This document summarizes the journal entries of Abigail & Kaitlin from August 14-27, 2014 regarding the birth and first weeks of their premature twin daughters, Abigail Jacklyn and Kaitlin Josephine. On August 22nd, Annie gave birth to the twins via c-section at 26 weeks gestation due to developing preeclampsia. Both babies required care in the NICU. The entries document the medical progress and challenges of the twins as well as the parents' experiences visiting and bonding with the babies in the NICU during their first critical weeks.

1. Abigail & Kaitlin
Journal 2014

2. August 14, 2014 Thursday
Annie’s water broke tonight at about 10:30. They asked us to
go to the IMC on 53rd South. They would have admitted us
there but they were on “divert”. In other words their NICU
was full. She has been in the Utah Valley Regional Medical
Center Hospital since then.
It was a long night. They
monitored the babies and
weren’t willing to send us to
UVRMC until they were sure
they were stable. Finally, at
about 5:30am, they put Annie in
an ambulance and sent her,
sirens blaring, to Provo. I arrived
just a few minutes later in the
mini cooper.

3. August 15 – August 22, 2014
Lots of waiting, hoping, and praying. Let’s keep those babies
“in” as long as possible. “Every day ‘in’ is worth 3 days ‘out’”.
So many people helped especially Grandparents Harrell and
Grandparents Walker.

4. I got off work, drove home, ate dinner, and took Eliza to visit
Momma for a week.
Abigail’s name was set from pretty much the beginning but we (and
by that I mean your Annie) went through a few names before
deciding on Kaitlin for sure - Olivia, Lily, Emily…

5. 8/22/14 Friday
Day 1
This morning Annie texted me. I was already at work. She said
“I just want to warn you I might be having contractions. I’ve
had a lot of pressure in my pelvis all night and this morning it
turned to pain. I’m on the monitors and am hoping it’s just
gas”. She called me at about 8:20 and said that the nurse said I
should probably come to the hospital. I quickly told Chanci
Loran, the principal at Copperview Elementary where I’m
currently working as the vice principal, and headed out. I got
to the hospital at about 9:00am.
In a few hours we realized that Annie would be delivering the
babies within 24 hours if not sooner. She was continuing to
have contractions and had spiked a fever. At 2:24 Abigail
Jacklyn was born and at 2:27 Kaitlin Josephine was born – both
by cesarean. Abigail weighed 1lb 15oz. Kaitlin weighed 2lbs
1oz. They were both 14 inches long. Being 26 weeks along
they were immediately taken care of by the NICU team of
doctors and nurses. They responded well. Dena participated
in the cesarean by cutting the umbilical cord and passing them
off to the NICU staff.

6. 8/22/14 Friday Day 1
I’m not sure which baby this is but
they are using a zip lock bag for
protection.
This is one of the teams working
on the girls right after they were
born.
This is Annie after the
cesarean. They’re
working on getting her
“put back together”.
Annie mentioned later
that she was cracking up
the staff by her funny
comments while they
were working.

7. 8/22/14 Friday Day 1
When I went into the small NICU room adjacent to the operating
room I immediately felt tears come to my eyes as I saw how
small these little girls were. I was so thankful for the teams
working with my girls. I went back and forth reporting to Annie
on the girls and letting her know they were doing well.
Grandparents Walker and Harrell were here at the hospital while
they were born. I came in and cried with my mom and dad out
of concern for my girls and I guess sadness that they were born
so early and knowing the challenges they would face.
So small. So precious. So beautiful.
This is in the actual Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Abigail Jacklyn
Kaitlin Josephine

8. 8/22/14 Friday Day 1
Annie was brought back to
her room within about an
hour of surgery. She is tired
but in good spirits. She’s
anxious to see those baby
girls!
I got a photo opp. with
Kaitlin! She held tight onto
my finger with her
precious little hand. Dena
took the picture. Thanks
Dena!

9. 8/22/14 Friday Day 1
It took a long time for them to get the IV into Abigail’s umbilical
cord. I got to change their diapers tonight! I put on gloves and
the kind nurse told me and showed me what to do. Abigail had a
little poop and Kaitlin was just wet.
Annie is touching Abigail
through the opening in the
isolette. We just want to
hold them, love them, and
let them know it’s all going
to be alright.
Tonight I asked Lance to come and bring me some clothes.
While here he visited with Annie and me then we went up to
see the girls. The nurse said she noticed on our paperwork
that we were LDS and said we could give them a blessing if we
wanted. I didn’t have oil but they did. Lance anointed and I
sealed. We blessed them to be strong. To grow and develop
into faithful young women in the Gospel.

