Pretty in Pink

Married and pregnant with twins starting my senior year of college.  Well, go big or go home I suppose.  Our doctor at VPFW told my husband and me early on that I would more than likely not go full term and that I would probably be put on bed rest at some point.  Fortunately, I had been a college athlete up until this point so my body was in great condition to handle a twin pregnancy (not to mention my naturally big hips helped a little too).
The first few months were full of stomach sickness, migraines, and hormonal tears every now and again.  My loving husband took me to Jimmy Johns for lunch one Saturday, and we order two sandwiches to sit down and eat.  I took a bite, and tears started to well up in my eyes.  He looks over at me, "What's wrong babe?".  I look up trying to fight back tears, "They put mayonnaise on my sandwich", and the tears began to pour down my face.  He quickly gathered our things and walked me to the car.  We get in and I look at him, completely embarrassed and obviously still upset about the mayo incident.  He says, "don't worry about the sandwich, let's just a take a drive".  Long story short, we ended up at Bass Pro Shop, where we spent the day walking around and eating fudge.  What a great guy, right?
Eventually the sickness and migraines faded away, and for a short period of time I felt like Superwoman.  My days were spent going to class and completing assignments, and my nights were spent waiting tables at Colonial Pizza.  Pregnancy was treating me well, and I was fully enjoying the belly.
It was finally time to find out what we were having!  Boys, boys, boys!  Two boys is what we wanted, or at least one of each.  We go into the doctor's office with anticipation building as we sign in and wait to be called back.  Right away the ultrasound tech asks if we would like to know what we are having.  "Yes!" we said excitedly as we stared at the screen trying to figure it out ourselves.  Two girls?!  We were shocked but happy that we were going to have two healthy girls.  (At this point, all we knew was that the girls were in two separate sacs inside of me, which meant that they were going to be fraternal twins)
I was overly excited that I was going to be able to buy girl clothes, toys, and of course accessories!  My husband, naturally, was feeling down about not having any boys, but now he would not trade these girls for the world.  I slipped on the two little pink bracelets and went to show the family.  It was official, we were about to be up to our eyeballs in pink!

And Then There Were Four

3 a.m., yep, that is when we found out we were going to be parents.  Sitting in our small city apartment just big enough for the two of us.  We were in shock.  Obviously we knew how it happened, but how did this happen to us?  Our emotions were tinkering between excited and scared for our lives.  We were having a baby (or so we thought).
All of our family and friends were so excited that we would be adding a sweet little baby to the family!  We had become excited ourselves and could not wait for the first trip to the doctor.  

Here we go, first ultrasound.  We check in at the VPFW office and there are pregnant women all around me.  I look around and think, if these women can all do it, then I surely can.  We sit in the waiting room, nervous and excited to finally see the little baby inside of me.  I lay down in the chair and the ultrasound tech squirts a large amount of gooey substance all over my stomach.  The anticipation builds as she goes searching for that tiny little gummy bear.  She zooms in, "well there is your little peanut".  A collective "awww" from my husband and I as tears start to well up in my eyes.  She zooms back out and in again, "and there is your other other peanut".  Wait, what?  What do you mean other peanut?  "Yep, you are having twins".  She said it so matter of fact, which I suppose is the only way to say it.  Happy, scared, and unsure tears run down my face.  I'm going to be a mother to two babies.  Oh, boy!  And then there were four.

