Our twins have arrived and they are just amazing! We’d been excited to meet them but nothing prepared us for actually seeing them come into this world and holding them close. We are seriously in love.

I went into labor early Sunday morning and labored them naturally until it was time to push at which point the Dr. discovered complications that meant an emergency c-section. All turned out well though and we feel very very blessed.

Everett James arrived at 6:33pm, weighing 6 lbs 7oz and is 19.5″ long.

Lucia Grace followed him at 6:36pm, beating him at 6lbs 8oz and measuring 19.25″ long.

Both Rhett and Lucy look like they have red hair; eye color is undetermined. We’ll be putting up pictures once Patrick gets a chance to run and pick up our camera cord, by tonight for sure.

For now, we’re just all enjoying getting to know each other. Grandma Luisa arrived shortly after the babies’ arrival. Finn will be coming by to meet them in a few hours.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We look forward to our friends and family getting to know them and being part of their lives.

On Getting Ready

We’re approaching Friday as if it is the day we will bring Baby Girl and Baby Boy into the world. What this means is that today has been a strange and busy day of preparations and waiting. Of rest and list-making (I made one last list tonight). Patrick woke up Finn and together they made a wonderful breakfast of waffles and bacon. We shared a family meal, with Finn eating more slices of bacon than any person under 30 lbs has a right to eat. This would come back to haunt him and us.

Once the shock of realizing we were having twins wore off, I went out and bought a small spiral notebook. This poor notebook has borne the brunt of my stress and anxiety. Every few days for the last few months I would make a to-do list of things that must be done before the babies arrived. And trust me, there is an endless number of tasks that one can come up with when imagining the daunting task of three small children in one as yet not completely unpacked house. As soon as items were crossed off, new ones would be added. For months this went on.

Over the weekend, I completed the last list in the notebook, titled “Final To-Do Before Twins Arrive.”

My body is a ticking time bomb.

Which I guess is true at any point this late in pregnancy, but apparently mine is the kind of bomb that the SWAT team is sent in for. I didn’t know this until yesterday. While I assumed my mind and body were working together, it turns out my body was quietly plotting and planning. My mind feels betrayed, unaware that while it was practicing relaxation techniques and visualization, my body was discreetly photocopying secret documents and passing them on to the Russians.

**THE POLLS ARE NOW CLOSED**

As you may recall, we had a due date prediction contest for Finn, with glorious Egyptian prizes for the winner. Of course, Finn infamously turned up his nose at all of our guesses and came nine days past the last guess (which made Kelly the winner). So we’re going to try this again and hope the twins are more cooperative.

So here it is, the twins’ prediction calendar. Leave a comment with your date. Up to three people can share a date and winner is closest without going over. I’ll update the calendar daily to show names.

And now for the prizes:

1. A delicious assortment of confections from the South Bend Chocolate Factory
2. A guest post by you on Dnile.
3. A batch of famous South Texas handmade tamales, courtesy of Grandma Deleon.

Here are some clues to help you guess:

• The official due date is March 1. You can guess beyond that date, but you’ll have me to deal with.
• Twins average gestation is 36 weeks. We’ll hit 36 weeks on 2/1.
• Only 6% of twins come after 38 weeks. We hit 38 weeks just after Valentine’s Day.
• Finn was born 3 weeks after his official due date.
• There are two holidays celebrating historical figures this month. As Patrick is a historian, this may be a nice coincidence.
• Grandma Luisa would like to be here immediately after the birth but absolutely can’t be here 2/7-2/10
• If complications arise and we have to schedule an induction or C-section, we promise to do so without looking at the calendar. There will still be a winner.

Predictions will be taken until Tuesday, 2/2, Monday 2/1 at 5pm Eastern. The polls are now open.

Today is a momentous day in the Mason household. A birth has occured and we’re thrilled.

Today Patrick sent in his completed book manuscript to his publisher. After years in the making, it is done, finished, ready to go out into the world.

The Mormon Menace: Southern Anti-Mormonism, Violence, and the Limits of Religious Tolerance by Patrick Q. Mason (forthcoming by Oxford University Press)

We had limited time to celebrate tonight, as Patrick had an appointment to keep, so we made it fast. I’m already planning a massive launch party for the fall. Patrick is just rolling his eyes, slightly embarrassed by my shower of pride.

Behold, my author husband relishing the sweet taste of literary achievement (and heat-lamped apple pie).

Yes, we celebrated at McDonalds.

Coming up: the famous due date prediction calendar! Disappointed in how far off you were with Finn’s? Yeah, me too. Starting divining those dates because in the next day or two I’ll be putting the calendar up and the prize will be sweet for the winner.

Happy 2nd Birthday, little buddy. When you joined us two years ago, we were terrified of you. You seemed so fragile, so not of this world. We wanted you to grow fat and happy and filled with love, in spite of our inexperience.

Now you’re two years old, dabbling occasionally into the “terrible” phase, but mostly just discovering your own will and abilities. We lay awake in the morning and listen to you sing the ABC’s in your crib (R is your favorite letter), laugh when you gasp with delight at the sight of Elmo or a train, and roll our eyes when you resist us by saying “no no no” while shaking your head in exasperation.

We had no idea, not even a smidge,  of how much joy you would bring into our lives. We are smitten.

Hope you enjoyed your train cake!

Grocery shopping while highly pregnant is much like grocery shopping while hungry, except you have moral authority when there’s no milk for the weekend.

So all of the sudden we find ourselves 32 weeks into this pregnancy with the light at the end of the tunnel starting to become visible. Except that light? You know how the old joke goes that that light is actually the train coming straight at you? Yeah.

Our cheery mantle. I refused to let Patrick build a Christmas fire, I'm terrified of our fireplace. As far as I'm concerned, it's just for decoration.