Life sure is an adventure! My life, like so many other people, revolves around my family. My family, however, is comprised of my husband, six children -- ranging in age from 21 to 1 year old -- a dog, and a cat.
Ernie and I have been together for 11 years and married almost nine years. His daughters, Kelly (21), Kristin (17), and Kassie (15) are beautiful, athletic, smart -- all around great girls. I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open, and I knew that my husband was a package deal, four for the price of one. I didn't just fall in love with my husband, I fell in love with his kids too.
In 2001 the girls' mom took a job out of state – a thousand miles away. Suddenly, we moved from shared custody to full time custody of the younger girls. Kelly moved with her mom, finished high school and now attends college. Kristin and Kassie have lived with us for the past eight years, since they were young girls. Both Kristin and Kassie are in high school, and Kristin will be graduating in June and off to college in the fall.
When I became pregnant in 2004, I was ecstatic. We all were. I had a great pregnancy and a fairly simple delivery. Brody arrived knowing what he wanted, when, why and how he wanted it. My life with him is a battle of wills and choosing which battle to fight, all the while trying to stay in shape so I can continue to outrun him!
And then me and my bright ideas . . . I wanted just one more baby. I didn't want Brody to grow up as an only child once the older girls were off to college, so I put lobbied Ernie to try for one more. Lo and behold, when I had my blood test, the nurse called me to confirm the pregnancy, but also to ask me to take another blood test. My HCG levels were high, indicating a multiple pregnancy. We were in shock, and I was scared to death.
Moving right along, we were blessed last year with our twins, Reese and Reagan. The little ones arrived at 36 weeks via emergency c-section due to pre-eclampsia. They suffered from twin-to-twin transfusion, which went undetected until birth. Reagan weighed in at 5 lbs, 7 ounces and Reese at 4 lbs, 5 ounces. It was a wild and scary time for all of us, but thankfully, both girls are in perfect health.
The babies are identical, more rare than fraternals, and that makes me feel especially blessed, that God would entrust these extraordinarily unique little creatures to us. During my pregnancy, one my greatest fears was being able to tell them apart! Their weight difference makes it effortless, but as they grow, they look more and more alike.
In addition to raising the five children under our roof, I am a working mom. I can't say that I enjoy working. Wait. Let's put this into perspective . . . every now and again, after a harrowingly busy weekend with chores, chauffeuring, puking, screaming and the like, Monday mornings don't seem all that unwelcome . . . But in the grand scheme of my life, there is nowhere I would rather be than home with the kids. I have a great job with great benefits, and it is impossible to give that up. Working for a living throws that extra ball into the juggle, but it is a necessity for our family.
People say to me, "how do you do it?" Sometimes I ask myself the same question. Looking back at times when the twins were just home from the hospital, I felt anxious and overwhelmed, which was exacerbated by lack of sleep and the constant chaos. Eventually we settled into a routine. There are people who depend on me, and it is my responsibility to nurture, love and take care of them, all of them. How do I do it? One child at a time.
I have lots to share with you, from being a stepmom, to the mother of twins, to being a working mom, to simply having a slew of kids to love, discipline, chauffeur, play with, nurture and answer the ubiquitous question, "why?" We have our challenges and our triumphs, as any family does. As John and Kate from "John and Kate Plus Eight" say, "It might be a crazy life . . . but it's our life." I couldn't agree more.
~ Stacy
