#heather lenowski

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The years passed quickly, and in no time at all the triplets were turning 6 years old and starting school. Heather and Jenny threw a big birthday party for their trio to celebrate their huge milestone. They could hardly believe that their once-so-tiny babies were so grown up.

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Life with the newborn triplets was intense, but Heather and Jenny worked as a team. Their days were dictated by routines - feeding, burping, and finally sleeping - all designed to keep everyone happy.

They named their little trio Quincy, Jasmine and Ginger. And as they grew, their needs became more complex. Gone were the sleepy newborn days and Jenny and Heather found themselves exhausted. They reassured each other that things would get easier in time. When the going was getting tough, they would look down and their amazing little trio and remind themselves of how lucky they were and grounded themselves in the moments of sweetness.

Jenny was in her element with the babies, but privately, Heather found herself struggling. She had not fully overcome her grief at her mother's death, and being a mother herself she found herself wishing daily that she could pick up the phone and call - to ask for advice, to ask for help, for her Mom to come over and make the baby stop crying and tell her she was doing a good job. But she couldn't allow herself to break down - she had to remain strong for Jenny, they had to remain a team .

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With their impending miracles on the way, Heather and Jenny decided to move back to Copperdale. It was close to San Sequoia, enough that Heather's Mom could help them with the babies when they arrived, and Jenny's siblings were nearby as well.

Moving back to the suburbs felt somewhat grim for the both of them - they had loved their urban lifestyle, the cosy flat, living in the middle of everything that was happening. Heather had quit her job and taken a new role as chef for a local restaurant. The food stall was being put on hiatus. But they knew that it had to happen - that this was the best way forward for their little family.

April and Dustin tried to make the move back as nice as possible. April found Heather and Jenny a new house, right in the middle of town, and helped them to move in. And she and Kelly threw the new parents a baby shower, stocking them up on all the pieces they would need for their new babies - Kelly and Dustin even passed on their twins cradles, ready for a new pair of babies.

Even though it wasn't their plan, Heather and Jenny felt loved and supported - and slowly, as they became used to the idea, they realised they really were excited.

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One of Heather and Jenny's favourite outings was to visit the night markets in nearby San Myshuno. Heather loved to sample the interesting food on offer, and poke fun at Jenny's face as she tried new things at Heather's behest.

Heather loved talking to the vendors - asking about their experiences, where they got their produce, sampling their offerings - so much that it had got her thinking of a new venture; the next step in her culinary career. One evening as they were eating under the starlight, she put her idea to Jenny.

'What if I started doing a stall,' she proposed. 'With all my own recipes. I wouldn't quit my job, but it would give me a change to take Around the Table to the next level, and actually make my food for people, gauge what it is that they like, run my own show.'

Jenny, to her relief, loved the idea. 'I think that would be amazing,' she gushed. 'Seriously, I mean who knows maybe you'll get discovered? Food stall, restaurant... tv show?' she said with a grin.

Heather was so excited about her new business baby. She began prepping her recipes at home, in her tiny apartment kitchen. Then she brought everything down to the market and opened her very own stall..

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The end of the long 9 months of Jenny's pregnancy came about, and she and Heather were eagerly awaiting their babies. After the sadness of the previous weeks with April's passing, they were ready for their little sunshines to enter their world and brighten things for them.

The end of the pregnancy took its toll on Jenny, who felt like she couldn't take it much longer. But Heather was there to support her, and they spent many beautiful evenings relaxing and soaking up one another's company before their lives would change forever.

Until one night Jenny felt herself go into labour, and they made their way to the hospital. Heather supported Jenny all the way through the long night, holding her and encouraging her as she prepared for the monumental task of giving birth.

In the delivery room the doctor delivered their first child - a baby boy. And not long after he arrived, their second child was born - this time a girl.

'One of each!' cheered Heather as they laughed with joy. It was the perfect family.

Until Jenny was hit with another surge of pain, and the doctor exclaimed 'Oh, I think someone was hiding!'

Their third child came speeding into the world, another little girl. Jenny and Heather were shocked, but too happy to be afraid - it was just one extra little person to love.

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Dustin William Lenowski married Kelly Leigh Watson in the fall of 1994.

The couple were married at the San Sequoia club, the same place Dustin’s parents had wed back in 1982. All the family attended, including River, Yumi and Nori all the way from Mt Komorebi. It was a proud day for both him and April, watching their wayward son step up and become a husband to the girl he loved.

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Heather and Jenny tried to spend more time with Dustin and his family as their children grew up. The triplets loved their cousins - Cody, the twins Kayla and Kyle, and their new baby sister Cassie. Going trick or treating with the big cousins for the first time that Halloween was exciting for the three little ones.

