Reflections of a mother..........

Today I've been thinking about how much I love my children and the joy that they bring into my life. It is an interesting experience watching them grow from little ones to adults making their own decisions and way in life. Each stage brings it's ups and downs but I guess that is the way life is.

The love I feel for my children remains no matter what they do or say. I laugh with them in times of joy and weep with them in times of pain and sadness. I go through what they go through. It is hard sometimes because all I want to do is take away the pain and, even though mother's can fix most hurts, sometimes there are things you just can't put a bandaid on. All I can do is be there to support them through those times.

Each of my children is unique and are special to me for different reasons. Without any one of them my life would not be the same. They are individuals but are part of me.

Being a mother is awesome. I am so thankful for the opportunity I've have to be a mother, to learn the things I have and to feel the joy I've felt. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I look forward to many more years of the same.

It Takes Two

What better place to start than at the beginning and on the day of my birthday - 11th March. Leonie and I were born to Judith Amy (Redpath) and Ivan Frederick Goodwin in the centre of Melbourne City at the Queen Victoria Hospital which no longer exists. I came first and then 34 mins later Leonie made her entrance into the world. We were tiny weighing in at 4lb 1/4oz and 4lb 5oz respectively and 16 3/4 inches long and in mum's words we looked like drowned rats.

Mum had not know until her 8th month of pregnancy that she was carrying twins and it was exciting time for all the family (mum, dad and grand great and great great grandparents) leading up to our birth. In fact when mum found out she called dad at the Navy Base to tell him she was expecting twins he would not believe her. It took some convincing but eventually he realised that she was telling him the truth.

Being a twin is something that is not easy to explain, especially being an identical twin. I cannot imagine my life without Leonie. She has always just been there pretty much from the time we were conceived. Even before we were born into this world we grew in and shared the same space inside our mother. We are two individual people, that's for sure, but we are alike in many ways. Sometimes we finish each other's sentences and without even saying it there are times when I just know what she is thinking or I will say something and it is exactly what she was about to say - even down to the exact words. It is freaky sometimes but I wouldn't have it any other way.

In my case it really does Take Two because if one of us were missing then it wouldn't be the same.