Happy Birthday To The Twiney Twins!

This post is dedicated to my precious twin nieces Palmer and Blakely Moran. They often are referred to as Palmsy, Palmsicle, Bakey, or Boo Boo. Today marks a great day for my nieces. They are one year old today! Yes people ONE! I can not believe it. This past year has gone by super sonic fast. (I had to use "super sonic fast" because "flew by" was an understatement.)

Today one year ago was by far the worst day in my life so far but it ended up being one of the best days of my life as well. I was in Birmingham working and my sister was in Cincinnati trying not to have the twins. As I think about this day a year ago I remember just going about my normal day to day schedule until I got a terrifying phone call. Luckily, when I got the call I was not alone. I usually would have been alone but my friend Blair who also worked for the Sawyer's just happened to be at the Sawyer's house sitting right there with me on the couch when I got the phone call from my sister. She called me to inform me they were about to take her in to perform a c-section because things were spinning out of control and the babies were no longer safe. I was terrified when I heard my sister's voice on the other end of the line. I could hear how scared she was of the unknown. She was sad, scared, and needed her baby sister. Unfortunately, I had to go back to Birmingham the weekend before because we did not know when she was going to have the babies so I had to go back and work. Her husband Jeff was with her but the rest of our family was not. I remember her crying saying she was scared and I was trying really hard to hold back the tears to be strong for her. I told her everything was going to be OK and that she needed to be strong and calm down and stop crying. When I said that she said "Then why are you crying?". Ha ha. I did not have an answer for her. I was just as scared as she was but I was trying to be comforting and say all the things you are supposed to say to someone who is scared. Even though I needed comforting myself. When I got off the phone I went into complete panic mode. All I knew was my sister was about to have the babies with me in Alabama and she was in Ohio. I had to get there and FAST! Blair being the wonderful person she is tried to help me think correctly and immediately started searching for flights. She told me not to worry about work and said she would watch the boys until the Sawyer's got home and told me to go home and pack my bags! I found a flight and called Justin to tell him what was going on. He told me to go home and pack and he would book my flight for me. Due to stupid computers not working when we need to them he could not book the flight for me so by the time I got home he had called and said I needed to book the flight myself. I was trying to do 500 things at once. After booking my flight and packing my bags I threw them into the car and headed to Justin's work to get my boarding pass he printed off for me. On the way to his office he called to tell me my flight had been moved back an hour. Then he called to tell me my flight had all together been cancelled. I was devastated. Did these people not know I had a family emergency and that I had to be on that plane going to Cincy about 2 hours ago??!?! In the midst of trying to find Justin's office downtown Birmingham, getting phone calls about my flight being cancelled, talking to every other family member or close friend, and crying uncontrollably it was safe to say I was a complete train wreck and that it was probably not safe for me to be operating a motor vehicle at that moment. While still in my car Justin started looking at flights out of Atlanta for me since the next flight to Ohio was not leaving until the NEXT DAY, which was completely out of the question for me! Justin and I decided that I should start driving to ATL and that he would book me on the next flight to Ohio which my parents were going to be on as well. The only thing was that it was leaving in 3 hours and was going to have to drive to ATL, park at the airport, and then get out of the car and make the long haul to my gate which we all know takes a long time at the Atlanta airport because it is huge! I had faith I could make it and so did my family. My Dad just told me to drive and keep them posted on my where abouts. Oh, and did I mention that I had NEVER EVER driven to Atlanta before? Just one more thing to add to the pile! When I was about 30 minutes away from the airport and making exceptional time I all of a sudden decided to look in my purse for my wallet for some reason. I went into shear panic mode because I knew that I had left my wallet in Birmingham sitting next to our computer in our house!!! This was the final straw. I could not hold it together anymore. I just started crying and crying. I called to break the news to my parents and my Dad told me to calm down and keep driving and he would try to figure something out. I made it to the airport and met my Dad inside. Because of the wonderful world of technology we live in Justin had sent the e-mail with my boarding pass on it to my iPhone and had checked me in online. Because I had an iPhone and they have apps where you can pull up your boarding pass on your phone and scan it on the machines and it then prints out your boarding pass for you they let me through security without any identification! The only thing I had in my purse with my name on it was my check book and some papers from a Doctor's office with my name on it. They then told me I would have to go through the pat down check and that I needed to tell them if I had anything that could be used as a weapon in my purse or carry on. I then realized my melon baller ( if your not familiar with this device you use it on watermelon, cantaloupe, etc. to make cute little balls to eat instead of cutting it up into pieces) was in my purse. I informed them of this and they were confused at what a melon baller was and so I explained to them what a melon baller does and they then ruled out that it was not life threatening but did rule my bottle of lotion that was over 3 ounces life threatening. HUMMM? Oh well I got to keep my melon baller! I was completely exhausted after crying on and off for over 5 hours and going through all of the stupid mistakes I had made throughout this day. I officially had no brain left. I had made it in enough time to get a little snack before taking off for Cincy so I ate my snack and threw away my trash. After throwing away my trash I realized that I had thrown away my boarding pass along with my snack trash! AHHHHHH! What a dummy! Right when I realized this I heard the trash can compacting the trash! Great! Just Great! Why do we have to have compactable trash cans when we have idiots like me around! My wonderful father dug out my boarding pass which was now extremely smelly and had Coca-Cola Classic dripping off of it. Yes, it did get handed to the flight attendant exactly like that! Insert happy face! We eventually arrived to Cincy and made it to the hospital at about 11:30 at night. I was in a daze but so happy to be by my sister's side. We did get to see our Palmsicle that night but not our Bakey Boo!

