That's right folks! Twins! And now that the shock is finally wearing off I figured I'd better document a few things up to this point.
Deciding to start trying for another child was nothing like the first time around. I knew I'd get sick so we had to at least wait till I took my MFT licensing exam. I took it on November 13th and we started talking about having more children right away. I wanted them to be close in age, then maybe I could take a longer break for the next one. So on a whim we tried...for about a week...before I kinda freaked out and said it was too soon. When December 4th came and went without the return of my cycle I knew. But my symptoms were different so I held out hope. I didn't take a test (I didn't have a test and just never made it to the right store to get one), but just waited.
The third week in December Marshall went to Vegas for work and Ernest and I went to St. George to visit Kalli and her kids (Chris was there too, but was working a ton). Of course they asked when we were thinking of trying. When Kalli heard my story she informed me she had a test and the next day when I drove down to Vegas for a quick visit with Marshall we took a test. Positive it was. And I was not surprised! Neither of us were. I'm a very regular person so there was no way I was just late.
Back in St. George I had my first moment of morning sickness as I was making dinner for everybody, and I distinctly remember Kalli shoving apples in my mouth so I didn't get more sick. Haha good times. Once we got home it was the week of Christmas. For the most part I felt pretty good and just kept hoping I could make it past the holidays still enjoying food.
Enter Christmas Day. I don't remember much about the morning, so I'm guessing I felt fine. But somewhere things turned sour. Marshall's family was in town and because I wasn't feeling great they did most the cooking, but then left to take food to his brothers house. I remember there was a pork roast in the crock pot and baked potatoes in the oven. When I walked into the kitchen the smell was overwhelming and made me sick to my stomach. I quickly prepared a baked potato and had to eat it in the formal dining room, that we NEVER eat in, because the smell was too powerful to me. I tried to eat, thinking food in my stomach would help, but it didn't take long before Marshall brought me a bowl and I lost anything I had in my stomach. He cleaned it up for me and then threw his food away, saying he didn't have much of an appetite after all that. It was quite the Christmas dinner for us.
After that I was pretty much sick through January and into February. It was rough. My house was always messy! It pretty much looked like Christmas Day for an entire month. Except my dishes. I forced myself to keep up on the kitchen. We ate oatmeal for dinner about three times a week. Ernest and I never left the house (and he was so good about it!). I was lucky to take a shower on a weekly basis. But all in all it wasn't as bad as last time. I only threw up once or twice a day instead of 3 or 4 or 5 times. Ernest would mimic me in the morning by leaning over the toilet and coughing. His empathy is right on track. And I tried everything to help! After the worst week I drank watered down apple cider vinegar and surprisingly felt better after that. Who really knows though?! I also got a UTI and was able to treat it naturally without antibiotics! Being able to drink pure cranberry juice while you have constant morning sickness is a big deal!
Towards the end of February I was finally starting to feel like myself again. Ernest and I would leave the house every now and again, I started meal planning, cleaning more, and getting dressed regularly! Clothes were turning into more of a challenge this time around. Looking back I'm sure I was growing faster but in the moment i just didn't want to wear maxi dresses like I did last time. I started sporting leggings and tunics. And the further along I got the bigger I got, but again it didn't seem out of the ordinary because everyone 'pops' sooner with their second. My body, however, did feel more pregnant than I was. I felt so big, and had to pull out extra sleeping pillows earlier than last time, and it seemed I was already waddling! But again I just figured these were normal for your second pregnancy.
Everything changed March 30th at my 20 week ultrasound. Marshall was almost going to stay home with Ernest because we didn't have a babysitter, but I brought a snack he doesn't get often and reminded myself Ernest's 20 week ultrasound was maybe 15 min tops, and we headed in as a family of three.
We all got situated and the tech asked if I had had any other ultrasounds this pregnancy. I said no, and told her to feel free to go as fast as she can. I've never been one to connect with the ultrasound pictures and with a toddler there I didn't want to create chaos. She smiled and said, "well it is going to take a little longer than normal," (This is where my heart dropped a little. My first thought was that she had found something wrong and needed to document it carefully.) "because you are having twins!"
The first thing I felt for maybe half a second was relief that nothing was wrong. And then pure shock! I looked at Marshall and his eyes were huge, deer in the headlight kind of huge! The shock and unbelief continued for about the next 24 hours. We told family and friends and continued to share the news over the next week. Everyone is so excited! Which is good because it's rubbing off on me. Finding out that you are having twins puts you in a weird place. It's like you are caught off guard by a busy, overwhelming, and challenging blessing. Having twins comes with so many extra worries...and I'm not even talking about once they are here! My entire vision of what pregnancy and birth will look like has completely changed.
I don't know a lot about the possible risks I may face. I meet with the maternal fetal medicine group at utah valley this Friday and I will learn more. I do know that it looks like my babies are sharing a placenta which may mean they could be identical, and it adds extra risk for their growth and sharing of blood. I pray every day that they can share blood and food so that we don't have to take them out too early! While I was originally planning on a baby by the end of August, I am now preparing for two babies as early as the beginning of July. I hope they stay in as long as possible because suddenly leaving my babies at the NICU is a very real possibility. And that is scary. Oh well, I guess I'll have the birth I dream of next time.
Once the shock wore off I went into crazy mode. At least that is kinda how it felt. I went shopping and bought things that have kinda been on my list for a while but haven't bought because I was just casually looking for a good deal. It was like I felt like if I didn't buy these things now I never would because there would be no time! And no, these were not baby items! I kicked my butt in gear and started organizing my house and finishing projects (which considering how unproductive I was when I was in my first trimester was a lot). And then I started buying baby gear. I went from thinking I would need only a baby swing to buying two car seats, and looking at baby swings, twin nursing pillows, and that is just the beginning. Oh well, I'll finally have everything I need for the next baby.
And so this is my life right now. It is crazy and a complete shift from where I was just a little over a week ago. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball...but you know what, I think I'll take this one.
