The Biggest Surprise, Part 2

Remembering the events surrounding the time in which we found out we were having twins and sharing the news to everyone. Read the beginning here.

After a couple of minutes or so, she looked up and said, "OK" and then she paused. The pause was long enough for me to start worrying. I thought something was wrong. Finally, she continued with "I see twins."

There are no words to describe the feeling at that moment. I could not believe it. Casey and I were both speechless. I am so thankful that Casey was with me. If I remember correctly, I just started laughing because I didn't know what else to do.

We didn't have long for the news to sink in before we got down to business. Almost immediately, my doctor came in to talk with us. She informed us that she had thought twins were a possibility based on my exam just minutes before (I'll spare you the "feminine details!) Among other things, she discussed the possibility of a "vanishing twin." Occasionally, on early sonograms there will be two sacs, and then at later sonograms, only one will remain. Since I was only seven weeks along, she advised that we keep the news to ourselves until I was closer to 12 weeks. We sat in her office for quite a while discussing all things twins. I was having trouble forming any intelligent sounding questions, because I was still reeling from the news!

When we left the doctor, Casey headed back to work. It was a Thursday, and the one day of the week that I was working. I went to the office and did therapy for the afternoon. Those clients should probably get a refund because my head was not in it! That afternoon, I called two people. One was a former coworker who had toddler twins and then a single baby within the span of 17 months. The other a friend from grad school. I had told Casey that I would only tell those two people. I needed someone other than Casey to discuss this with, or I was going to drive him crazy!!!

My parents spend the summers in Colorado, and they had already left for the summer. I knew that I couldn't break this news over the phone, and we were headed up there the week of July 4th. We decided we would wait to tell our families until this week. Coincidentally, I would also be 12 weeks during our vacation. That was over four weeks away! It was tough to keep such a big secret for that long.

Over those next few weeks, the news gradually started to sink in. I couldn't believe it. Neither Casey nor I have twins in our families. We never thought it was a possibility that we would have twins. I was nervous about the pregnancy and increasingly worried about how this would affect Clare. Not only was she going to be a big sister, she was going to be the big sister of twins. I was ready to tell our families, but also wanted to get to a point where we were out of the danger zone. Each week that passed was one week closer to the big reveal!

I had another doctor's appointment when I was eleven weeks pregnant, the week before we left for Colorado. We had decided to tell Casey's family before we left. I dropped Clare off at my in-laws (told them I had an eye doctor's appointment), and Casey met me at the doctor. I was very anxious to have another sonogram and ensure that there were TWO healthy babies! As much as we hadn't planned for these babies, they were already a part of our family.

During the sonogram, they saw two healthy, strong heartbeats. Hallelujah! We met with the doctor again, and she gave us the go-ahead to spread the word! I was more than ready.

Casey followed me to his Dad and Mary's house, where Clare had been playing. Scotty and Mary weren't planning on Casey being with me, so I am sure they thought that was odd. We went in, sat on the couch and told them the news. Of course, they were shocked! It was fun to start telling, and I was ready to continue spreading the news.

Next up, Casey's mom and Dan. We decided we would drive to their house that evening after Casey got off of work. Little did we know they already knew! Over the past few weeks, Casey had been interviewing for a new job within his company. This job would allow him to remain in Dallas for the next couple of years. With our new development(s), we thought this was critical. Long story short, a relative of Dan's who works for Casey's company told Dan our news that very same day. However, we didn't know that when we got to their house.

So we walk in and Casey says, "We have some news. Hayley is pregnant with twins!" They were excited, of course, but I remember thinking they weren't as shocked as they should have been. Later in the evening, we discovered all of the events that had transpired that day. Now, I understood why they weren't 'jaw-on-the-floor' surprised.

All of this happened on a Tuesday, and we left for Colorado on Friday. We picked up my grandmother on Friday night, and she traveled with us on Saturday. We had to keep it a secret for 10 hours on Saturday, never saying a word about it. I was secretly sneaking snacks in the car because I was always starving, but she never suspected anything.

We arrived in Colorado, where my brother and sister-in-law already were. I had previously told Casey that he needed to make our announcement early because I couldn't keep it quiet much longer. He took me literally! We pulled up to the cabin and walked out onto the deck. Casey immediately said, "We have some news. I got a new job. We are staying in Dallas. Hayley is pregnant, and we are having twins." (My mom still laughs about how quickly he said all of this.) I thought my mom and my grandmother were going to pass out. They were as shocked as I was. We got out the sonogram pictures for "proof."

All of our family knew, and I was now free to call my friends. The reactions were varied from "Congratulations," to "I don't believe you." After some convincing, everyone believed me and was very excited.

I loved sharing our news with everyone we loved. It was such an exciting time. After we told everyone, it definitely seemed more real. Now, looking at my almost five month-old baby girls, I am so thankful it was "real."

(Sydney-left; Jane-right; both a little blurry)