How much can I learn in one year?

It's hard to believe, but this time last year I was lying in the very same bed I'm in now (though I was typing on an older and busted laptop) saying over and over again to my belly, "I love you both, but please get the hell out."

My c-section had already been scheduled for March 15. I knew I was only a couple of weeks away, but I was miserable. I know every pregnant lady is miserable toward the end, but keep in mind my actual due date was APRIL 10. Twins come much earlier. Triplets even earlier. Quadruplets, well, you get the idea. The more you have in your litter, the harder it is to keep 'em in there the whole time.

Of course, I couldn't move. I could barely get up by myself. I knew the twins were measuring in, at 7 weeks before due date, at almost seven pounds. That's a lot for twins, especially for twins that early. Most twins that age measure in at around 4 pounds. Maybe 5.

I ALMOST resorted to wearing Depends. TMI? I know.

Anyway, in readying for my babies' first birthday party, I was thinking back on all the terrifying, crazy but mostly good events that happened during this pregnancy and first year.

• One of the first things that always comes to mind is a friendship I was able to make stronger during this time. I was down A LOT on bed rest, and when New Year's rolled around, I got a text from my friend Emma confirming that she was also pregnant. We had always been friends, but through this shared experience we were able to become closer and, I think, are much better friends. I honestly wouldn't know how to get through some days without texting her.
• When I first heard the news, I was terrified. But then I saw an episode of 16 and Pregnant where a teenager had twins, and I was totally, like, I can do this. I'm not kidding. That girl handled it like a pro.
• Then I started to look for the awesome things about having multiples.
• You get to play the "I'm pregnant with multiples" card for so much. I ain't lyin'. After I looked 6 months pregnant at only 3 months, people really were willing to do pretty much anything for me.
• I got to ride the electric cart at Wal Mart. No joke! I really couldn't walk farther than from the car to the cart.
• There was virtually no weight gain because I had two babies sucking it out of me. After giving birth, I was lighter than when I started.
• I got the bed to myself the last two months. I was too huge for there to be room for both of us.
• It was the one time in my life I wasn't concerned about being fat anywhere. I actually got a T-shirt that said, "I'm not fat. I'm pregnant with twins!"
• I got away with not wearing pants because I couldn't put them on. This prohibited me from leaving the house, which was awesome.
• I got to see my doctor all the time. And my doctor was so much fun! If you're in San Antonio and pregnant, go see Dr. Bryan Cox. He made me forget I was there because I was pregnant most of the time. He just treated me like we were having a beer and then gave me Darvocet to go home with.
• That's another thing about being pregnant with multiples. The pain is unbelievable. But they give you fun drugs to make up for it. And then they tell you it's ok because the stress of the pain will hurt your babies way more than the drugs ever would.
• Also, I got TONS of ultrasound pics. They did them in the same room where I had my checkups.
• I learned that you pretty much know which baby is which throughout the entire pregnancy. Fun little multiples fact.

So those are pretty much the pre-delivery fun facts. After you have the babies, it's a whole other story. Here's what I've learned in the past year.

• Two babies are sometimes easier than one. Sometimes. Mostly no.
• When they come out of the womb and you are not aware if you're having identical twins or fraternal twins, even in your doped-up haze, you will be immediately grateful if you got what you wanted out of that deal.
• The drugs are damned good. You really do get to pick which way you want to have your babies if you have more than one. I opted for a c-section, and I've never been happier with a choice in my life. It was a breeze for me. Some women don't have that experience, but I thought it way easier than the way I got Mitchell out!
• Having "preemies" sucks. My babies were 7 lbs. each, but they were technically preemies since they were born at 35 weeks. They sent Harry to the NICU because he grunted. He still grunts.
• Daytime commercials are all for places like "Career Point College". Thanks, Career Point! And daytime TV sucks so bad. Even the cable channels. Most of the time, I enjoyed sitting with the babies as they slept without the TV on. It's amazing what maternal bliss can sometimes do.
• Coupled with maternal bliss, you also get to deal with maternal irritation times 2. Or more. After I have a baby, I get this feeling of extreme irritation when anyone tries to touch me. That increased not by 2 but by about 2 million.
• The sleep deprivation is so much worse than with one baby. Even when you start out intending to get them on a schedule, it takes time to establish it. We didn't get the babies sleeping through the night for real until they were roughly 9 months old.
• Sleep training. Of some kind. You have to have a plan. When you have more than one baby, that means more than one person has to get up in the night. That means you can't hand the baby off to your spouse and sleep through the night. It's too much for one person to do alone.
• The attachment to two babies is so very strong. And the struggle to give them equal time is amazingly difficult. I have struggled with feeling more attached to Harry because he looks so much like me. It's an incredible bond to look at your child and see your own face. But then I look at Hank, and he has this smile that lights up his whole face. It's hard, but you come to the same place in the end.
• You HAVE to accept others' generosity. Whether it's a box of diapers (Thanks, Melissa!), babysitting help (Thanks, Shawna!) or female time away from the kids (Thanks, Lisa!), you have to depend on other people to keep you sane and operating at full force.
• Every baby really is different. I never understood this until I had two at the same time. They crawled at different times, they talked at different times, they held their own bottles at different times. It'll be that way throughout their lives, and I just hope I make them realize I love them enough that it doesn't matter who "wins".
• You can plan your whole life to have two kids and somehow magically end up with three.
• No, I wasn't on fertility treatments! I didn't do IVF! We weren't infertile! So sick of people asking me that.















• I'm sorry to anyone I ever asked in the grocery store, "Are they twins?" when I knew they were.

It's so hard to believe we're coming up on a year. We ordered the stuff for their birthday party last night. I'm seriously amazed I've been able to pull this off with them keeping all their body parts intact. And damn, they're cute!