So I know I said it would be a while, but the stars aligned and now you get this! Enjoy!
"They are truly perfect," Maya said around 8 the next morning after they had gotten a few hours' sleep while the twins were in the nursery, the nurses bringing them in once around 4 am so they could nurse before bringing them back at 7 am both so they could eat and so their moms could spend time with them.
"Si," Carina said, looking down at the little baby who was sleeping in her arms, "But they look so different."
Maya nodded, looking between their two daughters as she and Carina both sat on the bed. They had purposely picked an Italian donor who had similar features to Carina so the girls would look a little like both of them.
Baby A looked a lot more like Carina with a lot of dark hair and eyes that were a darker gray they both of them were convinced would turn brown as she grew. Baby B had a small amount of blonde hair on her head and eyes that were so blue.
"I can't believe they are ours," Maya said, planting a small kiss on her younger daughter's forehead.
"Are you guys up for visitors?" Amelia said, knocking on the door.
"Of course," Carina said, smiling as her best friend walked in.
"Oh my goodness," Amelia said, walking over to the bed, "They are precious."
"Do you want to hold one of them?" Maya asked, breaking her eyes away from the sleeping baby in her arms to look at the neurosurgeon.
"Yes please," Amelia said, walking over to the sink, washing her hands quickly before taking the baby from Maya, "Oh my goodness, they are so small. They make Harper seem huge."
"They are not small," Carina said, shaking her head, "They are each over 7 lbs., and I had to push out two of them."
"Ok, but Harper started rolling over and cut a tooth in the past week so these two are tiny," Amelia said, cooing at the baby in her arms, "I can't wait for you two to meet your future best friend. She is pretty cute even though she doesn't like to sleep through the night. Do they have names yet?"
"Si," Carina said, nodding as the baby in her arms opened her eyes, making a face that made Carina laugh a little, "You are holding Rowan Andrea and this is Elenora Mason."
"Those are beautiful names," Amelia said, not looking up from the sleeping newborn in her arms, "I like the nod to both of your brothers."
"And Carina's mom," Maya said, "Her name was also Elenora."
"That is so special," Amelia said, looking at her friends, "And Rowan?"
"It's the name of the street we stayed on during our honeymoon," Carina said, shrugging a little.
"Well, I like it," Amelia said, her pager suddenly going off, "Duty calls. I will be back later for more baby snuggles?"
"Of course," Carina said, nodding as Maya took Rowan back from Amelia.
Because it was New Year's Day, it was relatively quiet for the next two hours. Carina took a little nap while Maya held the girls until it was time for them to be fed.
Carina was determined to breast feed them, at least for a little while so she was trying to figure out tandem feeding. However, Elenora, or Nora, as they had decided to call her, wasn't great at latching and Maya ended up bottle feeding her. Carina asked to see a lactation consultant later in the day to see if maybe she had some pointers, but as a doctor, she knew that as long as the babies were fed, they were fine.
At 10, there was another knock on the door, just after they finished feeding the babies.
"Come in," Carina called, pulling her gown back up as she burped Rowan.
"Is now an ok time?" Andrew asked, walking in with two stuffed animals.
"Si," Carina said, smiling at her brother, "Come meet your nipoti, your nieces."
"These are for them," Andrew said, setting a penguin and a polar bear on Carina's bed, "Oh wow, they are so cute."
"Wash your hands and you can hold them," Carina said, gesturing to the sink.
"Hi," Andrew said, taking the baby from Carina, "Oh my goodness. You are perfect. I am your Zio Andrea. I love you so much."
Carina smiled as she watched her brother hold her daughter as Maya sat back down on the bed next to her.
"Here," the blonde said, handing Nora back to Carina, "Let me get some pictures."
Maya went into their hospital bag, pulling out her camera.
"Smile Zio Andrea," Maya said, getting Andrew to look at her with a huge grin plastered on his face.
"How are you feeling Carina?" Andrew asked, looking at his big sister.
"Sore," Carina said, "And exhausted, but so happy."
"I can't believe you had the first babies of the year," Andrew said, shaking his head.
"I know," Carina said, moving Nora up to her shoulder as the little girl fussed, "I honestly thought we would have them by Christmas, but they had their own plans."
"Just like their moms," Andrew said, "Never doing what people expect. What are their names?"
"You have Rowan Andrea," Maya said as Carina adjusted Nora again, "And your sister has Elenora Mason."
