Hope for All- chapter 55
Tony brought the babies up to the nursery and started to get them ready for bed. Angela came in after getting herself ready and helped Tony. Both babies started to fuss until Angela sat in the rocker and lulled them back to sleep. She brought them into their room and each took one of the babies to swaddle before putting them down in their bassinets. They both stood there watching them sleep.
"They look so peaceful… I hope they sleep for us!" whispered Tony.
"Me too… let's try and get some rest" she whispered back. They climbed into bed and soon fell fast asleep. They were shocked when the babies woke them up at 2:00am, sleeping for a full four hours straight.
"I feel like I've been hit by a bus… that's the first time since they were born I slept more than three hours but now my body knows what it's missing!" laughed Tony as he went around to pick up Anna.
"I know what you mean! Okay you guys let's get you changed and then fed. You must be starving!" said Angela as she picked up Matthew. They both changed them on the bed and then set up to nurse in bed. They both quickly latched on as they were very hungry. Tony went to make them each a two ounce bottle in hopes of getting them to sleep a bit longer. Both babies nursed longer than usual, almost a half an hour and then drank all two ounces of formula. Unlike last time, they were both wide awake.
"Why do I think you two are ready to party?" laughed Tony.
"You need some more sleep Tony so you will be rested for your class tomorrow. Hopefully they go back to sleep soon. I'm going to head downstairs and watch some television in the meantime" said Angela.
"Are you sure Angela? My class isn't until nine" he said as he yawned and handed Anna over to Angela.
"Yes I'm sure Tony. Go rest" she said as she walked out of the room. By the time she got to the living room, she could hear him snoring from upstairs. She just laughed and shook her head as she settled in on the sofa. She was able to maneuver to pick up the remote and found an old movie on the television. For the first hour, the twins were content to be held in her arms but an hour later, Matthew started to fuss.
"Oh Matthew… what's wrong? You can't be hungry… tired yes but definitely not hungry!" she said. She was able to walk around the room with him but he wasn't settling. The stroller was opened in the corner so she pulled it over and placed both Anna and Matthew inside. She started to walk them around the room. Anna soon fell asleep, but Matthew was still fussing. She picked him back up and walked him around the room as Anna slept in the stroller.
"You don't need to be changed, you're not hungry… maybe you need another burp?" she said as she put him over her shoulder and patted his back. After a couple of minutes, he burped and settled down.
"And we have a winner! Okay little boy… you need to settle now and go to sleep!" she said as she put him back in the stroller and walked around the room. Soon, he was asleep. Angela decided to try and sleep on the sofa while they slept. No sooner did she fall asleep when Anna started to wake up. Her cries were soft at first but soon she was full on crying.
"Oh Anna what's wrong? You're my calm one!" she chuckled. She checked her and sure enough she needed to be changed. She realized they had no diapers or wipes down here, something she realized she needed to do later on, so she picked up a sleeping Matthew and headed back upstairs.
Once in the nursery, she put Matthew in his crib and took Anna to the changing table. She quickly changed her and sat down in the rocker.
"Okay little girl. You are fed, changed and need to go back to sleep…" she said as she rocked her for a while, her tired eyes finally closing. She decided to put her in the crib and just lay down on the floor, using stuffed animals and a few of their blankets to cover herself up. She quickly fell asleep but within twenty minutes both babies were up crying. She just laid on the floor for a few moments, exhaustion taking hold. Slowly, she stood up and checked them for diaper changing. Anna was fine and took her pacifier to calm down. Matthew needed to be changed so she picked him up and took him over to be changed.
"Alright you two… it's almost five in the morning… and you are both wide awake! Should we try a feeding and see if that gets you back to sleep?" she asked as she picked them both up and walked back into the bedroom. Tony was snoring so loud it was giving her a headache. On the upside, she thought, at least it would keep her awake.
"Okay let's figure this out…" she said as she placed both babies on the bed and got herself set up. She latched Matthew first and then Anna. Anna fussed for a while but soon latched correctly and settled. Angela could barely keep her eyes open but managed to keep awake long enough to burp them one at a time and then finish their feedings. She walked them around the room until they both fell asleep. She carefully put them down and crawled into bed. Again, within five minutes of her falling asleep, both babies started to cry.
"Tony… Tony… Tony! Wake up!" she shouted as she hit him with a pillow.
"What Angela?" he said half asleep.
"Get up! I've been up for almost four hours with them. It's your turn. They were just fed but they may need a bottle or more burping" she said.
