The Melting Pot – the babies’ birthday.
Oct
1
Written by:
01/10/2014 06:54
It has to be said that on a typical year, I can normally account for almost every day of magic and mayhem, fun and fiasco, the highs and the lows when musing retrospectively. But looking back on this year since the twins were born, I actually don’t know where the time has gone at all! This last twelve months of motherhood to two new babies has been an absolute joy as they are- thankfully- sweet natured and generally calm little fellows, but I could never have predicted that my workload would decide to fly into overdrive from virtually the moment they’d appeared and fill every living minute since!
Towards the end of August and the beginning of September, I encountered the usual mish-mash of school wear purchasing and P.E kit shopping for our older boys. This was duly combined with calls from post-holiday clients - all fresh and raring to go on the next season of reports, photography and stories. This year’s most noticeable difference in routine was marked by my obsession with the babies being about to turn 1. “One! I mean, just WHERE did that year go?!”. Instead of concentrating on the new school year excitement; fresh lunch boxes, new uniform, clean kit, new books….. I was completely preoccupied with the planning of an exciting double birthday party, two new funky presents for the babies in the shape of Cozy Coupes and the memories of what stage in pregnancy I had been in this time last year. I watched the babies with fresh fascination- now nearly walking and with very distinctive personalities. In their most recent stage of development, they even babble differently and exude completely different characteristics from the other. One is very relaxed and loves people, the other is reserved and highly strung. Both are adorable.
Very typically for our household; the minute we decided to hold a fun-filled tea party for the babies on the big day, all chaos broke loose. Seasonal deadlines started rolling in, school began to send home copious sheets of literature with all sorts of events listed and relatives started bickering over who should be entitled to come along to the party and who shouldn’t.
We somehow or other reached the big day itself in one piece, having batted off every possible external argument , deadline and source of unnecessary disruption along the way. Being so excited for the babies, neither myself or Steve slept at all the night before the birthday. We stayed up until the wee small hours reliving the somewhat overly extended labour stage and the resulting drama of the C-section birth last year. Upon sunrise, the babies knew immediately that something unusual was afoot. They were greeted by several faces with goon-like grins, looking insanely animated and all singing to them. They obliged with huge smiles when faced with their presents and looked somewhat perplexed by the endless array of decorations which had miraculously popped up overnight. The day whizzed by in a haze of cards and presents, lunch out with the babies (also peppered with smatterings of work for us grown-ups), leading to the birthday tea in the evening.
Armed with a garlic wreath around the front door for any unwanted visitors, we greeted the family excited to meet the babies and party. Quite tearful at ‘Happy Birthday’ song time, I snapped away snuffling as the babies observed their cake and soaked up the fun of the evening. Despite the usual chaos of the Melting Pot, our biggest birthday for this year was a resounding success and we welcomed the babies second year in with a bang.
© Tessa-Lynne Davies 2014
Next time in The Melting Pot- trying to write my book whilst the babies whizz into full Formula 1 speed of movement.