Weekend with friends

After a digustingly early start on Saturday morning (A decided he didn't really want to go back to sleep after his 4am feed), I have spent the rest of the weekend feeling decidedly tired and grumpy. Unfortunately most of this grumpiness has been directed at Young Daddy, and so consequently he has also been less than chirpy. Sorry Young Daddy!

Despite the grumpiness I have done some really nice socialising. Saturday was a chance to get together with friends from university - one lives in Canada and one up in Burnley so its not often we're all in the same place. I took A and E along with me, and we watched the England v Australia rugby match (my friend's brother was playing - well done Dan!). E was really awake and alert for the whole afternoon, which was lovely, though my arms were seriously aching after walking around with her for hours (she prefers to be held standing up, of course). We have decided she is a rugby fan! A was also a big hit with my friends, who happily passed him around.

Today Young Daddy and I took E and A over to Greenwich Market where we trialed our new method of getting out and about. I had a great tip from a fellow twin mum - the double pushchair is great for long walks etc, but it's often unable to get into shops as the doorways aren't wide enough. So she suggested buying a second-hand single frame (that takes the Maxi Cosi car seat) and using this in combination with a Baby Bjorn. Young Daddy carried A, and I pushed E. I'm so glad we did this, as there was no way we could have got around the market with the double buggy.

This afternoon we met up with a couple of our NCT friends for a late lunch. We tried our hardest not to talk about babies the whole time but I'm not sure how well we succeeded! It's fab finding out how other people do things, and reassuring when people have had similar problems to you. We were all particuarly impressed by McKechan Daddy's feeding technique - he can feed daughter Ella one-handed, leaving his other hand free for texting or a glass of wine. Genius!

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Neck cheese

No matter how snugly I tie the bib round E and A's necks, and how efficiently I tuck the muslin under their chins, it is seemingly impossible to eliminate the disgusting existence of neck cheese! For the uninitiated, this is when milk makes its way into the creases of the baby's neck and turns into smelly gunge. It is honestly not evidence of a dirty baby - I have discussed this particular problem with all of my baby friends and they all agree that no amount of washing can get rid of every last drop of milk. So I shall just resign myself to the fact that the stinky neck cheese is here to stay.

Sesame street celebrates 40 years

E, A and I would like to wish Sesame Street a very happy 40th birthday! E and A haven't actually ever watched it yet, but I can remember watching it as a child, and I'm sure the twins will enjoy it too (although that does depend whether Young Mummy is nice enough to let them watch TV, rather than making them do craft activities all the time)!

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Going solo

Today was my first day looking after A and E on my own, as Young Daddy's extended paternity leave is over. I've been so lucky he could take so much time off (even if it does mean we are completely skint). It has not only been a huge help for me (I have the utmost respect for single parents of twins), but it has also given him an amazing opportunity to forge a really strong bond with his babies. I really don't know how I would have managed without him so A, E and I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Young Daddy and we miss you lots!

It was very daunting being left at 7.30am this morning with the whole day in front of me and two tiny babies to feed, change and entertain, especially after they had been so grumpy yesterday following their eight-week jabs. I'm meeting up with the NCT girls this afternoon, so I've got that to look forward to. And I'm going to plan lots of activities for next week to keep us occupied.

Great legs here I come!

When I saw these boots in Grazia, I thought I'd treat myself (bought them on Mozimo). Cosy boots that tone my thighs and bum at the same time - what could be better? Especially as I've been doing so much walking recently, and I'm sure I'll continue to be out walking with the twins so I may as well maximise the toning potential of all this extra exercise.

Unhappy bunnies

This morning, with both E and A screaming rather than having a morning nap, I opted to get out of the house in the hope they'd go to sleep in the pushchair. But as the weather gets colder and nastier, I think I'm going to feel less and less like doing this. So I headed down the road to join the library - something I've been meaning to do since I was on maternity leave! And I was really thrilled to discover a big bank of computers. Hopefully this means that I can walk down here, lulling the babies to sleep on the way, and then catch up with emails, write new posts etc at the library while they nap. All it needs is a cafe and I'd be sorted! Might have to bring a flask with me next time.

E and A had their eight-week vaccinations this morning. The injection itself wasn't too bad, but the babies were not happy bunnies this afternoon, with A perfecting a new decibel level of screaming! E wouldn't settle at all until we put her in this bear suit (I was just curious as to whether it would fit) and she immediately stopped crying and went to sleep. It didn't work so well with A but it definitely calmed him down somewhat. We then loaded them into the pushchair and went to meet Tuhami Mummy and Daddy and JD in the pub. Phew.

Stella McCartney designs for kids

So Stella McCartney has designed a kids' range for GapKids. Apparently she wanted to create kids' clothes that are accessibly priced, yet I have to say that I don't think £75 for a jacket is that cheap! As a fan of fun, bright colours I reckon the collection is also a bit on the dull and grey side - a tad depressing as we head into the miserable winter months. Love the styling of this shoot though, and I'm tempted to pick up a tutu skirt for E, though it will be some time before she can fit into it.