Lathany

The twins had their MMR jab on Tuesday morning. Both were very well-behaved (Beatrice smiled as the needle went in). Rob and Georgia came to visit in the afternoon and generally approved of MMR, and of the twins (despite Ryan playing up).

( More Rob and Georgia )

Yesterday was my office's Christmas meal. People who leave during the year get invited back for the meal. I was invited back (despite having left over a year ago) because I missed the previous one due to suddenly giving birth and then being in hospital for several weeks.

( Being back at work )

Today we take the family (minus the Ems) back to Cambridge. I have a load of packing to do, not to mention vacuuming. Both twins seem exceptionally lively, so I'm hoping they will have exhausted themselves by the time we put them in the car. Then we will be home to babysitting grandparents for a week or so. It will be a chance to see The Two Towers, have meals out and generally make the most of some free time.

Happy Christmas Everyone !

Well, yet again I have no idea where most of my friends live. With the arrival of the twins I have had little opportunity to visit them, and we seem to have lost half the addresses we did have. I foresee another email requesting location information approaching (just as soon as I finish the actual card pile).

( Fallen Star stuff - promised to be dull for non-players )

On a completely different note, having read the BBC news site, I agree with venta. "The Foster Affair" is really, really dull. Whatever happened to proper news stories ?

Mr Harford, prompt as ever, has won the award for "First Christmas Card to arrive at New Workshops". He has consequently beaten other likely competitors such as my Great-Aunt Joan or my friend Caroline who is living in Hong Kong (and usually tries to get ahead of the Christmas post). He has even written (OK, its a pre-printed label) his address on the back of the envelope assuming (correctly) that we do not have it.

As bateleur has already commented, we have a bit of a plumbing/electrical crisis on at the moment. On the plus side, we do have a plumber and an electrician (and a builder - who hopefully will not be required for this problem) that we like and trust (and who charge reasonably). So I am hoping that kitchen will be back to normal (or perhaps even cleaner) before Christmas. At least everything is still usable; I had nightmare visions of the washing machine breaking (with twins, this can be really, really bad).

Re-reading that last sentence is scary. I can handle being a mother. I can handle being a housewife. So long as I forget that I am both of those things. I have to keep telling myself that I am merely a writer-in-training with child and household chores.

Ninety chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. I will find out what the word count is again this weekend.

I now need Dom to mark up amendments as he reads it through from start to finish. Once I have corrected those, it will all be over.

This morning, a number of envelopes arrived addressed to Ryan and Beatrice. They are sitting in a small pile waiting for tomorrow - the twins first birthday. Consequently, I have been busy remembering what I was doing ( a year ago )

Yesterday, Georgia visited bearing gifts (birthday presents for the twins and a "Congratulations on surviving" present for Dom and I). ( A visit from Georgia )

Ryan has a cold, so has been coughing in an ear-piercing and pathetic fashion (one eye on the adults in the room whilst making this miserable noise). Fortunately, he does not seem to be too bad. Beatrice is her usual happy, smiling self. A letter arrived with all the twins post confirming the diagnosis that the doctor gave us last week - that she does not have cerebral palsy.

In other news, I have managed seventy-five chapters, so am into editing the last quarter of my book. This means that, odd as it sounds, I will soon move onto something new.

There was alcohol.

And presents for Ryan and Beatrice. Martin brought a truck-load of "big" lego (literally) and Frances brought a mouse with a mobile.

The twins, Ryan in particularly, did their best to take over the evening; but were cotted after a bout of bad behaviour (but not before Ryan had messed up his clean clothes).

We talked about cocktail ingredients, 'cos Dom wanted to know if anyone had any ideas for things which might mix with Aftershock (the cinnamon one). Vanilla Schnapps was suggested and I found it on line (but decided not to buy it until I was sober enough to be making the right decision). We talked about parents - and Martin's plan to do all the things which ours disapprove of. Frances was rather worried when I pointed out that this included getting married.

All in all it was a great evening. Plus, I don't have a hangover (and I really, really should).

After an earlyish breakfast, the car was heading towards Hounslow. The reason ? Beatrice's physiotherapy appointment with the Hounslow doctor.

We arrived on time and were taken through to see the doctor within five minutes. Dr Lessing asked lots of questions about us and about the twins. Then she measured and weighed Bea whilst checking her reactions and muscle development. Beatrice liked Dr Lessing rather more than the St Peter's trio and obligingly picked up coloured bricks and banged them together.

The verdict ?

That Beatrice is fine. Dr Lessing said that Bea does not have cerebral palsy and that her development is just slower than Ryan's. Bea will still go to physiotherapy, but the worry and urgency is gone.

Ryan, meanwhile, happily hippoed around the doctor's room playing with the toys she provided. He also sicked up on her set of scales and was annoyed when she did not seem to mind. After a hard morning of rampaging, he went to sleep in the car. Consequently, the journey home was accompanied by a set of little snores.

Beatrice and Ryan have been invited to :

St Peter's Hospital

S.C.B.U. Christmas Reunion Party

At lunchtime on Thursday 5th December.

I suspect the whole Thursday lunchtime thing will mean a no-show. But it was good to be invited.

We arrived at the baby clinic just before eleven. There was a sign on the inside door saying "Lift out of use due to the firemen's strike". I looked at the double-pushchair. I looked at the stairs.

We went for a walk around the green bit instead.

Beatrice managed a great milestone today - she looked at me and said "Mummy" (well, Mama - but close enough).

The fact that Dom is also addressed as Mama is, of course, beside the point.