Fourth-Sixth Grade December 7, 2007

     When it came time to make requests for fourth grade, I asked my kids if they wanted to be in the same classroom.  It was nice for me in regards to homework and field trips to have them in the same classroom, but this was their school experience, not mine.  My kids were both academically strong and the choices for fourth grade teachers at our school were good.  My daughter decided she wanted to be in a class by herself and with it being okay with my son, we requested separate teachers.  It was strange, they had been together since pre-school.  However, it was the best thing that could have happened.

     My son, even though very bright had difficulties with organization.  He relied on his sister frequently for homework assignments.  My kids were also different in their strenths and interests and we decided it was a good year to try separate classrooms. One of the fourth grade teachers was excellent in teaching science and math, while the other was strong in writing.    My son chose the science and math teacher and my daughter requested the teacher that excelled in writing.  It was the best decision we ever made.  My son worked hard on becoming organized.  I purchased an expandable file notebook to help him keep his papers organized.  He was able to be himself in the classroom and not be in the shadow of his sister.  This ended up being his favorite teacher and school year.

     My daughter also did very well.  Without her brother in the classroom, she worked on building her friendships.  Academically and socially, it was the best decision that we made.

     My kids are now in the sixth grade.  They get along, but they still have their moments.  They continued to request different teachers for fifth and sixth grade, which I can now say I am glad.  My son still loves playing football and my daughter now plays volleyball.  I continue to work hard to keep the lines of communication open and to make sure my kids know how much they are loved.  I know I am still over protective.  I make it a point to get to know my kid’s friends and their parents.  Life can be challenging, knowing when to let go and allowing your kids to learn from their mistakes.  I guess that is all a part of growing up…

Kindergarten-third grade December 1, 2007

     When my kids turned five we combined the office and guest bedroom and gave each kid their own bedroom.  It was fun painting and decorating the rooms…one pink and the other blue.  It was different for my kids at first.  They had been together for so long it took some getting used to.  We just felt it was time for them to have their own space. 

     Then came kindergarten, the first day of school was hard…for me that is.  I cried after I dropped the twins off and waited anxiously for the bus to bring them home.  I decided to keep my kids in the same class for kindergarten, it not only was easier to have them both in the same class, it was reassuring to me that they were together.  My kids enjoyed school. I worked with my kids all summer long preparing them for school.  We read a lot!  There are so many fun activities available for children to give them a head start in school, I highly recommend it.

     I started volunteering in the classroom shortly after the school year began.  It was a great way to get to know the teacher and students and to be able to see first hand what was going on in the classroom.  Interacting with other students also gave you an idea socially and developmentally where children were at this age.  It was definitely a positive experience.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students and being a support system for their teacher. 

      My kids started playing soccer in kindergarten.  It was a lot of fun and great exercise.  Learning how to be a member of a team was also beneficial.  My daughter decided after her first season that she didn’t want to play soccer, but wanted to do gymnastics instead.  My son kept playing soccer until third grade when he decided to try flag football.

   In regards to school, I decided to keep my kids together in the same class through third grade. I continued working in the school and I found it to be a wonderful experience getting to know all of the students.  My kids were doing very well in school.  I worked with them a lot outside of school and during the summer.  Reading instead of T.V. was always encouraged.  I was lucky that academically and socially my children were doing well.  

     When issues did come up we always talked about it.  My kids were forming their own identities and friends, which was good.  Third grade was the last year that we had a combined birthday party.  My kids still got along, but they had different interests.  My son loved sports and playing rough and my daughter was more interested in art.  I encouraged them to be their own person.  In addition, I worked with them on settling disagreements on their own.  They were growing up…

Pre-school November 26, 2007

     I can’t believe how fast the years flew by.  My twins were now four and ready for pre-school.  I enrolled them in a highly recommended pre-school affiliated with a local church.  I was very pleased with the program.  There were several teachers, but I opted to keep the twins in the same class.  The first day was the hardest to drop them off.  My kids had been very sheltered and only family members had watched over them since they were born.  The teacher was accommodating and allowed parents to stay as long as they liked.  I finally left to the parking lot that is…Eventually I was able to drop them off and actually enjoyed a little freedom to run errands.

