The past month has been full of changes for the twins.
My daughter is talking up a storm, labeling everything, running everywhere, eating me out of house & home and climbing out of her crib. Best of all, she adores her twin brother. She'll bring him his sippy cup, share snacks (on occasion), push him as he sits on a push-toy and generally needs to be around him at all time.
My son has changed so much in the past month. He's turned into a climbing monkey, taken independent steps, cruises with confidence, attempts to get into standing position from sitting, babbles A LOT, shows me his toys, offers me a bite of his muffin but pulls it back at the last second (laughing all the while) and generally enjoying life. It's good. It's very, very good. I'd even go so far as to say that he struggles less with diaper changes! Like his sibling, he needs to be around his sister 24/7. It's like they are each others' fuel or maybe it's the twin connection.
I recall meeting a woman at the lactation clinic when the twins were a couple of weeks old, I was there to get some help with my son's latch. She told me that the twins were very fortunate to have each other and I agreed, not really knowing what else to say (in the early days many a stranger stopped to tell me some droning story about their father's cousin's stepdaughter's aunt who had twins). The woman went on to say how lucky they are to have had each other since the very beginning, "since always" she said. I think of that often - since always - and it warms the heart knowing they are so interconnected yet so different, that they will impact and shape each others' lives and have been since conception.
I love them both so very much.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Walking on Sunshine
I have some Big News to report: the little guy took his first independent steps yesterday and took a bunch more this morning! I was wishing and hoping that he'd be walking by his second birthday (less than one week away) so I am simply bursting with pride.
My son is fascinated by his twin sister. Whatever toy she is playing with - he wants, if she looks out the window- he'll look out as well, if she laughs and sings - he does the same. So last night she was playing with some toys on the t.v. cabinet and I was holding him in standing position. I was only supporting him by my index finger which was touching his spine. He really, really wanted the toy that his sister had so I gave him a little shove with my finger and, four steps later, he arrived at his destination and promptly ripped the toy out of his sister's hand!
I'm on cloud nine and I can't wait to help them blow out the candles on their second birthday. I think the next year is going to be full of surprises.
My son is fascinated by his twin sister. Whatever toy she is playing with - he wants, if she looks out the window- he'll look out as well, if she laughs and sings - he does the same. So last night she was playing with some toys on the t.v. cabinet and I was holding him in standing position. I was only supporting him by my index finger which was touching his spine. He really, really wanted the toy that his sister had so I gave him a little shove with my finger and, four steps later, he arrived at his destination and promptly ripped the toy out of his sister's hand!
I'm on cloud nine and I can't wait to help them blow out the candles on their second birthday. I think the next year is going to be full of surprises.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Summertime
I haven't posted much mainly because I've been busy enjoying the summer and working hard not to obsess about my son's diagnosis. Easier said than done.
He had a physical assessment and follow-up appointments with the geneticist and neurologist. We've been given physio sessions at the local children's rehab hospital (once a week for three months) and we will be starting a speech & language program in September called "It Takes Two to Talk". There is also a music program starting up in October through the developmental disabilities centre that I can bring my daughter to so that will be fun. I like the concept of integrated programs and look forward to meeting other families affected by special needs. The fall is shaping up to be busy!
Our meetings with the geneticist and neurologist were relatively uneventful. We again asked the question that only a crystal ball can answer - where will my son be 20 years from now? The only certainties we were given is that he will not go to university and language will always be a problem (I believe the exact words were "his language will never be normal"). Does that mean he'll have trouble reading or will he be illiterate? Will he have difficulty forming sentences or will he be non-verbal? Will he go to a community college or never finish high school? Will he have a job or be completely dependent? Sigh. When I was pregnant, one of the (many) things I worried about was how on earth were we going to pay for their university education. Now I worry how we'll finance the rest of his life. Funny, huh?
On a more positive note, the neurologist said that my son and other young children with his diagnosis and on the same treatment protocol will re-write history. She said that this is an exciting time for research on cerebral creatine deficiencies and that the published papers out there (you know, the depressing ones that say there is no treatment and give a bleak outcome for those affected) are already outdated. She said that we need to focus on early interventions and essentially train my son to learn new skills. It was surprisingly comforting to hear and, dare I say, positive!
We're off to spend more time in the sunshine. My son's new favourite park activity is to crawl up the stairs of the slide and zoom down on his belly, face-first, before I can say go. He's fearless that one, his mama sure has a lot to learn from him.
He had a physical assessment and follow-up appointments with the geneticist and neurologist. We've been given physio sessions at the local children's rehab hospital (once a week for three months) and we will be starting a speech & language program in September called "It Takes Two to Talk". There is also a music program starting up in October through the developmental disabilities centre that I can bring my daughter to so that will be fun. I like the concept of integrated programs and look forward to meeting other families affected by special needs. The fall is shaping up to be busy!
Our meetings with the geneticist and neurologist were relatively uneventful. We again asked the question that only a crystal ball can answer - where will my son be 20 years from now? The only certainties we were given is that he will not go to university and language will always be a problem (I believe the exact words were "his language will never be normal"). Does that mean he'll have trouble reading or will he be illiterate? Will he have difficulty forming sentences or will he be non-verbal? Will he go to a community college or never finish high school? Will he have a job or be completely dependent? Sigh. When I was pregnant, one of the (many) things I worried about was how on earth were we going to pay for their university education. Now I worry how we'll finance the rest of his life. Funny, huh?
On a more positive note, the neurologist said that my son and other young children with his diagnosis and on the same treatment protocol will re-write history. She said that this is an exciting time for research on cerebral creatine deficiencies and that the published papers out there (you know, the depressing ones that say there is no treatment and give a bleak outcome for those affected) are already outdated. She said that we need to focus on early interventions and essentially train my son to learn new skills. It was surprisingly comforting to hear and, dare I say, positive!
We're off to spend more time in the sunshine. My son's new favourite park activity is to crawl up the stairs of the slide and zoom down on his belly, face-first, before I can say go. He's fearless that one, his mama sure has a lot to learn from him.