Baby Love

Hi everyone.

Firstly, and most importantly, I owe a huge apology to Pheobe and Sam’s Mummy and Daddy for being insensitive and making an often stressful and difficult situation a thousand times worse by one of my recent blog posts. I am truly sorry and they know that. My public apology , for want of a better phrase, is on my  other blog 

http://www.nannyandmummy.blogspot.com

Moving on, and with lessons learnt, I am here to update you on our latest training sessions and a quick update re the twins who are now 9 weeks old. Goodness me, time flies!

As it was the Easter weekend, and as the twins and Mummy came to stay with us for a few days and Daddy had a break, exercise has been minimal to be honest. I haven’t run at all but Harry (our cyclist) has been hitting the road and running with Rosie who is on her own fitness and weight loss mission and who is achieving fantastic results. They have run despite painful legs and a heavy cold. I (the allocated swimmer of the team) have done little other than my weekly swim. I know that I need to up my swimming sessions and I fully intend to do so. Having said that, Rosie and I went swimming last night and I managed to complete my 500m in 23 minutes which is 2 minutes better than last week so I was very happy with that.

  
I haven’t heard how Jack (our allocated runner) is progressing but I assume no news is good news. At least, I hope so! I really want us to give this event our best shot and to complete the triathlon and feel proud of ourselves and do it for Phoebe and Sam and SCBU too obviously.

Now that the evenings are lighter (and I am lighter too after losing 20 lbs at Weightwatchers since January! ) I hope to be a bit more active. Im not sure what I I’ll do except more swimming but we will see. 

Now, the twins….it’s been another difficult week for the family in as much as Phoebe has pulled out her feeding tube twice over the last few nights which has meant middle of the night trips to the hospital to have the tube replaced, the medication that has been prescribed  for Phoebe for her tummy  issues blocked her feeding tube and so she can’t take that. Therefore, her tummy discomfort at feeding times continues. She is still taking about 40mls from the bottle each feed and the rest of the feed has to be tubed. This happens every 4 hours so there is no time to rest for Mummy and Daddy who are both now running on adrenalin and not much else. Phoebe has good days and sleepy days and no two days are the same with that little girl. The great news is at she hasn’t been sick for over a week and that should mean that she will have gained weight which is really important.

The ever gorgeous Sam is just a joy. He loves his bottle, he loves his dummy and he loves his cuddles. He is such a smiley baby and he is changing all the time. He is adorable and his smile melts my heart whenever I see it. He continues to appear to fit in around his sister but when he is hungry or he wants something….boy do we know know it! He can go from silence to a full pitched yell in a couple of seconds and he has a very loud yell! 

So, our training efforts continue, the babies are progressing in their own ways and at their own speeds and Mummy and Daddy continue to do the very best they can for their gorgeous and much loved children.

I took a few photos at the weekend. You may have seen them before but I will share them again anyway just in case. 

   
Sleeping beauty

 
One of Phoebe’s first proper smiles

   
Mummy and daughter chats

 
Blurry but gorgeous, smile happy Sam

   
Simply beautiful

 
Sleepy boy

Love Nanny xxxx

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/phoebeandsam

Happy Easter Everyone!

Morning all.

Happy Good Friday! I feel like I’ve been awake all night. I haven’t really but I’ve snatched sleep in bursts of 2 hours at a time so that’s a bit rubbish. Anyway, it means I have no reason to not update you all with my latest fitness challenges and triathlon news along with a bit about the twins.

Firstly, I am happy to confirm that our triathlon challenge will now definitely be undertaken as a team and not as two individuals. I’m relieved to be honest but a bit disappointed in myself too. I am stubborn and proud and don’t like to let myself or others down. When I commit to a challenge I always like to see it through regardless but I had to be realistic and admit that even I couldn’t do justice to a 500 metre swim followed by a 20 km bike ride and culminating in a 5km trail run. So I now have team mates😊 My son Jack is going to run the 5km, my future son in law Harry is going to do the 20km cycle ride and I am going to do the 500 metre swim.

The event takes place in Guildford on May 29th and I am actually looking forward to it and, now that the team details are a sorted out I can concentrate on my ‘bit’ – the 500 metre swim. You may already have read that I have purchased some goggles and you may have seen a scary picture or two of me wearing them. Well, I have to say that I am really liking them. I can open my eyes under water -something that I hated doing before – and I can now work on my breathing by keeping my face in the water every other stroke. This also seems to give my neck muscles a break too.

