So here I sit thinking back to the last few months and trying to remember what happened. Truthfully, time sped by and things happened at a pace that I had not experienced before in my life. When you have two little ones on the way, the planning and decisions tended to be a blur and you arrive at a place where you are comfortable without really knowing how you got there. Toward the end of the summer, this is where we found ourselves. My wife went back to work (she's a teacher), and things started to speed up for me with both work a school coming together...deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.
So we found ourselves in the last week of August with a shower planned for the 2nd week of September, a nursery that was painted (as of the week before) filled with half assembled furniture and little time for the next few weeks to really do much work. This was going to be alright because we would get through the first few weeks of busy times and as things started to round into form toward the middle of the month we would pick up where we left off, buy a few more things for the babies (like one of those mobile things for the crib), hang some art or maybe some curtains, and be truly prepared long before they were scheduled to arrive. The last Thursday in August (two days before Labour Day Weekend here in Canada, trust me the irony is not lost on me) we went in for an ultrasound. During our appointment the tech. went and found the doctor which had happened before and was pretty standard although this time it didn't feel standard. After a lengthy conversation, we found out that something wasn't quite right and that my wife would have to come into the hospital the following day for another ultrasound and possibly kept for the weekend so that there would be access to the equipment during the holiday. The issue, while I am not sure of medical terminology, is that it appeared that the two rooms our little ones had inhabited had joined together and that our babies had not grown in size in four weeks. If this issue would reverse itself then there would be no problem, if it didn't then we would have to consider inducing labour early...at the time, no biggy, we'll get through it.
The following day, I am at work on the busiest day of the year. Things are going well and I plan on coming up to the hospital with a bag full of goodies to get my wife through the weekend. As I am packing things up I get a call and for the second time in our pregnancy I answer a phone to tears..."Get Here As Soon As You Can" the voice says and quickly hangs up...I grab what I can and head to the hospital. I don't know how I got there, how long it took or even if I touched the ground from the parking lot up the stairs and into the Birthing Unit, all that I remember was a feeling of dread. Once I found my wife I discovered that her water had broken on our dog walk that morning (who knew) and that she had actually been in labour since noon. The hospital was frantically looking for a more advanced unit to transfer us to because they were not prepared for 31 week twins. Tense moments passed and we received the OK to be transferred to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, my wife by Ambulance and I in our car after stopping to pick up a few more things for overnight. Again, a blur of a car ride home and then downtown, quick phone calls to parents and siblings to ask for help with the dog and cat and to keep us all in their thoughts as things progressed.
Looking back on this part of our experience, it is very hard to express all of the ideas, thoughts and emotions of the day. It is equally challenging to put in perspective so that others can truly understand. What I do remember was feeling strangely at ease, despite all of the tension and running around. That those around me (meaning my family, colleagues and friends) were far more worried than I was or we were...perhaps it's because we had inside information or perhaps it was because we had each other...I do know that once I arrived at Sunnybrook and even before that, while we were together seeing my wife gave me a sense that everything was going to be alright.
So my "almost home" little men, the lesson I have learned from this is to believe in yourself and those you love when in high pressure situations. You will experience things that you are not prepared for throughout your life and you will have people who help you find your calm self and others who you will need to help find their calm selves. You have an incredible power to overcome, resiliency in times of crisis is something that is in your DNA, remember to breathe and take stock and believe. Sometimes, you will need to be the rock...relish these moments to be at your best and you will do great things.
Love, Dad
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