Heather, Dustin and Jenny escorted their joined brood through the streets of the San Sequoia neighbourhoods they had grown up in and knew well, reflecting on how the years had gone by so quickly since they themselves had been kids celebrating Halloween.

Their processing eventually passed their old childhood home - sold after April had died, to a new family. There were Halloween decorations out the front, which told them someone lived there now and was enjoying the spirit of the occasion. Heather and Dustin hugged eachother and smiled at the old house as they went by, reflecting on their own happy childhood together in there - happy, despite the things that had been hutful and hard. The kind of happy childhoods they hoped to give their own children.

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Family Photos circa 1996-1997

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River was laid to rest in Mt Komorebi, in the family shrine where Yumi would be able to join him one day.

Heather and Jenny made the trip to Mt Komorebi to say goodbye. They were fortunate to be able to go, whereas Dustin and his family didn't have the funds to travel at such short notice. Dustin was distraught by the loss, knowing he never got to fully make peace with his father and now it was too late.

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The triplets eventually grew up into toddlers. Gone were the challenging days of infanthood, but parenthood got a whole lot busier in a different way for Heather and Jenny as their children became their own independent little people.

Jasmine continued to be their sensitve girl, with a loving nature and a curious mind. She loved to read fairytales, to be held by her Moms, and hated being alone - always tagging along with one sibling or the other.

Ginger was a busy child, always pushing boundaries with what she could do. She was little miss independent, always off on her own adventure, fearless in the face of obstacles which she would always try to overcome.

Quincy was still their wild, adventurous boy - always getting up to no good and exploring things he shouldn't. He never stopped moving from the moment he woke up, but his easygoing attitude made it hard to discipline him.

The triplets kept everyone on their toes, and every evening was a march to the finish line of bedtime. But Heather and Jenny finally found themselves having time to be with one another and enjoy eachothers company outside of parenthood - to eat a home made meal, to watch tv alone, to share stories of their children and laugh the end of the day.

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The triplets kept growing and getting busier and busier. Heather and Jenny enjoyed their new age - they were toilet trained, they walked and talked, and they could play. All of a sudden Heather and Jenny were really only needed to supervise them, because they could entertain themselves whereever they went.

So they decided it was time for the kids to start preschool, to meet other children and find new outlets for their energy. Jenny was finally able to return to her career, and Heather finally had time to cook again for pleasure outside of work - in fact, she decided the time was right to bring back her beloved food stall. This time, she set up in the midde of Copperdale, and as word went around she gained a following of regulars. Her homemade pastries and desserts were a crowd favourite.

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The first year of triplet life was hard. The days were long but the nights were longer, with very little sleep for Jenny or Heather. The house was a constant mess, laundry and diapers everywhere. The babies were constant in their needs and demands and they pooped and puked all the time.

Heather was already back at work - they needed the money to support themselves. But she could barely keep her eyes open at the stove; she messed up orders and mixed the sugar with the salt. And when she got home, she was back to help poor Jenny, who had been run ragged all day.

The saving grace in these times of desperation were Dustin and Kelly. Every weekend they and their children would come over and take the babies off their hands. With lots of little people to keep them entertained, the triplets were content with their cousins, and Dustin and Kelly would send the tired new Moms upstairs to sleep while they tidied the house and cooked them a meal.

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Things got easier for Jenny and Heather with time. The triplets grew bigger and stronger and soon they were eating, playing and causing chaos. But the chaos was good - it was entertaining and fun, watching them each develop into their own little people.

Quincy was their calm child. He was an easygoing baby, who loved his food and slept like an angel. But he was also the most active and adventurous - pulling to stand long before his sisters, ready to start walking right away and keeping them all on their toes.

Ginger was their sunny child. She was always happy, smiling and giggling and loved to listen and dance to music. A relaxed child, was content to get carried everywhere, unlike her brother. She clicked most intuitively with Heather.

Jasmine, on the other hand, was their sensitive child. She loved to be held, especially to sleep, and was more wary than her siblings. And though she and Ginger were identical, they were polar opposites. She was closest with Jenny, who doted on her sweet little girl.

Altogether, life was beautiful with the triplets, and Heather and Jenny could not have been more happy with the little family they had created.

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Heather and Jenny were excited for their first ultrasound after the positive pregnancy test. They had waited for weeks and weeks, and now they would finally get to hear the heartbeat of their little miracle science baby.

In the doctor's office they waited with bated breath for the ultrasound machine. It was top-notch technology - getting to see their baby on the inside for the first time!

The doctor paused and went quiet as images began to show on the screen. Heather and Jenny couldn't tell what they were looking at, but they worried something was wrong.