This week my daughter and I, who are both on a Weightwatchers plan and who have both lost 19lbs each since mid January- returned to our local pool on Wednesday evening. For the first time I timed myself as I swam the required 20 lengths (500 km). When I applied for our triathlon place I had to enter an expected time for my swim. I had no idea how long it would take me so I put down 40 minutes. I can do it in 25 minutes! Now, I know that’s not fast and I only swim breaststroke , but I’m happy with that time. I’m also hoping that I may be able to swim it a little faster with practise. We shall see. Anyway, here is proof of our Wednesday night swim…

  
Not the most flattering of photos but I don’t care. I’m just happy to be fit and healthy, losing weight and aiming to achieve another first…competing in a triathlon….and hopefully raising much needed funds for SCBU at The Royal Surrey County Hospital where Phoebe and Sam were born back in January.

Last Sunday my daughter and I took part in the local Sport Relief Mile. We used this event as part of our fitness efforts and, for me, it is part of my triathlon training. Anything that I can do to contribute to my fitness leading up to the event is considered training as far as I’m concerned😉. It was a chilly morning and there was a fresh breeze blowing across the open field as we made our way to the event. There was the usual pre event warm up where we all jumped around for a bit and did a few stretches and then we were off.

The course was essentially two laps of the field but with a few extra steps added here and there. I managed to trot around without stopping and my daughter ran most of the way, walked for a little bit and still beat me to the finish line. She’s more competitive than I realised I think👍 We were cheered on our run by three of my grandchildren and my hubby who came along to support us and it was really lovely to have them there. To hear the children shouting ‘Come on Nanny’  and clapping as I trotted past them was very special.

   
   
Now, this weekend Phoebe and Sam and their mummy are coming to stay for a few nights for the first time and I’m excited. Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep?! Daddy is going to a stag do and having some well deserved time off. Mummy will be here with lots of people on hand to cuddle and feed and change the babies and I’m hoping that she gets some rest too although I have no doubt that she has a list of things that she wants to do while she is here. She already has a haircut booked. 

Yesterday the whole family went to the hospital for an appointment with Phoebe’s paediatrician. Following on from the difficulties with her feeding and lack of weight gain among other concerns this was seen as a very important meeting. Mummy and Daddy were hoping for reassurance and some answers to their questions including does Phoebe have reflux? Is she still floppy? What are the results of the genetic testing that both babies had done at birth? Can Phoebe be prescribed milk with more calories to increase her weigh?

Unfortunately, the appointment was very disappointing. I can’t type what Mummy actually said about it because I don’t want to type any swear words. Basically, the doctor appeared exhausted and disinterested. He wasn’t able to give any concrete answers to the parents questions about Phoebe. He said the genetic test results weren’t back, or if they were he didn’t have them on record, he said that the dietician would be in touch about Phoebe’s lack of weight gain. He said that Phoebe may have reflux but that she would grow out of it ( oh, that’s ok then!?😡) and that the muscle tone in her arms and legs weren’t a major concern.  How frustrating for Mummy and Daddy. Let’s just hope that the individual specialists involved in Phoebe’s care are able to work together so that she and the family get the best support and care available to them.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I wish you all a wonderful Easter holiday. Stay safe and don’t eat too many Easter eggs😉

Happy Easter from these two cherubs too.

Love Nanny xxx
   

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/phoebeandsam

‘Mum, this is so hard’.

Hi all. This evening I was going to update you all with our triathlon news and our Sport Relief Mile event but, having just got in at 23.15 from a visit to my daughter and the twins I kind of feel that I should just share with you a little of what has happened in their lives today….the day that the twins celebrate 8 weeks on this planet.

Phoebe’s feeding tube has come out twice in the last 24 hours. Both times have happened during the day when a community nurse should come out from the local surgery. There should only be a visit to hospital to have the tube put back in after 6pm when the surgery closes. No nurse in the community was available yesterday so plans had to be made for Phoebe to got to hospital again to have her tube replaced. As neither Daddy or Mummy drive, plans had to be made for someone to take Phoebe to hospital while someone stayed at home with Sam. Today a nurse did come out and replace the tube again but she has not made a very good job of sticking the tube to Phoebe’s face so we will see how that goes.

Phoebe has been making little, if any, progress with her feeding. She still struggles to take 40mls in half an hour and the rest of the 90 mls is tubed. She is not taking any more feed than she was 6 weeks ago and she has started to become listless from time to time and has also started being sick. Not just a little bit of baby sick but a lot. This has been worrying Mummy and Daddy for some time. This morning, when she was sick, her tube came out. Apparently this is quite common.