10. 8/23/14 Saturday
Heavenly Father, bless this place. Bless
these amazing people working with my little
girls. Send angels to walk and reside within
the rooms and halls of this hospital. Bless
the beds where my girls lay. Bless my
babies. Infuse their bodies with healing,
growth, and courage. Bless this building with
your Spirit. Please bless this place.
Mom and Dad with Abigail.
Day 2

11. 8/24/14 Sunday
Day 3
Abigail is wearing a “cape”. This keeps her from grabbing her
tubes going into her mouth. She’s just like Eliza! Lizzy loves
to walk around with a blanket or towel draped over her
shoulders. We took this picture at 12:03am. Annie needed to
come up and see the girls before she could fall asleep.

12. 8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
It has been a very teary last 24 hours. They told us they needed
to do a chest tube on Kaitlin due to air escaping from her lungs
and getting trapped between her lung and rib cage. When it
fills up it makes it so that her lungs can fill up
properly/completely. When Annie and I went back up after
they did the procedure they said she was doing much better. I
immediately had tears come to my eyes in relief and gratitude
for the positive news. We know this will be a roller coaster ride
and hope and pray for the best for our girls. I choked up later
when asking the nurse how we can help our babies. She said
the best thing we can do is be there for them to hear us and
smell us during “cares”. Otherwise they want us to let them get
as much rest/sleep as possible because that’s when they
produce the growth hormone and therefore grow.
What can we do to help our babies?
• Come during “cares” and help out. Let them hear our voices
and smell us.
• Speak softly to mimic softer sounds they would hear in the
womb.
• Use a gentle, firm, and stationary touch. Rubbing isn’t good
right now because it’s too stimulating for their immature
nervous system.
• Let them sleep a lot so only come during cares so we don’t
wake them more than necessary.
• Pray, pray, pray for those girls!
• Stay away if we’re sick. Don’t let anyone else come who is
sick or possibly sick.
• Keep momma healthy. Make sure she recovers from recent
major surgery.
• Love those babies and be grateful every day!

13. 8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
Abigail
• Pretty stable
• Smallest diaper size
• Likes her hand near her face
• Is already being fed mother’s milk
• Getting light therapy for jaundice
• Moved to a more traditional
ventilator and receiving normal air
oxygen mix. Doing much of the
breathing on her own.
• Concern that her blood sugar was
going up but it started going down
again.

14. 8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
Kaitlin
• Having a little bit of a rougher go
of things
• Got a chest tube to release air
escaping from her lungs into her
chest cavity.
• Got a catheter to help her pee –
most likely not peeing as well
due to the pain medications they
gave her to ease the discomfort
of the chest tube.
• Retaining water. She looks plump and healthy but it’s
not real weight gain. She’ll lose the water and drop
weight once her system starts getting rid of the water.
• On insulin for high blood sugar levels
• Very still and quiet due to sedation
• Given heart medication for a while to cause her heart to
beat more effectively
• Using a diaper that is a size up from Abigail’s

15. Kaitlin
8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
Abigail
So, do they look alike? Yes, no, maybe… Honestly it’s really hard
to tell because their mouths are so covered and we can’t put
them right beside each other. They are certainly beautiful and
precious though!

16. 8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
Dena took our picture with Kaitlin. Annie was doing her cares.
I’m starting to worry that I might be getting sick. Is the
scratchiness in my throat just from “hospital air”, stress, or am I
really getting sick? Because of that I opted to not work directly
with the girls.

17. 8/24/14 Sunday Day 3
Eliza is here (along with Cory, Josh,
Lance and Dena) but we don’t
have her immunization record to
show the hospital so she can’t
come in to see them yet. We’re
also a little concerned that all the
“equipment” might scare her a
little. We have been showing
pictures though and she speaks to
the picture and says “baby” and
“it’s alright” and wants to hug the
phone with the picture on it. Cory
and Josh stayed with her in the
waiting room while we all went in
to do their cares. They do so well
with her and Eliza loves it too!
We love to hear from the nurses that everything has been very
“uneventful” when we go up to visit our girls. In other words we
want to hear that they’re sleeping, growing, and not having
complications. 
I’m already feeling conscientious of spending more time with one of
the girls than the other. So far we mostly just watch them sleep and
speak loving soft words to them. But then I find myself looking over
to the other isolette and thinking “I wonder what’s happening with
Kaitlin or Abigail”. Its such a blessing to have two more girls to watch
over!