'So, now, we did talk about the increased risk of multiples,' said the doctor matter-of-factly. 'And if you look closely here, you'll see there are two little blobs on the screen. It looks like there are twins in there - congratulations!'

Heather and Jenny were stunned. This was far from the news they had been expecting - in fact, it was completely outside of any reality they had considered.

After making their way home in silence, Jenny broke down crying in their living room. Heather hated to see her so upset, especially over something that had until now been making them both so happy. She tried her best to reassure Jenny that everything would be ok. 'Dustin has twins, and you love them!' she said encouragingly to Jenny. 'I know it's one more than we bargained for but at least this way they will have eachother, a sibling to grow up together with.'

Jenny was still a mess. 'Heather, how will we raised two babies in this apartment? One baby would fit but two? There's no room for two cribs. And all the clothes, and the diapers, where will we put it all? How much is it all going to cost? How will we manage with nobody else nearby to help us? What about the food stall, and our jobs? How will we ever go back to work? Oh and I'm going to get so huge!' she wailed.

Heather hadn't thought as fast as Jenny, but as the reality grew in front of her she began to panic too... she knew their lives would change having a baby, but this was more than either of them had bargained for. And it scared her, with what she now knew in adulthood about the reasons that her own parents marriage had fallen apart.

When Jenny left the room, Heather called her Mom to tell her. She needed some guidance, advice on what to do next.

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The fertility clinic in Evergreen Harbour was known for its work with queer couples. As they walked in for their first appointment Heather and Jenny noted how warm and inviting it was - not the clinical, science facility they had expected where test tube babies were made. They waited nervously in the waiting room for the doctor to call them in, to discuss their viability if they wanted to have a baby.

The doctor was calm and pragmatic as she explained their options to them. With the benefit of scientific advancement, they would be able to combine both of their genetic material to create a baby. The question would be whether the pregnancy would successfully take in the host parent.

'You might want to consider both doing it,' she explained. 'Or, you might like to consider transferring multiples just to improve your odds. These things don't always work the first go round, so we need to make sure we have some plans for next time.'

Heather and Jenny need not have worried, though. After their first cycle of IVF, Jenny sat down to a bright, positive test. She couldn't believe her eyes, and in her excitement ran to the bedroom and threw herself upon Heather to show her. This was it! They were going to have a baby!

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In the early autumn, Heather and Jenny visited San Sequoia to meet the newest additions to Dustin and Kelly's family - their new infant twins, Kyle and Kayla.

Jenny absolutely doted on the little twins, desperate for cuddles and snuggles. But while Heather was excited to meet her brothers little brood, she found herself a bit overwhelmed by the absolute chaos. Nevertheness, when she sat down with Jenny to hold her niece, she felt herself warm to their sweetness.

Jenny couldn't help but notice how great Heather was with the kids. When little Cody ran after her, jealous of the attention the twins were getting, she swooped him up in a cuddle and made him smile. She loved her brothers kids. She thought that perhaps she could pretend they were her own, knowing that she probably wouldn't get to have any herself.

That night, as they readied themselves for bed, Jenny decided to bring up the topic of children. It had been slowly growing in her mind for some time, and after seeing Heather with her nephews and niece that day she felt like she had finally seen a sign that this was in their future.

'You know... I've always wanted to have kids,' she began. 'And I don't think that us being well... not a man and a woman, should stop us from being able to have kids. I mean, there have amazing treatments available now for people like us.'

Heather paused and listened. She could sense the excitement Jenny was barely keeping at bay. She had in all honestly never considered children any further than acknowledging that if she never had sex with a man then it wouldn't happen - and so far, she had avoided that.

Being with Jenny was all that she had wanted, and now they were living the life she had always dreamed of. She hadn't dared to dream of anything more than that - what was the point of dreaming of something that didn't seem like a potential reality for them?

Besides, things were going really well for her now - the food stall was her business baby, and she wanted to keep taking it further.

'You know, if you don't want to get pregnant that's ok, because we've got two uteruses,' laughed Jenny nervously. She felt like Heather wasn't on board. 'I'll do it for the both of us.'

'It's not that...' began Heather. 'I just wonder... is it the right time? It's expensive, and the food stall is taking off.'

Jenny sat upright and looked at Heather seriously. 'We're in our mid-30s, Heather. It's kind of now or never, isn't it? And I'll do the pregnancy part. You can run the business. I'll be the stay home Mom and do diapers and stuff... please?'

Heather could see her point. She was right. And Heather loved Jenny and wanted her to be happy. This could be their very own family together, made out of their love.

'Okay,' she smiled, pulling her into an embrace.