Today the twins had their first lot of injections. Mummy and Daddy took them. I know that Mummy was dreading it. While they were at the surgery, Mummy decided to have the twins weighed as she was concerned about Phoebe. Sam has put on almost 2lbs and Phoebe has put on an ounce in two weeks. Cue one very upset and concerned Mummy who has been spending the best part of every single day for 8 weeks trying to get Phoebe to feed and not be sick. The upshot is that a health visitor is coming out to tomorrow anyway as is the cleft nurse and Phoebe also has a paediatric appointment on Thursday so hopefully something will be decided about how to progress with the feeds.

On top of all of that, Phoebe needed her hearing aid moulds taken again today at home which got forgotten about but Mummy got the babies back as soon as she could after receiving a phone call to say that the team were already at the house.

When I got to their home, Sam was asleep and Phoebe was being fed…40mls from the bottle this time…and both babies had been given Calpol as advised following their jabs. Sam took his like a dream. Phoebe struggled to take hers…. a lot came down her nose due to her cleft. However, after this feed she wasn’t sick at all and once she settled down she was wide awake and an absolute joy.

   
  She was responsive, moving her hands about and making eye contact. I’m sure she almost smiled. We haven’t had a proper smile yet.

 
I had a lovely time chatting to her and talking nonsense as only a Nanny can and I loved it. It was reassuring to see her so responsive. Mummy busied herself like only Mummy can and then it was time for another feed. Mummy decided not to try the bottle this time and gave more Calpol before testing the feeding tube which needs to be done before every feed.  About 10 minutes into the feed, out of nowhere, Phoebe was very sick. A baby with a cleft palate being sick is not a pretty sight. Sick  comes out of the nose  as well as the mouth and is very overwhelming for the baby.

Poor Mummy was distraught. Not only is Phoebe not gaining weight, she is now being very sick several times a day. Something is amiss. Mummy calmed  an exhausted Phoebe down, changed her sick covered clothes and cuddled her little girl to sleep. She cuddled Phoebe to sleep with tears streaming down down her face. ‘Mum, this has been the hardest 8 weeks of my life. I’m useless. I can’t even feed my own baby’ was all she managed to say before breaking her heart.

My heart broke too just seeing my own baby so worn out and doubting herself despite being fantastic and being a totally amazing Mummy under very difficult circumstances. I cuddled her, hugged her, let her sob and did my best to reassure her. Yes, it’s going to be an up and down future for Phoebe but she will get the there I’m sure.

The aim of this post is really to give a glimpse into Phoebe and Sam’s world.. and the world of my daughter and her husband. I am so very, very proud of my girl. I just wish she could see how amazing she is.

I should be asleep!

Phoebe and Sam, Nanny loves you both so much. I might love your Mummy a tiny bit more though!

Love Nanny xxx

More Exercise?!

Evening all,

A quick  exercise update as promised. This evening Rosie and I swam another 20 lengths each at the local pool. While this might not mean much to many, to us it’s a big deal. For me it proves that I can, indeed, swim 500km, albeit slowly, which is the length I need to swim to complete my part of the triathlon. For Rosie, well…this is the girl who wouldn’t go swimming at all let alone be seen in a swimming costume for various reasons. Last weekend she and I went out and she purchased some new trainers, a couple of sports tops and a new swimming costume and she wore it this evening. This daughter of mine is going from strength to strength in her quest for health and fitness and she is doing brilliantly. She is confident and assured and, more importantly, proud of herself and so she should be.

  
Rosie isn’t doing the triathlon and is disappointed about that. To be honest,when we booked our places a while back there was no way she would even have considered it possible and now she is thinking of signing up for The Great South Run. Amazing!

Oh, and I wore swimming goggles for the first time in my life today and they were great. I could see underwater! Usually if my eyes are in the water they are screwed up tightly and  that’s how they stay until I surface for air. Let’s hope they improve my swimming a little. I feel they will but I have no idea why.

  

I have spent quite a bit of time with the twins and their Mummy over the last few days. Mummy has been having a bit of a tough time as she is so very tired. The babies are doing really well. Chunky monkey Sam is a proper little boy. I can’t believe the babies are only 7 weeks old. He looks about 3 months old. He is so chilled and content. A real bundle of joy.

