Celebrate

A year ago today I was terrified waiting to go into surgery.  Chris's sole job before the minions were born was to try to keep me calm and to have some good conversation prepared for surgery while we awaited the arrival of Molly & Jack.

My 4PM surgery was delayed because of an overcautious anaesthesiologist who didn't like that my blood pressure rose in anticipation of receiving my epidural.  My blood test results came back normal within half an hour, the only problem was 3 other women came in, in labour, and bumped me out of my spot.  We waited in this room, I was attached to an IV with a gurney that I had to drag with me everywhere, starving, and listening to 3 other babies born while we watched old episodes of Jackass and Beavis and Butthead on the overhead television. When MTV's best wasn't entertaining us we tried and failed at getting my engagement ring removed from my swollen fingers.*

At 7pm we finally went into surgery and once I was properly frozen Chris joined me with his engaging conversation.  He'd spent the past two days researching interesting and amazing things that happened on August 10th.

Did you know that on August 10th in:

1990 - U.S's Magellan spacecraft landed on Venus.
1984 - Michael Jackson bought ATV Music (every Beatles song) and essentially ruined his friendship with Paul Mccartney.
1966 - Daylight meteor seen only from Canada to Utah.  Only known case of a meteor entering and leaving the earth's atmosphere.
1833 - Chicago incorporated as a "village" of 200 people.
1500 - Diego Diaz discovered Madagascar.

And then, August 10th, 2011 - 7:21 & 7:22PM - Molly & Jack were born and none of that mattered any more (to Chris and I anyway).

I can't believe that you are 1 today.  We are so happy and blessed to have two healthy, vibrant and character filled babies.

Miss Molly, you are clever, spunky, funny and have the lungs of an opera singer.**  Your great grandmother has aptly coined you "The Growing Concern".  You are a people watcher with a contagious smile.  We survived colic together, so we can tackle anything.

 Molly - August 10th, 2011

Mr. Jack, you are sweet, kind and curious.  Sometimes you'll stroke your sister's hair when she's upset, other times (when you think she's over-reacting we assume) you'll squeal in delight in her face.  You have a calming energy about you that makes everyone feel at ease.

Chris (Dad) and Jack - August 10th - 2011

I have no other words than, Wow!  I never would have believed that I'd enjoy being a parent until it actually happened.  Molly & Jack, Happy Birthday - we love you both so much!  Chris, Happy Anniversary to parenthood! It's been a trip!

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*And this never made my version of Hell.  Maybe it will make my version of limbo.
**Your dad has his fingers crossed.

Sweet Child(s) of Mine

My pregnancy was a train wreck.  I'd often joke about Molly and Jack being succubi or parasites who were stealing my nutrients and making me anemic. After I looked up the definition of succubi* I wish that I could take back this proclamation.  Jokes aside there are several things about my pregnancy that I think I (we) did right, despite my implying horrible things about my children before they were even born.

Finding Out the Gender Ahead of Time

Discovering that we were having twins was the surprise of a life time.**  We were aware that there was a margin for error, but we were okay with that.  Each time I went for an ultrasound (I think I went for almost 20 in total by the time they were born) Jack was flashing his business, so we were quite confident that at least one child was a boy.  We got confirmation for Molly only once, as she lay on her stomach during most of my pregnancy, but the technician was as sure as they are allowed to say they are that she was a girl.***  Knowing this information gave us some feeling of control and distraction in a high risk pregnancy where we actually had little to no control and had to cross our fingers and hope for the best.  When you're laying in the hospital with your eight month pregnant butt in the air getting a lung developing steroid shot, just in case you go into labour early, any distraction from the worries of being a new parent helps.

My Birth Experience

Last week Chris's mum admitted that she was quite worried about the twins my entire pregnancy - thankfully she didn't openly express this concern to me when I was a panicked mess of  hormones complete with two parasites in my belly and sciatic pain that had me walking around like Quasi Modo.   I had a cautious and conservative doctor who monitored me closely and let me make my own choices with as much information available to me as I needed and wanted.  My entire pregnancy Jack was breach.  As my due date approached I was given multiple options for what could happen, how to turn the babies with little to no room.  At month 8 Molly turned around from her sideways position to head down, but Jack did not.  When I went to the doctor we discussed the likelihood of Jack turning with the remaining space available (it was amazing that Molly managed to turn), how if he did turn he could flip once Molly was out and how there was a significant chance of having to use suction, him losing oxygen, and finally them having to perform an emergency cesarean section immediately after Molly was born.  So we booked the section and for the first time in my life I had surgery.  On August 10th they were both born, one minute apart, healthy babies with all of us able to leave the hospital together after only 36 hours.  Ironically, the surgeon discovered that Jack ended up being head down in the end when she cut me open.

My Partner in Crime

Even though he didn't believe me when I first told him that I was pregnant and made me take another two home pregnancy tests, Chris became a dad the second he found out I was pregnant.  He kept me positive and hopeful in the beginning when twin symptoms mirrored the possibility of me having a miscarriage and kept the house running and clean when I was too nauseous or giant to move.   He made me feel pretty and never teased me about being almost as wide as I was tall in the final weeks of pregnancy insisting that he could still wrap his arms around me.  He slept on the futon downstairs with me when I grew too large to climb out of our bed.  And he didn't complain once.  I complained enough for the both of us.

*A demon who would seduce you in your dreams and have sexual intercourse with you leading to the deterioration of your health or even death (male version incubus).   No wonder everyone looked so uncomfortable when I complained about my two succubi (or succubus and incubus if you will) draining my life force.
**At my first ultrasound I asked the technician, jokingly, if there was only one baby.  She turned the monitor away from me and told me that I couldn't look at the screen until the end of the appointment.
***After grilling every technician I had, a hand full did admit that people sometimes got really angry and confronted them if there was a mistake.