FAQs

Are you nervous? Are you ready to be a dad to twin boys? How is Kate doing? Do you hope they turn out like you? Are you looking forward to never being able to sleep in again?

These are some of the questions that I get all the time…questions that I’m sure I’ll hear yet again and again. By the way, if you didn't already figure it out, this is Dusty. I figured that now, before our bundles of joy arrive, would be a good time to address some of these questions. This may be a longer blog post as I have a LOT of ground to cover…so please bear with me; I promise I’ll do my best to make it worth your time. I will keep this simple by asking the questions and then posting my response below it. To start off:

Are you nervous?

No way! Me… scared? Never! We’re only about to take the life of two perfect, beautiful angels into our hands whose futures greatly depend on how we raise them. On second thought, I’M FREAKING OUT! Lol, not really. But yes, I think it’s safe to say that I’m nervous. –I know that a lot of you aren't religious, but I picture two spirits in Heaven…who know the struggles we've faced, stepping forward wanting to be the ones who will come to earth and be our baby boys. And THAT thought brings both joy and nervousness to me (nervousness in hopes that we can be the parents they deserve).

Are you ready to be a dad to twin boys and do you hope they turn out like you?

I think I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I know that being parents to a single baby comes with huge sacrifices and a huge life change, and I've been told that those sacrifices and changes are threefold with twins. It will definitely take me a while to adjust to life with twin boys, but these are adjustments that I know come with a great reward…the love of two special boys!

Now about them turning out like me…hahaha, I will feel very bad for Katie if they do! :D My mom can vouch for the stress that Trevin and I put her through and all the pranks we pulled on her, and these are things that I plan on teaching my boys how to do. After all, what good is life if you can’t have a little fun! There are, however, parts of me that I don’t wish to pass on to them; but overall, I don’t think it would be a bad thing if they turn out like me. Although if they do turn out like me, I will have to hire them some body guards to fight off the swarms of ladies who will be after them!

Katie had me listen to the song below which describes perfectly how I feel about them turning out like me. (Replace "he" with "they", "his" with "their"...etc.)

Are you looking forward to never being able to sleep in again?

…….. err….next question please!

Do you wish you didn’t have to do IVF in order for Katie to get pregnant?

I've considered this question and the answer is VERY simple. No I don’t! I strongly believe that all things happen for a reason…both good and bad. Did I enjoy seeing Katie heartbroken whenever a pregnancy test came back as negative? Not in a million years! Nothing makes a man feel like more of a let-down than not being able to give his wife the one thing that every women desires…a child. I did my best to be strong in front of Katie, but behind closed doors I was in shambles. I felt like I had been robbed of my honor….a loser who lost at his own game. 

But had we gotten pregnant nearly four years ago when we first started trying, we wouldn't have known the level of heartbreak and disappointment that we became so familiar with. And had we not known that heartache and disappointment, we would never have been able to feel the great level of happiness and joy that we felt when we finally heard the news that we were going to have twin baby boys. It seemed like we hugged and cried with each other for hours...OUR DREAMS WERE FINALLY COMING TRUE! All that we had fought so hard for and prayed so earnestly for was finally coming to pass. Had we not gone through the struggles we did go through, we wouldn't be nearly as prepared to be parents as we are. And of course the obvious…had we not done IVF, we most likely wouldn't be having twins!

(Last Question) How is Kate Doing?

This is a trick question! We are having twin boys…our dreams are coming true…in THAT sense she is doing great! Body wise, not so much.

I don’t know if I've ever met somebody who was as determined as Katie. I know some of you ‘moms’ out there are thinking “well I've had a baby and I didn't think it was too bad”…but keep in mind all that Kate has gone through. First there was the pain and CONSTANT (aka chronic) nausea from the endometriosis. Then there were the surgeries (in an effort to get pregnant). Following that was the IVF procedure…or as I call it the “I’d rather eat shards of glass” procedure. But wow…through ALL that, she never wanted to give up and complained slim-to-none! If I was in her shoes I would be complaining about the pain day and night…but she has always, and still continues to, summon the strength to look the pain in the eye and say “is that all you got?” She has utterly amazed me! In the last year she has literally “dreamt the impossible dream, fought the unbeatable foe, bore the unbearable sorrow and ran where the brave dare not go.”

And now, albeit for a good cause, she has to deal with all the muscles and tendons in her stomach being pulled and tore to the point where, at 24 weeks pregnant, she was put on bed rest (which usually doesn't happen until MUCH later in pregnancy if at all) and can hardly roll over without clutching over in pain and agony. Yet still, she murmurs no complaint.

Let me reiterate that question, how is Kate doing? I don’t know how, but she is doing great (in mind and spirit which is all that matters). She is my anchor and my strength… and our boys are going to be lucky to have her as their mother.

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See, I told you this was going to be a longer blog. But hopefully I didn't waste your time and for those of you who have asked some of the questions above, hopefully I answered them sufficiently for you. If any of you have any other questions that you have been wondering, please leave a comment and we will answer them in a few weeks.

Until the next addition of “A Mackelprang Story”, we leave you with these pictures. 

 I'm Channing! Today (27 weeks) I had my mouth open getting 

ready to suck on my toes. I weigh 2 lbs. 8 oz.

I'm Paxtin! Today (27 weeks) I had my nose smashed against 

my mommy's belly. I weigh 2 lbs. 6 oz.