So as you can see from my story above you now know why it was the worst day of my life but also one of the best. I can not express just how blessed our family is and that we have both of these beautiful, smart, wild, and precious baby girls here with us today. They are truly miracle babies and I thank God for them each and every day! I can not imagine this life without them both! I love them like my own and could not be more thankful and happy to be able to celebrate the one year mark of there birth today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISS P and QUEEN B! YA YA, Uncle Jussy, and Mary-Ross love you to the moon and back! MUUUAHHHHHHH!!

Another week come and gone

As we end another week in May the most exciting week ever approaches! Assuming that I am not going to go into labor tonight or tomorrow we will be going into my 40th week of my pregnancy. Many of us thought our little one would have decided to come on her own before now but since she has not it looks like I will be getting induced this week. I better be anyways. :) I have enjoyed my week of not having to be up at a certain time even though I have found myself still be an early riser with the exception of one or two mornings this week. I have been keeping the house very clean and doing all the laundry. All the chores of a stay at home mom/wife. :)

Justin took another part of the CPA Exam on Wednesday morning and we are hoping for another PASS! We still have not heard from the last part he took but hopefully it will be in soon! So that is three parts of the CPA Exam down! One Pass and two unknown as of the moment. He is going to take a break from studying for a few weeks before he starts back to finish up the last parts. We are praying very hard that he does not have to re-take any of the parts.

Justin and I went to a movie Friday night and had a great time like always. I am hoping that was our last movie we could see without getting a babysitter. I know that seems strange but I am so ready for this baby to be here!

So we have one more day until our Doctor's appointment to see if anything happens. I highly doubt it but who knows! If not then we are scheduled to go to the Doctor at 9:30 for an ultrasound to measure the baby and then we will see the Doctor. So I am hoping that my next blog will be updating everyone that we are checking into the hospital to have a baby! But, it could also be about how I am going to start thinking of ways to deliver this baby myself! Let's hope it's the first and not the second! :)

And, one last update! My little sweet angel Blakely is in the hospital due to bronchiolitis. They were admitted this morning and will definitely be staying tonight and possibly more nights. Her sats have been better since she has been at the hospital but she has been running a fever and is still having trouble breathing. They will continue to monitor her and give her breathing treatments. Palmer is starting to show signs that she might need to be admitted as well. Bronchiolitis is only contagious if you come into contact with the person's salvia or snot and you ingest it. So it is very possible little Palmsicle has it as well since they slobber all over everything of each other's all the time. We need to keep both of these babies in our prayers so they can get better! Not to mention Palmer is already scheduled to get tubes in her ears early Tuesday morning. So my family is being pulled in a million directions at the moment!

