Everyone has a different pregnancy experience, some have a smooth, uneventful 9 months, while others struggle with every month. I think that I am somewhere in the middle of that... maybe even leaning a little more toward the struggling side. Lol. As most of you know this is my third and final pregnancy, and it has been very hard on me. I've always been the type to read as much as possible about what to expect and what to do/not do during pregnancy, and you would think the third time around I would be a pro, but I find that I'm actually at a loss.
With my first pregnancy it was very text book. I was sick in the beginning, emotional, continued working-out like normal, gained 45 lbs., and knew that I was in labor because my water broke. Ten hours later I was holding my baby boy. I never got any stretch marks, had no trouble breastfeeding, and the baby weight fell off. The second time, I would say I was very sick for a lot longer, I was more tired and cranky, but overall it was also a very text book pregnancy. I was still able to exercise and play with Remy, I only gained 25 lbs., and worked until the day I delivered. The labor went smoothly even though they had to break my water and I had to get an IV and oxygen, I was better prepared for the pain that was to come. 9 hours later I was holding my baby girl. I did have a little difficulty getting Jackie to breastfeed right away and it took a few hours before we both were comfortable with it. I stayed one night and begged to be released the next morning so I could go home to the rest of my family. I still had not gotten any stretch marks and the baby weight once again fell off.
Now, into my third pregnancy, I've had a very difficult time. I found out early that I was caring twins and all I can say is I don't know how people do this multiple times. I've been extremely sick since the beginning, losing about 15 lbs. and gaining very slowly. Everything made me throw up and even now there are things that I can't do because they make me gag (like washing dishes, cooking meat, cleaning cat/dog/kid vomit). I was put on pelvic rest for the first 20 weeks, I'm always tired, I have had to basically cut exercising, I don't even take the stairs at work anymore. I'm measuring about a month and half ahead, which means all the things that usually happen later in pregnancy I'm experiencing now. I have trouble getting up off the couch, rolling over in bed, sleeping, walking, bending down, putting on my shoes. My hips hurt all the time along with my back. I often have pains in my lower abdomen making it difficult to lift my legs, and get into and out of my truck. I'm always hungry and I'm always constipated. I've given up on shaving my legs, not that I have much motivation to shave, considering it's cold out and sex is too uncomfortable anyway (my husband has been great about this... maybe I should look into getting a sister-wife. LOL.) I can't brush my tongue because I throw up, my gums bleed no matter how often I floss. I'm out growing my maternity tops, so I've started wearing Bryan's shirts. I can't listen to anything but classical music in the car because everything else makes me have motion sickness. The worst is trying to explain to my two kids that they can't sit in my lap because I don't have a lap.
The doctors tell me that all of this is normal and that overall I'm coming along quite nicely. But for me, this is not normal, and I've been a royal pain in the butt. On Monday I will officially be 26 weeks, my goal for this pregnancy is to make it to 38 weeks. That means I have a lot more growing that I need to do, I will most likely get stretch marks (which I honestly don't care much about). When I go into labor I'll have to deliver in the OR and have a hook up for an epidural (which I'm scared to death to get) even if I don't get the meds, in case I have to have a c-section. I still plan to breastfeed the first 12 months and I know that this will be a difficult task with two other children. No matter how much I've read about multiples, natural deliveries, and breastfeeding, I'm still nervous as to how it will all get done. The two things that I know for sure are: 1) I can not wait to meet these two little boys and 2) I'm extremely happy knowing that I will never be pregnant again. And if years down the road I get that maternal urge I'll get a puppy :)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Bedtime... *sigh*
People have often thought that Bryan and I were crazy for being so strict with a bedtime hour for our children, "you really put them down and 7pm and 8pm?" "Do you really have to leave it's only 6pm?" The answer for the most part has always been, "yes!" We've planned our day trips and outings around meal times and bedtimes, and we try to stay on track. Each night there is a routine (which varies slightly from day to day) so that no one is surprised when we say it's time to go to bed. We clean up toys, take a bath, take meds and brush teeth. Then it's story time, hugs and kisses and lights out. It's been this way since Remy was born, mostly because I think my husband has OCD and has to have a schedule for everything, and partly because after being with the kids all day I just need some TLC.
This helps us in many ways: bedtime is usually never a struggle, we avoid most meltdowns, my children are usually happy in the mornings, and most importantly, Bryan and I get some down time. Not that I don't love my kids, but at the end of the day the quiet in the house is the most wonderful thing! It gives me just enough time to regroup and get ready for the next day. And with two more babies on the way it will be even more important to be consistent. I hope the next two are just as easy to get into a routine... of course I'll give them the first 8 months or so free... lol.
