12 Weeks!

I always thought when I hit certain milestones in this pregnancy I would breathe easier...not true so far. I feel even more anxious than I did with my own pregnancies, there's so much riding on this, so many hopes and dreams invested.
Sara and Jonathan came to Iowa last week and got to see the babies on ultrasound for the first time in person. They were both moving around and I felt such a sense of pride,  I was fulfilling my promise to grow and protect these babies...and so far, succeeding.
Johnathan talked medical talk with the ultrasound tech while Sara and I admired the twins.
After the ultrasound Sara and Jon got to meet one of my favorite midwives and we left the appointment so excited that Sara and I went to peruse Babies r' Us for a bit.
The next day was another important day for me, Sara and Jon drove the hour from their hotel in the Quad Cities to our home, we live in a small town of about 1,100 people, where everyone knows everyone and children play freely in their backyards. We live in your typical midwestern small town, I was so excited to show Jon and Sara where their babies would be spending their first 9 months. I wanted them to see how quiet, safe and "normal" it was. I also couldn't wait for them to meet our children.
We banned the kids from playing with anything until after Sara and Jon showed up...the house had to be clean and picked up (a facade I was creating, who really ever has a picked up house with a 1, 3 and 6 year old?). Finally they came, bearing gifts and won the kids over instantly. I gave a quick tour of the house so I could set the kids free once again to put the house back into its natural state of chaos.
My older sister and her family as well as a good friend of ours were there and got to meet these amazing people, I was nervous, but I knew everyone would hit it off.
Johnny's mom (who had fertility problems and ultimately chose adoption) met Sara with an emotional hug and said "I know how you feel. I'm so glad you get to be a mom."  Even Johnny had tears in his eyes at this point.
We had a big lunch and soon it was time for Sara and Jonathan to make their way back to Chicago for their flight back to the east coast.
Exhale.....the visit went better than I could have imagined, I felt a sense of peace and calm.
This visit holds a lot of significance for me; Sara and Jon got to see their babies and to meet mine, they got to see the home in which their children will grow until they are strong enough to come into the world and make that trip back east. I will not fully exhale until that day, but I will do everything in my power to make sure they are safe and healthy until that time comes.