Ties and Tutus

I'm 18 weeks pregnant. Amazingly half way through our pregnancy, as twins are considered full term at 37 weeks. Wednesday, March 11, 2015 could not have come soon enough. It was the date of our 2nd trimester anatomy scan. We were finally going to find out the genders of our little bambinos, as well as confirming that all their organs were fully formed and functioning properly at this stage in the game. Our appointment was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. It was yet another very long day at work. I was so anxious.

The week prior, my dear friend asked me what we were going to do for the "reveal". I told her we had nothing planned because our appointment is so late in the day; AND everyone we know was waiting to hear the results. So waiting until the weekend to make the announcement was not going to fly! She said you have to do something, how about a simple reveal party. So Hubby and I discussed it and we planned a small get together for Wednesday night at 6:30, right after our appointment. We decided on ordering pizzas and soda. My friend was going to bring a salad and some cookies. I sent out a text to a special few asking them to join us. Our small get together turned into a gathering for 35 of our closest family and friends. I was feeling a little overwhelmed, but realized this was a great problem to have. What a blessing to have so many wanting to be part of such a memorable day.

As the day finally arrived, I was so worried that the babies would not cooperate and the tech would not be able to get a good view. We did not want to have to wait another month to find out, nor did we want to cancel the party at the last minute. However, as a sign of good things to come, the bambinos were perfectly behaved and the tech was able to tell right away. She continued to measure each baby and check their spine, kidneys, liver, heart, arms and legs. Everything looked great. The babies are each about 5 1/2 inches long (about the size of a sweet potato) and weigh about 8 ounces each. They can hear now, which makes Daddy very happy. He likes to talk to them every day. They are yawning hiccuping, sucking and swallowing - twisting, rolling, punching and kicking too. Although Mommy has not felt the babies move yet, I should be able to start feeling this in the next couple of weeks as the babies continue to grow. My appetite has increased dramatically, but my only real craving is ice cream. I've done pretty good in the weight gain department (shocker), as I've only gained 9 pounds thus far. My feet and hands are starting to swell (this 90 degree heat we've been having in March is not helping). I've had to remove my wedding ring; and I'm not sleeping well at all. But other than that I'm feeling great and so excited.

There were so many cute ideas for the actual reveal on Pinterest, but we decided we would get two boxes - one for Baby A and one for Baby B, and fill them with the appropriate color balloons. We planned on stopping at Party City on our way home from the hospital to pick up the balloons. My brother graciously offered to take on this task so that Hubby and I could be just as surprised as the rest of the guests and we could all find out together. So we had the ultrasound tech place the results in a sealed envelope and we handed that off to my brother. He was the first to know the sex of the babies - and did a great job keeping it to himself as we all waited to find out.

As our family and friends began to arrive the suspense was killing us, but we were able to put that on the back burner for a moment as Reese came home, all the way from school in Santa Barbara, to surprise Daddy and be with us on a very memorable night. We are so glad she did. It would not have been the same without her.

The time finally came for the big reveal. It was so much fun for all of us. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. I'm so glad we decided to wait and let my brother take care of the balloons - it all worked out perfectly. As we opened the box for Baby A - baby blue balloons came floating out. Our baby boy will be called Maximus Edward Becerra. A strong name, latin for "greatness," befitting a very special little boy who indeed has greatness in his future. Daddy finally gets a boy and Reese does not have to hyphenate her name! :) Hubby joked about the second box being full of blue balloons too - as he knew I really wanted a baby girl. I, of course, would be delighted no matter what, but it would really be a shame if all my french braiding skills went to waste!! It seemed like an eternity before the box for Baby B was opened - but with great joy we saw pink balloons gracefully flow out. Our baby girl will be called Grace Kathleen Becerra. Grace is derived from the latin word "gratia", meaning God's favor. I can' t think of a more aptly named child.

I was so excited, I forgot I was pregnant. I jumped up and down like a school girl. The atmosphere in that backyard that night was electric. Full of joy and excitement. We were all elated that we will be welcoming both a boy and a girl into this world. It could not have worked out any better if we planned it! God has truly blessed us a million times over. We were so grateful that so many of our friends and family took the time out on a school night to share this very special moment. We did miss a special few who were unable to make it, but look forward to the many special memories we will make in the future.