24 weeks later: a father's recollection of our first months with twins (part three)

Denouement

In a few days, our babies will be six months old. This week, they learned how to roll over from all angles and body positions. The supplemental bottles we started off with have been replaced with oatmeal cereal, and we’ll soon introduce vegetables and fruit to their menu. The Crying-to-Laughing ratio has swung decidedly in favor of laughter for both of them (most of the time), and the differences in their personalities have become evident and delightful. Sometimes I look at this progression and it’s hard to believe. Thinking back to how agonizingly slow those first weeks seemed--when I’d lie in bed in between feedings, awake in spite of the 96 minutes of sleep I’d gotten over the course of the day and thinking of ways I could take it all back and get a do-over—I’m amazed at how time can pass so quickly. I suspect this won’t be the last time this happens.

Recently, a friend of mine—whose wife is pregnant with their first child, and who I hadn’t seen in a few months—stopped by our place to visit and have a drink. After checking to see if my wife was in earshot he looked at me, eyes wide, and said “Be honest, man--what am I in for?”

For a second, I almost was. I was tempted to tell our story, to try explaining The Feeding Schedule and describe how during those first weeks, the differences between night and day, weekend and weekday, are largely semantic and wholly irrelevant. I almost broke out the Charlie Brown Football Analogy to illustrate how in the beginning, every "good" day makes it seem like you're tantalizingly close to a breakthrough, and in spite of all your better judgment you allow yourself to think, "man, today's the day I finally kick that damn ball!" but in the end you wind up on your back anyway, staring up at the ceiling, bewildered, wondering how it all went so wrong, so quickly. 

Instead, I handed him a beer and said “Well buddy, all I can say is your life is going to change, that’s for sure.” Let him find out for himself. Besides, they’re only having one baby anyway. How hard can it be?