One year Ago by Daddy

Tuesday, September 14th seemed fairly normal. I drove into work because we had a team meeting. I remember it was the day I told my co-workers I was going to go part-time because we were having twins. After work, I drove to practice to get the team prepared to play game #3 against Rocky Mountain HS in Fort Collins. After practice and talking to Matt Loyd about the week's plan, I got in the car to head off to get dinner and then home. It was normal operating procedures to call and make sure your mom was OK and to see if she wanted a snack or dessert. So just about 8pm I called home and was shocked when she said she hadn't even had dinner. So I got her order and called California Pizza Kitchen. Just short of 9pm I got home with pasta for me and pizza for your mom. This was when everything began. . .
Your mom and I sat down on the sofa to eat and watch some TV. After a couple of bites, she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. This was strange. She wasn't exactly built to jump up and run to the bathroom, she was 7 months impregnate with twins. In other words, she was HUGE. I knew something was up, but I didn't think anything to be a big a deal. We were told over and over, if anything goofy happened to call the doctor to just make sure. So I started heading for the phone. I asked your mom what was up, she replied that she thought she might have peed herself (pregnancy seems fun). I handed her the phone in the bathroom and went upstairs to get her shoes and clothes to go to the doctor. We were off.

The drive is only about 12 minutes away. As I drove your mom asked, "What if we have babies tonight?" I remember thinking about how to answer this in a calming way for the both of us as we were 2 months from the due date. So I said, "We aren't having babies tonight." as confidently as I could. At about this point, your mom began to have contractions pretty seriously. Over the next 6 minutes of the drive, she really was not comfortable. I pulled up to the front door of the hospital and walked your mom in. We really had no idea where to go as our 'Hospital Tour' was scheduled for the next night. The security guard on duty was completely focused on his solitaire game and was little help. Your mom said she would be fine getting up to the Mother/Baby floor and checked in while I parked the car.

When I got back to Mom it was maybe 10 minutes later. Things were progressing greatly. She was in a hospital bed with multiple monitors on and she was REALLY uncomfortable. I answered all the registration questions while Mom struggled to get comfortable. The nurses seemed relaxed and not worried about Mom's situation. They said Mom's doctor would be there shortly and to relax. This was not working for Mom.

In real time the doctor was there maybe 15 minutes later, but it felt like forever as your mom squirmed and contorted in the bed. When the doctor did show up, she realized this was not a first time mom confusing gas cramps with contractions. EVERYTHING sped up at this point. She started barking orders at the nursing staff. She wanted to take a look at your mom and wanted lights, but settled on a flashlight in the sake of speed. It was go time!!! A senior nurse took me out of the room. She led me to the NICU and gave me a quick tour. This is when it dawned on me, "WE ARE HAVING BABIES TONIGHT!!" As I returned to the room they continued prepping your mom for surgery and brought me scrubs. In a flash they wheeled her out and towards a surgery room and said they would be right back to get me. I threw the scrubs on and knew I had a quick second to call both grandparents.

As I was led back to the surgery room, I saw your mom on a table. There was a giant blue sheet dividing the room. On one side was two crews of doctors, surgeons, and nurses prepping to take care of two baby girls. On the other side was your mom's head poking through the sheet and a chair waiting for me. I sat down next to her and said, "I guess we're doing this?!" She smiled at me and I asked her, "You ok?" before she could answer our conversation was interrupted by a baby's cry. We both were shocked and your mom asked, "Was that a baby?" I looked at the comotion occuring on the business side of the blue curtain. . .it was two babies. A nurse grabbed me and asked me to come meet my daughters. She warned me to not look on the business side of the blue curtain (of course I did!!). I came over and saw two very little humans being worked on. They quickly wheeled you both out of the surgery room and instructed me to go with them. We were off to the NICU.

The NICU was crazy. Two teams of four were working at a maddening pace on each of you. They were working on getting oxygen, fluids, and monitors on you. New packaging was getting ripped open. Nurses were hollering for supplies, yelling instructions, calling out stats. . .this was the most organized chaos I have ever witnessed. Just when I thought they were losing control, a nurse turned to me and said in the most calm and concerned voice, "Hey Dad, you need anything?" In shock of everything and surprised that I mattered at all during these events, I barely muttered, "No I am ok." She told me to ask if I need anything. . .yeah right.

You both seemed to be doing OK, and the nurses were great to update me as things were progressing. I knew what they were doing, but not why or if it was good or bad. I had to figure you were doing ok as they did check to see if I needed a seat, but then again, I may have just been standing too close. A call came into the NICU that another baby was born and needed attention. Things pretty much stopped on both of you as the nurses and doctors went to that baby's aid. I thought this was a good sign, as my babies were not the worst in the class.

Things stabilized at this point. You were "plugged in" and doing well. So, I figured I would go find your mom and see if she was ok. When I found her she was in a recovery room, very doped up on drugs. I gave her an update as she knew nearly nothing. She asked if anyone knew we had babies. I had no idea, so I set out to find out who had come to the hospital. I found Memaw, Papa, Grandpa JimJim, Grammy, Aunt Shawna, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Jessie in the original room we came to. I told them the story and announced your names (we had kept them a secret).

Over the next couple of hours I rotated between your mom and you. Sometimes I brought another person or two back to see you. But because your mom was still recovering, she had yet to meet you. In the panic of the your birth, no one had got an exact time of birth. They estimated 11:30pm. Now it was nearly 3:30am. Your mom was determined to get up and go see you. Amazing determination.  She (whom just had major emergency surgery) struggled for nearly an hour to get up and head down to the NICU. How awesome it was to see your mom see her babies!!