Hope for All- chapter 51
Tony and Angela spent the next hour or so just cuddling the twins, passing them back and forth between each other. After everyone was deemed healthy, they were transferred back to her room. They decided on the twin's names but wanted to reveal them to the family.
"I think it's time you let the family know and bring them back to meet them Tony" said Angela.
"Yes I guess I should but I don't want to leave them!" he said as he rocked their daughter in his arms.
"It will be for five minutes Tony! We will be okay!" she said as Tony handed their daughter back to Angela.
"Alright you two! I'll be right back with your Grandma and big brother and sister! We can't wait for you to meet them! Now don't do anything cute until I get back!" he said as he kissed them all and headed out the door. He headed to the waiting room and stopped short of going in, choosing instead to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"It's been almost two hours since we got here! I thought you said they'd be here by dinner!" said Jonathan.
"They could already be here dweeb but they aren't ready for us yet!" said Samantha.
"Oh I bet they are definitely already here! Just be patient you two!" said Mona as she tried in vain to read the magazine she found in the waiting room. Finally she threw it back down in frustration.
"What is taking them so long? Don't they know I've got a date tonight?" said Mona.
"Well I think you are going to need to change your plans Mona!" said Tony as he walked into the room. Mona, Samantha and Jonathan all stood up and came running towards Tony, their questions about Angela and the babies coming in rapid succession.
"Slow down! Yes everyone is here and healthy! So Jonathan and Samantha… would you like to meet your new brother and sister?" he asked as the grin on his face grew larger.
"Yes!" they both shouted together.
"Ah ha! I was right! One of each! Let me guess, Baby A was the boy and Baby B the girl?" asked Mona.
"You guessed right! He came into the world first at 4:27pm and weighs a whopping six pounds, thirteen ounces! She came a few minutes later and is the cutest little peanut weighing six pounds, two ounces! C'mon let's go see them!" he said as he led them down the hallway. Once at her room, he quietly opened the door as they all headed into the room.
"Hi everyone! There's two little babies that are very excited to meet you!" said Angela.
"Oh my gosh they are adorable!" said Samantha as she came to stand next to the bed.
"They are so tiny! Was I that small Mom?" asked Jonathan as he stood next to Samantha.
"Neither of you were this small, especially this little girl right here but they will both catch up soon!" said Angela.
"So inquiring minds want to know! What are my newest grandchildren's names? Or do I have to call them kid number one and kid number two?" said Mona sarcastically.
"Okay okay! So everyone… we want you to meet your brother Matthew Jonathan Micelli!" said Tony as he reached over and grabbed one of his hands.
"And your sister Anna Samantha Micelli!" said Angela.
"What? They have our names as middle names?" asked Jonathan as tears started to form in his eyes. Samantha was already crying as Mona came over and put her arms around her.
"Yes they do! We decided on their middle names months ago. We wanted to have all of you connected and we thought this was a beautiful way to do it. We decided on their first names after they were born" said Angela.
"Can I hold one of them?" asked Samantha as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Yeah me too!" asked Jonathan.
"Sure! But first go wash your hands!" said Tony. They quickly washed their hands and sat on the small sofa in the room. Tony grabbed Matthew and put him in Jonathan's arms while Mona took Anna and placed her into Samantha's arms. The adults all had tears in their eyes as they watched the siblings bond. Tony managed to take a bunch of photos of all of them.
"He's so tiny! He barely weighs anything!" said Jonathan as he started talking to Matthew in baby talk.
"Look at her little hands! She looks just like you Angela! What color hair do they have?" asked Samantha.
"Matthew has dark brown hair and a lot of it. Anna's is lighter and I have a feeling it's going to be red like a certain someone…" said Angela with a chuckle.
"That's my girl! May the apple not fall far from the tree!" said Mona.
"I mean it could fall a little far from the tree… so I don't have to lock her in her room until she's thirty…" said Tony as Mona gave him a look.
"Alright you two… give one of them up!" said Mona as she took Matthew from Jonathan. Samantha carefully handed Anna to Jonathan. They both made baby talk to her as she started to stir. Anna opened her eyes and looked at both Jonathan and Samantha.
"She's looking at us! She knows us!" said Samantha.
"I'm telling you she's advanced! She recognized my voice right away! She might be a little peanut but she's a smart cookie!" gushed Tony.
"And how about this little guy? The grip he has on my hand! I think we have an athlete on our hands! Maybe another second baseman!" said Mona.
Just then, the hospital orderly came in with dinner for both Tony and Angela. They were pleasantly surprised to see that new fathers were also offered a free meal on the first night.
