Today was a hot, humid mess of a day. For the umpteenth time some well meaning woman said, "Wow, you got yer' hands full there," in a tone mixed with pity and a harumphing youjustwaitandsee kind of feel. This was made all the better by the man next in line at the coffee shop who just looked at me, looked at my boys and shook his head.
I can only imagine what a mother of high order multiples must go through - my experience as a twin mom has me meeting these people and their ( sometimes ) well meaning comments on a daily basis.
I have been thinking of a retort, the best I can come up with is a wry grin followed by, "I feel pretty lucky" and somehow I feel that we can do better than that.
If ya' got any ideas, I would love to hear them.
Night - night for now,
Rachel
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
then to now...Part Deux
Ten days spent at the Royal Victoria Hospital, a health care facility that looks like it belongs in Transylvania more than Quebec. Dark looming towers and old ivy laden stones. Yep, ten days spent in a little room shared by four other expectant moms. My closest roomie to my right I labeled the "walrus" . She had the most disgusting habit of clearing her nose and throat at about ten minute intervals, really nasty. Nastier still if one is forced to listen, as I was, due to the whole bed-rest thing. Thanks to my sister and her awesome mags and food and to Matt who really tried to entertain me in those too -big 32 week along days!
April 26, 2009 while reading a little US Weekly sitting on my bed, a huge gush of water poured down my leg and on to the floor, contractions began, it was go time!
Matt and my sister arrived at break neck speed and I was suddenly in the most pain of my life - searing, burning back pain with no rest in between. I still don't know if all of this was"normal" or not. However, a little while later with a spinal block in place, a curtain before my face, I did not much care.
Henry and Eliot were rushed immediately to the NICU, I saw one then two squirming tiny babies go rushing away and Matt with them. While they spent three weeks in the NICU, we were lucky that the only things they suffered from were smallness. Henry was close to 4 pounds and Eliot was just over 3 and a half. They were tiny, but they were strong!
July 19th, 2009 - Matt and I make our way with a caravan of people helping to monitor our babies, cart our ridiculous amount of stuff and of course, at long last, pass through the border, finally.
One year has passed, Henry and Eliot just turned 15 months, so far so good. My intention now is to write about our day to day, my experiences here in Malden, MA. I am hoping that some will read, share even, but this is mostly for me. A place that works to put words to raising twin boys in the US with my lovely hubby, Matt.
I can't say this will be the most interesting or exciting blog that ever was, I think I am working on just being honest. Here's to the next part.
April 26, 2009 while reading a little US Weekly sitting on my bed, a huge gush of water poured down my leg and on to the floor, contractions began, it was go time!
Matt and my sister arrived at break neck speed and I was suddenly in the most pain of my life - searing, burning back pain with no rest in between. I still don't know if all of this was"normal" or not. However, a little while later with a spinal block in place, a curtain before my face, I did not much care.
Henry and Eliot were rushed immediately to the NICU, I saw one then two squirming tiny babies go rushing away and Matt with them. While they spent three weeks in the NICU, we were lucky that the only things they suffered from were smallness. Henry was close to 4 pounds and Eliot was just over 3 and a half. They were tiny, but they were strong!
July 19th, 2009 - Matt and I make our way with a caravan of people helping to monitor our babies, cart our ridiculous amount of stuff and of course, at long last, pass through the border, finally.
One year has passed, Henry and Eliot just turned 15 months, so far so good. My intention now is to write about our day to day, my experiences here in Malden, MA. I am hoping that some will read, share even, but this is mostly for me. A place that works to put words to raising twin boys in the US with my lovely hubby, Matt.
I can't say this will be the most interesting or exciting blog that ever was, I think I am working on just being honest. Here's to the next part.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
then to now...Part One
Well, thought I should keep writing, correction, I NEED to keep writing. It has been a more than a year since my last post...back then I was yammering on about the crazy-ness of returning from Korea and trying, somewhat miserably, to ease back into North American life, pheew!
SInce then much has changed.
Where to begin, after a time frame fraught with familial strife, and seemingly unending panic resulting (in my mother's words) from the "re-entry" back into the Western World. The re-entry process, and yes, I am using the phrase because it does call up some pornographic images, was difficult. The whole shibang having begun in May and culminating in June with our wedding, was quite something.
