The arrival of Lilah and Olivia Rapp

My heart is filled with joy this morning as I have been given permission to share this long awaited news. But first, a bit of background for those of you who don't know Toni.

I met Toni back in the winter of 2011 as I was preparing for IVF #1 during ICLW. Right away, it was apparent what a warm and loving woman Toni was, supporting everyone she met during this journey regardless of whether they were in the trench, pregnant or resolved. Through the first fertility sock exchange, a personal connection was formed. And over the years that connection has transformed into a friendship that I hold close to my heart.

I won't go into Toni's TTC journey with this post. For those interested, you can read about it here. What I will say is that when she announced that she was pregnant in March, I practically did a backflip from the excitement.

This pregnancy has been a tough one for Toni. Early on, she suffered from continual bleeding due to a SCH. I remember the fear she experienced, living daily with the idea that she was miscarrying. Not long after, she began suffering from hypertension and shortness of breath. Later she learned she had Gestational Diabetes. The final zinger was her being admitted to the hospital at 28w5d for preterm labor. Despite all of this, Toni has chosen to find the positive in this experience, choosing to embrace this pregnancy and fighting for her daughters. A hard thing to do in any situation that is scary.

Yesterday September 10, 2014, at 30w1d, Lilah and Olivia Rapp were born. Lilah weighed 3 lbs and Olivia weighed 3 lbs 5 oz. Both girls are currently in NICU and are on CPAP. Toni was kind enough to send me some photos of the girls and both are breathtakingly beautiful.

Please take a moment today to go to Toni's blog and offer her congratulations and support. Though incredibly excited and in love with her long-awaited daughters, she's also stealing herself for the road ahead. As I can personally attest, the NICU experience is its own rollercoaster and I can't begin to explain how much the support I received during my time there helped. So please, regardless of where you are on your family building journey, reach out.

Welcome to the world Olivia and Lilah Rapp. You bring with you so much joy and hope.