Phoebe continues to plod on with her feeding and is making steady, if very slow, progress. She takes about 40 mls per feed in half an hour and then the rest is fed to her through her tube. This can be a time consuming and frustrating experience for all involved and I am not at all surprised that Mummy is feeling the strain. By the time she has fed both babies and changed them she is lucky if she has an hour before she has to start the next lot of feeds. 

Phoebe’s hearing aids continue to be noisy and frustrating. As her ears are so small it is very difficult to get the ear moulds  to fit tightly into her ears. If they don’t fit tightly then each aid buzzes loudly. This doesn’t seem to bother Phoebe but it does mean that she isn’t getting much benefit from the hearing aids because they aren’t fitting snuggly in her ear canals. She is having new ear moulds taken weekly at the moment so hopefully the issues will be sorted soon. It’s so important for every aspect of her development that she is able to hear as much as possible.

At least when I was with the family for a while today I was able to get Mummy some breakfast, prepare dinner, do some washing and run Mummy a bubble bath. I also got lots of cuddles…….obviously😊😊

   
A slightly startled Sam!

 A slightly serious Phoebe!

So, the exercise/ training continues and the little darlings that we doing this for are changing every day. Mummy and Daddy are adjusting to their new lives and we all wait and wonder what their futures will be. With the love and support that they have all been shown over the last months  I think they are going to be just fine.

Night night from a very weary Nanny xxxxxx

Tonight….Zumba!

Hi all,

In a bid to prove that I am still determined to give this triathlon event my best shot…despite now hoping to do it between three of us…I will probably blog each time that I do some form of exercise and so….

….after two lovely dog walks in the sunshine today I then went to a Zumba class with Rosie this evening. We first went a couple of weeks ago but then haven’t returned until this evening. It’s a local class, pay as you go (£5), is run by a friendly and enthusiastic leader and attracts lots of ladies of various ages and all shapes and sizes all jiggling about and having a good time.

To be honest, despite the glorious weather, I have been a bit gloomy today and I had to really make myself go to the class but Rosie is full of beans and enthusiastic about her new health and fitness regime and I didn’t want to let her down.

In the end I really enjoyed the session despite being absolutely hopeless at keeping up and getting the footwork right. We jumped about, shook our booties (is that even the right word? I am referring to ourbottoms!!) and left the class after an hour feeling happy that we had made the effort. Another step up in our fitness levels I hope. 

 
Now I do try to walk about 10,000 steps most days and today I have done this…..
  
I’m very, very happy with that.

I have tried to contact the organisers of the triathlon today to see about entering as a team and not individuals but I haven’t heard back from them yet. I’m hoping that I hear from them tomorrow. I will feel happier once I have that sorted.

So that’s the lastest little exercise update. Onwards and upwards😊👍👟

Love Nanny xxx

Decision Made

Hi everyone.

As you may know, since signing up for the Guildford triathlon a few months back, I have been in a bit of a quandary about whether I should actually try to complete the event alongside my son as two separate entries or whether we should actually split the event and complete it as a team. Although it goes against every single grain in my body, I know that I really am not going to be able to complete the whole thing on my own. This 55 year old – will be 56 by the day of the event – needs to be realistic and think about the end game. Yes, I’d love to say that I had completed a triathlon but at what expense? My knees are already a bit past their best and I would hate to do myself some long term damage purely by being unrealistic and stubborn. Therefore,  we have decided that doing the event as a team is the most sensible option. I have yet to confirm  this with the organisers but that is our plan.

We have decided that I will do the 500 metre swim, future son in law  will do the 20 km cycle ride and son will do the 5k trail run. I’m actually relieved that a decision has been made and now we can crack on with the training properly. Today I even bought myself some swimming goggles in the hope that I will be able to put my face in the water while swimming breaststroke and may be go a little faster. There is no doubt that I will be last out of the water on the day, that is for certain!

Following our 5k run last week and our midweek swim, daughter and I went for another jog this morning and really enjoyed it. The sun was shining and all was right with the world. Tomorrow we are returning to zumba and on Wednesday we have another swim session pencilled in so I will try out the goggles then and see how I get on.

A bit blurry but proof of our run this morning!

Yesterday Phoebe, Sam and their Mummy spent the afternoon with us and it was a joy to have them here as ever. Daddy had to work and Mummy wanted a change of scenery. Phoebe is trialling a new bottle which is going quite well so everyone is hopeful that she progresses with that and Sam was his usual chilled out self. Everyone had cuddles aplenty and Mummy got to have a bit of a break…not that she ever rests. She always has something she needs to be doing!

