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As everyone in the real world knows, I’m 4 months and 1 week pregnant with twins.  Surprise!  This hasn’t run in my family for generations.  They are fraternal, measuring big for twins, and we don’t know the genders yet. 

During the first ultrasound, I saw the two dark spots and thought, “It can’t be.”  Before the technician said, “Do twins run in your family?”  I knew.  It all made sense as if some forgotten part of a story I’d already read had been remembered.  Of course, I’m expecting twins.

The ironic part is that in the OBGYN’s practice, which is not large, there are 12 women pregnant with twins.  The front desk gals and doctor agree that they’ve never seen a surge in twins quite like this.  The response I always get from people upon telling them this is that there’s something in the water.  And I really can’t help but wonder why so many women in the community are expecting twins?  Is it some kind of spiritual phenomena?  Is there really something in the water?  :)

The first trimester with twins was pure exhaustion.  I felt like I was walking around drunk.  Another mother of twins said it to me as well, that you feel like you’re living with a terrible hang over.  One of the main signs of the twin pregnancy was that I was starving even in the earliest weeks.  I was dazed and hungry and nauseous all at once. 

The second trimester looks like it’s going to go relatively smoothly so far.  While it is different in many ways from my first pregnancy, it’s a lot the same.  The main distinction is that I can feel so much more movement of the babies.  There was no fluttering or quickening, I can feel them turn over like at the end with my daughter.  The other strange event is that my back and hips ache.  It feels like they’re spreading, and God knows I don’t need any help in the hip width department.  It’s only at night while I’m trying to sleep that it hurts.  I keep pulling my husband over to me so I can lie on my side and throw a leg over him.  It helps so much.  He’s my most willing pregnancy pillow.

My biggest concern right now with having twins is taking care of my daughter once the twins come.  She’s a very active child, and she’s used to going out on her daily play dates and adventures.  I’m sure I’ll adapt to the jump from one to three children, but while the twins are newborns, this is going to be hard to pull off.  I have friends who are twins with an older sister, and I’m trying to ply them into asking their mother for advice.  This is where preschool should be my secret weapon, and I am seriously considering bumping her up to the four-day program if I can get her into it after Christmas.  I’m so glad we were able to start her in preschool before the twins come.  I’m due in March, and it is sure to be a very busy spring.

It’s been a while, I know.  Life has been a little busy in my world.

Buttercup has started preschool!  This was a huge step for us in a lot of ways.  She absolutely loves it, and there was not a tear or a frown.  I’m so thrilled with the teachers I want to kiss them every time I see them.  They feel like family:  all warmth and sweetness.  The preschool is so homey and comforting, and she is always talking about the teachers and her “best friends.”  It’s only a two-day week, and I am eyeing up the four day schedule with longing in my heart.  What a God sent blessing this is.

She comes home with adorable and usually seasonal projects.  So often for the last three years, it’s been us making projects to give to someone else like her daddy, grandparents, or friends.  Now, when I pick her up from school, she always has gifts in her cubby for me.  “This one is for you, Mommy!”  It thrills me.

We went to see quite a few preschools from the highest end to the lowest end.  There was a lot of variety.  How we decided on this preschool was just the recommendation of friends who have children there.  Everyone who spoke about the school raved about it.  It took lots of email and chitty-chat with the teachers, but I got her a place in the school.

The preschool has provided me with the first consistent break from motherhood I’ve had in three years.  While I’ve enjoyed being there for my little gal, it’s also a great comfort to have her in a school that reinforces the things we’ve taught her.  I have time to work during the days without needing Buttercup to be still sleeping, napping, or the husband home.  It’s a delight.

The best part is the school’s proximity to our house.  It’s very close by, and we walk there together and back.  She loves the little walk, and it’s so beautiful with the fall leaves and crisp morning air.  Thank God for the good teachers in her life.