Daddy's Date

There is an old quote that goes something like this: Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Daddy. In the last few months (or years for that matter) there have been times when our daughters definitely need their mother - but today was not that day. After talking and planning about this day for almost over a week, Abby and her Daddy set off on a special Saturday date. Just the two of them...no Moms or baby sisters allowed! They gave their goodbye kisses to those staying at home, and took off in Eric's truck - headed to lunch and the Ft. Rucker Aviation Museum. What a ball Abby had...and although the jury's still out on whether the "upstairs" or the "Jeep in the helicopter" was her favorite part, the verdict's definitely back on how much she loves her Daddy!

Wacky Wednesday

Just when you think you are having a bad day - or are just simply so tired that you want the day to hurry up and end - we hope you are as fortunate as we are to have an "Abby" in your life. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't say or do something that makes us just stop and crack up...including when she tells us that what we are doing "just cracks me up!" Early this morning (VERY early - like 3 AM), the twins were up and very cranky about being awake. Their cries woke up Abby. She came into the living room where I (Barbara) was sitting and took one look at me and said, "Mommy, can I sit on your lap?" After sitting there for a while, she kept putting her hands over her ears saying the babies cries were too loud. So I told her I had a good idea - she could go into her room, jump into the bed and sing a few songs while waiting for me to be done feeding the twins. I said after the twins ate, I'd come sleep with her for a while. That sounded like a plan to her so she headed off to her bed. A few minutes later, I heard the following out of her room (to the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider):

The babies start to cry when they want some food to drink.
I don't like the cries so I cover up my ears.
But then they stop to cry and they drink up all their milk.
And my Mommy comes to sleep on my pillow in my bed.

(And, yes, I had to write it down right then so I wouldn't forget - TOO priceless!)

There's HOPE out there

When watching TV in the middle of the night (a hobby you tend to pick up when there are two newborns in your house that require midnight and early morning feedings) there are only a few choices for your viewing pleasure: Infomercials, Cheers, Three's Company, Law & Order or Nancy Grace. Since we have no desire to see if "it really works" and we've watched probably every episode of late night TV reruns, and can't even stand the sound of Nancy's voice, the only remaining choice is commercial surfing. One of the best commercials out there now is from McDonalds. If you haven't seen it, imagine the following setting: Children getting Happy Meals from McDonalds - a voice over saying something new is now in the Happy Meals - kiddos looking in the boxes trying to see what's in there - the voice over saying the Happy Meals now include "Hope." Every time you buy a Happy Meal at McDonald's a portion of the proceeds go to one of their charitable foundations: Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald Houses around the world offer families a way to stay together, in proximity to the treatment hospital, and be comfortable and cared for during their stay. And it is at little or no cost. When we were in Pensacola, I was released from the hospital on May 17th. Yet the twins remained patients until July 6th. Our dilemma: Where and how to stay in Pensacola - close to the twins - since (1) we live almost 2 hours away from Pensacola and (2) staying at a hotel would have cost us thousands of dollars. We were fortunate enough to have been granted the chance to stay at a room at the RMH in Pensacola. We were given a private room with 2 queen size beds, a crib and changing table, a private shower and bathroom, and access to free food, free entertainment, WiFi, activities, weekly gift bags and an insane amount of support and love from the staff and other guests. The house and programming is all funded by individuals, organizations and businesses. And yes, your local McDonald's restaurant! So, next time you are at McDonald's and think you'll get a combo meal, we're asking you to change your decision and order a Happy Meal instead - even doing it just that one time contributes to helping other families receive what we were so blessed to have experienced.

Working hard or hardly working?

Don't let anyone fool you -
it's HARD work being a Big Sister!

In a jam...

They may be jam packed and jelly tight but all three girls fit in Mommy's car - woo hoo! It was the first official test drive this morning when we packed up and headed out for a full day! With the "Big Sister" in the middle, she was on top of everything - making music for the twins, talking to Blaire when she grunted and making sure Reagan wasn't slipping in her car seat! And although she didn't go with her sisters to their doctors appointments, she was on top of giving them goodbye kisses and telling them good luck! And speaking of the appointments, it was a great day today. Here are the girls' latest stats: Reagan - 5 lbs, 15 ounces; 18 1/2 inches long. Blaire - 6 lbs, 15 ounces; 19 1/2 inches long. Both girls gained an ounce a day which is exactly what the Neonatal doctor from the NICU said she wanted to see - needless to say, we were celebrating this morning! They are doing great! Nothing got them down today - not even having to sit in the hospital for half a day to get Reagan's ultrasound of her hips...which also got a great "unofficial" report! And we need to give a shout out to Daddy, Jessica and Aunt Carol for helping make today go so smooth...in short, what started out as jam, ended as smooth as butter!