Until next time......

A Weekend in Wetumpka....

This weekend my sister, the girls and I all loaded up and head to our hometown, Wetumpka, Alabama. My parents came for the weekend as well and so we had a house full at my grandparents house. We had 6 adults, 3 children, and 3 dogs! Can you say circus? It was a great weekend filled with lots of laughter and great memories were made. We went to Wetumpka for the whole weekend because I had a baby shower on Saturday and then my sister and Jeff were guest speakers at our old church First Baptist of Wetumpka on Sunday. We planned a whole family get together for Sunday after church and so my mom's whole side of the family joined us for church on Sunday and then we all headed back to my grandparents house for lunch and some family bonding time.

The weekend was a success! Friday night we all just hung out around the house since we had two exciting days ahead of us! Saturday was so much fun! I had my Wetumpka baby shower at 10:30 and it was just wonderful. All the hosts did a wonderful job and we had a great turn out. Mary-Ross got so many things and we are so thankful to have so many gracious people in our life. We had a whole car full of gifts just for our angel on the way home today! I loved getting to see and spend time with my Wetumpka friends who I do not get to see very often. They are all so special to me and I can not wait for Mary-Ross to get to meet them all. They have always been my best friends and very good to my whole family. I feel so lucky to come from a small town with so many close friends who have known you your whole life. I think it is something very special to come from a small town like Wetumpka. So many people I know do not have that experience and it makes me so sad for them. All of my friends from my childhood are  my life long friends who no matter how long we go without seeing each other it is always as if we just pick up from where we left off last and go from there. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came on Saturday and to the fantastic hosts for making this shower possible! Thanks friends! :)

While I was in Wetumpka Justin stayed behind in Birmingham and played in a golf tournament at our country club. He was very lucky this weekend! Friday night he won a raffle and won a 3D Samsung T.V., 2 pairs of 3D glasses, and a 3D Blue-ray DVD player! WHOA BABY! Then on Saturday he won another raffle and won a brand new set of Calloway Razor Irons! Talk about one lucky guy! He called and said he needed to buy a lotto ticket as well since he was on a winning streak! Hahaha. Just thought I'd share that little bit of exciting news!

On Sunday, my sister and Jeff spoke at First Baptist of Wetumpka and did a great job. I am so proud of them. They really did an inspiring speech about all the struggles they went through last year with the twins. I think it is so special that First Baptist thought of them when they were planning a special Sunday program they do once a year called The Sanctity of Life. They showed a very inspiring video called 99 Ballons that was heart-breaking but so moving. It really did make you stop and think and realize just how lucky we all are. Then they had my sister and Jeff come up and tell there story. Then after they were done sharing there story they brought all the babies up to show them off to the congregation who prayed and prayed for them and who continue to pray for them. I know they all were so glad to be able to finally put a face to the names they have heard over and over again from my grandparents and other close friends of the family. It was such a proud and special moment for our family.

Another weekend has come and gone but it was a great weekend! We have to rest up this week because we have another big weekend ahead of us!

Until next time....

Blake and Palmer Moran Charity Account

Here is the information on the charity account that has been set up for Blake and Palmer Moran. I know some people have asked my family and I where they could make donations so here is the information if you or your church, etc. would like to donate some money to help support these babies and help pay the hospital bills that insurance does not cover!

Account Information:
Regions Bank
Blake & Palmer Moran Chairty Account or Kristen Moran Charity Account


Anyone can go into any Regions and ask to donate to this account. If you would like to donate to this account please e-mail, call, or text me to get the account number!

