Double the Fun!
“It was the longest year that flew by,” said the babies’ mom, Jessica Caldwell.
Cora and Sam were born on September 11, 2013, twelve weeks before their due date to Jessica and her husband, Jeffrey Walters. Cora was born first and weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz and measured 15 inches. One minute later her brother arrived at 1 lb. 9 oz. and 12 inches. What sweet and tiny babies they were!
Their early arrival meant they had to grow up at bit in the NICU at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk. Cora went home with her parents in just 80 days, but Sam took his time, racking up 208 days in the NICU where he was well-loved by his nurses. So much so that one nurse, Dana Puckett, made a day trip to Ocracoke (for the first time ever!) just to attend the birthday festivities.
“I have a great job and I love what I do,” she said. Dana explained that she and the other nurses love all the babies (that’s the easy part), but sometimes working with the families can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are some families that nurses click with. Dana chose to care for Cora and Sam because she liked Jessica and Jeffrey. Smart nurse.
“Initially, I was the primary nurse for Cora, but she did so well and was out the door so fast, so I picked up being Sam’s primary nurse,” she said. “He was one of my favorites, and a flirt from the beginning.”
Jocelyn Wright told me that Jessica and Jeffrey’s Ocracoke friends were happy to see Dana at the party. “We appreciate that she took care of all of them when we couldn’t be up there,” she said.
The twins’ Aunt Leslie hosted the party on the lawn at her shop, Books to Be Red. Family and friends from far and near were there to enjoy hot dogs, snacks, drinks, cupcakes, bubble stuff, and to watch Sam and Cora smear themselves with icing and try to eat wrapping paper.
Close friends Sherry Atkinson and Laura Michaels entertained the babies as the party was being cleaned up.
“Days like today make it so special,” said Sherry. “All of us remember the fish fry here – there was so much love that day.”
Echoing Jessica’s sentiments Sherry added, “I look at the footprints and it seems so surreal like it was years ago – and yesterday.”
