Sydney Snuggles

I love a drizzly day in Sydney, perfect for reconnecting with family and our 4 year old grandchildren in particular. The twins.

And we need to chill and readjust with all the changes. Sold the car, left the jobs, rented out the apartment etc.

We enjoyed some great farewells with friends before we left. By the time we got on the plane we were knackered from too many big nights out.

So, back to the twins. Adorable chatterboxes; they love stories - both telling them, and listening to them. Mars has a ukulele,  which he strums while he talks. And talks... I let him help me choose the special effects for these photos.

Lizzie 

Mission Accomplished - Sydney twin minding

I'm back in NZ now (from my month of babysitting for my son and his wife in Sydney) in a more peaceful household, with very little washing and healthy sleep patterns.  We also have a working oven and dishwasher, so I feel a bit lucky about that. I appreciate that my husband and I can still forage for salad veges in our garden and hang our clothes out in the sun to dry - but it's very chilly at nights here compared to Sydney, and neighbourhood walks are nowhere near as exciting as Kings Cross!

It was sad saying goodbye to little Rose and Mario Junior, but I don't worry about them as they are part of a strong little family and have their dad at home now for the next 11 weeks. And I have a month's worth of cuddles and nice memories to savour, and a good feeling about having helped in some way. It was time I broke up my relationship with the bottle too... the bleach bottle that is. I got a bit obsessive during the days in Sydney, washing the floors and wiping the surfaces the twins could reach!

29 years ago ago, when my boy was 5 months old I returned to work, and my husband Mario stayed home for two years to mind him. For six months of that time we had set up a coffee shop business, and my parents babysat during the days.

In less than three  months the twins other grandmother, Bev, (Nana B) will arrive to take over their daycare; what a lucky pair they are! So it is true, patterns repeat, and many families like ours come up with these ways of caring for children and sharing the load. Each carer brings something a  little different and special to the mix, and I reckon they benefit from this in the long run.

And, in the meantime, Mario Senior and I are already plotting for a time when we can bring the twins over to NZ for a holiday - to run barefoot and forage for berries and tomatoes in the garden, and splash around down at Tahunanui beach, just like their dad used to love doing.  

Lizzie (Nana E)

Day 16 - Sydney, baby clothes review

I'm into my last week now, babysitting the twins. Rose and I have been thinking about baby wear. There are many choices around and lots of brands to choose from, however it seems that some basics are being overlooked by the manufacturers and designers...

Miss Rose suggests:

1. Clothes need to be easy to work with - the less buttons,
zips and snaps the better. Here I am in my Baptism long
gown  - very fancy, but only one button for my Mum to do up. 

2. Fabrics that look grown-up but are stretchy
are more comfy for us to to wear

3. It is physical being a toddler - we need to be able to move easily as we crawl and roll around

4. Plain, no patterns, make a nice change and means
 we can mix and match our separates more easily

5. Dark or strong colours are good as they don't show  little splops (that my brother Mario makes)

6. Anything small and fiddly (hairbands, socks, hats and gloves) is
a nuisance. Built in hoods and feet covers are great, as we can't lose them.

7. And finally, sometimes you just have to let
your Nana jazz up your classic look a little bit!

Day 12 - we've had visitors

Its great when people come to see the babies. Over the last few days we've had visits from another young family and then today, from the twins' grandfather Bruce and his wife Sarndra.

The twins meet Grand-dad Bruce

I enjoy watching the twins drink in the new faces, absorb the voices and sense the changed dynamic in the little apartment. They seem open to these new experiences and enjoy socialising. It makes a nice change for me too - and a chance to choose some special visitor outfits...

Kate and Joseph with their friends Peta and Chris and their daughter Arabella

   

Day 8 - some pics, due to popular demand

Thanks Joseph for doing the night calls

Thanks YouTube for some
 interesting afternoons

I appreciate all the encouragement, comments and feedback I'm getting. (The dog is fine now, thanks!) And I'm chuffed that so many are interested in my posts. Here's some pics of all of us, as requested.

Thanks Kate, for working and 

giving me this turn with the twins

Day 3 - Sydney, baby books review

The twins' chirpy little voices, talking to each other, woke us all up around 5am this morning. But having collapsed exhausted into bed early last night I was recharged and ready for the day. Things just seemed to work better today; the stroller, the washing machine, the weather, me... 
I decided to push a bit more for lunch to see if we could have a better afternoon. They loved my eclectic combination of avocado, potato, pumpkin and pureed apricot. Rose prefers to hold her own spoon and to try putting it in her mouth. Mario just sits there like a baby bird with his mouth open.
We read books today. There's lots of things wrong with young baby books; here's a few of them:

• There is nothing simple or generally recognisable to point to
• The wording is clunky, and disjointed to read out loud
• There are too few, or too many, words on the page
• There is no drama, just boring descriptions
• The endings are weak
• The characters are 2-dimensional and predictable

Our top 3 favourite books today, voted in unanimously (that is by both Mario and Rose) for the 7-month category, were:
Eyes, nose, toes, peekaboo! a www.dk.com publication
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Twin Trouble by Peter Bently

"My favourite characters are the ones that go
on a journey, like the caterpillar," says Rose

"A book has to touch me emotionally; those twin bears
were in danger, it was heart wrenching," says Mario

Day 2 - Sydney, minding twins

I asked their mum, Kate, to leave me some notes, with rough times for naps and meals.  The morning went well - mushy breakfast, nap, playtime. I even managed to pop upstairs and get a load of washing through. I was aware of their big eyes following my moves, watching me carefully. They giggled and glanced at each other occasionally, and seemed relaxed and happy playing on the floor. For seven months old both Mario and Rose are good with their hands and move around well, although not really crawling yet.

We lost the plot a bit after lunch with some fierce resistance to the afternoon nap. Rose definitely wasn't going to sleep, then Mario starting sobbing melodramatically. After an hour of angst I got them back up from their hell-no-definitely-not-nap and tried the stroller. The rain had stopped so we went out for a long walk around Potts Point and Kings Cross. They slept the whole time.

Rose and Mario taking a nap

I'm not sure the stroller and I are going to be friends. Its a big clumsy thing and while the twins are well cushioned in it I think I may need to read the manual. Anyway, by the time their parents got home I'd managed to get through the list; just not quite in the right order. And, I'd learnt a few things:
1. You can't get upstairs carrying both babies at the same time
2. People stare at twins
3. Supermarket trolleys and strollers have dysfunctional front wheels in common
4. You have to pre-empt hunger and tiredness (theirs and yours)
5. You can't give them bottles at the same time, so you have to feed one and sing to the other


















 






  

4 weeks, 2 babies, 1 nana

I arrived in Sydney last night and my son Joseph met me at the airport. I mentioned my anxiety about doing a good job over the next month - I'm here to mind their 7 month old twins. He said just don't talk too much - he knows me well! The twins were still awake and Rose was definitely a bit suspicious.

Today, Sunday, got off to a great start. I heard them cooing and grizzling away intermittently from about 5am. The twins, that is. I had a quick shower then popped in at 6am - greeted by big smiles of delight. Kate came and showed me how they change them - its all really well set-up in their little 2-cot bedroom. They sleep in cute sleeping bag things. We went downstairs and made up a lovely mush of weetbix, blueberries and yoghurt. I spooned most of it into the babies - its great having two, no time is wasted between mouthfuls.

    
The rest of the day was spent in a happy whirl of play, stories, a brief walk (to make sure I could manage the double stroller thing and the various keys into the apartment). Oh, and not much daytime sleep. Maybe that's my fault. I think I talked to them too much!