Hope for All- chapter 48
Tony and Angela woke up the next morning still thinking about Paul and Isabelle. They talked about what else they could do, but until Isabelle felt comfortable talking to Angela about it, there wasn't much more they could do. Angela made a mental note to call Isabelle each week before the babies were born for a check in and maybe have them over for dinner one night.
They spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and doing more last minute preparations for the twin's arrival. Samantha and Angela put the remaining touches in the nursery and Tony decided to wash all the baby clothes. On Sunday, Angela and Tony spent the day packing all the hospital bags.
"I think we should have upgraded to a larger suitcase Angela! This one is packed to the brim!" he said as he tried in vain to close it.
"And that one is only yours! Imagine what the twins' bag will look like!" she chuckled.
"I want to be prepared! I don't want to leave you guys until you are ready to come home if I can so I need to be prepared!" said Tony.
"I think you could find some time to run home and at least shower Tony. Maybe during one of the visits with Mother and the kids. And if you're not getting a good night's sleep I will send you home Tony. One of us will need to be well rested once they come home!" she laughed.
"Eh oh, oh eh! You will be as rested as possible, I promise you that! You're doing the hard part, bringing these two little ones into the world! You're not going to lift a finger!" he said.
"Tony that's not realistic… we will share the responsibilities as much as possible. Well, minus the feedings. I really hope breastfeeding goes well. It took Jonathan and I some time before we got into a rhythm with it and then by that time I went back to work. I know breastfeeding twins will be challenging, but I really hope I can do it…" she said.
"I'm sure they have someone in the hospital to help you and I'll do whatever you need to help. And if it doesn't work, they will be the happiest bottle fed kids ever!" he said.
"No point in worrying about it now I guess. Okay I think my bag is packed. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I figure the hospital will have some of the basics if I forget anything and Mother can always bring us stuff. Alright, let's go pack their bag" she said as she waddled from her side of the bed towards the door. Tony couldn't help but smile… he knew she was growing more uncomfortable by the day- she could barely walk without being out of breath, her ankles were swollen and she could no longer get out of most sitting positions without help. Still, she was absolutely beautiful in his eyes.
"C'mon Tony…" she said as she grabbed his hand to pull him out the door. He gently pulled her back into the room.
"I hope I say this enough but if I don't I'm sorry. You are the most beautiful woman Angela and I am beyond lucky to have you as my wife" he said as he pulled her closer to him.
"I feel anything but beautiful right now but thank you Tony" she said as she leaned in for a kiss.
"Well you better start believing it… you're absolutely gorgeous" he said as he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on top of her hand.
"Okay, okay… this gorgeous momma only has about about fifteen minutes worth of energy before I'm going to need to lay down again. Let's try and get this done" she said.
They were able to pack the twins' bags. Tony insisted he pack the bags in the trunk of the car to be ready whenever the babies were ready to be born. As she predicted, she was exhausted by the time they were finished and went to lay down while Tony ran some errands.
The rest of the week went by without any issues. Angela continued to have Braxton hicks contractions. She finally relented by midweek and officially started her maternity leave. She figured she would sneak in a phone call or two every couple of days. She was able to call and schedule her appointment with her orthopedic doctor to remove the cast early the following week before Jonathan came home. She really hoped the babies came after she had her cast off because the thought of being in labor with a cast on was not something she wanted to imagine.
Friday morning rolled around and they both headed out the door for her last sonogram appointment. Tony pulled into the parking lot and helped Angela out of the car. They waited for about fifteen minutes before being called back to the exam room. Angela's vitals were taken and everything looked good. Tony helped her change and get up on the table when the doctor walked in.
"Good morning everyone! How are we doing today?" asked the doctor.
"Uncomfortable, huge and exhausted… other than that, I'm fine!" laughed Angela.
"Well let's take a look and see if these kids are getting ready soon to make an entrance" he said as he started his internal exam. After few minutes, he finished and helped Angela adjust for the sonogram.
"So Angela you are about one and a half centimeters dilated but neither baby has dropped into position yet I'm afraid so my best guess is it is still another week or more away. It could happen sooner though" he said.
"Wait she's already dilated? That's.. that's the start of something right? Labor's starting?" asked Tony as he began to panic.
"No not officially. Her body is preparing for it yes but no signs of labor yet. At this point, once you hit thirty six weeks on Monday, if you do go into labor, we won't try and stop it because the babies will be ready to come by then" said the doctor.
