Tim > Naomi > Suze > Me. Fourth birthday.
You know it might sound trite but I've never really given much thought to being a quad. Why would you? Do you give much thought to being the eldest? Or youngest? It kinda is what it is.
And then I had kids.
And this fourth birthday party photo, which actually represents the beginning of memory for me (this day is the first thing I remember) is interesting as a parent. Check out those children. They're all clean. They all have their hair done. No one is poking anyone and everyone looks pretty happy.
How did she do it?
Four homemade birthday cakes. Mum, are they sponges? They look like sponge cakes to me. Individually iced and decorated.
See where I'm going with this?
Check this out:
That's four little babes. Once I used to see Nan looking unrecognizable and four wee babes. Now I see Mum's gorgeous glossy blow-dried hair and a fancy clip. She doesn't look hysterical, she looks pretty happy and relaxed.
The reality of those four babies is, even to me, really, um, a little unreal.
Four hats to find, four lots of sunscreen, four sets of clothes to find at the other end of the activity. Bless her for not just putting us in a playpen for four years.
This lot, above, same age as Tilly is now. What strikes me about this one is that Mum made those dresses. Aren't they great?
Tim > me > Naomi > Suze
When I think it's all a bit full on I ring my mum. She never ever even implies that I should get a grip and think about how it was for her, a Sydney girl in the country with her parents hours away by car, a dairy-farming husband and four babies.
Hats off, please raise your glass. Mum, you are amazing. And do you by any chance still have that hairclip?
xxx
