If you are in a waiting room and someone is reading a book, do you think they want to start-up a conversation?  Perhaps I’m totally off my rocker, but that usually means the person is content sitting by themselves.  To a drug rep at the pediatrician’s office, I guess that means I wanted to hear his life story!

I had Owen and Weston with me for a re-check on their spleens.  (Check up was great and the boys are healthy.)  I was looking forward to reading some of my book in the quiet of the waiting room.  This gentleman sitting across from me says “Twins huh?”  I (like a dumbo) say “actually they are triplets, the third is home with grandma”  Why didn’t I just nod and smile?

He goes on to tell me how is wife is expecting their second in August but he didn’t want to have two.  He was JUST FINE with one.  But she HAD to have another.  Really?  Does your wife know you’re telling this to complete strangers?  I nod and smile and same something cliché like “It’ll be nice, they’ll have a playmate.”

Then he tells me how his brother had that “in-vitro thing” done.  They had four eggs put in so they knew they could have more than one.  They found three but the doctor told them that there could be another one in there.  He asks me “did you have that in-vetro thing done too?”  Um no they are al’ natural … but thanks for asking?

I keep trying to go back to my book, hoping he’ll get the cue that I’m alone for the first time all week and would like to read my nook.  But nope – now its on to how he doesn’t like the age his son is now.  “This age is for women, men can’t wait for them to be older so they can do stuff.  I hate all this peeing on the potty and stuff.”  Really?

The nurse calls his name – thank goodness!  I FINALLY get to read some of my book … NOT.  Now the young mom sitting to the right of me says “I don’t know how you do it, triplets?  I’d kill myself”  The death threat comment, love it!

I reassure her that it’s really a matter of survival.  If she had triplets, she’d make it work.

Then she asks me, “Did you want triplets?  I mean, I know you love them now, but did you want them?”  I think this is her polite way of asking if I was on infertility drugs.  I told her that we weren’t expecting triplets, that’s for sure!  And in fact, it took me months to accept it, but when they are all wiggling around on the floor together, I can’t get over this amazing blessing I’ve been given … until they all start crying at once and I start thinking “why me?” again.

We chat and chat about day care issues, teething, walking, working, etc.  Her daughter is so darn cute, just sitting there smiling away at me.  The nurse finally calls her name.  Phew, a few mins to read my book!  Owen and Weston are called all too soon.

On the walk to the room, Nurse Liz says that I made the new mom’s day.  I guess she was talking about me saying “I just don’t know how she does it.  I get overwhelmed with just one.  Now I’ve got new inspiration, if she can handle three, I can do one.”  I guess the conversation wasn’t a total loss of reading time.  I’m sort of glad at this point that I didn’t read my book.

It just boggles my mind each time I hear someone say “I’d kill myself if I had triplets”  First of all, it’s totally not true.  Second, I don’t have it that bad … think of the moms with quads or sextuplets?  It can ALWAYS be “worse”.  I think I’m going to say “It could always be harder.”  My life isn’t bad – it’s beautiful, but at times it is hard.

Just another day in the life of me!

Love, Mel