"You named her after Mamma?" Andrew said, tears filling his eyes, "And wait, did you say Rowan Andrea?"
"Si," Carina said, Maya taking Nora as she continued to fuss, walking around the room with her a little, "After you."
"Wow," Andrew said, "That's… wow. Thank you."
"You are their Zio," Carina said, smiling at her brother with tired eyes, "And my baby brother."
"I need to get back to work," Andrew said, begrudgingly handing the baby back to Carina, "I will be back later. Congratulations, both of you."
Andrew left as Nora continued fussing in Maya's arms. Finally, the blonde unwrapped the baby, noticing her diaper was wet.
"I think I know why she's so fussy," Maya said, "Where are the diapers?"
"Under the bassinet," Carina said, knowing where everything was kept because normally, she was being asked that by patients.
As Maya laid Nora in the bassinet, there was another knock on the door and in walked Andy and Vic.
"Hey guys," Carina said, smiling as Vic placed a bouquet of flowers down.
"Congratulations," Andy said, going over to Carina and giving her a small hug as Vic did the same.
"Is Maya changing a diaper?" Vic said, looking over and seeing their new battalion chief with a package of wipes.
"I know how to change diapers," Maya said, carefully wiping the baby up before getting a fresh diaper on her.
"Si," Carina said, "I taught her the first time we babysat Scout."
"Also, I have watched everyone's kids, including yours, Andy," Maya said, smiling at her friends.
Maya quickly got the new diaper on the red faced, screaming baby before rewrapping her blanket and scooping her up, bouncing her a little to settle her.
"There you go Nora," Maya said, smiling as the baby settled against her chest, worn out from her diaper change.
"Nora?" Vic said, walking over to Maya, "That's adorable."
"Her full name is Elenora Mason Deluca-Bishop," Maya said, trying to hand the baby to Vic only to have her start screaming again, "Hang on. Let me try to get her settled, and then I'll give her to you."
"No," Vic said, shaking her head, "She clearly wants her mom, and I am not going to be the one to deny her that, especially when she's not even a day old."
Maya smiled as Nora nuzzled closer to her, eyes starting to close.
"And who is this?" Andy asked as Carina handed her the other baby who was sound asleep and not nearly as needy as her sister at the moment.
"Rowan Andrea Deluca-Bishop," Carina said.
"Hey," Vic said, jokingly "How come she gets a baby named after her?"
"Because I am going to be her favorite Tia," Andy said, laughing.
"Actually," Maya said, "Their middle names are after our brothers."
"I figured," Andy said, smiling at her best friend, "But I might just pretend it's after me. God, they are so cute. They make me want another baby."
"You should have one," Carina said, nodding, "Then the twins can have someone to play with."
"I've been trying to talk Robert into it for the past few months," Andy admitted, "He says we just got Luca out of the baby stage with the potty training and big boy bed, but I told him that's the exact reason we need another one. Maybe Nora and Rowan will change his mind because they are so precious."
"Alright," Vic said, rubbing her hands together, "My turn with the munkin."
Maya smiled as she walked back over to the hospital bed, handing Nora back to Carina, the baby fussing for a second before cuddling up inside Carina's hospital gown, her head directly on her mamma's heart.
"You doing alright, Babe?" Maya asked, leaning over and kissing her wife's forehead.
"Si," Carina said, nodding as she looked up at Maya, "I don't think I have ever been so happy to be so tired."
"You can rest if you need to," Maya said.
"No," Carina said, shaking her head, "I am alright for now. I have slept more since they have been born than I think I did the last week of my pregnancy."
Maya nodded, knowing sleep had not been easy for Carina for the past few months, but the past week, Carina's sleeping patterns made insomniac Maya look like she was a champion sleeper.
"Did you have them naturally?" Andy asked.
"She did," May answered, "Like the amazing champion she is."
"Well, it helped that the girls decided to both miraculously be head down," Carina shrugged, "And they decided to make their birth extra special and be the first babies born in Seattle this year."
"Wait, they weren't born until after midnight?" Vic said, "But you went into labor…"
"At 3 am yesterday," Carina nodded, gently rubbing Nora's back as the baby squirmed a little, "Si. It was a long labor. These two are just as stubborn as their Mommy, only giving into change when they absolutely have to."
Maya shot her a look, but quickly followed it with a smiled.
"You must be exhausted," Andy said, shaking her head.