This helps us in many ways: bedtime is usually never a struggle, we avoid most meltdowns, my children are usually happy in the mornings, and most importantly, Bryan and I get some down time. Not that I don't love my kids, but at the end of the day the quiet in the house is the most wonderful thing! It gives me just enough time to regroup and get ready for the next day. And with two more babies on the way it will be even more important to be consistent. I hope the next two are just as easy to get into a routine... of course I'll give them the first 8 months or so free... lol.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
How do you talk to children about the news?
There is so much going on in the world today and as my son is getting older and understanding more, I find it difficult to censor all that he hears and sees. In the morning I like to listen to talk radio or catch up with CNN, but he catches to much that I worry I may be over exposing him to things he can't quite handle yet. Sometimes I ask him to go and play in another room, which works about 20% of the time. Other times I'll just avoid the stations until he is at school for the morning. But with such big news happening (Egypt, Libya, and Japan to name a few) it's not always easy to avoid because so many channels are covering it. With the media coverage being what it is, we get so many photos and videos of what is actually taking place and sometimes these are very graphic, put that together with words like- killed, destroyed, shooting, death tolls, disaster, explosions, and the list goes on- I think this can be very hard for a 5 year-old to digest.
Explaining what was happening in Egypt and Libya was difficult and for the most part I would say I don't know or I that the majority of the people don't want their leader to be in charge any more. The "why" questions on this topic were very difficult because it usually led to "good guy, bad guy" explanations; which I try to avoid doing because real life events are more complicated than cartoons and comic books. I try to follow news like this up with something along the lines of the importance of learning to get along with others even if they are different from you.
But it doesn't even have to be the violent news that's the most traumatic, for example, Remy loves to watch the Weather Channel. Well, they don't just tell what the weather is going to be for the day or the week, but also the damage that weather can cause from: floods, snowstorms, earthquakes, fires, mudslides, hurricanes, etc... There was a time when Remy was watching the Weather Channel everyday, during the day it's mostly the forecast, but at night... well, it's very different. One day he says to me, "I like to watch the Weather Channel, but not at night because it's scary." At night is when they show most of the shows that have live footage of massive natural disasters. He would get so worked up about certain things that I began to ask him if he knew what to do during certain situations, like if the house caught fire, or there was a tornado, in hopes that having a bit of knowledge would help him to not feel as helpless.
Now, with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and the nuclear plant melt downs he's drawn to all the images of destruction and asks things like, "What happened? Why are all those buildings knocked down? Where do the people go?" My response was, "there was an earthquake that caused a big wave, called a tsunami, that is very strong and it hit Japan, which is made of several islands." Then comes my most dreaded question, "why?" If that question came from Bryan, I probably would have said something like, "I don't know, do I look like a geologist?" But since it was Remy I said, "well, there are plates under the ground and when they move that causes an earthquake. And because the water in the ocean can be affected by earthquakes making it go away from the beach it eventually comes back towards the beach, but it goes much faster and stronger becoming a wave bigger than everything." Mind you there are lots of arm movements aiding me in my explanation of a topic that I don't know much about. But he didn't ask anymore questions, just simply said, "oh, that's so sad," and that was the end of that... for the time being.
As I sit hear and decide what and how I want to teach my child about the dangers of the world, I can only think about how lucky I am to be able to decide that. While I pick and choose or "kiddy" coat such horrible events, I am saddened that there are some parents that don't have that option. The things that I only see on the news are reality for others.
Explaining what was happening in Egypt and Libya was difficult and for the most part I would say I don't know or I that the majority of the people don't want their leader to be in charge any more. The "why" questions on this topic were very difficult because it usually led to "good guy, bad guy" explanations; which I try to avoid doing because real life events are more complicated than cartoons and comic books. I try to follow news like this up with something along the lines of the importance of learning to get along with others even if they are different from you.
But it doesn't even have to be the violent news that's the most traumatic, for example, Remy loves to watch the Weather Channel. Well, they don't just tell what the weather is going to be for the day or the week, but also the damage that weather can cause from: floods, snowstorms, earthquakes, fires, mudslides, hurricanes, etc... There was a time when Remy was watching the Weather Channel everyday, during the day it's mostly the forecast, but at night... well, it's very different. One day he says to me, "I like to watch the Weather Channel, but not at night because it's scary." At night is when they show most of the shows that have live footage of massive natural disasters. He would get so worked up about certain things that I began to ask him if he knew what to do during certain situations, like if the house caught fire, or there was a tornado, in hopes that having a bit of knowledge would help him to not feel as helpless.
