[Dutch Lock Down Day Two Hundred Five]
I’m oke.
Everyone in the house is oke.
But not everyone in the house WAS oke.
But first the news:
- Dutch coronavirus figures are ‘very bad’, Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial
- Coronavirus infections near 6,000 today; Covid hospitalizations top 1,100
- The Netherlands as one of Europe’s new coronavirus hotspots
The summary sometimes go before the cut. Boy Twin fell off his balance bike and busted his lip. I picked him up, told Girl Twin to get onto his bike, fast walked home, cleaned him up, settled him down, and when the adrenaline left, well, I feel like jello.
The twins and I have a habit in the mornings and evenings – we go to / from the daycare by foot. Boy Twin takes the balance bike, Girl twin takes my finger, and we walk – it’s about a fifteen minute walk or so both ways and there is one particularly busy street, but it’s mostly chill and manageable, even when one of them is being angry, as Boy Twin often is, in the mornings lately.
A few days ago, we were walking TO daycare and Boy Twin decided he wanted to pick up a stick and carry it and I pointed out that he couldn’t carry a stick and ride the bike, so he got off the bike.
Me: “Do you want Girl Twin to ride the bike?”
Boy Twin: “Yeah.”
Me: “Girl Twin, do you want to ride the bike?”
Girl Twin: “Yeah.”
She got on the bike, he took my hand, and we finished travelling to daycare.
I walked the whole way in a daze.
It was The FIRST Time that having twins was so OBVIOUSLY an advantage.
And it blew my mind.
Today we were going HOME when Boy Twin was pouting over the handlebars, Girl Twin and I were walking away from the pouting Little.
Then there was a thunk.
Then there was howling.
The bike had slipped out from under him; he smacked his bottom lip hard.
There really was a ton of blood.
I scooped him up and said, “Girl Twin, please get on the bike?”
And she did.
And we flew to the house.
The bleeding stopped. And the crying.
And eventually the hardest bit was convincing Boy Twin to stop eating the ice cream to save room for dinner. And convincing Girl Twin that she needed to eat dinner FIRST so that, yes, AFTER, she could also eat an ice cream.
And the adrenaline LEFT the building.
And now? Now I’m so drained and exhausted I can hardly type. But the twins are safely in bed. And it’s time to put First Minion to bed. And then I can go to bed, too. As drained and exhausted as I am, I’m still super stoked about how I did.
I stayed calm.
I got him home.
I cleaned him up.
I calmed him down.
And I stopped the bleeding.
And he’s oke.
We’re all oke.