TWINS!

The TWINS are here!  For those of you who aren't close relatives of my husband's family, you're probably totally confused.  We have been quietly and anxiously waiting since July for our two little nieces to arrive, and last night we finally got the text..."On our way to the hospital.  We'll let you know if they come tonight."  A few hours later we received pictures of two beautiful and perfect baby girls.  


This morning, as I was driving my teenagers to school, I thought about all those years ago when we brought our new babies home from the hospital (ours only came one at a time, though, never in multiples.)  I don't miss the days of diapers and bottles and sleepless nights, but I love that I have those memories.  And I love that I can say I made it through that stage of my life.  Each one of my babies was a joy and a challenge and I am grateful for the things I've learned from them.  

After we had TCD, my hospital stay was short.  (15 years ago, 24 hours was the usual recovery time.)  But I was anxious to get her home and start trying out this new motherhood thing.  I took about 30 minutes carefully changing her into her "leaving the hospital" outfit and bundling her in the perfect, fluffy, recently sanitized blanket.  (I remember thinking that all those early years of changing baby dolls' outfits was finally paying off!)  We did the "hospital wrap" with the nurse watching, and made sure TCD was comfortable for the ride home.  And then we carefully laid her in her brand new carseat only to realize that she was so tightly swaddled that we couldn't fasten the straps around her.  (I think that nurse probably had quite a giggle while she let us struggle with all that wrapping and unwrapping.)  Finally, we got her securely buckled in and just laid the blanket on top of her.  The Scout Master brought the car to the front of the hospital while the nurse wheeled me down through the lobby.  Another 15 minutes and she was safely buckled into the backseat.  I rode in the back with her and we carefully started the drive home.  The Scout Master was, at the time, pretty heavy footed with an accelerator, but on that trip, he drove very slowly all the way back to our house.  I remember feeling like it took twice as long to get home, but I was so grateful that he was careful with our fragile little cargo.   I only remember that first trip home from the hospital...probably because we were more confident when the others came home, and because we had had a little practice with blankets and carseats by that time. 

What a huge change it will be in my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's lives to bring these new little babies home.  In just one night they've almost doubled the number of kids they have!  I cannot imagine what a challenge it will be for them to have TWO babies at once.  (How on earth do you feed two at a time??)  But along with double the challenges also comes double the joy and double the blessings.  I am in awe of the amazing woman that my sister-in-law is not only to have given birth to 11+ POUNDS of BABY, but also to have been entrusted with such a great responsibility.  I know there will be lots of work ahead for them, but I also know that they are a great family and that those two little babies are so lucky to have been born when and where they were.  

We can't wait to meet them!  Welcome to the family, Babies!