Now, with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and the nuclear plant melt downs he's drawn to all the images of destruction and asks things like, "What happened? Why are all those buildings knocked down? Where do the people go?" My response was, "there was an earthquake that caused a big wave, called a tsunami, that is very strong and it hit Japan, which is made of several islands." Then comes my most dreaded question, "why?" If that question came from Bryan, I probably would have said something like, "I don't know, do I look like a geologist?" But since it was Remy I said, "well, there are plates under the ground and when they move that causes an earthquake. And because the water in the ocean can be affected by earthquakes making it go away from the beach it eventually comes back towards the beach, but it goes much faster and stronger becoming a wave bigger than everything." Mind you there are lots of arm movements aiding me in my explanation of a topic that I don't know much about. But he didn't ask anymore questions, just simply said, "oh, that's so sad," and that was the end of that... for the time being.
As I sit hear and decide what and how I want to teach my child about the dangers of the world, I can only think about how lucky I am to be able to decide that. While I pick and choose or "kiddy" coat such horrible events, I am saddened that there are some parents that don't have that option. The things that I only see on the news are reality for others.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Fathers and Play time
If I could take a snap shot of my husband playing with Remy and Jackie, I would be so filled with joy every time I saw it. You're probably thinking, well, take a picture or make a video. Neither of those things could truly capture the moment like I'm seeing it happen. It's often said that mothers are the nurturing ones and fathers the playmates, and in many ways this is very accurate.
For those of you who have never met my husband, Bryan, he is naturally a kid at heart. He loves video games, comic books, toys, and cartoons. He is also the one my children ask most often to play with them, especially since I've been pregnant. When it comes to playing in the house we have two rules: try not to hurt each other, and don't hit the TV. We have been known to throw balls, kick balls, jump off furniture, swing each other around, wrestle and play karate as long as the two basic rules aren't broken. I know it may sound like I live in a zoo, and believe me, there are times when I think that I do, but I'm a believer that play is an important part of growing up.
Bryan's "Spider-man Room" which will soon be the new nursery
Now, don't get me wrong I love to play with my kids, but I don't always want to play what they want to play when they want to play. I do a lot more of the sit down play: the legos, play-doh, reading, puzzles, arts and crafts and make believe type stuff. Not that I don't like to get physical at times, I just don't want to do that stuff when I'm pregnant or tired. So, that leaves Bryan to do all the other stuff: the video games (mostly Wii), chase, lifting and flipping type of play. I could easily nickname him the On Demand playmate, what ever the kids ask for they get. In the end I think we compliment each other nicely.
As I sit back, watch and listen to the three of them playing, I find that I am so happy with my little family. The sounds of my children laughing and Bryan saying, "I'm gonna get you," doesn't make me feel left out at all, if anything I smile and wait.... Eventually someone will fall or break one of the rules ending play time in tears and I'm the one that they come to for the hugs and kisses needed to make everything better.
For those of you who have never met my husband, Bryan, he is naturally a kid at heart. He loves video games, comic books, toys, and cartoons. He is also the one my children ask most often to play with them, especially since I've been pregnant. When it comes to playing in the house we have two rules: try not to hurt each other, and don't hit the TV. We have been known to throw balls, kick balls, jump off furniture, swing each other around, wrestle and play karate as long as the two basic rules aren't broken. I know it may sound like I live in a zoo, and believe me, there are times when I think that I do, but I'm a believer that play is an important part of growing up.
Now, don't get me wrong I love to play with my kids, but I don't always want to play what they want to play when they want to play. I do a lot more of the sit down play: the legos, play-doh, reading, puzzles, arts and crafts and make believe type stuff. Not that I don't like to get physical at times, I just don't want to do that stuff when I'm pregnant or tired. So, that leaves Bryan to do all the other stuff: the video games (mostly Wii), chase, lifting and flipping type of play. I could easily nickname him the On Demand playmate, what ever the kids ask for they get. In the end I think we compliment each other nicely.
As I sit back, watch and listen to the three of them playing, I find that I am so happy with my little family. The sounds of my children laughing and Bryan saying, "I'm gonna get you," doesn't make me feel left out at all, if anything I smile and wait.... Eventually someone will fall or break one of the rules ending play time in tears and I'm the one that they come to for the hugs and kisses needed to make everything better.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Dogs and kids
Years before I became a mother I got a puppy. I was home during the summer after my sophomore year in college, and a friend of mine asked me to go with him to look at free puppies. I thought sure, whatever, it would give me something to do, since all I thought about at the time was Bryan. We had only been dating since the spring of that year and the summer seemed to take forever to end. Anyway, I went with no intentions of getting a puppy since I was still in college and was constantly on the move.