"So they would be safe to come anytime now? Assuming everything went okay during labor, would they need to stay in the NICU?" she asked.
"At this point, most likely not. Their lungs are pretty much developed and overall they are considered full term by thirty six weeks. If anything, they might need a week or less" he said.
"Once I'm over that point and maybe even thirty seven weeks or so, what can I do to try and ummm… speed up the process?" she asked.
"Speed up the process? The process needs to slow down until they are due Angela!" shouted Tony.
"Well I would suggest going for a long walk, getting a pedicure or foot massage, a hot shower or spicy foods- those have worked well in the past for my patients. One of the most effective ways however is sex" he said, as Tony's eyes got wide.
"Okay I think in the next week or so we will try some of those things. I'm hoping they don't come before my son gets home next week but once he's home… they need to come, the sooner the better!" she said.
"Or we can wait until they are due…" said Tony. Angela just rolled her eyes.
"Alright let's see these kids who don't seem to be quite ready to be born just yet…" said the doctor as he tried to diffuse the tension between Tony and Angela.
"Okay let's see Baby A! No wonder he doesn't want to leave… he's growing nice and big! I'd estimate just about six pounds and about eighteen inches. If you go another two weeks I'd expect him to be close to seven pounds by the time he is born. If you go the full forty weeks I'd say he will be pushing eight pounds" he said as he moved to Baby B.
"Okay let's check on his sister… she looks good too! I'd say about five pounds, maybe a little more and about seventeen inches. They are both looking nice and strong! I'd say you are good to resume most of your normal activities or as much as you can do at this stage of pregnancy. Just remember to keep resting whenever you can" he said as he finished up.
"Alright everything looks good so I will see you back in a week!" he said as he finished up and helped Angela off the table. He wished them well and headed out the door.
"Angela… these kids need to stay put until they are due!" said Tony as he helped her to the door.
"You heard him. They are already safe to come. I'm not saying today but in like a week or two it would be nice if they could make an appearance! I'm huge Tony! To think I've still got four weeks left is ridiculous! I'm absolutely miserable!" she said as she started to cry. Tony came over and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back in slow, soft motions.
"I know sweetheart. You're a real trouper! Okay… how about if you make it to thirty eight weeks, we can start trying some of those things to jump start labor. I know one thing I'd be willing and ready to try…" he said with a smirk.
"I knew that would be the one thing you'd be willing to try!" she laughed as she wiped away her tears.
"C'mon let's go. How about we stop somewhere for lunch?" he asked as he helped her out the door. They got to the diner near their house and sat down for lunch. They enjoyed their lunch, planning for the weekend and Jonathan's return home the next week.
By the following Monday, they had gotten everything ready for Jonathan's homecoming on Wednesday. Angela was officially thirty six weeks and celebrated with a doctor's appointment to take off her cast. Tony brought her to the orthopedic doctor, checking her in and helping her sit in the chair. Soon, she was called into the exam room.
"I know I'm nowhere near being done with medical appointments, but I can't wait to take a break from them! I'm hoping this is my last one and I don't have to come back for my wrist" she said.
"I hope so too. Just being able to use both your hands will make a difference!" he said. After a few minutes, the doctor came in.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Micelli! Looks like we are removing your cast today! Looks like it's not a moment too soon! When are you due?" he asked.
"Four weeks actually. It's twins though so it could be anytime. I'm just glad to get this cast off!" she said.
"I can imagine! Well congratulations to you both. So I will be taking this cast off with this saw but don't worry it won't hurt. We will take another quick X-ray to make sure it's fully healed and then you should be good to go! Just need to take it easy for the next week or so" he said.
Tony had to look away when the doctor started cutting off the cast. He knew it wasn't going to hurt her or the babies, but it just wasn't something he thought he could stomach and still remain conscious in the process. After a few minutes, the cast was off and Angela felt the sudden relief. The doctor did a quick check of the wrist before setting up the X-ray machine.
"Okay we will take a quick X-ray. This shield will protect the babies from any exposure. Mr. Micelli, you can step out of the room" he said.
"It's okay Tony. It's different this time" she said to him as she saw the look of worry on his face. He silently nodded and headed out of the room. The whole process took only a few moments, allowing Tony to join her in the room again. After about fifteen minutes, the films were ready and read by the doctor.
