Kylie's Kids: Meet Twins Eliana & Connor

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Having a baby can be scary enough, but twins add an extra layer of worry.

This week's Kylie's Kids defied all the odds after being born three months early. But Eliana and Connor have been fighters from Day One and are now still surprising doctors.

Twins Connor and Eliana not only share a birthday and a love for playing, but they are also some of the toughest fighters around.

Eli and Connor were born at 27 weeks. A dangerous delivery for a healthy baby, but they already knew Eli had a heart defect.

"We knew she was going to need surgery as soon as she was born and the concern was, she's going to be too small to operate," their father said.

So from November to February, they waited in the NICU for Eli to grow big enough.

Not only did surgery go well, but Eli rebounded quickly. But her twin brother wasn't getting better.

Connor's lungs weren't growing, so he went on a ventilator. But his lungs got progressively worse. What was helping keep him alive, was also permanently damaging his lungs.

"There were times when he just stopped breathing, alarms would go off and we'd have to get a bag," their father said.

While Eli was getting ready for her second heart surgery in July, Connor's doctors were talking about Hospice. Then, something changed.

"Conner all of a sudden decided 'I'm going to try this again,'" their father said.

In all, he spent 549 days in the hospital. Then they decided to bring the hospital home – where Connor kept getting better.

Better enough to join Eli at the park. Then, sledding in the winter.

"I didn't want to limit these kids, even though they do have limitations," their mother said.