Retrospective

In my college sorority, whenever someone had really big news and they wanted to surprise everyone with it all at once, we had something called a “candle passing.”

You got in a circle, sang a song and passed the candle from person to person. As it went around, the more times it went around, frankly, the bigger the news somebody had to share. What you didn’t know was who had the news or the real nature of the news, but you counted the times the candle went past you and your excitement level grew. Was it the sister standing next to you? Were your suspicions correct? What could the news be?

There were a certain number of times the candle went by for a lavalier (a symbolic gesture of affection from a fraternity boy), an engagement and from returning alumni, a baby, perhaps.

Yesterday, had my sister, Sarah, and I been in the same sorority – we might have had a candle passing and with her news – I don’t know how many times that candle might have gone around! Yes, friends, there is BIG news in our family – bigger news than Sarah’s already BIG belly.

I was at CVS printing photographs yesterday when she called to tell me about her ultrasound appointment. I thought she was going to tell me that she changed her mind and decided to find out the sex of the baby due in October. I said, “You’re having a boy this time aren’t you?”

She was quiet.

“Maybe.”

Then, I had to sit down for what came next.

“It could be a boy, or boys, or a boy and a girl or girls,” she said.

What? Did I hear that correctly? Twins? Two babies? In your belly? We don’t have twins in our family!

“Are you joking,” I asked…this is the second time I thought she was joking. The first time I thought she was joking was when she told me she was pregnant in the first place, but I digress.

TWINS!

I could not function for the rest of the day. It was my first waking thought this morning when I got up. TWINS! I'm still thinking about it. Gotta go make dinner...twins....time to update the website...TWINS?....Where are my car keys?....t-w-i-n-s.

So, in a matter of hours, everyone’s attention has turned to these two little babies. The process of finding duplicate items has already begun and the consideration about what might be needed has begun as well: a bigger house, another crib (or two), etc. If you begin to think of all the ways twins can impact your life, it’s mind-boggling and I’m not even the one having them!

Without our mom, Sarah and I have each other…and I’m going to need to step up to help her because she’s going to have three little babies. This is uncharted territory – I’ve had two babies, but not at the same time. Plus, Eleanor, the big-sister-to-be, will still be a baby. I realize they could be boys, but I have this funny picture in my mind of three, nearly identical baby girls with curly red hair – Eleanor and her two smaller clones. And, since Eleanor is a clone of Sarah, they’ll be three “Mini Sarahs.”

You know, it is amazing how life spins on a dime. Everything seems to go a certain way until you get one piece of information that puts everything into perspective and your perspective changes. So, yesterday was a real turning point for all of us really as we begin preparing for the next few months and the many changes ahead.

(Please keep Sarah, her husband, Adam, and the babies in your prayers over the next weeks and months.)