Follow the pictures which tell the story of a new type of hidden glory I am 15 weeks into exploring:

And our reactions to that unmistakable “plus sign”:

No, Seth really was excited … I just caught him in this photo with a weird expression on his face.

And we were both a bit overwhelmed/scared, too, as any first-time parents will be. Then, let’s skip ahead a couple weeks to our first doctor’s appointment, when the sonographer showed us this image:

week 6 ultrasound

She interpreted the screen for us, telling us the TWO black portions were the TWO embryonic sacs for our TWO babies – “Baby A” and “Baby B” as they are now called in the medical world. We are having twins!! So our initial shock and excitement at pregnancy was, literally, doubled. As well as the accompanying overwhelming emotions and thoughts at trying to picture our family size instantly doubling, come some time this fall.

The FAQ’s:

“When are you due?” October 11th – but twins usually come at least 2 weeks early, so they’ll probably be September babies

[and the most asked question] “Do twins run in your family?” Yes, they do.  My maternal grandfather was a twin as well as Seth’s great-grandfather, but only the Mom’s side counts as far as the genetics go. No twins have appeared in either family since then, so our families are particularly ecstatic. My grandfather was a Congressman and his twin brother was a Baptist minister, so that seems to be a pretty good “twin” legacy for our family.

“What do your parents think?” Both grandparents-to-be are thrilled. Since Seth is an only child, these are the first grandchildren for Mom and Dad Nelson. My parents already adore being grandparents to precious Caleb, who’s almost a year old, so they are tickled pink to get the chance to have TWO more grandchildren so soon. I personally think Caleb is the most excited of us all, since now he’ll have cousins to play with. 🙂

“How do you feel?” I was unbelievably exhausted and intermittently nauseous until about week 12, when my energy returned and the nausea dissipated. What has stayed constant is HUNGER though. To be eating for three is actually quite the challenge. I literally eat almost hourly. Or else I become really hungry.

Speaking of which … time to go raid the ever-emptying refrigerator. There will be many more posts, I’m sure.

One last thought on the miracle of this “hidden glory”: because I’m having twins, I get to go to the doctor every two weeks and have an ultrasound each time. Since the very first day when we heard both heartbeats, it never ceases to amaze me of the miracle of two lives being created inside me. At week 14, these babies already had eyelashes and eyebrows! Wow … what glory … still hidden, but being revealed week-by-week with my ever-expanding appetite and belly – and with the modern technology of the ultrasound.