There is only one picture postcard I would send right now. I would send a card to myself from when I found out I was pregnant with twins. It was the most shocking and scary moment of my life, without doubt. This is what I would tell myself.
Dear me,
DON’T PANIC
What you are experiencing is twin shock and is perfectly normal. You have just learned that instead of heading to that glorious and well visited destination of SingleTown which you have been looking forward to, you are instead on a non-stop helterskelter trip to its rather scary sounding neighbor TwinTown.
Of course you’re in shock. This wasn’t what you had planned. Nothing you have packed for your trip is now suitable; all those clothes and equipment you put aside from your first child, now useless. You knew what to expect in SingleTown – you had been there before and while sometimes tiring, enjoyed a wonderful trip. You thought you would know all the pitfalls this time around and things would go a bit smoother. The good thing about going to a well know destination is you already know what to avoid. Well that hasn’t happened. You have no map. No experience to fall back on. Everything will seem new and strange.
But I want you to know it will be alright. The next few weeks on your journey to TwinTown will be tough. You will experience a lot of sickness. A lot. This will pass. The good news is, you will complete the whole distance safely, the twins will arrive at 38 weeks as planned. Their arrival will be smooth with no turbulance. The first few weeks of settling in will also go much better than you expect. It’s pretty noisy in TwinTown, as you will discover. This will mean you don’t get much sleep, but you’re pretty tough – you’ll get through it, and no one expects you to talk in full sentences when you arrive anyway.
While there is no map, there are others to support you and show you around. You will find other people, in the same position, trying to make sense of their new surroundings and together you will get through it. It is incredibly expensive in TwinTown – everything costs double the price you’d expect! Childcare particularly is hard to come by. So perhaps try to be a bit more careful with money over the next few months, ok?
So, I’ve been here nearly two years now. It’s not always the easiest place to live. The doors are too narrow and there are too many things at toddler height to make going out very easy. But these are minor problems really. They fade into insignificance when you look at the stunning views – as you can see if you turn over the card. Twin town is a lively noisy, messy sort of place. It’s so much fun. You will laugh more than you ever have before.
Of course sometimes I imagine my life, if all had gone to plan and I’d ended up in SingleTown. Would I have been happier? Yes life would have been easier and money would have gone a bit further. But honestly would I change a thing? Hmmmm…… ask me in another year when the tantrum season is over.
Can’t wait until you’re here!
love me
Ok I know this might seem a bit long to fit on a postcard but I have teeny tiny writing – ok?