belgianwaffle

Twins

Baby Blues


Posted in: Twins

Daniel is the trendier of our two babies. Michael always seems to be wearing a tracksuit but Daniel tries to make an effort. Already, his grandfather has visions of him propping up the bar of a south Dublin pub in his rugby shirt while sipping on a pint of Heineken. Funnily enough, my vision is a little different, but I digress.

On Friday, we went to visit my friend the orchestra director whom I have mentioned before. She used to advise on, inter alia, policing in Albania, but she chucked it in to do the orchestra thing, unfortunate for the Albanians, but there you go. On inspecting my many children, she asked why Daniel was wearing Cambridge Blues (as she played squash for the University, she is in an excellent position to comment). In response, Daniel wriggled up straighter in his Baby Gap jacket trying to look sporty and dapper while Michael kicked off his socks.

Doctor’s Visit


Posted in: Princess, Twins

Conversation with the doctor:
Him: They’ll need two booster shots on the meningitis….
Daniel: Scream, scream, scream.
Michael: Scream, scream, scream.
Princess (at top of voice): Stop screaming Daniel and Michael.
Me: Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Him: Has the Princess had a meningitis shot?
Me: No [I’d remember, it’s 68 euros per shot – they’ll each need 3 shots; the doctor charges 40 euros per child per visit so that makes it approx 660 euros for the twins; I think I’d have remembered even half
that expenditure for her Highness].
Him: No, it has been developed since she was a baby.
Me: Actually my brother works for the pharmaceutical company that developed it; I like to think that I am contibuting my mite to his bonus.
Daniel: Scream, scream, scream.
Michael: Scream, scream, scream.
Princess: TALK TO ME!
Him: I’m afraid that I didn’t quite catch that.

Further entertainment was provided by a broken lift which meant that I had to carry Michael and Daniel up and down the stairs while getting herself to join us by powers of persuasion rather than brute force. Needless to say we only discovered the lift was broken by squeezing into it and waiting in vain for it to move. Did I mention that I forgot to bring the boys’ nappy bag? Oh happy morning. Oh yeah and that it snowed on us on the way back to the car.

When we arrived home, it was to discover that the boys had fallen asleep in the car. The Princess instantly remedied this by screaming in their ears. Fab.

Comments
Bobble
on 06 March 2006 at 16:27
How you keep your hands off of them I don’t know. I shall be a very bad mother.

belgianwaffle
on 06 March 2006 at 22:27
Kristin, how comforting.
Bobble, and who says I keep my hands off them? In fact, these days, I seem to spend half my time physically wrenching herself off her brothers.

Sleeping Arrangements


Posted in: Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

9.20 Michael stops crying. Most upsetting. Thought we had cracked it when the night before last they only cried for ten minutes but obviously, they’re made of sterner stuff than I had realised. Very traumatised. Mr. Waffle less so “they don’t remember it”. “Well, if that’s so, why do they start to cry when they see their little sleeping bags laid out on the bed. The heartless one started to laugh “clever little boys”.
10.00 Bed
10.30 Mr. Waffle in to tend to screaming child.
11.40 Princess up and crying (yes, still sick, no have not been outside the house since Sunday)
11.45 I take over from Mr. Waffle, he puts herself back to bed.
12.00 – 5.30 Mr. Waffle on Princess duty (up several times) and me on baby duty;D (up constantly as far as I can recall).
5.30 Mr. Waffle on baby duty.
5.50 Princess comes in to our bed.
6.20 Mr. Waffle puts Princess back to her own bed.
6.30 Baby wakes up -am back on baby duty until 7.30 when they fall asleep.
7.30 Mr. Waffle gets up.
8.00 Boys and I get up.

Comments
Minks, all appears to be um improving. Why am I tempting fate this way?
Sarcastic Journalist on 05 March 2006 at 04:35 That’s something like my life, just with one less child. And uh, less of my husband helping.
belgianwaffle
on 06 March 2006 at 22:28 SJ, not really, because your older child is at home with you ALL DAY. Hideous thought, I think I might die, if this happened to me.

