On December 1st 2013, Joe and I were thrilled to find out that we were expecting our first baby. At my first ultrasound we saw a little embryo, we couldn’t get over how amazing it was but nothing could have amazed us more than what we saw at our next ultrasound. On December 24th we learned that that one embryo had split into two, we were having identical twins! So many emotions flooded over us as they talked about baby A and baby B, we had no idea that being flooded with emotions would happen our entire pregnancy and beyond it. We were considered high risk from the start but everything was pretty normal until week 14. At our ultrasound that day I knew something was wrong with baby B. Half of the baby was filled with fluid which I knew was a bad sign. The doctor came in and confirmed our fears, this was not normal and we’d need to go to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for testing on our babies. That was the day the doctor told us that what we were seeing was usually seen in boys but she believed they were girls. Not the exciting gender reveal we had dreamed but we were excited to know what our babies were. We weren’t able to go to the hospital for testing until I was 16 weeks pregnant, they can’t do anything for you before then. It was an awful two week wait to say the least and we prayed that everything would be okay. When we finally got to the hospital, they ran tests the entire day, mostly ultrasounds of every part of their tiny bodies. We were told that both of their kidneys and livers were mottled likely from a virus and that both babies were very sick. Baby B also had an issue with her bladder, it was unable to empty. Because they were identical, they were unable to do a procedure on her to repair the obstruction of her bladder. They did more testing, an amniocentesis on baby A and a needle in the bladder of baby B to drain it to see if it would help. Baby A swatted at the needle when it went in, she was already feisty. We were given a very grim prognosis that day. Unfortunately, if baby B wasn’t going to be able drain her bladder, she would no longer get the fluid she needed and she would pass away, that would mean that baby A would also pass away as well because both of their cords were attached to the same placenta. We were told we should terminate the pregnancy because we were going to lose them both and we’d only go crazy waiting for that to happen. Joe and I left devastated but turned our babies over to God and prayed non stop through the tears. God answered. When they did the amniocentesis and bladder tap my membrane collapsed, baby A’s fluid was now going in to Baby B. They were keeping each other alive. Her bladder still wasn’t emptying on its own but she was okay as long as I carried her. We went to countless ultrasounds each time holding our breath to see what the visit would bring. They were growing together and we began to become optimistic that in the future we may be able to bring our two girls home together. Baby B’s kidneys were tiny and no longer functioning due to the lack of use and it was clear that once she was born, she would need dialysis until she was big enough for a kidney transplant. Dialysis would mean fluid placed into her abdomen, it would be a long and painful process for her. I prayed that if she wasn’t meant to go through it all that God would call her home. On June 12th 2014, we went to an ultrasound the way we did twice a week at that time. They had made it to 31 weeks, more than we could have ever dreamed of! We were laughing and joking with our ultrasound tech that we had grown to love over all of our visits together and for the first time weren’t holding our breaths and staring at the screen. She looked at me and grabbed my hand, she told me not to freak out. Baby B didn’t have a heartbeat, she was gone. It was all a blur from there. I was being rushed into surgery to get baby A out so that nothing would happen to her from the change in pressure of the umbilical cord. They told me that baby A may not cry when she was born, she was still pretty small but that feisty girl came out crying! Music to our ears bringing joy to our broken hearts. Their names had been decided on for months but now everyone would know that baby A was Aubree Grace and baby B was Kayla Victoria. We got to spend time saying goodbye to Kayla while I recovered and Aubree was rushed straight to the NICU. We had no idea that our healthy baby wasn’t as healthy as we had thought. We learned over the next couple of weeks that Aubree wasn’t swallowing well and wasn’t developing normally. After undergoing lots of testing it was found that Aubree had suffered a stroke in utero when Kayla passed away. She stayed at Vassar until July 23rd but they felt Westchester could do more testing and she would need a tube placed into her belly so we could feed her because she couldn’t eat by mouth. Westchester got right to work running tests on our little girl, it was awful to see her go through so much so early in her life. I was pumping breast milk for her around the clock as it was all I could do for her. It was hard but made me feel like I was at least able to do something for her. She eventually had surgery to get her feeding tube once she got a little bit bigger and on August 15th, she was transferred to Blythedale Children’s Hospital to receive therapy and help teach us how to care for her to bring her home. No parent ever dreams that they will need to learn how to feed their baby by a tube in their belly, or that they would need to suction her nose and throat or bring her home with a monitor so we could know if she was breathing ok but we were grateful to have her at all with the grave prognosis in the beginning of the pregnancy. Aubree came home on August 29th. It was a really rough first couple of years for her with numerous hospitalizations for aspiration pneumonia and respiratory issues. She’s had wonderful nurses caring for her from the start and began receiving services by incredible therapists through Early Intervention soon after coming home. She very slowly began making a few achievements but she was still severely delayed and struggled to advance especially with all of her illnesses and hospitalizations. When Aubree turned three, we began to see some changes in her. She was becoming stronger; she was brighter and was better able to handle illnesses. She had typically been hospitalized due to a common cold. She was now hospitalized once in the past year instead of 4 times. She began making sounds with her mouth and began walking in her gait trainer with supports. She began needing less suctioning and was learning how to play and enjoyed watching and learning things from her little brother. With the exception of her PT who decided to stay with her into preschool, she had all new therapists and the transition did not go well. She cried every day for 3 months straight, she is one stubborn little girl. Finally, she gave in and gave her new therapists a chance bringing out so much more than we could have imagined. She is so incredibly smart and is advancing more each and every day. Joe and I are blown away by all of her progress and I cry at least once a week watching her make gains. Recently, Aubrees PT told us that she felt Aubree is ready for an intensive therapy session. This is something we’ve always dreamed of for her. We applied and Aubree was accepted by Boston to attend a three-week intensive therapy session at the end of October. Three weeks of this therapy is equivalent to 12 months of traditional therapy. Naturally insurance doesn’t cover this and it comes at a high cost. It is $7,000.00 for the three weeks and we will need to stay at a hotel and buy food so we’re looking at approximately $10,000.00. If we are fortunate enough to beat that incredible goal, it will be put towards another intensive therapy session in the future as the goal is to send her 2-3 times a year for a reset. We have started a gofundme page and are having an Italian dinner fundraiser on May 18th to help us make this amazing opportunity possible for Aubree. There will be a bake sale, a 50/50 raffle, a tricky tray and we’ll also have “Aubrees bow-tique” with all proceeds going towards this life changing trip. She will be 5 years old in June which is so hard to believe! In her short life, Aubree has taught us more about strength and resilience than most adults will ever understand in their lifetime. She is now able to say about 5 words, she is beginning to sign to communicate, and has taken up to three steps independently. As exciting as milestones are for any parent, they’re even more special to us because Aubree has defied the odds and all of the doctors that told us she would likely never accomplish those things. Every day she shows us what a true miracle is, and the opportunities she would have to excel even more in an intensive therapy session are indescribable. Aubree would have 3-4 hours of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. A special focus on children with neurological diagnosis is done, which means Aubree will get extremely specialized and trained therapists pushing her to another level with equipment she simply couldn’t have access to in a home setting. It is a lifechanging opportunity. Although, there are still many things Aubree can’t do yet, she is making progress and we pray that with help we’ll be able to bring her to Boston to make all of our dreams for her come true. Aubree is such an amazing little girl. She has been an inspiration to all of us and continues to amaze everyone with her strength and determination. What a glorious day it will be when she walks beside her brother and sister with Kayla watching from above, because we know it isn’t a matter of if but when. What a blessing God has given us, we couldn’t be more grateful.