"Si," Carina said, "But they are worth it."
"We ca go if you want to sleep," Vic said, not taking her eyes off Rowan who had just woken up.
"No," Carina said, shaking her head, "I am fine."
Rowan decided she was over being held by Vic apparently because she started crying just then.
"I'll take her," Maya said, walking over to Vic and scooping the baby out of her friend's arms.
"I remember when you used to run from any crying baby," Andy said, shaking her head, "Or really any crying adult too."
Maya rolled her eyes at her friends before giving her full attention to her daughter. Maya changed her diaper, but Rowan still wouldn't settle. Maya walked around the room, just gently bouncing the little girl. The baby let out a loud burp before settling down.
"Oh, that was the problem," Maya said, laughing a little as Rowan laid her head against Maya's neck.
Vic and Andy stayed for a while longer, Nora deciding she would let her Aunts hold her for a little while before both firefighters had to leave.
"Congratulations again," Vic said, smiling as they left.
"And text us if you need anything," Andy said, "I'll bring by dinner once you guys are home."
"Thank you," Maya and Carina both said as their friends left.
The lactation consultant came in not long after their friends left and gave Carina some help getting the girls to latch. It was a process, but eventually, she made it happen, and Carina burst into tears when it did. Maya didn't quite know what to do, but she put a hand on her wife's back, pressing a kiss into her temple.
"They're really doing it," Carina said, looking at Maya.
"You're doing it," Maya said, "I'm so proud of you Babe."
The girls knocked out after eating and so did Carina. Maya decided to run to the deli near the hospital to grab some food for both of them because the girls were in the nursery for a few tests.
Maya came back, smiling when she saw Carina still asleep in bed. She walked down to the nursery, finding the girls in their basinets.
"Can I take them back to our room?" Maya asked one of the nurses.
"Of course," the nurse said, helping Maya bring the twins back to their room. The blonde scooped up Rowan who was awake, looking around.
"What are you looking at?" Maya asked, kissing Rowan's little forehead.
The baby fussed a little, squirming in Maya's arms. The blonde pulled off her t-shirt before stripping the baby down to only a diaper and settling her on her chest inside her tank top, covering her with a blanket. Rowan sighed, eyes closing almost immediately.
"I promise, I will always hold you when you need me to," Maya said, kissing the baby's head that was covered in a hat, "And I will love you forever. I will listen to you and let you make the choices you want and you are never going to the Olympics, unless that's what you want. Then, I will be there to cheer you on every step of the way. Your mamma and I love you and your sister so much."
"Yes we do," Carina said, startling Maya a little.
"Hey, I didn't know you were awake," the blonde said, making sure the baby was in a good position before looking at her wife.
"You are such a great mom to our girls," Carina said, smiling, "I didn't think it was possible for me to fall more in love with you, but watching you with them, no lo so, it makes me love you in a new way."
"I feel the same way," Maya said, carefully getting up and walking over to the bed, sitting down next to her wife.
"Someone clearly likes cuddling with Mommy," Carina said as she pulled the blanket down a little to see Rowan's tiny, sleeping face, "She is smart. That is the best place to sleep."
Maya smiled, leaning over and kissing Carina gently. Just then, Nora decided she needed to join the party and started squawking from the bassinet.
"I've got her," Carina said, stopping Maya from moving, "I need to be walking around anyway."
The brunette slowly got out of bed, walking over to the bassinet and picking up their older daughter.
"Buongiorno Piccola," Carina said, "Avete dormito bene?"
Maya smiled listening to her wife speak in her native language to their daughter. The blonde had picked up bits and pieces of Italian in the past five years, but she was nowhere near fluent. They had decided that they wanted the girls to at least be bilingual so they could talk to their Italian family members, although if Andy had her way, the twins would be speaking English, Italian, and Spanish before they turned two.
Carina brought the baby over to the bed, settling her against her in the same way Maya had Rowan.
"I didn't know it was possible to love someone I just met this morning this much," Carina said, kissing Nora's cheek.
The four of them just sat there together until there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Mason and his now fiancé, Lyla.
"Is now an ok time?" Mason asked, not wanting to intrude.
"Yeah," Maya said, after looking at Carina for conformation, "Come meet your nieces."
Maya carefully moved Rowan off her chest, wrapping the baby in a blanket while Carina did the same with Nora. Mason and Lyla quickly washed their hands before walking back over to the bed.