"Thank goodness I'm starving! I only had breakfast this morning!" said Tony as he began to scarf down his food.
"Yes I'm sure you really worked up an appetite today Tony…" said Mona very sarcastically. She handed Matthew to Samantha as she took Anna from Jonathan.
"Yeah Tony! Mom did all the hard work today! She must be starving!" said Jonathan.
"I am pretty hungry! You're not the only one who only had breakfast today!" she laughed as she ate her dinner. Both Tony and Angela were able to finish their meals as both babies started to cry.
"I have a feeling we aren't the only ones who are hungry!" laughed Angela as she took Matthew back into her arms.
"How about we leave these guys for a bit and head to the cafeteria for dinner? We will come back again before we head home" said Mona.
"Thank you Mother. Tony you want to see if there's a nurse around to help us start feeding them?" said Angela.
"Sure! Let me go and see" he said as he handed her Anna. Both babies had settled with Angela but were starting to get fussy again. After a few minutes, a nurse came in to help Angela start breastfeeding.
Tony watched in amazement as Angela took to nursing like she'd been doing it her whole life, not just for a few months almost fourteen years ago. Matthew took to feeding very well, latching correctly the first time. Anna took a little longer to get the hang of it but soon latched as well. He tried to remember everything the nurse was telling them, from learning the signs of rooting, listening for the clicking sound as they drank and to record each feeding and diaper change to make sure they were hydrated.
"Okay Tony who do you want to burp?" asked Angela.
"Let me have Matty boy! I bet I can get a good burp out of him! Samantha would always give me the loudest burps! She sounded like a truck driver at times!" he laughed as he picked him up and started to pat his back. Sure enough, after a few minutes, he gave out a little burp.
"That's my boy!" said Tony as he handed him back to Angela to continue his feeding.
"She's a bit more stubborn I think… why don't you try since you seem to have the magic touch" said Angela as she re-latched Matthew.
"Hi my little peanut! It's time to give Daddy a good burp so your tummy doesn't hurt!" he said as he continued to pat her little back. After almost ten minutes, she finally let out a little burp.
"She's gonna be a tough one I think! Already has a stubborn streak in her!" laughed Tony as he handed her back to Angela. She was able to get her feeding again. After another ten minutes, she handed a sleeping Matthew back to Tony for a second burp. Anna finished feeding a short while later and finally burped for Angela.
"See! That wasn't so bad! First feeding a success!" said Tony as he held a sleeping Matthew in his arms.
"Yes let's hope the next few go the same way! She's wide awake right now while he's sound asleep!" she chuckled. Tony came to sit with Angela on the side of the bed.
"I still can't believe they are finally here! I've wanted this for so long… it just doesn't seem real…" he said as he kept looking back and forth between the babies.
"I know Tony! I keep thinking this is some wonderful dream being here with them and with you…" she said.
"How are you feeling Angela?" he asked as he moved his gaze towards her.
"Sore! But it's not too bad. I probably should get up soon and walk around a bit. Maybe once the family gets back you can help me get up and use the bathroom" she said.
"Do you need to get up now? I can put them both down for a minute and help you up" he said.
"No Tony I'm fine for now! I just want to enjoy this moment with just the four of us. I think Anna does too! She really seems to be trying to focus in on our voices!" she said as she leaned down to kiss her cheeks.
"I'm telling ya… she's going to be the smarty pants of the family! Matty's gonna be the athlete I think! Maybe they will be both! I can't wait to find out!" he said.
A little while later, the family came back to spend some more time with the babies. It was time for their first diaper change, which neither of the twins liked. Surprisingly, Jonathan and Samantha both wanted to learn how to change the diapers and watched Tony and Angela intently. Mona just sat back and watched them from across the room.
"That's not so bad!" said Jonathan as he watched them finish up and wrap the babies in their blankets.
"Wait until it's a dirty diaper Jonathan… your tune will change then!" laughed Mona.
"Yeah I'm not so sure about the really dirty ones! Those can go to Samantha when we babysit!" he laughed.
"Dream on dweeb! We are splitting all dirty diapers fifty-fifty!" said Samantha as Angela handed her Anna. Tony placed Matthew into Jonathan's arms as they both sat back down on the sofa.
"It will probably be a few months before you will get to babysit them but believe me there will be plenty of dirty diapers for both of you!" laughed Angela.
"I know there will be a time where we will need some alone time, but the thought of being away from these two even for a few minutes seems unimaginable!" said Tony as he held on to Anna's hand.
"Were you guys like this with us when we were born?" asked Jonathan.
"Of course sweetheart! Your dad was out of town when you were born but as soon as he got back, he was over the moon in love with you!" said Angela.
