The Twins

I am thrilled to report that the twins are doing wonderfully!!  So much so that the doctor wanted us to take them home yesterday afternoon - less than 24 hours after they were born! Really?  Remembering the reaction of my sister Jennifer, the pediatrician, when this option was give to us with Neve (she basically said under no circumstances should you take newborns home from the hospital until at least 48 hours after birth!), we smiled and said that we would rather pick them up on Sunday morning, if that was ok.  The doctor gave us the Indian head bobble which in this case I believe meant, "if you have weekend plans and don't want to be weighed down by your new babies we will keep them until you irresponsible parents are ready to take charge of YOUR children!" Ok then, I thought, we are all set!!

We have had limited time with the twins and all joking aside I am actually very, VERY, VERY anxious to get them home to our apartment where I can spend some real time with them.  Probably a mistake in retrospect, but we are on our own with Neve at this point and well, she's been cranky, not sleeping, difficult, manic, etc. and not at all cooperative when we are at the hospital trying to bond with the new babies.  It does not help that it's over 100 degrees in the hospital which makes Neve (and me) grouchy and that there are stairs everywhere and lots of trash cans to get into and perhaps a little jealousy has already sunk in.  She is fascinated by the twins and points and says "baby" which is terribly cute - but she would really like to do some holding (ie man handling) of the twins herself.  If you happen to have a twin in your hands, she stands with her chest pressing against your legs, arms extended, screeching and trying to lurch her body upward to mangle, I mean, touch the baby.  

So the visits have gone something like this: (1) take hot car with Neve strapped to Hamish in the Baby Bjorn to hospital (bad for him cause she kicks a lot while in any sort of restraint and he has sustained some "damages" from the kicking if you know what I mean ), (2) climb 3 flights of stairs (there is no doubt about the science that hot air rises, by the way), (3) take shoes off to keep baby area "sterile" and get feet extremely dirty (mind you there is no hand sanitizer to be found and all sorts of people are in and out, but them's the rules!), (4) get the attention of the nurse who brings both babies to us all wrapped up and sweating, (5) try to manage Neve from killing herself, killing the babies and finally from us killing her, (6) get frustrated and overheated, and (7) repeat twice daily.  You can see why perhaps bonding under these circumstances would be difficult - right?  I am going to have to be patient with this process (and with Neve) and know that soon enough I will have all the time in the world to get to know the twins.

All that being said, we have been able to glean some information on the personalities of the twins between Neve distractions and heat stroke.  Gemma is pronounced with a soft "g", so say the word gem and then add a "ma" at the end.  Gemma is latin and means, as you might have guessed, jewel or gem and I believe she has been very aptly named!  Gemma's middle name, Wynne, is a modern take on Winifred, my Mother's name, and is meant to honor her (my Mother is also a twin herself!).  So far Gemma has Neve's baby personality - quiet, sleepy, prefers eyes closed, just likes to chill out and be held.  She is tiny (just 4 pounds) and does feel very much like a little jewel!  Her eyes so far look like Neves, but her lips are more heart shaped and her head is less round than Neve's and you can actually see that she has a little chin.

Ronan is a Gaelic name and one that has topped our list for a long time - it means "little seal".  Ronan's middle name is Clark which is Hamish's Mother's maiden name and is meant to honor her.  We had been planning to use Clark as a middle name long before we ever met Ronan - and as it turns out, he so far actually looks like a Clark according to Hamish and the Australians who have seen his pictures.  He has a prominent forehead, a strong jaw and Clark shaped eyes.  His nose and mouth look very much like Neve.  He already keeps his eyes open a lot and seems to be searching for people - it can't be at this age, but he will actually look you in the eye or stare directly at a camera.  It's a little unnerving for a one day old baby!  Hamish calls him the "little Observer" for those of you who watch Fringe.  He seems intense and he was quite put out just after he was born - all red and thrashing about in his baby hospital bassinet.  He makes little noises and settles down when you rub his little head which he love and tries to cuddle up into your hand.  You get the feeling that he really wants out of that hot hospital!  

Neve is making up for lost time by having a wonderful long sleep this morning which has given me the chance to workout, wash my hair, have a cup of tea that no one is trying to grab and to blog!!  What a fantastic morning!  

All our love, 

G, H & N R G

ps - A friend from work commented on how funny it was that the initials of our children put together spell NRG and she noted that we will need a lot of it the next few years!!  Very true!!!

Little Gemma!

Ronan - he got a little splotchy over night.  

Might need a facial once we get him home.

Neve attempting a swipe at the twins.

We fed the babies in front of Neve (big mistake) 

and she INSISTED upon having her own "ba ba".  

That's Gemma looking like a baby doll next to us.

Gemma with Daddy

See what I mean about Ronan's eyes! 

Mama and the twins!  

As another friend noted, I need to work on my double holding technique!