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Trinity
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Now that little Zaley had her name, we were all able to just spend time together as a family. It would have been nice if Reagan, Rika and Talia were here with us, but for now it was just Mommy, Daddy and the new bundles of joy.
“They're so gorgeous, Little Bunny. All of them are so cute and perfect.” Right now Reece was holding all four babies as he reclined in the chair that was in the room for him to use.
“I know they are, Reece.” I agreed as I watched him. I had a sudden thought just then. I wanted to make sure that I captured this moment. I wanted to look back on it later. I wanted to be able to see it when the babies all got older and became big kids and teenagers. I would need to have this to remind me of their first hours of life.
Not wanting to miss a moment of this, I pulled my phone closer to me and opened it with a swipe. Without Reece even realizing what I was doing, I pointed the camera at him and snapped a picture. Then I switched it over and started to take a video. Just as I did, Reece started to sing to the babies.
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“Little ones in my arms, I will make sure that you come to no harm. My sweet little boys, you already bring me so much joy. Zaley, my little girl, you're the prettiest in the world. While you sleep, Daddy will hold you and try not to weep. Rest your little heads while you use Daddy as a bed. I will always be here for babies, my sons and my little ladies. If you need anything at all, just give your daddy a call.” I knew that Reece was just making up a rhyming song on the spur of the moment. He used to do this all the time with Reagan, Rika and Talia. He loved singing to them and seeing the happiness that it brought to them.
Just then, Reece looked up and saw that I had my phone pointed at him.
“Did you just video that?” He looked scared and worried for a moment.
“Yes. Yes, I did. And it was the sweetest thing in the world.” I was happy to be seeing this moment that had unfolded unexpectedly before me.
“Well, I hope you got my good side at the very least.” He wasn't upset about it at all.
“You only have good sides.” I rolled my eyes at him. “You're practically perfect.”
“I try.” Sometimes he was just so extra and over the top, but at times like this, I loved everything about him. “Now it's time for you to get a picture with the babies. We need pictures too, so that I can send them to everyone in the morning. None of them know about the babies yet and that is going to upset them.” He had a point. I could imagine that everyone was going to be a little upset with us about this.
“Well, let's make a little video and do a photo shoot with them all.” I agreed right away. “Come on, lay the babies down on the bed and then we will do this.”
Reece did as I told him to before we started to take photos of me and the babies. We needed to have pictures of me and each baby individually. Then we would do me and the boys and then all four of them.
Reece put the babies in their bassinets after he laid them all down so that they were all safe. He handed me Zachary first and I took a series of pictures with him where I smiled at the camera and then looked at him and snuggled him. After that we repeated it Zander, Zayden and Zaley. It took a few minutes with each baby, but I felt like it was worth it.
After all of the individual pictures were taken, Reece handed me Zachary, Zander and Zayden. I took photos as I cradled them all. After that it was time to get them all in the picture. Zachary, Zander, Zayden and Zaley were all so small that it was very easy to hold them all in my arms by myself. Reece took pictures of them all, with Zayden and Zaley in the middle and Zachary and Zander on the outside to protect them.
Through the whole process, all four of the babies remained calm and easygoing. I was very surprised with how well it was all going.
After the pictures were all done, Reece put Zander, Zayden and Zaley back in their bassinets. He took Zachary from my arms and started to record a video focusing on me.
“Hey everyone. Well, we have some news for you all. Late at night I started to have contractions and well, one thing led to another and I'm no longer pregnant. Instead, we welcomed the babies in the wee hours of the morning. So, I would like to introduce you all to them now.” Reece came forward and handed me Zachary, the phone was propped up on the table in the perfect angle to get us all. “This here is Zachary Aaron Gray. He was the first and is a few ounces bigger than the others.” Reece came forward with the next baby then. “Here we have Zander Ian Gray. He has been so calm and perfect, just like Zachary has been too.” Reece handed me Zayden then. “This one here is Zayden Issac Gray. He is the calmest of the boys and seems really laid back and chill.” Just then, Reece came to sit next to me on the bed with Zaley in his arms.
“And this little surprise bundle of joy is Zaley Arnelia Gray. We didn't know about her at all because the boys were hiding her in the ultrasounds. But she is doing great and we love her and her brothers all very much. We know that some of you are going to be coming to visit us soon, but please let us get some sleep. It is literally two in the morning, or just after, so we need some rest. The babies are all doing good and will be staying in the NICU just for the night. They are all very small and need to be monitored for a little bit. We will call you all soon, but of course you will be getting this message in the morning as well.”
Reece wrapped up the video and leaned forward to stop recording. We had done what we needed to do to prepare everyone for the big surprise that they were going to be getting. Now though, I was really tired and I thought it was best to let the babies get their rest as well. After I fed them that is.
Right on cue, May came back into the room with a cart being pushed in front of her.
“Hello there, Queen Trinity. How are you doing? Have you enjoyed your time with the babies?” She looked up at me and then smiled. “Oh, I can see you are very sleepy. Let's get those babies fed and then I will call the others to help me take them to the nursery.”
“Thank you, May. That would be wonderful. And I was just thinking that we needed to feed them and then get some sleep.”
May, Reece and I all fed the babies. We burped them. And we changed them. It was a process that Reece and I needed to get back into after being out of practice for a few years. And let's not forget that fate wanted to mess with us here a little and made it really tricky.
It didn't take too long to care for the babies with the three of us working together. And as soon as they were all ready, I kissed them each on the cheek and let the others take them to the nursery. May came back and massaged my belly and checked on my incision before I went to sleep, but that was about it for the night.
Well, almost. They came back every hour or so. Well, that's what it felt like anyway. I didn't check the time, I just tried to get some rest and let them do their thing. It didn't work that well, but I tried my best.
I knew that I would still be exhausted in the morning, but I would deal with it. This is what it was always like when I had kids. This was my third time around, I was no stranger to the ways that the nurses did things.
Reece barely slept as well. He would wake up with me each time that the nurses came to interrupt my sleep. He was always right there with me, not taking advantage of anything that would have given him more sleep than me. He was determined to be right there with me every step of the way. That was how he had been each and every time. He was the sweetest and best husband and mate ever.
I honestly don't know what I would do without Reece. I wouldn't be half the person that I am today without him here at my side. We were a team. We always worked together and helped each other. Even now, when it felt to me that he was doing more than I was. And he never complained about it either.
My sincerest wish for everyone in the world is that they could find their own version of Reece.