"I was able to take a few days off from the majors right after you were born but I had to get back on the road way too soon. Those few days were wonderful though! Your mom would yell at me, telling me I was spoiling you! I never wanted to put you down!" said Tony wistfully.
"Well think visiting hours are about up! Let's give these four some time to rest up! Mrs. Rossini, Wendy and Isabelle should be stopping by tomorrow to visit. Is there anyone else you'd like me to contact?" asked Mona.
"I'm sure all of Brooklyn knows so that covers me!" laughed Tony.
"Aside from work, I think everyone else can wait. I'm sure you all will tell the neighbors and once Joanne Parker hears, all of Fairfield will know!" laughed Angela.
"Can we bring you guys anything tomorrow?" asked Samantha as she handed Anna back to Tony. Mona took Matthew from Jonathan and handed him to Angela.
"No I think we are alright. I'll send Tony out to get himself breakfast tomorrow" said Angela.
"Eh oh, oh eh! I'll grab something at the cafeteria once people start to visit" said Tony.
"Good night Mom and Tony! Good night Anna and Matthew!" said Jonathan as he hugged Angela and Tony, taking extra time to kiss each baby. Samantha and Mona said their goodbyes as well as they headed out the door.
"Well it's just us four now! Can I get you anything Angela?" asked Tony.
"Maybe you can take him for a few minutes while I use the bathroom and get ready for bed. I think I'm going to shower in the morning" she said as she handed Matthew to Tony. She headed into the bathroom as Tony sat down in the chair.
"Alright you two! What a day it's been! I really thought you two would have been at least a few more days away from being born but you proved me wrong! I'm so happy though you made it this long! September 15th is a great day to be born! I told you September is a great month for a birthday! Tomorrow is going to be a big day too! You're going to meet more people who love you so very much! I'm hoping you two sleep well tonight so your beautiful Mommy can rest up! So what do you think? You guys gonna allow us to get some shut eye?" asked Tony.
Neither baby made a sound as they slept peacefully in Tony's arms. He began to sing a lullaby to them just as Angela was coming out of the bathroom. She stopped in the doorway and watched as he sang to the twins, tears rolling down her face as her heart melted. Once he was finished, she stepped further into the room and stood next to him.
"That was so beautiful Tony! They are so lucky to have the very best father" she said as she leaned down and kissed Tony.
"Well they are twice as lucky to have the most beautiful mother in the whole world!" said Tony.
"Alright let's get them ready for their next feeding and then hopefully they sleep a bit in the bassinet so we can sleep for a few hours!" said Angela as she sat back on the bed and got ready to feed the twins. Tony handed her Matthew first who again easily latched on. Anna was struggling more with this feed, causing both Angela and Anna to become more and more frustrated.
"Tony can you go ask for the nurse again? Maybe she can help get her to latch" said Angela as she was trying to hold back tears of frustration. Once the nurse came in, she was able to help Angela and got her to feed.
"Nursing twins is quite difficult, especially together. Eventually the three of you will get a rhythm happening but until then, you might want to feed one first and then the next if she continues to be fussy. For the first feed tomorrow morning we will be giving them some formula to keep them hydrated until your milk official comes in. We will see how she does on the bottle" said the nurse.
"Is that really necessary? I was hoping to exclusively breastfeed" said Angela. The negative thoughts started coming back as she thought about the struggles she had with Jonathan.
"Just for the first few days. Let's see how she does through the night and we will go from there" she said as she headed out of the room.
"I can read your mind Angela. This is only their second feeding. It's going to take time! She's going to get it and it's going to get easier!" said Tony as Angela started to cry.
"Oh sweetheart come here! It's okay!" said Tony as he pulled her to him as much as he could with the twins still feeding.
"I know Tony and this is actually much easier this time than it was with Jonathan but it still feels like I'm failing them… they needing the formula and her not latching right away. Hopefully they sleep after this feeding and I can get some sleep. You should try and get some sleep too Tony" said Angela as she handed Matthew to Tony to burp.
"You worry about you Angela. I'll be fine" he said. They were able to finish feeding and burping the twins before changing them one last time before settling them in for the night. This time Anna was able to be placed down in the bassinet, having been lulled to sleep in Angela's arms. Matthew looked wide awake as he stared back up at Tony.
"Well one down, one to go! Go get some sleep Angela. We got some male bonding to do over here!" he whispered so as to not wake Anna.
"Okay Tony. If you need me just wake me" she said as tried to get comfortable in the bed. She was able to finally find a comfortable position on her side. The last thing she saw before falling asleep was the image of Tony singing softly to Matthew, putting a smile on her face.