Jon and Becky Plus Seven? (only short term!)

A Day of Mayhem... per se.
Becky had the chance to help out a family in the ward the past two Mondays by watching their twin 6 month old boys. It was quite the adventure. The first time, Feb 2, was also the first time the boys (Nayham and Onyx) had been watched by someone in the ward and it was a challenge for everyone involved. To complicate matters, Jon was getting ready for a week's worth of training out of town and would be little help.

Difficulties started early. The boys' father, whose wife is in the hospital, had a terrible morning trying to get out of the house, as he tried to prepare two twins and his 7 year old boy for the day. Then, just before he was about to leave, the poor man locked his keys in the car with the car running. He couldn't get someone to answer right away, so he was 30 minutes late leaving the house. Then he got lost on the way to the house and had to call from a local business for more directions. Finally, by 0900 hrs, we were host to the twins and things were going okay.

Jon Abandons his Troops
When Jon stopped by for lunch and to pack for his trip, it was certainly an interesting scene. The two boys, both of whom suffer from reflux, were taking turns throwing up between bouts of screaming. It was clear that they had had a very stressful time. So, Jon lent a hand as he could, holding, changing and putting the boys in the swing. Some progress was being made with both of us on the job. Unfortunately, as lunch hour only lasts so long, Jon was forced to abandon Becky with the afternoon yet to come.

Daina Saves the Day
One boy, Nayham, was particularly unhappy, though neither boy seemed to calm down more than a few minutes at a time, and never together. Daina was having a difficult time with his name and kept calling him "Mayhem." Well, the name stuck. Daina was particularly excited to have twin babies in the house. At one time, Becky enlisted Daina to help feed Onyx. As Daina sat on the couch, feeding the boy, she cooed, "I've been dreaming of feeding a baby for my whole life!"

A dream come true?

In the early afternoon, both boys miraculously fell asleep at the same time. Becky looked forward to having a little time for relaxation, but thought she had better get started with dinner preparations while she had a chance. She had previously committed to providing dinner for a family in the ward who had just welcomed a new baby and offered to make dinner for the twins' family as well (when you're already doing a meal for one family, it's not much more trouble to add to everything and do two, right?).

It seemed that no sooner had Becky started stirring a sauce that needed to boil and thicken, then one of the twins woke up and started wailing (it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes since he'd fallen to sleep). Becky asked Daina to see if she could do something to keep him happy for a few minutes. Daina eagerly went upstairs to Meile's room (where Nayham was sleeping in his carseat) and started singing and dancing and shaking a little toy in his face. She was having some success, but then Onyx (sleeping in Mom and Dad's room) woke up and started crying as well. Daina ran across the hall to entertain Onyx with the same song and dance, only to be called back to the other room by a wailing Nayham. And so began a frantic routine of singing and dancing and racing back and forth across the hall.

In spite of Daina's valiant efforts, the cries of the twins only intensified. Finally, in frustration, she called downstairs, "Mom, could you please move Onyx into Meile's room so I don't have to run back and forth?!" When Becky was finally able to relieve Daina, the poor little thing collapsed in exhaustion on the couch and exclaimed, "Taking care of babies is HARD work!" Amen!

The Kids Provide Some Back-Up
As the kids got home from school, everyone pitched in. Meile dived into the dinner preparations while the boys helped to entertain the twins. I was very impressed by their hard work.

Skeptical Matthew
Matthew alternated from curious to annoyed with the arrival of the twins. He was often found peering right up to their faces saying hello or climbing into their little carseats. However, in time it appeared that he didn't appreciate being preempted by the babies and began to look upon them with more and more skepticism. I think I even saw Matthew give one of his little kicks on Mayhem as Becky was occupied by the other. Nothing terribly forceful, more of a message like, "Hey, are you going to be screaming like that all day, man."

Upon arrival from school, Christopher took Matthew out for some good one-on-one time, which was a great assistance. One benefit for Matthew, however, is that he became acquainted with his old infant swing again to some delightful results.

The second week of Mayhem and Onyx (since coined O-Dog by the family) was far less eventful. Becky was sick so Jon stayed home for the first part of the day and managed things until lunch ended. Meile was scheduled to return early from school (2pm) so we anticipated a much easier time all around. Fortunately, Mayhem and O-Dog also seemed much more accustomed to visits as they were both more manageable. Each took some nap of some more manageable length (perhaps even 30 minutes) and Becky was able to get the rest she needed.

In the end, we grew from the experience. Daina certainly had the best time as her dreams became a reality, but the rest of us really appreciated the chance to help out. Though, I think it is safe to say that Becky and Jon are very comfortable with the five we have.