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Saturday, May 10, 2008
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It's a demanding job
Staff Writer BAXTER - Life has become a little crazy for Alisha Smith, a Baxter second-grade teacher who is now home on maternity leave with her two preschool-age daughters and 4-month-old twins.
While she does still have those days when she can't help but cry - it occurred nearly daily after the twins were born - she loves being a mom.
"Being a mom is kind of a thankless job but your kids don't know any better," said Smith. "But when they hug and kiss you and tell you they love you, that makes it great."
Smith and her husband, Josh, a Pillager fifth-grade teacher and a Brainerd firefighter, have two daughters, Kenna, 5, and Meghan, 4, who are 14 months apart. They wanted one more baby and were happy to discover she was pregnant. She made an appointment at Lakewood Health System in Staples - Dr. Carol Uhlman is her obstetrician - and went in by herself for some tests and an ultrasound when she was about six weeks pregnant. She was shocked to learn she was having twins. She didn't have a cell phone at the time so the half-hour drive back to Baxter seemed to take forever.
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Alisha Smith, Baxter, posed Friday in her front yard with her daughters, Kenna (left), 5; Meghan, 4; and her 4-month-old twins, Natalie (left) and Joe.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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"I think I laughed and cried the whole way home," said Smith.
Her husband was in the laundry room at home when she handed him the ultrasound, which showed the babies labeled "Twin A" and "Twin B." It took him 30 seconds to absorb what he was seeing, she said with a laugh. "No way," he finally said.
At 18 weeks pregnant Smith had another ultrasound and the technician told her that Twin A was definitely a girl and Twin B was likely a girl. So the Smiths were again a little surprised when another ultrasound at 22 weeks revealed that Twin B was actually a boy.
"That was a nice surprise," said Smith. "It was nice to add a boy to the family."
The twins were born on Jan. 9 at Lakewood in Staples. While Natalie was born at 6:23 p.m. by a natural birth, twin brother Joe was born via Caesarean section at 8:10 p.m. Natalie's placenta got in the way of her brother and his head had been pushing on his umbilical cord, requiring the emergency delivery.
Natalie was 6 pounds, 10 ounces, while Joe was 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Both were 19-1/2 inches long. While they were born about three weeks early, the twins were healthy, although they had jaundice for a few days after their birth.
Smith is taking a leave from her job at Baxter Elementary School through the end of the 2008-09 school year. She said she misses her students and co-workers but she and her husband felt it would be better for the family if she stayed home right now.
"It is easier to have a class of 25 second-graders than it is to be home with four kids," Smith said with a laugh.
She has tried to take all four children on an outing by herself and that ended quickly. Smith took them all to the Brainerd Public Library so the older girls could check out some books. That lasted about 10 minutes before Joe started screaming. So they went home.
There have been times when all four children are crying at once. Smith said she's had to reconcile the fact that she can't do everything at once and tells herself that she's not a bad mom if one or more of her children are crying for her attention and they need to wait. Josh's parents, Deb and Rick Smith of East Gull Lake, have been invaluable for her, stopping over and helping out when they can. They also take the oldest girls once a week for a sleepover. Her parents live in Wisconsin and Pine City.
Still, Smith said she feels blessed, even when her children are misbehaving or crying. She said she feels grateful to be able to be a mother to four wonderful children. Kenna is learning to read while Meghan is learning her letters and the twins love to giggle and coo.
On Sunday, Mother's Day, Smith said her family plans to celebrate with lunch at her in-laws' home.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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