Special Announcement
Welcome Abigail James and Bethany Estelle to our family!
They’re Here!
We’ve been meaning to sit down and write this for a few days, but… we have newborn twins, so you understand.
The short version: God is faithful. Both girls are here, Jen is doing great, and we are absolutely wrecked with joy.
Here’s the longer version, because y’all have been on this journey with us and you deserve the full story.
How It Went Down
After a long, genuinely high-risk pregnancy, the day finally came to induce. By 11:30pm on May 8th, both babies were on the monitor, labs were drawn, and the epidural conversation was underway. The plan was in motion.
By 2am on May 9th, Jen was already at 5cm, had a working epidural, and was locked in. She even managed to get some sleep — which, honestly, is a miracle all its own. By 7am she was at 7cm and fully effaced, moving fast.
Then came the moment we’d been waiting for:
Abigail James McKenna arrived at 10:20am — 3 lbs, 13.2 oz of perfect.
Bethany Estelle McKenna followed at 10:29am — 5 lbs, 9.8 oz and clearly not skipping meals.
Nine minutes apart. No C-section. Bethany was a breech extraction, and it went smoothly. Both here.
Initial APGAR scores were low (3s for each), which is honestly expected at 34 weeks — but both girls climbed to 4s, then to 7s. By 11:15am we had two healthy babies and one very strong mama recovering in post-delivery care.
Where Things Stand
Abigail and Bethany went straight to the NICU — not because anything went wrong, but because 34 weeks means they need a little extra runway. By the evening of May 10th they had already stepped down to the continued care nursing (CCN) unit, which is a huge deal. That’s fast progress!
Their only job right now is to feed, gather strength, and grow. They’re doing exactly that.
As for the nearly-two-pound difference between them? It mostly shows up in face shape. They look remarkably alike — Bethany’s just been working on her winter coat a little longer. Abigail will catch up quick, especially at the rate Jen has been producing milk for them.
The Sweetest Moment
Around 6:30pm on May 9th, our big girls — Ellie and Emmie — got to see their baby sisters for the first time over FaceTime. Ellie told Lolli “they’re so sweet, I’m gonna cry.” Then later, unprompted: “Lolli, I can’t stand it for the babies. I just miss them.”
And Emmie, ever the one to cut right to it: “Aggibell is mine.” (We’ll work on the spelling later.)
By the next afternoon they were at the hospital — badges in hand, officially certified big sisters — visiting Abigail and Bethany in the NICU. That evening, Josh and Jen got to hold both girls at the same time. First photo of both twins together with mom and dad.
Hearts Divided
Jen has been discharged, and we’re home — hearts stretched between our four girls. We loved on Ellie and Emmie our first night back and slept hard in our own bed.
We’ll be heading back to the hospital daily to deliver milk and spend time with Abigail and Bethany. They’ll likely be in the nursery for the next four weeks or so as they keep feeding and growing toward that magic “ready to come home” threshold. Ellie and Emmie still have school until May 19th, which will help keep the days moving for them.
The Bigger Thing
This pregnancy was hard. The worry was real. We leaned on a lot of prayers from a lot of you, and we felt every single one of them.
But here we are on the other side, and we can only say what we’ve been saying since 10:29am on May 9th: God has been so faithful.
Abigail and Bethany are beautiful. Ellie and Emmie are smitten. Jen is a warrior. And we are so, so grateful.
Since We Last Updated You
Both girls are home.
Bethany was discharged on Sunday, May 17th — just over a week after she was born. She proved she could regulate her body temperature and gain weight, and that was that. Abigail followed on Wednesday, May 20th, after passing the same tests. We are a family of six now, officially, under one roof.
Since coming home, they’ve been feeding like clockwork and growing right on schedule. We’ve already had our first pediatrician visit — first Bethany solo, then both girls together. Everything tracking the way it should.
A few days after the twins came home, Ellie and Emmie finally got to do the thing they’d been waiting to do since that first FaceTime call: hold their sisters. We waited until after bath time one evening — everyone clean, everyone calm, risk of germy big-sister enthusiasm minimized — and it was everything you’d expect it to be.
Grandpa Sonny
The week after the twins came home, Grandpa Sonny made the trip out to see all four of his granddaughters. He got to hold them, talk to them, and just be in the middle of all of it for a few days.
We wished he could’ve stayed longer. He had plans to get back to, and we understand that — but we’re already looking forward to the next visit.
Life as a Family of Six
Jen has healed immensely well. She’s starting to feel more like herself, which is saying something given that we’re both waking up every few hours around the clock to feed. Exhausted is the right word. Happy-exhausted, but still exhausted.
I’ve gone back to work. And if I’m honest, there’s one thing I’m quietly dreading: the day my parents leave.
They’ve been here since before the twins were born — helping us with Ellie and Emmie, holding things together behind the scenes, just being present in a way that’s been everything. They’ll need to head back to Texas soon and resume their lives, and as much as we know that’s right and good, it’s going to be a hard transition. Sweet, but hard. We are going to miss them.
What we’re looking forward to, though, is a visit from Grandma Bon Bon a few weeks after they go. Something to keep our eyes on.
We’re figuring out what it means to be a family of six — six people plus Maggie, our pup, who has her own opinions about all of this. It’s a lot. It’s also really, really good.
Still Grateful
We couldn’t do any of this without the people around us. My parents’ extended visit has been a gift we didn’t fully know how to ask for. And our church community small group — y’all organized a meal train that has carried us through more evenings than we can count. We don’t take any of that for granted.
Keep the prayers coming. We still need them, and we’re still so grateful for every one.
Thank you for loving our family well!