{i'm a} mom of twins

So thankful on this Mother's Day weekend to be a Mom to my two little girls.

Dug out some old photos remembering the early days. (These are almost 12 years old, from the days before digital photos were common, so I ended up taking photos of my photos. Some times you gotta improvise.)

Yup. Twin A and Twin B. Two heads in there.

TWIN PREGNANCY(!) Notice the notation in the upper right corner. Sure enough, there are the tops of two heads in that ultrasound picture. We were absolutely shocked at our first ultrasound appointment to find out we were having twins. We had no idea, no family history, no reason to think... 

The ultrasound tech paused when she started looking at the screen and didn't say much. I, of course, immediately assumed something was wrong with the baby. (It's the pessimist in me - I get it from my Mom.) Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think she was going to pause, and then tell us to get ready for twins.  

Emma (left) and Aidan (rt) in the hospital.

The pregnancy was filled with emotional ups and downs. At one point we were told that they would both likely die before birth due to Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome (where one twin pulls most of the nutrition from the other), or only one might die, or one or both babies might have brain damage. Our weeks were filled with trips to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston, and our local hospital for constant monitoring. It was exhausting, physically and emotionally.

When the decision was finally made to induce labor because of concern for the smaller twin, we were nervous and overwhelmed. Much to our bewilderment and delight, after months of fretting and cautiousness, both babies were born healthy. Aidan was just smaller. 

Cuddle time in the crib.

We brought them home in 2 days, and settled into life with twins. Well, as much as you can settle in to life with twins. It was all a blur of sleepless nights, constant feedings, and making our way up the steep learning curve of new (twin!) parenthood.

A and E in the double stroller in Rockport.

One of the things I remember most about those first months was taking the babies out in the double stroller for walks around the town in Rockport, MA, where we were lucky enough to live at the time. Great memories.

Wishing all you moms out there a very happy Mother's Day this weekend!