I was so excited, having wanted a baby for years, that I couldn't keep it quiet. We announced our pregnancy at 7 weeks gestation. It was a little early by some social standards, but I've never been one to conform to standards I didn't create myself. Our families were thrilled. Josh's parents were so happy to finally be getting a grandbaby they didn't have to fly 1300 miles to see.
Our first trimester was fairly uneventful. My only real pregnancy symptom was fatigue. I took naps in the soft seating at my office on my breaks and lunches and went to bed early every night. I did have a little bit of nausea in the afternoons but as long as I ate a snack I was ok. In fact as long as I ate all day I was ok. Lol.
We had decided even before we began trying to get pregnant that we wanted to have a natural homebirth. We knew a few other couples who had done this successfully and were very happy with their decision. For us, it was about having as natural a pregnancy and delivery as possible. We wanted to give our best to our baby and that meant following the natural course God had laid out for birthing. We trusted him completely to guide us in our decision and in the pregnancy so that we'd be giving our child the best start at life.
We are both informed and self-educated, despite our college degrees, so we started doing our research to figure out just what we wanted in our birth experience. Armed with a tablet of questions, we set out to find our midwife. Tammie was recommended to us by friends who had her deliver both of their babies. We met her and her apprentice Brenda and were blown away. We knew as we drove home that night after talking with them for over two hours that God had chosen Tammie and Brenda for us.
The holidays came and went. We started planning and talking about the arrival. I continued to exercise and eat well and things seemed to be going as planned. I did start showing a little early for a first pregnancy, but most of us thought it was because I had a skinny belly to begin with. Josh was the only one who disagreed. He has said from the beginning that he thought we were going to have twins. He would look at my growing abdomen and say that it was wider than most, or sticking out farther or shaped differently. Little did I know at the time, he had prayed to God and asked for twins before we started trying to get pregnant. His motives for seeing two babies were driven by his desire and his faith in God that his prayers would be answered.
Towards the end of January, the movements that I was feeling started to take on a unique character. There seemed to be two distinct sets of movements going on at any one time. At the top of my belly I'd feel rata-tat-tats while at the same time on my pelvic floor I'd be feeling rumpa-pum-pums. I started to look at my crazy husband a little differently. He could be right about this whole twin thing. Then, at my January 25 pre-natal appointment with Tammie, I measured much larger than I should have and for the first time she said, "could you be having twins?" It shook me to the core. Was she serious? I brought the news home to Josh and with a completely straight face he said to me, "I don't know why you're so surprised. I've been telling you this all along."
February brought more of the same movement patterns and I began to become emotionally attached to my two babies. I talked to them as individuals and reveled in their movements and responses. With the certainty also came doubts. I began to get nervous about their health, about potential birthing complications and about everything that people told me I should be worried about. My prayers became intense and pleading. I begged God to confirm for me what I already knew in my heart to be true. On Thursday, February 17, 2011 he did just that.
I walked away from that bible study Thursday evening with an amazed and assured heart. I realized I needed to get serious about planning and understanding my situation. On Friday afternoon I called Tammie. She told me that I needed to get an ultrasound so that we could make sure everything was ok. Josh and I had agreed previously that the only way we would do this was if Tammie wanted us to. Otherwise we were in agreement that an ultrasound was more intervention than we were comfortable with.
Over the weekend I announced to my dear friends and family that I had received confirmation from God that I was carrying twins and that we were going to have the scientific proof within the week. Josh and I went to church on Sunday and told everyone that we were having twins. There were some skeptics and some believers but all were interested to see the results of the test.
Monday morning I called my doctor and she managed to schedule my ultrasound for Tuesday at 7:45am. It was perfect. By 3am on Tuesday I was so anxious to see them both I couldn't sleep. My mom picked me up at 7:15am and we drove the three blocks to the hospital. I repeated the word over and over in my head and to my mother, "the Lord does not make fools of those who step out in faith in his name." And that is precisely what I had done. I'd believed what he told me, I said it out loud, giving him the glory and now I was going to get the proof to show the world how awesome he was.
The very first things we saw on the screen as the technician placed the wand on my belly were their two precious heads lying right next to each other. I have never been more filled with joy and praise in my whole life. I wanted to scream out loud with delight at the awesome-ness of my God. His word had been proved true for all the world to see. His faithfulness was displayed in all its glory. The rest of the day passed in a joyous blur. I called all my close family and shared the news. Josh was first and he was so excited to hear that the twins he had prayed for were also both boys. Our parents were in awe. They couldn't believe it. My mom especially was touched to have been with me when we found out.
While I have yet to get the official radiologist's report, the techinician indicated to us that they both looked very healthy and were, in fact, measuring a little bigger than we would expect at 26 weeks. My two big, healthy boys have thier names already, Jaxon Russell Wright and Jacob David Wright. While there is still so much to think about, to plan for and to make decisions about, right at this moment we are resting in the peace that is the faithfulness of God. Josh and I firmly believe that his hands are all over this pregnancy and our babies. We are believing that we will be able to continue with our plans to birth naturally at home and that I will carry them to full term or longer if they need it. Josh and my family are so supportive that I know I will be able to accomplish all this and more. For now the "Baby Oven", (that's me:)) is just happy to get to start planning for her boys.
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