on the drive home, and the drive to the hospital, my back hurt so bad. i had a few sporadic contractions that definitely hurt, but more than anything, i was in a lot of pain from the pressure in my lower back. we parked and i rejected the wheelchair- sitting was so much worse than standing at this point! so we slowly made our way up to labor & delivery, and the took us back to a triage room. it was the most beautiful room i've ever seen, because it meant our boys were going to be born that very day! i'm not sure i've ever been happier to be in the hospital and in pain!
my doctor came in and did a quick ultrasound to check the babies positions, and to our shock, baby b (little owen!) was BREECH! he was head down on thursday, and i have no idea how he found room to completely flip around, but there he was, head up by my ribs, his little feet on his brother's bum. at this point, i was, i admit, a teeny bit crushed. since i was in labor on my own, i had been thrilled at the chance to have them vaginally. i tried to convince the doctor and orlando that i could still pull it off, but the chance of delivering baby a vaginally and then baby b by c-section was way to awful to ignore. i'd rather have just a c-section instead of one of each any day of the year, so in the end, i conceded, and i instantly knew it was the right choice. my heart was peaceful and happy, and honestly, the thought of no longer being pregnant filled me with such joy, that my disappointment flitted away entirely.
they gave me a muscle relaxer to stop my labor, and set us up to wait for an hour until the operating room was available. it was the most surreal hour of my life- there we were, happy, not in pain, just waiting excitedly to meet our sweet boys. i had been dreaming of this moment for 9 months, and i couldn't believe it was finally here! we called family, texted friends, and talked about what to name them and what they were going to look like. it was like waiting for the sun to come up on christmas morning!
finally it was our turn! because i wasn't in labor, the spinal hurt like the dickens, and i may have screamed a little bit (i've never felt it before! labor has a way of distracting you i guess). but then we were good to go! it was the fastest delivery i've ever had- within 4 minutes of them starting, oliver was born, and just one minute later owen made his entrance too! two nurses brought them over for us to see, and they were red and perfect and screaming, and the whole room was filled with this electric joy. my face hurt from smiling and my heart was racing out of my chest. it was incredible! we all burst out laughing when they simultaneously started peeing all over the nurses, and everyone was congratulating us and cheering- it was a party! orlando followed them over to the warmers, and one by one, brought them over to me so i could cover their sweet faces in kisses. it was such a fun, happy delivery, and i loved every minute of the whole experience.
when i got to recovery, they placed them both on my chest and i couldn't contain my happy tears. they were here in my arms! they were so perfect, so pink and screaming with the cutest little scrunched up faces! i wasn't pregnant anymore! it felt amazing in every way to finally hold them. they were so tiny, yet i could not believe they both fit inside me! it was the perfect end of a long journey of carrying them and growing them, and it felt like such a gift, the fruits of my 9 months labors here and healthy and perfect. i don't think i've ever felt so accomplished and complete, and i fully basked in that moment. it was exactly what i'd hope and prayed for during all the hard days and moments. oliver and owen were completely and entirely worth it and i feel so honored to be their mama. they are truly double the fun, double the joy, double the blessings!
oliver
owen
oliver
mama & oliver
papa & owen
mama & oliver
owen
oliver
darling owen, 
