Surprise, Surprise!

WE'RE HAVING TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you read that right. We found out during our sonogram today that there's not just "a" baby in there, but there are TWO babies! Twins!

Backstory (Some Cool History): Prior to my pregnancy with Abigail, we lost a baby to miscarriage (in 2004). Shortly after that time, Aaron and I both thought "It would be cool to have twins." So, we prayed and asked the Lord for twins. Clearly the Lord has answered that prayer. It was a little delayed from what we were thinking, and definitely came as a surprise, but it is like a kiss from God! He heard the cry of our hearts, and He answered with a double blessing.

Story (How We Got the News): Today was my first prenatal appointment. I am 17 weeks pregnant, so that's quite late to be starting prenatal care. We went in for a sonogram right away. (Aaron was there for that part of the appointment). The tech squirted the cold gel on my belly and barely even started to take a look at things. She probably had moved the wand around for about two seconds when she stopped, took a breath, and asked "Have you had any care yet for this pregnancy?" I responded - "No, this is my first appointment" - and in the mere seconds that it took for me to say that and for her to she speak again, I was thinking "Oh, Lord! She already saw something that she's concerned about? What on earth could be so bad that she would see it within two seconds??" Thankfully, she didn't wait to respond "Well. It's twins." Aaron and I both said something exclamatory, smiled, looked at each other, and grinned goofy grins. We kept saying "Oh my gosh, we're having twins!" while alternating between joy and shock.

Stats (The Basic Info): Both babies are looking healthy and are normal size. Probably about half a pound each. They are both measuring just a little bit ahead of their gestational age...just like Abigail did throughout most of my pregnancy with her. "Baby A" is a girl. "Baby B" appeared to be a girl as well, but it was less clear. We're going to wait for the next ultrasound and hope we get a better view before calling it for sure. My due date is August 28, but it's very rare for twins to go full term. The midwives would like to see me get to at least 34-36 weeks, so basically anytime after mid-July is the "safe zone" for delivery, so to speak.

Thoughts (Our Reaction): We were thrilled and shocked, all in a moment. Our overwhelming reaction is joy. We are so blessed, so excited. We're still thrilled, and still definitely trying to grasp the reality of it all. We are just starting to think about all that this means for our family. Our planning process will look very different that we thought it would. The arrival of two babies at once has some significant ramifications on the practical realm. And on the heart!

Prayers, please!: We would appreciate your prayers as the pregnancy continues. Of course, our first and foremost request is that both babies be born healthy, with no complications. I will share other specific requests as time goes on...but at this point, general "health" is pretty much what we want. In the practical realm, we will be needing to find a larger vehicle. We currently drive a little Hyundai Accent, which we love. But there is absolutely no way that we could fit three car seats in the back. We are praying that the Lord will provide the right vehicle, at the right time.

So, that's the big news 'round here! Thanks for celebrating with us!

I will try to find a way to post some ultrasound pictures soon.