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 . . . .