     Even though my kids developed a slight attitude after starting pre-school, I would highly recommend it.  My kids loved it.  The socialization skills alone were worth it.  My children learned how to follow a teacher’s directions and interact with other children.  I think the attitude was part of testing their boundaries and being around new children.  The key for getting through the attitude issue was talking.  We talked a lot, not only about what they were learning from their pre-school teacher, but other children as well.  I have found that having an open dialogue was essential, starting pre-school can be quite stressful on children.  The year went by fast and it was now time for kindergarten…

6 months-3 years November 21, 2007

     The early years went by so fast.  So many firsts…  My daughter started to walk when she was 12 months and it was almost 14months before my son walked.  I charted everything.  Every food that they ate, every mile stone that they reached.  I tried not to compare the two of them, but I know I did. I read as much as I could about where they should be developmentally. I wanted to make sure they were developing at a normal rate. 

     By time the twins were two they were in to everything.  My son was the escape artist.  We ended up having to put on one of those chains that you see on apartment and hotel doors  after my son escaped out the front door and down the street…on my husbands watch.   My son then tried the back door and you guessed it…we got another chain!  Of course he still attempted to escape and got his little body stuck in between the door.  I think that cured him.  Then my daughter climbed up on top of her dresser and it almost tipped over…on my husbands watch.  Seems to be a trend here. We were so lucky she was not hurt.  Please bolt your tall furniture to the wall.  We never really had the terrible two’s, challenging maybe, but definitely not terrible.  They were developing their own personalities.  They shared a room and seemed to enjoy each others company.    

     Three’s were definitely more difficult than two’s, especially with my son. He decided to develop an attitude.  Perhaps it was the stress of potty training.  It was easy with my daughter.  My son definitely needed sticker motivation.  We had to really limit his liquids close to bed time and usually took him to the bathroom in the middle of the night until he was three.  Children at this age are testing their limits and learning and growing so fast! I was patient and tried to engage them with new and interesting activities.  I read to them a lot and played lots of games and we got through it.  Setting up a routine and having a lot of patience is helpful.  I found my children’s attention span wasn’t great at this age so I always brought along a variety of toys and snacks wherever I went. I couldn’t believe how fast they were growing.  Before I knew it they turned four and were ready for pre-school…

0-6 Months November 17, 2007

     For the first few months after my twins were home from the hospital I hardly slept at all.  I continually checked on the kids making sure they were okay.  Finally, we decided to let them stay with me in our room so that I could get some rest.  That seemed to help. Since the twins were preemies their sucking mechanisms hadn’t been developed and this required that we do tube feeding.  Additionally, we had to keep track of every diaper change and record it for the doctor to make sure they were eating enough.  We were basically feeding around the clock.  Even so, they were so small,  even the preemie clothes were too big. 

        I didn’t like taking the twins out in public those first few months, everyone always wanted to touch them or hold them. Complete strangers!  I admit I was a germ phobic.  I would only let family or close friends touch and hold the twins and only after they washed their hands! I know I was over protective…I still am.

        Sleeping…or lack there of…Most parents talk about wanting their babies to sleep through the night, we had to actually wake them up to feed them! I  still remember the first time that they slept through the night.  They were 5 months old and we had taken a trip up to my mom’s cabin for the weekend.  We had spent the day relaxing at the beach.  I put them down as usual and went to bed.  The next thing I remember was waking up in the morning petrified that there was something wrong…guilty that I had slept through the night…I rushed into their room and they were just fine…they were happy, hungry and just fine!  I could finally relax…

     

Finally Arrived November 14, 2007

     I was so nervous for my c-section.  My husband and I had signed up for birthing classes and part of the class is where they show you a movie about someone having a c-section.  Oh yeah that was helpful!! I was being prepped for surgery, my husband was by my side and I was shaking uncontrollably.  I remember lying there and seeing all these people around me in the operating room.  It was an eerie feeling.  Everything started out fine. My son was born first and then my daughter.  They started to hand my son to me and then I could see that something was wrong with his color, and they whisked him away to ICU with my husband.  I was still really out of it.  Thankfully, my daughter was fine and I was able to hold her.  I was placed in a recovery room and it seemed like forever before they brought me my daughter.  My son was still in ICU with my husband so they sent me a Polaroid picture of my little boy all hooked up to machines.  I wanted to see him, but was unable.

     Luckily, my son was fine by the next day and I was able to see them both.  Thankfully, my mom was also now here.  We were required to stay in the hospital for a week because they were still considered premature and I was recovering.  That was the worst week.  I was so worried that someone was going to mistakenly take my twins home I wanted them with me at all times.  Anyone that has spent any time in a hospital knows how little sleep you get. In addition, the pain medicine I received gave you that falling sensation.  I just wanted to go home.  After a week, I got my wish and we all were able to go home.  My mom stayed with us, which was a blessing, for now the real work began…

Off to the Hospital November 11, 2007

     I am so thankful that I listened to the nurses and took seriously the need to do movement counts.  It was the first part of March and I was sitting on the couch taking my  counts and I only got three movements.  That was cause for alarm as that was a minimum number I was to have.  I called the doctor’s office immediately and they instructed me to take the counts again.  I did, and this time I only counted two, then, one.  The doctor’s office told me to get to the hospital immediately.  Of course my husband and everyone else was at work, and I didn’t have time to waste.  I jumped (ok waddled) into my car and drove myself the 25 minute drive to the hospital.  I was admitted to the hospital and placed in a room.

     The  hardest part of all this was my family was about three hours away.  Luckily, my  doctor  happened to be on duty at the hospital.  He had me hooked up to just about every monitor you can imagine.  It was determined that for whatever reason, whenever I moved I was cutting off air supply to the twins.  My doctor informed me that I would not be able to leave the hospital until the twins were delivered.  Fortunately, I was on bed rest and was taking the nurses advice seriously about taking movement counts.  If I had not been taking my counts and was not proactive in getting to the hospital, it very well could have been too late.  The doctor ordered an amnio to check the lung development of the twins.  Of course I was petrified, because originally my doctor did not have me take an amnio because of the potential risk of miscarriage.  He assured me it was necessary.  I have to say that long needle is very intimidating!  It was determined that the twin’s lung were developed enough and the risk of not delivering was too high.   I was scheduled for my c-section the next day…

Bed Rest November 6, 2007

     When I first found out I had to take a leave of absence from my job and go on bed rest, I have to say I was not thrilled.  I was not due until March and it was only October.  Because my pregnancy was considered high risk I had the nurse call me every day to make sure I was home with my feet up drinking plenty of water.  The doctor’s office even furnished the water bottle!  I decided to make the most of my time off and get organized.  I started reading a wonderful book, What to Expect When Your Expecting and all the information I could gather about twins.  I started making lists of questions I had so I could go to my doctor’s visits prepared.  I wanted to be as informed as possible.  I made lists of all the things I had and needed for the twins. I allowed myself to make short trips in the beginning, however, by December when I was buying my cribs and dressers and trying to decorate the nursery it was very difficult to get around.  I always tried to be careful not to push it, but it was hard when I had be so used to being on the go all the time.  Luckily, I had some wonderful friends that kept me company. 

     By January I was required to go to the doctors twice a week for non-stress tests.  I don’t know who ever came up with that genius name, because they certainly were stressful!  I know non-stress for the babies!  It was tricky at first hooking up the monitors for the twins, but I have to say I got really good at showing the nurses exactly where to place the monitors.  I had to be very careful because my son was breech and I was told I had to have a c-section.   Monitoring the twins in a high risk pregnancy was very important.  By February I was required to go to the hospital for tests every other day.  (So much for bed rest!)  I was then instructed on how to take counts at home of the twins movements.  I did this religiously. Thank goodness…

Congratulations your are having twins! November 1, 2007

     It was October and I had known for two months that I was pregnant.  I didn’t want to tell anyone until I was further along, as I had experienced some previous disappointments.  That day started out like any other day, morning sickness at work!!!  Then I started to feel like something was not right. Call it a mother’s intuition.  I called the doctor and because of my previous history he scheduled an ultra-sound immediately.  My husband and I nervously drove to the hospital and waited our turn.  The technician was kind during my examination, I am sure he knew how scared we were.  The next thing I remember him  saying was, “Well, everything appears to be fine and as a matter of fact it looks like you are having twins.”  I thought he was joking!  Twins, as far as I knew did not run in either of our families and I was not currently taking any fertility drugs.  Once we got over our initial shock, we were thrilled.  I had wanted to have two children and this was a dream come true!  My pregnancy was determined to be high risk and I was ordered to take a leave from my job and was put on bed rest.  What a life changing day…