We drove out to a house surrounded by corn fields, which is not at all unusual in central Illinois, to see what these puppies looked like. Now, I've had many animals, mostly cats and small caged animals, but I always wanted a dog to call my own. So, when I got out of the car all the puppies were out front playing. The mother, a beautiful black and white greyhound greeted us at the car. She was the sweetest dog and had the most soulful eyes I'd ever seen on a dog. I remember sitting under a tree trying to coax a few puppies to come over so I could play with them, but they were all busy romping around. However, there was this one little puppy that came over and looked at me with the same eyes that the mother had, and I swear it was almost as if she asked to be my friend. She sat next to me and let me hold her and pet her, she followed me when I walked around. I knew then that I was not leaving without her. When we got to the car with the two little puppies, the mother came over to me, licked her baby good bye and gave me a look that seemed to know her baby would be ok. That was the day I became Bella's new mommy.
Bella is now almost 10 years old, she is the best dog ever (though I know lots of people think highly of their dog, Bella is truly the best. LoL.) Bryan and I often reminisce about Bella as a puppy: remember how little she was, how she would only go to the bathroom in the bushes, when she was finally able to jump onto the bed (which was raised to fit her crate underneath), when she caught her first tennis ball, learned how to crawl, when she was terrified of gutters and steep stairs. The learning has never stopped with her. We've done a few courses of agility and fly ball when she was seven.
I've always talked to her like a child and have tried to stay consistent with rules, outings and feeding, just like you would a child, and now she knows so much that it still amazes me that she is only a dog. We have unconsciously compared everything to her, including our children. We'll say things like, "remember when Remy became smarter than Bella?" Or, "I wonder when Jackie will know more than Bella?" This dog has become my son's best friend. When Remy goes to bed, she goes with him. When we go for walks in the trails behind our house Remy is always a few steps behind Bella. And of course when the children are eating something Bella is right there waiting for the fallen crumbs... after I give the ok. LoL.
I will forever be thankful for all the things Bella has taught me. She has been the most loving, forgiving, and compassionate being that I've ever known. I joke all the time that she must have been an old lady in her former life... but I honestly believe that she is an "old soul." Family comes in many forms and I am definitely happy that she is a part of mine.
We drove out to a house surrounded by corn fields, which is not at all unusual in central Illinois, to see what these puppies looked like. Now, I've had many animals, mostly cats and small caged animals, but I always wanted a dog to call my own. So, when I got out of the car all the puppies were out front playing. The mother, a beautiful black and white greyhound greeted us at the car. She was the sweetest dog and had the most soulful eyes I'd ever seen on a dog. I remember sitting under a tree trying to coax a few puppies to come over so I could play with them, but they were all busy romping around. However, there was this one little puppy that came over and looked at me with the same eyes that the mother had, and I swear it was almost as if she asked to be my friend. She sat next to me and let me hold her and pet her, she followed me when I walked around. I knew then that I was not leaving without her. When we got to the car with the two little puppies, the mother came over to me, licked her baby good bye and gave me a look that seemed to know her baby would be ok. That was the day I became Bella's new mommy.
Bella is now almost 10 years old, she is the best dog ever (though I know lots of people think highly of their dog, Bella is truly the best. LoL.) Bryan and I often reminisce about Bella as a puppy: remember how little she was, how she would only go to the bathroom in the bushes, when she was finally able to jump onto the bed (which was raised to fit her crate underneath), when she caught her first tennis ball, learned how to crawl, when she was terrified of gutters and steep stairs. The learning has never stopped with her. We've done a few courses of agility and fly ball when she was seven.
I've always talked to her like a child and have tried to stay consistent with rules, outings and feeding, just like you would a child, and now she knows so much that it still amazes me that she is only a dog. We have unconsciously compared everything to her, including our children. We'll say things like, "remember when Remy became smarter than Bella?" Or, "I wonder when Jackie will know more than Bella?" This dog has become my son's best friend. When Remy goes to bed, she goes with him. When we go for walks in the trails behind our house Remy is always a few steps behind Bella. And of course when the children are eating something Bella is right there waiting for the fallen crumbs... after I give the ok. LoL.
