5/12/10

Check Ups


This post was inspired by Safire over at Waterfalling Up - she has a new blog design and lots of cool giveaways this week.  Check her out!

In the past I have always scheduled the girls' yearly checkups on a Saturday so that Andy could come with me.  It was just too nuts with me bringing them by myself.  This year I couldn't get a Saturday appointment close to their birthday so I just picked something during the week and decided this was the year they would just have to learn to start behaving.  And, thankfully, they did a pretty good job.

They both wanted to bring their doctor's kits with them and I thought it was a great idea.  Getting all the parts into the teeny box was another story - why do they make that box so shallow?  Sheesh. 

One girls sat while the other was being checked.  This is a very small office, only one doctor and 2 nurses, so the girls know everyone.  I chose a practice like this on purpose because I didn't want to see a different doctor everytime I took them - I like consistency.  He is an internist, too, so he is Andy and my doctor as well.  I like small town livin'.

First were the height and weight checks - Katie is about 2 inches taller and 3 pounds heavier than Maddie, but that was no surprise.  All you have to do is look at them to see that.  Katie is all muscle - it amazes me.  Maddie is still soft and jiggly - just like her mommy!

They had their eyes checked, too - and they both did great.  I have a feeling that they will both end up with glasses someday, considering Andy, I, and all our parents had glasses - and all but one of our brothers.  But for now they are fine. 

They get the biggest kickout of that blood pressure thingy.  The use their toy ones at home constantly on anyone or anything that will sit still.  Me, Andy, their dolls, stuffed animals, you name it.  If it has a limb it will have its blood pressure checked.  So you can imagine how much they LOVED seeing the real thing in action and having someone do it to them. 

This part of the exam went great - nothing to set them off.  I knew they were getting shots and I casually mentioned it to them once or twice so I let them practice on my at home with their little pink syringe that came with their kit.  I made them do it to my arm fast and then I would say "Ouch!  Hey - that was fast - not bad at all."  I didn't want to pretend that it wouldn't hurt, it felt like lieing, but I wanted them to know that it was over quickly.  They always laughed at me and I would laugh back.  I felt like Pavlov trying to condition my girls to laugh at the sound of my "ouch!"

Once we got into the examining room we had to put those little gowns on them - and the looked so cute!


That kit came out again and kept them very nicely occupied - they just kept examining each other.  They finally they got to see their buddy, Dr. B.  He is such a calm person - it's so nice.  No rushing - no talking fast - he thinks before he responds to my questions - it's such a nice atmosphere for the girls.  He tells them what he's going to check - the other one watches - it's great. 









Dr. B doesn't do their shots - he has the nurse take care of that.  He doesn't want the girls to associate him with the pain.  The nurses laugh and are like, "sure - let them blame us!"  But it is a good idea.

They took their shots (2 each) in stride (just a little crying but I kept saying "It's over fast, right?  Right?" and they agreed through watery eyes) and were rewarded with Dum Dums - brown for Katie (she loves the root beer) and Maddie likes the orange ones.  Mommy snagged a cherry!

It was a great visit and I was very happy that they behaved so well.  It easily could have gone the other way. 

And now they love to say, "No more shots until next year! Yay!"


5/11/10

Learning the ropes

Our hospital offers a Sibling's Class so that the "big brothers and big sisters to be" can get an idea of how life will change once a new baby comes into their lives.  I wasn't going to do it, but in the end changed my mind after thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea.  (At least they can't blame me years from now that I didn't prepare them!)

They had to bring a picture of them as a baby and a doll or stuffed animal with them.  It was nice - first each child (there were about 10 of them) walked around the room with the instructor and showed their baby picture to everyone while the parents told a special thing about them as a baby.  I said that Maddie was wide eyed and just loved to look at everything around her.  Katie was a screamer and a climber.  Both of those hold true to this day!

Then they got the chance to practice diapering their dolls.

They both loved this part and took it sooooo seriously.  Good!  Because anytime they want to step in with this new little one is fine by me!

They watched a cute little movie that showed a new big brother and all the changes that were happening in his house.  The instructors went over how to hold a baby ("Never pick up the baby!") and all the things that the baby couldn't do that they COULD.  Like eat ice cream.  I have a feeling there are going to be lots of ice cream requests over the summer!

We also got a tour of the new Maternity Ward - no pictures allowed.  It's all brand new, even from when I was there four years ago.  I did manage to get a single room to myself last time, mostly because I had twins, but now ALL the rooms are singles!  Whoo hoo!  I don't share well. 

Andy slept on a cot for 4 nights last time and now there is a nice built in couch/window seat for him.  He's excited about that. 

I had a C-Section with the girls, but only because Katie was breech and she was first.  So I am going for a VBAC this time and my OB is all for it.  I told him that if it looks like things aren't going well and I need to have another C to just wheel me on in.  I want to try for the VBAC, but I'm not being stupid about it.

Another new thing with this one is that we are using cloth diapers.  But that's a whole 'nother post!

5/10/10

Not like the old days

We have been loving this weather lately, even though it plummeted in the last few days.  The girls had off their birthday week and we spent a lot of it outside with some of their new presents.  They wanted roller skates and I wanted to get them new bicycles.

Their grandparents came over their actual birthday-day and we opened presents from them that night and as promised, my mom got them the much longed for roller skates.  They are just like the kind I had when I was little - they expand to fit around your sneakers.  Except these are cute friendly, pink plastic princess ones and mine were hard, unforgiving metal that would probably have given me tetanus if I fell on them the wrong way.  But hey - we all survived.  And what's with the helmet and knee pads, Katie?  It's no fun unless you're risking life and limb.

Maddie, who has never been adventurous as Katie, saw her sister wobbling around and decided that bubbles would do her just fine, thank you very much.  Which was fine with me, too, - because as much as Maddie doesn't like the athletics, I don't like it when she falls and had bloody scabs for days either.  Hey - she has other gifts - the kid was reading when she was two - she'll be just fine.

Her goal was to blow a BIG bubble and she just couldn't get it - and not for lack of trying.  So I jumped in "Mommy will show you how!" and darn it if I couldn't do it either.  I blew into the wand reaaalllll sllooooowww and it just wasn't happening.  Skates and bubbles.  They just don't make them like they used to.

I'm Staging a Comeback!

Hey all!  Just getting my act together and getting ready to enter the world of blogging again.  This pregnancy has been a toughie compared to the girls, which is ironic considering there's one less little one in there now, but with only five weeks left I can see the finish line!

Stay tuned for more ... and the reveal of a new blog in June .. can't still be calling myself "Twice is Nice" if there are THREE little ones!

Love and miss you all!