Good things come in pairs

Two years ago today, Carlos and I found out we were having twins. Although the idea of having two babies at once was alittle terrifying, we were absolutely THRILLED. Our biggest concern at the time was getting through the first trimester. I had had a previous miscarriage 5 months before, and was anxious to be out of the woods and into the "safer" part of pregnancy. Little did we know that a miscarriage was the least of our concerns. At 18 weeks, I felt my first contraction. At only 23 weeks, I went into Labor and Delivery for frequent contractions. It was thought that I may have a bladder infection; it turned out to be preterm labor. I was immediately put in an ambulance and sent to MUSC in downtown Charleston. The labor was stopped with medicine, but I had already begun to dialate, so I wasn't going anywhere.
I spent NINE LONG WEEKS in the hospital, in and out of labor. My first goal was to get to 24 weeks, then 28, and then 32. At baby born at 32 weeks of gestation has just as much chance of surviving as a 40 weeker, with no long term consequences from being premature. I was determined to make it to 32 weeks. At 32 weeks and 4 days, our twins arrived, weighing only 3 pounds 10 ounces, and 3 pounds 15 ounces.
Anna and Carlos are truly our miracles. Everyday I spent at MUSC, I prayed for just one more day of being pregnant so our babies would have a better chance. They certainly had a rough start to life... both babies were on ventilators and Anna had to have a chest tube inserted. The first month of their life was a roller coaster ride, and Carlos and I only seemed to speak in a language filled with words like CPAP, bradycardia, apnea episodes, PICC line. A language no parent should have to speak. But in the end we were blessed with two healthy, happy, babies.
So, two years ago today, we had no idea what we were in for. What an amazing and special gift from God, for Him to trust the two of us to be parents to these miracles. Being a mother of multiples is a wonderful experience, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It may be twice the work, stress, and chaos, but it's also twice the love, joy, and rewards. We are so proud of Anna and Carlos!

On another note, we had pictures taken of the twins last night. A very talented mother in our Twin's Club did them, and you can go to her website to view them. It's www.rachelacordphotography.com. The baby on her main page is Katie, and if you go to client proofs, the password is OrtizTwins.

Also, the twins were moved to the Toddler Room at Mother's Morning Out! Because they have been late developers, they have remained in the Infant Room longer than most of the kids. I have to admit it was somewhat embarassing having three kids in the Infant Room!

And finally, because I feel like a horrible mom for hardly mentioning Katie tonight, here's a cute picture of her getting a bath.