But then it happened. I had a strong premonition that Gena and I were going to be having a boy and a girl and that the boy would be named Dakota Alan and the girl Dani Lee. Alan was after my father-in-law, and Lee was after my mother. At about the fourteenth week, we found out through one of the ultrasounds that our twins were indeed a boy and girl.
During the following weeks Gena's condition seemed to improve; her left ovary was returning to normal, but her right ovary remained enlarged. A specialist explained that such a problem could be life-threatening to Gena or the babies and talked of removing her right ovary while she was pregnant. He said if her condition did not improve by the twentieth week of the pregnancy, the ovary must be removed. We prayed constantly that God would intercede, even if it meant performing a modern-day medical miracle.
Our prayers were answered! By the twentieth week, both ovaries had shrunk, and the surgery was no longer necessary.
When Gena told my stepdaughter Kelley what we were going to name the babies, her reply was, “I think Kelley should be somewhere in my baby sister's name.” We talked about it, and agreed with Kelley. We changed the name Dani Lee to Danilee Kelley Norris.
Steve Scott, a close friend and board member of my KICKSTART Foundation, told me that when his wife Shannon had experienced difficulty with her pregnancy, he took her to see Dr. Greg Devore, a leading perinatologist in Pasadena, California. He believed Dr. Devore was responsible for saving their baby.
Gena was happy with the hospital and the doctors in Texas, but I couldn't get Steve's comment out of my mind. You could call it an instinct, but I believe it was God's Spirit telling me that Gena needed to be near this particular doctor, just in case another emergency should arise. When I told Gena that I felt strongly that we needed to be near Dr. Devore, so we were moving to our house in Los Angeles and having the babies there, she was not happy with the news.
Quite the contrary! Gena cried and cried. She loved her doctors and wanted very much for our babies to be born in Texas. Besides, she'd have to find a good obstetrician who could take care of her and deliver the babies in California. I explained as best I could about the premonitions I was sensing, and reluctantly, she agreed to go. So, with Gena in her twentieth week of pregnancy, we moved to Los Angeles.
Once in LA, Gena was able to find an obstetrician who was just minutes from our house, as well as a nearby hospital. She also started to see Dr. Devore regularly.
At twenty-three weeks into her pregnancy, Gena started feeling some pressure in her cervical area and began experiencing contractions, but she dismissed the discomfort as an aspect of carrying twins.
That same week I was scheduled to go to Washington D.C. for President Bush's first White House dinner. “Oh, go ahead. Don't worry about me,” Gena said sincerely. “I'll be fine. You and the guys go and enjoy the celebration.”
I invited my brother, Aaron, and our friends, Dennis Berman and John Hensley, the former head of US Customs, to join me for the presidential gala. Phil Cameron, my personal protection officer, joined us as well.
While I was in Washington, Gena was scheduled for her regular appointment to see Dr. Devore. She considered canceling her appointment, but she felt something was just not right. She drove herself to the appointment with Dr. Devore.
When Gena explained to Dr. Devore about the unusual level of discomfort she was feeling, the doctor was concerned. He immediately examined her cervix with an ultrasound and checked the babies. When he finished the exam, the doctor appeared perplexed. He explained to Gena that Dakota's heart was working too hard and was developing fluid around it. He also expressed concern that Gena's cervix was beginning to soften. She was going into preterm labor. “Gena, we need to admit you to the hospital right away,” Dr. Devore said. “We must surgically insert a cerclage, basically to sew your cervix closed.” Dr. Devore explained, “The babies are not yet viable, weighing approximately one pound each. If you go into labor, the babies probably will not survive.”
CHAPTER 26
MIRACLE BABIES
Pacing the floor in my Washington hotel room, I could hardly stand the wait. I was angry at the copilot for taking a drink, although it really wasn't his fault that I was stranded in D.C. The pilots hadn't planned on returning to Los Angeles until the morning following the presidential dinner. That was before we found out about Gena being in the hospital, facing some tough times ahead of her.
