One month pictures!

Every month, I try to take a photo of the 3 amigos with the exact same stuffed animal. This way, I always have something to compare their growth against! The rabbits were gifts from my mother... little did she know they would be photographed each month!

Some months the photos may be a little sweeter than others! Even if they were cranky, I wanted to capture their day...

Happy Easter from the NICU!

What a Blessed day! We have so many things to be thankful for this year! Since the 3 amigos couldn't be home for Easter, the Easter bunny made a trip to the NICU! He brought sanitized blankets & pacifiers, the Easter bunny (that you will see in many photographs), and chocolate goodies for the NICU staff! James is holding Morgan - you can see the feeding tube that was used to deliver nutrients! I am holding little Madison, and James is snoozing- probably dreaming of his Easter basket! You can also see their very first nursery - the NICU! Oddly enough, their incubators were in the exact same positions that we have in our nursery at home (which was set up in February!). Morgan is on the left, James in the center, and Madison on the right. You can also see the Easter baskets on top of each incubator :)

Morgan Magnell -- Baby C

Our third baby, Morgan, was born less than a minute after her brother! As a matter of fact, she was also born at 1:36! She weighed a whopping 2 pounds, 13 ounces. They whisked her away to the NICU to join her brother and sister. The family gathered in the waiting room to hear the details from dad and Theresa while I was in recovery.

James Alexander III - Baby B

James Made his way into the world less than a minute after Madison arrived! Although he came out crying, he was quickly cleaned by the second team of nurses, then quickly quieted. They put James on my chest, and he was wide awake and very aware of his surroundings (or so it seemed by me :). He was swaddled and looking at me --- hard to believe that in that short amount of time, our family had doubled, and there was still a sister on the way! James was born at 1:36 and weighed 4 pounds, 5 ounces.

Madison Ann -- Baby A

Once the actual operation took place, we were amazed at how quickly our family arrived! Baby "A", also known as Madison, was the first to arrive! Joanie Hare, our doctor, presented the wriggling, screaming baby at 1:35 p.m., weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces. After being cleaned, she was taken by the first team of nurses to the NICU. Theresa, our "behind-the-scene" angel, directed the anxious, awaiting friends to the hallway where they would find the babies on the way to the nursery. The photo shoot was quick, but friends & family were finally able to meet the answer to many prayers.

Happy BIRTHDAY!!!

Today was the big day!!! I was scheduled to deliver at 1:00! Family and friends gathered in the hospital room to share the excitement! I remember at this point (being about 55 pounds heavier than when we began) that I was READY for the little Stones to make their arrival :)
Were joined by proud grandparents Jim and Judith Stone; Uncle Jon Stone; Grandma and Grandpa Lewis; Scott, Suzanne, and Rebecca Byrd; close friends Amy Berger & Janet Sutherland; and family friend Ada Jones. We were also lucky to have Weldon's daughter-in-law, Theresa Lewis, there to provide support each and every step of the way!!!

First photo!

This was our very first family

photo! The picture was taken on October 13th... just 2 days before my birthday! What a precious gift! Baby A is Madison, B is Morgan, and C is James. The doctors couldn't get a picture with all 3 at the same time, so I cut/pasted them together.

Seems funny at the time, but Baby A was waving at us -- this seems VERY typical for little laughing Madison as we know her today! B (Morgan) was dancing --- I guess our little peanut was excited about having a brother/sister! Baby C (James) was napping--- funny how he was the first one to start sleeping for longer periods of time.

Little did we know at the time what a HUGE blessing these 3 would be... truly gifts from God! Even at such an early stage, He was giving them unique personalities - very different from one another!