had just been told they're classifying me as "high risk" due to an increased chance for preterm labor because of prior uterine surgeries, etc.
For whatever reasons, I decided to click the link to your blog. I wasn't sure, given my status, if it would upset me or not, but I had to see just what a "micropreemie" is and what I could possibly end up facing.
Over the course of a couple days, I went back to the beginning of your story and read every single entry. Some with smiles, some with tears. And now I check back regularly as I have grown to love your precious little girls. You all have given me hope in the event my little one decides to come early (16 weeks and going strong!).
Of course, I pray it doesn't come to that for us, but your story of survival and seeing the smiling faces of your happy girls reminds me that preemies can and do have wonderful outcomes. You've calmed my fears and are a real inspiration.
Kat
Indiana, USA
Hi, My name is Beth and I have twin boys, Lucas and Austin born at 25 wks, 2 days gest. I can't remember either how I found your blog. Probably from one link leading to another...Holland and Eden are beautiful girls! :)
Beth www.jeffandbeth.ca
I found your blog a couple of months ago, searching for info on micro preemies as I have a son who is a 23 weeker. Your beautiful girls got me hooked Eden has a very special place in my heart.
Wishing you all the best,
Joe
Australian reader here. I have only recently found your site, and I think it was through Tertia's blog list (looking to see where my own blog was on the list!). Something about your description spoke to me and I had to look you up and have been checking in ever since. I am currently pregnant with my first baby and I guess I have been thinking of how I would cope if my child needed extra loving care, like your adorable Eden. Just reading about your journey (yep, when I discovered your site I spent the entire day at work reading all of your previous posts) gives me the hope and strength to know that whatever is passed our way, we do cope because we have to. Some days are harder than others, and other days are simply joyous.
While there is nothing at this stage to indicate there might be anything to worry about, my partner is paranoid that she will not cope with a special baby. I have every confidence that we will, and if it comes to it, I will show her your site for inspiration. For now, I will continue to follow your story and that of your beautiful girls. Thank you for sharing so much of your thoughts, feelings and experiences. M
I love your blog and found it through Tertia.
I'm from Canada and am the mother of 11 year old boy/girl twins.
They were born at 35 weeks and were 6 lbs each. I know the challenges of raising twins and I can only imagine the challenges you face on a daily basis.
Your girls are beautiful and you are excellent parents.
Please, keep posting - we love it!
Hi! I found your blog when Zoot mentioned you some months back, and I've really enjoyed it. I went back and read all the archives, and I check back every couple weeks to see how the girls are progressing. Your story is really inspirational to me, and I think you're a great Mom!
Dallas, TX
Back in the summer of 2004, I was looking at other peoples' blogs at random and found yours just by chance. Holland and Eden were just a few weeks old. I kept checking back to see how they were doing, and I've been coming back ever since. Your love and care is evident in every picture, every smile. They are such sweet girls, and it's heartwarming to see them grow.