18. Abigail under the lights.
She’s doing great and it’s
pretty normal/common to
get some jaundice. The
lights help to get rid of it.
They gave her some cool eye
covers for protection as well.
This is Kaitlin’s isolette.
They do the best they
can to mimic the womb.
It’s also called a giraffe
because when they pop
the hood it goes way up
and looks like a giraffe’s
neck.
8/24/14 Sunday Day 3

19. 8/25/14 Monday
Day 4
So I woke up with an even more sore throat. I’ve definitely
got a cold of some sort. Darn it! I want to go up and see my
girls every day if possible. I talked to the doctor and he said it
was best to stay away for a few days so I don’t risk getting
others sick who are helping the girls. I want to do everything
possible to keep Abigail and Kaitlin healthy and strong. I’m
thinking I’ll go home to limit my contact with Annie and to be
able to rest better and get over this thing more quickly.
There’s an Occupational Therapy class tonight to talk about
baby development. I’m planning on coming back for that.
Abigail came off the ventilator today! Here she is on her
tummy – and she loves it! She still has a feeding tube going
through her mouth into her stomach. She is being assisted to
breath through her nose too.

20. 8/25/14 Monday Day 4
Kaitlin started light therapy today. They’re hoping to take
the chest tube out soon but she still has a small whole in
one of her lungs.
Abigail is sticking her tongue
out at her momma. I think
she’s enjoying not having so
many tubes down her throat.

21. 8/25/14 Monday
Special
Moments
Day 4
I’m at home getting some rest and preparing for Annie and
Eliza to come back home which means I’m doing a bunch
of laundry. Annie called me tonight with some really
exciting news. She got to pick up Abigail! She actually got
to hold her above her bed for just a few seconds so they
could get her weight. Annie was thrilled and I am too. She
talked about how special those girls are and he amazing
spirit she feels when she’s with them. She cried when she
got to lift up her baby and Justina, Abigail’s nurse tonight,
gave her a hug. A special moment tonight!
Annie didn’t get to hold Kaitlin because she still has the
chest tube in. The report is that the hole in her lung is
getting smaller and smaller and she should be able to get
the tube out soon.

22. 8/26/14 Tuesday
Day 5
The girls are 27 gestational weeks old
today!
Today Annie was able to come home from the hospital. It
was really tough leaving our babies there and knowing that
we can’t just go up any moment and be with them. It’s also
sweet knowing that we can be with Eliza. We’ve missed her
and love her so much. She’s been through a lot too. She
has grown up a little. She seems to be using more
complete sentences and seems to just be more mature.
We love that beautiful girl!
Abigail is back on her
tummy! She’s holding
steady. She had a few
moments when her heart
rate dropped but it came
right back without any
need for additional
stimulation.

23. 8/26/14 Tuesday Day 5
They told us it would be a roller coaster ride and Kaitlin is
proving them right. Today we learned that she has a small
hole in one of the valves in her heart. This isn’t that abnormal
for a preemie but her hole is in the matrial valve which isn’t
that normal. Still, we’re hoping that it will heal up on it’s own
just like a leak might in another valve. She’s still leaking air
from one of her lungs. This is getting better but they hoped it
would’ve healed by now. I don’t know what the ramification
is if it doesn’t heal we’ll just keep hoping and praying that it
does heal on it’s own.
Kaitlin got a new blanket
today~ It looks great and so
does Kaitlin.
We called the NICU tonight before going to bed to get the
latest update on the girls. All things are holding steady. This
is what we always hope to hear. We’re hoping that tomorrow
Annie can go see them during the day and that she and I can
return to see them later in the evening.

24. Day 5
This is the breast pump that
the hospital is renting to us.
It looks like something you
would find in a machine
shop and it’s real heavy too.
You can actually see the
parts moving inside as it
operates. It whirls and
hisses as it pumps. It
doesn’t seem incredibly
modern but it’s pretty darn
cool!
These are all the doctors working with our girls. We love them –
especially the nurses who are listed who show so much constant
love for Abby and Katy.

