Awww...they look nice and colourful for prems. Awesome!

They have to be a special care unit, being premature. She is not allowed out of bed because of the Caesarian. She's on a catheter for a start, which restricts her movement somewhat...

The hospital will get them together as soon as they can, but it's just not possible for the moment.

Ahhh. I see. That makes sense. Oh, poor lass. Must be so hard for her.

She's been fainting today.
They wheeled her down to see them but she only managed 20 minutes before passing out from the heat in the room. She's never been a hot person, but she is very flushed now says Mum, and has a fan on constantly. The nurses aren't worried, just monitoring her. They say it's her body's way of dealing with a serious operation.

Sadly, because she was unwell, Laura asked if Mum & Dad could go in to see her 15.00-16.00, so they're not going tonight. So I'm not either. Never mind, perhaps by the time I get to go in, the boys will be more accessible anyway - no-one from our side of the family has been able to see them yet.

They're out of incubators, which has to be a good sign of progress.

Happy belated Birthdays!

Good luck to Mom and Dad as well!!!

Abigail hasn't fainted today and the boys are up on the ward with her.
She had to (observe) the first nappy change today. A squelchy one as it leaked out of the nappy, up into and out of the sleepsuit... and all over my arm.

Thanks Jack, the first time we are introduced you get me smeared in greeny-black poo!

Abs was mortified, no matter how much I assured her it was not her fault, I didn't mind and after all I'd better get used to it.

Anyway, had a quick cuddle with both, til we were ushered out by a martinet who insisted on the two-people-per-bed rule. Okay okay, we had four so it was a bit cheeky. The saddest part was when Samuel was told he could come onto the ward to say hello but would then have to leave immediately and would not be allowed to return - he's 14. No-one under 16 is allowed unless they are the child of the patient. The Nurse did apologise (given the tears in his eyes it was hard not to) but explained that if the rules were broken by one family they would have to start making exceptions for them all. True I suppose, but hard on Sams.

Mum and I holding Liam.

Dad with a newly cleaned up Jack.
His quirky grin to the side looks cute, but in fact it was because Mum had just started berating him for having a stupid smile on his face.

so beautiful! so wonderful!

Thanks. The babies are cute too.

Geez, and to think they're predicting my one to weigh as much as those two put together! lol

Lovely pics! :)

Fantabulous! You all look wonderful!

Conor feeding Liam
Stevo with him after burping

Jack

Jack and Liam back in cot - they are going home this afternoon.
Hope the outside is not too much of a shock to tiny minds.
Bright! Cold! Noisy!

Stephen looks just like your dad in that shot, Sundae. The babies look like they've gained a lot of health in the last week. Good luck to everyone!

Cute!!!

Adorable!

I guess the fun is about to start now!!! lol

They are just beautiful, Sundae! Congratulations to you and your family and Happy Birthday to Jack and Liam.

Update on the kittens.
Although they are looking more like babies now.

Very lively when I went round Wednesday - very wriggly. It was good to see their range of movements. Especially funny when Jack gave a few little sneezes while lying on the mat - his arms and legs jerked up and he looked so surprised. Whole body sneezes - that's a Robinson family trait!

L & G are taking Sams away in the October half term - off to Great Yarmouth. That will be good for him, having some quality time with them alone. Also he can sleep through the nights! Connor will come and stay with her for the week and of course family are only a phone call away. Not just my parents but her Auntie Dawn, who she is quite close to. She has an even bigger family, but those are the ones she will trust to help.

No further talk about her going back to school or moving out. We're not raising the subjects just yet. They simply dropped off the agenda at some point in July. She's definitely not going back in September - which she talked about in the earlier stages of her pregnancy - because she was joking with her Mum about what would happen in September when she was on her own (ie my sister will be back at work in school, as I will be).

Anyway, all seems calm and pretty settled. Samuel genuinely loves his nephews and holds and kisses them unselfconsciously. Not a given with a soon-to-be 15 year old. I know my brother wouldn't be interested in doing that.

The boys looking like the Mitchell brothers. Jack closest to the camera.
Liam being fed. I think. Look - they're identical! Even Abs puts them down in alphabetical order, like Ant and Dec.

A photo Laura sent Mum.
And another from me - ready to give me a lift home and hit the town.

beautiful.

Abs looks tired, bless her.

So cute!!!

