Raising Twins IV

I had all of these wonderful ideas of how it would be to raise twins. I initially said a lot of "I will not's" and "I would never's". I said I wouldn't get them confused. Oh my gosh!! They looked so much alike that we had to do something! Their hospital bracelets stayed on them until they were about three or four months old! We didn't take them off until the boys outgrew them! They were so difficult to tell apart! We only knew for a while that Nathan was "Baby A" and Matthew was "Baby B", so, that is what we used to tell them apart. Once their personalities and looks became a little more pronounced, we didn't need the bracelets any more. They still confuse me once in a while. Luckily, now, I can even tell their voices apart!

I said I would NEVER give them rhyming names. I managed to do that, sort of. Matt is actually Christopher Matthew and Nathan is Nathanael Loander. Nathan and Matthew was close enough to rhyming for my taste. Then my goofy cousin said he was going to call them "Matt" and "Nat", which had never occurred to me, and I nearly lost it on him! I finally just said, "he is not a BUG!!" So, problem solved. Then, Nathan THOUGHT about letting his friends call him "Nat" until Mama put her foot down.

I said I wouldn't be one of "those" parents who dressed their twins alike all the time. I lied. It started with baby shower outfits. It became convenient. It also became a habit to buy two of everything when shopping. It became a way of keeping track. Two boys in the same shirt were a lot easier to keep up with in a store or somewhere else than two boys in different outfits! Also, I couldn't put one boy in a baseball outfit and a ballerina outfit! I mean, come on! There's only so much cute stuff out there for boys, anyway! I still buy two of most everything. Now, I do it just so they won't fight over shirts, pants, shoes, etc. I may get the same shirt in a different pattern or color. I may buy six of the same pair of jeans, just because they are boys and the same size. Besides, this way, technically, they each have double the wardrobe!

What a Week!

This week has probably been one of the most difficult since the move. I won't say it has been THE most difficult, because there have been MULTIPLE weeks with difficulty! :) However, three trips to the emergency room, working a full week, and the kids going back to school do tend to add up to a difficult week!

Monday was my first day working with my new faculty. I went back to work after spending the weekend cleaning up the mess in the basement that was left from the flooding that week. I got home from work to find my mother not doing well. She was in her bed, wouldn't focus on me, and could barely speak. I called 911 while she fought me, trying to take the phone away because she didn't want to go to the hospital. I won. Turns out she had a mild stroke. She was hospitalized overnight, blood taken repeatedly, and came home the next day.

Tuesday was more meetings, listening to speakers, and working on lessons a bit. However, I had to leave early to take care of Mama. Once she was released from the hospital, she needed monitoring.

Wednesday was a LONG day. I had to be at work at 7:30. I didn't get off until nearly 7:00. We had meetings, speakers, some time in our rooms, and Open House. I got to meet the parents of a number of my students as well as some students. I was EXHAUSTED when I got home!

Thursday, when I got home, fixed dinner, and got ready for our walk, Abbi asked me to look at her arm. I took her to the bathroom and cleaned it with peroxide. I told her to leave it open so it could get some air while we walked. She burned it Monday evening on the side of a baking pan. After our walk, I looked at the wound, again. It was red, raised, puffy, and had a red streak running up beyond her elbow. The burn was just above her wrist. Trip number two to the ER. She had either a strep or staph infection. The doctor didn't feel it necessary to run a $300 test, so, started treating her with two antibiotics, plus, topical ones.

Friday, back to work. (I worked, Thursday, too :D). When I got home, Abbi's arm was more red and puffy, with a second streak running up her arm. BACK to the ER. The doctor was great. He was patient and asked us to give the meds another 24 hours to start working really well. Chris and I agreed. We then went and got some groceries, fed everyone, and I pretty much collapsed.

What have I learned from all of this? One thing I have learned is that it is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry. I initially thought Mama was having a panic attack. I also initially thought that Abbi would be ok with topical treatment for a couple of days. My instinct kicked in over my brain. I am so glad I listened to my heart rather than my head! I have learned that I am tough! I can deal with lots of things that have been thrown at me (but, I don't WANT to have another week like this one!). I have learned that the closer we get to getting something started for our church plant and building relationships, the harder we are going to be fought! As I said in my facebook status on Thursday morning, anticipating the first day of school...BRING IT!!