When you get a phone call from the hospital telling you that they are going to transfer your wife and deliver your twins 3 months early, everything stops. The next thing I know, I’m leaving work and on my way back to the hospital. Melissa was pretty out of it when I got there and they were prepping her to take the girls. A nurse took me to get changed so I could be in the room when they were delivered but by the time we got there, they put Melissa to sleep and I wasn’t allowed in. I sat in a little room for what felt like forever until a nurse came in and told me I could go see the girls.
I walked in to a room with 2 tables with 2 tiny babies on them. There were nurses everywhere, some helping them breathe while others hooked up monitors and cords. All I can really remember about being in that room was how hot it was and how small the girls were. I was only in the room for 2 or 3 minutes before I felt like I was going to pass out and had to leave. I went back to the waiting room after grabbing my street clothes and waited for the doctor to come out and give me an update. This happened over a spread of only 3 hours, but felt like days, one of the scariest days of my life, but also one of the best.
The next 3-11 months would have its ups and downs. Brooke came home after being in the NICU for 3 months, pretty much flying through most of her milestones and improving daily. Kendall on the other hand was a whirlwind and in the NICU for a total of 11 months. She would undergo: transferring hospitals, 3 broken bones, several blood transfusions, as well as 6 surgeries … YES that says 6. I don’t think I have ever washed my hands that much in my life. Each time we entered or changed rooms we were to wash our hands up to our elbows before we could even look at our babies. This process was a long, winding journey but I am so thankful that we have two healthy, beautiful girls now!