Thanks again Sundae. :D

Actually she was looking really good - I caught her squinting at the TV because the breaking news was a hostage situation at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam)! Which turned out to be a mis-communication.

As far as having twins can be considered easy, she is very lucky. Everyone in the house adores the babies and work around them. She doesn't need to cook, clean, iron, shop, wash clothes. Grandad gets up to help with night feeds, Laura helps with all the others. Connor's Mum has already babysat so they could go to football and go for a meal. My Mum will be round there every morning/ lunchtime if asked in September (Laura gets home at 15.30).

I do not mean any of this in a critical way. I'm very happy she is so well supported, especially when it looked like - for months - that she would not be. Mum & Dad talked seriously about moving her in here, that's how tense things were at their house.

It's not going to be a walk in the park by any means. But those boys will grow up in a very tight-knit family. Which is such a relief.

Oh, that's just brilliant.

You know what really makes me happy? This is self-centered, even by my standards, feel free to skip. When I go round or see a photo and they are wearing the clothes I bought.

Not in a showy way, as she has some lovely things for them.
But I bought mostly vests and underclothes. And underneath they have them on. And I even had a quick eyeball at what was on the washing line (what?! I walked right past it on my way out?!) and there, fluttering and dancing in the breeze were simple little things I recognised. And Mum has a couple of photos where they have on some of the handknitted stuff donated by Ms Mc at my school.

Not only did I really, actually help, but things I bought were accepted by the whole family, not just a thank you from Abs and then, "Well, we won't be needing these" once they all came back together as a unit.

Yay!

They're all looking very lovely. :) It is good to see the family pulling together. Maybe the twins were a blessing in disguise - for a while at least. :)

That would have made me happy too, Sundae. I don't think that's self centrd in any kind of a bad way. It is just nice to see that something you tried to do turned out to have been genuinely helpful and appreciated.

I'd have got a buzz from seeing those things on the washing line and so evidently in use.

This whole story is so sweet Sundae! I'm so glad things worked out for her, and the babies are precious! :) I always loved seeing my friend's babies wearing clothes that I bought for them, I think it's just human nature.

Ab's 18th birthday on Sunday.
It was far too chilly for us to be sitting in the garden, but the house was too small for the amount of people invited. I wished I'd brought my jacket - not something I usually say.

Anyway, I had a cuddle with Jack to warm myself up, while Dad had Liam.

They look lovely. Very cute in their caps.

I like the new hair colour Sundae! Very sophisticated. xxx

What a pair of cute, beautiful boys! You have a lovely family, Sundae.

Great pics!!! The boys are precious and you're looking good too. I like the hair

Very handsome!!

A question Sundae.

Are you or your Dad lefties? I don't think you are since you appear to be wearing a watch on your left wrist, where most righties wear theirs. But your Dad and you are both cradling the baby in your right arm. I'm a goofy foot when it comes to surfing and maybe when it comes to babies too, but my most natural posture for carrying a baby that size is in my left arm, leaving my right hand free for the bottle, or tickles or whatever.

I'm curious.

I think it was just the way he was handed to me, to be honest.

Diz always wants to be over my left shoulder, so I know I switched Jacky over when I moved inside, as the comparison made me smile. Jack's heavier than Diz now, he wasn't when he was born though! Fat knacker of a cat is back on a diet.

Thank you.

Oh, you're right re my Dad being sinister though.

how dexterous of you!
muaahhahahahahahahahaha~!

:nuts:

Halloween pics of the babbas.
No idea which is which, sorry!
But Skelly-Boy looks like Simon Pegg.

He does indeed! In fact...

I love that other guy-he is just so funny. He reminds me of...well, I guess me; not that I'm funny but that I'm that level of slacker.

We watched Paul the other night, those guys are hilarious.

Paul had me in stitches.

@ Sundae: Babies are lookin cute. Cute and healthy :)

Babies are looking so cute

40th Birthday Conclusion
 

My brother bought me tickets to a theme park for my birthday.
We went on Guy Fawkes (5th November)

Here is my report.

We set off on the 07.24 train. Walked to the front of course, as we both know that Marylebone is the terminal, therefore the further up the train you are, the further up the platform. We were trying to get a specific train to Staines, to catch a specific bus, to get the Thorpe Park before it opened at 10.00. We had 37 minutes to get across London. In rush hour.

