A tight squeeze

I'm sure I'll look back on these days and wonder how we lived in a 2 bedroom flat with no outside space and 2 little people. Downsizing is never easy when you've got a growing family. It's the outside space I really miss. Not that we'd spend much time in the garden in the old house. The bit I miss is being able to get out when the babies are screaming. Taking them outside during a fit of hysteria is an instant cure for deafening cries. 'Look at this leaf', or 'see the aeroplane' always work well. Just the change of scene seems to do the trick. No such luck in our current home where you'd have to go down 2 flights of stairs to reach the street - and then I'd have to face strange looks from the neighbours as I try not to scream back at the little monster... which of course means leaving one of the babies upstairs to fend for themselves (or help themselves to harmful substances in the kitchen cupboards).

So we're already looking for a new place - just as soon as we've got married and sold 2 flats. Oh and between future husband and myself we're going to have to agree on where the new marital home should be. For him it's the Chilterns (based purely on mountain biking preferences). For me it's West London (largely for social reasons - I'm scared moving to the sticks will bring out the social recluse in me). There's also the journeys we make: Dorset, Cardiff, Ireland, all westbound, it makes sense to be west. It has occured to me that this could be one of those things that you should agree on before committing to a lifetime together. Then again we're pretty committed already.

House hunting is at the very early stages, it basically consists of Ade sending me a link to a house near Maidenhead, me sending him onen to a (much better) house in Chiswick. I'd call it stalemate so far.

Oscar and Caitlin in one shot

The general advice is not to work with animals or children and as an amateur photographer I can't help agreeing. Trouble is, they move around a lot.

This is as close as I have got to a picture of Oscar and Caitlin in the same frame. Daddy is clearly oblivious to my efforts.

It's surprising the amount of parents/grandparents/siblings of twins you meet. And it always supplies a reliable source of conversation.

Buying food in Barnes the other Sunday, on the way to Richmond Park, a lovely lady not only gave me free samples of banoffi pie but also explained that twins ran in her family. Her brother, a twin, had just had twins of his own.

Later that day in the park Oscar crawled over to the next picnic rug - clearly a better choice of sandwich over there - where there too were boy-girl twins, but aged 3. This, I've been reassured by many a passing twin parent, is a golden age when things get better. But no, sadly Richmond Park twins mummy didn't agree. And in one brief moment she wiped out the hope that I'd been clinging onto that, in 2 years time, I'll 'reap the rewards' of having twins. Dream on.

But, of course, there are already rewards (admittedly, ones I can only see if I have a nap during the day). Things like they way they giggle, especially with excessive tickling; they way they interact with each other (when they're not fighting over the favourite walker toy); and, increasingly, the arms outstretched, requests for picking up and cuddling. Awww.

Oscar and his dad

I couldn't post just one picture of Caitlin aged 1 without showing you what Oscar looks like on his very first birthday.

This is a pretty typical morning at 28 Brackenbury Road. Daddy and Oscar still in their PJs, Oscar trying to get Daddy's attention, Daddy getting distracted by a cup of tea and computer.

Now we are one

Hard to believe a year has gone by - and almost as long since my last post.

It's gone so quickly. And yet so slowly.

Oscar and Caitlin have grown (obviously) but they're also just about walking (while hanging onto something) and talking (in a language only they can understand). Still, they're practically toddlers now.

The absence of any entries since Christmas (Christmas!) is largely down to the fact that - newsflash! - I have twins.

This means: 1) early mornings, 5.30am is pretty typical; 2) exhaustion (see entry 1); 3) a new perspective on work - this has become a 'holiday', or at least a break from doing something much harder; 4) time flies and you get nothing done.

We are also about 3 weeks away from getting married so there's a bit of organising to do there. We finally booked some speakers and something to plug the iPod into so at least there'll be music (and love and romance, let's face the music...)

We had a mini birthday party on 29th June with tea, jelly and cake. Around 17 of us marked the landmark birthday - 10 adults, 7 kids - with all of us just about squeezing into Ade's flat.

Ah yes, Ade's flat... we're back in West London, in Brackenbury Road, the very flat we left almost a year ago to the day, 3 weeks before Oscar and Caitlin were born.

So it's been a busy year: 2 babies, 2 house moves, 1 change of government (welcome to No. 10, Mr Cameron), and with a bit of luck, 1 wedding.

Happy Birthday Oscar and Caitlin!