56. Worst and bests! Christmas 2024.

These boys keep getting better and better. They are getting stronger and faster by the day, and with it comes them laughing every time they see each other, chasing after us and Jack, crawling at speed for cuddles, and to play with each other. It's just brilliant! They keep meeting and just laughing at each other. A trio of baby giggles stops everybody in their tracks and fills the house with laughter. It's overwhelming in the most magical way. 

They are into everything now and baby gates have been firmly shut again. We have also rearranged the living room to set up a very large play pen. 

We still use baby bouncers to feed them and keep them contained while their milk settles, but then they are free to roam. Sam and Will aren't as fast or adventurous as Rob, who is pulling himself up on all the furniture now and generally being chaotic. This is fine, until I get a poonami and need to take one to change. It's usually a surprise poonami, so my assumed quick nappy swap, suddenly turns into a mammoth mission, which can't be paused. I get paranoid that the babies will suddenly figure out how to mountain climb and jump. So up goes the play pen. I just need to close their pen door and go to change baby 3, reassured that I won't hear an almighty thud. Phew!!

An awful bug.

We have had our worst week of parenting yet. And of course, it has been due to a bug. William and Sam have been really rough and not wanted to be put down, all day, and all night. It has been a very long few nights for us. I have managed a block of 3 hours plus 1 hour, for about 3 nights on the bounce. James has been really poorly too, but unfortunately, I have needed to get him up to help me. It's absolutely heart breaking when you are comforting one inconsolable baby, and there is a second, just as poorly and inconsolable next to you, begging for you to pick them up too. Simply horrible. 

We had a 4th night which gave us 2.5 hours of sleep each and we really did hit breaking point. I was feeling pretty rough with a horrible head cold, and if I wasn't on top of meds, the chills and aches started. Not ideal when there's poorly babies. The fact that we weren't sleeping meant that our bodies were unable to heal, and it was taking it's toll. 

Thankfully, Jack recovered and was able to go to nursery, and my mum came over and sent me to bed for a couple of hours on 2 mornings. That little catch up allowed me to function for the rest of the day.

Robin eventually came down with the bug, but thankfully, William and Sam were over the worst of it, but the days became an endless comforting mission for me. Moving from one to another, then the next and back again. If I was baby free, my time was VERY precious, number 1 priority was making sure I was ready for the next feed so I'm not messing about if they all kick off. Number 2, have the wee I have been needing for 3 hours, then feed and hydrate myself, or get food and drinks in reaching distance at least. Oh, and make sure I'm up to date with meds. 

There was one morning when Rob first came down with it, he and the others were taking it in turns to be really rough and not settle unless they are on me. This bug seems to come in waves and lull you into a false sense of security that it's over. Then BAM, it's back! It also carries a cough that just decides to take over your whole body without warning. On this morning, Robin and William were really unhappy and I had one on each shoulder, bouncing them around trying to settle them. When they are poorly, they usually don't tolerate me holding a brother too, but on this occasion, they both fell asleep on me together. They were nice and settled, then a coughing fit started. I scared the shit out of them both which, of course, resulted in them both being inconsolable, again! Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!

We got through a LOT of calpol, nurofen, olbus oil, snuffle babes, and grown up medicines like beechams, paracetamol and ibuprofen. This chart was over 3 pages by the end of the bug. 

Pushed to my emotional breaking point.

I reached it, and hit it hard! I got to the point where I cried every time a baby cried. It was awful, and made so much worse because I was making them cry, a lot!!! They are not keen on calpol, Will absolutely hates it! But they have all needed it, a lot! I feel like I'm torturing them because they squirm about so much and clamp their mouths so tightly shut, I end up forcing it down them, and my god, they scream!!! It's absolutely horrific, but it makes them feel so much better so I don't feel like I have a choice! I end up in tears too a lot of the time because I just feel so mean! I've tried multiple brands and many different ways of administering it, but none of it works. Sometimes, Rob and Sam aren't too bothered, but when they are already unsettled, they kick off too!

On top of this, I have felt like I am not looking after them properly. I comfort them until they are OK to go down on their own so I can move on to the next one. I just want to hold them and cuddle them and make them feel loved and better, but I am unable to provide that fairly basic requirement, and it absolutely breaks my heart. I feel like I'm not being their mum, I'm just doing a job, and it hurts.

Poor Jack was really rough for quite a few days, and he had us pandering to his needs, but then suddenly, 2 of the babies started shouting louder than him and jealousy hit. He keeps deciding he needs a cuddle, just as we pick up a baby. Luckily, the babies absolutely adore him, so it's a bit of a double win. Jack makes the baby laugh, and Jack gets to sit on our knee. 

A few weeks on.

It felt like forever before we were all feeling better, but James and I had absolutely no festive feeling at all! But we did have a lovely Christmas. Jack really seemed to understand the magic of Christmas this year and we loved seeing him so excited. Turns out he is quite the performer too. At his nursery Christmas parry, he was centre stage singing and dancing with the proudest little face, making sure we were watching every move. What a star!

Necessities!

Our Christmas stock pile!

The best snuggles.

Since the bug, we have been bringing the babies in to bed with us to try and settle them. It's an instant fix, and in the middle of the night it's just what we need. And frankly, I love my midnight cuddles with my boys. And they are so cuddly! 

We had a bad night last night, for no particular reason. Neither myself nor James could fall asleep and the babies seemed to be wanting to party the night away. They were all hyper! Just getting up, dancing, climbing, messing with dummies. Anything! James had managed to settle Sam and I put him back in bed, but Rob was still wired! Just as he was starting to chill out, Will started, so I was sandwiched between two babies. Will settled a bit so I turned and cuddled Robin, who properly snuggled in to me. At the same time, Will snuggled right into my back. A proper cuddle sandwich, wich was magical! 

Even during the night, when we are desperate for sleep, these boys just melt us. They are gorgeous and such lovely, gentle boys. We would both do absolutely anything for them all. 

Proud parents, and nursery taster!

Jack also made us incredibly proud when we went for an impromptu dinner at a pub. The babies slept in their car seats and Jack was his usual chatty self. When we were piling out of the pub, a lady on the table next to us told us she was in awe of us and that pur little boy is wonderfully polite and brilliantly behaved. We are bursting with pride!

The babies have also had their first taster session at nursery and they smashed it!! I however, cried! A lot more than I expected! They didn't bother at all when we left, they slept well, fed well and ate (mushed up their food) well. And of course, didn't stop smiling!