I did think I’d blown it - when we got on at Aylesbury the train was already pretty full (there is a stop beforehand - Aylesbury Parkway) so I chose two seats in the middle of the carriage. No. Do not do this. You will get stuck behind grannies and faffers. People from other carriages will get to the barriers before you. Said grannies and faffers, who dither finding their tickets. Tcha.

I was also too slow to get travel photos, as by the third stop I was hemmed in and so was Stevo and my camera was in my bag in the luggage rack..

Anyway, we both know our way around the Tube. Marylebone to Waterloo is a simple skip down the Bakerloo Line. We had to let the first train go as it was rammed (we’d allowed for this.) The next one we made sure we were in pole position (the right part of the platform to be in front of the doors) and crushed in regardless.

We hiked up the escalators at Waterloo (which reminded me I have thigh muscles - as they were complaining) and made the Staines train by two minutes. I don’t know about trains in other parts of the world, but trains from London lock their doors electronically 30 seconds prior to departure to avoid accidents. You snooze you lose.

Bus was waiting for the train at Staines station. Very sensible service, timed purely for Thorpe Park. Sounds obvious but this is public transport and you can’t expect that. When I lived in a village the choice was to spend 14 minutes or 4 hours in Aylesbury, neither of which suited my needs.

We got there at 09.55 and joined the queue. Very happy peoples. This was the last day of the season and the Monday after (most) schools had had a weeks holiday for half term. We hoped for blue skies, hardly any childer and short queuing times. We got them.

I’d scrambled over and under and into and out of every website I could find about the park. I had a plan. It was all about where to head first and why and when and how best to avoid 90 minute queues (yes, they do happen in the summer.) I was determined to come away having ridden ALL the big rides, even though some of them terrified me.

Turns out there was no need, apart from satisfying my pedant itch. Place was E.M.P.T.Y. By summer standards at least. We walked onto most rides, longest queuing time 7 minutes. Oh, except Nemesis Inferno - Ste had a hankering for the first row so we waited for 25 minutes. Hey-ho, I indulged him. He was paying (well actually more because he is my brother and I love him and this was the best day out I think I have ever had.)

Looking at the queue in front of us at the entrance to the park - 70? people? - I suggested to Ste that we did The Swarm first after all. It’s new this year and the attraction most people hit first. Ste said, “Go on then - we’ll walk past most of these people anyway.” And he was right. Thorpe Park is a lot smaller than Alton Towers, not having gardens or ruins or a cable car. It’s easy to get around.

Yup - we waited less than five minutes. Were on about the third ride of the day. At the docking station I suddenly felt apprehensive. The first drop looks nothing when walking in, but the ride is partly sunken, if you get what I mean. The initial climb seemed interminable. I am pleased to report that my mind did not snap (my major fear on rides is my sanity) and Ste and I screamed and howled simultaneously. A brother and sister scream team.

More of the theming (is that even a word?)
Taken at different times of the day - I went on it three times, Steven went on it twice but was camera-boy for my solo ride.

The Swarm was great fun.
As I said, we were both really screamy.

Its selling point is that you are out on "wings" so you have nothing above you and nothing underneath you. Can't say that it added anything special for me; I screamed just as much on the log flime and you are very obviously encased in a plastic log!

Steven felt a bit Tom-Dick after another ride, so I had a solo ride later in the day. We also chose it as our last ride, riding in twilight. I'm glad I had all three experiences - blue skies, slightly overcast (high noon) and after official sunset.

Official ride photo and me on the ride. Not that you can see me. I only know I am on it myself because Stevo assured me I was. One thing I found - if you are totally obsessed that a family member can see you/ catch you on camera, no ride in the world can cause you any fear. I never put my arms up on a rollercoaster, despite loving them - my second time on The Swarm I don't think my hands even touched the restraint, I was too busy making sure Ste saw my red gloves.

Well now. Onto my most feared ride of the day.
Stealth.
Silly name for a dirty great big coaster that dominates the skyline.

Still.