"Okay Angela. You go back and sleep… I've got this…" he said as he walked to the bassinets, nearly tripping over the end of the bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he got to the twins.
"Okay you two! What's going on? You still hungry? You need to be burped? Or you just missing your old man?" he chuckled as he picked up Anna. He tried a few times to pick up Matthew but couldn't maneuver with Anna in his other arm.
"Angela… Angela, how do you pick them both up at once? This is impossible!" he said. Frustrated from the lack of sleep, Angela threw off the covers and went to pick up Matthew.
"Okay here I'll take him" said Tony.
"Forget it Tony. I've got it. Why don't you go back to sleep" she said angrily.
"No you need your sleep! Just hand him to me and go back to sleep" he said.
"So I can be woken up yet again in a few minutes? That's even worse than not sleeping! I'll help you get them settled and then I'll try to sleep" she said as she was trying to comfort a screaming Matthew. Just then, Samantha and Jonathan came into the bedroom.
"Can we help?" asked Samantha.
"You guys should still be sleeping! You don't have to be up for almost another hour" said Angela as she finally got Matthew to stop crying.
"It's okay! We want to help!" said Jonathan.
"How about we head downstairs and let Angela get some rest. I will make them bottles while you two hold them" said Tony as he took Matthew from Angela. They all left the bedroom and headed to the living room as Angela got back into bed. For no other reason than pure exhaustion, she started to cry. Her tears just started to flow as she cried herself to sleep.
Angela woke up about two hours later. She fell asleep on her stomach, which she soon regretted as she was in a lot of pain. She hoped the twins would be ready to nurse soon to alleviate some of the pain. She could hear faint crying coming from downstairs so she figured they were hungry. She quickly got dressed and threw her hair up in a messy bun and headed downstairs.
"Oh good you are awake. The kids just left for school and I need to go get ready. Mona is finishing up breakfast and then will be out here to help until she has to head into work" he said he handed Matthew to Angela. Anna was laying in the stroller wide awake but content.
"Okay Tony. Are they ready to nurse? I need to nurse them soon" she said.
"They both should be… they weren't hungry before so they haven't had another bottle" he said as he headed upstairs.
"Alright you two! Thank you for being good for your Daddy and letting me get a little bit of sleep! Let's get you fed" she said as she picked up Anna and headed to the sofa. Just then Mona came in and helped Angela get set up.
"I'd ask how your night went, but by the looks of you, I have my answer!" laughed Mona.
"Mother!" she shouted.
"What? You look like any other new mother of twins… absolutely exhausted! Did you sleep at all?" she asked.
"We slept for about four hours in the beginning of the night and then I was up with them for most of the early morning until I woke up Tony. I was able to get about two more hours of sleep now" she said.
"Well that's not going to get you the rest you need. The agency is a well oiled machine thanks to you so I think on Friday this week I will take off and help you out" she said.
"Thank you Mother. I appreciate that… the little to no sleep is the killer. Once they start sleeping through the night it will be fine" she said with a yawn.
"You didn't sleep through the night until almost a year… let's hope these ones didn't get those genes from you!" laughed Mona.
"One can hope they didn't! Alright Mother you need to get to work. Once I'm done feeding them, I'm going to take them to get changed and maybe go for a walk. I need something to keep me awake!" she laughed. Mona headed out to work as Tony came down the stairs.
"Okay sweetheart. Are you sure you will be okay? You didn't sleep nearly as long as you should have… I can stay home…" he said.
"I'm fine Tony. When you get home, I will sleep some more. I think I'm going to go for a walk with them after this feeding, hopefully get them to settle and sleep" she said. She was feeling much better as they started to feed.
"Okay Angela. Let me go so I can get back and take over. I love you sweetheart!" he said as he leaned down and kissed her then the twins before heading out the door.
"So you two… it's just the three of us! Go easy on me please! We've barely slept so I think it's time after you are nice and full to go get changed and get some fresh air! How does that sound?" she asked them. Neither baby objected so she took it as a green light to go ahead with her plans. The babies nursed for close to an hour before finally seeming satisfied. She burped them one at a time and took them up to get changed. She quickly packed one of the diaper bags just in case and brought them downstairs. She put the twins in the stroller and covered them with a blanket before heading outside.
"Alright here goes nothing…" she said as she headed out the front door. The babies soon fell asleep, a perfect combination of the movement of the stroller and the crisp, fresh air. She decided a trip around the block would be good and then she could sit outside in the back by the swing and just relax. Just as she was about to circle back onto Oak Hills Drive, she heard two familiar, very loud and annoying voices.
