Double Trouble? Or Twice as Nice?

Well I think I am home for awhile now. A week after returning from Florida I flew off to Minneapolis to help Bob with the twins while Gretchen accompanied her band to New York. I hope the kids appreciate how great it is to have such a teacher. Not only is this a lot of extra work for her which she doesn't have to do, it meant leaving her babies for the first time for an extended length of time. As much as moms need a break, such a long one so early in their lives is difficult. My hat is off to her both as a mom and as a dedicated teacher.

Babysitting these children is not as much work as it seems. They continued to go to daycare so as not to upset their routine as well as to make grandma's life easier. The fact, is they genuinely enjoy their second home and were happy to be deposited there each morning and not necessarily thrilled to leave each evening.

When I had them alone, they are easy to entertain and very good at entertaining themselves. They seem to fuss only when they are hungry or tired which occurs at regular intervals. But those needs are easily satisfied. In fact, by evening bedtime it seems as if they are actually asking to go to bed.

Getting them both up and down the stairs together started out to be my biggest challenge until I discovered that Jacob loves climbing the stairs by himself and Robbie is certainly capable of it when prodded a little. We found it great fun making a race out of it.

Mealtime is a great time to bond with children as I have found with other grandsons. We tried a few new things with them. The best was chocolate pudding. You haven't lived until you watch a one year old trying to eat it with his hands. Jake doesn't get nearly as messy as he allows himself to be spoon fed thereby getting much more pleasure out of the whole experience. The same went for ice cream.

Most of all, these children are just a blessing to behold and there is no greater comfort than when either one of them decides you are good enough to cuddle them.

It was a great time for me as during their all too brief visit to Florida we had just started to become pals. I truly believe that we are now bound as good buddies. I was second to daddy and almost even with their daycare teacher Christy. Of course, by the time Mommy returned home, I am sure no one else could take her place for a long time.