Dear friends, As many of you know, Anna, Will, and Mary Ellis welcomed their sweet twin boys, Otis and Robbie, into the family on July 22nd, three and a half weeks before their due date. Unsurprisingly, the premature twins required immediate medical care in the NICU where they remain today. They are simply too small and sleepy to feed themselves, jeopardizing their blood sugar, body temperature, weight, and development. They are also jaundiced, making them even sleepier and slower to eat. All of this is very common for such small babies, and with the help of feeding tubes, oxygen, and "billy blankets", they are getting stronger every day, and just a little closer to coming home. Unfortunately, there's no way to know when that will be, but their best guess would be sometime around the boys' due date - August 14th. In the meantime, Anna and Will are trying to balance their time and energy between spending time at the hospital with the boys and meeting with doctors, taking care of Mary Ellis at home, and working. Will has described it this way: "Everywhere we go, we feel like we should be somewhere else. When I'm at the hospital, I feel like I should be home with Anna and Mary Ellis. When I'm at home, I feel like I should be at the hospital or at work. When I'm at work, I feel like I should be anywhere but there, but we gotta pay the bills! It's stressful. But we are trying to be patient, live moment by moment, and rest in the Lord, trusting that He will provide." Due to the nature of both Will's and Anna's jobs before the twins were born, they have not brought in steady income during this time "off". While they knew this would be the case and prepared the very best they could financially, the medical needs of both Anna and the boys have surpassed their expectations. The money raised here will go toward at least $5000 in medical bills and allowance for Will to take the necessary time away from work to care for his family while the boys are in the NICU, as well as when they finally come home. Thank you for the love shown to Will, Anna, Mary Ellis, Otis, and Robbie. Let's come alongside them during this celebratory yet trying time! A final word from the Longs: "We are practicing gratitude when we feel overwhelmed, and there's so much to be grateful for. All of our prayers about labor and delivery were answered with a resounding "yes". We had great help from family and friends in taking care of Mary Ellis during our surprise extended stint at the hospital. We live only 15 minutes away from the hospital, so we can visit often. The boys are in the only part of the NICU with actual sunlight! And we are encouraged, strengthened, and buoyed by the many, many prayers made on our behalf. We feel God's mercy on us."
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