Olive and David were at Maya's 15-week ultrasound. Jeff hadn't been able to make it to this appointment, but had been going to the other appointments with the group.
The ultrasound technician, Jane was moving the sensor over Maya's stomach. She seemed to be studying the image quite hard.
"Did you implant more than one embryo?" Jane asked.
"Yes, they implanted two," Maya replied.
"Okay because…there's two heartbeats," Jane said.
"What!" Olive exclaimed, much louder than she intended.
"Yes - it's twins," Jane replied.
"Twins," Olive said.
"Twins," David repeated.
"Oh dear God," Maya muttered, grateful she was already laying down. She had thought she was bigger than she would've expected, but also acknowledged she'd never been pregnant before and knew ultimately every pregnancy was different.
It wasn't that any of them weren't excited. But Maya was terrified at the thought of being pregnant with twins - even though it had already been nearly four months. And Olive and David, though they had wanted two children, had not anticipated having them both at once.
Ultimately, the couple decided not to find out whether the twins were boys or girls. They had already planned to wait, and this news didn't change anything.
And it was also enough news to take in today.
Maya ultimately decided to get a c-section, and a date was set.
When the date arrived, Maya could only take one person into the operating room with her. She chose Olive, and David, Jeff, Shelby, and the grandparents (including Kurt and Blaine, who Olive said were the babies' honorary grandpas) waited in the lobby. Clementine was unfortunately at soccer practice but eagerly awaited meeting the babies later.
Maya went into the operating room at 12:00. Olive went to the lobby at 12:05.
"Okay," she said, trying to keep it together.
David stood up. "How are the babies? How's Maya?"
"Maya's great…and so are our daughter and son." She hugged him.
Later, when Maya was up for it, Olive and David decided it was time to formally introduce everyone to the babies. Annie and Clementine had since arrived. Everyone got a chance to hold the babies, and then Olive gave her daughter back to Maya and David handed their son back to Jesse.
"Okay, should we tell them the names?" Olive asked David.
"Absolutely," David said.
"So," Olive began.
"Baby B, who Dad is holding, is…Jesse Oliver David Jones-St. James," Olive said. Olive could see the surprise and excitement in her father's eyes. Olive and David knew even before they had kids that a son would have David's name incorporated somehow. Olive also knew, although Clementine's middle name was Jessica, that her father would appreciate another namesake and so she wanted a son to also have Jesse's name incorporated as well.
David wanted Olive's name to be incorporated in a daughter's name but Olive was adamant on some different names. So David convinced her to include Oliver as well for their son's name.
Since Baby Jesse got three names, it was only fair, of course, that his sister did too.
"And his sister, Baby A…is Maya Rachel Shelby Jones-St. James. Because she and her brother simply would not exist, were it not for the love and selflessness of three incredible women who they get to call their aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother."