My Boys

Haven't been able to update our blog for a couple of weeks as we've been experiencing problems with our Internet access. Our ISP finally seems to have got it's act together and so we're now back online!
Have been busy, as always. Boys have been ill yet again...colds but not as bad as last time and they haven't had much recurrence of their asthma this time which is great. Samuel is constantly asking for his nose to be wiped though; Alex just comes up to me and rubs his snotty little nose all over me - lovely - and Jacob just lets his nose run!
I have had a little change to my daily routine though. I've started a weekly session of pilates at one of my friends houses once a week and as well as it being some 'me time' we just have such a laugh. I've also been very busy with my new role/s having joined our local branch of the Australian Multiple Birth Assoc. I've been somewhat over-zealous and ambitious and have signed on as Vice-President (most definately a rushed decision on voting night!) and as Premmie Support Rep. I've been feeling somewhat over-whelmed with the VP role as I had no realistic idea of how much independent work would be required - it's a fundraising role - BUT it's a great challenge, something to get my teeth into, my brain working and a chance to meet some great people along the way. I've already been so inspired by many of the new committee members, particularly our Newsletter Editor. I've therefore set-to and written an article for next months newsletter and thought I'd share it with you. For those of you who know me well, you'll know I wear my heart on my sleeve and this article does indeedshow that.
Here goes...(sorry, it's long!) -
“Hi, I’m Katrina, mum to twins, Samuel & Jacob (26mths) and Alex (9mths). We had a complicated pregnancy with the twins which led to Jacob being profoundly deaf in both ears and having cerebral palsy” ... and here I go again. What I should be saying is “I have 2yr old twins and a 9mth old baby, they’re all beautiful, a real handful at times but a total bundle of joy”. Why do I always have to break into telling everyone Jacob’s deaf and has cerebral palsy?! He’s Jacob, he’s beautiful, he’s a very loving little boy, he has a wicked sense of humour, he’s extremely mischievious, independent, determined and just so very, very patient (a rare attribute for a 2 yr old!). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all embarrassed about the disabilities Jacob has; I’m so very proud of the achievements he’s made to date and how he’s already overcoming the fact that he is different to a lot of other kids his age. I'm still trying to work out why I have to blurt this out as soon as we meet new people. I know I don't want people to judge him, categorise him, treat him as a 'write-off', stare at him, feel sorry for him...the list is endless! I guess it's part of me wanting to protect him and possibly now a habit I've got into...now you all know, so I won't have to blurt anything out when I do in fact meet you! I guess the main thing is, I'm extremely proud of Jacob and I do want to show-off just how well he's doing.
So yes, I am the mum of 3 gorgeous boys who fill my days (and nights sometimes!). It is certainly busy being the mum of multiples and also a parent of a disabled child. Jacob was born profoundly deaf and after 6 or so months there were signs of a physical disability presenting itself. Jacob has spastic quadriplegia with very low muscle tone (hypotonia). He can now sit un-aided and has done so for several months but regularly falls over and most of the time cannot get up on his own. Four months ago he began shuffling round on his bottom, a gigantic milestone for him as it's given him much independence and there is now far more interaction with his brothers, particularly his twin, Samuel. In fact, they quite often play 'chasy' with Samuel bum-shuffling exactly the way Jacob does. Their relationship is continuing to change now Jacob can hear, as he has cochlear implants in both ears. The first was implanted in Sept. last year and the other was Jan. this year. He wasn't hearing anything prior to the implants and he's now showing that he's hearing LOADS e.g. waves when we say goodbye, claps when we tell him he's a clever boy, turns to his name being called. We've never known if Jacob would talk (the CP plays a major role in this as he may not have enough control over the muscles in and around his mouth) but the last few days have shown us some miraculous results...accompanied by many tears! He is saying “eee-ow” when being shown a picture of a cat, “oarrrr” when shown a picture of a lion and just after his tea tonight he looked at me and said “moe” and I have interpreted that as “mum/mam” (even if it wasn't, he can now say “m” which is a start!). Not only that, but he'd knocked off both his coils (part of the cochlear apparatus which needs to be attached to the head in order to hear) yesterday when we were dancing and singing and he asked us to put them back on by putting his hands over his ears and making a vocal noise. Now this out of everything is worth celebrating because any parent of a deaf child who has begun using some form of hearing aid will tell you that until your child actually wants to hear it's a bit of an up-hill struggle.
Well, there you go...oh, and my 3 other boys (not forgetting my husband, Brendan!). They are simply amazing too. Samuel is a chatty, very affectionate, beautifully sensitive, Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-loving, cranking pants sometimes(!) little boy and Alex...well, I reckon he thinks he's a triplet cos he's just about doing everything his brothers are doing, oh, and not to be outdone by Jacob he said “ma-ma” at tea-time for the first time today too!! Brendan, well I reckon I'm the luckiest gal in the world...you'll meet Brendan sometime soon I hope and you'll then know why.
I often think how incredibly lucky Jacob is being a twin. Not only does he have that special twin bond but he has a brother to watch and learn from which I know makes him even more determined in everything he tries. Can't wait to hear what Jacob's next word is going to be...I just hope he doesn't attempt what I said tonight when I dropped something on the kitchen floor!