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Hello World




Look who finally opened her eyes! Reid and I got to the hospital yesterday and found her snoozing on her tummy. We started talking to her like we always do and all of a sudden she woke up and started to open her eyes. I may or may not have shrieked in the NICU. And then I cried. It was such a fun moment for me and Reid. The nurse said that her eyes just "popped" open when they were changing the tape around her respirator earlier in the day. She said Olivia was wide-eyed and looking all around. The nurse had to put her on her tummy for her to finally fall back asleep. I love that her sweet nurse didn't tell us about her eyes as soon as we got there. She made that milestone so special by letting us experience it for ourselves.

I also got to do something really exciting yesterday! The nurse let me pick up Olivia while she changed her bedding. When I picked her up she opened her eyes and looked right at me. She can only see about 6 inches so I'm sure I was just a talking blob, but it was such a sweet moment. Just when I didn't think it possible to love her more, I do.




Tummy time.




Daddy's hand on sleeping Livi.




Mommy holding Olivia.


Comments

  1. I love all of the pictures!!! Her eyes are absolutely gorgeous! Thankful you got to hold sweet Livi! Love you!

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  2. Look at those beautiful eyes!!! She is soo sweet!!! I am praying soo hard for you guys!! Glad you are able to have these sweet moments and experience them together!!

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  3. How exciting! Answered prayers! I love your beautiful eyes Olivia! I am so thankful the nurses let you experience that for yourselves first, just another example of what sweet ladies are caring for Olivia. And I am beyond excited you got to hold her! I pray today is another day filled with sweet moments. Love you!

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  4. What an incredible day!!! I have chills and can't stop looking at those sweet pictures! So thankful you got to experience that moment. Love you!

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  5. Oh mare- you made me cry... Again!!! Love that you got to hold her! What a precious picture and sweet moment! Praying for that baby girl! Love you all soo much! J,L,L and E

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  6. This news just absolutely filled me with joy! I am so happy you had this wonderful moment. The talking blob comment gave me a great chuckle as well...I think my son still looks at me the same way! All our thoughts and prayers are with you. Just amazing!!!

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  7. I remember well when our little daughter Leah finally opened her eyes...such a sweet moment. She is a beautiful girl and your love for her flows through your words and touch. Praying for your family.

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  8. These pictures have me in tears. She is so very special. Thanks for sharing her with all of us strangers!

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  9. I just found your story through another blog I follow. Each of your girls are a miracle and each of them has a big purpose in this world, even as little as they were here on Earth. You are a strong Momma and are giving inspiration to so many! I am praying for your sweet girl, Livi. What a beautiful miracle God has blessed you with. God bless your family. I look forward to following your journey. Lots of love!

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  10. Yea!!! Beautiful eyes :) Still praying for her and you!

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  11. I am crying like a baby here... she is beautiful. I am praying that everyday brings steps forward.

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  12. Joy to my heart! Such a pretty girl!!!!!

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  13. The love between a mother and her child (and of course more specifically her daughter!) is matchless, and I absolutely adore reading and now watching your intense maternal instincts come to play. What an incredible blessing God gives us. Olivia is GORGEOUS, and she is one special baby girl. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  14. I get butterflies of excitement every time I see a new post! I LOVE seeing pictures of your sweet girl! She is absolutely perfect and so beautiful!

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  15. Oh my word - I love those beautiful eyes!! I'm so glad you and Reid got to experience that surprise. And I say, shriek away! I loooove these pictures! Especially you holding that sweet girl. What an exciting day! Love you!

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  16. Oh Mare, she is SO SWEET!! So thankful for weight gain and such a huge milestone! Thinking of you and praying for you all the time!

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  17. Hi! My friend Tesha told me about your blog. I am so sorry to hear 3 of your daughters passed away as well as your mother. I cannot imagine. Yet, I can relate to having preemies and the NICU experience. I had a son born 6 weeks early due to severe IUGR and stayed in the NICU 4 weeks. And, my next son was born also 6 weeks early due to preterm labor and in the NICU for 6 weeks. Both very different experiences for me. They were so hard for me. I wish I had known about blogging back then and also had more support from others that have gone through it. I understand EVERY little thing your baby does is a HUGE milestone. I know the thrill of finally getting to hold your baby. Words can't express it. I'm SO happy for you that you got to hold Olivia. I will be praying for you and Olivia. She is so beautiful. Such precious pictures.

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  18. She is beautiful! What a special day for y'all!

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  19. She is just too cute! So exciting that you got to see her sweet eyes and hold her! Madelyn, Mary Grace, Cate, and Olivia are blessed with two amazingly strong, God following, wonderful parents! Enjoy these sweet days with little livi! And I pray for many more sweet mama and daughter moments!

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  20. I so remember the day that our sweet 26 weeker opened his eyes for the first time! What a beautiful little girl you have. Praying for Olivia's continued growth as well as strength for you all as you navigate the ups and downs of the NICU journey together.

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  21. oh my gosh. Mare! I'm SO happy for you to experience this!!! I LOVE her sooooo much!

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  22. you are a wonderful, beautiful, mom.

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  23. This makes me so happy!! Thinking of you and always praying!

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  24. She's beautiful Mare and you are HOLDING her!! That makes me cry! I love her, and I'm so splattered over these pictures of you with her. Thank you for sharing!!!

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  25. Praying for your sweet family. Thank God for NICU nurses. I have two NICU grads and they loved us through the experience. My hubby was also Super Daddy. He made it all look so easy.

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Past Posts

Mary Grace

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For the first time in my life I feel like I'm truly living one day at a time. Reid and I had a pretty good day yesterday. We were able to sleep in which was wonderful. Reid made us lunch and we sat outside in the backyard. It was a beautiful day and being outside did a lot of good for my mental health. :) There were still a lot of hard moments as memories from the night before would come rushing back to mind. We miss our sweet babies so much. Olivia had a good day yesterday. It was uneventful (which is a very good thing in the NICU) and they were able to turn down some of her medicine. We call every morning to check on our sweet girl and her nurse was quick to tell us how feisty our daughter is. We picked up on that in her first day of life, but it was funny to hear that someone else had observed the same. We are so in love with our feisty little Olivia. After we left the hospital, Reid and I went on a dinner date. It was so good for us to get out and feel like we

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