Updates on the girls & my sister

Not much change this week, which is a good thing we think! At least no one has taken a turn for the worst! :) Palmer is getting stronger and stronger everyday and is progressing along just as she should be! Blake has been back & forth on her blood pressure but as of yesterday she was doing good and had not had to have anymore epi, so that was wonderful news! They had to postpone the MRI for a few weeks but were going to do x-rays and compare the results to see what the status of the tumor is and if it was growing, etc. But, from what the docs have told them they seem to think she is doing great and they are very happy with where she is currently at. So if they are happy then we are happy! My sister is still doing great as well so we could not ask for more right now. Thank you all so much for being here for my family. We truly appreciate it all! Thanks so much!

The Ice Cream & Chili State

I made it back to Alabama safe and sound! It was a bittersweet homecoming for me because I missed Justin and Murphy Brown so much but I wanted to be with my sister as well. But, I knew I needed to get back to work and be with my hubby, which I was very excited about! My journey back to the South was a bit long but not too bad.

My sister, Dad, and me had a great time together in Mason, Ohio which is where my sister, Jeff and Ashlyn Kay are staying for now. A wonderful and generous family named The Bradley's are who has taken my sister and our family in for these next long months ahead. I know many of you have wondered how all this came about and I finally have the answers! Before I was not quite sure myself but finally got the complete story from both sides! So here is the story of how this came to be! A college friend & fraternity brother of Jeff's, named Tyler, mother's best friend Diane has a sister, Laura Bradley, who lives in Mason, Ohio. Tyler and his wife are pregnant with twins as well and are due around the same time as Kristen's real due date in October. Tyler told his mother about Jeff and Kristen's situation and she then told her best friend Diane and then Diane told her sister Laura Bradley. After Laura heard about them she then knew she wanted to do something to help them because Mason is literally 20 minutes out of Cincinnati. So after talking with her husband and family they decided that they wanted Kristen, Jeff and AK to live with them whenever they needed during this whole process. So that is when Laura contacted my sister through facebook and invited them to stay, etc. So that is the story of how this all came about.

Last Monday was my sister's first appointment since they were back in Ohio and that is when they received the negative news. So after hearing everything and found out my brother-in-law was having to come back to Birmingham to get everything ready for him to go ahead permanently move as well I made the decision to go to Ohio. My father was in Oklahoma and decided to meet me in Louisville, Kentucky and then we would drive the remainder of the trip which is only an hour and a half. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and my sister was so happy and excited that we where there. The Bradley's were very welcoming to us and we are so happy that my sister, Jeff, and AK are staying with them. My Dad stayed until Friday and then headed back to Georgia and I stayed until Sunday. My sister had her doctor's appointments on that Thursday so my Dad and me went with her to them and we were so glad we got to go and it really did help us understand everything a lot better. As you all know I am very curious and need every single detail. I know when someone leaves out something and I have to have all the facts. We spent all day walking from one side of the hospitals to the other. We got to meet a few of the doctors that are working on the twins case. After all the appointments we had a meeting with the Pediatric Surgeon, Dr. Crumplehorn (?), crazy name huh! Haha. He is the director of Pediatric Surgery at Children's Hospital Cincinnati. He went over everything with us and explained the situation and gave us the latest game plan. Luckily, everything looked 110% better than it had on Monday so everyone was much more positive about the twins. Even though they do have to remind you of all the negative things that could happen which then brings you down again. But, my sister thankfully has decided to only focus on the positive side of everything and has made up her mind that everything and everyone will be perfectly fine when all of this is all over. It will be very stressful on everyone I know once they twins get here because so many things can happen to pre-mature babies but we know in our hearts that both babies and my sister will be safe and will make it through everything. The arrival of the twins are still up in the air for now and will most likely be that way until they come. My family all hopes we can plan it as much as possible so we can all get there in time for the delivery but we can't ask for everything to go our way. So what we are asking is to keep my sister and both babies safe and for everyone to be stable, healthy, and to be home as soon as possible. So overall my trip was great and it was very reassuring after I could see where my sister was staying and I could see for myself that she was fine. My sister and me have never been in different states for a long period of time and now that we are it is very hard for me. I never thought it would be as difficult as it has been on me so far but it is and it makes me nervous, anxious, mad, sad, and every other emotion you can think of. I am not usually an emotional person but here lately I have been about this whole situation that is for sure.