The post-wedded bliss left quite a hole in our lives and was quickly replaced by worry and angst over my US Visa. The homeland security barring me, a nice Canadian girl, from stepping into the states. So, I waited. Unable to stay at home ( read: unable to endure the absolute takemebacktosixteenevenlivinginthesameroom, ahhhhh!) I rented a rather dodgy sublet in beautiful Montreal.
I felt displaced, disproportionate, at right angles with everything. Yet, it began to feel comfortable, I began to breathe in and out, in and out.
Matt was coming to visit me every other weekend and taking the long drive from Boston, a six to seven hour stretch of mountains and road. God, I missed him with every aching molecule in my body. One of those visits yielded quite a surprise, pregnancy! Yeah, pregnant and alone, what fun!
Matt was working two jobs and I had picked up a nanny position with a wonderful family. We waited some more for the interview to be scheduled so that I could be with Matt. We waited some more. By the time six months had passed my belly had grown so much. Everyone kept asking when I was due thinking that it was probably in the next ten minutes.
Our first ultrasound appointment, Matt arrived new year's eve, the night before 2009!
The Quebecois hospital was mostly French speaking and while I fumbled along it did little for Matt who waited by my bedside as the sonographer stated matter of factly that there were "deux bebe" or two babies~
I saw the colour drain from Matt's face, he sat down and we both tried to absorb the shock of our twins growing in my huge belly.
We finally received notice of our interview date for the US visa, we arrived and me, in full bulbosity trying to work a maternity button up that was more than a little hard to button up. We went through the interview providing this document and that paper. I even had a certified US doctor measure my belly. I am almost convinced he was doing it to ensure I had "baby" in there and not padding, ugh!
April 16th arrived, there was a certified letter at the post office, I knew it was my visa. Finally, at long last, thank the heavens, wait...something wasn't right.
Later at the hospital, after the mucus plug had begun to fall out of me, after Henry's little bum was hanging so low in my pelvis, after a friend, my sister and phone-calls to Matt were made and, at break neck speed he arrived that evening, after all that. I was on bedrest and on major drugs to prevent my boys from being born. They were, unlike most things in our life, too early.
SInce then much has changed.
Where to begin, after a time frame fraught with familial strife, and seemingly unending panic resulting (in my mother's words) from the "re-entry" back into the Western World. The re-entry process, and yes, I am using the phrase because it does call up some pornographic images, was difficult. The whole shibang having begun in May and culminating in June with our wedding, was quite something.
The post-wedded bliss left quite a hole in our lives and was quickly replaced by worry and angst over my US Visa. The homeland security barring me, a nice Canadian girl, from stepping into the states. So, I waited. Unable to stay at home ( read: unable to endure the absolute takemebacktosixteenevenlivinginthesameroom, ahhhhh!) I rented a rather dodgy sublet in beautiful Montreal.
I felt displaced, disproportionate, at right angles with everything. Yet, it began to feel comfortable, I began to breathe in and out, in and out.
Matt was coming to visit me every other weekend and taking the long drive from Boston, a six to seven hour stretch of mountains and road. God, I missed him with every aching molecule in my body. One of those visits yielded quite a surprise, pregnancy! Yeah, pregnant and alone, what fun!
Matt was working two jobs and I had picked up a nanny position with a wonderful family. We waited some more for the interview to be scheduled so that I could be with Matt. We waited some more. By the time six months had passed my belly had grown so much. Everyone kept asking when I was due thinking that it was probably in the next ten minutes.
Our first ultrasound appointment, Matt arrived new year's eve, the night before 2009!
The Quebecois hospital was mostly French speaking and while I fumbled along it did little for Matt who waited by my bedside as the sonographer stated matter of factly that there were "deux bebe" or two babies~
I saw the colour drain from Matt's face, he sat down and we both tried to absorb the shock of our twins growing in my huge belly.
We finally received notice of our interview date for the US visa, we arrived and me, in full bulbosity trying to work a maternity button up that was more than a little hard to button up. We went through the interview providing this document and that paper. I even had a certified US doctor measure my belly. I am almost convinced he was doing it to ensure I had "baby" in there and not padding, ugh!
April 16th arrived, there was a certified letter at the post office, I knew it was my visa. Finally, at long last, thank the heavens, wait...something wasn't right.
Later at the hospital, after the mucus plug had begun to fall out of me, after Henry's little bum was hanging so low in my pelvis, after a friend, my sister and phone-calls to Matt were made and, at break neck speed he arrived that evening, after all that. I was on bedrest and on major drugs to prevent my boys from being born. They were, unlike most things in our life, too early.
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