"Here you go," Carina said, handing the baby to her brother-in-law as Maya gave Lyla the other one.
"Wow," Mason said, looking down at the tiny baby, "She is beautiful."
"What are their names?" Lyla asked, staring at the baby in her arms.
"You have Rowan Andrea," Maya said, "And Mason has Elenora Mason, or Nora."
"You named her after me?" Mason said, looking at his big sister, "Why?"
"Because you are my little brother," Maya said, pulling her t-shirt back on, "And you are important to me."
"Thank you," Mason said, staring back down at the baby who held his namesake.
"They are precious," Lyla said, smiling as Rowan yawned, sticking out her tongue a little.
"I hear congratulations are in order for you both," Carina said, having not seen either of them since the engagement.
"Oh, yeah," Mason said, "Thanks."
The four of them chatted for a while until the babies got hungry.
"We will leave you to feed them," Lyla said, handing Nora, who she had ended up with after she and Mason switched babies, back to Carina.
"Thank you for stopping by," Maya said as she took Rowan.
"Congratulations to you both," Mason said, giving his sister a small hug which still felt incredibly weird to both of them.
"You as well," Carina said, smiling as they left.
The rest of the afternoon and even were pretty much spent feeding and holding the twins. People kept dropping by to see them because they all knew Carina and wanted to see how she was doing.
Around nine, the babies were taken to the nursery so their moms could get a little rest.
"I am going to run home for a little bit," Maya said, kissing Carina's cheek gently, "I want to get in a quick run because my body needs it, unless you want or need me to stay?"
"No," Carina said, shaking her head sleepily, "Go take care of yourself. I will be fine here."
"I will try to be back before the girls' next feed," Maya said, giving her wife a kiss, "I love you."
"I love you too," Carina said, her eyes already starting to close.
Maya went home, running on the treadmill for about five miles before taking a quick shower. She then went into the kitchen, smiling when she saw that Andy had dropped off what she had asked for. Maya got to work making lasagna, knowing it was something Carina had been missing during her pregnancy, but because of her heartburn, it had been off the table for the past four months. Maya planned to have it ready for when Carina was released from the hospital, which would hopefully be the following day according to her doctor.
By the time she had the dish done and in the fridge and the kitchen back in order, it was almost 11:30. She knew the girls would need to be fed again around 12 so she headed out.
She got back to the hospital, carefully and quietly going into Carina's room, smiling when she saw that her wife was still sound asleep. Maya sat down on the bench that doubled as her bed, knowing she wasn't going to go to sleep until after the babies had been fed.
Sure enough, twenty minutes later, a nurse came in with the babies, Maya gently waking Carina up. Once the girls were fed, burped, and back in the nursery, Carina fell back to sleep, and Maya tried to get some rest as well.
The girls had another feed at 3 am and after their 6 am feed, Maya asked if they could just stay in the room. Carina and Nora were both sleeping, but Maya was wide awake, and apparently, so was Rowan.
"Are you going to be like me?" Maya asked as she sat doing skin to skin with the little baby, "Not sleeping like a normal person? I hope not, for your sake, and for ours. Although, it might not be the worst thing in the world to have another morning person in the house because your mamma would sleep all day if I let her."
Rowan just nuzzled closer to Maya, letting out a little sigh.
About ten minutes later, Nora started waking up. Maya got up, carefully maneuvering the babies so she ended up with both of them on her chest. She just stared at them, smiling when Nora grabbed Rowan's hand, the two of them just snuggling with each other and her.
When Carina stirred an hour later, she smiled as she looked over, seeing her wife with both their daughters.
"Good morning Babe," Maya said, looking up and seeing her wife was awake, "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Better," Carina said, stretching a little, "Still sore, but less tired. I'm ready to take these little bambinas home."
"Me too," Maya said, nodding as she got up, going over to the bed and letting Carina take Rowan.
They stayed there for a little while until the pediatrician came in, giving the girls a quick exam before declaring them both healthy and signing their discharge papers. After the pediatrician left, the new moms held their babies who were both rather disgruntled from being poked and prodded by the doctor. About a half an hour later, there was a knock at the door and a nurse came in.
"It's time for the babies to have a bath," the nurse said, bringing in a cart with supplies.
"Alright," Maya said, not quite sure what to do.
"You can help, Bella," Carina said, looking at her wife, "And then we can put some clothes on them."