25. 8/27/14 Wednesday
Day 6
I went back to work today. On the drive in I made a call to the
NICU to check on the girls. All was stable and good. It was
hard to go back to work and get back in the swing of things
while also thinking and worrying about my girls. At the same
time it was good to have something else to focus on for a
time. Lisa Christiansen and Lithia Heumann gave me a gift of
clothes for the new babies and 2 baby dolls for
Eliza. It was really
thoughtful of them!
I also talked a lot
with Lisa. About 30
years ago she had
preemie twins as
well. Hers were
born at 28 weeks
and back then
things looked really
grim (they’re now
grown and mothers
themselves). While
we’re definitely not
out of the woods
with our girls I’m
very thankful they
came in a day and
age when they can
do so much to help
them survive and
Katy - Pretty in Pink!
thrive.

26. 8/27/14 Wednesday Day 6
Abby Opened Her Eyes
Today!
If you look really close you can see her
peaking out with her left eye. Annie was
there and was so thrilled!

27. Day 6
They warned us about not comparing the girls. They’re
individuals and will have their own strengths and
challenges. We’re pushing forward with that perspective
and thankful for every little victory.
Grandma Harrell stayed with Annie and Eliza today. This
morning Eliza got to go play with Aunt Dena while Annie
and Grandma went to see the twins. We’re so thankful for
generous family members who are helping us out!
Today they gave both the girls glycerin to help their bowels
to work better. It took Annie 10 minutes to change Kaitlin’s
diaper because she just kept pooping!
Katy is sleeping away.
Look, she’s got her right
arm half way down her
body. The nurses have
been working with her to
move her limbs more
since she’s been on pain
meds she has been so
much more still.

28. 8/27/14 Wednesday Day 6
Abby is all taped up. The tape keeps the
oxygen tubes on her nose where it needs to be.
Today Annie heard Abby cry and sneeze.
Tomorrow Annie can hold her on her chest for
30 minutes!
The small things really are the big things.

29. 8/28/14 Thursday Day 7
These are the moments…
Annie got to hold Abigail next to her chest for an entire
hour today! Now that she is using a cannula and not
the ventilator she is more mobile. Such an awesome
special thing!

30. 8/28/14 Thursday Day 7
Hang in there baby girl.
Momma’s got ya!
Momma and Kaitlin.
She’s doing well even
though she is dealing
with a persistent hole in
her left lung.
Lizzy came along today too.
She didn’t get to see the
girls yet. She stayed outside
and played with Grandma
Harrell most of the time.
Look at the scarf. That girl
loves herself a nice scarf!

31. 8/28/14 Thursday Day 7
Abby is sporting a new cannula.
It’s smaller and allows her to
basically do all the breathing on
her own. Amazing!
Katy Jo is resting calm and
steady. Her diaper looks
really big and she’s looking
pretty puffy. Sweet girl!

32. 8/29/14 Friday Day 8
One Week Old Today!
There’s a park south of the hospital. Eliza and I went and
played there tonight while Annie visited the girls.
Lizzy says hi to every kid
she meets. Often the
other kids don’t know
how to react so they
just don’t say anything.
She LOVES parks and playground
equipment. She climbed up this
so many times and went down the
slide on the other side.

33. 8/29/14 Friday Day 8
Lizzy going down the slide.
Lizzy sits down in the elevator.
It might be because she feels it
moving and wants to feel more
stable. I’m not sure.

34. 8/29/14 Friday Day 8
Heavy
Conversations
Dr. Contreras came and
talked to me tonight while
Eliza and I were waiting in
the NICU waiting room.
Abby is doing well but
Katy is struggling a bit.
She has now developed a
leak in her lung on the
right upper lobe. And
they’ve determined that
she needs a blood
infusion. It was a heavy
conversation. They always
ask me if I have questions.
The biggest question that
I’m afraid to ask and think
they don’t have an answer
is “Is she going to make it?
Are we going to take both
our babies home some
day?”

35. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
Eliza’s First
Visit
Lizzy got to see the babies today. We were a little worried that
their size and all the wires and tubes would scare her but not at
all. She wanted to look, touch, and love those girls. She was
our typical loving and compassionate baby girl.

36. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
Eliza is visiting Kaitlin. She got to see and touch both of the girls.
I’ve got a mask on because I’m still feeling a cold.
More heavy conversations today. Dr. Gerday invited us to his
office to meet. He talked first about Abby because it was simplest
and she’s doing pretty good. The majority of the time was spent
talking about Katy. Her x-rays show that she may have
emphysema. They’re going to give her muscle relaxers to
completely immobilize her so that she isn’t even breathing on her
own.

37. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
Once she is completely still they’re
hoping that her lungs will be able to knit
together and heal. This entire process
will make her retain even more water.
She already looks very bloated. They
said that while this is visually shocking
that it’s not a concern and she will lose
the liquid with time and movement.
Needless to say it’s been a hard day.
Both Annie and I have felt down. I feel
cranky and testy – I just want to yell at
someone but I’m not mad at anyone in
particular. We’ve decided to have a fast
tomorrow and we’ve invited our family,
friends, and fellow ward members to
participate. I called my parents and all
my brothers and asked them to pray and
fast along with us. Anne posted it on
Facebook as well. I also sent an email to
all the elders in my quorum and invited
them to join in. I know it will make a
difference!

38. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
Prayer and Fasting
This is the Facebook message that
Annie sent out:
Dear Friends and Family, Tomorrow we
will be doing a special fast for our Baby
Girl B, Kaitlin. She is struggling and is
not responding to treatments that the
NICU doctors are giving her. Both of
her lungs are leaking and are not
healing so she has a chest tube on
each side. There are a handful of other
concerns as well. Her body just needs a
break to start healing and responding.
We would love for you to participate in
our fast, with your prayers, thoughts or
meditations. Thank you for all of your
love and prayers so far. (Baby Girl A,
Abigail, is doing GREAT so far, so we're
fasting for her sister, but feel free to
keep her in your prayers too, she's still
so little!) I've put an update with more
details about Kaitlin's condition on the
blog.
www.becominganniewalker.blogspot.c
om

39. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
A Special Request
This is the email I sent out to the brethren
of the elders quorum:
Hello men,
I'm not sure that you all know but our
twin girls were born last Friday at 26
weeks. They're extremely small and
fragile. We named them Abigail and
Kaitlin. Abigail is doing well and
responding as would be expected. Kaitlin,
on the other hand, is struggling. She
developed a hole in her left lung early on
that hasn't healed and has now
developed a hole in the right lung. She
has a leaky heart valve and has needed a
blood transfusion as well. We're all
concerned that she's not responding really
well to treatments. We're having a
special family fast tomorrow for our little
Kaitlin and I wanted to invite you all to
fast and pray with us also. Please keep
them both in your prayers. I know that
miracles can and will happen as we
combine our faith. Thanks brethren!

40. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
Eliza playing in the
downstairs waiting area.
She is fun and joyful. She
loves to play and run, run,
run!
Yep, that’s Eliza playing with
a boy she just met. The
parents came to the hospital
with their twins to have a
minor procedure done – that
they did right there in the
foyer. Fortunately this boy
was more than happy to say
“hi” back and play with Eliza.

41. 8/30/14 Saturday Day 9
After a real difficult day we went back to the NICU this evening.
We saw our babies again and visited with Linda (one of our
favorite nurses in the NICU). She showed us the most recent x-rays
of Kaitlin that show that the muscle relaxant seems to be
working and there is no excess air in her chest cavity at this
time. We both felt much better and more comforted after
tonight’s visit. In the waiting area I found myself apologizing for
Eliza being “stocker friendly”. There was another girl, probably
about 5 years old there with her dad and older brother (from
Saratoga Springs too by the way). Eliza was so happy to meet a
new “kid” that she went over, waved, sat next to her, and just
kept trying to play and interact. The girl would move away and
Eliza would even follow her. It was very cute but probably just a
little intimidating for the girl. I love to see how open and
outgoing Eliza is!
Linda told us tonight that she had our girls’ names put on the
Logan Temple prayer rolls. She chose Logan because they leave
the names on for 3 weeks. How thoughtful, generous, and kind!
Running,
squealing and
playing with a
new friend earlier
today at the
hospital.

42. 8/31/14 Sunday Day 10
Back at the hospital this morning. Abigail is off the ventilator
again. She is just using a small cannula. She has a small bow in
her hair – I bet it was Linda who put it there too. 
Kaitlin has been on muscle relaxants for about 24 hours now.
The hole in her right lung seems to have closed! That’s way
awesome. The hole on the left side however is still leaking.
They’ll give it more time but the next step is to collapse the left
lung for around 72 hours and see if that will allow it to heal.
We feel the blessings of others fasting and praying for our little
girl. We see the positive results and feel a greater amount of
hope and peace.