Twins, what a blessing!

 Many years ago, a little boy wanted a doll.  He wanted to pretend to be a Daddy, and a wonderful Daddy to "Emily" he was... Except for the time he forgot Emily in the catalog department at JC Penney, but she was quickly found and reunited.  On March 15th, our son Jonathan, Emily's Dad became a real Daddy to two beautiful girls!

 Stevie Kristen and Irene Rose came into the world at 34 weeks. Beautiful Charlotte struggled to keep them for as long as she could, but when it became dangerous for Mom and babies, they were delivered/

 The girls came into the world tiny but mighty.  Within a few days Stevie was off the ventilator, and was not having the breathing tube.  She's strong just like the Grandpa she was named after. Stevie figured out that if she raises her arm to expose the temperature monitor, the heat in her bed goes on.  They can't keep her arm covered, she wants it free.  Jon is sure she knows exactly what she's doing.

 Irene is hungry.  She will finish her bottle and look for more.  She will lie on her Daddy, skin to skin and put her tiny face right in his chest.  Try to more her into another position and she returns to face first.  Maybe she loves the way Daddy smells.

I've known that Jon would be a good Dad, but the transformation was instant.  He told me he cannot imagine his life now without his girls.  Going home without them is painful for him.  It makes me so very proud of the sweet, sensitive yet strong son we raised.  Very much like his own Dad, and my dear Dad.  They are the best examples of Fatherhood, and Jon has learned from the best.

 Charlotte, the Woman of the Year!  Recovery from a C-section is no picnic.  Carrying twins to 34 weeks is heroic.  Charlotte is the sweetest Mom, and a fighter too. We could not be there for the births, but Charlotte's Mom was close by and got to see them very soon after birth.  Roseann is a special woman, and we will be a great Grandma team.

 We haven't seen the girls except on face time.  Grandpa had some severe health problems the same week that the girls were born.  We were in one hospital while the girls were in another miles and miles away.

 Auntie Kristen had food poisoning and was so sick at home. Kris felt so helpless, not being able to help Charlotte or Dad and Mom.  It was not a week I would care to relive. We were each on our own but connected by text messages.  When my dearest was admitted to the emergency room, Jon and Mike came to be with us.  That very night in a suburb an hour away, they decided to take the babies, but then changed their minds and set a time for the delivery on Friday.  Jon traveled back and forth that night.  We didn't know what was wrong with my hubby, or when the babies would be born, and if they were ready or when Kris would start to feel better.  It tested all of us, but, we're Willoughbys damn it, and we persevered.  (We use this phrase in the face of adversity, and it always makes us smile.)   

 To make this very long story short...
The babies are thriving.  They are breathing on their own and eating, gaining weight.  They still have a while to spend in the hospital, but Charlotte has been released. Kristen is fine.  She was able to finally see us the day my dearest was released from the hospital.

There is a Ronald McDonald House close to the hospital 

so that Charlotte and Jon can be close to the twins, and to each other. 

My dearest, after more tests and procedures than anyone should have to go through,

 is home with me, on the mend and doing so much better.  This conjuncture of events tested all of us. I could not be more proud of our kids who stepped up for their Dad and me, and for each other.  Only my sons could make us laugh in an emergency room so hard that I cried.  A tech came in and told us that everyone was talking about us, I thought we might be too loud, but he said everyone was saying how nice we all were.  Mikey came with us for tests, so I wouldn't need to wait alone.  Constant contact by texts with Jon and Charlotte, Mike and Amanda and Kristen and Doug kept up every ones spirits and added a bit of humor to even the hardest days. Our family has grown by two, but what those tiny girls have gained is immense.  A family that truly loves and cares for each other.  

Selfless and compassionate. 

Welcome to the family Stevie and Irene.  We already love you both so much.  Having three granddaughters surpasses all of our dreams. Penny is ready to lead the pack, and a wonderful example she is.  Fun, smart, kind and beautiful, inside and out, just like Stevie and Irene will be. 

 We are so very blessed.

Enjoy this beautiful day.

Love, Penny