When I talked with Gena that night, I assured her that I would get home as quickly as possible, so the moment the pilots were able to fly, we took off and flew directly home. I prayed all the way home that God would spare our little Dakota and Danilee.
The morning of the surgery, Gena's doctor explained a further possible complication to her. There was a chance that the amniotic sac the babies were in could rupture, which would result in her losing the babies. Frightened, Gena began to pray, asking God for a miracle. Once again our prayers were answered, and the surgery was a success!
Following the surgery, Gena was ordered to full-time bed rest, not an easy thing for my active wife. She could get up only to shower and use the bathroom and was given a device to be worn around her abdomen that read her contractions twice a day. A nurse visited Gena twice a week to listen to the babies' hearts.
During the twenty-seventh week Dr. Devore noticed fluid developing around Danilee's heart. Danilee had an abnormally vascilating heart rate, alternating between an extremely high rate, then dropping to a very low heart rate. Dr. Devore was concerned and said he would need to keep a closer eye on the twins.
Gena's belly had gotten so big and she was so miserably uncomfortable that she focused only on getting through the day; anything else was too much to handle. We did a lot of Bible reading, which helped keep us strong and encouraged. When she wasn't studying the Scripture, Gena read every medical book she could get hold of that contained information about multiple pregnancies.
Danilee's heartbeat was still irregular, but we knew she was a fighter. She moved constantly inside Gena; that little girl never slept! Sometimes at night, while Gena was trying to sleep, I'd lay my hand on her belly, and I could feel a kick here and a push there. The twins' movements were distinctive, too. Dakota didn't move nearly as much as Danilee, but when he did, it was with such great strength that we knew he meant business. He probably was tired of his sister pushing him around!
Gena began seeing Dr. Devore twice a week. We really looked forward to the appointment since it gave us a chance to watch our babies on the ultrasound machine, not only to make sure that they were doing OK, but to look at all their wonderful, amazing features. The Bible says that God knows us even before we are born and that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. I was beginning to understand that even more fully as I followed the weekly growth and development of our children in Gena's womb. Gena and I would make bets on how much each baby would weigh. When Dr. Devore checked Dakota, he always teased us, saying, “It looks like you've got yourselves a football player here!”
As Gena approached her thirtieth week of pregnancy, Dr. Devore informed us that he was getting a new ultrasound machine that would project four-dimensional images. He planned to use it on Gena because it would show better detail of our babies. The new technology turned out to be a lifesaver.
Gena's surgery date was scheduled for October 23, which seemed like an eternity to her. As she rounded into her thirty-first week of pregnancy, Gena developed a sharp pain on her right side. She tried changing positions, but nothing eased the pain. “Maybe the intense pain is because I'm carrying two babies,” Gena said, “but I've never had such excruciating pain during a pregnancy before.” After five days of enduring the pain, she called her OB. The doctor instructed Gena to come to his office immediately.
He ran blood tests to be sure she didn't have a ruptured appendix and did another ultrasound. “Everything appears to be fine,” he said. “Maybe you've pulled a ligament.”
That didn't seem likely, but Gena accepted the possibility and came hom
e to begin her thirty-second week of pregnancy, a milestone for her. To OB and neonatal doctors, thirty-two is a magic number. Babies born at that time do much better with fewer serious complications than those born earlier.
Before Gena and I went to sleep that night, we prayed as we do every night. Then Gena said to me, “For some reason I feel a little afraid, and I don't know why, but I want you to know something. If anything happens to me, please, always remember how much I love you and keep Jesus close to your heart.”
