Smiley babies

Both boys are really smiling now and the happy, gappy grins bring sunshine to the greyest days!

I think Toby is showing his Whitlock genes in this pic - the shape of his mouth here is just like Arthur's mum's.

He loves to 'stand up' on my knee and enjoys it when I sing to him. Pia used to love me singing to her when she was a baby but she seems to have gone off it a bit since then!

Farty Fin

On Friday I had Fin on my lap about to feed him when he did the most ENORMOUS fart! 'Was that HIM?' asked Pia from across the room. No sooner had I confirmed that it was indeed Finlay than he did it again, an even bigger one that I felt reverberating along my leg!

At this point he looked up at me and his little face split in half with the biggest grin you've ever seen! It was as though he knew exactly what he'd done and was enjoying our reaction!

Whatever happened to culture in education?

Since I've been back in England I've become aware of a change that seems to be the result of a good intention - the prevention of those without an academic education feeling 'second class' - but that is having some rather disastrous results.

It seems to me that whilst I have been away there has been some kind of basic change in education, so that technology is now supreme and culture has been marginalised. I should think it would now be quite easy to find people in, say, their 30's and in positions of some importance and earning good salaries, e.g. bank managers, IT consultants or advertising directors, who would be unable to a) explain who Hannibal was b) explain the reasoning behind either the apostrophe or the circumflex accent in French or c) has actually read either 'Paradise Lost' or the Bible.

Call me an intellectual snob if you will - and I guess a great many will - but I believe that we are in danger of losing our cultural heritage because it is no longer taught. I wonder who, other than me, bemoans the fact that grammar schools (where these still exist) no longer teach Latin?

There are no longer music classes in all schools. So young people can leave school knowing nothing about Bach, Handel or even British composers like Walton and Vaughan Williams. Young people can leave school unable to spell or even, sometimes, to read or write. Most of them can add up. Which leaves us asking what, precisely, it is most important for young people to know in this day and age?

Change of direction

Hi everyone. One of the things that I enjoyed about the newsletters I sent from St Lucia was the opportunity not only to keep my friends up to date with what was happening in my life but also to share my thoughts about stuff. Not everyone chose to, or had time to reply to these but very few people actually asked me to stop sending them, so I guess most of the recipients enjoyed reading them.

On that assumption I am going to bare my soul here from time to time, posting my views on such fascinating topics as youth, justice and/or what the whole damn shooting match might actually be about. I invite you with open arms to comment, contradict or criticise what I say. Or, of course, to agree with me that 'Fings ain't wot they used to be'.

This blog will still offer info and pics about my gorgeous grandchildren - I'm just broadening it out a bit, OK?

Photo of me, just for once

This is my new photo. I have to face the fact that I am not photogenic! Nor do I look good with my mouth open because it shows all my crooked teeth.

However I don't think it's too bad for my age in view of all the dramas I've been through in my life!

Look! They're wearing my genes!

Me with the boys

Paul with all his children

Here is Paul with his three sons, Finlay, Toby and Robbie.

Robbie is the big fat one with black hair.

(Just so you know).

Pia's Magic Pillow

This is Pia's new and very expensive special breast-feeding pillow. It has totally changed her post-twins life as it makes feeding two at a time so much easier! Worth every penny, she says.

Once one baby is settled in place she can let go of him and use both hands to settle the second one. Then she can let go of both and be totally 'hands-free'.

All she needs is a strap round her neck to become a 70's cinema usherette! Ice cream anyone?

Ear, ear!

Today both boys were lying on their left sides when I arrived and I noticed that the shapes of their ears, and of their heads in profile, are quite different.

Here's Finlay . . . . . .

This is Toby. The shape of his ear and of his head are quite different. See?

Family Photos

This afternoon Pia mentioned that nobody had taken any photos of all four of them together.

So this is the first picture of Paul and Pia Sheffield with their sons Toby Paul and Finlay George, born 9th June 2009.

Taken on 19th June, 2009.

This photography business is SOoo tiring!

Dad carefully helps to arrange the twins on Mummy's lap.

Toby's starving, sorry!

What's THAT?

The Third Twin!

At home in the garden with Mummy

Here they are getting some fresh air. How nice to have new babies in the summer!

Happy Birthday Boys! 1 week old this evening

Daddy is giving a top-up here. They are advised to use a syringe so the babies don't suffer from 'nipple confusion'!

Paul makes this look very easy but it's a bit more tricky, I found, than giving meds to puppies!

Daddy's boys

Sunday, June 14th

After another difficult night on Friday the midwife advised a little top up of formula after each feed to help the babies regain their birthweight and to relieve Pia's anxieties. It amused me to watch Paul doing this with a syringe - just like giving a puppy medication! - as the advice now is not to use a bottle in case the babies get 'nipple confusion'. Sounds a really nasty thing to suffer from, lol!

They went home on Saturday and asked to be given some space to settle themselves in before anyone visited. They all managed to get some sleep last night and seem quite relaxed at the moment. When I went round this afternoon Pia was sitting in an armchair feeding both babies, one on each side, looking as though she'd been doing it all her life! Then I watched her do a gentle and efficient nappy change to remind me how to put on a disposable nappy. These were still very new in my day and tended to leak so I hardly ever used them, but I'm told they are much better designed these days.

Pia and Paul have already developed a very smooth double act looking after their sons. Paul's enjoyment at being a hands on dad is very obvious. It's just as well, because there's no way Pia could manage on her own at the moment. They took the babies out for a little walk in the pram this afternoon and said that lots of neighbours they hadn't got to know before had stopped for a chat. I'm looking forward to the same thing happening for me when I get my dogs home, lol!

Crossed fingers for another good night for them all.

Your Arrival!

Then, just after 10 pm on Tuesday 9th June 2009, you were born. Toby came out first, then Finlay. You both needed to be helped into the world and mum felt a bit battered by the time you were delivered, but everything was fine and you were both perfect! Your weights were 6lb 7oz for Toby and 5lb 3oz for Fin.

Here you are, sleeping soundly, the next day, Toby on the left and Fin, wrapped up a bit because he was cold when he was born, on the right. I couldn't believe how gorgeous you were!

. . . your mum looked like this!

This picture was taken when she was 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant, in other words just 3 days before you were born.

She was getting so tired carrying you around all the time (and, remember, she's only 5'3") and wanted so badly for you to be born, not only so that we could all meet you but also so that she could put you down!

The Story of Toby and Fin

Once upon a time you were very, very small.

This is one of the very early scan pictures, taken in December 2008.

However you grew steadily bigger . . . . . and bigger . . . . . . . . and bigger . . . . .

UNTIL . . . .