"Angela! Angela!" shouted Joanne Parker as she and Diane Wilmington crossed the street to see Angela. She was stuck and couldn't go anywhere but straight in their direction. She secretly hoped one of the twins would fuss and she would have an excuse to keep walking.
"Hi Joanne, hi Diane…" said Angela.
"Oh my gosh! You had the babies? Congratulations!" said Diane.
"Yes thank you. They were born on Friday. We are all over the moon in love with them, although very tired!" she chuckled.
"Oh aren't they just adorable! One of each… how perfect…" said Joanne with a forced smile and happiness.
"Thank you Joanne" said Angela as she telepathically tried to wake up one of the twins.
"So where is Tony? I thought he wouldn't leave your side for a minute…" said Joanne.
"He has a class this morning. He missed a class needless to say on Friday so I didn't want him to miss anymore than he needed to… besides it's a beautiful day for a walk" she said.
"Oh yes it definitely is! We are about to go on our five mile walk around the neighborhood! You know how it is… always gotta keep in shape!" said Diane. Just then, Anna started to cry, Angela silently thanking the universe.
"It's okay sweetheart! Okay I better get back to walking too… always gotta keep the babies happy!" she said as she started heading home. Anna settled back down and fell asleep again.
"Good girl Anna… saving Mommy just in the nick of time!" said Angela as they turned up the driveway. The twins were still asleep so she decided to go inside instead and put the stroller next to the side chair as she collapsed into it. She ended up nodding off in the chair, waking up a half an hour later when Matthew started to cry.
"These cat naps are all I'm going to get these next few weeks aren't I?" she chuckled as she tried in vain to settle him in the stroller. Finally she gave up and picked him up. She realized he needed to be changed again so she set him up on the sofa to change him. Anna started to stir so she changed her as well. Both babies were fussing and acting hungry so she sat down on the sofa and began to feed them. Half way through the feeding, Tony walked through the door.
"Hi everyone! Didn't I leave you all just like this?" he laughed as he came over and sat down next to Angela.
"I feel like this is all I do now! I think my milk is coming in because they both don't want to stop nursing. The last feed lasted an hour!" she said.
"An hour? Wow! They are going to get so big so quick!" he said.
"Once they are done, I need to call and schedule their one week appointment for Friday and then an appointment for me and Samantha for early next week at my gynecologist" said Angela.
"Why does she need to go again? She's still a little girl! Sex shouldn't even be a passing thought at her age!" he shouted.
"Did it ever cross your mind at her age?" she asked as his face dropped, knowing he didn't have an answer that would make him feel better.
"That's why Tony. She's old enough to be thinking she wants to remain a big sister and not a mother. She needs to know what her options are once the time comes. Grandma and Grandpa are not titles I think either one of us are ready for!" she laughed as Tony's face lost its color.
"Bite your tongue Angela! That better be at least ten no fifteen years away! These guys need to be in at least middle school if not high school before that happens! Alright make her an appointment" he said.
"Good. Once I make the appointments, I'm going to try and get some more rest" she said.
"That sounds good. What did you have for breakfast?" he asked.
"Breakfast… oh wow I forgot to eat breakfast!" she said.
"Angela! That's not good! You need to eat! Especially when you are nursing! Alright I'm going to make you breakfast! Anything you want!" he said.
"Just some eggs and toast… and juice please! I'll make sure I eat lunch later" she said.
"No I will make sure you eat lunch and all your meals! Today is definitely our trial and error day to see how things go. I will make sure to cook you breakfast before I leave in the morning. Okay let me head into the kitchen to get started!" he said.
The rest of the day, they alternated taking care of the twins so the other could rest. By the time Samantha and Jonathan got home, they were both able to close their eyes on the sofa. Mona joined them after work and surprised everyone again by offering to help Tony with dinner.
The next few days were filled with sleepless nights as both babies continued to confuse day and night. They were able to tag team as much as possible. Mona and the kids helped out in the afternoons and evenings to give them a much needed break.
Friday morning came and as promised, Mona took off from work to help out Angela while Tony had his back to back classes. He made sure to cook them breakfast before he headed out.
"Hey you two! This is going to be the longest I'm going to be away from you! Make sure you are good for your Mommy and Grandma! It's also your one week birthday! We have to celebrate Angela! Once we get back later this afternoon from their appointments, I'll bake a cake!" said Tony excitedly.
