I was labeling a Postcrossing postcard from Taiwan, and when it self-sorted alphabetically I stumbled upon a photo labeled TwinUltrasound:
As well as a helpful visual aide I apparently made at some point for anyone having trouble with just the ultrasound technician’s labels:
Notice it was 5 days before Christmas when I found out. It was 11:24 in the morning; on the way home, I called my mom at school for the first and last time ever. (One does not call a teacher during the work day unless there is life-draining blood, structure-threatening fire, or twins.)
Oh, and look! Here’s me pregnant with the twins!
And I am TALL, and so long-torsoed I can’t wear one-piece swimming suits, and I am not arching my back or tipping backwards at all—it’s that even the one-size-too-big maternity shirt no longer has anywhere near enough tum space to hang straight across for someone measuring “50 weeks” pregnant. (Also: note I am using a camera that used ACTUAL FILM! We didn’t switch to digital until the twins were about 6 months old. I am deliberately hiding my face with the camera because that removed one of the variables that made me not want to save pictures.)
And here they are in the hospital! You can see Edward had a bit of jaundice:
And going home, with TWO infant car seats:
At first you can make do with one bouncy seat (put one leg of each twin through each leg opening, so no one slides out through a leg hole). (It’s making you feel kind of nervous, the way Edward doesn’t seem to have room to breathe, right? He did that ALL THE TIME. I consulted anxiously with the pediatrician about it. He nodded seriously, considered seriously, and reassured my pale, damp-shirted self.)
And here I am, looking a bit bloodless and tired on the ugliest couch we ever owned, tandem-nursing while doing Sudoku puzzles (that’s TWO great baby gifts: the tandem-nursing pillow from my cousin Lee, and the puzzle book from my friend Melissa):
It’s tempting for me to get a bit glossy-eyed here, so let’s not forget the tandem screaming:
That tandem bouncy seat picture made me laugh! Love the trip down memory lane.
I so totally RECOGNIZE Edward in that ultrasound photo. And the day you called me in the classroom! It was the only time I’ve ever taken a call while teaching, ever — before or since! And my whole class staring at me, silent, riveted, wondering What On Earth, their teacher … on the phone … in the middle of class! And TWINS!! We never once thought of it, never once did such a thing ever cross any of our minds! I STILL can hardly believe it. Twins! Two heartbeats! Two babies on the ultrasound! What a day!
When I saw that ultrasound with the pink and blue outlines I was like, I have SEEN that thing before! So I searched, and behold: http://swistle.blogspot.com/2010/02/reader-question-twin-pregnancy.html. Now you know when and why you added those lines! (And despite having seen these pictures before, I found the lines very helpful this time around as well.)
Ahhhh, your mom’s comment made me a bit weepy.
I love this post so much, especially the smiley faces on the ultrasound. Twins look like so much fun—for you. I am so glad I never had to experience that tandem screaming. I can’t imagine how much work it must have been. I mean, I know they are worth it every second of every day, but oy.
Also, you make very cute little babies.
OMG your mom commenting on this post is my favorite thing on the internet this year.
SWISTLE! This post is too much for a Friday afternoon. I just wasn’t expecting the one-two tiny twin baby punch.
I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed your mom commenting on a post before, but I love it and will look for it in the future.
Oh, I looove this and the pictures and your mom’s comment.
I am so glad you took and kept pictures of yourself pregnant and nursing. I refused to let people take my picture when I was pregnant with my twins, and consequently I have very few and wish I had more.
Oh how I love this post! And OH how I LOVE your mother’s comment on this post!
That picture of the two of them screaming is fantastic! I hope you have that framed somewhere visible!!
Two babies just seem like SO MANY babies. Especially if they’re screaming, I’d imagine. I love the tandem nursing pic. I’ve always wanted a nursing picture, but thought it would be weird to ask my husband to take one.
You’ve posted a lot of brilliant things, but this post might be my new favorite :) I LOVED the ultrasound picture (the smiley faces are SO CUTE!), who DOESN’T appreciate seeing how big the human body can get to accommodate two babies (I’m sorry, but it’s just comical! The pictures of my mom when she was pregnant with twins are some of my family’s favorites, especially the ones with a 5 year old me hiding UNDER the overhang of her belly!), and in all my breastfeeding research, I don’t think I EVER saw a picture of a REAL PERSON tandem breastfeeding! I’m shocked by that realization (and thankful to you for sharing it! I’m not pregnant with twins, but if I was, I’d find a lot of relief at how realistic you make it look. I’m sure it wasn’t EASY, but you DID it, AND did puzzles at the same time! It’s feasible!) What a wonderful post :)
I, too, love the way you photographed so much of the day-to-day of baby time and wish I had done more of that.
Thanks for cheering me up!
This was such a treat. I love the bouncy seat picture.
So cute. SO CUTE.
I was overwhelmed by cute through the post alone. And then your mom posted! And then Stimey made me laugh.
Yay! This post makes me happy (and your mom’s comment – LOVE) and it also makes me want to go find all MY twin pictures.
Ella slept like Edward except she was usually smushed into my armpit at the time as she fell asleep post nursing. I would SAVE HER LIFE by gently turning her face outward and she would wiggle around to attempt suffocation again.
You are so incredible!! TWO BABIES! So precious and perfect and adorable!! And you SURVIVED and are still in possession of all of your faculties!! You are amazing! (TWO babies!!)
35 years later, wish I’d thought of the tandem bouncy seat– wait a minute, they never would have fit. We did hang a porch swing in the living room and I highly recommend it.
Those are some of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. Like, as cute as my own. SO CUTE!
I love this post. Two babies! Good thing you included that last picture though, because for a minute there I was wanting some twins of my own. (This from a girl who has a 5 week old baby in the next room. I may be a little crazy.)
I love this post!
Also, love your mom’s comment.
Great post…. love pics of babies and the stories that go with them.
AWWW!
What I love about the last pic is that your daughter looks like she is the fully engaged and going all out initiator red face and all while your son, even though clearly screaming, almost looks like he is just doing it because she is and checking to make sure she is still going strong.
these pics choked me up, I am pregnanct with my third ( and prob. last) baby and I need to remember to try to enjoy ( or at least cherish!) every moment if it!
oh what a SUPER FANTASTIC post! i love ALL of it, although possibly the picture of the tandem-bouncy-seat the most :)
You make breast feeding two look easy. I always wondered how it worked.
I love pictures of fresh babies. I want to sniff their wee little heads.
This post is doing nothing to alleviate my baby fever, not even the screaming photo at the end. And GAH the one of them SHARING THE BOUNCER GAH. You sure make cute babies :)
the bouncy seat picture takes the cake.
HI SWISTLE’S MOM!!!!!!
Two in one bouncy seat is brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?? And I so agree. Mine are only ten months and once in a while I get weepy about how they aren’t BABIES anymore and then I must recall the screaming. Oh yes, the screaming.