Achieving Inner Peace (thanks, Holly)

If  you can start the day without caffeine, If  you  can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If  you can resist complaining and  boring people with your  troubles, If  you can eat the same food every  day  and be grateful for  it, If  you can understand when your loved  ones are too busy to give  you any time, If  you can take criticism and  blame without resentment, If  you can conquer tension  without  medical help, If  you can relax without alcohol,   If   you can sleep without the aid of  drugs,        ...Then   You Are  Probably  ..........               The   Family Dog!

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun--A Grandma's Perspective

One week ago today, August 24th, two little boys came into this world. Brooks Nolan and Tyler Douglas Archibald. What a happy event that was. The plan was for Brittany to be induced that morning. She was at 38 weeks and one day, and on September 9th the Archibald family leaves for their new home and job in California.  The day passed slowly while I held down the fort w/ the older 3 kids at Chuck E. Cheese in West St. Paul. The plan also involved me running over to the hospital when she was close to delivery so that I could be there to experience what in my opinion is one of life's most spiritual moments--the entering into mortality of your grandchild, and in case this, two grandchildren.  Unfortunately, the nurses weren't checking Brittany too frequently and she was beyond transition and ready to push when they checked her again. A quick phone call to me from Jordan was helpful, but still I was stuck in traffic as there was some big event going on very near the hospital while I was threading my way through traffic.  I missed it by about 10 minutes. Rats! (speaking of Chuck).

This is what went on in the delivery room before I got there, captured by a nurse:

I guess they weren't happy until they saw each other again (Brooks has the pink ribbon on the hat and Tyler has the yellow ribbon--they're comfortable with their masculinity.)

The proud parents with their newest additions to the family, Jordan moderately dazed and confused.

As I went sliding around the corner past the nurses station trying to find them and was told they would be coming out of the delivery/OR soon and to wait in their room, I kept stepping outside the door to see if they were coming down the hallway. About 10 minutes later I saw Brittany being pushed on a gurney and Jordan close behind wheeling the babies, no longer looking shell-shocked. Both were absolutely ecstatic!

I couldn't wait to get my arms wrapped around these little tykes. But it's weird because first you look at one baby and then you look at the other, then you look back at the first, then you look back at the other....It's hard to comprehend that their momma just had two babies (to paraphrase Jake's earlier Youtube announcement).

I couldn't stay forever. Jordan and Britt's sister-in-law, Courtney, who lives right down the street from them had rushed over to relieve me from watching the older kids as I flew out the door for the hospital and by 11 o'clock I'm sure she was ready to get back to her family.  The next morning, after getting the kids going and making sure the house was immaculate in case we had any showings, Annie, Jake, Juliette and I headed back to St. Paul and the hospital. The kids couldn't wait to meet their new brothers. And I couldn't wait to snuggle up with them again. Courtney also visited. She has twin girls that are 13 months old so she was very comfortable with this "twin" thing.

Annie, delighted oldest sister

  Jake, thrilled oldest brother

         Nannie Joy, convinced you can never get enough of a good thing so why not have two?

You can see by now we started getting smart. Courtney suggested putting their initial on their hats to make it easier to tell them apart. Above I'm holding Tyler. Here I'm holding Brooks.

    First family photo along with the flowers the kids brought for their mom.

                                                                       

Aunt Courtney

     These guys are so far very easy babies.

By the third day, all were ready to go home. Apparently, the entire labor and delivery hospital staff was still talking about what a superstar Brittany was in the delivery room. They said they'd never seen anything like it in all their collective experience. She was calm, peaceful, radiant, and, I guess, born to be a mom. Jordan didn't pass out cigars, but he was a shining example of a tremendous husband and father.

Our little Juliette is only 21 months old. She was so excited to have someone younger than her to play with. But she wasn't quite sure at first who was better, "bobbi" or "baby".

 

She figured it out with the help of her mom.

   So here they are at 3 days old. Brooks is in the blue and sleeping. Tyler is in the print and wide awake.

And here we have them again. Home and settling in. One big happy family.  As a mom I count my blessings with each of my children and count them again and again and again with my grandchildren. How fortunate I am to be able to watch my posterity grow and be able to hug and kiss and love each one of these precious children. And I'm even more fortunate to know that this little, whoops, I mean big family will soon be living just a few miles away from me so that when I get on the plane on Saturday I won't really be saying goodbye but "see ya in a few days!"

PS and speaking of a few days, it's taken me a few days just to write this...I can see things are changing already. And speaking of changing already, we can tell them apart. It just took a little bit of time and observation. But BOY oh BOY, aren't they precious?!