Twins!!!!

Congratulations! The birth of grandchildren is a momentous occasion, and a happy day! I have 5 grandchildren, with another one due in the spring, and I was fortunate to be present at 4 of their births. Very good days indeed.

I just didn't want to be called, "Grandma" so I opted for "Grammy"--figuring they can call me Gram when they grow out of that. Choose your appellation early or you'll be Grandma no matter what.

Hope your folk are all doing well. Twins. Ack! I can't imagine. Two at different times were hard enough!
 
Pyar said:


p.s. feel free to ask more questions about me or my life as a twin =)
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Fear not, Pyar, I will probably exploit you ruthlessly as a source of information.

Actually, Cloud and Carrie, I don't mind being called Grandma, because that was what we always called my grandmother, and it's what my children called my mother -- until she was in her eighties, when they started calling her Granny. (She had called her own beloved grandmother Granny, so she was fine with that.)

But ... there are so many grandparents and they all live close enough to be involved: two grandmothers, two grandfathers, as well as a step-grandmother and step-grandfather. So it seems like it might be less confusing for the boys if we each have a separate name and identity. We have time to figure that out, of course.

Meanwhile, Megan has been doing much better (except that just at the moment she is being treated with antibiotics). Once she came home from the hospital, she finally felt well enough to really experience the joys of motherhood (in addition to those less joyful moments that come so often in the middle of the night).

Since they live next door, I've been able to spend a lot of quality time with the boys. I wander over at least twice a day, change a diaper, feed a bottle, hold a fussy baby. (At first I was afraid of intruding, but apparently with twins another pair of hands is always welcome.). Every few days, when Megan and Clay have had a particularly rough night with restless, starving, frantic babies (to hear the twins tell it, nobody ever feeds them), and the poor weary and worn-out parents need a nap in the middle of the day, Jack and Ethan spend a few hours with us.

Since my oldest daughter moved out shortly before the twins arrived, we were able to turn her room into a nursery plus craftroom (for me). Since it is a quiet and comfortable room, it's also become a sort of adjunct to my home office. I can sit in the big green chair and go over my writing notes, hand-edit a chapter, etc., and still keep an eye and an ear on the boys in their crib. It's quite nice really.

If it gets too cold out in my hobbit hole this winter, I may bring my computer into the nursery.
 
A worrisome situation with the twins. The boys were doing great at the beginning of the week. They went to the doctor on Tuesday, were weighed, and it turned out they had gained over a pound each since they were born on Labor Day.

Then they both came down with a virus, and couldn't keep their food down (or when they did, it went right on through). Jack seems to be doing a lot better now, but they've been back to the doctor twice and Ethan lost 7 ounces in three days. It's frightening when they get sick while they're still so little, even though the doctor doesn't seem that concerned. It reminds you (as if you needed reminding) how new and fragile they are.
 
Oh, indeed it does. I remember when my daughter had her first DPT, and had a reaction to the pertussis vaccine, running a fever of about 105 F. Scared the living daylights out of us, though the doctor said this was not at all uncommon.... Spent most of the night in the tub with her, keeping her in water cold enough to lower the temperature, but with enough warmth from me to keep her from getting too chilled... All came out well -- in fact, she remained an incredibly strong and healthy child overall; but such a thing can indeed be very worrisome. And intestinal problems at the twins' age is both very stressful and very common; but I hope that it clears up and he gains the weight back very soon; I know you'll all feel better once this is over....
 
Miles had a reaction to the DPT shot, too. A huge swelling on his leg. I called and spoke to various medical personal over the course of a couple of days, all of whom assured me that it couldn't be the shot, no one ever reacted to the shot, it must be something else. The swelling got worse rather than better, so I took him in to the clinic. The pediatrician we saw took one look at his rash and said, "It's the pertussis. Sometimes that happens." Makes you wonder what everyone else was doing that day when they discussed this in medical school.

I feel for your experience with the high fever, JD. I remember a few times getting up in the middle of the night to draw a cool bath for a feverish small child. And as the mother of four, I well know how quickly and how high a baby's temperature can rise. An adult with a fever of 105 would probably be in the hospital on life-support. They say that it's not as serious with infants (up to a point) but when it's your baby burning up with fever it's pretty terrifying.

I've always said (well I've said it ever since Gwyneth was born) that you've never known the true meaning of fear until you become a parent.
 
j. d. worthington said:
And I see they're already getting into the spirit.....;)
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Absolutely. They have so many little pumpkin hats and Halloween outfits, you could just about outfit a whole nursery school. (Justified, of course, because you have to change their clothes four or five times a day.) And Megan's already planning the elf hats and Santa hats she'll knit for them in December.
 
I hope they are both feeling better now.

I just noticed that the three ads above the list of posts in this thread are about twin-related merchandise. Targeted!
 
Teresa,

Are you going to see the twins over Christmas? If so, hope you have a wonderful time sharing their first Christmas with them both :) .
 
The twins live next door, Patrick, so it's a rare day that I don't have the opportunity to see them. But yes, seeing and interacting with them today was extra special.

They came over in the morning, when I was able to see them "open" their first Christmas gifts. (And it was a delight to see Jack's face light up when his mother pulled a tiny teddy bear out of his stocking.)

And after a few hours at Clay's father's house, they came back in the afternoon.

By now, they've developed such distinct personalities, it's fascinating to watch their very different reactions to people and situations. Ethan is more reserved, but a good little cuddler, while Jack courts all the attention and adoration he can get (which is a lot).
 
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