Saturday, January 16, 2010

Has It Been 20 Years?

Today is indeed a VERY special day. Our twin sons Kian and Niall are 20 today! We currently live 2 doors down from where we were this day in 1990 when after over 23 hours of labor that resulted in a prolapsed umbilical cord and an emergency c-section, the twins arrived early in the morning and the entire labor and delivery was covered by the News Advance here in Lynchburg culminating several months of Cassie's column "Double Talk" when she worked for the paper here. I like to tell folks that our pregnancy was possibly the most public pregnancy in the history of Lynchburg. My father was horrified that we allowed that but it was the end of the 80s..............*

From what I remember, I think the series of stories by Cynthia Pegram and the photos by Lynn Hey won a Virginia Press Award later that year but I could be wrong. Cassie saved all of her columns and we got 8 by 10 black and white prints of the labor and delivery that she collated into what is now referred to as "The Mommy Book" being dubbed that by the twins when they were little guys.

I have a vivid memory of the rush to the OR, getting into scrubs, with Cynthia and Lynn, and Cassie's mom hustling to the OR door as the surgical team swiftly moved to save our sons and bring them into the world. I also remember Dr. Wade Nieman locking eyes with me in the OR and saying quietly, "we're doing fine Sid".......* Kian was the first out and Niall followed about 70 seconds later. Cassie was completely out and I was crying, Cassie's mom was crying and everyone was OK! It made for quite a story on the front page of the Lifestyles section of the paper here the following weekend and Cassie and I both cried again reading it all. I'm going to find the Mommy Book today and leave it out so our guests and friends can see it.

Later on down the road we found out our sons are affected by Asperger's Syndrome which is a part of the Autism Spectrum and my job began as their care giver and steady rock for them as they negotiated Elementary, Middle, and High School and most recently college. To say that this has been a profoundly moving and amazing experience for me is the understatement of the millennium. During this run-up to our move to Paris I'm reminded again this morning of what a wonderful life I have living with the most amazing and loving family any man could ever hope for. Kian and Niall are amazing and wonderful men now and sooner than later they'll eventually push me away which when it happens will be the most gratifying and saddest days of my life simultaneously. It is what they'll need to do though. Still I have great pride and love in my heart when someone asks me "what do you do?".

I look them in the eye and say, "my life's work is my guys........*"

Love to all today!

Sid

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