Memories of the Early Days - part 2
Continuing to look back at the early days following the birth of Baron and Naomi's twins
Archery
The following day, back at camp, Baron needed something a little less taxing, like practicing his archery skills...
Lawrence had come again, to check on Baron's progress....
Jude was impressed....
when Baron hit the bull's-eye every time....
"He clearly still has all his archery skills..."
Lawrence went over to congratulate him...
"Well done!"
"You're still as good a shot as ever."
Moving Rocks
Another strength building exercise for Medieval knights was to try and move huge rocks, while in full armour.
They'd have to use all their strength to try and push over huge boulders in the quarry....
They also had to lift and throw the biggest rocks they could carry...
It was extremely strenuous work.....and they'd have to be careful not to overdo....
A Shoulder Rub
When Baron got home after his first week at training camp, he was aching everywhere...
Naomi gently massaged his aching shoulders....
"How does that feel?"
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"It feels amazing."
Leaving Again
A few days later, Baron had to return to training camp.
"I hate to leave you alone again so soon. But I have to go.""
"It's alright. Narae comes and helps me out sometimes, when she's not too busy."
"And the babies do sleep most of the time."
"At least between their feedings."
"I'll be fine."
And she watched him ride off....
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Chopping Wood
Another exercise for Medieval knights to build up strength and endurance, was to chop wood, again in full armour.
After suiting up, Baron headed over to the wood lot with Jude...
"I know you've done this many times in the past..."
"...and the goal is to try and fill this cart as many times as you can in one day."
"No problem."
"Fine. But you haven't done this for a while. So don't overdo trying to prove something."
So Baron set to work...
He actually used to enjoy chopping wood, although it would have been a lot easier without the armour.
It was a lot of work chopping and splitting the logs...
Then he'd load the cart with the split wood...
...and it wasn't long before he had filled it....
So, he took a little lunch break....
He eyed the piles of logs....'Well, it's not going to do itself,' he thought, 'so I better get back to it.'
Night Feedings
Meanwhile, Naomi wasn't getting much sleep. Her twins needed to be fed every three hours or so, day and night.
And it took almost an hour to feed, change, and put one back to bed.
And no sooner was she done feeding one, but then the other wanted something too....
Exhausted
Naomi was exhausted...
...and was barely getting any sleep...
Trying to Relax
The twins were finally both asleep, and Narae had agreed to keep an ear out for them should they wake, so Naomi decided what she wanted more than anything else right now, was a warm relaxing bath....
She was so tired....
She had known that looking after one newborn was going to be a lot of work, but she wasn't prepared for how exhausting it would be looking after two.
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She lay relaxing in the bath, and didn't hear Baron come home ... "You look exhausted." he whispered.
"I know you wanted to look after our babies by yourself, but I think it might all be a bit too much."
"You are doing an amazing job being a mother, but you can't do everything yourself, and especially not without any sleep. It's wearing you out. I think we should consider getting you some help. You could still continue to feed them yourself, but get someone to help with all the other things, so you can at least rest between feedings."
"I think you're probably right." she agreed.
Lisa
A few days later, Bianca and her girls came to visit Naomi and her babies...
Bianca's niece Lisa was very taken with the babies. Before her mother sent her to live with her aunt in hopes of finding a position at court, Lisa had been a huge help with all her younger brothers and sisters back home, and she was missing them very much.
The other girls were more interested in the babies' toys, but Lisa was totally focussed on the babies....
Naomi was surprised how good Lisa was with them. She may have been young but she had a lot of experience back home with her younger siblings, and she was a natural with the babies.
When Baron returned home, Naomi told him that she'd found the perfect help.
She had offered Lisa the position of live-in nanny to the babies, and Lisa was more than excited to accept.
She was so good with the babies...
Especially with helping to entertain them when they were both awake. So Naomi could finally just relax and enjoy the time she spent with them, knowing both babies were loved and given the same attention....
Bath Time
Everyday life became so much easier now that Naomi had Lisa to help her. The twins were starting to sleep through the night, so Naomi was getting much more sleep herself. And with Lisa there she could help with them whenever they were awake.
Bathing the babies would have been impossible before without any help, unless Naomi left one screaming in their cradle while she bathed the other.
But now, with an extra person to help....
...things seemed so much easier...
...and she could just enjoy being a mother....
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