The twins’ first birthday offers us cause for optimism... and a party food binge
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR A FIRST-TIME DAD OF TWINS
WE HAVE made it.
The twins are healthy, happy and 12 months old.
If I were to sum up the last year, I’d say it’s been like climbing a mountain, only you’ve forgotten your sandwiches, are wearing flip flops and suffering from a heavy cold.
There are little glimpses of joy on the long arduous trek because you’ve still got crisps, a Snickers and a flask of tea but you’re woefully underprepared for this kind of physical and emotional test.
There have been times when I’ve thought ‘we’re not going to make this, I can’t go on’ – usually at 5am when they’re both crying, work is just a few hours away and you’re not sure where the smell of poo is coming from.
The problem is there’s no alternative. Your only option is to just plough on in the hope you might solve the cause of their distress.
Well, there probably is an alternative, but Victoria wouldn’t like it if I walked out the house and slept in the car or booked into a Travelodge.
This milestone of one year also happened to coincide with a definite contender for one of the toughest weeks.
A virulent strain of an as-yet-undiscovered virus had reduced us all to feeble shadows of our former selves.
Everyone in the house was ill to varying degrees at different times. My mum caught it. Victoria’s mum caught it. We were operating at a muchreduced capacity with two sick children and a plethora of unwell adults, then something marvellous happened.
They began getting over the illness and it felt like everything
was just working out beautifully. Emma and Thomas were playing together, eating heartily, smiling, laughing and chatting.
We’d not only managed to keep the twins alive, but made a good job of it. They were healthy, happy babies and I could see the clouds clearing and a glorious summit rising above the mass of wet wipes, Dettol, filthy body suits and Sudocrem.
Unfortunately, this return to form was too late for the twins’ birthday party, which was much reduced in numbers after a warning to guests about the virus.
Not really a bad thing as the party buffet I’d ordered, provided the few of us there with a feast of Roman proportions.
Yes, it was all looking good and we were far better equipped to climb the mountain of the second year. And this time we had some leftover sandwiches courtesy of M&S.