The Pearsalls

We were a little early arriving at Precious Views, so we waited (im)patiently while another family saw their new baby boy. Finally, it was our turn to enter the ultrasound room. Everyone took a seat, and I made myself comfortable on the exam table. The huge screen was easily seen by everyone - I especially had an optimal view. After squirting an ample amount of ultrasound gel on my belly, the unsuspecting tech placed the probe a couple of inches below my belly button. Immediately I knew, though my brain couldn't process what I saw on the screen. Chuck saw them, too, but he was in the same unbelieving state as me. The tech began to ask repeatedly, "Are you sure you haven't had an ultrasound yet?" All I could think was, No, lady, or we wouldn't be here! Then she gave us the news, "Well, you're having twins!" Chuck, mom, Minnie, and I exclaimed simultaneously. "What??" "No Way!" "Oh MY GOD!" If only our reactions could have been recorded, we could surely win America's Funniest Home Videos. I began to tremble uncontrollably. If I weren't already lying down, I may have fainted.

Two Babies!

TWO BABIES! There are TWO BABIES inside of me. My mind raced with all of the implications of the news. How am I going to take care of two babies at once? How will I breastfeed two at the same time? Will I ever sleep again?

While these thoughts bounced around uncontrollably in my head, the tech continued her examination, first finding our little boy, then the girl. A boy AND a girl. I could have never imagined that we would be having twins. Our third AND fourth child.

We thanked the ultrasound tech and piled back in the car - our minds reeling. On the hour and a half ride home, we took turns calling relatives and friends. Minnie called Grandma Mamie, and we all heard her say, "You don't mean it!" on the other end of the line. She was ecstatic. Minnie then called Bonnie who was equally surprised, "TWINS!" Chuck texted Tom and Will, and I called Bethany. There was one person left to notify - Dad. We decided to let him see the news for himself and took the DVD for him to watch.

Dad doesn't get overly emotional about anything, so his reaction to what he saw on the video was something that we don't see often. While his voice remained as calm as ever ("I see two!"), his eyes gave away his shock and excitement. I know it is a cliche, but his eyes grew to the size of saucers, and he didn't look away from the screen the entire 16 minutes of the video.

Me, on the night we found out about the twins - 17 weeks, 3 days.