We woke up at 4:30 am on March 28, 2012.  The big day was finally here! I didn't feel nervous until we started driving to the hospital. I was the first person in my family to ever have a c-section so naturally I was very apprehensive. I tried to keep my cool. I didn't want to let my husband know I was nervous because that would just make him more nervous. We walk into the hospital room, get in our hospital gowns, the nurses put in my IV and then we wait.  Then the guy who I'm scared of most walks in, the anesthesiologist. I waddle down the hall with him, leaving my husband alone in the cold dim hospital room.  We walk into the operation room; it was freezing! And I mean ridiculously cold! I still don't know why.  So then the fun part begins. I have now learned that I have a weird spine and the discs in my back are really close together so it is really hard for anesthesiologists to find the right spot to put in a spinal or epidural. So it took him three times to get the right spot! Three times are you kidding me! Yeah I felt the first two punctures in full, the numbing didn't really work.  So when he finally got it I was like, ok is it the right spot? Am I going to feel them cut me open? I was a mess.  I was really really scared and shaking like a leaf. My doctors came in, they put the sheet up, and I'm like ok no backing out now; not that I had a choice anyway. Then my husband came in and I was sooo happy to see him. 
     They started cutting, and thank goodness I didn't feel pain.  A couple minutes later I heard the best sound in the world; my beautiful baby Emery crying at full volume! A huge wave of relief came over me and I wasn't nervous anymore.  It only took them another minute to get Catherine out and she was crying just as hard as Emery.

                                                           Emery Jane Smith 6lbs 4 oz

                                                      Catherine Marie Smith 6 lbs 5 oz

     After a very long 38 weeks I had my two beautiful healthy babies!

     Almost a year ago my husband and I were sitting in the ultrasound room waiting to hear the heartbeat of our second child. The doctor came in and started the internal ultrasound where we could see our little bean growing inside me.  It was so exciting to hear it's little heartbeat and see it on the monitor.  But what's this? The doctor says there is a second heart beat; this can't be right.  "Are you joking?" I ask the doctor about three times.  "Nope there's a second heartbeat, see the two sacks?"  I look at my husband with tears in my eyes; tears of joy, of fear, of confusion, of excitement.  We stare at each other with the same look on our faces then we look back to the monitor. It was true we were having twins!

     Month after month I watched them grow and still it was hard to believe.  With no fertility treatments or family history it was truly a miracle and meant to be.  There are a lot more things to worry about with a twin pregnancy but luckily I had no health problems.  Oh did I mention that I made it to 38 weeks which is considered full term for twins! I bet I could have made it to 40 but luckily they don't let you go that long because I was huge!

     This picture was taken at 37 weeks I believe, so....yeah. At about 33 weeks I was measuring as if I were full term with one baby.  And also at 33 weeks I was like "ok I'm done with this whole being pregnant thing!" I honestly didn't know how I could mentally and physically make it to 38 weeks. I got a lot of stretch marks from my first pregnancy so I thought "there's no way I could get more."  Oh boy was I wrong.  Somehow, I don't know how, but somehow your skin is able to create stretch marks on top of stretch marks.  My poor stomach will never be what it use to be but it was worth it in the end. This pregnancy was also a lot harder because I have a 2 year old. I know right? It was really hard to even get off the couch so I don't know how I even took care of her.  But hey she is still alive and thriving!

It's a girl and it's another girl! It was a shock that I was having two more girls, I thought for sure one was a boy but what do I know.  But I'm so happy that I have two more little princesses! I will write more about the day they were born in the next post.  I got two hungry babies to feed and a toddler who needs some attention!