Both babies had their 6 week check ups in the week and all was well. They are gaining weight….Sam quite spectacularly as he now weighs almost 11lbs! Phoebe is over 8lbs and coming along nicely. Sam is really smiling and happy and Phoebe is much, much more responsive which is wonderful to see. She is moving more and seems much more aware of what is going on around her thanks to her hearing aids and the patience, commitment and love of her Mummy and Daddy.

See for yourselves….

Look at those cheeky faces!

Mummy, Auntie Sum, Phoebe and Sam xx

Thanks to everyone for their continued love and support.

Love Nanny xxx

http://nannyandmummy.blogspot.com/2016/03/sunny-sunday-musings.html

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/phoebeandsam

 

Swimming Success

Hi all. Just a quick note to say that my daughter and I went to the local pool for the first time this evening despite our lethargy and we both swam 20 lengths which is 500 metres each which is how far I should swim on one of the legs of the triathlon.

This would be great news if I was a strong swimmer and if I swam it in a fast time but……I am most definitely not a strong swimmer and it took me ages. I can’t do front crawl, never have been able to. I do breaststroke after a fashion but it’s not pretty. It is also about the slowest swimming stroke you can do I think. However, I did it. We did it. We dragged our sorry bottoms out in the evening and went for a swim instead of lounging about at home watching rubbish on tv. Go us!

Before I go, a quick mention for my swimming buddy for the evening. My daughter is really making massive changes in her life at the moment and it’s great to see. If I had told her 4 weeks ago that she would be losing weight, would have run a 5k and swam 500 metres in the space of 4 days she would have thought I had gone completely mad. But that is exactly what she has done and I couldn’t be happier for her.

Oh, and Phoebe has a new bottle to try which everyone hopes will enable her to feed more successfully. We are keeping everything crossed as that would be a another major breakthrough for our little princess.

We also receieved another couple of donations today for our triathlon challenge. People are being incredibly supportive and generous so thank you to all for your continued support of and for the family.

Love Nanny xx

When Phoebe Got Hearing Aids

Hi all.

Today was a huge day in the life of darling Phoebe. She got her hearing aids at the age of 5 weeks and 6 days and she can hear! To have been in the room when that happened was completely overwhelming. Her reaction was both heartbreaking and joyful and I will never forget it. I have written about it in more detail on my other blog but here is the link should you want to read it:

http://nannyandmummy.blogspot.com/2016/03/hooray-for-princess-phoebe.html

Continued thanks and love to all who have supported the family thus far on their journey. It means everything and helps them all get through each day.

Love Nanny xxx

Time To Dig Deep

Hi everyone and thank you to all who have read any of my posts on here and who have responded so positively. It’s always nice to get feedback of any kind and it is always welcome. It’s lovely to know that people are interested in at least some of the nonsense that I write!

As you know, this blog has been set up by me to keep people updated about our triathlon training. It is also somewhere where I can mention those special little people, Phoebe and Sam, and their Mummy and Daddy.

As I type this, I know that the family are having a tough time. Let’s face it – two babies, less than 6 weeks old, one with extra needs, Daddy back at work, Mummy recovering from surgery and trying to cope with both babies, the mountains of paperwork and forms to be completed, the never ending medical appointments, the housing situation, the stress and sheer worry of it all would seem insurmountable to most of us if we are honest. I know that many times, when my own children were babies, I felt totally ill- equipped to deal with the situation that I found myself in and I doubted my capabilities and my sanity on many occasions – and I didn’t have twins or surgery. Also, at 6 weeks the reality of the situation and how your lives have changed after having a baby – or in this cases babies – starts to hit home.

Unfortunately, Phoebe’s  issues are on-going and she has not taken well to feeding from a bottle. This is extremely frustrating and exhausting for both her and her Mummy because she really tries to feed but her cleft palate makes it almost impossible. She has 30 mins at most at each feed to take what she can from the bottle and then the rest of her feed is tube fed which can take anything up to another hour. Sam has to be slotted in around Phoebe’s routine and it’s totally exhausting for their Mummy  who is already feeling guilty about spending more time with one twin than the other. At the moment she can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. We really need to get Phoebe a bottle that she can feed from properly and safely and then she will come on leaps and bounds but it’s a painfully slow process thus far.

Tomorrow we have two big appointments at the hospital – audiology and the eye clinic. Each appointment for the twins thus far has been hard as the difficulties that Phoebe will face become clearer. We desperately need a positive, upbeat outcome from something, somewhere just to give the family a bit of light relief. I think that we need to get tomorrow’s appointments done with and then we may have a better idea of what’s ahead.

