Lola, the Big Sister!

The title of this blog post says it all - Lola is about to become a big sister!

I am pregnant, due in January 2020 - except it is very likely that our household is going to be turned topsy turvy on its head late this year rather than next - because...

drumroll...

...


I am pregnant with TWINS!

And it's pretty tough to get to a full 40 week term with two babies crammed in there. 

Yes, that's right.  Two babies.  You could have knocked us over with a feather when we first found out.  It is what they call a "spontaneous" multiple pregnancy, which means we certainly were not expecting it!  I have no history of twins anywhere on any side of my family, so I guess the blame lies with Michael, who does have a set of fraternal twin siblings.  Except, my ob/gyn and the structural sonographer both believe that these are fraternal twins, so maybe the blame still lies with me because my body decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and release two eggs in one ovulation cycle.

All of our family members and a lot of friends know by now and, at this point, given the state of my belly, so does everyone at work and any stranger who sees me.  I am at 17 weeks and look like I am at 24 weeks.  This twin thing is no joke.  I am carrying two of everything (two placentas, two amniotic sacs, two babies!) and it certainly shows.  I already feel as big as a house.  I'm not sure how I still have 20 weeks to go?

Snapped today after I attended a pre-natal class.  I'm wearing all black hoping for the magical slimming effect.

Thankfully, I have had no nausea or sickness despite warnings that the double dose of hormones may be a doozy.  I may have felt a little bit more fatigue but honestly, my life has been such a whirlwind what with travel to Taiwan, China, Japan, the U.S. and Australia in the span of 4 months that I'm not sure how much of it has to do with pregnancy.  I have had no cravings or aversions and generally feel very normal.  Except for perhaps one insane crying jag about a week ago when I absolutely lost it after pulling my third night of not sleeping until 6 am and was so tired and depressed that I could not think straight, my hormones have stayed in check.

I am trying to enjoy my time with Lola as much as possible in these next couple of months.  My darling precocious daughter, the apple of everyone's eye, who has basked in the attention of a doting mom and dad, caring helper and attentive nanny thus far, is about to get a very rude awakening when not one, but two, noisy, hungry, demanding, annoying babies intrude on her precious turf!  The night we first found out that I was expecting twins, I burst into tears while thinking of Lola and worrying about the impact that this would have on her.  I felt my heart breaking for her at how much her world was going to be rocked.  (Ok, so actually, maybe my hormones have not entirely been in check this pregnancy.)

My hope is that during this time Lola will get used to the idea of having baby siblings.  We have been reading books to her to introduce the concept - today she said in both English and Chinese, "Lola is a big sister now."  And she understands that there are babies in my belly, and today she even put her little hands on my belly and gently patted, and also leaned in and gave my belly a kiss.  When she had the picture of the moon spread out on the floor, she even offered for the babies to step onto the moon - which was very generous given she usually reserves that honor for her favorite people and objects.

We found out very early because I suspected right away that I was pregnant when I was only a couple of days late.  But then about 6 weeks in, I got worried because I had some spotting and light bleeding and decided to go in for a check up.  Given my concern, Michael decided to meet me at the clinic.  My beloved OB was out of town that day, so they scheduled me to see a male OB that I had never seen previously.  I clambered onto the table for the doctor to take an internal scan.  Immediately and to our relief there was the sound of a strong heartbeat.  He was thorough and checked everything carefully to make sure, even at the pea sized dot it was at the time, everything measured accurately and looked good.  We were pretty much done with the examination and Michael and I, albeit about to be second time parents, had exhausted our endless barrage of confirmatory questions (mostly along the lines of, "Are you SURE everything looks ok?") and were getting ready to leave.  Then the doctor said, "there's just one other thing."

That alarmed me immediately, because I thought we had just covered all the bases.  I asked him, "What?"  and he responded, "There's another one." 

!!!  I think I said, "You're joking!" to which I think he solemnly assured me that he was not.  He seemed a bit shaken and surprised as well - I think he had just realized it moments before he told us.  To say I was in denial and shock would be an understatement.  Michael says that once the doctor said that "there's just one other thing," he knew that they were twins.  I had no clue and was still worrying about chromosomal abnormalities.  Twins - the mere possibility of twins - never even entered my mind.

Needless to say, we walked out of the clinic stiffly and in complete shock, forgetting to pay the bill and not bothering to pick up any of the information packets they were preparing for us.  We walked to the Starbucks downstairs in silence as our minds raced to try to process the implications of this life-changing news.  Michael later said that he thought no one piece of news in his life had to that point  completely altered the course of his life as this did.

We have now had a bit of time to process.  In that time, we have come to terms with the fact that we are going to grow from a family of 3 to a family of 5.  We will have 3 kids under the age of 3.  Hell, 3 kids under the age of 25 months!!  We are not going to be traveling anywhere for a while.  It is going to be utter mayhem, exhaustion and chaos.  And probably really sweet and very cute and loving...!  Who am I kidding, we are excited but terrified. 

There have been a lot of lifestyle changes in anticipation of this momentous event.  We have located an apartment that is literally double the size of our current apartment (and double the price!) and signed the new lease.  It is 4 bedrooms and comes with a car spot and is in a different part of town.  We are planning to buy a car and have even decided on the exact model and style we want (it is very slim pickings here in Hong Kong if you want an 8 seater car, which is what, practically, we think we need) - we just need to pull the trigger and order it.  We have bit the bullet and purchased an astronomically expensive membership to The American Club which will give us access to a town club and a country club, along with access to swimming pools, children's play areas, tennis courts and various restaurants.  Basically, money is flying out the window at the speed of light.  

This is before we have even started to buy baby gear in earnest - because in what has to be one of the most not-funny life practical jokes, having twins is such a different situation from having one child that lots of Lola's old baby gear is insufficient or inappropriate.  We need three car seats, a stroller that can somehow fit a toddler and two babies, another crib, another carrier... there is no luxury of being able to recycle or reuse because they will be here simultaneously.

Our parents are already talking about when they should fly out to hug and kiss and cuddle and hold the babies.  Michael and I are bracing to bring on as much help as we can possibly get.  Throughout all of this we are committed to ensuring that Lola continues to feel as much love and attention that she has been getting to date.

I guess there's not much more to say except that Christmas 2019 will be one to remember (or perhaps one that I remember nothing of, because I will be in a near comatose state of sleep deprivation).