Best Christmas Gift Ever

Well, the verdict is in.
Yesterday morning we went in for our 20 week sonogram. For weeks I had been counting down the days. I was dealing with much anxiety, so much anticipation throughout the past couple of months wanting to know just how the little ones were doing and growing.

So far, so good!
Both twins look absolutely perfect and healthy, and really, that's all that matters.

For a while, we weren't certain if we would be able to learn the sex of the babies-- they are snuggled in quite cozily with their legs pressed up against their tiny bodies. We had a few modesty issues to deal with. But the sonographer was finally able to coax them to move a bit so we could get the scoop on the news everyone seems to want to know.

So, without further ado, we are happy to announce that we are having...
(drumroll, please)
A boy... AND a girl!

Needless to say, everyone is thrilled.

One of the best parts for me was being able to tell Taylor & Reilly that they were expecting both a baby sister & a baby brother. I picked Taylor up from his preschool Christmas party and told him as we were loading into the car.

"So, Taylor," I asked, "You know how Mommy went to the doctor today?"
"Yes."
"Well, today the doctor was able to take some pictures inside Mommy's tummy to see what the babies are."
"Oh! What are they Mommy? Is there a brother?"
"You are going to have a baby sister... and a baby brother!"
"A brother! A brother! I'm going to have a baby brother! I'm going to have a baby brother! I always wanted a brother! I'm going to have a baby brother!"

He is pretty excited.
And I'm certain he will love his baby sister just as much.

After picking Taylor up, we drove over to my friend Dana's house where Reilly was being tended. (Thanks a million, Dana!) Armed with my ultrasound pictures in tow, I started giving Reilly the same spiel about my doctor's visit. When I told her about the pictures of the babies, I asked her (rhetorically) if she knew what they were. She looked up at me without batting an eye.

"It's a boy and a girl," she explained, as if it were perfectly obvious.
"Ummm, well, yes-- you're absolutely right," I said rather anticlimactically. I was at a complete loss for words.

Later that day I tried again to explain the news again to her, unsure if she really grasped that we did, in fact, know the sex of the babies. Once more I received the same answer, this time with an accompanying look that suggested that I clearly wasn't as bright as I looked.

"Yes, Mom. It's a boy and a girl!" she replied with a twinge of exasperation.
I guess she really has known all along. Far be it from me to question her understanding again. Sometimes I forget just how close to heaven little ones can be. I am so grateful to a loving and gracious Father in Heaven who is an active participant in our lives and knows us better than we know ourselves.

Our little family brings me the greatest joy I could have ever imagined for myself. I am so completely and utterly in love with my husband & children. Life is just so sweet.

I think Christmas has come early this year.