It almost seems like yesterday that my own twin sons were born. In fact, it was over twenty years ago. Amazing how quickly twenty years go by!
I was just a twenty year old girl myself when I was introduced to motherhood for the very first time. I use the word 'girl' because that is certainly what I was. I was young and green and almost painfully naive about the impact two newborns was going to have on my life.
When my husband and I married, we said we'd wait five years to have children, but there we were. Just two and half years in and expecting not one but two babies. I remember vividly the day we found out we were going to be doubly blessed.
At twenty-four weeks along, I was still clueless as to what was coming my way. Then an ultrasound tech put the fear of God in us by asking if my doctor had mentioned an enlargement of my uterus. No, he hadn't. And now my husband and I waited anxiously as she went to track him down and discuss whatever she had just witnessed on her little magic screen.
When she returned, she angled the monitor so we could see it and began with the words, "Here, you can see head #1." A statement like that is quite the attention getter. My husband moved promptly from his cushy little chair to my side, leaning over my now shockingly imposing belly to get a better look at the magic screen. She quickly followed with the words, "And here you can see the head of twin B."
Those were the names of my sons for quite some time, Twin A and Twin B. Of course at the time, we didn't know they would be sons. Back then, we were hoping for a boy and a girl. Imagine me with a daughter. That seems so completely inconceivable now, both literally and figuratively.
The very same day we discovered we were having twins I was also put on complete bed rest. Bed rest sounds like a good thing in theory, but in reality, it stinks. A person can only lay around doing nothing for so long before restlessness sets in. Insanity seems only a short distance beyond that. Since we lived an hour away from family and long distance phone calls were out of our budget with just one income, I found myself bored half out of my mind and counting the days until I'd have my normal life back. That makes me laugh now as it's twenty years later and I'm still waiting for 'normal' to return.
My mother had informed me there was only one day she hoped the babies weren't born on, September 12. My sister Michelle had an appointment with a specialist that day. So of course, at about 5:30a.m. on September 12, my water broke. It was nearly a month before my due date and took me completely by surprise.
My husband was a spastic mess. He was rushing around our little rented house, doing what, I'm not exactly sure. I just remember telling him to calm down. We knew this moment was coming and I was as prepared as one could be. I had a bag packed. We knew our route to the hospital. We were pre-registered. Take a breath, hon.
After just one short, generally uneventful hour, I found myself in a delivery room surrounded by my doctor, a handful of nurses and a neo-natal intensive care team. In the dark shadows of the room were also about fifteen young student doctors, there to observe their first delivery of multiples. My husband asked me later why I had agreed to let the students watch. I told him at that point they could have rolled me into the lobby with feet in the stirrups and all just so long as someone was going to the catch the kids and get the whole labor process over.
Twin A made his arrival at 9:11a.m. He weighed four pounds and eleven ounces and was completely covered in what appeared to be cottage cheese. The nurse held him close to my face so I could get a good look before starting on round two. It was love at first sight even though he had an alien-like little head and squinty little eyes. I remember saying he was just beautiful, and my husband saying I should look again. Falling in love isn't quite as instant with all dads.
It was a full fifteen minutes later and with the help of a nurse literally pushing on my abdomen to force him into the birth canal before Twin B made his debut. He came out screaming, his skinny little arms and legs flailing wildly. All five pounds and two ounces of him rebelling right out the womb. Interesting how some things never change. And yet again, I was head over heels in love.
The boys were whisked off the intensive care unit and I was back in my labor room waiting to get into a regular room, after which, I could go be with my babies. I then remember hearing my mom's voice as she was frantically looking for me. Getting three teenagers up and ready, canceling that appointment for my sister, picking up my Grandma on the way and making the hour drive had caused them to miss the whole delivery. It didn't take away from anyone's excitement though. Two new babies...the first grandbabies for my parents, the first great grandbabies for my grandma and the first nephews for my siblings. It was a grand day!
Fast forward two days, and I found myself being discharged from the hospital with two babies and no idea what life had in store. As I sat in a wheelchair, one baby in each arm, waiting for Dan to bring the car around, it hit me that no one was going to stop us from just leaving. They were really just going to let us go. No one had figured out that we were just two stupid kids who thought we could be parents and who had just possibly bitten off way more than we could chew. No one was questioning our ability to step up to the plate and deliver...no one but us. Could we really be good parents, good providers, good role models? Could we give these two precious little creatures the love and security all children deserve? Could we grow up fast enough to be parents rather than mere playmates? Could we figure it all out well enough to raise good, decent, wonderful young men?
Congratulations Amanda and Vince on your own double blessing! Welcome Logan and Stryder, seen below with their mom, dad and big sister Emmie. Thank you for letting your birthdays give me an excuse to reminiscence for a few minutes.
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