Auntie Abby and Auntie Melissa meet the girls!

I didn't expect anyone to want to drive four hours total just to meet the girls, but it seems they have a lot of people who can't wait to meet them.  Abby and Melissa drove in and spent some time with both girls.  It was a tough day for me because Lily had to have a GI test to determine whether there was a blockage causing her digestion problems.  I wasn't sure what the test results would be.  She was back on the "tarmac" when we got there so it was easier for the nurses to get to her to do an ultrasound.  She still looked so pretty.

Since Lily needed to rest, Abby got to hold Chloe.  She said she knew how I could just stay in that hospital and hold her all day. 

Next it was Melissa's turn.  Our little "Southern Belle" didn't disappoint, putting her hand up to her face as Melissa held her.  Melissa said she's practicing for when she has a cell phone one day.

While Melissa was in there, we had a bit of a scare with Lily.  Although her test results came back fine, she had another episode of Bradycardia, meaning her heart rate began to drop rapidly.  Since I had seen this before, I remained calm because I knew the nurses and doctor had it under control.  I think it shocked Melissa somewhat.  The doctor just wiggled her, picked her up, and unwrapped her from her blanket and her heart rate went up.  Her recent blood test showed anemia, which is not unusual for preemies, but considering that and the episodes of Bradycardia, our doctor chose to do a blood transfusion.  We hope that will allow Lily, who we call our "delicate flower," to plant her roots and grow strong. 

I have to remain strong for both girls and try to remain calm during these situations, but that doesn't mean it isn't eating me up inside.  It has been so very hard to be away from home, spending more than a full work week at the hospital, and going through the adoption process at the same time.  When I first pictured our adoption, I never thought I'd be spending the first weeks (or even months) in the NICU and in another town.  It gets very lonely at times and I know it's hard for Brice because he's commuting back to Houston at 5:30 a.m., working full time, and commuting back to be at the hospital by 8:00 p.m. to do a feeding with Chloe.  What I want more than anything is just to bring the girls home and begin our lives as a family.  People tell me our lives have already begun together, but it won't feel that way to me until I'm home.  There really is no place like home.