Big changes are afoot at Hancock Manor

I've enjoyed calling Christian, Cohen and myself the Hancock Three over the last two years.

But that's all going to change in a few months.

I'd love to say we're becoming the Hancock Four, but we're not.

Try the Hancock Five on for size.

Yes, we're expecting twins on July 8th.

After three attempts up at the fertility clinic, doing exactly the same thing we did when we conceived Cohen, we discovered we were pregnant at the end of October. On November 15 at 4:40 p.m. we saw not 1 but 2 embryos. I started laughing hysterically while Big C put his head in his hands, saying "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Since then, we've had opportunity to see them on two separate occasions. They are measuring a day apart but that's not out of the norm, I think--I forgot to ask. The fertility doctor was pretty sure they were fraternal since I had two follicles that released eggs. And the sonographer confirmed it. Which means we could have a boy and a girl. Not out of the realm of possibility, but with my sister's and my luck, I'm thinking there are two boys in there. We'll just have to wait and see when they're born. That's right, we're leaving it a surprise for everyone, including ourselves. There's nothing like waiting the entire time and having your husband announce what it is you've been carrying all these months. My eyes are welling up just remembering him announcing that Cohen was a boy.

When you find out you're having a baby, at least for me, it was so very exciting. No other emotion entered into the equation. But let me tell you something, when you find out you're expecting twins, there are other emotions that come into play, like fear. BIG TIME! I especially know what it's going to be like as I experienced it first-hand with my sister when she had twins. And a good friend of mine also had them. I'm just glad I'm surrounded by so much experience and wisdom. And I'm not going into this alone. I've already met someone at little c's "school" who's expecting two boys a couple of months before Thing 1 & Thing 2 come along. And I've also been told there's someone at church expecting them too. Should be fun, right?!?

I'm excited to say that I've already got friends and family informing me they are flying in to come help. I think I'll have about 8 weeks of help lined up with people coming from Canada, Idaho, Montana, California, and hopefully my friend who had quadruplets in Kansas. I have a feeling twins would be really easy for her.

It's been a lot of fun sharing our news with people. It took my sister (the one with twins) 10 minutes to believe that I was carrying two. It took my other sister a little less time to believe me. I guess when you're the prankster in the family, it's hard to believe someone when they share such news. Most people's reactions have been great, but a couple of people have shown more concern than happiness. Oh well, I'm not letting it get to me. Like I said, I know it's going to be really hard, for a really long time. But I also know it's going to be twice as rewarding.

I always wanted three kids but when we found out we were pregnant, Big C said "We've got our two, so you'd better enjoy this because we're not doing this again." I was sad but I knew he was right. He only wanted two and I couldn't change his mind. Let's just say it's taking him a little bit more time to adjust to the idea of having three kids rather than his perfect two. And it does mean we need a bigger vehicle. Either the Jetta or the Outback have got to go (my vote is for the Outback since I heart my Jetta). C also thought we'd need to move to a bigger house, but looking for a house, worrying about financing, packing, moving, and unpacking while pregnant with twins just isn't my idea of fun. So for now, Bryan Avenue will remain home. But when they start to get mobile, we'll probably have to start the search for something bigger than our current 1600 square feet.

There's so much more I want to share, but I'll save it for later posts. Will I post belly shots like I did with Cohen? Absolutely. Stay tuned for the comedy that will be my belly. In the meantime, meet Alex and Bobby-Jo. (Until we come up with better non-gender specific names...I'll take any recommendations you might have) They were the size of a kumquat (according to babycenter.com) when the paparazzi showed up in Maternal Fetal Medicine at St. Marks.