Twenty two pounds of baby and growing

It's momentous to me. Maybe not to anyone else, but for me it's a milestone.

Today, reaching 11 pounds, 2 ounces and 11 pounds, 8 ounces respectively, Trace and Alysse are twice the size they once were. That's right, DOUBLE! Although born at 6 pounds and 6 pounds, 1 ounce, at their very smallest they weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces and 5 pounds, 12 ounces.



While so many people said "that's good size" for twins, for me it was a constant source of worry. Logically, yes, "that's good size." I should count my blessings every day they were born as big as they were, and arrived fully developed and ready to take on the world. But 6 pounds in this mother's eyes is small, fragile and scary.

In the grocery, you pick up a 5-pound bag of flour and place in in your cart without any effort. Add just 8 ounces and you've lifted Trace at his very smallest. It requires about 2 pounds of apples to bake one nine-inch apple pie. So, with the 6 pounds of apples that would have out-weighed Alysse at her teeniest, you could have served up three apple pies. Three apple pies and a bag of flour and you had our babies.

Everyone said they'd be fine. That they'd grow quickly. But secretly I wished the days away. I wished away 6 pounds, 7 ounces; I wished away 7 pounds, 2 ounces; I even got greedy and wished away 8 pounds.

The scale got put to work, and then some. And while I would have denied it at the time, there were days when Trace was gaining more slowly and got weighed twice ... just to "check." Days when one baby's weight was just an ounce or two less than the day before left me worrying until the scale came out again.

We've got a piece of paper that until tonight hung on the refrigerator with almost daily recordings of Trace and Alysse's weights. I took it down to celebrate the round bellies and now much chunkier thighs. I can now relax a bit, I know they are growing. Maybe not each and every day, but they are growing. Tomorrow the scale just might not come out, and someday soon they'll each outweigh a regulation-size bowling ball.