My wife Emily and 3 year-old daughter Alice went on a little out-of-town trip yesterday. They were gone for 24 hours. For the first time in their short lives, our 11 month-old twins Stuart and Anna Charlotte were entrusted to me overnight. Mommy said I could do it.
Here’s how it went: The car rolled out of the driveway at 3:30 pm yesterday. While Mommy was gone, I changed 13 diapers (including one at 2 a.m. and one today I refer to only as the Poopy That Shall Not Be Named), rescued Stuart from inside of the dishwasher, refereed a number of surprisingly vicious proto-toddler disputes, administered 6 doses of antibiotic (two of which were for me), did 4 loads of laundry, got bitten, tried (and failed) to keep the twins from turning our house into a disaster relief area, lost Stuart for awhile, managed to produce 3 full bags of trash, gave 10 bottles of milk, pulled Anna Charlotte’s head out of a number of places where she had gotten it stuck, went through 6 jars of baby food and a cannister of Lil’ Snackums, did 2 loads of dishes, cleaned up more different kinds of substances from the floor than I care to count, suctioned a couple of stopped up baby noses, managed to let Anna Charlotte get a bruise on her forehead the origins of which are still a mystery, and sang & danced around the kitchen like a fool to ward off baby hunger pangs while getting supper ready.
What I did not do: Drop a baby, let a baby crawl into the street, have to call 911, let something heavy fall on a baby, take a shower, let a baby eat rocks, get out of my pajamas, leave the house, or go crazy (mostly).
Verdict: Success, just barely.
In casual conversation, friends will often ask me about how we are managing these days. The typical flow of the conversation: Concerned Friend: “I just don’t see how y’all do it with those twins. How’s it going??”Me: “Yeah, no kidding. It’s a full life. It helps that Emily has been staying at home with the kids since the twins were born.” Concerned Friend: “Oh, so Emily stopped working, huh?” Me: “No. No, Emily did not stop working.” ______________________________________________
To God be the glory! Good report, dad!
LOVE this!!!
Don’t sweat the bruise, Dad. Babies bump into stuff and their tender skin bruises easily. Unless it’s arterial bleeding, seizures or projectile vomiting, everything is fine. Good job!
Authentic. Precious. Remarkable.
I remember those days–survival is victory!!
Good job daddy…definitely a success!!
wow!! a real feat, fabulous and inspiring story. Emily and you have my admiration for being wonderful parents. God bless at all times. the kids will grow and this adventure remain as a beautiful memory. Greetings my friends.
Good job!
Andrew, you are a marvel. Save this for future fuel when they are teenagers.
B.
Your mom was the best at handling ” multi-tasking”.
Congratulations! While I am sincerely proud you survived 24 hours, being I’ll yourself, are you amazed that Emily does this every day….with Alice?! Just had to point that out! Haha! I’m sure you both are wonderful parents! And are shaping wonderful people! We sure miss you guys! You continue to bless us! Btw, this was quite enjoyable! 🙂