September 30th 2006: The Grand Arrival - Evelyn & Samuel

Charlotte's waters broke during the early morning of Tuesday 26th September (a mere 3 days after passing her driving test - undertaken with a bin liner on the drivers seat, much to the horror of the examiner!). Upon arrival at hospital, we were advised that she was already 1cm dilated and would need to be admitted until labour went into full swing. Unfortunately, this didn't happen for another 3 days!! After dinner on Friday evening, labour pains began and after 12 hours of pushing - she was fully dilated. Being a twin birth, it had to take place in theatre rather than in the delivery suite - so we were trundled off to theatre. Only trouble is, by the time we got there - Twin 1 (who we now know as Evelyn) had decided to pop back up again! Some anaethesia, and a couple of hours more pushing later - still no baby, so it was an emergency caesarean section.

At 07:08 on the morning of Saturday 30th September, our beautiful daughter was delivered, weighing 5lb 3oz. Two minutes later at 07:10 followed a handsome baby boy, weighing 4lb 15oz. Mum & Dad were so happy they cried! Although Simon had known the sex of the babies for some months, Charlotte did not want to know and was elated to discover that we had produced a girl and a boy.
A few complications, not to mention 4 blood transfusions later - and we were moved to a private room on Pearl Ward, where we stayed for a week before being allowed to come home. It was several days before we decided on the babies names - so they were known as Twin 1 and Twin 2 for quite a while! We finally chose "Evelyn Rose May" for our daughter and "Samuel Charlie James" for our son.

Coming home was the strangest sensation. Charlotte wanted to stop the car every couple of miles to make sure that they were OK. When you leave the safety of the hospital with all it's doctors, midwives and nurses - it's quite daunting when you realise that from now on you're on your own!

Our last holiday with just each other!

Our last holiday together, just the two of us - before our sweetpeas arrive. Two weeks of sun, sand, sea, cornish pasties (the occasional Cornish downpour) and best of all, each other.

Life will never be the same again...


Heavily pregnant, and he drags me up a hill in Port Isaac to take this picture!