It was November 6, 2008. Andy and I had just shared the news of our pregnancy with our families three weeks before and were anxious for the sonogram to be sure everything was alright to announce it to everyone! We arrived for our appointment early with the hopes that we would be able to get in and out within a good amount of time. We both took a half-day at work and were planning on returning by 12pm.
And I am sooo grateful Andy was with me.
My OB told me to drink a lot of water and not to empty my bladder before they my appointment, to ensure as much movement as possible. Sounds easy enough. Except when you're pregnant, you've got to empty your bladder every 15 minutes anyway... plug into that all of that extra water and you've got ONE FULL BLADDER! We sat in the chairs and I could have sworn that I was seeing stars. I really had to go to the bathroom.
There was another couple waiting in the seats next to us. It was their first pregnancy as well. We chatted for a few minutes (or as much as I could even concentrate, thinking only of holding it in!) and became excited about their parenting journey as well. The other couple went inside for their ultrasound and we waited outside. A few minutes later, we heard some very excitable screams coming from the other room. A few moments later, they called my OB in and there were more "Oh my gosh"es and "I can't believe it"s. They were having twins.
We congratulated the happy couple on their way out, still in complete shock. They had absolutely NO idea. "Maybe YOU'RE having twins, too!" the secretary teased. "Haha," we laughed, "wouldn't that be funny? No, we only heard one heartbeat three weeks ago. It's just one." Still, we all laughed in the excitement of their news and wondered if not just for a moment what it would have been like if we were to have two babies.
Thankfully, I forgot about my bladder in all of the confusion and I gratefully stepped up on the table for my sonogram. We were soooo excited! We knew it would have been too early to tell the sex at 12 weeks, but we secretly hoped that it miiiight have been even the tiniest bit possible. The girl took the cold jelly and rubbed it over my abdomen with her little wand. Not too hard, I thought, or I'm not gonna be able to hold it! I braced myself for my first look at this little one growing inside of me. I blinked at the screen above me and saw a tiny white peanut against the black background. Then all of a sudden, the sonographer pulled back the wand in a panic.
Oh, no. What's wrong? This is NOT something you want to see when you're the one on the table.
I looked at my husband, who seemed to have frozen. Andy's eyes opened wide. He looked at her, at the screen and then me. Oh, gosh. What are they seeing that I'm not? "Is everything okay?" I asked, very scared and nervous for the reply.
"Did you see that?" she asked.
I didn't know who she was talking to, but I definitely had no idea what she was talking about! "What?" I asked. And then remembering the little episode earlier, I joked, "What, are there two?" The sarcasm in my voice was pretty thick, but my smile quickly faded as I saw her blank look stare at me in disbelief and shake her head. Yes.
What? TWINS?
She brought the wand back to my belly and began scanning back and forth. "At first I thought it was stuck on the images from the mom before you!" she laughed. We were all in shock. I don't think I said anything for the first few seconds. I just froze in time, my jaw had fallen to the ground and I think I lost a little control of my bladder. Andy, of course, was jumping up and down. Never had he felt so masculine :)
Benjamin David (L) and Jonathan Andrew (R) in utero, 12 weeks gestation, 11/6/08
What followed then was a whirlwind of activity. I cried, I laughed, I pictured myself huge and pregnant. Thank God, I didn't faint. My OB came running in, the receptionists congratulated us, wanting to see the images for themselves and then we heard words like "high risk" and "not working after 20 weeks." My mind was spinning.
Wait. We're having TWO?
The sonographer joked that, in retrospect, she thought my belly looked a little big for 12 weeks when I first came in. Gosh, how was I supposed to know? I had never been pregnant before! :)
As we left the office, I made a wooooonderful trip to the bathroom and we laughed with the other nurses. We wanted them to be sure to tell that other couple and letting them know that we, in fact, WERE having twins as well! (I do feel a little sorry for the couple that came in after us. I think everyone scared them into believing they were having two too!)
It's been almost two years and we never tire of telling that story. Such a great story, with so much drama and excitement. I wish I would have gotten my parent's reaction on camera when we told them we were having twins. I still get the chills, just thinking about it, allowing them to read the labels "Baby A" and "Baby B" in utter confusion... and then sheer JOY when they got it. A day I'll never forget.
My OB said he told that other couple our story, but I always wondered how she made out. I didn't know her name, her due date or anything about them. I never thought I ever would.
Fast forward almost two years. October 24, 2010. My boys are almost 18 months old.
I joined the Mothers of Twins Club of Buffalo this spring and went to my first gettogether this past weekend. It was a Halloween party at Sue O's house about 15 minutes from ours. I dressed the boys up in costumes (they were monkeys - Jack is "Monkey See" and Ben is "Monkey Do" ;) and Andy came with me to help manage all of the food and fun.
Andy with Ben (and his notorious 'cheesy face')
Me and Jack, my pensive and thoughtful toddler. He really was having a good time! Perhaps I should have waited a few more minutes for them to get situated before snapping the photo :)
We visited with the other parents for a while before Andy said, "Min, I remember why that couple looks so familiar. They're the couple that found out they were having twins the same day as us!"
Oh, my gosh. Sue looked familiar to me when I had first met her a few weeks ago, but I would have NEVER put it together if Andy hadn't remembered it himself! I called Sue over and we laughed about the story, retelling it to anyone that would listen, and then compared notes. Her twin girls were born May 12th, exactly one week after Jack and Ben. No. Way.
I had to take a picture of the family to commemorate the day. It seriously was the highlight of my weekend.
Sue and Danny with their little penguins :)
What a small world.
Who would have ever thought? We serve a good, good God. Praise the Lord!
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