happy birthday boys!

in celebration of the boys turning ONE i thought i would write down their birth story. because it's a good one.

the morning of december 3rd i woke up and just felt different. i had been feeling so much pressure the weeks leading up to the big day but it just felt more intense, which i didn't think was even possible. so in the back of my mind i thought "i think something is going to happen today", but i didn't get my hopes up.

that afternoon i had my last appointment, and andrew had to drop me off at the door because i could barely walk. i peed in a cup one last time (that was getting ugly people), got weighed one last time (YIKES) and waddled back to the room. our doctor came in and i figured he would want to check me since the previous week i was already at a 3-4cm. but he just talked us through the induction process- i had one scheduled for the following week- did a quick ultrasound and said "i'm excited to deliver these babies next week!" that was it. i almost asked him to check me but the thought of having to get my pants off and back on made me keep my mouth shut. so we slowly made our way back to the car and i dropped andrew back off at work. now, at this point i hadn't been driving anywhere by myself. but it just had to happen that way that afternoon. and of course it was raining, which means the people of san diego turn psycho and forget how to drive. we saw two accidents on our way to the doctor. so it really is a miracle i made it home without anything happening.

i got home around 4:00 and was exhausted so i laid down on the couch in my mom's living room, aka the nice couches. she and emery were watching a show in the other room. around 4:40 i felt the pop. and then a tiny leak. and then i stood up and the flood gates opened. thank the lord i didn't ruin my mom's couch! i yelled over to my mom "um...my water just broke!" and the party got started. my mom called my dad at work to come stay with em and i went and struggled to get my soaking wet pants off. and no joke within 5 minutes i went from having no contractions to pretty strong ones about every 3-5 minutes. my mom drove me to the hospital and in the 20 minute drive my contractions got INTENSE. andrew met us there and his first sight of me was having to brace myself as i got out of the car because a contraction started. those things suck.

we made it up to triage and got called back to get checked. the nurse wanted me to get hooked up to the monitor to check the babies but i just couldn't get myself on the bed. andrew had to get my clothes off and the gown on me because i wasn't getting a break from contractions. finally she said to try to get on the bed after a contraction ended so she could just check me and we'd go from there. well ladies and gentlemen i was at a 7. so she forgot about monitoring the babies and got me in a room right away. this is where things get blurry in my memory. i remember a lot of people in the room. two nurses tried getting my iv to stay but i was drenched in sweat so the tape wasn't sticking. the on call doctor telling me for what felt like the millionth time "baby a is head down but baby b is transverse right now so there's the chance he may not cooperate with a vaginal delivery." she then checked me again- i had been in the room for probably no more than 30 minutes- and i was at a 10. ready to go. baby time! times TWO!

they wheeled me into the operating room (standard procedure with multiples even if you deliver vaginally) and at this point i just needed to push, i was in so much pain. but i also wanted to make sure i had an epidural and it worked just in case all the stuff the doctors had told me might happen actually DID happen. i had an awful experience getting an epidural with emery and my worst fear was having something like that happen again and then the delivery turn into an emergency c section and i had to be put under. the odds of that happening were so slim but it still scared me. so the angel anesthesiologist worked his magic and boom epidural in and working in less than 5 minutes. i never saw his face but i'd kiss him if i did.

it was time to push. so i started. about 10 minutes in the doctor called out into the hall "tell dr. so-and-so he doesn't need to come in for another 45 minutes" (two babies=two doctors) and when she said that i thought "oh HELL no, i'm not pushing for two hours like i did with emery!" so something in me made that next push really count and everyone said "keep that up!" the other doctor rushed in, and about 20 minutes later little oliver made his way into the world. they did a quick ultrasound and judah was a good boy and turned head down, and seven minutes later he joined his brother. at 7:13 we became a family of four and at 7:20 a family of five. and life hasn't been the same since.

the boys had to be checked out right away since they were technically premies, but everything looked perfect and they handed both of them to me and that's when it really sunk in that we had TWO babies. i remember having both of them in one arm and they looked so tiny but felt so heavy haha! (side note- we make huge babies. they weighted 6lbs 5oz and 5lbs 12oz)

we still can't figure out how the heck we made identical redheads but i guess we are just extra lucky. and one year later, life hasn't gotten much easier. they came into the world fast and furious and that's how we've been living since. there's still lots of poop and barf and tears, but god has blessed us beyond measure and we are trusting in his plan for these blue eyed babes. oliver gives the silliest flirty smiles, is cautious and sensitive, extremely observant, and is the talker out of the two. judah is (and has been since they we inside me) our crazy child, so adventurous, loves climbing, not as quick to give a smile as ollie, has serious highs and lows with his emotions, and can scarf down an entire banana in about 45 seconds. i can't wait to watch their personalities blossom even more over this next year. they truly are our greatest adventure.