I will forever be thankful for all the things Bella has taught me. She has been the most loving, forgiving, and compassionate being that I've ever known. I joke all the time that she must have been an old lady in her former life... but I honestly believe that she is an "old soul." Family comes in many forms and I am definitely happy that she is a part of mine.
Twins!!
At the end of last summer my husband, Bryan, and I were debating whether or not we should have more children. We had always said that we would have three, but after the birth of our second child in 2009, and the recession we weren't sure if having another was wise. As finances began to get tighter and the needs of our two children increased, we decided that we would try a long-term birth control method, like the IUD. Our current form of birth control were condoms, which I must admit, we weren't 100% faithful using.
In September, I made an appointment with my OB-Gyn to get the IUD, however they make you wait until your next menstrual to have it inserted. I went home a little disappointed, but figured one month wasn't that horrible. When October came and went and there was still no sign, I didn't immediately freak out since I wasn't always regular in the past. When Halloween came and went and with Thanksgiving approaching and still no sign of my period, I was beginning to get a little nervous. I brushed off my nerves and was trying to convince myself that I was just being paranoid. There was just no way that I could be pregnant... right? So, when my birthday rolled around, I decided, what the heck I'll take an EPT-test just to make sure I wasn't pregnant before I enjoyed a few beers in celebration. So, I peed and I waited. It did not take long for the plus sign to appear, I remember my heart pounding out of my chest because then I knew without a doubt that I was pregnant, for the third time.
After finding out, I cried a little bit and shook a lot. I paced and paced waiting for Bryan to come home from work. When he walked through the door I remember running to him and hitting him and then throwing myself in his arms as I wept. He kept asking me, "what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I looked up at him and said, "I'm freaking pregnant, Bryan!" He was so good, he held me and said, "that's not a reason to cry, you should be happy. You always wanted three, now you got it," then he laughed at me for being so dramatic. I think I must have cried for the first three days after finding out, and to be honest I can't really say if they were tears of sadness or happiness, but maybe tears of complete confusion and guilt. My youngest, Jackie, was only about 15 months at the time. How could I do this to her? How could I be so selfish to have another baby when she was still very much a baby in my eyes? Those were just some of the questions running through my mind, least of which was how were we going to afford another baby?
The next week I got in to see my OB-Gyn and they calculated that I was about 11 weeks pregnant, but they set me up with an early ultrasound to get a more accurate date. The next week I dropped baby Jackie off at a friend's house and went in for my ultrasound. The days before I just kept having a feeling that something wasn't right. My worst fear was that I was going to find out that I was miscarrying just when I was coming to terms with having three children. Even though this was not a planned pregnancy, deep down I knew that I wanted this baby as much as I wanted my other two. I got to my appointment, went in and laid down on the table, and tried to tell myself that what ever the out come I would be ok. When the technician put the wand to my belly, I saw immediately a little peanut of an embryo, but then she moved it really quickly and I saw another little sac with another little embryo. I started to panic then because I knew; I knew there were two "babies" in there. The technician didn't say anything right away, but I remember looking at her face and seeing that she knew it too, but she was waiting for something. After moving the wand back over the first spot and quickly finding a heartbeat, she moved back to the other spot to see about a second heartbeat. It was there, just as strong as the other embryos heartbeat. I asked her then, "are there really two, is that really another baby?" She looked at me and simply said, "yes, you're having twins." I laughed; not the haha "that's so funny" laugh, but the nervous, "are you serious?" laugh. I could not believe that I would be having twins! They do not run on either side of our families, how could this have been possible? After the measurements were taken of the embryos I was clear that I was not 11 weeks along, but only 5 weeks.
I left the office in a daze and sat in my car looking at the pictures, there was one that was taken of both babies together. I picked up my phone and didn't know who I was going to call first, but I had to tell someone. So, I called my boss, I figured it would be the quickest call and she needed to know that once again I would be taking a maternity leave come the summer. That call turned into the longest, but she was so happy for me that she asked if she could tell the rest of the lab the good news. Then I called Bryan and the conversation went something like this:
-Well, I guess we need to get a minivan.
-Why, you don't think three car seats will fit in the back?
-No, I don't think four car seats will fit in the back.
-What do you mean?
-We're having twins.
-No we're not, you're lying to me.
-No I'm not, we're really having twins.
-Whatever Jaime, I'll believe it when I see the pictures, but I'm working now.
(He didn't believe me until he saw the picture with the two of them together.)