The next morning Gena noticed that Dakota had stopped moving and that her old Caesarian scar had an unusual look about it; she thought it appeared to be protruding outward. We called Dr. Devore immediately. As the doctor examined Gena on his new four-dimensional ultrasound machine, I saw his eyes widen, and concern creased his face. He explained to us that Danilee now had more fluid around her heart, and Dakota's heart was working way too hard. He ran the ultrasound wand over Gena's abdomen and said, “The babies need to be born right away. Gena's uterus is ready to rupture.” Dr. Devore said, “Do not go home, don't go anywhere else, but go straight to the hospital.” Shocked and terrified, we rushed to the hospital. Gena cried all the way, saying her babies were not ready to be born. Driving like a maniac, I didn't think we had a choice.
Gena was wheeled into an operating room and prepped for emergency surgery, while a nurse gave me instructions and handed me a blue surgical outfit, complete with a hat that looked like a lady's shower cap and a pair of “footies.” I put the outfit on over my clothes.
Meanwhile Gena was experiencing an unusual covering of a different kind. While lying on the gurney in the operating room, a kindly African-American nurse asked softly, “Would you like me to pray with you before your surgery, honey?”
Surprised, Gena barely eked out the words, “Yes. And would you pray for our babies too?”
The sweet woman prayed a simple prayer, asking God to be with Gena and the babies throughout the surgery and to guide the physicians as they performed the procedures. She then led Gena in repeating the Twenty-third Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.… Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.…”
A short while later I joined Gena in the delivery room, along with Gena's fourteen-year-old son, Tim, who planned to videotape the birth of the newest members of our family. Tim was so nervous he forgot to turn the camera on!
When Gena's doctor began the surgery, he confirmed that Dr. Devore was right. “I can clearly see the heads of both babies through the outside of your uterus; it is as thin as a piece of cellophane. It's a good thing you got here when you did.”
Watching the birth of our babies was a new and awesome experience for me. When my sons from my previous marriage had been born, I was not allowed in the delivery room. Now I didn't want to miss a moment!
Only a father who has experienced being in the delivery room and watching his baby (in my case, babies) come into this world and hearing the baby's first cry can understand just how overwhelming the joy of such an experience really is. I couldn't keep the tears from streaming down my face.
Dakota was born first. He came into this world with a healthy cry, weighing in at four pounds, six ounces. Danilee was born next, crying loud enough to let the whole world know she had arrived. She weighed three pounds, thirteen ounces. As soon as each twin was born, I cut the umbilical cord, and then they were rushed up to the neonatal unit.
When the doctor finished Gena's surgery, she was wheeled into the recovery room, where I was waiting for her. I hugged and kissed her and told her how proud I was of her. Gena wanted to see Dakota and Danilee, so the nurses wheeled her to the neonatal intensive care unit. Together we peered through the window at our two little miracle babies. Danilee was doing well and breathing on her own, but both of our babies had numerous wires attached to them, intravenous lines inserted into their tiny veins, and a feeding tube running down through each of their noses into their stomachs. The wires were attached to monitors that measured the babies' heart rates and breathing. If a problem were to develop, alarms would sound, alerting the on-duty NICU nurse or doctor immediately.
A couple of days later, Gena and I were finally allowed to hold the twins in our arms. What a blessed experience! But then while I was holding Dakota, and looking down on his beautiful face, the alarm began sounding on his monitor. He had stopped breathing! I almost had a coronary myself!
The on-duty nurse ran over, grabbed Dakota out of my arms, and began lightly shaking him. The alarm stopped. She smiled and put him gently back in my arms. I was still in shock.
“What happened?” I gasped.
“It is not uncommon for ‘preemies’ to stop breathing,” she said. “When that happens, we stimulate the baby and get him breathing again.”
The nurse made it sound so routine, and maybe it was to her, but it's not routine when it's your baby! It was frightening, and even though we understood why, when it happened, Gena and I were completely unnerved.
Although Dakota was the bigger of the two babies, he was experiencing the most problems. For some reason male “preemies” have a more difficult time breathing. I know it's hard to believe, but their lungs just aren't as strong. Dakota had a moderate case of respiratory distress. He needed the assistance of a breathing unit for five days and had to be fed only through his IV. Finally, he began breathing normally on his own.
