In the dead of night, when most of America was tucked away in dreamland, Jenna Bush Hager’s world flipped upside down. It was September 2021, and a frantic text lit up her phone: her identical twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, was in labor—six weeks ahead of schedule. What followed was a whirlwind of panic, love, and an unexpected detour that humanized one of the nation’s most recognizable families. As the co-host of NBC’s Today with Hoda & Jenna and a former First Daughter, Jenna could have called in favors or dispatched assistants. Instead, she did something utterly relatable: she bolted to Target for emergency baby supplies.

Picture this: Jenna, then 39, jolts awake in her New York home beside her husband, Henry Hager. The message from Barbara’s husband, Craig Coyne, hits like a thunderbolt—Cora Georgia was arriving early, and not in the planned New York hospital. Barbara, a philanthropist focused on literacy and global health, had been vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine, with Craig when contractions struck at 2 a.m. Rushed to the nearest facility, the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland—named after their late grandmother, the iconic former First Lady—the irony wasn’t lost on them. “It felt divine,” Barbara later reflected, as if fate had scripted the reunion across generations.

But divinity aside, practicality reigned. Cora, weighing just under five pounds, was a fighter but needed the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for a month to master breathing and feeding. Barbara’s nursery back home remained half-assembled, diapers unpacked, and onesies folded away for a due date in November. No time for shipping or special orders—urgency demanded action. Jenna, ever the devoted aunt, sprang into overdrive. Bursting into tears upon hearing the news, she rallied her family and booked the first flight north.

Touching down in Maine, Jenna’s first mission wasn’t a glamorous photo op or a call to the family estate. It was a stealthy sprint through the fluorescent-lit aisles of a local Target at an ungodly hour. Diapers? Check. Wipes, bottles, and burp cloths? All crammed into a cart. “I was frantic,” Jenna admitted, her voice cracking with the memory. “Of course, I was nervous for her—she was unprepared physically, but she had all the love in the world to give.” This wasn’t the polished life of White House galas or book tours; it was raw, unfiltered sisterhood, the kind that binds twins through shared DNA and unbreakable trust.

For Jenna, holding baby Cora for the first time was transformative. “I got to see Barbara through totally different eyes,” she shared, marveling at her sister’s quiet strength amid the beeps of NICU monitors. As daughters of former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, the twins grew up under a spotlight that amplified every milestone—from college escapades to public service. Yet here, in a hospital ward echoing their grandmother’s legacy, vulnerability shone brightest. Jenna’s Target run wasn’t just logistics; it was a testament to the Bush women’s grounded ethos—love first, glamour second.

Fast-forward to today, and Cora, now a spirited three-year-old, romps with her cousins: Jenna’s brood of Mila (11), Poppy (9), and Hal (5). Barbara welcomed a son, Edward “Finn” Coyne, in August 2024, expanding the circle of chaos and joy. The sisters, authors of children’s books like The Superpower Sisterhood and Love Comes First, weave these tales into stories of resilience and family bonds. Jenna’s midnight escapade? It’s become family lore, a reminder that even First Daughters grab the generic-brand wipes when the stakes are high.

In a world obsessed with perfection, Jenna’s story cuts through the gloss. It whispers that true power lies in the messy, the midnight runs, the unscripted dashes to normalcy. Who knew a trip to Target could redefine royalty?