Way Back Wednesday

Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love,time is eternity.

Barbara Nichole Wallace Wade
(Circa 1983)

Eric Michael Wade
(Circa Halloween - hopefully)

Our futures so bright...

....we gotta wear shades!

The mother of all support

Attention and and all Moms out there...this one's for you. I (Barbara) belong to an organization that is called "Mom's Club: Moms Offering Moms Support." There is a local chapter in Enterprise, Alabama and more than likely another one where you live. It is a support group designed for at-home moms (but those of us that work can still participate!). There are monthly meetings and tons of activities for the kiddos during the week. But it wasn't the meetings or the activities that make me give this shout out to our chapter...it's the food! Ha! When a club member has a baby, the Mom's Club brings food to the mother for the first two weeks they are home. So, even though the twins were born in May, when we got home on July 6th, the meals started. And they were AWESOME! Scrumpdidliumpcious girls!!! Every day these gals have called to check on me, sent me emails, brought our family warm meals and most importantly, loved us. THANK YOU! And see you at the next Mom's Night Out!

The Power of Prayer

Today's Sunday School lesson was called "Choose Prayer." The Biblical Truth in the lesson was that because each situation is different, prayer helps us know how to proceed when facing attacks or difficulties. The Sunday School lesson reminded us to (1) Stand Firm Even With No Guarantee of the Outcome (2) Pray Before Stepping into Battle and (3) Pray Before Retreating from Attack. This lesson hit home. Hard. When we found out we were pregnant with the twins, we started added "and bless the babies" into our prayers whether it was meal time blessings or even Abby including them in her night time prayers. And then when it was obvious that there were difficulties with the pregnancy, we started adding "And please bless Barbara and her health." Every day we were praying for this pregnancy and those babies. Then the bottom fell out in April (no pun intended, ha!) and we were off to Pensacola. If you don't know the story, one twins sac ruptured while the other's was in tact. The one that ruptured (Reagan - no surprise there...she was the most active in the womb for the pregnancy's first 5 months) wasn't doing well. When I was admitted to Sacred Heart Hospital, Reagan's AFI (Amniotic Fluid Index) or MVP (Maximal Vertical Pocket - what you measure the AFI with when it is a multiple pregnancy) was low - very low. Basically nothing. Of course we cried. How would she survive? But we prayed. And we got prayer warriors on top of it as well. God heard from everyone of us from Pensacola to Texas, from Canada to Mexico, from Alaska to Colorado...everywhere. Sitting in the hospital, I would tune out TV and find myself constantly talking to God. No, that's not right - I wasn't just talking, I was begging. Two days after Reagan's water broke, another ultrasound showed something unbelievably crazy - amniotic fluid! Now, a baby can urinate and refill the sac but (1) it was more fluid than just urine and (2) there was no leaking out of the sac - not one drop. When we talked with our Maternal Fetal Medicine (High Risk) doctor, he flat out said "This is God's work." The result of prayer. You think it doesn't work? Ask me for one of the hundreds more examples of his work that we experienced as a result of prayer. (Including watching the doctor fall to his knees in prayer in the middle of one of our amniocentesis. An image I will NEVER forget.) Have you ever wondered if God is listening to you? Prayer is how God communicates with us. Through prayer we can learn of God's desires for our lives. Want proof? Look in the pudding... Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. (Psalm 25:12)

Memoirs from the kitchen...

Blaire: Waaaaaaaaaaaa....(times 10)

Abby: Mommy, Mommy! Blaire's screaming. But not the other one.

Mommy: Why don't you go check on her?

Abby: OK! I will!

Abby: Blaire, it's OK. It's OK. You don't have to cry. My Mommy will help you. She's so pretty. I will share her with you, OK?"

