I'm the Favorite Daughter-In-Law...

I am the favorite daughter-in-law...just ask my mother-in-law, MiMi.


It has nothing to do with the fact that I am her only daughter-in-law.


I'm pretty sure.


The deal was officially sealed last year.  It took over a decade and a half to make sure that I had secured the crown of Favorite, but Spring of '07 was my year, my season, my culmination of all the things the Favorite crown bestowed.


Because that was the year I got twins for MiMi.







My father-in-law has twin brothers.  MiMi had always hoped that she might produce another set for the family.  But first she had my M and then she had my ridiculously organized and disciplined and motivated sister-in-law A.  And then the production line  was shut down.


So hopes were pinned on the next generation, that a return to things multiple might occur again.  When I was pregnant with our first child, I ballooned up like I was carrying a litter.  Ultrasounds were ordered, dates were checked and MiMi whispered her mantra: "Twins, twins, twins."


Nope.


Just one big baby.


And then a few years later, another singleton.  And so on.  And so on.


I figured since all the genetic donation on my in-laws part had been instilled in their children and not in my DNA sequence, my sis-in-law might be the one to fulfill MiMi's wish.  But as A's first pregnancy progressed, I didn't hold out much hope for 20 fingers and 20 toes.  A's perfectly honed abs held in her little preggo tummy with the utmost of discipline.  Right before A delivered my niece, her tummy looked like she might have eaten one slice of pizza too many...if she turned sideways and arched her back.  Yeah, one of those kind of pregnant people.  She delivered my niece and put on her starched tiny jeans and came home from the hospital.


More grandchildren blessed MiMi's grandma status through the years.  A went on to deliver two more kiddos to the brood, one at a time.  I got up to a half dozen, all one at a time.  I figured that if anybody was going to bring it on home, it was A's turn.  Surely at six kiddos on my part, I had fulfilled my end of the daughter-in-law contract.  But then A underwent some health problems and had her gall bladder yanked out and had other parts shifted around and edited and declared herself done with the gestation thing.


And so MiMi's wish lay fallow.


For a month.


And as M always says, spontaneity causes people.


And in our case, two.




So MiMi got her twins.  She has a gentle, darling, sweet history of pretty much getting her way.  She's got some kind of superpower that just makes you want to make her happy and have her shed copious happy tears and  hear her declare that we are 'making memories.'  I'd pretty much do anything for her...even develop stretch marks on top of stretch marks while carrying a couple of kids in utero.  I just want to make sure I've sealed the Favorite Daughter-In-Law deal.




Because I really want to avoid some dark horse swimsuit compeition....