"Bake a cake Tony? Don't you think you're going a bit overboard? Wait until they can actually… I don't know eat something?" laughed Mona.
"Of course bake a cake! We need to celebrate these kids as much as possible! I'll start planning when I get back! Now don't do anything new until I get back! Love you!" he said as he kissed each baby and then Angela, heading out the door.
"What's he going to do when they roll over, sit up, crawl or heaven forbid walk for the first time? Throw a parade?" said Mona.
"Mother! It's adorable how excited he is for every milestone! Michael couldn't have cared less when Jonathan hit his milestones. He only cared when he said daddy for the first time. It's a nice, refreshing change…" said Angela as she finished nursing and handed Anna to Mona.
"Anything that is a change from that snake is refreshing. Tony is about as far from Michael as you can get… thankfully!" said Mona as she burped Anna.
"Tony reminds me of Daddy in many ways… mostly how special he makes me feel…" she said.
"I can see that. You were the apple of Robert's eye for sure. He would have moved mountains for his little girl so I see the similarities. He would have been over the moon with these little ones and of course Jonathan and Samantha" said Mona.
"You know we almost named Matthew after Daddy. It was between the two names but since he looks exactly like Tony we decided on his father's name instead" said Angela.
"Hey maybe the next one will be a boy you can call Robert!" laughed Mona.
"Let's just get through the newborn stage with these two!" laughed Angela. Both babies settled and fell fast asleep.
"Alright Angela! I'm going to take my grandchildren for a walk through the neighborhood. Go eat breakfast and then take a nap" said Mona.
"Thanks Mother. They shouldn't need a changing until you get back. I ran into Joanne and Diane earlier this week on one of my walks with them… good luck avoiding them!" she laughed.
Angela was able to eat, shower and sleep for about two hours before the babies needed to be fed again. Mona was a big help to Angela, which always surprised her as her mother was never overly motherly, but took to her new role as a seasoned grandmother very well. Tony came home after lunch and helped Angela get the babies ready for their doctor's appointment.
"Alright Angela… I think we have everything. Extra diapers, wipes, change of clothes, pacifiers, burp cloths and blankets. Are we missing anything?" said Tony as he had the diaper bags, stroller and both car seats in his hands.
"Maybe just the babies…" she chuckled as she picked them up from their bouncers. She grabbed her purse as they headed out the door. This was their first trip out of the house, besides daily walks, since they were born and both were excited but nervous.
They arrived at the pediatrician's office and were taken right away into a room that they kept separate for healthy visits. They took the twin's vitals; both babies had gained some weight since their birth. Matthew weighed in at seven pounds, one ounce and Anna at six pounds six ounces. The doctor came in and gave each baby a through exam.
"They are looking quite healthy! I'd like to do a weighted feed to see if you can cut out the formula and do straight breastfeeding. We can set you up in the room to feed them" said the doctor as he took them to a side room with a chair.
"Tony, I'm going to need help. We've never tried feeding in a chair before… what if I'm not producing enough milk? Or they don't want to latch now?" she said as she started to panic.
"Angela take a deep breath! It will be okay! I'll help you get set up. They are obviously getting something if they are growing. If we need to keep with the formula for a little while longer then that's what we will do" he said as he helped her set up.
"Okay Tony… I just want them to be happy and healthy" she said as she wiped away tears. She was able to feed them both for about twenty minutes, bringing them back to be weighed by the nurse.
"Well it looks like they are getting about two ounces. That is very good for a week postpartum!" said the nurse as the doctor came back in to finish up the appointment.
"Looks like everything is going well! Since they are doing so well, cut back the formula to once a day for the next week. If they seem like they are getting hungrier, increase the formula. Okay we will see you back in three weeks for their one month appointment" said the doctor.
"See Angela! They are doing great! C'mon let's get them ready to go home" said Tony as they both dressed them and headed out to schedule their one month appointment. Once they were checked out, they packed them all into the car and got into the front seats.
"You know what I realized Tony? It's been almost a full year since I signed the Hope for All clinic! Which means in a few weeks, it will be a year since we started this journey!" she said.
"Wow! I can't believe it's been a year! If someone had told me a year ago where I'd be today, I never would have believed them! To think of everything we have been through- the clinic, all the testing and the failed procedures, to realizing just how much I love you, to finding out about these guys, getting married and finally having them here with us… best year of my life for sure!" said Tony with a smile.
"I couldn't agree more Tony. So many wonderful changes with many more to come!" she said as she leaned over for a kiss before they headed home.