[NICU Graduation Record] The growth of each twin discovered on the day of the checkup

Hello, I'm Kiipikumin.

I am a father raising three children.
I have a 5-year-old eldest son and twin daughters born last year.

Currently, I am on childcare leave and living a life centered around childcare with my wife.

This time, I'd like to talk about how I saw a new side of my twins when I took them to the hospital one by one.

My eldest daughter and second daughter had a detailed examination.

The twins, who graduated from the NICU, visit a follow-up outpatient clinic regularly. This was part of that.

However, this examination had a slightly troublesome condition.

They need to be asleep while receiving it.

Moreover, only one person can be examined per day. Therefore, I first took my second daughter, and then a few days later, I took my eldest daughter to the hospital.

It takes two hours by car to get to the hospital.

The examination needs to be done while they are asleep.

However, they definitely fall asleep when they get in the car.

So, we headed to the hospital a little early.

The strategy was to have them wake up once, play plenty with picture books and toys, and then go for the examination when they got tired.

To be honest, I felt a bit heavy-hearted on the day of the examination.

I had to go through a similar schedule twice, and I didn't know if the examination would go well.

I headed to the hospital with those feelings.

However, there was an unexpected discovery.

The hour spent reading picture books and playing with toys.

Before I knew it, it had become time just for my second daughter and me.

A few days later, it was time just for my eldest daughter and me.

In our family of five, there is almost no time like this.

Even though I am on childcare leave, if my eldest son says, 'Let's have a Pokemon battle,' the battle begins, and there is housework to do.

If someone cries, I prioritize them.

So, the time spent facing only one of the twins was surprisingly precious.

And that time was interesting.

My second daughter likes playing with her body.

When I hold her and play bus, she makes a happy face every time she sways.

Even when she gets sleepy, if I play bus or lift her high, she immediately gets in a good mood.

On the other hand, my eldest daughter likes playing by touching toys with her hands or putting them in her mouth.

At home, I only thought, 'She's licking it again.'

But when I look closely, she isn't just licking it.

She changes the depth of putting it in her mouth, and she sucks or blows on it.

It seems she is doing her own research.

Even though they are twins born on the same day, their favorite games and reactions are different.

Each has their own personality.

I thought I was with them every day.

Even so, their growth is progressing in places I don't see.

No, to be precise, maybe I just wasn't seeing it.

The day of the examination was, if anything, depressing.

But when it was over, it was a precious time to face each of the twins.

The results of the examination were also fine.

For now, I am relieved.

I hope the next outpatient visit also ends without any problems.

Thank you for reading until the end!

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