I do not like big drops. I abhor slow climbs, which give me The Fear (that my mind will snap, yes.)
I had to go on this because it is one of the main rides and I would die of shame if I didn't. But I was terrified.
My only consolation was that John Barrowman had also been on it. And come off unscathed. Stevo & I were discussing the many things JB had done that meant it was okay for me to go on. He answered questions (Scream If You Know The Answer - main reason I chose Thorpe Park), he looked handsome, he had good teeth, he was gay. Steven objected to the last criterion, saying that no theme park ride could change your sexuality. Correct, little bro, nice to know you were listening ;)

I loved it!
It was so fast that the climb was nothing.
The height was all talk and no trousers because it was over so quickly.
But what a thrill!
Ste and I whooped like gaylords. Sorry, I mean like over-excited heteros who have a day off work.

Went on twice, part of the Steven feeling ill session.

My car coming out of the station.
Me on ride. The one in the middle in the grey top, not the one near the front.

Yes the long scarecrowy arms are mine, I didn't have anyone next to me. Due to speed/ photo setting. Y'all know I'm not quite that spindly.

That Looks like a HOOT !!

Excellent reportage Sundae :)

omg, i'd lose my lunch on that one. rollercoasters scare the piss out of me!

I'm glad you wrote that up, because words fail me.

No. Way. but thanks for asking. Yes, I'll operate your camera from here on Earth. Looks awesome, I admit.

Oops. There is actually more.
You know me - if it's worth writing in 10 words it's worth writing in 100!

So the next big ride was Colossus.
I wasn't too worried about this one - it's a twisty-turny-loopy kind of ride, no big drop, no supersonic speed. So I was quite blase. It took a whole to find the entrance; the only downside of a mostly empty park being that you can't follow the crowds to the big rides. Oh and their map is PANTS - lots of big cartoon graphics and little to show where actual entrances are. We walked round a later ride one and a half times before we saw where to enter. Grrrr.

I had lost The Fear at this point. Not bad after two rides! I was chopsing to Stevo all the way up the first hill. After that it was screams and squeaks and gasps! The damn thing just doesn't quit. It has 10 inversions and I was held by my shoulder restraint for all of them. Small dips compared to Stealth but far more air time - I screamed at each one. Just bloody good fun. I came off and said to Ste "I want to go on that one again!"

We didn't immediately, as we had more to do, but we did go back for more eventually.

Got this from youtube - posted by the official website, so I assume it's okay to repost.


And some of those inversions, looking like nothing at all from the outside but really noticeable on the ride!

Nemesis Inferno is just across from Colossus, so it made sense to go there immediately. We've both been on the original Nemesis at Alton Towers and loved it for the sheet dizzying speed and compact turns. I always loved Nemesis for taking the rider on the outside of the loop - it's exhilarating when you are on it, and when you watch it, it's like the flashing fin of a great serpent breaking the water.

Anyway, I seem to remember that this ride was themed around a volcano originally. If so, it's not now, which is a shame. Of all the rides this was not the oldest but looked the most battered. It was end of season and in bright sunlight which can't have helped. Still, once again we walked on, which at least meant we weren't staring it the same tatty bit of "landscaping" for long. When we came back to this ride we queued for the front seat. I got really restless and impatient. 25 minutes? Bloody hell. No, I didn't forget that I queued 70 minutes for Nemesis at Alton Towers when it was new. Or that I got sunburnt in doing so. Or that I was with my big lump of a boyfriend whose fastest walk was an amble and we only got on four rides that day... It was just 25 minutes was out of synch with the rest of our day. Anyway, Ste wanted it and it was the least I could do.

Nemesis Inferno is longer and more dramatic than the original. You get really chucked about and it is still a blitz of a ride. I sussed out where the cameras were on the first ride and got a good pic on the second, but Stevo looked a bit wall-eyed so we didn't get that one ;) They were £8 each and he was paying after all.

Another shot of Colossus showing the empty queueing pen for Nemesis and an unprepared Steven.
Saw from Nemesis.

And then onto Saw.

This one did spook me. Partly because of that vertical climb, however small it is in rollercoaster terms.
This was our 7 minute wait, and I did not appreciate it. You had to climb up rather dank stairs, as if in an abandoned carpark (except they did not smell of wee). I could easily have been spooked into a bad state of mind by a cruel companion. Thank FSM for easy-going younger brothers who this would strike as cruel and unusual.

The line ran quickly. Two cars of eight (four in each row) were loaded at a time and set off at intervals. First trip we were in the back seat but there were only the two of us. Second trip we made a four with another couple but were in the front. Four tiny girls got in behind us - two veterans, one solicitous mother-hen-alike and Holly. All the way round we heard "It's okay Holly! Close your eyes Holly! Oh no, don't cry Holly!" Well, at least until we started screaming loud enough to drown them out. Seriously, they looked about nine to me, bless them.

