Dear Diary,
So the other day the call came: ‘Can you watch the twins overnight?’. This takes things to a whole new level. The twins are now 6 months old, and my daughter is ready for a night out, so of course I am on board to look after my grandchildren for the night to give her time to relax and let her hair down. There was so much to prepare, but over the last week I set up the spare room (which is usually reserved for me to escape my husband’s snoring) with two travel cots, ready for the babies. I have stocked up with all of the essentials (read about what I bought in this blog), so I think I am as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go…
6pm: Drop Off
I hear the familiar knock at the door, Mum and Dad have arrived to drop the twins off and they are ready for their night out. I am feeling prepared and ready to take on what this night has in store. The babies are full of energy, and we have an hour or so of play time before I need to start getting them settled down for the night.
7pm: Bath and Bedtime
After settling in and having lots of cuddles with me and Grandad, it is time to start getting the twins ready for bed. Bath time is good fun with all the toys we have here and, once they are changed into their pyjamas, I can tell they are starting to get sleepy. I prepare their bottles and get the spare bedroom set up with the night light and white noise machine, fingers crossed this will get them off to sleep quickly.
8pm: One Asleep, One Awake
Baby boy drifts off to sleep in no time, baby girl on the other hand screams and cries. Ah, I was warned this might happen. No matter how much I try to soothe her she is having none of it. I put her in her buggy and walk around the block. Luckily Grandad is on hand so no child is left at home on their own. After a little while she falls asleep in her buggy. Lifting her back into the cot is like handling a grenade - one false move and it could all be over. Carefully I transfer her from buggy to cot and she is still asleep. Thank goodness! I am emotionally shattered.
10pm: Peace and Quiet! Well, Sort Of…
I have decided to sleep in the spare room with twins for the night just so I know I can hear them when I am needed. I am still a bit anxious when taking care of them, but that’s only natural. This helps me to feel more confident. Baby boy is sleeping softly, but baby girl snores, wriggles and breathes so heavily. Who knew babies could make so much noise in their sleep? She certainly takes after her Grandad in that way!
2am: Night Feed
It’s the middle of the night, I barely know what time it is. Bottle one ready, bottle two ready, feed babies and rock them back to sleep. I remember this all too well from when I had my own children, how did I do this every night? I hear Grandad snoring in the bedroom and mutter a few expletives under my breath. Back to bed for all of us for a few more hours.
5am: Babies Wake Up
Bright and early, the twins are awake, smiling and giggling in their cots. My heart just melts but my body feels like I have had a night out clubbing. I give them both another bottle and they don't seem to want to go back down after this so I guess this is good morning! Cocomelon should keep them occupied until I feel more alive (a very large coffee should help me with that too).
7am: Getting Ready for The Day
The babies have been fed, clothed and are in their bouncers playing peek-a-boo. I look at the clock and realise it’s only 7am. I have 3 more hours until pick up time. Now it’s my turn to get ready. I take a quick, refreshing shower and find an extra energy reserve from somewhere, and tell myself ‘Keep going, you can do this!’
10am: Pick Up Time
Here's mum to collect the kids. She had a great night out and I feel proud that I was able to give her the much needed break she deserved. The babies are clean, fed, happy and full of energy. I can honestly say I aced this overnight stay, and while I am totally exhausted, I feel confident I can do it again next time I am needed. Give me my new title: ‘The Granny that Can’!
Spending time alone with my Grandkids is always a learning curve. Each time I look after them there are new challenges to face, but somehow I always manage to get through them and feel so much more confident the next time. After the first night they stayed over, I was completely shattered and asleep on the settee by 2pm! As I am a working Granny, I had to go to work the following day. On reflection I would say I needed 2 days to recover from that night, so I would factor this in next time. It is such a privilege to get to spend quality time with the grandkids at this age, so I would totally recommend this to any grandparent who is able to take their grandkids overnight. It is daunting, but you will be amazed at what you can do!
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