I called my sister next and told her, she thought it was hilarious and laughed at me. When I called my mom it was like talking to Bryan, she couldn't believe that I could have twins, but she was overjoyed to find out. My father-in-law said, "but it's not April Fool's, are you really telling me the truth?" And that's how it went on down the list of friends and family. But if it were not for the love and support that I received from each and everyone of them, I don't know if I would have felt the same bubbling joy and excitement.
In September, I made an appointment with my OB-Gyn to get the IUD, however they make you wait until your next menstrual to have it inserted. I went home a little disappointed, but figured one month wasn't that horrible. When October came and went and there was still no sign, I didn't immediately freak out since I wasn't always regular in the past. When Halloween came and went and with Thanksgiving approaching and still no sign of my period, I was beginning to get a little nervous. I brushed off my nerves and was trying to convince myself that I was just being paranoid. There was just no way that I could be pregnant... right? So, when my birthday rolled around, I decided, what the heck I'll take an EPT-test just to make sure I wasn't pregnant before I enjoyed a few beers in celebration. So, I peed and I waited. It did not take long for the plus sign to appear, I remember my heart pounding out of my chest because then I knew without a doubt that I was pregnant, for the third time.
After finding out, I cried a little bit and shook a lot. I paced and paced waiting for Bryan to come home from work. When he walked through the door I remember running to him and hitting him and then throwing myself in his arms as I wept. He kept asking me, "what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I looked up at him and said, "I'm freaking pregnant, Bryan!" He was so good, he held me and said, "that's not a reason to cry, you should be happy. You always wanted three, now you got it," then he laughed at me for being so dramatic. I think I must have cried for the first three days after finding out, and to be honest I can't really say if they were tears of sadness or happiness, but maybe tears of complete confusion and guilt. My youngest, Jackie, was only about 15 months at the time. How could I do this to her? How could I be so selfish to have another baby when she was still very much a baby in my eyes? Those were just some of the questions running through my mind, least of which was how were we going to afford another baby?
The next week I got in to see my OB-Gyn and they calculated that I was about 11 weeks pregnant, but they set me up with an early ultrasound to get a more accurate date. The next week I dropped baby Jackie off at a friend's house and went in for my ultrasound. The days before I just kept having a feeling that something wasn't right. My worst fear was that I was going to find out that I was miscarrying just when I was coming to terms with having three children. Even though this was not a planned pregnancy, deep down I knew that I wanted this baby as much as I wanted my other two. I got to my appointment, went in and laid down on the table, and tried to tell myself that what ever the out come I would be ok. When the technician put the wand to my belly, I saw immediately a little peanut of an embryo, but then she moved it really quickly and I saw another little sac with another little embryo. I started to panic then because I knew; I knew there were two "babies" in there. The technician didn't say anything right away, but I remember looking at her face and seeing that she knew it too, but she was waiting for something. After moving the wand back over the first spot and quickly finding a heartbeat, she moved back to the other spot to see about a second heartbeat. It was there, just as strong as the other embryos heartbeat. I asked her then, "are there really two, is that really another baby?" She looked at me and simply said, "yes, you're having twins." I laughed; not the haha "that's so funny" laugh, but the nervous, "are you serious?" laugh. I could not believe that I would be having twins! They do not run on either side of our families, how could this have been possible? After the measurements were taken of the embryos I was clear that I was not 11 weeks along, but only 5 weeks.
I left the office in a daze and sat in my car looking at the pictures, there was one that was taken of both babies together. I picked up my phone and didn't know who I was going to call first, but I had to tell someone. So, I called my boss, I figured it would be the quickest call and she needed to know that once again I would be taking a maternity leave come the summer. That call turned into the longest, but she was so happy for me that she asked if she could tell the rest of the lab the good news. Then I called Bryan and the conversation went something like this:
-Well, I guess we need to get a minivan.
-Why, you don't think three car seats will fit in the back?
-No, I don't think four car seats will fit in the back.
-What do you mean?
-We're having twins.
-No we're not, you're lying to me.
-No I'm not, we're really having twins.
-Whatever Jaime, I'll believe it when I see the pictures, but I'm working now.
(He didn't believe me until he saw the picture with the two of them together.)
I called my sister next and told her, she thought it was hilarious and laughed at me. When I called my mom it was like talking to Bryan, she couldn't believe that I could have twins, but she was overjoyed to find out. My father-in-law said, "but it's not April Fool's, are you really telling me the truth?" And that's how it went on down the list of friends and family. But if it were not for the love and support that I received from each and everyone of them, I don't know if I would have felt the same bubbling joy and excitement.
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