Monday, August 22, 2011

Big, Huge, Over-stuffed Announcement!

Well, it's about time I spill the beans.

It's not like if we saw each other out and about that you could get away with "not noticing" the ridiculously huge, ever growing elephant in the room.

And while we are on the subject of elephants, did you know they stay pregnant for 2 years? If animals get in to heaven, I think God will have some serious explaining to do.

Fortunately for me, I only have to stay pregnant for 19 more weeks (which may feel like 2 years by the end of it!)

Somewhere between Christmas and New Years, the Liskey's are expecting a 2-for-1 present: identical twins! There gender has yet to be revealed, but as for now they are healthy and growing appropriately!

We are excited and stressed and have a to-do list like you've never seen. ( I even got Nick to paint the inside of a closet yesterday!) The word "blessed" is so overused and "doubly blessed" sounds even tackier, but we do feel quite fortunate to experience this. As a kid, didn't you want an identical twin to have a secret language with? Trick your parents with? Share clothes with? Was it just me?

To answer all the pending questions up front:
- Yes, twins run in my family. My grandma had 2 sets of fraternal twins, one being my Dad. Nick's dad is also a twin. However, identical twins are totally random. This doesn't have to do with genetics (from what docs know now).
-Yes, they will look identical and yes they have to be the same sex. (There seems to be a lot of confusion with this issue. )
-No, we will not be using rhyming names, much to Owen's dismay. PJ and DJ, Bill and Will, Rob and Bob will just have to be "great" suggestions for some other pair.
-Yes, we will be taking legitimate name suggestions. Coming up with 2 names that sound good together, we both like and most importantly, Ella can say right now is quite difficult!

A twin pregnancy is definitely a different experience. From the first moment, the nausea was more, the cravings and calories needed were more, the exhaustion was off the charts. We made jokes that double sickness was double babies, but who really thinks that?

I had an intrauterine bleed for a while, but that resolved itself. My blood sugar was high, but now is great. I'm eating so damn healthy that I should get some sort of award for even attempting 200 grams of protein each day. (The award being 2 healthy, full-term babies, I mean!) Lot's more things to worry about, to know, be aware of. I'm trying to avoid a NICU reunion if at all possible. I'm also trying to keep these babies in to 38 weeks. That's the ultimate goal and would put us in that target week between Christmas and New Years. At 38 weeks, they would most likely get to come home with me in a few days and we can start this new version of our life.

More to come about all this as it progresses. (Which means as I look more and more like OctoMom and less and less like a human! :)