Phoebe and her totally gorgeous hair!

Now, back to triathlon training…I have done nothing apart from walk over the last week after my knee played up following a cycle ride and a zumba class in 24 hours of each other. So I obviously had mixed feelings as this weekend approached along with the planned 5k run that three of us had signed up for.

One of our number has been poorly all week with a chest infection and, very wisely, agreed to stay at home. My youngest daughter agreed to take her place even though she had also been struggling with a bad knee this week. So, this morning,  the three of us – Phoebe and Sam’s Nanny, Auntie and Uncle – pulled on our various items of sports gear and headed off to the local country park where we picked up our numbers, pinned them into place, did a few warm up exercises and made our way to the start line.

 

Son is quite a veteran of the 5k run as am I because we have done a few over the years as training for other events but neither of us had done any running for quite some time. Daughter has done one 5k before years ago so this was a big challenge for her.

We set off as the race started and were faced with the challenge of a 1km hill to run up. Not really the ideal start for a run. I was walking before I got to the summit! The paths were very, very muddy and there were lots of fallers and much slipping and sliding as we all picked our way around the hilly, slippery, muddy terrain. At least it wasn’t raining. Son raced ahead, as he always, always does and daughter kept her own pace and did her best not to fall over. I jogged and walked, huffed and puffed and generally plodded my way around as best I could. It really was about the hardest 5k I have ever done due to the muddy conditions and the general trail-type run. I was very glad to see the finish line as I’m sure you can imagine.

We all made it. We all finished. We all got a medal and we all felt damned proud of ourselves!

It felt good to be doing something together and we all enjoyed the challenge up to a point. I think the next thing will be the Sport Relief Mile in a couple of weeks but we will see how we feel in the morning first!

As for the triathlon, no decision about splitting the event and doing it as a team has been made yet but I do feel it may be the best way forward. Time will tell.

Once again, thank you for reading this and for supporting us and Phoebe and Sam’s family. We are doing this for them because we love them and we will be there for them all, supporting and loving them always.

Love Nanny xxxx

 

We Will Do This…

So it’s silly o’clock and I have been awake for ages. I woke with an ache in my back – nothing awful, just discomfort. That back ache has joined the discomfort that I am feeling in my left knee since Zumba last week and my cycle ride yesterday. These few aches have already started to make me doubt my ability to complete this challenge.

I was told several years ago that I should not run anymore due to arthritis in my knee. I have stuck to the advice I was given until the last few weeks and my main exercise until then has been lots of walking. It appears that ramping up the exercise has set things off again.

I have seriously been reconsidering my decision to attempt the triathlon, so much so that I have spoken to family about splitting the event and doing it as a team which is a legitimate option. If we did that, three of us could take a section each and we could complete it that way. It does seem the sensible option but I do feel that it would not be the challenge that I have set myself up for.

I have spoken to my son who is also taking part in the event and he has advised that we do our planned 5km run this Sunday and see how we all feel after that. I think he is probably right. I do tend to get fed up when my challenges and training don’t go to plan and then I get mopey and feel sorry for myself. That is not what is needed right now.

Yesterday I went with friends to visit my daughter and the twins. Both babies were looking calm and relaxed in their Moses baskets and my daughter was busying herself with sterilising and preparing bottles for the coming day. We all had cuddles with the babies and chatted with my daughter who is putting on a brave face for everyone but who is exhausted, worried and tearful and who can blame her? The reality of this new life of theirs must seem, and feel,completely overwhelming. I know personally how it feels to have one baby with extra needs to look after and my daughter has two babies at the same time, one with extra needs and one who doesn’t appear to need anything extra at the moment. I spent most of my time with my young baby being terrified – for my baby, for our futures, for our family. I can only imagine what must be going through my daughter’s mind.

As the Mum of my daughter and as Nanny to those beautiful, treasured babies it is my duty to support the whole family as much as I can and that is what I intend to do for as long as I need to. I intend doing everything I can to help them through the difficult next few months, do whatever I can to make things easier. My daughter is fiercely independent and this is what has got her as far as she has in this life. She has achieved so much and has brightened the lives of many people. She will continue to do so and I just know that the babies will do exactly the same.

That is why, whatever  decision is made about the triathlon, you can rest assured that every ounce of effort will have been put in and no decisions will be taken lightly. We want to do our very best for my daughter, her husband and their babies. We want to make them proud….as proud as they make us every single day.

Love Nanny (and Mum😉) 💙💗💕