Several weeks ago I wrote about how my dear friend Noraly and her husband Esteban were awaiting the arrival of a set of twin baby boys. I am glad to share that on evening of July 18 Baby Julian and Baby Leonardo were welcomed into this world. I received the news of the twins’ arrival while celebrating a friend’s/coworker’s wedding with fellow coworkers, which really made me happy. In one evening I was a part of two milestone moments in the lives of two people that I admire.
After leaving the wedding, I drove to St. Jude Medical Center in the City of Fullerton to visit the newborns and the exhausted, relieved yet, ecstatic parents. The last time Noraly gave birth was May 18, 2013 when Maximiliano came to this world in the same hospital as his new siblings. Walking through the door of that fifth-floor-hospital room was a quiet couple observing their two sleeping infants. The heartwarming scene was interrupted several seconds later when both parents realized they had company. It must have been 11 p.m. and visiting hours were way over but the nurses were kind enough to not kick me out and Noraly and Esteban eager to share the details of the day leading up to the moment of birth.
As Noraly filled me in on the step-by-step intricacies of her experience it dawned on my that for someone who had just given birth to two human beings, my dear friend was wide awake and gave no sign of slowing down. Noraly didn’t yawn or say that she was tired; she just sat there happy, looking at her babies with a tender look that I’ve rarely seen in my lifetime, chatting away with an old friend. A nurse’s visit allowed for Esteban and I to step outside and reflect on the moment. He didn’t say anything moving or touching but the smile on his face told me that he was sitting on top of the world.
In a little more than a year Noraly and Esteban went from being a young, married couple with nothing but time on their hands to the parents of three just 15 months apart. Noraly’s and Esteban’s world forever changed on May 18, 2013 and this month they were blessed with two additional children, adding to the excitement of seeing what comes next for them. Congratulations to my dear friend Noraly, Esteban and Maximiliano and welcome to this earth to Julian and Leonardo. Love you guys.