My New Year’s Twins

I always knew I wanted to be a Mom. Growing up I never thought about what I would do as far as a career, all I knew is that I wanted to be a Mom. I met Jack when we worked together at a 7-11. We were married for about a year when we decided to start trying for a baby. Around five months later, we found out, I was pregnant!
Jack’s parents would always joke that we were going to have twins. There are six sets in his side of the family, and after four granddaughters, they REALLY wanted to have a grandson. For my parents, this would be their first grandchild and did not care either way. The day before my big ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby, we went to visit Jack’s parents. Once again, they both joked that we would be having twin boys. Jack and I told them they were crazy.
The day of the ultrasound there were so many emotions going through me. I knew Jack really wanted a boy but I was terrified, growing up with sisters I didn’t know anything about boys. As soon as the ultrasound technician put the wand on my belly she said to us “You know it’s twins right?” We were shocked. I remember walking around the rest of the day laughing hysterically and saying “Oh my God, Oh my God” over and over again. Later that evening when we started calling all our friends and family no one believed us. I don’t know why they thought we would joke about something like that.
My pregnancy was pretty normal until around 32 weeks when I went in for a normal check up and NST scan. My ob told me I was having contractions even though I couldn’t feel them he sent me to the local hospital. The contractions didn’t stop so they sent me by ambulance to a hospital about an hour away to a hospital that was better equipped to handle preemies. I was in the hospital for ten LONG days on bed rest. While there, I would have such strong contractions I was sent to a delivery room twice. Luckily, my husband was out of work so he could spend most of the time with me, at the same time my husband wasn’t working where were we going to get any money? While in the hospital I think, I cried every day. I was there for Christmas, I hated being there and I missed my family who was visiting from out of town.
After ten days, I had made it to 34 weeks the hospital sent me home because at this point I could deliver anywhere. I was so happy to go home to sleep in my own bed and to see my cats. It was also the day of my baby shower. I stayed at home on bed rest for three days only leaving to go to a doctor’s appointment. On New Year’s Eve, we went to our friend’s house across the street and had a small party and I laid on their sofa the whole time. Shortly after midnight my husband and I went home, I went to the bathroom before bed and the toilet was full of blood. We went back to our friend’s house because Jack had been drinking and needed our friend Tammi to be the designated driver to take us to the hospital. Looking back, driving to the hospital was pretty funny. We were in our friend’s new car and I was afraid that I was going to ruin the seats. Our friend Jack in the front seat kept telling his wife Tammi to drive faster and he and my husband Jack kept reminding me to breathe to which I replied that they needed to shut up because by then I was having REALLY strong contraction
I ended up having to have an emergency c section because I was bleeding and nobody could figure out why. My boys Sam Wayne and Max Crandell were born at 2:46 and 2:47 am New Year’s Day. Sam weighed 5lbs and Max weighed 3lbs 14oz. They were the first babies born in our county in 2008. The next day two newspapers and the local news channel showed up to interview us.
Sam and Max had to spend seventeen long days in the NICU; they were there just to learn how to eat and had jaundice. Leaving my babies in the NICU was the HARDEST thing I have ever done. I went to visit them every day and at the end of my visit, I would kiss them good bye, run back to an empty room the hospital had kept for me and sob.
Around four months old, their doctor thought that Sam might have some problem with his head and neck muscles, but now both boys are right on track, have started to crawl and are tearing the house apart! I quit my job to stay home with them, daycare is just too expensive and I love being a stay at home mom. I do feel bad that I can’t take them to Gymboree, or swimming lessons or things like that by myself because of their rules about there being an adult for every child. I hope they aren’t missing out.
Now my boys are almost eight months old. They have gotten so big so fast! Some nights when I go to check on them while they are sleeping I still and shocked that I was lucky enough to get pregnant with twins. I wonder if that shock will ever wear off, I hope not.