Double Blessings!!

Growing up, I always wanted to grow up and have 10 kids!!  I loved babies, loved playing with little kids, and that sounded like a good round number, so why not!!!  After our third baby (Drew) was born, we tried to have more babies, but it eventually became clear to me that it wasn’t God’s plan.  I was really sad, but I loved the three I did have, so I resigned myself to being a mom of three!!  

When Drew was seven, Shane was twelve, and Lindsey was fourteen, it started becoming quite obvious to me that my baby havin’ years were not quite over.  I couldn’t believe it, all these years later and I was having another baby.  I was so excited, but about as scared and timid as I was when I was pregnant with my first.  I finally told Dan my suspicions and we bought a pregnancy test and hid in the bathroom to take it so the other kids wouldn’t know!!  Just as I had suspected - positive.  I immediately made a doctors appointment to confirm.  

At this point, I was a little freaked out.  I mean my other kids were really old and I was sure they wouldn’t know what to think.  Plus, in my mind, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for this baby, it was going to be like an only child while the others all had each other.  I remember asking God what in the world He was thinking and why I hadn’t gotten pregnant when I wanted to, back when the kids were way younger!!  I nicely explained that it would have been better for this baby if it had come along when the other kids were younger and that now I was afraid this one would be lonely!!  

I remember telling the kids and trying to be considerate of their feelings, especially our daughters.  The next morning, Drew asked me if I was upset about the baby.  I was shocked, I hadn’t meant to come across that way at all, I was truly excited.  He began to explain to me that it was his fault I was pregnant and that he didn’t want me to be upset about it.  He kept saying, “Mom, I did this!!”  He told me that ever since he had turned seven, he had been giving his offering at church and praying every day that he would get a baby brother or sister, so this had to be his fault.  Of course, I told him there was NO FAULT and that I was super excited about the baby and so thankful he had been praying for a baby.  I encouraged him to thank the Lord for answered prayers.

Lindsey, on the other hand, was excited, but extremely sicked out!!  She cornered me and in her very best, 14 year old, authoritative voice said, “Mom, I know how this happened, and I know I was probably even home when it did!!”  She continued with, “I’m excited about the baby, but it better never happen again, that’s just sick!!”  I couldn’t help but laugh!!

About a month later, Shane comes out of his room and said, “Mom, you might be mad at Drew and I, we’ve been praying every night for twins!!”  I laughed and said, “it would sure be nice if you guys would run those prayer requests by me before you pray them so I can be ready for the outcome!!”

About the same time, I really started feeling like something wasn’t right with this pregnancy.  I was about 3 1/2 months along and it just didn’t feel right!!  I called my doctor and she had me come in so she could check me.  She took one look at the size of my belly and said, “I think we will do an ultrasound.”  This scared me bad, she even thought something was wrong!!  A gallon of water later and I’m on the table praying that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be too bad.  Right off, she kind of laughed and said, “You are right, this isn’t a normal pregnancy, there’s two of them!!”  I couldn’t believe it, I laughed, and I cried, and I laughed some more!!  Twins - REALLY!!  I guess all that worrying about an only child was for nothing!!  Obviously God had a plan after all and didn’t need my two cents!!  And in the future, remind me to send all my prayer requests through my kids from now on!!

We were so excited all our worries and fears were taken care of just like God promises, and in the midst of all this, my kids were seeing answered prayers in such an obvious way!!

That’s the short version of how the twins came to be...

It was a great pregnancy, everything went as it should, I was health, happy,  and LARGE!!  You can thank me for not posting pictures!!  Every part of me was extremely pregnant!!

9-9-99 - Identical twin boys!!  Adam Daniel and Isaac Daniel (both named after their dad), they weighed in at 8 pounds a piece!!  The first time they laid them in my arms, I remember the tears and the laughter!!  They were so precious, so beautiful, and they stole my heart!!  OH THE JOY!!!

Today, we will celebrate 11 years with two of the sweetest guys around!!  They have filled my life with JOY!!  Watching them grow has been such a blessing!!  When they were little, they did everything alike, including sleeping positions.  

They had their own little language that just cracked me up.  They always wanted to dress alike.  They always sat by each other at church.  They got their teeth and lost their teeth on the same day.  They cried when the other one got hurt or was sick.  They played together and they even fought together, but they have always been best friends!! 

Now they are big and they don’t do everything a like.  They don’t dress the same, they don’t always pull their teeth on the same day, but they do still sleep the same and they still want the other one around all the time.  They are very thoughtful and caring, there is hardly a time I get in the car that one of them doesn’t hurry and open the door for me!!  

They still love all the same things, for the most part, and they are still best friends!!   They don’t have their own language anymore, but they do finish each others sentences.  They still hurt when the other one hurts, and they both love Jesus with their whole heart!!  

This whole twin thing has been amazing to watch and I am so thankful and blessed that God picked me to be their mom!!  I know God will do amazing things through them, He has already begun and I can’t wait to see all He has in store for them!!

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.  Jeremiah 1:5

Happy birthday Adam and Isaac!!  These have been the best 11 years of my life!!  I love you both so much!!

Counting it all Joy!!