i was so pregnant. sooooooooo pregnant. did you know that 36.5 weeks pregnant with twins is the equivalent of 44.5 weeks pregnant with one baby? every inch of my body ached, and the skin on my belly was sore to the touch.
i was trying to stay positive, to remain upbeat til the very end, but it was rough. once we reached 36 weeks, my doctor told me they could come safely anytime and from that moment on i was almost constantly praying for delivery at the earliest possible second. i know the longer they can stay in, the better, but i WAS DONE!
on thursday (july 21st) i went to my twice-weekly doctor appointment, and to my joy, discovered i was 75% effaced and dilated to a 4. hip hip hooray! i don't think i've ever been as thrilled about the status of my cervix as i was that day. i had contractions every 8-10 minutes the entire day, and although they weren't very painful yet, they were steady as a heartbeat, and i was SO EXCITED. i called orlando and he rushed home early from work, and we headed to the mall to walk these boys OUT! we walked and walked and when we finally came home for dinner, i mopped the kitchen floor on my hands and knees, vacuumed, and paced the hallway- but the contractions didn't get harder or closer together. finally around midnight, i gave up and passed out asleep, exhausted from the contractions and physical exercise. i was bummed, but felt certain that sometime in the next 24 hours, i'd be in labor.
well, the universe must have had a good laugh at me, because for the next three days, i didn't have a single contraction. not one! not even braxton hicks contractions, which had been my constant companions for the last 6 weeks. it felt strange, like everything was way too calm, and it was completely maddening. orlando and i were on edge all weekend, waiting, walking, waiting, walking, and when absolutely nothing happened day after day, it made us crazy. the weekend stretched on for an eternity, and on monday morning, a very disappointed orlando headed back to work again. i was starting to think that the twins were going to hang in there all the way until august 3rd (the c-section date!)!
tuesday morning was 37 weeks on the dot, and another doctor appointment, and i told myself on the way not to expect much, as all signs of labor had completely disappeared- or so i thought. my back had been hurting really bad since i woke up that morning, but i just assumed it was another lovely pregnancy ache. it was strong, deep and low, but was constant- it didn't come and go like contractions. my appointment was with the physicians assistant, as my doctor was working at the hospital that day, and when she checked me to see how dilated i was, her face was surprised. she said i was very dilated, and would i mind having the midwife check me to verify? of course i said yes, and at this point i was wondering how dilated 'very' was. the midwife came in and checked me, and almost immediately my back pain intensified, and a strong contraction came rolling in like a tidal wave. she smiled and announced 'you're a very stretchy 6, possibly a 7 and 100% effaced! looks like you need to head over to the hospital!'
seriously??!! i was not expecting that at all and my heart was suddenly racing. TODAY! TODAY WAS THE DAY! my relief and excitement could not be contained!! they called the hospital to let my doctor know i was on my way, i called orlando to hurry home and meet me at home so we could go over together, and the whole way i was praying that they wouldn't be born in the car...
darling owen, 
