Six months ago I walked into an ultrasound room by myself (hello COVID restrictions) and found out the life-altering news that I was pregnant with two babies! After my appointment I drove home completely jolted, jittery, and in shock. I kept repeating, "Mr. Fleece is going to completely freak out." It took him a few glances at the ultrasound photos on the fridge for the "Baby A", "Baby B", and "Babies" labels to set in, but freak he did. I clearly remember him dropping to the floor with his hands coming to his head exclaiming, "What!? Twins!? Us!?!" Truly a stand-out moment in our relationship!
And that's honestly how it's felt throughout our pregnancy. It's been this fun dramatic news to tell and share with friends amidst the doldrums of quarantine-life, but the reality of bringing two babies into the world and jumping to be a family of 5 feels like this far-off is-this-really-happening change. Sure, we have two cribs in our bedroom, two carseats in the car, and a double stroller in the garage. Sure, we've joined the Seattle Family of Multiples (SFOM) group. Sure, we've bought or been gifted more clothes, toys, books, and gear. Sure, it was the main reason we sprinted to contact our realtor friends and move out of 600 square feet. But even with all those actions and steps, I don't think it's truly set in.
Already this pregnancy has had it's differences - more appointments, a hosptial stay, lots of monitoring, and a few health concerns. I know delivery and post-partum will have new aspects as well. As with NLW, there are just so many unknowns. And while many of my concerns or fears are the same, they are somewhat amplified simply because there will be twice as many infants, not to mention a toddler's feelings and reaction to consider! But as I've reminded myself many times, hundreds of thousands of women and families have experienced this before. In far scarier situations, with far fewer resources, with far less support, and in some cases, with far more babies (triplets...octuplets!).