Ohio is very nice, friendly, and they love ICE CREAM and CHILI. Oh and the weather is a whole lot better than Alabama's this time of year. It was in the 80s and breezy everyday. That might sound hot but let me tell you it is not! I required a cardigan in the mornings and afternoons. CRAZY! We did sample out the ice cream on a few occasions but we never made it to the chili. But, my sister did try some chili spaghetti?!?!? and said it was awesome! The love chili there so much that they have a fast food restaurant called "Gold Star Chili". In Alabama you see a McDonald's on every corner, in Ohio there is a Gold Star Chili on every corner! I did someone eating something from there at the hospital and they has a chili dog and chili cheese fries! Now that's my kind of food! Not only do they have this Gold Star Chili but my sister and me saw two other places called blank chili. We were amazed. Kristen did ask why they have so many chili places and the Bradley's told her it was just there thing. So there you go! My next trip up there I will be sampling all the chili places and will get back to you on how it is! The other thing I did like about Ohio is that everything in the bathroom is so sanitary. It does not matter where you go every restroom we went through was nice, clean, and hands free operated! Every stall has toilet seat cover dispensers, all toilets are hands free, the soap dispensers and the paper towel machine are hands free. Now yes many places in Alabama do have these same things but most do not! My sister and me came to the conclusion that someone made it there priority to make sure the restrooms are nice and are made for germ-a-phobs like us because everywhere you go they are like this. So it must be a law or something but I like it!

The only down side to my trip was on Sunday when I spotted the plane I was flying on. I do not fly very often but the past few years I have flown have not gone very well. First off I have never ever flown alone. I conquered that last Tuesday and it was fine. I was a bit nervous and over cautious about making sure I was going the right direction and at the right place but it was fine. Secondly not only was I flying alone but I was frozen in shock once I got to my gate Sunday and spotted the plane. Yes, I know I was not flying out of huge airports but I was flying Delta and I had never seen a small Delta plane. I knew they have smaller planes for Southwest and going to Mexico or the Caribbean but all other times I have flown on a nice comfy plane. This plane was so small that we had to walk out our gate down some stairs and then walk to our plane. This plane was so small that you were not allowed to take your carry on with you because there was no room for it. I had to give my carry on to the attendant and they then stowed every one's carry on's under the plane!! This has never happened to me before. No one notified my this would be taking place. Luckily they did allow me to take my bag I was using as my purse with me on the plane. But, this plane was so small that you could not walk down the isle with you bag on your shoulder. You had to hold it out in front of and hope not to knock any one out. This plane was so small that there was no cart that came down this isle to offer you a cold beverage, because the isle was too small! The stewardess carried around a bottle of water and cups and asked you if you wanted a swig! I was terrified the entire flight which was not very long thank the lord! We thankfully made it safely and I had a lay over in Memphis, TN. So I was hoping that the plane would be a bit bigger but guess what, NOPE! The same size and procedures occurred on this flight as well. So I tried to be a bit calmer on this flight but it was very hard because I was more towards the back so I could hear everything so loudly that it was freaking me out. I know I scared the girl half to death next to me because every time something made a loud noise I about jumped out of my seat! I made it back to Birmingham in one piece and was very thankful to be back on the ground.

My sister is back at her appointments today and will find out everything late this afternoon. Jeff and AK are there with her at the Bradley's and they are having a blast. I know my sister will update her blog tonight before she goes to bed so check it out to see what the latest news is. Also if you want to know more details about her last appointment you can read her last post she posted.

The link to her blog is www.ohbaby2010.blogspot.com

So long for now.......