SPOILERS!
Saw starts with a section in the dark with a sudden drop. Then there is an inversion in the dark. It's worse in the second row, because the big fat heads in front block out any possible daylight. Second time, especially in the front row, you can see the track.

That vertical climb is appalling.
Once I knew it wouldn't kill me I was more relaxed (unlike poor Holly) but it's still unnerving. The drop is spectacular, especially coming over the lump on top - two shocks for the price of one.

It keeps going until the last possible moment, with a drop and an inversion just before the station.

The ride is excellent, it was my favourite of the day. It's a right head-banger though. It shook me up so much the second time I was calling out more in pain than fear. A walk around and a rest cured me, but I did worry that it had finished me off for the day.

Our official Saw photo.

After this we did a trio of water rides.
It was still only about 11.30 I think, and the sun was as high in the sky as it was going to get.

ALL the water rides advise that you are going to get VERY WET. Given that it was a November day, albeit a clement one, Steven thought long and hard about going on them at all. I was all gung ho, but I'm the one with an empty bank account and he has savings - say something?

He agreed! Yay!
We'd been on one of the lesser rides (Samurai - which is like being in a washing machine) and it was right next to the entrance to the Log Flume. Kismet. So Log Flume we did. The plastic log was awash with water, but we'd seen people coming off and at worst they'd caught some spray, so we just hopped right on. I had my phone and camera in a sealable sandwich bag and Ste had his (much superior phone/ Blackberry/ thingy) in the inside pocket of his waterproof jacket.

Self portrait taken leaving the station before I stowed camera safely in said plastic sheath.

Aw, Cherry! You guys look like you had a frigging blast!!

YAY! You look very happy, too. Good for you, girl.

No pics of the next one - Storm Surge.
My brain has erased it from my memory because it was rubbish and caused problems.

High summer, hot day, okay. Although you'd probably waste over 30 mins in the queue.
Novemeber, chilly, walk right on wothough seeing other rides coming down - bad news.
The worst part was that there were inches of water in the bottom of the raft. You can't help but step in it before you realise. Unless you are the last person in (me) and put your feet up on the seat. Poor old Steven soaked his trainers and socks. And then whinged like a girl for the next hour. Oops - where's the code for crossing out?

Bless him - he'd brought his American Theme Park (no idea which park) poncho on my request. We bought a locker for £1 before going on the second two rides and he never asked for a borrow. Then again - he had his waterproof with hood, as opposed to my sweatshirt and scarf.

Here is a video that shows it wasn't worth the wet for those people in March either.


And two photos of me standing in front of Tidal Wave - last to follow.
danm I wish I knew how to post 3 in a row.

.

We went on Tidal Wave too (the ride above)
It was the standard kinda water ride you had before flumes were invented.

I'd worked out the photo carefully - where to stand for maximum impact and least chance of getting wet. I did this by moving my bro around (between rides) and watching the splash patterns once he'd moved. A number of really kind chaps asked if we both wanted to be in the photo. "No thanks" I replied, obviously sounding rather cavalier about my supposed partner.

So. Lunchtime.
Can you believe it was warm enough to sit outside in November?
Don't get me wrong, neither of us took any clothes off (one noticeable exception I will mention later) but the sun was warm enough to be able to choose outside dining. The park was also empty enough to pick and choose where we wanted to eat, not to queue for food and not to have to hover for seats (although this is a particular brand of the Dark Arts I am proud to call my own). You can't even get into these places when the park is at capacity - unless you eat at 10.00 or 16.00.

We chose Calypso BBQ.
Don't shoot me, okay - I know from watching Adam Richman that there isn't any BBQ on there. It's theme-park-international.

Menu.
Note incorrect use of it's? I did.

I had the Piri Piri Salad. What a good girl am I.
It came with cherry tomatoes, which were definitely NOT on the photo menu outside.
But it was such a large portion and a reasonable flavour so it seemed mean to cavil. Also it was the last day and they probably thought they were giving me a treat.

Ste had the rack of ribs. The sauce was good and the meat was tender, he sez.
I tried some of the sauce on one of his leftover potato lattices and I agree, not bad at all.

Mid-munch and leftovers.