Ordinary

Round 26: Spring 2023

last update/next update

Evan is 34, Ione is 27 and Justin and Xavier are both 2.
(Lia, Asha and Olivia are all 26, Araminta is 60, Henry is 58, Finn is 22 and Declan is 2)

Narrated by Ione Moretti

I don't get to go out with my girlfriends as often as I used to but now that the twins aren't as little, I try to take some time for myself every now and then. I love playing pool.

Then we have our real catch-up session over dinner!

The most frequent topic last time was the impending birth of Lia's twins. We're all excited for her but I think I'm the most excited. I can't believe we'll both have twins in a few months time.

Lia and I like to tease Olivia and Asha about when they're going to get married and start pumping out babies. Olivia and Steve have been together for almost 8 years and Asha and Luc have been together for almost 10. It's about time, right?

That's usually followed by Asha dismissing us as "old married ladies" and then all of us dissolving into laughter.

If (when!) Olivia and Asha become "old married ladies" too, I hope we can still all stay close. These girls have been my friends since primary school!

I've been an old married lady for exactly 3 years now, which I can't quite believe! The time has passed by so quickly and it's been pretty wonderful.

Starting a family so early into the marriage was difficult but at least Justin and Xavier are sleeping through the night now! We can actually have a little uninterrupted time together once the twins go off to bed.

Evan is still such a great dad. He was so terrified when I got pregnant but he's been fantastic.

I think he used to be a little scared of being alone with them sometimes but he enjoys being with them more now. He does most of the twin stuff once he gets home from work, so I can relax. He's always done that, but he's less fretful bout it now.

I'm really excited that the boys are old enough to play with some of the toys I make now. It's so much cheaper for me to make them than buy them. Xavier still requires supervision though, because he likes to spin faster than his tummy can handle! He's a little daredevil, like Justin.

I'm back at work but only part-time, so I'm still home with the boys a lot. I don't know if it's because I'm not shouldering all of the child care any more, or because they're older but things are a lot less stressful.

Even when they start copping an attitude with me (who knew 2 year-olds could have attitudes?!), it's a breeze compared to dealing with newborns.

It's so hard to say goodbye to them when I go to work but I think I'm sadder than they are. I've organised my work schedule so that I only work on Evan's days off. That sort of thing is easy when your husband is your boss!

I was a bit worried about having two boys; I was always in awe that Evan's parents managed to raise FOUR! But Justin and Xavier are very sweet boys.

They get along so well with their cousin Declan. Finn and I try to get them together as often as we can.

Finn is living out in Exeter with Victoria and their kids. I think our parents were still hoping they'd move in with them after graduation but that was never going to happen. Finn's very independent, so he's liking it in the apartment, even though things are pretty tight, money-wise. Space-wise too, I imagine.

Speaking of my parents, we still can't get rid of them! I'm just kidding; we'll take all the help we can get!

It's just a little strange to walk into Justin's bedroom expecting to see him sleeping and instead he's getting cuddles from his grandpa.

Dad is an awesome grandpa though. He does way more than he needs to but it's definitely appreciated.

And Mum manages to give just enough parenting advice without sounding like she's nagging or being pushy.

Dad though, as much as I love him, is getting a little pushy about the grandchildren thing. He's 58 and he already has 4 but he wants another!

Some days I want to have a third and others, I think I'd be content with the two we've got. Evan doesn't feel any strong desire to expand our family but he would, if I really wanted to. So we don't know if we're done yet. I'll have to find a nice way to tell Dad to butt out so we can discuss it without any external pressure!

Notes:

• Title is from Ordinary by You Am I. Wasn't expecting to find that one on Grooveshark but there you go! It's hard to find Aussie alternative stuff streaming online, especially from the early 90s like this song.
• So how many pictures is too many when all you're shooting is 4 girls having dinner at the pub? Because I took over 40 and used a grand total of 5!
• Henry is the one who invites himself over. Every single day. I teleported Araminta in. But they're both very involved grandparents.
• Ione has the want for a baby, which I've locked but she also has a constant fear of a baby. So I guess she either thinks two is enough, or that's her Pleasure secondary at work. Henry really does want a fifth grandchild but whether he'll get one from Ione and Evan or whether he'll have to bank on Finn and Victoria (or Elspeth, lol!) is up in the air right now. Ione's fear will not necessarily stop me from letting them try. I might take them off BC next round, once the boys are at school, and just see if they try of their own accord.