I’m so flattered to have our family featured over on Reverie Bébé! I’ll admit, revisiting my pregnancy journey and the precious newborn photos of Marie + Henry brings back such beautiful emotions, and moves me to tears. My sweet babies…has it really been eight months?! It is unbelievable how much and how fast they have grown!

image courtesy of little nest portraits

How exciting…Henry + Marie’s nursery is featured on Babble Pregnancy! I am very flattered, and Casi said such lovely things. Many thanks to all involved!

twins…my birth story

It took exactly 35 1/2 weeks to accomplish the biggest, toughest, and most beautiful achievement of my life. The determination to deliver Henry and Marie early was made after I became pre-eclamptic. I’ll spare you the long list of issues I was having, but I was nearly incapacitated. With my health having the possibility to affect the babies, it was time. We were prepared (as much as you can be), and had been for quite some time, expecting they might make an early arrival. Still, when the time came to leave for the hospital, the fear (and excitement) kicked in big time.

My parents came over to care for Billy (our first and furriest child), and I nearly squeezed him to death. I was so terrified that after the babies were born we would think of him differently, you know, as a D-O-G (as many had warned us). I am happy to report that nothing has changed, he is simply another child. After many kisses, hugs and tears all around, we took the the grueling (ha) 2 minute drive to our (neighborhood) hospital.  I was having contractions oddly enough, and thought about the women who have to travel across a busy city or in rush hour traffic while in labor, and felt very thankful. Whew.

They were expecting us, and I was immediately wheeled in to the pre-op room. Preperations got under way, and within an hour or so I was ready for surgery. I should preface this by saying we had known it would be a c-section for a while, since Marie had always been breach. Also, I’ll admit-with twins, I was more than happy to be operated on. Scared, yes…but in my opinion, it beat the alternative of possibly delivering one vaginally and then needing surgery anyway.

The operating room wasn’t as scary as I had imagined it. Since my husband is an OR nurse, he was allowed to be with me as I got the spinal. The sensation of numbness from my chest down was anxiety inducing, albeit preferable to feeling everything. The next hour was a bizarre cocktail of emotions. Feeling your body being rearranged is not very comforting, and the pressure was intense. The anesthesiologist explained that they were getting ready to deliver “Baby A”, aka Marie. Moments passed, and no sounds except suction, beeping…no crying. The longest minute of my life. And then…the sweetest sound I have ever heard, and tears of relief and joy. Henry followed, two minutes later…he immediately cried as they held him over the blue curtain for us to see. Thankfully, both babies were in great shape and big for twins (6 lbs 3/4 oz each), and so they went directly to the nursery while my surgery was completed. And so…the worst was over. So I thought.

Not surprisingly, my uterus had been stretched to scary limits carrying twins, and this caused excess bleeding and complications. My blood loss was significant, but I remained conscious…I almost wish I hadn’t given the poking and prodding that the doctor had to do in the recovery room. The extra pain meds kicked in, and the next 12 hours were spent stoned. A blood transfusion was discussed, but never happened after my hemoglobin stabilized. My first steps were not too painful but ended up with 5 nurses rushing in after I passed out, and fainting would continue to be a concern. My husband never left my side, sleeping on a miserable piece of foam next to my bed…taking care of me and the babies. His love and support were, and are, immeasurable.

Meanwhile, the babies spent a great deal of time in our room, and I was able to nurse for the first time! Henry was the first to latch, but by the time we went home they were both getting the hang of it. Breastfeeding two is a challenge!  My body has been through a lot, and the belly that was once their home is now a saggy mess. But every time I look at our beautiful babies I am so grateful. I know there are so many that are denied this experience, and so I am thankful for every beautiful and painful moment. In time, my body will heal and the painful memories will fade. For now, we are still reveling in the miracle of it all and the beauty that is our new life.

Our world became even more beautiful on Friday when we welcomed our twins into the world. They arrived after 6 PM on the 13th, which was special since it’s my father’s birthday (Henry’s namesake), and it was Bastille Day in France! The names we chose have great significance…Henry Clifton after both of our fathers, and Marie Kathleen after our mothers. We are happily exhausted and euphoric, and madly in love. Thank you all SO much for the love and support, we are truly touched. I apologize in advance for the onslaught of baby photos to come…but something tells me you all won’t mind.

many thanks to the lovely ladies of curious & co. for this beautiful design!

You never know when the time will come with twins…and so we have had to prepare in advance. It also helps to alleviate any last minute stress. Our hospital bags are packed (see previous post), and this simple outfit is what both of the babies will be wearing home. We are so ready to meet them, and expect to very soon!

Wishing you all a happy holiday week…we are almost unaware of the event as we are awaiting the babies arrival! Time is passing at a snails pace these days, although yesterday we had a false alarm at the hospital which was both stressful & exciting. My body is telling me it could be soon, and we’re ready!

Packing a hospital bag for twins can be daunting, especially since with multiples you pack so early. After a lot of research and planning, I finally have my hospital bag packed (at 32 weeks). I will be having a c-section, so I have to pack a bit more than usual. Feel free to share your thoughts/suggestions, and I will be sure to update this after the experience, as there might be some items I didn’t need after all. I did my best to streamline the items, so hopefully I will use the majority of it. Also, don’t forget to remind hubby to pack his bag. We are ready to roll, whenever the time comes!

Moi:

twin nursing pillow | breast pads | lanolin cream | nursing bras | belly bandit | towel & hair towel | eye mask | snacks | toiletries | hospital gown | robe | flip flops | slippers | socks | granny panties | maxi pads | pillow | video camera | ipad |iphone | charging cords | going home clothes

Bébés:

going home outfits | onesies | hats | mittens | booties | wipes | swaddling blankets | elephant ears | card stock for footprints

Exciting news…our twin nursery is being revealed today on Design Sponge!

For those of you linking over from D*S…welcome!

image courtesy of Courtney Apple Photography

If our babies look half as cute as their Daddy, I will be obsessed. Can you blame me?

So…yeah….it’s been a while since my last one. Are you as shocked as I am?! Ten weeks in a twin pregnancy is a lot of time, and a LOT of growth, yikes. It takes a bit of courage to share this photo, I’ll be honest, but I feel it’s important to share the reality of it all. Extreme fatigue, lessened mobility, crazy heartburn, immense back & nerve pain, scary swelling…these symptoms are all part of my daily life now (and I left some out on purpose). Many people don’t talk about the difficulties of pregnancy, but I’m here to say that this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done to date. Some days I want to scream when I hear “it’s all worth it”. Is that true? YES, no doubt. But do I want to hear it right now? NO, not really. Pardon my venting…I’ll shut my mouth and shuffle away from the computer. I’m way past waddling.

**on a cheerier note, the babies are doing fabulously and we can’t wait to meet them**