Lena: Three and a Half Years Old

SO EXCITED to open her Easter basket!  Daddy put it right outside her door first thing in the morning.

Making a snowman in Big Bear

Snorkeling for the first time at the Aulani

3.5 Year Firsts

Snorkel

See snow fall

Meeting Mickey Mouse

Roller coaster

Mini Golf

Mother/Daughter Selfie!

Enjoying the beach on Oahu

First time dressing up as a princess with cousin Claire

Lena loves Ariel!  Grandma got her this shirt for Christmas.

3.5 Year Stats

Height

Weight

Size 3T clothes

Size 8 shoes

"Making a line" so Daddy can't go to work.

Lena's first Ariel encounter at Lia's birthday party.  She loved it and sobbed for hours after Ariel had to go home.

With Mommy at Crystal Cove

Riding the monorail in Las Vegas

Daddy took her to Dollar Tree and let her pick any balloon she wanted.  They had every color, shape, and character you could imagine but she insisted on getting this black star balloon. 

Meeting Mickey Mouse in person for the very first time at the Aulani during the character breakfast.

Enjoying an evening swim and sunset in Oahu - Lena asks just about everyday to go to Hawaii and when we tell her it costs lots of money to fly to Hawaii she says, "I have an idea!  Let's go to the bank and get money!"

Lena loves building towers with the blocks.  Here she is in her new LuLaRoe DotDotSmile dress!

Making a "carrot nose" at Abby's Frozen birthday party.

3.5 Year Favorites

Doing "tricks"

Greeting Kinley in the morning

Building towers with blocks

Grandma

Playing with cousins and friends

Foods: manchengo cheese, Helicopters (fruit pouches), pizza, Chick Fil A, carrots with ranch, pirate booty, french fries, cheeseburger robots

Disney Princesses (especially Ariel)

Movies: Peabody and Sherman, Big Hero 6, The Little Mermaid, Frozen

Snuggles and Milk with Daddy

Trying miniature golf for the first time.

"Watch Mom!  I'm doing a trick!"

Enjoying a carasel ride at Knott's

Showing off her My Little Pony happy meal prize.  Lena loves eating "cheeseburger robots"!

Playing during a visit to Aunt Kristy's

Thanksgiving with Grandma, Grandpa, and all twelve grandkids!

Learning to take a selfie...while wearing lipgloss

Lena's new favorite "book" is the free Costco Travel brochure. It ripped and she made us tape it back together. I asked her where she wanted to go and she pointed to a picture of the Duomo in Florence.

Waiting to ride down the alpine slide in Big Bear

Sisters

February 2015 (Lena 39 months, McKinley 6 months)

In October 2014 we officially learned that McKinley is Lena's genetic sibling.  We had guessed as much since they have so many similarities: the shape of their mouth, the color of their eyes, the shape of their head, their noses, the way they sound when they sneeze, the fact that they both sneeze profusely in direct sunlight...I could go on and on...  The fact that they are genetic siblings is amazing for many reasons but primarily because McKinley, statistically, should never have been born.  

November 2014 (Lena 36 months, McKinley 3 months)

 Lena and McKinley were frozen in the same straw of embryos at the 2PN stage (18 hours after fertilization). (They were created and frozen together in 2006.) They were thawed at the same time in March 2011 and then spent 5 days together in a petri dish until they were blastocysts.  McKinley was then deemed by the embryologist as the "lowest quality" embryo of the three that were thawed and was refrozen.  Lena and her sibling (the embryo on the left) were transferred but we lost Lena's twin at 7 weeks. Three transfers later, in November 2013 McKinley was thawed again after having survived being frozen and thawed twice and was transferred and born 10 months later against incredible odds. They are now reunited again!

McKinley Jane and Lena Joyce together in a petri dish (the two embryos on the right) (March 2011)

McKinley Jane and Lena Joyce together once again at St. Jude (August 2014)

It was a very difficult decision for Dan and I to refreeze one of the three embryos instead of transferring all three.  I remember calling myself a "utilitarian" for choosing to refreeze McKinley to avoid jepardizing Lena and her twin by risking a triplet pregnancy.  I wonder now what would have happened had we transferred all three embryos at once...but McKinley and Lena are here now and together again! 

Lena loving on her sister in utero! 

A hug for McKinley when I was in my third trimester.

Excited to become a big sister!

Lena gets to touch McKinley for the first time.

Visiting baby sister on the day she was born.

Giving McKinley her Sunshine Bear

Holding McKinley for the first time and giving her the first of many kisses.

Lena didn't like having to go home with Grandma and Grandpa when we stayed in the hospital.  She insisted on giving McKinley a hug and a kiss before she left for the evening.

So excited to see sister during a hospital visit.

The big sister!  "She came out!"

A new companion to keep us company on our car rides.

Sisterly affection

Lena loves holding McKinley

Another chance to hold sister or "Little" as Lena calls Kinley

Kinley Jane hanging out in the boppy with Lena

On some nights Kinley joins Lena in bed for story time.

It will fun to watch these two miracle girls grow together.  They have come so far to both be here with us. 

Lena and McKinley with their Care Bears - Feb. 2015

McKinley Jane: 8 Months Old

Happy, Sweet Girl!

McKinley Jane is now eight months old.  She is becoming more and more interactive.  I see so many similarities to Lena in her personality as she enjoys being around people and animals.  She rarely cries at the nursery at church.  She has seemed happier this month and I wonder if it is because she is less frustrated being able to crawl and stand, or if she is healthy and well over her bad sickness from last month, or perhaps just glad to be back in our routine and sleeping in her own cozy bed.  Whatever the reason I am glad there have been much fewer tears this month.  One thing that has been fun to see is how much more Kinley has been able to play with Lena.  She is a little more sturdy now so she can roll  around and play toys with her sissy.  I think these two are going to be great friends

One of her favorite activities is standing and pulling items out of a box.

It is hard to get a still shot of this beauty.  She is always on the move!

8 Month Stats

18 lbs 9 oz

Size 3 diapers

Size 3 shoes

Size 9-12 month clothes

Two Naps: 9:30-11:30 / 3:30-5:00

Still wakes 1-3 times at night to drink a bottle

Getting into the bin of Easter eggs after the big hunt.

"Little's" most favorite activity of the day is bath time!

 8 Month Likes

Spending time with Lena

Getting in the water

Climbing everything

Getting into a box/drawer of "whatever"

Chewing on anything in sight

Randomly shrieking and yelling

Being held by Mommy

Being Outside

Eating Yogurt Melts

Visiting animals, especially Jersey and Figgy

I walked in one day when she was sleeping likes this!  Kinley is especially "bendy".

She likes to sit with her knees totally bent back!

8 Month Firsts

Pulling to stand

Shuffling while holding onto something

Babble (especially "da da da")

Eating first solids (bread, french fries, pizza, spaghetti, yogurt)
Waving (she holds both arms out and flaps them up and down)

I woke up one morning to find Lena and McKinley playing in the crib together.

Making friends with her buddy Miss E

The two "baldies" in the family.