The hard part about living a life where your loved ones are in Heaven is trying to keep them alive here on earth as well. I like using the word testimony when referring to Nicholas and Olivia because I want to authenticate them. They did exist here on earth for a time. I also want to acknowledge that they are a part of our family even if we cannot perceive them with our senses. This is their story from their mother's point of view. Hopefully, one day their story from their father's point of view will be told too, because they have a great dad.
Corrie and I had gone back and forth for the four years since we had Sabrina on whether or not we would have more children. We had never felt strongly enough either way to make a final decision. The way I had remembered it, I loved being pregnant and really wanted to have the experience at least once more. However, both Corrie and I were apprehensive about going through again the intense self-sacrifice that a baby requires. After all, Sabrina was old enough to be fairly self-sufficient and we had a lot of freedom as a family. Around Sabrina's 4th birthday, Corrie and I finally decided that it would be good for her to have a sibling.
It must have lined up with God's plans, because we got pregnant right away. I was amazed at how quickly I grew, because I was in maternity clothes only two months into the pregnancy. We all joked about me having twins, because I was so big so fast, but our midwife reassured us that second pregnancies often showed a lot quicker.
In February 2007 Corrie and I went for my 18 week ultrasound. I had to go in by myself for the measurement part of the ultrasound, and not long after the technician started, she said, "Hm. Let's stop for a minute. What do you see here?" It had been 5 years since I had seen an ultrasound, and then only once, so I thought I was seeing a head and a little body. She replied, "There are two heads there." I was alarmed and asked, "On one body??" She reassured me quickly that there were two babies, two whole babies.
I started to cry. I was completely shocked and overwhelmed. We called Corrie in, and as soon as I saw him, I started to cry again and said to the technician, "You tell him..." Of course, Corrie looked like he had braced himself for bad news. The technician told him we were having twins. He was so excited! I felt so much relief that he was happy for us. He had to phone everyone with the good news right away.
Talk about changing all your plans! Changing your life, your dreams, your expectations! We immediately realized that everything had to change to prepare for the arrival of these two little ones. We sold our beloved VW Jetta and bought a minivan. We sold our little camper that went across Canada with us because it only slept 4. We sold the boat that only sat 4. Corrie sold his quad that he never had the chance to ride. We sold our tiny little house in Elmwood and bought a lovely house in North Kildonan. All in four months!
Being pregnant with twins was an amazing experience that I never thought I would consider doing again, but would do again in a heartbeat. I loved telling people I was having twins. I loved how big I was. I loved the abundance of carrying and sustaining two lives within me. It wasn't without its challenges, of course - I had to eat and drink constantly to ensure that I had enough calories for good growth; I had to get lots of rest; and at the end I was so enormous that I couldn't walk far, I couldn't sit at a table, and heartburn was my constant companion. Nicholas was nestled inside me on my left hand side, head down like the good boy he was. Olivia was out front on my right hand side, in a breech position with her head constantly in my ribs. I used to say that she would come out with a dent in her head from my ribcage. In the middle was a wonderful jumble of feet.
Our twins were finally induced at 39 weeks because it seemed like they had no plans of ever coming out. They were born on the morning of Corrie's birthday, July 18, 2007. Nicholas' arrival was fairly uncomplicated, but they had to pull out Olivia by one foot. I of course didn't see it, but Corrie did and he seemed quite traumatized for her. He spent some time with her in the NICU so they could make sure she was OK. She was so tiny - two pounds smaller than her brother! We were all healthy and didn't have to stay long at the hospital. When the time came to take them home, it felt wonderful to be the family with twins. We walked through the hospital with two babies and enjoyed the attention.
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