An Unexpected Reunion

Yesterday was crazy! There was so much fussing and crying going on around here in the morning that I decided we needed to get out and have a change of scenery. This typically cures the "fussies"... it's quite magical!

Soooooo.... our first outing was to Harris HEB to the Breastfeeding Center. I wanted to use their scale to check the babies' weights. We have our 6 month well baby checkup next Wednesday and I wanted to see where they were for the month because they hadn't gained ANY weight the month before (from 4 months to 5 months). They are doing fine... they've both gained about a pound (We'll see where they're at next Wednesday and I'll post that info as their "official" weights). Anyway, back to the story. So, the nurse that helped me weigh them at the breastfeeding center, Laurie, was one of the nurses we had while in the NICU. They were a bit short staffed back in August/September so she had filled in for a few shifts and had our babies a few times. Anyway, she is a lactation consultant and was the MOST HELPFUL one (not to mention the sweetest!) during my beginning attempts at breastfeeding in the NICU. So, I reminded her of this and thanked her so much for her help because thanks to her, I'm still breastfeeding 6 months later and plan to continue as long as I can! Anyway, so she just thought the babies were gorgeous and insisted that we walk over to the NICU and show them off to the nurses. I wasn't expecting to get to see any of our nurses that day because I thought they would be too busy to come out and see us in the hallway (since we can't enter the NICU), but as soon as Laurie showed Tori's face through the window, the doors sprung open and out popped 5 or 6 nurses, 3 of which had worked with our babies!!! It was so GREAT to see them and show them what their good work has contributed to... two beautiful, healthy, thriving babies! They were blown away by how big they were! I asked them if they recognized them at all or if they looked totally different than what they remembered and they said "Totally different!" Tanner kept smiling and grinning at them and one nurse commented on what a flirt he was. I said, "Well, he spent the first 6 weeks of his life around a bunch of women, of course he's a flirt!!!" They got a kick out of that one!

As Laurie and I walked back to the breastfeeding center with the babies, she told me how much that made their day, getting to see the babies. She said they LOVE to see the happy outcomes of babies because it reminds them of why they do what they do each day. And it really lifts their spirits when they're having a hard or stressful day so I was honored that we were able to do that for them yesterday. But honestly, it was quite emotional for me to get to see three of them face to face again and thank them for what they did with tears starting to well up in my eyes through a huge smile on my face. It's funny, it even still felt like "home away from home" walking through the doors and down the hall to the NICU..... felt like just yesterday we were there, anxiously awaiting the day when we could bring our babies home for good! God bless those nurses... they are our ANGELS!

So, that was a very fun visit and I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the day. After that, we drove over to Colleyville to visit a children's boutique... I know, I know, Leah+Boutique=Disaster! Mind you, this wasn't just a frivolous outing... I was on a mission, in search for baby dedication outfits. Tanner and Tori are being dedicated next weekend and I HAD to find the perfect, most precious matching outfits for them, right? OF COURSE!!! Needless to say, I stepped into the store and upon first glance, knew I was in HEAVEN! I wanted one of everything in there! Absolutely BEAUTIFUL, ADORABLE things were everywhere, and with a HEFTY price tag, I might add!
Anyway, I tried to stay focused on my mission and I succeeded in leaving the store with two beautiful outfits and nothing more! Are you impressed? I AM!!! And I didn't even have to take out a second mortgage... my two outfits were actually more reasonably priced.
I can't wait to put these outfits on them next week and take about 4,000 pictures of their sweetness... I will just drool when they are both dressed side by side. It will be so special!

Alright, enough of that... I don't have any pictures from yesterday since it was so unexpected. So, I'll leave you with some cute pictures from a few weeks ago... these should put a smile on your face!