"The fracture looks completely healed Angela. The wrist might be a little weak but should be good as new in a week or two. I want to give you a soft cast splint to wear at night and if you are out and about or using it more than usual. After two weeks, you shouldn't need it but if it starts to bother you, keep it on for another week. You might feel tenderness once the babies are here- carrying around two infants will put normal wear and tear on your wrists so go easy- well as easy as you can with newborns!" he joked.
"Thank you doctor. I'm just glad the cast is off! Do I need to follow up with you?" she asked.
"No you should be fine. Only come back if the pain returns and gets worse" he said as he concluded the visit. Tony and Angela checked out and headed to the car.
"It's amazing how good this feels not having this cast on! I can't wait to take a shower!" she laughed.
"I remember the first shower I took after the cast came off my leg. Minus the ones we've taken together, that was easily the best shower of my life!" he chuckled.
"Alright let's go home!" she said as Tony turned on the car and drove them home.
Wednesday morning took forever to come for Angela. She barely slept she was so excited to finally have Jonathan home. She barely slept these days regardless of her excitement as she was up like clockwork every two hours to use the bathroom.
Tony made Angela breakfast before he packed up his stuff to head out to pick him up. He kissed Angela goodbye, making sure to give his talk to the babies before he left.
"Ok little ones! You know the drill by now! No making an appearance until we get back! Your big brother Jonathan is going to be so excited he will get to be here for your birth! So just hang tight a little bit longer! I mean at least two more weeks, three if you wouldn't mind but Mommy has a few choice words about that! Okay I'll be back soon!" he said as he kissed her stomach and then kissed Angela again before heading out the door.
Angela decided to relax a bit and watch a movie to kill some time. She ended up falling asleep after the first fifteen minutes of the movie. She woke up as the credits were playing. She wondered if there would be a time in the next six months or longer where she'd be able to stay awake for a movie. She shook her head as she got up to use the bathroom. She decided to make herself lunch. Samantha came down to join her for lunch.
"How's it going Angela?" she asked as she made herself a sandwich and sat down next to her at the table.
"Just waiting for Tony and Jonathan to get home! I tried watching a movie but I fell asleep almost right away!" she laughed as she ate some of her lunch.
"Don't tell the dweeb but I've actually missed him. I know once he's home that feeling will go away but still… now that everyone will be home these kids can finally get here!" said Samantha.
"I agree! I'm so over being pregnant! Your father wants them to stay in until their due date but I can't imagine that happening and me still keeping my sanity! Two more weeks the most and then they need an eviction notice!" she laughed.
"I can't believe in a few weeks or less we will have two babies around! Two new siblings! It's so exciting!" she said. Just then, they heard the front door open and Jonathan call out mom. Angela and Samantha walked into the living room, Jonathan running into Angela's arms.
"Oh sweetheart! I missed you so much!" she said as she hugged him the best she could with her large belly getting in the way.
"I missed you too Mom! Boy you got big! Those babies must be huge!" he said innocently.
"Jonathan! You don't tell a pregnant woman that!" shouted Samantha.
"What? It's true… she's huge!" laughed Mona as she walked in from the kitchen.
"Thank you Mother…" said Angela as she and Jonathan took a seat on the sofa. Tony came through the front door carrying all of Jonathan's bags.
"Did you do laundry at all while you were away? There's at least six loads of laundry in these bags! There's nothing creepy or crawly in here right?" asked Tony as he dropped the bags.
"Nope- we let all the reptiles we caught go this morning before we left. It was so much fun! Can I go back next year?" he practically pleaded.
"I think that can be arranged! I'm so glad you had a great time but I really did miss you so much!" said Angela as she started to cry.
"So Jonathan… any girls at that camp… wink, wink…" said Mona.
"Maybe…" said Jonathan as he turned a deep shade of red.
"Ewww gross!" said Samantha.
"That's my boy!" said Tony with a large smile forming on his face.
"And my grandson! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree…" said Mona.
"Alright everyone! I think Jonathan needs to go unpack so I can start the week's worth of laundry! I've got a big dinner planned for your first night home!" said Tony as he and Jonathan grabbed his bags and headed upstairs. Mona and Samantha headed into the kitchen to grab a snack before dinner, leaving Angela alone in the living room.
"Alright you two… everyone is back home safe and sound! We are just waiting on you two now! This weekend is Labor Day weekend! A good time to be born perhaps? The whole family can't wait to meet you both! Just get here safely…" she said as she rubbed her belly. She managed to get herself up, which was a bit easier now that she had two functioning arms again and headed upstairs to help them unpack.