This is Where it Begins

Everyone has one of those nights, whether you want to admit it or not.  Where you make decisions that could make or break your life.  When you choose to follow your heart and let everything else fall into place.  Times like those, twins are created.  I will not spill all the details of how, when, and where the girls were conceived.  Just know that it was filled with absolute love and affection for both my husband and I, and no we were not married yet.
It was the night of our wedding.  Lights were low, music was loud, and friends and family were dancing like there was no tomorrow.  I was completely in love with the man of my dreams and we were sharing kisses and dances whenever we got the chance.  Not a care in the world!  After the reception we all headed out to the local bars to continue celebrating this wonderful, once in a lifetime occasion.  I am talking away with my sister-in-law about life and happiness, when all of the sudden it hits me.  Oh no, I'm late!  Okay, I cannot be that late, let me just check my phone.  5 days, you cannot be serious!  It's obviously the stress of the wedding, so I will just worry about it later.
After a long night of celebration, my husband and I head to the local Hilton Inn and settle down into our massive king bed with blankets so soft it was as if we were floating on clouds.  I could not hold it in any longer, I just had to tell him.  "Babe, I'm 5 days late".  He responds with "You are joking?!".  No, I would definitely not joke about this, and if I did it would not be on the night of our wedding!  We both take a big sigh and think about the possibility that we may become parents in just 9 short months.  My husband looks at me and says, "it's the night of our wedding, I will worry about this tomorrow".
The next day, sure enough, we had a positive pregnancy test.  We took a deep breath, this is it.  This is the end.  Our lives of working all week and partying all weekend had to come to an abrupt stop.  We were going to be parents.  We wanted kids of course, but not right away.  Yep, this was definitely the end of life as we knew it.  Little did we know, this is where it all begins.

If Money Grew on Trees, I Would Still be Broke!

Raising twins is hard.  You can take all the preparation classes and read all of the books that you want, but nothing will prepare you for the struggle that you will encounter once you bring those sweet angels home from the hospital.
Everyone tells you that the babies will eat every 3 hours and it will be nice and easy and they will latch on and nurse without any issues, because nursing is the best option.  Also, if you give your baby formula then they will likely go to jail by the age of 18.  Not to mention their IQ will be seriously low because the nutrition that they get from you is obviously the only thing that contributes to their brain development.  Yea, well you will agree with them, until you come home with two crying babies who will not latch on to you.  Even if they did, you are not a dairy cow and cannot produce enough milk to feed two babies 8 or more times a day.
I did not want to believe the doctor when he came in and said, "I hope you are planning to supplement with some formula, because feeding two is extremely difficult".  No way, not me!  Not a college athlete, who managed to work and go to school while pregnant with twins (even when I could no longer fit in the desk).  I thought I had already been through the hardest part.  Well, contrary to what I thought would happen, these sweet little babies did not want to nurse.
Okay, plan B, go buy some formula.  $16 per can, you cannot be serious!  And I will use at least one can a day!  Oh boy, I did not budget for this, and I am also not working!  A full year worth of formula, sometimes topping out at 2 cans per day.  It was enough to put us out of our 2 bedroom city apartment, and into a 1 bedroom apartment 2 hours away from what I called "home".
Well that covers formula, but did I mention the diapers?  Those are the real kicker.  At least formula is done at 1 year, diapers, however go on 2 years and more realistically 3 years.
So thank goodness we had hand-me-down clothes from cousins and friends!  Without the help from others, our ship would have sunk long ago.  But here we are, 2 1/2 years old and still going strong.  The struggle is still there, but we are surviving and enjoying life!  In my opinion, that is all that matters!  Besides, if money grew on trees, I would still be broke!

Korean Beef and John Wayne, with a Side of Tears

"What's for dinner?"  The age-old question that every mother dreads!  Ugh, well let me see what I can throw together while the girls are climbing all over me and trying to touch the hot stove.  Now, I could always order pizza, but since I have a stomach ulcer trying to heal that is not the best option.  Yes, a stomach ulcer, that is what having twins does to you!  That along with copious amounts of caffeine and endless stress!  So, again Pinterest saves the day!  Korean Beef sounds easy enough, oh and it is a budget meal!  Perfect!

Meat and rice, what more could my family ask for right?  Off to the store I go, luckily without the girls! (big thanks to their "koko" for watching them)  We will skip over the boring details of going to Food Lion and spending my life savings on a weeks worth of groceries, even after using coupons.  So here we are, dinner time.  The girls got some KFC to-go cups because they are impatient and, what kid doesn't love chicken and potato wedges for dinner?  And surprise, Daddy is home early!  Ah, I can finally have a break and the girls can climb all over someone else for the next few hours.

