How Many?

Chapter 10 part 1

Today is a very special day. Today is my 22nd birthday. I’m now 22 years old, been married for 2 years and the mother of quadruplets. Niall said he had something special for me but I didn’t know what. We went to the NICU to visit the babies like we did every day. Niall and I walked into the NICU and were greeted by Jaelyn’s nurse. “Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Horan! I have an update on Jaelyn.” “Good morning Jackie!” I said to her. “Jaelyn has had a great day since yesterday! She has only had 6 apnea episodes which is very low for her. She has also been gaining weight!” I had tears forming in my eyes because I was so excited that she was doing better. Niall pulled me into a hug and was smiling. He noticed my tears and wiped them away with his thumbs. We washed our hands and went over to Ainsley first. We were told yesterday that we would be able to hold her for the first time today. What a great birthday present! Her nurse opened her incubator and grabbed her. I had a tank top on which was going to make kangaroo care easier. She was placed on my bare chest and I instantly gave her a kiss on her head. Niall began taking loads of pictures for twitter and her baby book. We were also planning on making a scrapbook. One was to be made for each baby and one for our family. I was loving my time holding her. I could tell Niall was getting excited to hold her as well. I didn’t want to give up my precious baby girl but I handed her off to Niall. He looked scared at first because of how small she was. She was now 4lbs and 3ounces. She had gained almost a pound in just over a month since they were born. I couldn’t wait to hold the rest of my babies. Niall was taking self-pictures of himself and Ainsley. I took his iPhone and started taking pictures. I took a really cute one of the two of them and posted it to twitter with the caption “Daddy’s princess already?” I hit post and almost instantly there were loads of retweets, replies and favorites. The boys were texting me like crazy asking when they could come visit. I asked the head nurse and she said they could come by but only 1 couple at a time could be in there with us. Once everyone arrived at the hospital, Niall put Ainsley back in her incubator and we went out to greet our friends. “We have decided to let Vanessa and Louis come in first since they’re the godparents.” They followed us in and we brought them over to scrub up. We gave them their protective gown and brought them over to Ainsley’s incubator. They awed instantly upon seeing her. I asked her nurse if they could hold her and she said yes as long as they sit in a chair. She pulled up a rocking chair and I told Nessa to sit down. Her nurse took her out and brought her over to her godmother’s waiting arms. Ainsley had begun to whimper a little after being disturbed from sleeping but settled down once in Vanessa’s arms. “I think she likes me!” Nessa exclaimed happily. Louis and I started taking pictures of her with Ainsley who was sleeping soundly. Nestled into Ainsley’s small amount of hair was a tiny pink bow! She was gorgeous and according to Niall, looked just like me. I really looked at her features and agreed that she looks just like me. I couldn’t wait to bring them all home.