A Normal Day

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This is how our days typically start. We share breakfast by the windows, while trying to stop a recently grown-up Nounou from eating our eggs.

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We feed Nounou in the kitchen, sometimes homemade cat food, sometimes from a bag. This is one day when Cleo and Cyril decided they wanted to eat with him and I decided they might as well.

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Then they go play nicely upstairs in their room.

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And I get Hannah’s school lunch ready. Nounou is terrified of knives, but somehow they also hypnotize him.

We also need to empty our fridge.

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At 8AM, Hannah leaves for school.

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And sometimes, the twins have a surprise for me upstairs.

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Today it’s the wall — and half their bodies. I suspect that they managed to sneak markers out of their sister’s bedroom.

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When I go hug them goodbye before school, I’m just glad I’ll be handing them over to their dad for the day.

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“Moooom said you’re a baaaaaaby!”

“Nana, stoooop!”

Trying to Work

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Hannah has a Geography assignment to hand in.

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We don’t, though, so we’re having fun with toy cars in the room across the corridor.

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… because we’re playing with the twins, of course. We wouldn’t play with toy cars just for the heck of it.

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… Apparently, we’re making too much noise for Hannah, who comes and asks us to turn it down a little.

Where my flying car thinks you’re no fun, Hannah.

The Restless Two

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We now have to take care of four living entities that are able to walk around on their own.

It’s tough.

Fortunately, Nounou is pretty chill. He’s happy as long as he has his spot in front of the fireplace.

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Hannah is also pretty easy to take care of; she takes care of herself, really. She’s not a fan of homework, but she still does the work, especially in History and Geography, which she loves, and she barely ever acts up.

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She’s a great kid.

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Cleo and Cyril… They’re great kids too, but they do need a bit of a scolding from time to time…

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Cyril please stop throwing crumbs of PB&J everywhere on the floor.

Double Trouble

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Cyril and Cleo are toddlers now! Cyril is looking more and more like his dad. Cleo is clearly doing her own thing.

They’re little terrors, and they’re even worse when they work together.

They always work together.

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They also love their big sister.

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Hannah enjoys being the old sibling as well, and I love seeing how protective she is of them.

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Seeing them hug is the cutest thing.

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She doesn’t even mind dumbing down her doll games to match her little brother’s, err… simplistic playstyle.

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Parents get hugs too.

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But most of all, twins get hugs from each other. They’re best friends and they probably always will be.

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Our little ones.

Family First

So here we are again. She finishes her story with assuring me that she’s better; that they treated her at the hospital after she overdosed.

But her hands are still trembling. And I see the trickle of sweat rolling down her forehead.

So I tell her I’m sorry.

But I can’t.

I only wish her the very, very best. I give her pointers, numbers to call, places to go, and offer money she won’t accept.

It breaks my heart to let her go; but after one last hug, she does leaves.

And I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.

I still have a heavy weight on my stomach as I tuck Hannah in that night.

But she turns, and smiles peacefully in her stream, and I know I didn’t really have any other choice.

The twins and her come first, and they always will.

The DJ Gigs

Pari is really taking a liking to DJing.

And going out to party with her refound friends.

She even gets the opportunity to mix for the club, and it feels great. And not just because there’s more than blood running through her veins.

But the nightclubs are public places; and we have common friends in some of them.

Hannah’s Worry

When we come back we still have a few things to fix in the newly repainted and remodeled bedroom — and Hannah sneaks into see what’s changed, and what’s the big deal about her two new siblings.

They scream a lot. Especially Cyril.

She’s not convinced they’re all that great.

“Mom,” she asks me that evening, as I get her hair ready for bed, “are you and Dad going to pay more attention to the twins than me, now?”

“Oh, sweetie, no. We’ll never… We’ll take care of them because they’re very small and they need us, but none of you will ever come second. We’ll still love you just as much, you know that?”

“Will I be allowed to take care of them, too?”

I smile. She can’t see it, but my eyes are watering — what part of that I can blame on the residual hormones I’m not sure. I disguise my choking up as a chuckle.

“Well as long as you dare neither of them to go walk on embers with you, sure, baby!”

Hannah grins.

“Swear I won’t! I’ll at least wait until they can walk.”

Go to sleep you mischevious little one.

After that talk, she’s much more relaxed, and overall goes back to being a curious, self-assured child.

Cyril and Cleo

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And here it comes again.

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We rush to the hospital; but I’ve done this before, I’m not too stressed. And we’re elated.

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Once again, Hugo has been denied entry into the delivery room — but for good this time. He’s not too happy about this part.

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So instead he goes and eats all the snacks in the vending machine at the cafeteria.

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I wish he were here, too, this machine doesn’t get less scary.

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But it’s all worth it when we meet them.

Hello, Cleo! Hello Cyril! We’ve adjusted the big room just for you guys.

Hannah’s New Groove

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Hannah got moved into what was the guest bedroom; we remodeled it for her, broked down a few walls, starting with the wall that used to shelter the closet. I have to admit Hugo and I are glad to get rid of this closet, we’ve done too many things in there to be completely comfortable with the idea of it staying intact in our kid daughter’s bedroom.

Anyway her bedroom is fully remodeled after her tastes and preferences, and though it’s a downgrade in size, she loves it. And tonight, for the first time, she gets to sleep in her very own double bed.

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Still a small human, such a gigantic bed.

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“So I am going to be a big sister? And they’ll have to do what I say?” she asks me in the living room we were much too lazy to strip of its decorations the day before.

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“Most of all you’ll have to set an example, darling!”

“Oh…”

We’ve barely finished talking that the contractions begin.

Hannah Grows Up

For Hannah’s sixth birthday, we have an obnoxiously large party. It involves decorating the whole first floor, or more precisely, making Hugo decorate the whole first floor.

And our little princess is pleased.

The princess and the pirate — why do I feel like I’ve seen a movie or two about this?

The kids and I are drinking alcohol-free cocktails, obviously, but there are so many cups sometimes you have to taste-check you’re about to drink from the right one.

So many kids. The red-head I’m talking to is Nolan, after his incredible growth spurt.

He’s also apparently staying a ginger. Miranda says now she knows for sure who his dad is, at the very least. She’s only ever been with one ginger.

You can count on Grandma to watch over the kiddos.

Apparently it’s been a while since Miranda and Mam have seen each other, too!

And now comes the moment everybody has been waiting for.

“You ready baby? All the candles at once?”

“Yes! Yes!”

And my baby grows up.