"Ok," Maya said, getting up and moving Nora, who had just woken up, out from where she had been cuddled in Maya's tank top, the little girl squealing a little.
"I know Piccola," Maya said, keeping the blanket on the baby, "You are going to have a bath. I don't really like them, but your mamma is a big fan."
"You don't ever complain when I suggest we take a bath," Carina said, looking at her wife.
"Well, yeah, I like them with you. I like everything with you," Maya said, "But I would never take one alone."
Carina rolled her eyes as Maya brought the baby over to the sink.
"Now, we can't give her a real bath until the umbilical stump falls off," the nurse said, "But we can wash her hair and the rest of her body."
Maya helped wipe down the baby, who seemed to enjoy the warm water and towels that were draped over her. Maya washed her hair which had been stuck to her head since she was born from all the goop. Maya smiled as the hair came unstuck from the baby's head, showing how much she really did have.
Once the baby was cleaned up, the nurse wrapped her up in a blanket, handing her to Maya. Maya carried her over to the bed, handing her to Carina while she grabbed a diaper and the going home outfit they had picked out for the girls.
They both had little white onesies, one that said "Ciao World" and the other said "Hello Mondo" which Maya found to be incredibly cheesy, but Andy had gotten them made special for the girls and Carina loved them so when Carina suggested them for coming home outfits, Maya obliged. They also each had a little pair of stretch pants, one a mauve and the other a mustard color along with matching hats.
"Put her in the mustard ones," Carina said as Maya brought both outfits over to the bed.
"Dr. Deluca, would you like to bathe your other daughter?" the nurse asked.
"Only if you call me Carina," the doctor said, getting up and carrying Rowan over to the sink.
Maya got Nora dressed quickly before setting the baby in the bassinet and grabbing the camera, snapping a few pictures of Carina bathing Rowan. Unlike her sister, Rowan was pissed about having to take a bath, screaming the entire time.
"Come here Patatina," Carina said, taking the baby from her nurse, "I know. That was rough. Let's get you dressed."
Carina sat down, Maya handing her a diaper which she quickly put on the screaming baby before pulling on her onesie and pants.
"Alright," Carina said, scooping the now red-faced infant up, "It's ok. The bath is done."
Rowan continued whimpering for a little longer before settling in Carina's arms. Both girls were asleep so Carina decided to get a shower herself.
"Do you want my help?" Maya asked as Carina got up, clearly still aching from giving birth.
"Maybe," Carina said, "But the girls…"
Just then, there was another knock on the door and Teddy stuck her head in.
"Are you guys up for visitors?" the cardio surgeon asked.
"Perfect timing," Maya said, "Come on in. Meet the babies, Elenora Mason and Rowan Andrea. Carina was just about to take a shower and now I can help her."
"Oh," Teddy said, laughing as Maya handed her one of the twins, "Alright."
"Grazie Teddy," Carina said, shaking her head a little.
In all honesty, she was glad to have Maya's help. Her body was so sore that help sounded nice. Once Carina had showered and put on some real clothes, they went back into the room, finding Teddy sitting in the chair, holding Rowan.
"They are precious," Teddy said, smiling at her friends.
"Thanks," Carina said, sitting back down on the bed.
Just then, Danielle came in.
"Hello Carina, Maya, Dr. Altman," she said, smiling at all of them, "I just came to do a quick check on Carina, and if everything looks good, I am going to let you go home before lunch."
"Really?" Carina said, face lighting up.
"Of course," Danielle said before beginning her questions.
She knew most of this was just a formality, that Carina was very well versed on what was typical or not after child birth.
"Alright," Danielle said, "I am going to send a nurse in her with your discharge papers. I will see you in six weeks for your next appointment?"
Carina nodded, smiling at Maya.
Teddy got paged just as Danielle left, leaving the two new moms alone with their daughters with a few words of congratulations.
"Alright," Maya said, "Well, the girls were cleared by the pediatrician so I guess this means we are busting out of here."
"Si," Carina said, nodding.
"I'll go grab the car seats," Maya said, grabbing the car keys.
Within an hour, the twins were loaded in their car seats and the new family was heading home for the first time.
What did you think of their names and this chapter? Now, I actually have nothing else written for this story and an insane two weeks coming up with both work and school so the next update will probably be slower. However, this is my favorite way to procrastinate my work so who knows. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see this little family do, let me know!