Equation


Posted in: Princess, Twins

Laundry Basket

Washing machine

Basement

Basket for transporting laundry

Coat stand

And, as our American cousins would say, payback:

Comments
Friar Tuck
on 28 February 2006 at 15:58
Well put. ���
dmts
on 28 February 2006 at 18:49
how absolutely wonderful – 1 moment where they aren’t screeching 0
Sweetie(s) given ���
Minkleberry
on 28 February 2006 at 21:42
Our house looks like a massive washing basket. Your children should be on a washing powder advert. They are beautiful xx 0
Sweetie(s) given ���
poggle
on 02 March 2006 at 10:08
The boys are looking rather nervous in that pic – and they’re all very, very cute. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���
belgianwaffle
on 02 March 2006 at 22:05
Aw, thank you all very much. Is valium a Class A drug? 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

Mid-term Break


Posted in: Princess, Twins

This week is mid-term. Who knows whether I will be able to blog any more or not? Just me and the three small children at home. To save my sanity there will be a treat at the end of the week. Mr. Waffle is taking a half day on Friday and we are driving to the Hague where the lovely Dutch Mama and her family will be welcoming us for the weekend.

Last time we went there, the Princess vomited on everything all the time and theyÂ’’re still having us back. How kind and brave. Frankly, itÂ’’s as well that this treat is in store because on the following Monday night, Mr. Waffle is off in the neighbouring Grand Duchy for work and my children and I will be spending our first night alone together in a while.

By the by, for those of you following the sleeping drama, it took the boys an hour to cry themselves to sleep last night but I’m past caring. Myself and Mr. Waffle sat on the sofa and callously turned up the volume on Jamie’s school dinners subtitled in French, while our poor baby boys howled piteously for their parents. They had the last laugh, however, and got us up from midnight to one, three to four, and four thirty to seven fifteen.

The Princess rose at 7.30 and told us solemnly that she was “not very sick, but a little bit sick”. This would appear to be an accurate diagnosis, so no leaving the house for me then. [Manic cackle echoes round the blog].

Comments

poggleon 27 February 2006 at 13:42
Oh lord – stir crazy already!

geepeemumon 27 February 2006 at 16:11
I like UC’s idea. After all we are always trying to teach our children about sharing. Can’t you share your children around all your neighbours for the week?

Friar Tuckon 27 February 2006 at 16:49
I hope you realize that you are ruining my fantasies about the unmitigated bliss of conjugal life!

poggleon 27 February 2006 at 16:53
I love it when the Friar talks dirty …

negritoon 27 February 2006 at 21:52
please try to keep on blogging 🙂

belgianwaffleon 02 March 2006 at 22:03
UC, GPM, yes it is a great idea…thanks fo r the sweetie GPM, I really needed it yesterday.
Pog, stir crazy doesn’t begin to describe it.
FT, pog, quite.
Negrito, blogging is the only thing that keeps me sane. I can now blog with a baby on my lap while reciting nursery rhymes to a toddler. Two awake babies is a killer though..

Worse things happen at sea


Posted in: Twins

Last night we put the boys to bed at 7.00 and the pair of us alternately and together rocked them and soothed them until 10.20 when we gave up the ghost. Neither of them had slept for more than a few minutes and all four of us were exhausted. We decided to let them cry it out. Michael cried for 20 minutes and then stopped. Daniel cried lustily for a full 45 minutes. At 11.05 all was silent. It is very miserable to listen to your children cry and not to do anything about it. And then, I was cruelly awoken at 11.23 by the sound of howling. I suppose that we will look back at this some day and laugh. Hollowly.
Comments

kristin(Homepage)

on 26 February 2006 at 16:18

oh poor mr and mrs waffle. i ~do~ sympathise. (see, i’m even doing it non-american style.)
xo

Friar Tuckon 26 February 2006 at 23:45

Have you considered an exorcism? Perhaps this kind can only be driven out by prayer.

jackdaltonon 27 February 2006 at 00:59

They say I cried a lot as a child. I only found out years later that I was plied with whiskey and milk on such occasions. All a bit Pavlovian, I?d say… 🙂
belgianwaffleon 27 February 2006 at 13:05
Mike, that is such a lovely idea. I would pretty much pay anything for borrowed sleep.
Kristin, am touched and spelling variation too.
FT, I like that.
JD, is that illegal now? I suppose no one would have to know..

dmtson 28 February 2006 at 18:46

I’d go for whiskey and an exorcism – you may even want to try witchcraft too.

belgianwaffleon 02 March 2006 at 22:04

DMTS, perhaps the nightmare is ending. No howling so far tonight.