I brown the ground beef with some garlic and sesame oil, and make the rice, then finish off the recipe by creating a sauce with fresh ginger and chopping some green onions.  My husband takes a taste, and he loves it!  This recipe is a keeper!  The girls are dying to have some rice because they saw me making it, and they love that almost as much as french fries.  I make them a bowl and try to explain to them that it is steaming hot.  They do not care, and here come the tears.  I am trying to teach and protect you from burning those sweet little mouths.  Why do you hate me?  I desperately look at daddy in hopes that he has a better idea to keep the girls content while their second dinner cools down.  Potato chips!  Yes, that is the answer!  All is well again in the Blaisdell household, and the girls settle down with daddy and a movie.  

John Wayne, yep that is what my husband puts on to watch with the girls.  Surprisingly they are completely engaged in the movie.  Must be the horses, or maybe John Wayne reminds them a little bit of their daddy!  Either way, the kids are quiet and content, and that makes me happy.

Bed knobs and Battle cries

Remember those sweet little toddler beds from earlier?  What the companies do not tell you is that your child may rip everything off of their beds, flip the mattress up, take off all of their clothes (including the diaper) and proceed to play with their toys.  Yes, those same toys that you had to bring to them one by one as they competed with each other for the most toys in one bed. But forget the bed companies not warning you about this, what about the other parents you talk to?  "My child loves their toddler bed!" , "it was a great transition!".   No, no, no!  Actually, maybe for people with one child. However, twins are a whole other story, or at least mine are.
You tuck them in, give them their 10 toys and their bottle, turn on the nightlight and the two fans, and blow them kisses.  *Note this is when you secure the baby gate at the bedroom door...that part is important!*  And you tell those sweet little angels goodnight.  Here is when you feel a big sigh of relief.  The kids are in bed and for the next couple hours you can pretend you are a normal human being.  Then you hear that little yell, or laugh, or loud noise coming from the girls' bedroom.  Sure enough you go in to check on them and there they are "naked as jay birds" (If that's how you use it).  Beds torn apart, naked, and talking away with each other.  In times like this, it is extremely easy to get mad and yell, but if you just sit back and absorb the moment, you realize that these are the little moments that will make them lifelong friends.

**Despite the fact that you constantly remind yourself how amazing twins are, or they remind you, it never gets easier.  It is simply a new challenge.**
So back to bedtime.  I go in to check on them, and they request another bottle and new diapers.  And then they want their clothes back on.  So you do as they request and put them back to bed for the 2nd time.  Most nights this is it.  They go to sleep and you go back to relaxing.  But on those rare nights that they decide that bedtime must be moved to a later time, you are in for it.
You will go through about 4 diapers each (thank goodness Luvs are so inexpensive), and make at least 3 bottles.  Full moon? Friday night? Too much sugar?  For whatever the reason, they do it, and tonight was one of those nights.

This is Life.

My eyes slowly crack open, I reach for my phone as I remember sticking it in the window sill before laying down and going to sleep.  Next thing I hear is the "pitter patter" of little feet walking on the hard wood floor.  What time is it?  1 a.m?  Perfect! I have been asleep for a total of 2 hours (if I am lucky).  As I roll over to see what this adorable little toddler could possibly need at 1 o'clock in the morning, she reaches out and grabs my arms to climb into the bed.  How can I say no?  I mean I did carry her in my uterus for 8 months...what's one more night?  Just one thing...which twin do I have?  Ugh who cares I am just hoping to go back to sleep before the other one (whoever that is) comes crawling in the bed once she notices her sister has left her alone in the decked out Minnie Mouse room.  From the stickers on the walls (that have now been ripped to shreds and either eaten by the dog or balled up in little piles of trash), to the adorable toddler beds, it sure does make for an cute setup.  Let's get back to trying to figure out which baby I have.  Damn those matching pj's!  Oh well, I will figure it out later...I pull the blankets over us and cuddle for a whole 30 minutes and here comes baby number 2.  Right on time! I was almost comfortable!  So here I go...curled up on the end of the bed like a dog...hell even the dog has his own bed!  So I pull the extra blanket over myself and smile a little as I look at those two precious little girls taking up my entire part of the bed...and "Daddy" sleeping soundly beside them.  True love!  This is life.