xt 30 minutes or so. The doctor came in to do a quick exam and realized that Ardis was already fully dialated. These babies were coming. I got handed scrubs and wisked to a waiting room while the anesthesiologist did scary spine things administering the epidural. I was so happy I wasn't invited for that party. Ten minutes later the nurse grabbed me and brought me into the operating room. Ardis was laid out on the table with the little screen blocking her view and two surgeons working on her already. I had no desire to look over the curtain; I could get enough of a sense of what was happening over there to know that I wanted no part of it. I took up my spot next to her and held her hand. She was so nervous, but so brave. In no time flat, the doctor announced, "Dad, get your camera ready!" In a flash, Baby A was out of mom's tummy. We got that reassuring baby cry immediately and were very relieved by how big he was. The doctors held him up and presented him for his first photo op. I suddenly realized that we needed to figure out who was who. Ardis told me that Baby A was Aden.
A minute later Baby B entered the world; little Aron. Same reassuring cry, such a big strong little guy.
The nurses whisked them away and cleaned them up. Another nurse took me to them while the surgeons wrapped up the operation on Ardis. I was amazed at how wonderful and healthy they looked; great color and active. They achieved high marks on their Apgar tests, our little over-achievers. The nurses foot-printed them for their birth certificates and foot-printed my scrubs and little hat. Once they had them cleaned up it was photo op time again. My favorite is when they moved the two of them together for a picture.After that they were swaddled up and brought to the Operating Room for Mommy and Daddy to hold them for the first time. S
o tiny.
After their first visit with us, they were moved to incubators for transport to the NICU. An unexpected surprise was that they were wheeled by the waiting room so Grandma/Grandpa Clinton and Auntie Eden got to see them pretty soon after birth.
Once they got to the Level 2 NICU, they had their official weigh-in. Aron went first, he was our little heavyweight at 4lbs 6oz and 17" long.
Aden weighed in at 4lbs 4oz and 16 1/2" long. He may have been slightly smaller, but I'm sure in the years to come he'll enjoy pointing out that he's the "older" brother.
Once they got in their little beds, the doctors and nurses assessed them a little more closely. Little Aden seemed to quickly realize that he had a bunch of pretty nurses attending to his every need so he kicked his heels up and leaned back with his hands behind his head as if he was just relaxing on the beach soaking up rays from the infant warmer. So funny.
Little Aron was breathing pretty rapidly and heavily so they put him under a little oxygen hoodie to see if that would help slow his breathing. Unfortunately they determined after some observation that they might need to feed him oxygen more directly so thay have since had to separate him from his brother and moved him to the Level 3 NICU where he is breathing on his own but receiving oxygen nasally to assist him a bit.As of this post, they're both doing well. Aden is charming the nurses and still kicked back and relaxed in his little bed. Aron is still in the level 3 NICU with oxygen assist but slowly improving it appears. We received word that he's done some good crying and pee'ed on a couple of nurses. I take that sort of activity as excellent signs. Mom got to visit them this morning for the first time since their birth. Getting out of bed and scrubbing in and out of the two NICU's wore her out. Both Mom and the kids are doing great; time for me to run so I can go back to the hospital and see them again.