Wordless Wednesday

Tell me the news

Some people dread going to the doctor - thankfully we have an awesome pediatrician for our girls and don't have to worry about anything when we are in her hands! The twins met Dr. Mac for the first time today and got a glowing report. Blaire is now up to 6 pounds and Reagan up to 5 pounds. Dr. Mac told us a few things about the next couple of months: (1) R&B will be going back to the Doc's office every 2 weeks until about the end of August - for routine checkups and making sure they are tolerating life outside of the NICU (2) R&B both will have to have a follow up MRI to verify no bleeding on the brain (3) R&B both have to have a follow up appointment with a Pediatric Opthamologist to check RPO (4) Reagan needs an ultrasound of her hips since she was in the breech position prior to delivery. We are in the process of setting up all these appointments but were extrememly pleased to see Dr. Mac with the twins and know that they'll love her just as much as Abby does. And speaking of Abby, she was in Heaven today. Her Jess came to babysit while we took the twins to Dothan (FYI: the girls are not allowed out of the house for at least 2 months - possibly 3 - except for doctor's appointments). They had a great time outside and inside. It had been a while since those 2 had gotten together and when they do, you had better watch out! Ha!

Wordless Wednesday

Full House

Today's the day...the twins are being discharged from the Sacred Heart Hospital NICU! After almost two months of tests, assessments, trials and growth, the girls have been released and we headed out on the 2 hour drive home. When we got to the house, Abby (a.k.a. "Big Sister" - which she tells everyone is her nickname) was there waiting...Being on the High Risk Floor of the hospital: Thousands of Dollars. Having twins in the NICU: Tens of Thousands of Dollars. Seeing Big Sister's face when meeting her Baby Sisters for the first time: PRICELESS. It has been an absolute whirlwind during the past three months and this was the moment that we've all been waiting and praying for - being a family of five in our home. And as crammed in as we may be, none of us would be anywhere else during this time! Right now, all three girls are in their beds/cribs and we're calling it a very successful day!


But this day wouldn't be complete without sending out a very special thank you to everyone that pariticpated in the last few months. Whether you prayed for us, sent care packages our way, looked after either Abby, Eric or Barbara, called or left messages, were nurses in L&D or the NICU, or even those from home that drove the distance to Pensacola to give us hugs and love...THANK YOU. We've said it before and we'll say it again - until you are in this position, you'll never know how much any of that means. Several of you were there for us and cried with us when we thought our world was falling apart. Now we are fortunate enough to have you with us again as our tears are now ones of joy. Thank you. Truly, thank you.

And then there were three....

A lot of times in life you remember something by a smell (the smell of honeysuckle brings back memories of childhood summers), a line in a movie ("How 'bout them apples?"), or even possibly a fashion style (you know you owned a Swatch or a pair of Jams). Most significantly, we tend to remember moments by their calendar date. There are ones that mark holidays, ones when we lost a beloved, ones where we hit major milestones, etc. When we think about our family, there are three monumental moments that define us....

January 8, 2005 - We met at Cumberland School of Law in the fall of 1999. A year and a half before walking down the aisle of First Presbyterian Church in Gadsden, Alabama, Eric proposed to Barbara. When the date came, everything was perfect. Family and friends gathered around, vows were exchanged and a dinner reception was enjoyed. After a week long honeymoon at Atlantis, Paradise Island, we headed back to Enterprise to make our house a home.


February 2, 2007 - At 8:01 PM our world was changed forever. A little bundle of only eight and a half pounds made us change from a "couple" to a "family." Abigail Lee Wade, our love, was born. In the last 3 1/2 years she became our world. She brings an insane amount of laughter into our lives, she teaches us how to love and she continues to awe us each and every day.


May 14, 2010 - Just shy of 6 months of gestation, we received double blessings. Reagan Nichole Wade (born at 5:05 AM, weighing 2 lbs and 8 ounces) and Blaire Elizabeth Wade (born at 5:06 AM, weighing 3 lbs) joined our family. Two months later, after the ups and downs of their stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we walked into our home as a family of five. These miracles have been welcomed with open arms and hearts and will forever be our miracles of love.



On a calendar they are simply three dates. They come and go every year. However, to us, these dates are the days of our lives. We look forward to them for the weeks before they arrive! We celebrate them in style! We enjoy their passing and start looking forward to their next arrival! And although these dates are so very important to our family, we have also learned to enjoy the joy of every other day we have together. God has truly blessed our family with love, health and happiness....and we invite you to share our days with us.