Danilee and Dakota were supposed to stay in NICU for at least eight weeks, but after four weeks of living at the hospital, Gena and I decided to bring our babies home. We arranged for in-home, round-the-clock nursing care.
Danilee and Dakota had to remain on heart monitors for three more months. They were finally taken off the heart monitors just before Christmas 2001. It was the best Christmas present Gena and I could ever receive.
The elation we felt in bringing Danilee and Dakota home was almost indescribable. Multitudes of our friends lavished gifts and well wishes on our babies. One handwritten note was especially meaningful:
Dear Danilee and Dakota,
Your wonderful mother sent me a picture of you two when you came into this great big world. I used to be the president of the USA; now, I'm just a guy who loves his family and his friends. We Bushes love your mom and dad. We are so lucky to have their unconditional love. Welcome to this great big, exciting world. May your lives ahead be full of happiness, love, and wonder.
With all our family's love,
George H. W. Bush
My friends were right. Having children at my age was one of the most exciting and pleasurable times in my life. The first time around, I was too busy trying to make a living, and I missed a lot in the raising of my children. But with my new family members, I was able to be at home and nurture the babies along with Gena.
As the months passed, I watched the babies grow from infants to crawling babies and then to little toddlers, starting to walk and express their personalities. It was an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Now it's up to Gena and me, as parents, to instill in our twins a sense of self-worth, not egotistical pride, but character-building tools based on biblical principles.
Just as we began to relax and breathe easier, we noticed that our fourteen-year-old, Tim, the youngest of Gena's children, was jealous of the attention we showered on our newborns. Tim wanted nothing to do with the twins. Kelley, on the other hand, was instantly affectionate with her new siblings. Often Kelley chided Tim, “How can you not love these babies?”
Tim grunted and walked away from her.
The turning point came when the twins were about six months old. Tim walked by their cribs one day and saw Dakota reaching up for him. Tim was unable to resist. He picked up Dakota and cradled him in his arms. Today Tim is enjoying his role as big brother.
Kelley and Danilee are inseparable. At the end of Kelley's high school basketball and baseball games, she carried Danilee in her arms as she high-fived the opposing team.
Unfortunat
ely, Kelley didn't show the same affection toward me. For almost six years, when I would hug Kelley, she would not reciprocate. All I could do was hope and pray that one day she would love me as much as I love her.
After many of Kelley's games, I would stand back while Gena hugged her. I didn't want to presume upon a special mother-daughter moment, and I didn't want to overstep my bounds as Kelly's stepdad.
I had an important meeting the day of Kelley's basketball championship, so Gena planned to fly up to the game without me. But something inside of me said, This is important. At the last minute I canceled my appointment and flew to California with Gena. I knew it was Kelley's last game, and I didn't want to miss it.
Kelley's team lost by four points, and Kelley was crying from the disappointment, as well as the realization that her high school sports days were over. Gena was hugging her, and as usual, I stood back. Suddenly Kelley let go of Gena and put her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder, crying. I consoled her by telling her what a great game she had played, but my heart was leaping with joy. This beautiful young lady had finally accepted me as her stepfather!
Thanks to God's grace, Danilee and Dakota have become the glue that binds our two families together. We now have a wonderfully blended family. In fact, my eldest son, Mike, often calls Gena whenever he needs advice. And my grandchildren affectionately refer to Gena as “G-ma,” which Gena thinks is wonderful.
CHAPTER 27
SPIRITUAL SURPRISES
Funny, for years I simply went about my business, going through life, doing my own thing, almost unaware of God's presence in my life or his workings in the lives of my friends. Now that I've traveled a few more miles in my spiritual journey, I'm able to recognize the hand of God in ways I never have before. Amazingly, he has been there all the time, working all around me. I just didn't know it. Sometimes, I've simply had to step back and say, “Whew! I didn't know that God could do such awesome things nowadays, but apparently he can!”
Against All Odds: My Story Page 20