Happy Birthday Twin Stars

When AJ and Mia were little the Twin Stars characters were popular, along with Hello Kitty and Cabbage Patch dolls. AJ's dolls were Marty Ty and Patton Cyril. Mia had a little black Cabbage Patch doll and I can't remember her name - I'm sure Mia can, that girl has an encyclopedic memory (for good and bad). AJ also had an Annie doll, which, tragically, lost her head in a freak accident (perpetrated by big brother Eric). I sewed it back on and AJ had his doll back. I have a picture somewhere of him giving her a great big kiss. When I find it I'm going to get it scanned and put it online. Won't he be thrilled! I could go on and on... At this time in 1980 I was resting after a night of labor and a twin birth that was 40 minutes apart. The USA Hockey Team was about the beat the Russians and the game was on TV in my hospital room. I thought my twins would come out holding on to each other, like those biblical twins (Jacob and Esau?) but no such luck. AJ stayed in and said no way, I'm not coming out there. Dr. Elizabeth Coultas, a bent-over (from delivering thousands of babies) older lady, a farmer with no social life other than her practice, (I didn't want a C-section just so the Dr. with tickets for the ballet could get going on time), with very small hands (I sat next to her at a dinner party and took notice of her tiny hands and forearms and said that's the doctor for me!), decided that she was going to make this birth complete and pulled him out. Did I say it was the longest 40 minutes of my life? I was to do the same thing years later with sheep, and I think of how it hurts every time I do it. (None of us had any anaesthesia.) Now they are all grown up, healthy, strong, smart and beautiful. Mia had to work a 12-hour shift at the hospital today, but Andrew is taking her skiing in Vermont next weekend. Mia met AJ and some fellow seminarians for dinner in White Plains last night. The future priests had spent the day in Atlantic City, gambling in the casinos (doesn't sound right, does it?) then motored back to NY to celebrate with Mia and Andrew. Wish I could have been there. AJ organized a chapter of Midnight Run, an organization that takes cold weather clothing to homeless people on the streets of Manhattan late at night when it's the coldest. He's taking his group to the city tonight. That's the kind of kids they are. One in the hospital ward keeping people alive with her angelic touch, and the other ministering to the weak and weary on the frozen pavement. I'm in awe of them.