2 boys, or not 2 boys: that is the question

So here's the predicament, with the news that the twins will be identical, the likelihood of them being 1 boy and 1 girl are slim, or in the words of our doctor, "1 in 1000". Why is this a predicament? Good question... here's my attempt to explain:

We already have 1 son, Michael, who is absolutely, unequivocally, ALL BOY! And a joy of a boy at that! But as I scan the memory bank of Michael's infant days, I wonder what it will be like if the twins turn out to be boys... Not only will the addition make the genetic makeup of our family completely lopsided (4 to 1 in favor of testosterone), I'm wondering, "Will I be able to keep my sanity over the next couple years"? All I can think of is memories of being abruptly woken out of a deep (and usually much needed) sleep, by some blunt object being continuously whacked on my forehead, filled with the initial rush of homicidal adrenaline, only to be calmed as my eyes open and focus in on a curious, grinning 6 month old hovering over my face with a toy hammer in hand. Its memories like seeing the 1 year old hazardously prance thru the bedrooms and hallways with an entire diaper's worth of poop smeared on the walls and carpets, clumped in the crevices of his fingernails, with chunks in either hand. Or the infatuation of greeting you over and over again with headbutts, whether under the cover of darkness or at full speed ahead in broad daylight... and all this by himself... what will it be like with two? A partnership of terror, as my friend would say "From the womb to the tomb...", co-conspirators from conception... ALL BOY SQUARED!

But on the other hand... what if they're girls? I've never raised a girl before, much less two at once... I don't anticipate the first few years to be so bad... but what about afterward, will I be able to keep my sanity then... and if so, what about their teenage years, will I be able to stay out of prison? I can see it all now, in 15 years or so, unemployed, posted up in the front yard, unmovable, sawed off double-barrel shotgun fully loaded, lying in wait, ready to make an example out of the first 17 year old punk to pull up to the house in chase of one (if not both) of my daughters... and don't think I won't, we fellas all know the infatuation that exists inside of dudes when it comes to twin girls... hmm... now that I think about it, sawed off double barrel shotgun sounds too merciful, I'll need to send a clear message to all subsequent pursuers, I'm thinking more 15th century, medieval torture device, something to lengthen the dying experience, something that will make national headlines... yea, then the word will get out. Or maybe I won't kill him, maybe I'll just surgically remove his arms and legs, 1 lung, 1 ear, both eyes, tongue, and sew the corners of his lips shut, so he'll be able to share his story with all who ask, but with great difficulty.

Whoa... I'm getting a little off track, but you get the picture, its like "Pick your poison dave" except I don't have any say in the matter... Will I see my ultimate demise in the form of 2 boys or 2 girls...? Maybe, just maybe, we'll crack those daunting 1 in 1000 odds and have an identical boy and girl... yea, i like the sound of that... balance... Then I won't have to worry about going to prison for attempted 1st degree manslaughter, kidnapping and torture because my 1 and only daughter will have her twin brother to look out for her, and an older brother to back her twin brother up. They can carry out all my dirty work... I like the sound of that. But 1 in 1000? Is it feasible? Well, I'm hopeful... after all, we've already beat the odds once, the odds of having twins at all is an estimated 31/1000, i'll take those odds.

To Get Everyone Up to Speed...

So this blog was started around the beginning of Angel's 2nd trimester with the twins. Here's a little info to bring everyone up to speed:

We found out that Angel was pregnant again around the time of May 6, the same week we packed up our things and moved to Philadelphia, (for those of you who don't know, we moved to Philadelphia) . Actually I can give you the exact date: it was Wednesday May 14th, 3:45 pm. Only reason I remember that is cause I was in a weekly meeting at my job when I got the infamous text message from Angel: "What do 2 pink lines mean?"

Answer: *CRASH!* *BOOM!* *CLANG!* *THUD!*...

It means the course of the remainder of my life (according to my calculations) just came crashing down all around me, thats what it means. This is not to say that the news came as a disappointment. But if you're like Angel and I, and never actually plan for a particular pregnancy, you may from time to time, fall into the error of thinking you have it all figured out, courses fully plotted, and everything under control. Which makes the unexpected news of a child on the way all the more earth-shattering. This describes the condition of my mind as I'm reading the news on my phone, provoking a curious and feeble reaction: "Um Clay (my bosses name) I'm gonna need a raise..."

So thats how I found out we were having another baby. Over the next few weeks I came to terms with this new reality, and quickly fell back into the folly of thinking I had it all figured out... 1 more child, no big deal, we've done this before, a few sleepless nights here and there, no sweat, we got this. But then something happened, God's divine sense of humor decided to come smashing thru the window of my carefully plotted and seamlessly planned little world. It came in the form of an ultrasound. Imagine my surprise as im lookin on at the monitor, expecting to see what i've seen before with Michael, 1 baby, healthily growing, the foggy form of a skeletal system, blah blah blah... then all of the sudden, with the tweak of the ultrasound device, another "form" appears on the screen. "Must be interference" I thought, then for some strange reason, my wife conjured up the nerve to ask the unthinkable: "Are there two in there?".

Now up to this point, all is still going as planned, there's just no way there could possibly be TWO in there. But then calmly, sedately and almost routinely (as if this sorta thing should be expected), the following words fell out of the nurse's mouth as she made her way out the door to get more nurses: "Yep, those are twins..." ... [pause] ... wait a minute... WHAT DO YOU MEAN "Yep", like i should have seen this coming... "Yep"... how bout "are you ready for this?" or "brace yourselves, I have some interesting news..." no, the nurse replies "Yep"...! Uhh, there it is again, that noise... *CRASH!* *BOOM!* *CLANG!* *THUD!* Ahh yes, that all-too-familiar sound of the world as I once knew it, collapsing all around me.

All silliness aside though, I wish I could have seen the look on my face. The news of twins is not something you come mentally prepared for. As a matter of fact, the dust still hasn't settled in my mind. Every half hour or so you'll see me shaking my head in disbelief as I'm confronted with the reality that "I'm having twins"... [pause] ... "Yep"

Welcome to our family!

Thanks for stopping by! Most likely you are a close friend or relative but no matter the case, Angel and I welcome you to peer into our lives as we anticipate the arrival of our 2nd and 3rd children, the York Twins! Aside from the fact that having twins is rare enough, what makes this occasion so unique is that to our knowledge, this is a first on either side of the family. If you are of the Thomas/Wallace line or the York/Lockhart line, and know of any twins in our history, we'd be interested to know.
So in light of this, we plan to closely chronicle the events leading up to the delivery of the babies, and even a little beyond that. You can expect to see pictures, sonograms, hear snippets of private conversations, personal thoughts, get updates on dr's visits, due dates, and the whole 9 yards. Our hope is that we'll all be able to look back 10 years from now and be enriched with the memories of everyone's thoughts, comments, and involvement.
So again, thanks for checking out our blog, we hope this makes sharing and communicating easier and more central for everyone.

David and Angel