One bold step for man, one giant leap for Kirsty and I.

So we have made it to, I suppose, the first major milestone in Max and Fia’s lives.  Has it really been six weeks already?  Has it really taken me that long to write my first blog post on here?  Well, yes it has!  It has been a very busy but already fulfilling month and a half - the fact that we have two seemingly content babies is testament to the both of us.  Quite frankly, I’m still surprised I haven’t left them in a supermarket trolley or something similar yet.  I must say that I’m quietly confident now that I won’t either!

I shall attempt to explain, from a Dad's point of view, how I have found living with twins for the past six weeks.  Hopefully it might help others in the long run as I have found literature specific for Dad's (i.e. one with lots of pictures and gory details!) can be hard to come by.  I'll start with some of the main changes in our household that we have had to get used to.

The biggest shock for me was not what appears in the bambino’s nappies when there is a quietly proud look on their face; nor how many metres (and yes, I mean metres!) that they can projectile vomit milk across the room; but simply the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ that is needed for the early months/years.  In the first couple of weeks we accumulated enough stuff to fill up our house.  Twice.  We’re working on the third time…

This is one of the, admittedly strange – in relation to caring for children generally not being a walk in the park, unless you’re walking through the park…  You know what I mean! - new things in our lives that has been difficult in some ways and it technically has nothing to do with caring for Max and Fia themselves, as finding a place for everything has become a challenge of Krypton Factor proportions.  Cupboards, drawers, wardrobes, cubby holes, the floor have all become full to the brim – even our pockets store things that have no other home!  But seriously, after all the horror stories I had heard previous to Max and Fia’s birth, I am finding - even though things like a lack of sleep are hard - that actually looking after them is so joyous, no matter how repetitive it may seem, that you forget about everything else.

This might, in part, have something to do with the fact that I have been working for (as weird as it sounds) a majority of their lives and do not see them as much as I would like, I guess I also do not have to constantly think about when their next feed is etc as Kirsty does during the day; but it obviously comes with its own pitfalls.  Namely that of very heavy sleep.

Kirsty is quite honestly a godsend, as for the last few weeks I have really struggled with some of the night feeds.  A combination of long hours at work and patchy sleep has lead to such heavy sleeping patterns that I can’t remember when the twins were last fed or sometimes even wake up to their calls for food at all!  On occasion I have woken in a panic thinking I still had either Max or Fia in my arms and fallen asleep.  I want to help Kirsty out as much as I can, considering she has to do the day shift as well as some of the night shift so you can see how it has become troublesome.  Without Kirsty prompting me or reminding me when they were last fed I would be finding the whole process much harder.  It’s not every night, but the push in the right direction is definitely something I need at two in the morning and I think I'm getting used to it.

Getting the twins in a broad day routine has helped a lot for the night feeds, generally they are quite good at keeping to the one proper night feed (approx 2am) and the later/early feeds that bookend it (10-11pm and 5/6am respectively).  That is apart from the moment in time I am writing this entry, apparently!

To sum up my first six weeks succinctly, here are the polar opposites of best and hardest things about being Max and Fia’s Dad.  The hardest thing is being away from them so much, as I feel I’m missing an important time in their development.  The best part?  Everything else.  Honestly, I enjoy every moment I spend with them, as I do with all of our suddenly massive family, but if I had to pick one thing - at the moment play time is my favourite.  Lot’s of smiles!

Until next time, thanks for reading!