365 days ago: GO TIME

It was on January 5, 2010 that Jared & I took a leisurely 3-block walk to New York Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital. We went in as a family of 2 and came out as a family of 4. Wait, you say, weren't the twins born on January 7th? Why yes indeed. But that's two days later! You are good at math.

It was 36 hours between the time we checked in and the babies checked out. I won't give all the details here, because, dude. But since this blog didn't exist when the babies were born, and since it was a year ago today that started a chain of events that changed the world (okay maybe just our world, but it really really really changed it), it seems like a good idea to write the story down now.

My doctor had told me from the beginning that IF I make it to 38 weeks, she would induce me. But from the way she said it, that was a pretty huge IF. With all the stories you hear about preemie twins, we were just hoping to make it to 35. Once we did make it to 35, and we saw on ultrasounds that our twins seemed to be big and healthy, we asked if I could be induced at 37 weeks-- that would mean one more week of Jared on winter break from school, one less week of hugeness for me, and (last, and least) two more tax credits! Our doctor said she was all for it. But when it came time to schedule the induction, 37 weeks turned out to be not so convenient for her and so 38 weeks it was. I would be induced on Wednesday, January 6.

That last week of pregnancy was a doozy for me. Up until then I really hadn't been too uncomfortable and had enjoyed being pregnant. I had miraculously managed to avoid the back and neck pains I've felt on and off for years. But about a week before I delivered, I somehow tweaked my lower back and could hardly move my left leg because of the shooting pain from my lower back. I'm happy to say I never was a waddler, but for that last week, I was a shuffling, limping, slow-walking lady.

At my Monday (January 4th) exam, the babies were showing absolutely no signs of interest in finding their own way out. So, we scheduled a little pre-induction session to get things moving. Okay, this word makes me cringe, but it's also kind of hilarious: they call it ripening. Haha, what? I'm just going to call it pre-induction. And that is what I went in for on Tuesday.

We got there at about 8 PM Tuesday night. It's a good thing I wasn't in active labor-- or probably because I wasn't in active labor-- we were in the waiting room for about 2 hours. We finally got to a beautiful labor and delivery room with a view and then it took another 2 hours to get settled and begin the pre-induction. Well, that took 16 hours, and then active labor began and lasted for another 16. I got an epidural probably about 8 hours into labor (it wasn't really a choice-- I needed it in case of an emergency c-section, but let's be real-- I would have chosen one anyway). It alleviated the contraction pain but did not at all block the shooting pain I was feeling in my lower back and down my leg. It also did nothing for the three insanely itchy monitor straps I had wrapped around my belly for the entire 32 hours. WHY they can't use a softer material is a question that I will be asking for the rest of my life. The discomfort of contractions was nothing compared to the back pain and those 3 [if I used swear words I'd put a good one right here] itchy straps.

It honestly felt like an eternity. They'd come and check my progress and it just was going SO slow. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I couldn't get comfortable. At some point on Wednesday my doctor must have realized it was still going to be a while, because she said I could eat. And then I must have said "GET ME THAT FROSTYYYYY" in some sort of dragon witch voice because Jared was out and back so fast from the Wendy's across the street. I think I had a grilled chicken sandwich, too.

I know one person couldn't have been happier with the timing of it all... my mom got on a flight in SLC on Wednesday morning thinking her grandtwins were going to be born while she was in the air. She thought she'd hear about it on the JFK tarmac by text message. But no. She got to us in the late afternoon and stuck it out the whole night. She and Jared even awkwardly shared the sleeper couch (if you can call it that) in my hospital room. She just didn't want to miss a single (or double? haha) thing.

At about 6:40 Thursday morning, my doctor came in to check up on business and said it was time to push. I thought she was joking. It had been so long I thought those babies were just never going to come out. They wheeled me into the operating room, which is where my doc delivers all twins-- again, in case of an emergency c-section that we gratefully did not need. And because the babies came in twos, so did all the staff-- there were so many people in that big, bright, operating room. It might have been overwhelming if I wasn't already so exhausted and yet so geared up to just do this thing!

I nearly fell asleep between contractions.

Finally... on Thursday, January 7, 2010...

...at 8:11 AM we finally saw the pretty little face and precious pink body of our baby girl. An entire room of heads swiveled and gasped when they read her weight: 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Big for a twin, big for a baby.

...at 8:26 AM we finally heard the sweet cries and saw the handsome little face of our baby boy. He was a great size, too: 7 pounds, 8 ounces. We felt so happy, so relieved that here they were, healthy and strong. It wasn't until I looked at Jared's face that I felt the emotional rush of having literally brought two lives into the world and into our family.

What beautiful miracles.

If that wasn't enough... click on the images below to see...

*the baby bump progression:

*a great slideshow Jared made to announce their birth (and appease an anxious and loving Grandma in California):